NKD Mag - Issue #48 (June 2015) by NKD Mag

JUNE 2015 4 8 10 12 18 20 22 26 32 34 44 46

jack and jack handsome ghost emma ishta martin garrix karma killers greg holden the mowgliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jean-luc bilodeau jamie tworkowski connor franta old dominion rocket & the ghost

founder

catherine powell

photographer

catherine powell

editors

jordan melendrez catherine powell

designer

catherine powell

writers

merissa blitz shelby chargin brittany landau jordan melendrez shina patel catherine powell riley stenehjem katelyn thompson tanya traner

/nkdmg

@nakedmag

JACK AND JACK Words by SHINA PATEL Photos by CATHERINE POWELL Make-Up by SAMANTHA LAU

Jack Johnson and Jack Gilinsky became friends because they have one major thing in common: their name. Many may think that sharing a name is an insufficient reason to form a friendship, but this duo disagrees. It also helps that the boys first became friends in kindergarten when life was much simpler. The Nebraska natives met on the first day of kindergarten and have remained inseparable since. Around the fourth or fifth grade they began making videos and working with a camera. “We made a YouTube channel and it was called the Mother Falcon Quagmire … We thought that was the coolest combination of words at the time. It was weird,” Johnson recalls. The channel consisted of different comedy sketches and parodies of popular songs. Although their parents saw their potential at the time, the duo stopped making videos in high school because of social pressure. “Kids were making fun of us,” Johnson says. “We definitely let it get to us. Kids back in middle school, they can be ruthless.” Things began to change when Vine started gaining popularity. “But then we saw that these non-traditional celebrities were gaining millions of followers on

this app called Vine and Jack J. actually showed me this app,” Gilinsky explains. The two saw how normal people’s videos were going viral through the app, so they wanted to try it out. “We would just make stuff that would make us laugh and it just kind of got around in our school and our city,” Gilinsky says. They were able to hit a thousand followers just two weeks after they started making Vines. A month later, they hit 25,000 followers. Their most popular Vine was one called ‘Nerd Vandals’ in which they donned glasses, wore bow ties and tucked in their shirts, and “vandalised” the back of a car that had a 4x4 symbol on it by writing “= 16.” About a week after putting it out, their follower count skyrocketed to over 200,000. This increase of followers put them in the top 100 Vine accounts. To keep their followers engaged and to try and gain more fans, the boys would post Vines every day and try to be as consistent as possible. They soon learned that their Vine followers would follow them on pretty much every other social media platform, including Twitter and Instagram. Soon after this, Jack and Jack were approached about partaking in a meet and greet. At first they were a bit sceptical, doubting that any-

body would pay money to meet them when all they did was make six-second videos for a social media app. But they agreed to do it. The event, Magcon, was held in Dallas, Texas, and was the very first time Jack and Jack got to know more about their fans and what their demographic was really like. While it was rewarding to come face to face with their fans, the boys had wished that they could at least do something for them instead of just taking a picture and signing autographs. “We went back home and linked up with these local producers that reached out to us, and they said that they could help us out making music professionally,” Johnson says. They were able to make a song and release it on iTunes. With the help of their fans and Vine-famous friends, the song “Distance” ranked at No. 70 on the iTunes overall charts. “That’s when we really saw the power our fans have,” Gilinsky says. From there, they began performing at more Magcon events and spreading the word that they were in the music business. They decided to take a year off college to pursue music and focus on building their name in the music industry. At first their parents were hesitant about their decision, but eventually they underNKDMAG.COM

stood that pursuing music was an opportunity Jack and Jack could not pass up. “College will always be there,” Gilinsky says. “It will always be something to go back to.” They began making trips to Los Angeles to meet with their attorney, agencies and multichannel networks. Their attorney set them up with a producer in L.A., and it was the first time they were in a real studio making music. Their song “Wild Life” made it to the top of the iTunes chart and sat at No. 2 with the help of their fans. Since then they have moved out to L.A. full time and are now working on writing and releasing more music. This past August, they went on an 18-city tour put on through DigiTour. “That was our first headlining tour,” Johnson says. “That was crazy because I think that really made our personal Jack and Jack fan base.” Since they are still fairly new to the music industry, they are still learning the ins and outs of the business. They want to work with the best producers to make the best songs. They’re weighing the pros and cons of a record label, but first they want to see what they can do on their own. Without a label and solely using the power of social media, they were able to sell a million singles on iTunes. Although they have been approached by different labels, they have yet to make a decide whether they want to sign or not. They even took a break from posting from Vine to focus on their music, plus they started feeling like it was an obligation. “It kind of lost the fun at a certain point,” Johnson says. “We took a break where we were really not posting at all, but now we’re getting back into the swing of things. We know that we still 6

need to post. That’s our main platform, still. That’s where we have our most followers.” One thing they want to get rid of is the Viner stigma. They want to be taken seriously as artists and not just be known for as “those kids on Vine who decided to put out a few songs because they had a large following.” Their ever-increasing fan base was the reason they started creating music. But Jack and Jack note that the passion and love for music has always been a part of who they are. “At the end of the day we can be Viners and musicians. It doesn’t matter.” Johnson says. “People just need to be more open-minded about it.” They cite friend and fellow Viner, Shawn Mendes, who also started on Vine but has released an album that reached number one on the charts. People now solely think of him as a musician. Their goal for the next few months is to establish themselves in the music industry and focus on making the best songs for their fans. so far they have released 12 singles, and they’re working on releasing an EP independently. They still want to work on one cohesive project and a set of songs that go together. They haven’t released anything in the past few months, which shocks many fans who were accustomed to Jack and Jack putting out a song every month or so. “They’ll have more content in one day, and I think they’ll enjoy it more,” Johnson says. Jack and Jack note that they won’t start work on a full-length album until they decide to work with a record label or independently. While there are no specific release dates on the table yet, Jack and Jack fans can be sure of one thing: new music is coming soon. NKD

handsome The Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York is buzzing with the chatter of excited fans. As the lights dim, only two people, Tim Noyes and Eddie Byun of Handsome Ghost, appear. Their set is rather slim — nothing but an acoustic guitar and a DJ table. The banter continues, because it’s just the opener, right? Wrong. The first beautifully clear, powerful note from Tim’s voice rains over the 8

Words by TANYA TRANER Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

room while the energy of electric synth can almost be seen to reach out and envelop every listener, and suddenly the room is quiet, all eyes ahead. Tim, if not for a series of very good choices, might never have made it here. His story starts in the Bronx, where he was a full-time teacher. He struggled to balance his teaching job with music. “Teaching is so demanding,” he says. He

ghost

worked at school and after hours every day. “It was getting to the point where I was having a really tough time giving enough time to teaching.” He knew he needed to give all of himself to one or the other to be successful, so he had to chose whether to give up music and focus solely on teaching, or say goodbye to teaching once and for all. He made a choice, and decided to give music his undi-

vided attention. “I joined a folk band, [Aunt Martha] for a couple years, which was really fun.” He toured with them extensively. “As that started to kind of run its course, I found Handsome Ghost.” Tim says the transition from folk to electronic was kind of an accident. He always enjoyed electronic and pop music, though he did not listen to folk sounds as often. He felt Aunt Martha had kind of hit their ceiling. “We were great friends, and we had a blast, but we had kind of just gotten to a place where most bands get where we were like ‘Alright, this is the kind of band we’re going to be.’” He spent a summer in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, trying new tricks and production styles that he could never do with Aunt Martha, and in turn, found his calling. “I wasn’t planning on starting a new band by any means,” he explains. “But as I was experimenting with this new sound, it just became clear that it was gonna have to be its own brand new thing.” He felt like he had another choice to make, so he made the switch, and he’s been building Handsome Ghost ever since. Tim worked on all of the initial demos himself. He only had one rule when he started this project, which he has kept to this day: no electric guitars. “I have nothing against electric guitar,” he says. “But the thought was to do our best to merge the acoustic instruments with the electronic elements, and I feel like once you bring electric guitar into the recording, it just blows away the acoustic guitar.” So he decided he was going to create something

different. The band itself, or at least those who play live, is still a work in progress. Currently, it’s just Tim and Eddie on stage. “I was a little scared at first to play just the two of us, because it’s very strange. You feel very vulnerable.” He says it’s turned out to be a blessing because the two have gotten really tight musically. “So it’s going to be easier to find the right people to build around it.” As they figure out this next step, one important question for Tim is how much creative control any band members will have with the project, or if he’s just looking for a back-up band. For now, he says he likes having the control. “It’s just so nice. I love doing the demos by myself because I can do whatever I want and no one can tell me no,” he says, adding that he is open to letting other voices be heard. He understands that as a band progresses and matures, this is something he is going to have to consider. While they are not technically a full band, Handsome Ghost signed to Photo Finish Records this year, before they ever embarking on an official tour. They were approached by other labels, and once again had to make a choice. Tim says it was a tough one but he doesn’t regret the decision at all, and it’s been really cool so far. “I honestly love the Photo Finish people,” he says. “We’re kind of just learning the perks of being signed versus unsigned. But just to have a team around you who care about your band and like your music, it just feels great.” Photo Finish sent Handsome

Ghost on their first tour this spring with Misterwives and BORNS. This tour was interesting because it was a lineup of bands who have all just recently blown up in the music scene. “Energy is the right word. There’s definitely just a cool buzz,” Tim says, noting that a lot of the venues were originally smaller but were switched for a larger capacity, and shows were added to accommodate the overwhelming ticket sales. He says that he’s become very close with all of the bands in the lineup, but says of he has learned a lot from Misterwives.“They’re just so nice to everyone. I feel like that’s just kind of their mantra. It’s good to remember, just be nice. It doesn’t matter if you’re opening or headlining,” he says. “I think the cool thing to see with those guys, is that they’re so happy. There’s no ego whatsoever.” Musically, he loves their band. He says that he takes little notes from each member on song-writing, and performance. “They put on such a good show. It’s definitely helping me to realize what improvements we can make, so it’s not just simply guys playing their instruments.” Tim says he has no plans of slowing down with Handsome Ghost. “I think we just kind of have to build on the momentum that we’ve started on this tour.” He’s working on writing songs that will be used to turn their debut EP Blood Stutter into a full record. Most importantly, they will be playing shows: a few more shows with Misterwives in July and with The Mowgli’s this summer. “I think the key right now is don’t rest,” Tim says. “Just keep pushing.” NKD NKDMAG.COM

EMMA ISHTA Words by RILEY STENEHJEM Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Emma Ishta always knew she was destined to work in front of the camera. The Australian model-turned-actress has fostered a love for performing since childhood, and started modeling at age 13 in Brisbane. “I started modeling because to me, at like, 12, 13, I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s the same thing [as acting],’” Emma explains, and then adds with a laugh, “It’s not.” After she graduated high school, she was scouted by a modeling agency and moved to Paris for three months. From there, the then-18 year-old returned to Brisbane, Australia. “I was studying jazz voice at the conservatory, and I was just really unhappy in Brisbane,” she says. “Modeling was my way of being able to support myself and be financially independent and move out, so I moved to Sydney.” Emma made the switch to acting when she moved to New York City, although the transition was not exactly a conscious one. “As soon as I got here I started going to an acting studio … mostly because I just loved it, not because I was trying to make any major transition at that point in time,” Emma remarks. “But I did always know that I hoped to be doing this, so eventually I just muscled my way over.” Her switch to the acting industry has been successful thus far. Emma’s first professional acting jobs were on two TV shows: Power (Starz Network) and Black Box (ABC). About a year ago, Emma booked the lead role on a ABC Family procedural drama called Stitchers. The show follows a young woman named Kristen, who Emma plays, who is recruited by a covert government agency. The agency “hacks” the brains of the deceased in a process called stitching. “With our special stitching technology, you can insert a living consciousness into that dead person’s brain and access their memories before they completely degrade,” Emma says. “We use that information, the things we see in their memories, to solve crime, or see how they died, or stop other things from happening.” Emma was initially attracted to the role because of Kristen’s strength as a female

character. “I am a huge advocate for women and strong female characters in film and TV,” she explains. In Emma’s words, Kristen is “smart, highly intelligent, straight to the point, and she is who is she is.” Not only is Kristen a strong lead, but she has a condition called temporal dysplasia. “At the beginning of the season, she doesn’t really have any emotional connection at all,” Emma says of her character. “[The condition] also affects her ability to perceive the passage of time.” Developing a character like this, with all of these unique, strong qualities, led Emma to take the role as Kristen. To prepare for filming, Emma looked at other television shows with characters similar to Kristen. “At the time, The Bridge was on, with Diane Kruger, and the other thing I loved was The Fall with Gillian Anderson. Obviously, they’re different shows, but they’re both really strong female characters, and they are just slightly unusual,” Emma elaborates. “In The Bridge, Diane Kruger’s character has Asperger’s, and Gillian Anderson’s character is another strong female character who is kind of unusual and doesn’t necessarily fit the mold or the stereotype of what a woman is supposed to be.” Kristen, much like these other women, is incredibly unique. In Emma’s eyes, what may make her the most different is her love for technology. At the moment, there are not many female characters on television that are drawn to technology, and the few that are tend to fall into the same “hacker girl” stereotype. “We had a bunch of people from Google come down when we were shooting the pilot, a bunch of women who were interested in getting more diversity in tech, because at the moment, tech is a really white male-dominated field. They were talking to me about the stereotype, which is what you see in NCIS, and all of those,” Emma explains. “They’ll have the girl who’s kind of a little bit gothic, and with the pigtails, and she’s kind of quirky, and it’s very rare that you see a girl who is just normal, just a normal human being who is into tech.” The 10-episode season of Stitchers just wrapped up filming. Since the complete

season was finished before the pilot had its premiere, Emma was able to focus all of her attention on the development of her character. “I think that if I had a lot of fan feedback, especially since I am new and this is my first time doing this, it would start to get in the way of my process, and you start to doubt yourself in the decisions that you’re making,” Emma says. “You really have to make your own strong choices about the direction you’re taking the character, obviously with the showrunner and the creators and the writers, and you all work together to build this person.” Working on the ABC Family set was, well, a family-like experience for Emma. The channel stays true to their name. “I think they really strived to create a family atmosphere when we first arrived to start the season. We had Meeting 101s, and everyone introduced themselves, and we all talked about what everyone does. You’re not just thrown into the wolves and expected to know what’s going on,” Emma remarks. “Everyone has always been very kind and welcoming.” Now that filming has wrapped and the show is set to premiere, Emma is a bit apprehensive about seeing the audience’s reactions to the show, although her anxieties are overshadowed by her excitement. “I know that we have a really strong female audience, and particularly younger girls, too. I’m excited for them to see a character like Kristen, and hopefully they will identify with her, and hopefully they will be able to feel emboldened by the way she is,” she says. “I want girls to come away feeling like it’s cool to be smart.” After a year of focusing all of her energy on Stitchers, Emma plans to begin looking for some work over the summer. “I would love to do some films, hopefully,” she says. In all of her roles, whether she is playing Kristen or another character, Emma really hopes that she can portray meaningful, influential women. “I just want to tell stories that connect with people,” she explains, “that change the way that people might view the world or each other, and be able to inspire passion.” NKD NKDMAG.COM

MARTIN G A R R I X Words by JORDAN MELENDREZ Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

He has heard of the criticisms about dance music — it all sounds the same. Well, not only is he making his music distinctive, but he’s doing it at a young age. Martijn Garritsen, known more commonly as Martin Garrix, is only 19. And his hit “Animals” has been featured at music festivals and clubs around the world. The Dutch producer and musician was born and raised in Amstelveen, Netherlands, a suburb of Amsterdam. While his parents work in normal industries, they were all musically talented: His mother can play the piano, his dad can play the guitar and his sister can play the violin, piano and can sing. 12

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Martin learned to play the drums and guitar, composing songs as he went along. “But every time I wanted to show someone, I had to get my guitar,” he recalls. “So I did some research on how I could put these melodies from my guitar onto the computer.” He began using FL Studio, which is the same software he uses today. “First it was just guitar music, put it in the computer. Then I started adding drums to it,” Martin explains. “I started listening to trance music, like electronic. And I was like, ‘Oh, I will try to use that as well.’” To put this all in perspective, though, Martin was only about 9 or 10 when he began experimenting with instruments and production. He consulted online tutorials, collaborated with artists, making mistakes and seeking assistance in forums. In high school, Martin wasn’t quite like other teenagers. “Everyone’s doing sports and stuff,” he says about high school. “I was in here making music all the time and not going out. Well, I was going out, but not after school to play football. I was like, ‘I’ll go home. I like music.” After high school, Martin attended a special two-year program for producers. During this time, he cmposed “Animals.” “I just spent a shit load of time in the studio working, trying to get better every time and trying to find my own sound,” he says, “because the thing right now is so many artists, so many songs, so many DJs, they sound the same. So it’s hard to stand out.” Martin created a sound so at-

tractive that the label company Spinnin’ Records took notice, giving Martin a reputable platform to promote his tracks. “They started putting out my music instead of me just showing it to my friends, putting it on Soundcloud and getting a hundred plays,” he says. Very few teenagers could say they have millions of followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter combined. Martin has millions of followers per social media outlets. Since being published online in 2013, “Animals” has amassed over 500 million views. Martin, who attended festivals such as Ultra and Tomorrowland as a fan, was headlining them the following year. “I started listening to trance music and house music because of Tiesto, and now I’m good buddies with him,” Martin says. “It’s very weird. My idols, like I know them now.” Martin grew up following the dirty house movement that began in the 2000s, and renowned dance music DJs such as Armin van Buuren, Tiesto and Vato Gonzalez. Now, he’s in the studio recording with them. “A lot of the time when I collaborated with someone, I thought everything they touched turned into gold. So when we were in the studio I just shut my mouth,” he shares. “But the thing is, they are in the studio with you because they want your input. They like what you do as well.” After getting over the surrealism of walking into a studio to produce “Don’t Look Down” with Usher, Martin has been able to sit back and watch the response.

“The feedback we get is so crazy. And also the people like it, the friends like it, people like the collaboration,” he says. “I’m really liking it, I’m blown away, I’m really happy with it.” And when asked what it’s like to work with talented singers like Usher, Martin is quick to respond. “It’s great. It’s a pleasure. It’s fucking Usher,” he laughs. All of this after just a short amount of exposure to the limelight, and it’s not even close to ending. Martin teamed up with Ed Sheeran for a track called “Rewind Repeat It,” which he premiered at Ultra in March. David Guetta, Avicii, Afrojack, Kygo; the list goes on, and it’s neverending. He clearly has a full schedule. When he first gained a reputation, the invitations flooded in, pulling him away from home and the studio. Now, Martin feels he has found a balance. “We found the perfect balance between producing, time off, chilling with friends and shows,” Martin says. Family is a major part of Martin’s life. He brought his mother to Ultra, his father to Tomorrowland and his whole family to Coachella. (Martin moved out of his parent’s home a few months ago, but his new home is still only about 10 minutes away.) “I don’t want to be away from them for super long,” Martin says. “Like when I get there, put the switch off, no stress, just chilling, hanging out with them, decompressing.” Now that he has finally found his sound and rhythm, he’s working on a full-length album. But unfortunately for his fans, there’s no release date set quite NKDMAG.COM

yet. Other factors are at force, like the amount of tracks he completes, which will be singles or album-only. However, the sound will be different. “People only know my from energetic stuff, like club stuff. But the album shows like a complete other side as well, I’ve got some deeper tracks,” he shares. “There’s a track on it which means a lot personally. It shows more Martin Garrix than people get to see right now, which I can’t wait for people to see that as well.” In between studio time, Martin is booked for the summer with festivals, clubs and collaborations and a few more single releases. In the grand scheme of things — because yes, despite all of his incredible achievements, Martin is not resting on his laurels — he hopes to play for massive audiences. “I would love to do an insane headline tour,” he chuckle. “Big, big arena … like what Swedish House Mafia did … one day.” And finishing the full-length, too, of course. Perhaps it’s because of his age, but Martin’s demeanor is more relaxed than other musicians. He’s passionate, but not too tense. DJing and producing only became a career once he was signed, but that doesn’t go to his head. He acknowledges it, but it’s more of a responsibility than a chore. “I was like, ‘Woah, money. Woah, fans, people who are actually listening to my music besides friends and family,’” he says. “It’s still a hobby. That’s the fun thing. I go into the studio because I have to finish stuff, but it doesn’t feel like a job.” NKD NKDMAG.COM

THEKARMA KILLERS words by merissa blitz // photos by catherine powell

When The Karma Killers walk into our interview, they look like they are straight out of a My Chemical Romance music video, especially lead singer Micky James, who wears a navy military jacket. His countenance even resembles MCR frontman, Gerard Way. With Billy Steven’s awesome beard and bowler hat combination, Josh Grigsby’s bright teal blue hair, and Mango’s moniker of, well, Mango, these guys already seem to have that rock star appeal. The Karma Killers, New Jersey natives and David Bowie and Billy Idol fans, have been through quite the journey. After only starting up a few years ago, they’re already getting their time in the spotlight. “It started as potentially me being a solo artist,” Micky explains. He was recording a song that Josh was playing drums on, but he realized that’s not how he wanted to start his music career. “I didn’t want to be a solo artist,” he says. “I wanted to start a band.” The person who was recording Micky’s song knew Billy and introduced him to the band. A couple of years later, Billy introduced Mango to the rest of the guys. And the rest was history. Choosing a band name was a very easy task; Billy thought up the first version before he even joined the band. “When we first heard a demo of what Micky did on his own, [Billy] called me and he was like, ‘Yo, you got to hear this.’ And we loved it. He was like, ‘We should call the band Killing Karma.’ And I was like, ‘Dude, let’s meet each other first!’” Mango remembers. “We just had this idea for the band name to be Killing Karma, and we were sitting in Micky’s driveway and someone said they wanted to put a ‘the’ in front of it, so we kind of just mixed and matched the words,” he explains. “We weren’t trying to be The Rolling Stones or The Beatles or something like that, but it just turned into The Karma Killers somehow,” Billy says. “I think it was literally the first time we all got together.” During their first month as an official band, The Karma Killers traveled to Los Angeles to get their name out there and start recording some music.

Josh explains that they “did the typical new band thing and fucked up” right away. “We lost all our money and recorded a really shitty EP,” Mickey says. “The producers took advantage of us,” Josh explains. Even though they had a hard time during their first attempt, that didn’t stop them from pushing forward and creating the music they wanted. “We came up with a song called ‘I’m Okay.’ We put it on the Internet, and that got us attention from our producer and production company Shep Goodman of Dirty Canvas,” Micky explains. “Island Records liked the band. While we were in the studio they heard some stuff I guess. A few months later, they signed the band. And now it’s just a party.” Luckily, Island Records has been treating the band like the rock stars they are. “You know, we have a thousand likes on Facebook, we’re just getting rolling here and they treat us like we’re as big as any other artist there, so it’s just awesome,” Billy says. “You would never even think they were a major record label. You think, major record label you would get lost in the mix with all the other bands, but they are a small, tight-nit group of people. All of them are awesome.” “They really care about us, “ Josh says. “ They’re working hard for us, so it’s good.” In February, The Karma Killers released their single, “Coming of Age” just to “test the waters” and see how people would respond to their music. “So far [the response] has been great,” Josh says. “People seem to love it.” They even had a huge party in Billy’s apartment for the music video. “We moved all my furniture and set up in my living room and everyone got really drunk and just, like, destroyed the fuck out of my apartment,” Billy says. “It was bad the next day, but it worked out perfectly though,” Josh says. “It looked like there were way more people there than there were, which is pretty cool, and [the room] looked like it was bigger than it actually was. Releasing “Coming of Age” at that time was actually a smart decision because that earned them the chance to play Warped

Tour this summer. “It’s going to be crazy,” Josh says. “It’s all 55 dates, circling the country twice. It’s going to be cool.” The band is ready to start performing for people and their music even more. “I’m fucking really excited,” Micky exclaims. “I’m excited, but I’m also like, it’s really hot.” “Yeah it’s going to be hot,” Josh agrees. “We’re probably going to pass out on stage a few times.” Though the heat may get to them, Warped Tour is going to be a turning point in their career because of all the teenage music lovers gathered in one place. The Karma Killers are excited to finally play in front of a younger crowd. “We’ve always been playing for an older audience, especially playing in New York City,” Micky explains. “There we get to play in front of young, teenage kids.” This month, The Karma Killers are going to put out their first official EP right before they go on tour. According to the guys, the process was a long one. “We started in October of 2013, but from that time until now, we’ve actually been writing the album, too,” Micky explains. “It’s not like it took a year and a half to write 5 songs,” Mango adds. “We’ve probably written about 500 songs.” Josh says that they stopped for almost a year and came back a year later to put the finishing touches on it. Now they are eager to start playing the songs live. “It’s going to be very relieving to get these songs out, it’s been a while,” Micky shares. “They feel so old to us, but no one’s heard them yet.” They’ve had some great moments together already, like SXSW this year. “Even though we got completely screwed in L.A., that was a blast,” Josh says. They played at The Paramount to an audience of 1,500 people and opened for musicians like Ed Kowalczyk from the band Live and rapper Jake Miller. The Karma Killers are bringing back ’80s alternative rock and punk with a little new wave thrown into the mix. They’re definitely a band to watch. NKD NKDMAG.COM

GREG HOLDEN Words by TANYA TRANER | Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

For the first 18 years of his life, singer-songwriter, Greg Holden had absolutely no interest in music — but how times have changed. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, Greg says his family moved when he was a child to an area northwest of England near Manchester. Music was not a passion for him, but he says he was looking for a release out of his hard life. “I had a lot of trouble with bullies at school,” he says. “And I was kind of looking for an escape, a way to kind of vent. And I didn’t have a great time at home either, so I was always looking for a way out.” “I saw a friend of mine playing guitar in a local bar,” he says. “And he was singing his own songs, and for some reason that kind of struck a chord with me — no pun intended.” He approached his friend, who taught him a couple of songs and also helped him learn to write music. Up until this point, Greg says he had no idea he could sing; he never even tried. “When I first started, I would sing really low because I was scared to really project,” he recalls. After working hard and developing a voice, he decided to move to New York City and pursue music professionally. “The reason I did that is because I wanted to scare the crap out of myself.” He felt like if he stayed in the U.K., he wouldn’t have the same drive. He sold all of his worldly possessions, packed his bags and made the big move across the pond. Luckily for Greg, the pieces just sort of fit together upon his arrival to the United States. “I was really lucky. I fell into a really good scene of people at Rockwood Music Hall in the Lower East Side,” he says. He was able to obtain a work visa about six months in and signed a publishing deal right away. He made two albums independently during his time here as well. “In between that I would be touring as much as I could, which never made any money, still doesn’t,” he laughs. He made a living from his publish-

ing deal, with some of his tracks appear on popular television shows. But Greg was also co-writing for other musicians with this deal. Most notably, he co-wrote the popular single “Home,” eventually sung by Phillip Phillips, the American Idol season 11 winner. But Greg says he isn’t the biggest fan of co-writing. “They would put me in a room with other people, to write songs for other people, and I didn’t like it,” he says. “For me, music’s so personal. I want to keep doing this and writing for me.” He says occasionally he will write for other people, but it’s definitely not a passion. Of musicians who exclusively have their music written for them, Greg thinks to each his own. “Some people are amazing performers but don’t write,” he shares. “I’ve definitely got no criticism over those people.” Despite his successes in the United States, Greg hit a wall and didn’t release new music for about three years. “Basically I was jumping in and out of bed with companies that were saying they were going to release my music and then it wouldn’t work out,” he explains. Because of this, he rereleased the same album two or three times, which drove him crazy. “I had all this new music that I wanted to get out there,” he comments. He spent as much time as he could trying to promote the old stuff, but finally said “screw it” and decided to write a third album. He hit that turning point of continuing with music, or giving up, and he decided to take a trip to India “My last records were very negative, very self-indulgent I would say,” he says. “That really shifted my perspective on my life and what I was trying to say.” He traveled to the poorest state of the country and was amazed at what he found in the people there. “Nobody had anything, but everybody was smiling.” He says he began to see how lucky he is to be doing what he’s doing. “I realized that I had a responsibility to say something positive with my

music.” Upon returning from his trip, he knew he wanted to create an album with the music he wanted to make, without people telling him what to do. When it was finished, he tried to find the right home for his music. “Warner Brothers was the one company who I just felt really understood what I was trying to do and weren’t about to push me in the wrong direction,” he shares. He signed to the major label in 2014. Since signing, Greg’s life has been a whirlwind. He released the new, more positive album, Chase the Sun in February of this year. He also just wrapped up a major U.S. tour, opening for Delta Rae, a group known for their hard-hitting harmonies, energy and eclectic music. “They’re great, they make me feel like a terrible singer,” he jokes. “They’ve got good energy. They’re good people. And that’s all you can ask for when you’re touring.” He says when you’re opening for a band, you want to feel like you’re accepted into their family, and Delta Rae has welcomed him. Greg has headlined his own tours many times, but he says that opening for a band is still his favorite thing to do because of the pressure of headlining. “You have to sell tickets. You have to make sure you’re playing for a good hour, hour and a half, which is a struggle every night.” He says he likes how you play for a shorter time, opening, and really get to craft your set. “And you’re playing in front of a whole new bunch of people.” He says this also comes with its cons, as some fans don’t care about the opener, but he’s been lucky to open up to a lot acts who have great fans who show up early and are energetic about his music. Despite his success, Greg knows that the music industry is an uphill battle. “You are constantly fighting to stay relevant.” But he plans to stay relevant by “touring my ass off,” he laughs. He says he will be traveling and supporting his album all year. “Hopefully this is just the beginning.” NKD NKDMAG.COM

THE MOWGLI’S With six years under their belt, The Mowgli’s are a group of fun-loving (and dog-loving) people who enjoy working more than other do. “I can’t imagine not having them honestly,” Josh says about their two dogs who accompany them to the interview. “It’s nice to just have them be our

own problems. And it’s really nice to traveling to all these cities and I have to wake up in the morning and take them on a walk, so I have to see a bit of the city.” Katie finishes. It’s the perfect introduction to the laid-back duo of The Mowgli’s, who effortlessly play off of one another, and their animals.

Words by SHELBY CHARGIN Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Speaking with Josh and Katie, you get a full sense of a family and support throughout each part of their origin story. “We’re moving into our sixth year as a band, which is so crazy to think that I’ve been doing this for the better part of a decade already. I feel like we were all just so much

younger you know? I feel like in your 20s, six years is such a big expanse of time for who you are as a person, so we’ve kinda grown up together in this way, in this band.” Katie explains. “They were formative years,” Josh cuts in, before Katie continues, “Some of the boys had

written the song called ‘San Francisco,’ and we formed the band as a means to play that song, and some of the other songs people were writing. It was a really casual, fun thing we did with friends after work, and became what we did for work instead of just after work, and I feel like it’s the most

fun job I’ve ever had in my life.” “Most of us came from other bands,” Josh continues. “We just grabbed a bunch of different musicians from bands who were very close.” The familial feel of the band truly helped propel them forward into a crazy life of non-stop touring and recording.

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“That’s pretty much how it ended up being The Mowgli’s, it just kind of happened,” he adds. This life was something that wasn’t easy to choose, but there are no regrets, it was a natural progression from a simple lifestyle to a team of great people, to a full career. “The team happened first,” Josh states. “I think it’s just like one of those rules of attraction. I think that we were just working so hard, that it came our way.” “It was literally a domino effect over the course of four months,” Josh adds. “I stopped being surprised at how much great things were happening for us.” “Anthony Bland and John 24

Mathson of The Candy Shop, they’ve really helped us by just believing in us,” Katie says. “They’re part of our family at this point.” The Mowgli’s newest album just had its debut and they are in full force mode. It seems as though they never slow down. “For me, I love to travel, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have my dog, and my best friends and my girlfriend, and I get to play music everyday. I can’t believe that this is my life,” Josh exudes. “I’m very very lucky, going out there and playing, and getting better, and like seeing progress, and making a second album that to me it’s all progress

and it’s growth. And I just love that, and I’m so happy being on the road and in the studio, I’m just so happy that this is my life.” “I’m right there with ya,” Katie chimes in. Their excitement is only shared by their bandmates, who seem to be putting themselves out there with all they have. “You’ve gotta get through, I feel like to get to this point that we all seem to be at, you’ve got to play a lot of weird shows, you have to really put yourself out there,” Katie says before laughing. “Our first tour, we were opening for someone, no one was there to see us and you have to go out there and be like, please like me enough to go home

and Google us.” The new album, Kids In Love, “has been a process since we released our first album,” Josh explains. “In my mind, I remember touring and being like ‘it seems like we can relax now, but we shouldn’t.’ And Colin is one of the bigger writers in the band I guess…” “You, too” Katie quickly interjects. Josh says many songs were written while the band was touring. “I feel like I would always be on tour and just always remind him and myself to keep up the writing,” he comments. “There was little breaks for a couple weeks where Colin went to

Nashville and did a bunch of cowriting session, and I want to say two or three of those songs made the record. And so it’s just been, it really has been, like a work in progress over the last year and a half or two,” he finishes. Katie’s quick to back him up on the claim. Kids In Love has parts of songs written that had been two or three years old, just waiting to be completed. “I hear the album now, and I know that there’s pieces of that album that have existed for years now. Either in Josh’s head, or Colin’s head or one of our heads and finally now they’re complete songs, and there’s a full product, but there’s just really little bits and pieces all

over the record I remember Colin or Josh or somebody showing me so long ago,” she recalls. “It’s just kind of cool to see all of that surgery go down on a song or a record.” The appreciation of one another never goes unnoticed when it comes to their accomplishments and it’s hard to believe they’ve only been a band for six years when they speak as though they’ve been doing this forever. “We inevitably have become kind of a stronger tighter band in every department, performance, writing, and musicianship.” Katie says. The dedication and effort put into Kids In Love are only topped by one thing: their love of their fans. “We set out to write positive music right from the beginning,” Josh states. “Meeting people and hearing their stories of how our music has influenced them or inspired them in a positive way that keeps me going. It’s a huge thing for me … We really do mean it.” “I feel like the most honest pieces of work that we have are the ones that speak to people the most. I just think that speaks volumes because I feel like those positive messages that we put out are in a way just really messages to ourselves personally,” Katie says. “We’re not just reminding them to love themselves or feel strongly that they’re not alone, we’re kinda reminding ourselves of that.” The Mowgli’s experiences with music and fans have encouraged them to have an almost ruthless touring schedule. They are constantly in motion, and they have really begun to break out of their shell. Although the music scene they came from was hard to break through, and their comfortable lives were hard to leave, they wouldn’t have it any other way. NKD NKDMAG.COM

JEAN-LUC BILODEAU Words & Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

There are a lot of words that could be used to describe Jean-Luc Bilodeau: talented, eager, relaxed, comical. The list goes on. But the most overpowering — and the one Jean-Luc uses multiple times to describe himself throughout our conversation — is fortunate. With his show Baby Daddy renewed for a fifth season, Jean-Luc is in a position most actors dream of, and he’s not taking it for granted. Over a year after our first interview in Los Angeles, Jean-Luc and I meet on the opposite side of the country in his hotel room in New York City. He’s in town for ABC Family’s annual Upfronts presentation. But unlike all his channelmates, his show is on hiatus from filming, and he’ll be enjoying a few vacation days in the Big Apple. He’s making the most of his time off; he just returned from an adventure in the West Indies with his co-star, Chelsea Kane, and has a few other locations on his bucket list before he returns to set in August. For now, though, he is eager to talk about 26

Baby Daddy. In the last year, most of Jean-Luc’s time has gone to filming Baby Daddy. The cast rehearses Monday through Wednesday, films on Thursday and then tapes in front of a live audience on Friday, so there’s still plenty of room for a social life. “I work and I hang out, and I go back home a lot to Vancouver. Once every two months, or so,” he says. The show’s season five renewal makes it the longest running comedy on ABC Family, and viewer wise they’re also the most successful sitcom the channel has ever had. “We’re one of the staples of ABC Family — especially for the new direction of the network,” JeanLuc says. “They kind of want to brand a little more mature.” He believes the reason Baby Daddy has done so well is because it’s not just a show about a guy taking care of his kid. They explore a plethora of different relationships, conflicts, jokes and emotions each season. “There’s so many different levels to the show, and I think that can attest to why we’ve been on so long,” he says. In four seasons, Jean-Luc’s character, Ben Wheeler, has grown and changed from a carefree, 20-something-year-old bachelor to a mature (but still learning) father of his daughter Emma. “I always used to say I know Ben, I’ve always known Ben, I know the guy, he’s me … That was all bullshit until last season,” Jean-Luc admits. “I finally figured Ben out.” Jean-Luc feels that he’s made Ben a real person, partly because as an actor, he has learned to be subtler with his comedy, which makes Ben more real. “He’s becoming a man, and part of the reason you’re seeing that transition for him is because he’s finally fallen in love with a girl and knows what he wants,” Jean-Luc says. Whether or not Ben will get the girl (Riley Perrin, played by Chelsea Kane) is still up in the air, but Jean-Luc promises an answer to that question is coming soon. For the better part of the past four seasons, Ben and his brother, Danny Wheeler (Derek Theler), have been competing for Riley while she NKDMAG.COM

tries to sort out her feelings. “It’s ultimately just, Riley needs to hone down and figure it out and pick a guy,” Jean-Luc says. “If she keeps going back and forth and this love triangle goes on too long, people are going to start turning against her.” Jean-Luc feels that a resolution to this dominant storyline will be good for the show because it gives them the ability to somehow change the show and give it more longevity. While Jean-Luc hasn’t seen any scripts for season five yet, he and the rest of the cast maintain a strong relationship with the show’s writers and are always kept in the loop about what’s going on. “What I know that the fans don’t right now, is what we’ve understood since the first season of the show,” he says, “I’m interested to see what the final verdict is and how long it takes to get there.” In defense of Ben, Jean-Luc has been very verbal about his opinion that no matter who gets the girl, the decision has to be sensitive and timely. “If Ben decides that he doesn’t want Riley, he can’t just like, peace off and salute her ‘bye’ and just go off and find another girl, because people care about Riley,” he says. “You need to respect that character. Fans take that love triangle very seriously.” While the Ben-Riley-Danny triangle has been the fan-favorite storyline over the course of four seasons, the foundation of the show is Ben’s adaptation to fatherhood. While Baby Daddy has been on air for three years, time has moved slower on-screen and Ben is still learning how to be a good parent. “I think Ben has always been the same type of Dad, he’s just selfishly growing older,” Jean-Luc says, “I feel like Emma grows older and so does he, and he’s just sort of figuring it out. But he has such a good support group, that he has a cushion to make mistakes.” As close as Ben’s support group is on-screen, the cast — Jean-Luc, Chelsea, Derek, Tahj Mowry and Melissa Peterman — are just as close in real life, and Jean-Luc attributes the show’s suc-

cess to this friendship. “I think that you can tell when a cast hates each other,” he says. “We’re not method actors, so if we don’t like each other off-screen, it’s not like we can just turn it on.” The chemistry on the show is not fabricated, and a lot of the storylines on the show have spawned from their weekend adventures. Jean-Luc recalls bits of his personal life sneaking into Ben’s story when he was still single during the early seasons, but nothing too specific. One thing that hasn’t translated from Jean-Luc’s life to Ben’s is his recent travel bug. Last summer he and Chelsea went backpacking through Europe during their hiatus, and he plans to utilize this break for exploring as well. “It could be our last hiatus, you never know, so I think I’m going to go to Australia for a month, go to Thailand,” he says. It was his parents who initially urged him to travel after Baby Daddy was renewed for season four last year, and he didn’t have any other projects lined up. Now he can’t stop. “As it winds down to our start date every season, you can’t work on anything else,” he explains. “When you hit that month and a half, two month marker, you know you’re not going to work for those two months.” While he’s chomping at the bit to get back to traveling, he’s also not opposed at all to booking a film or some guest roles during his time off. “I’m very comfortable where I’m at, at work, and challenging that and working on something different is really good for me,” he says. Jean-Luc and his cast have always been very fortunate in knowing far in advance that they would be returning for another season, so he’s always had time to actively look for work or plan a trip. Though he’s still waiting for the exact date, Jean-Luc knows he’ll be returning to set sometime in August while the second half of season four (which returns June 3) is still airing, and after the mid-season finale in March, fans are eager to see what happens next. “I think a huge part of why the fans come

back every week and after long breaks between hiatuses is the love triangle,” Jean-Luc notes. “That’s one really, really important storyline to them, and to us.” But he’s not worried that once that storyline is resolved that people will tune out, because at the end of the day there’s a lot more to the show than that. “It’s just a fun show to watch — like how people watch Friends. It’s just a fun, happy experience,” he says. The show’s full-time director, Michael Lembeck, worked on numerous episodes of Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond, and directs every single episode week after week because everyone on set and all the show’s characters are so happy. “It is a happy show, and it is a happy environment,” Jean-Luc says. “It doesn’t ever leave you in a bad mood, and it’s easy to watch.” Especially on a network filled with dramas about people being murdered or diagnosed with cancer, it’s uplifting and necessary. “Being on ABC Family, you get the opportunity to develop a really cool, cult following,” he says about the show’s fans. “You’ve got this core group that comes back every single week, and each season it grows. The people that watch Baby Daddy care about Baby Daddy.” As much as the fans care about Baby Daddy, Jean-Luc and his castmates care just as much and are anxious to get back to work. For season five, Jean-Luc hopes to bring the love triangle to a head. And if Riley picks Ben, he wants to explore the more mature aspects of a relationship, like moving in together. And if she picks Danny, he wants to explore Ben’s dating life. “Either date like crazy or just date someone. I think there’s a lot of comedy there,” he says, “My dating experiences have always been pretty hilarious, so I feel like there’s a lot of material there. And I can help them out with that.” Regardless of which road the show takes, Jean-Luc is excited and confident in the writers. “These writers are so good with adapting and changing,” he says. “We’ve been very fortunate.” NKD NKDMAG.COM

JAMIE TWORKOWSKI

founder of To Write Love On Her Arms Words by SHELBY CHARGIN Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

When speaking to Jamie Tworkowski, it’s easy to get caught up in the message that seems to resonate with everything he does. Jamie, founder of To Write Love On Her Arms, has been a figure in the mental health community for a long time, and it’s not always easy. Keeping people interested and keeping people coming back to a community is a daunting task, but he knows better than anyone that it can be done. “I think there’s a lot of layers to that. One thing that came to mind is the need. We’re talking about a lot of things that people can relate to, deal with and struggle with, and try to invite people into that conversation,” he says. “I feel like there’s an ongoing need, and we try to be creative and we try to be honest in how we go about that.” His dedication to fulfilling this need has kept a large community returning for almost a decade, and 32

with a humble start to his story, it’s no wonder humility seems to be the biggest factor in his personality. “Hopefully we’ve done a good job with that, but I think so many people relate to feeling alone, to struggling to not knowing where to turn, not knowing how to help someone they care about,” Jamie says. “To me the opportunity and the need far outweighs the idea of should this be a trend that comes and goes.” To Write Love On Her Arms started as a simple and small idea. “I came from brands,” he says. “I worked for Hurley and Quicksilver, and there were a lot of people who wondered if this thing would last a few months, and that’s a fair question.” Even his connections were meek in the beginning, but they grew naturally into what they are today. “It’s always been very relational, literally going back to the very beginning it

was friends. I was friends with the Switchfoot guys, the Anberlin guys, they were the first to wear our shirts,” Jamie recalls. “Their friends and bands they toured with and bands we got to know on the road, and you know it’s not so much me but a couple of the folks on the team who do Warped Tour every summer. They make new friends every summer. It all just happens so naturally, which I think surprises people. They think there’s all this language and all this marketing but it’s really much more like friendships.” The Warped Tour community has become something of a home for the successful non-profit, but there’s also a lot of branching out. “Me personally, I listen to all sorts of things, so I think Mary [Lambert] was actually someone that we reached out to so that was a little more traditional that we invited her to play the show, and

it was right as ‘Same Love’ had kind of blown up. So we kinda connected with her at this perfect moment.” Perfect moments happen often with this company. Between releasing a movie and a book, If You Feel Too Much, this is one of TWLOHA’s busiest but most exciting years. For Jamie, the book has been a long work in progress. “It’s something I’ve been talking about for years, so in a way it’s long overdo. I was kinda cried wolf about it for a long time,” Jamie explains, adding that now felt like the right time because the movie was also being released. “It felt like there’s no better time than to try to marry the two and let them happen two months apart. So you know I’ve just had this vision for kinda realizing I had written so much that I was proud of and wanting it to have a home.” Jamie also found the right publisher, Tarcher/Penguin, quickly; it was the first offer he received. “Not only did they want the book but they were willing to do it in about half the amount of time that a book typically takes,” he says. “It felt like such a perfect fit, and so we really found this great partner. But it was something I thought about for so long, and to me it’s an interesting mix. ‘Cause for people that have followed the organization or even my writing I think the book will contain some of their favorite things because even the original To Write Love On Her Arms Story is in there. It’s 10 years of writing.” “It’s not a memoir ... It’s not like the typical narrative,” Jamie explains. “It’s very personal.” The book itself entails 44 separate stories from Jamie’s life, dating back to his pre-TWLOHA days as a Hurley representative. “I picked out all of the pieces in the book, all 44 stories. One I had to sort of fight for, but then the editor came around and kind of let me have my way. It was one piece that she thought didn’t really fit but I got to plead my case as to why… But [the editing] felt really healthy… I didn’t

wanna go back and completely redo things out of respect for what was there.” Having never worked with an editor before, Jamie faced difficult challenge when writing this book. However, he recognized the need to share the stories. The editing process was also healthy for him, and he improved his own story. “Part of me just feels like I had to get this stuff out there, and hopefully it lets me move on to say other things,” he shares. The book itself came out right after the movie, and as any TWLOHA supporter would know, the movie has been a crazy experience. They didn’t know if the movie would actually be released. “It really has been such a roller coaster,” he says. “And we didn’t make it … That’s something that a lot of people assume, especially with the title, that we made this movie, or that we had creative control. And this thing was gonna happen with or without us, and in the end the only way Sony would buy the film was if they could use our title, so it gave us this decision to make … I’m just glad [the fans] finally got the chance to see it.” The subject matter of the film doesn’t disappoint; it provides a raw insight to the situation it’s representing. “It’s not an easy movie, it’s a lot darker than people assume,” Jamie explains. “It doesn’t all have an easy ending, it doesn’t have this easy ending.” The story originates from a time when Jamie assisted his friend Renee with her drug addiction, so they know these struggles are long stories, and ones that people are still working on. “This real story [Renee] would say she’s a work in progress nine years later.” His humility extends to even the largest successes of his career, and into the fact that he never thought he’d meet an actor playing himself in a movie — or even being part of a movie in the first place. “I joke that there’s never really been the five-year

plan or the 10-year plan. I’ve always seen it more as a creative project,” he says. “I personally realized I love to write, and writing has been such a big part of our DNA, it’s how we started. So a book was something I started to dream about, and the tension was I had so many other responsibilities, a movie was not something I ever would have imagined. I think it’s fun for anyone to imagine.” All of the accomplishments are attributed to surprises and open doors. Jamie expresses how blessed they have been, yet he still wants to improve. “We’re trying to do things in a way that’s unique … Non-profit is just a way we file our taxes … to me this thing is multi-faceted; we get to work on so many things … We get to do it all under one roof.” And while doing so, TWLOHA has created a community, comparable to a fan base, of dedicated followers who believe equally in the company, and the company believes in the community. With 1.4 million likes on Facebook, it’s easy to see how powerful an idea can be. So when asked his ideas for the future, he hasn’t given a lot of thought to what’s next, between the business of book and the movie. “It’s been so much work to do those at the same time, and for me personally, the book is so personal obviously,” Jamie says. “I’m curious to see what happens when the dust settles.” So far he’s had million-dollar ideas that have helped many people. With such a smart mind, and a good heart, there are many people who would also want to see what’s next. Jamie and To Write Love On Her Arms’ mission is simple: “If they struggle with depression addiction, self injury, people who think about suicide, we just want them to know that they’re not alone, and we want people to know that it’s okay to talk about these things, that it’s okay to be honest, and, more than anything, that it’s okay to ask for help.” NKD NKDMAG.COM

CONNOR FRANTA Words & Photos by CATHERINE POWELL Location LE PARKER MERIDIEN

My first introduction to Connor Franta came just a few short weeks ago during his book tour when he shut down the highway near my parents’ house. I mention this to Connor during our interview about a month later. He smirks. “New Jersey, right?” he asks. “Yeah, 5,000 people showed up. The police were pissed.” Apparently I’m the only one who didn’t get the memo that Connor Franta is kind of a big deal. I meet Connor in the lobby of the Le Parker Meridien hotel a few hours before he has to leave for BookCon, where he’ll be discussing his first book, A Work In Progress. It’s an appropriate title, given the fact that Connor is only 22. His story starts Minnesota, where Connor lived up until two years ago. It’s also where he started making YouTube videos. “I grew up in La Crescent, which is a small town of 4,500 people and there’s not much to do,” he says. “There’s neighboring cities, but for the most part it’s cows and corn.” He had a normal small-town

life and played sports in high school. He lived a very simple existence until he started posting to YouTube in August of 2010 — right before his senior year of high school started. Connor had been a regular viewer on YouTube since it began and was inspired by other YouTubers such as Shane Dawson, who was posting a new video every week. “I really enjoyed the reality aspect of everything,” Connor says. “And I was like, ‘Well, I enjoy it a lot. I should try it.’” He filmed a vlog on his webcam and continued to upload videos up to four times a

week. It took over a year and a half for him to gain traction on the site, but it’s been building ever since. As much as YouTube is a full-time career for Connor now, he says it still feels like a hobby. “It’s still so fun,” he says. “I still record everything myself, and I still edit everything myself.” But he cites moving to Los Angeles and dropping out of college in 2013 as the point that it became more serious. Convincing his parents that dropping out of school was the right move for him was difficult. But eventually they all NKDMAG.COM

agreed to let him take a semester off following his first summer in Los Angeles. His YouTube channel had just started to take off, and he wanted to see what the city had to offer. Connor’s channel started getting bigger, and he hasn’t returned to school, which he says is “meant to be.” Moving to Los Angeles initially was a big risk, because at the time Connor had no idea what the city could lend to a YouTube career. The idea of a YouTube celebrity was unheard of at the time. “The part that I use it for is that all of my team is there, and if I ever need to take a meeting with any big company, generally they’re based in Los Angeles,” Connor says. “Now, coincidentally, a lot of YouTubers live there or moved there, so it’s a lot easier to collaborate with like-minded people.” At this point, Connor’s brand is not strictly focused on YouTube — though he does continue to post every week. “This past year I’ve really focused on expanding [the brand] off the platform,” Connor says. He was already interested in coffee, music and clothing and wanted to see what he could do with each of those interests. For his coffee line, Common Culture Coffee, Connor partnered with the L.A. Coffee Club to create his own flavor. The company roasts their beans in-house, sources them for Guatemala and packages them as well. “They’re a one-stop show, so essentially I just tasted a million coffees, which was really fun, and picked which 38

one I wanted, gave it a name and made the bags myself,” he says. Dabbling into the music business was a different challenge, but equally fun for Connor. He isn’t a singer by nature, but he decided to make a compilation CD of up-and-coming artists to give them more attention. His first compilation included Grimes, Atlas Genius, Zella Day, Betty Who and more. He’s currently working on his third CD, poring through Spotify, Soundcloud and Hype Machine to find the perfect songs. Most notably, Connor has ventured into the book world after penning his first memoir, A Work In Progress, which was released this past April. “I’d been writing it anywhere from my apartment to planes to different countries,” he recalls. He took all the photos and designed most of it. Around this time last year, Connor felt things were really taking off for him, but he had never worked on one big project — only a lot of little things happening at once. He wanted to tell his story of “growing up in the digital era,” as well as what it was like to move from a small town to a big city, and come out of the closet. “I wanted to go beyond the five minutes I’d film a week,” he says. The response to A Work In Progress has been tremendous so far. It went straight to the Top 10 on the New York Times Bestsellers List and has been there for five weeks so far. He completed book tours in Australia, the United States and

the United Kingdom, and each of those ranged from 500 to 1,500 fans (with the exception of New Jersey, where 5,000 people showed up and the police were not happy). The most exciting part for Connor has been receiving messages from people who hadn’t heard of him before but really love the book. “I was going for the vlogger voice almost, but also with a little bit of a professional twist on it,” Connor explains. YouTuber book releases are increasing, but Connor knew from the beginning that he wanted to do things differently. He knew he didn’t want his photo on the cover, or his name super large on the cover either. The only photo of him in the book is on the inside flap. “I really wanted it to be a book that anyone could pick up,” he says. One thing Connor discusses in A Work In Progress is his decision to publicly come out as gay. This past December, he posted a video titled “Coming Out.” The six-minute upload has reached over 8 million views, making it the second most viewed video on Connor’s page. “This year was the big year of me finding myself and me figuring out who I am,” Connor says. “I think it surprised me as much as it surprised everyone else.” After he began telling his family and friends, he decided he wanted to be fully open in the public eye as well. He never wanted to worry about having to watch his words around people. “It was the best thing I’ve ever done,” he says. “I’ve never felt better.”

The video itself was just as much for other people as it was for himself. Prior to himself coming out, he watched hundreds of coming out videos on YouTube and read forums and blogs. “It was definitely comforting to me being a scared kid in Minnesota,” he says. “I really felt like I was giving back to that community that helped me through the same thing.” The immediate response to the video was overwhelmingly positive. Connor was receiving millions of tweets at once and had six different trending topics at one point. “I walked down to get a coffee the next morning, and the barista was like ‘Congrats on coming out, by the way,” he laughs. While Connor has already accomplished a lot — especially for a 22-year-old — he is always coming up with new ideas. He wants to expand his coffee company, continue making compilation CDs and get into clothing. “There’s not a lot of gender neutral or androgynous clothing out there, so I’d love to make a cool line with that,” Connor says. Since this is the first generation of YouTube stars, there are no rules or limits to what Connor and his peers can do, and he is taking full advantage of that. “It’s such a new medium that it’s so unclear, and that could be terrifying to some but to me it’s great because it means that everything is so open and anything is possible,” Connor says. “I just feel very lucky to be at the forefront of this generation.” NKD NKDMAG.COM

old dominion

Words by BRITTANY LANDAU Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

From five guys having fun in Nashville to touring the United States with Kenny Chesney, Old Dominion is quickly becoming a household name. Their story started in Virginia, where lead singer Matthew Ramsey and drummer Whit Sellers grew up together. They parted ways for college, where Whit met bassist Geoff Sprung and guitarist Brad Tursi. After college, Matthew moved to Nashville, where he began writing songs with guitarist and keyboardist Trevor Rosen. All five men soon found themselves together in 44

Nashville, where Matthew, Brad, Whit and Geoff started Old Dominion. “I was writing so much with Matt that I started coming out to the shows and would jump up every once in a while, and eventually, just kept coming every show,” Trevor jokes about his entrance into the band. “I said I’m just going to be a permanent member of the band.” “We were just playing shows and having fun,” Matthew adds. However, Nashville is known for it’s music scene, so in a town where everyone is fighting for the same chance, Old

Dominion found it hard to stand out. “It is a really supportive community. It’s really hard, but everyone’s there to help. I never get the sense of it being cutthroat. Everyone wants you to succeed. It’s just that the odds are that out of this giant hole, you might not be the one to succeed,” Matthew says. Brad adds, “There’s a lot of really great artists and songs that never get heard for whatever reason.” Each of the members lived in Nashville for about 10 years before they even began to see progress. “Everyone says

it’s a 10-year town. There’s no doubt. For me, it was ten years before I started to scratch the surface,” Matthew says When they became successful as songwriters, they started to gain attention shows. A buzz was going around Nashville and it was in their favor. As their audience got bigger, they decided to make an EP to give out at shows. “The more and more we did that kind of thing, the more and more we realized that we’re a real band. People like SiriusXM became interested and wanted to play some songs, so that re-

ally kicked it off,” Trevor says. “The radio, the satellite radio, too, kicked our fanbase up a big notch — where we could go anywhere in the country and play songs that people knew. So that was like, ‘Wow, it’s not just a small little regional following. It’s everywhere,’” Geoff says. They spent their first years as a band managing themselves, whether it was booking gigs or scheduling studio time. They had their fair share of meetings with management companies, but always left feeling as if they weren’t at the point where there was anything to manage. “I think you hit a certain point where you go, ‘OK, now we really do need management to open those doors and direct where we’re going.’ But up to that point, it was really just dialing in the sound, playing a million live shows, and writing music,” Brad explains. They had the same mindset when it came to releasing a record. “We got to a point where we needed a record label to get us to the next level. I think that was a good way to approach both things. Do everything you can until you can’t do it anymore without that thing,” Matthew says. Luckily, the band built enough success on their own to attract major labels. RCA Nashville shared in their excitement when they were signed earlier this year, a sign of a good fit. “They seemed really excited about letting us continue to do what we were doing, as opposed to some labels, where it would be obvious that they were going to shape us into whatever they thought was going to work,” Matthew says. Brad adds, “I mean, obviously, we had it going on, but then we had people just opening up so many more doors than we could ourselves.” The band has not left their songwriting roots though, still highly focused on the final product of everything they put out. “Our songwriting is really the only thing that makes us a country band,” Trevor says about their label. Prior to forming Old Dominion, all five guys found themselves in bands

of various genres. Moving to Nashville helped them find their niche, but they’ve never tried hard to fit into a specific genre. “We’re not trying to be a country band. We’re just trying to write cool songs that we like,” Geoff says. The guys aren’t worried about fitting into any specific country guidelines. “The same people that are coming to our shows are also listening to every other genre of music, so you don’t have to worry that they’re coming, going, ‘This is the only kind of music that I listen to and if it doesn’t fit these rules, then I’m not interested,’” Brad comments. Though the band has had major success writing songs for other artists, such as The Band Perry, Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, they finally seeing musicianship as a career for themselves. 2015 is looking to be a big year for the band — over 150 scheduled shows. Their summer is occupied by the Kenny Chesney tour and various festivals, such as CountryFest, Big Horn Country Music Festival and Fourth of July Freedom Fest. It’ll be their first time playing stadiums and crowds of this capacity. “To entertain people at that great of a scale, I think there’s definitely a learning curve to how to do it. Hopefully, we’ll come out the end of summer better than we started, learning from Kenny and his guys,” Matthew comments. “Well, we’ve been to a football game or two,” Brad adds, jokingly. As for an album, they’re currently working on narrowing down their favorite songs and you can expect to hear more by the end of 2015. “Power through 2015 is the motto,” Brad jokes when asked about their goals. Aside from getting through the year, the band hopes to have their first hit with their single, “Break Up With Him,” which is set to take over country radio soon. You’ve seen their names on songwriting credits throughout the country genre. Just wait until you see their names everywhere. NKD NKDMAG.COM

R O C K E T & THE G H O S T Words by KATELYN THOMPSON Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

In the fall of 2012, Kiyoshi Matsuyama had an idea. He wanted to create music in a way never done before. This led to the formation of Rocket & The Ghost and a collaboration with Lily Claire. “The way we got started was the music. We started writing tunes together, and we knew each other just from being in the New York scene,” Kiyoshi says. “It’s a tightnit community of people, so we met each other from all angles of the music industry. So we just decided to form a band.” Kiyoshi also joined with Brian Kelsey, Sean Gavigan and Stuart Bidwell, and they all decided to 46

take a dive into this new project. “We just kind of went for it,” Kiyoshi recalls. “I wanted to start a band that was unlike anything that I had done before, and unlike anyone in the band had done yet. So we just decided to start and write a bunch of songs and start rehearsing and playing a ton of shows.” Creativity is a must for Rocket & The Ghost, and the artists implement personal challenge and individuality in everything that they create. “Our methods are constantly changing,” Kiyoshi explains. “We’ve tried a bunch of different things, like we recently tried to play a minor pentatonic

rock song. Like a riff-rock song, and it was weird. But it did not stop us from dedicating like 10 hours to it.” Unafraid of failure, Kiyoshi explains, “It’s a lot of fingers crossed, and trying and failing, a lot, and succeeding in some ways and try to make those little successes happen again.” “It kind of just happens. You know, you’ll spend 10 hours on one song and it just defeats you and you cannot overcome it, and then you have another idea, and it comes together in like half an hour,” Kiyoshi adds. “So all the work you put into that one was not in vain because you’ve cut

out the bullshit and you’re trying something else.” They work together, but use one another’s varying musical backgrounds, too. “There are five perspectives in the band, and we’re pretty honest with each other, and we will tell each other if something is not happening. There are five checks and balances and five music backgrounds, and that helps, too.” Kiyoshi adds. “Usually I bring in a song and we get to work on it. Sometimes it writes itself and sometimes it’s just horrible and labor intensive. Sometimes we will work forever on something and decide that it sucks later, but it doesn’t keep us from playing it.” The members of Rocket & The Ghost are constantly pushing barriers, including the process through which they generate their music and style. “We play songs where lyrics aren’t written. We perform them,” Kiyoshi says. “In a new song, chances are, most of the lyrics are not fleshed out because the amount of time it takes to write the lyrics is such a horribly long and painful process, but a good process. I want to make sure they like the melody and the song first.” “Sometimes we’re just making random shit up,” he laughs. Outside of their many shows and rehearsals, Rocket & The Ghost also recently released two songs with their new record label, Better Problems. “We recorded them about a year ago,” Kiyoshi explains. “We were trying to find the best way to put them out.” The recording process that yielded the final version was far from the ordinary. “We recorded it in real studios twice, with two different versions, because the

arrangement wasn’t there. Even though we ran it through this amazing gear at World Wide Studio, at the end of the day the arrangement is the song,” Kiyoshi explains. “Not that it was bad, but it’s little things and subtle things.” Their most recent EP, Come In From the Outside, took more time before it was completed. “It was like breaking out of prison with a chisel,” Kiyoshi recalls. “Inch by inch the songs started getting better and better, and it took a long, long time. Some of the demos that I have from that song, like when we started, somewhere in the 55 demos that we have, are insanely different that what we have now. Pieces got worked out at different times.” Though the band says the song, Come In From the Outside, itself was originally written in about an hour during a rehearsal, they knew there were many important aspects that would bring this song to life. With so many different versions, you would think it would be hard for this band to settle with just one. “We could change the arrangements forever, so it’s really just reaching a sound that everyone is satisfied with and it’s good, and then we just stick with that,” Kiyoshi states. “When you know you know. It just wasn’t right, and wasn’t right, and wasn’t right, then you do that one thing and we’ll all just celebrate.” The band distinctly remembers the moment of enlightenment. “We have a recording of all of us and adding the drum fill on the song. We did it for the first time,” Kiyoshi recalls. “And we have a recording of everyone in the band going, ‘Woah.’” Their two song release has Rocket & The Ghost excited to

see what the future has in store. “I think that what we’re going for in this latest release is just a balance. The [two] songs are completely different. They both sound like Rocket songs, but stylistically they are completely different, and they’re two different vibes,” Sean say, adding, “We went in to record one song and we ended up getting two awesome songs from it.” This potential in the future of this band is endless, with shows scheduled all through the summer. But they hope there’s another EP on the horizon. “Just getting back into the studio would be great. We’ve started writing more and getting material together,” Kiyoshi says. “That’s kind of how the band started,” Kiyoshi says. “Just like, ‘OK, we’re going to write some songs and start a band. Let’s just fucking do it.’” Then it never stopped. They released the EP, booked more studio time and created the arrangement for “Come Into the Outside” and “Albuquerque.” “I feel like when we do a fulllength album, the process will be very similar. It’s like, ‘We’ve got four songs and we need six more, fuck it, let’s just book studio time.’” While the band jokes that they are adding world domination to their long-term goals to-do list, Rocket & The Ghost plan to stretch their creativity and driven passion as far as they can reach. “We want what most bands want, we want to do it our way. And we want to tour and just play to as many people as we can and put out a fulllength record,” Kiyoshi says. “We want to be able to keep doing this.” Stopping doesn’t appear to be part of their repertoire. NKD NKDMAG.COM

NKD Mag - Issue #48 (June 2015)

Articles inside

Martin Garrix