NEWSOUND_VOL_XV_2014 by UA MEDIA

Vol. XV 2014

FEATURING

TAME IMPALA SLEIGH BELLS CALVIN HARRIS

ALBUM REVIEWS CHER LLYOD

KINA GRANNIS PIXIES

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? CHEAP TRICK

WWW.NEWSOUNDMAGAZINE.COM BOKKA • FOR KING & COUNTRY • MASHA • IAMDYNAMITE • GINA CUTILLIO • SATELLITE STORIES

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LETTER FROM ZENAE D. ZUKOWSKI SENIOR PRODUCER Dear Readers, Young talented artists are being discovered by the day. Quite a few have began their career using a simple webcam to post their music on YouTube or performed in front of a crowd of five at open mic nights. These musicians are filled with drive, dedication and of course passion. That’s how they got their foot in the door in the music industry; they never gave up on their dreams. NewSound magazine’s fifteenth edition is filled with different new artists from across the globe. You will read about their spectacular journey and learn how each artist sung their way to the top. Get ready to listen to their stories, hear their sounds and find inspiration of your own. Opportunity is knocking on all doors. Maybe you will be the next NewSound that will be discovered. Enjoy reading about the NewSounds of today.

MIS STA TE

“New Sound Magazine spotlig the potential to become the nex truly brilliant bands which alread in love with, the song you’ll play

THE EDITOR

SSIO N EMEN T

ghts both young, talented artists that have xt big name in the music industry, and the dy have. We’re finding the voice you’ll fall over and over, the concert you won’t want to miss.”

PUBLISHER/CEO: PAUL CORACE ASSISTANT PUBLISHER: COLLEEN CRACCHIOLA EXECUTIVE EDITOR: JOE D’AMBROSI SENIOR PRODUCER: ZENAE D. ZUKOWSKI GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: WIN-KYE CHEONG LOUIS H. QUACH SENIOR VIDEO EDITOR: TOM FRISINA VIDEO EDITOR: PATRICK GRAZIOSI MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: KAITLYN HARRISON CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: ANDREW DAVIS TREVOR GITTELMAN KAITLYN HARRISON LISA HOLAHAN OLIVIA JANNUZZI JACQUI SAHAGIAN ELISE YABLON ZENAE D. ZUKOWSKI PHOTOGRAPHERS: MORGAN HARRISON KEVIN SPERANDEO COVER ARTWORK: WIN-KYE CHEONG CONTACT: 631-757-3187

contents Album Reviews 6 Kina Grannis 10 Cher Llyod 14 Pixies

Features 18 22 26 30 34 38 40 44

Tame Impala Sleigh Bells Hellogoodbye Bokka The Drums Masha For King & Country Calvin Harris

Check It Out 50 52 54 58 60 62

Gina Cutillo IAMDYNAMITE Mother Mother Unlocking The Truth Lorenza Ponce Satellite Stories

MUSIC INSTRUMENTS 66 Martin Guitars

E.D.M 70 Faul & Wad Ad

LIVE Review 72 Ashley Monroe

Venue Review 74 Brooklyn Bowl

Where are they now? 78 Cheap Trick

PHOTO CREDIT: VERILY MAGAZINE

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ALBUM REVIEW

KINA GRANNIS ELEMENTS BY LISA HOL AHAN

ith the voice of an angel, Kina Grannis surpasses all expectations on her latest release titled, Elements. Grannis is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist that scored her big break in 2008 when she won the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl Contest. The contest rewarded Grannis with a contract with Interscope Records. Her music videos was also being played during the Super Bowl XLII. Before her big break, Kina had released three independent studio albums titled Sincerely, Me (2005), One More in the Attic(2006) and In Memory of the Singing Bridge (2006). Since winning the contest, Kina has been very well known through her YouTube channel, where she releases covers of the latest hit songs from artists like Pharrell Williams, Lorde, John Legend and Coldplay—just to name a few. It has been four years since Grannis released her breakout album via One Haven records, with 2010’s Stairwells but the wait has been well worth it. Before Elements came out, Grannis released numerous teasers and a series of Making the Album featurettes on her popular YouTube page, creating an indescribable excitement for many longtime fans. The album was produced by Matt Hales, a musician better known as Aqualung. Grannis is the key writer, and only writer for Elements. When you think of the album Elements, the term “latest and greatest” should come to mind. Elements was released on May 6th 2014, through her self-owned label, Kina Grannis Records. The album contains twelve tracks and a run time of just less than forty five minutes in its entirety. The new album displays a whole new side of our maturing Kina.

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The album starts off with a track called ‘Dear River’, a soothing acoustic track that is genuinely refreshing from the chaotic sounds of the radio airwaves of today. Frankly, we need more music like this to be heard, a track so simple sounding, but so beautiful. However, the next track off of Elements, ‘The Fire’ is what can really grab and hook your attention. It is one of the most compelling songs on the album, as Kina repeats the hook, “You let the fire out and it’s right in front of me”. This is one of those songs that you won’t be able to get out of your head, or want to for that matter. With lyrics like, “From the fire will we learn, To be mindful and keep away from the words that ignite the flame; Our words will ignite the flame.” We can see just how much of Kina’s personal life and life lessons was brought into this album. The third track off of the album called ‘My Dear’ is a sweet love song that shows Grannis’ vulnerability and makes her even more lovable. This track can really connect with all types of listeners and is one of the more inviting tracks for new comers. The track ‘Winter’ is a beautifully written, yet heartbreaking song about romance coming to an end. As Kina sings on the track, she pulls on every heart string and suddenly every flashback of someone who broke your heart begins to race through your mind. However, Grannis justifies us heartbroken listeners by articulating lyrics in such a way that helps heal old wounds. The following track called ‘Oh, Father’ is something we can expect after listening to the first couple of songs off of the album, another display of maturity in Grannis’ songwriting and personal growth, but it still holds up nicely with the theme of the album. The track ‘Little Worrier’ is a lovely transition of a soft ballad that is gentle in its delivery, but creates an overwhelming sense of ease for listeners. ‘Little Worrier’ is the perfect relaxation track after a long day of work, or just before bed when you want to shutout the world. ‘Throw it away’ is a track that holds an edgy alternative country vibe with thought provoking lyrics and a strong hook that really carries the song through. “This is your past but it cannot hold you back. You’re so much more than that, you’ll make your own path”, these lyrics are just a glimpse of the inspirational track. After the burst of energy from‘Throw it Away’, Kina leads us back into a mellow tone with ‘Forever Blue’, but the song picks up towards

the end with a rush of emotion as the singer belts out, “All my love is yours forever, Take it with you. Take it with you.” ‘Forever Blue’ is a track filled with honesty that is dark but relatable to many and it is definitely one of the stand out tracks on Elements. After such a powerful track like ‘Forever Blue’, it is very hard to get into the following track ‘Maryanne’, which can be seen as one of the weaker tracks off of the album. The placement of the song disrupts the flow of Elements and its overall repetitiveness pushes the song from a “must listen” to the occasional. However, in the next track ‘Write It in the Sky’ the album picks back up with Kina’s beautiful voice singing a very catchy tune. The soft and sweet vocal mixed with heartfelt lyrics is what makes this song have a very high replay factor. As the record begins to come to a close, the song ‘My Own’ stands completely on its own, no pun intended. ‘My Own’ is hands down one of the best songs on the album; even just upon first listen, you can already tell that it will be one of the classics attached to the talented musician that is Kina Grannis. Closing out the album of twelve songs, we are left with a track called ‘This Far’, which is the perfect closing song for the story of Elements. ‘This Far’ closes a chapter in the artist’s life and is about all the life lessons that Kina has learned up until now. As she continues to grow, she describes life best as “long and forgiving” which is the perfect way to close an album about genuine life emotions. Overall the album Elements is Grannis’ best work by far and you can tell how hard she worked to cultivate the near flawless album. Her best tracks from beginning to end are: ‘Dear River’, ‘The Fire’, ‘My Dear’, ‘Little Worrier’, ‘Throw It Away’, ‘Forever Blue’, ‘My Own’ and ‘This Far’. Although, Kina makes it very hard to pick favorites when the whole album is an amazing listen, despite the minor bump in the road of ‘Maryanne’. Be sure to check out the indie-pop sounds of Grannis, with acoustics that can make the hairs on your neck stand up. If you need a place to start, this well-rounded album takes listeners on a voyage that evokes just about every emotion a person could feel, but the destination is bright, making us whole once again.

CHER LLOYD BY LISA HOL AHAN

reaking out in 2010, the UK native Cher Lloyd finished in fourth place during the seventh season of The X Factor UK series. Lloyd fell just behind the third place winners, the widely popular group, One Direction. Even though One Direction and Cher did not win the X Factor title, it’s safe to say that both parties truly won in the grand scheme of things; becoming the most popular and famous break out stars from the seventh season. After her time on the X Factor UK series, Lloyd was signed to Syco Music and things began to take off for the multi-talented artist. Lloyd develops all elements of her music, being a singer-songwriter and rapper while having a modeling career in her spare time. Her debut album titled Sticks + Stones, released in 2011, made Lloyd a pop sensation in the US and the album was overall a nationwide success. Hit singles off of the album like ‘Want U Back’ and ‘Swagger Jagger’ became addicting to newfound fans of Cher and her career practically exploded over night, which is a pretty outstanding accomplishment for the soon to be 21 year old musician.

However, it has been three years since Lloyd’s debut album and fans have been eager to see what other pop hits the artist has in store for them. After having issues with her label about the delay of her sophomore album, Cher Lloyd takes the prime opportunity to make the album titled Sorry I’m Late. Although, some may not know that the album title is not just an apology for keeping fans waiting, but it’s also about trying to figure out who she is as a person and musician. In an interview with Billboard Cher explains, “I’ve spent a whole lot of time trying to figure out who I am, and I think everybody goes through that.” So the real question is, was Lloyd’s sophomore album really worth the wait? Fans and critics should all agree simply that, yes, yes it was. Sorry I’m Late was released on May 27th via Epic Records which is a division of Sony Music Entertainment. The album received a tremendous amount of positive reviews and if you are a real Cher Lloyd fan, you can appreciate the growth she has made since her debut. NEWSOUNDMAGAZINE.COM

ALBUM REVIEW

Sorry I’m Late consists of eleven tracks and falls just under forty minutes in its entirety. The opening track ‘Just Be Mine’ is something we can expect from Cher. The song gives a fun vibe with very catchy lyrics, but you can tell the tune is definitely directed toward the age group of her fans. However, the track that follows, ‘Bind Your Love’ is what really gets this album going. ‘Bind Your Love’ has a really intriguing back beat that supports Lloyd’s vocals and helps the delivery of the very beautifully written song. It can be a song for any listener which puts a slight edge over the opening track. You can find yourself hitting replay on the song more than a handful of times while listening to Sorry I’m Late. The album takes a shift from pop tunes to hip hop and R&B with the song ‘I Wish’ featuring rapper T.I. The song plays Cher and T.I.’s rendition of the rapper Skee-Lo’s hit in 1995, also titled ‘I Wish’. This track might not be for everyone, but it is an entertaining spin on the original song. Cher dusting off her rap skills in combination with T.I.’s is what really makes this song replay worthy and the creativity behind it proves why ‘I Wish’ holds a spot on the album. The song ‘Sirens’ holds a completely different vibe than the previous track, serving as one of the singles off of the album, and rightfully so. ‘Sirens’ hands down is one of the best tracks off of Sorry I’m Late because it is genuinely the first song that Cher shows vulnerability. The song is beautifully haunting and is a desperate cry for help from the artist. In fact, the music video is based on personal events that occurred when Lloyd was only five years old, when her father got arrested. By sharing this part of her life, it helps listeners identify with the singer whom had just been previously known for her infectious pop hits. This is quite commendable on her part. The next song, ‘Dirty Love’ brings back the upbeat tempo in previous songs, but fails to leave a lasting impression, especially coming down from the emotional high of ‘Sirens’. Even so, the following track ‘Human’ presents an incredible vocal range and overall performance by Lloyd. What makes ‘Human’ so special is not only the delivery, but the relateability that the song holds. With lyrics like, “Everything you think is perfect, oh Isn’t always so. Many times, many times I would’ve let my feelings show”, we thank Cher for finally opening up and setting an example for fans to not be so hard on themselves because not a single person who walks this earth is perfect.

As we continue to move through the middle of the album, we come across a song called ‘Sweet Despair’. This song has a lot going on, heavy beats in the background, intense vocals from Lloyd and a rap break down. Basically what every Cher Lloyd fan wants from the artist wrapped up in a bow. The song that follows, ‘Killin’ it’ attempts to be the party anthem of the album, but gets lost in the trend of fun beats with empty lyrics that are so vague that it becomes unmemorable. ‘Goodnight’ is a nice change of pace with its soft vocals and gentle guitars and violins. The song is a sweet lullaby, something that has been rarely seen from the British starlet, but is also highly enjoyable. After drifting off to the soothing sounds of ‘Goodnight’, we jump into the next track called ‘M.F.P.O.T.Y.’ which is definitely a song worth blasting amongst a bunch of girlfriends before a night out. The song has an amusing take on boys that is brutally honest, yet highly enjoyable, which is why it makes a perfect listen while out with the girls. The closing track of the eleven songs on Sorry I’m Late, ‘Alone With Me’, feels like it should be a continuation of ‘Want U Back’ from Cher’s debut. It’s catchy, but holds the same type of theme and familiarity as other songs. The lyrics are nothing outstanding and the song falls in the middle between the many triumphs and few slumps that the album contains. Overall, Sorry I’m Late rates a solid 8/10. The majority of the songs on the album display how much Cher Lloyd has grown in just the past few years. Some of the tracks that undeniably stand out are: ‘Bind Your Love’, ‘Sirens’, ‘Human’, ‘Sweet Despair’ and ‘Goodnight’. Aside from weaker tracks like ‘Dirty Love’, ‘Killin’ it’ and ‘Alone With Me’, Sorry I’m Late proves to be a major step forward from Cher’s Sticks + Stones debut. The singer has brought a refined outlook into her music without losing the pop /hip hop influence that we have all grown to love, which is exactly why we forgive the artist for being late in the first place.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHER LLOYD

ALBUM REVIEW

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PIXIES INDIE CINDY BY Z E N A E D . Z U KOWS K I

any musicians, artists and bands can be categorized and grouped together with a specific genre. The category alternative rock definitely holds perhaps the largest diversity. What exactly are the Pixies aside from being their own genre? Is there anything else out there that sounds like them? According to Thom Yorke “The Pixies changed my life” and Kurt Cobain back in 1994, “I have to admit it. When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily I should have been in that band.” In reference to the song ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ Kurt Cobain also said, “I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies.” Based on many websites, online stores and the general public the Pixies are considered alternative rock. They began in Boston Massachusetts during the mid 80s. The members consisted of Black Francis (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), David Lovering (drums) and Kim Deal (bass, backing vocals). The Pixies were short lived after their abrupt end in the early 90s. Within their few short years of existence they released five incredible albums that have made music history. Their albums include Come on Pilgrim (1987), Surfer Rosa (1988), Doolittle (1989), Bossanova (1990), and Trompe le Monde (1991). The Pixies were in for a surprise when their fanbase was bigger than ever once they reunited in 2004. It has been twenty-three years since their last studio album and a good ten years since they reunited when Indie Cindy their sixth studio album was released. At first, fans were waiting in anticipation for a reunion and then to see what the Pixies sound like over two decades later. Kim Deal, who has been a huge element to the Pixies, especially with her backup vocals (that made them sound whole) is no longer with the band. She left before they started recording the new album. The remaining members were devastated, but they still wanted to make new music. They first had Kim Shattuck to replace her, mainly for playing live with them. Shortly after, Paz Lenchantin, who has played for A Perfect Circle, Queens of the Stoneage and Trust Company joined The Pixies. Reunion tours are one thing, but recording a new album is another. Many bands have done this before

.Some work, like the Cranberries’ Roses (2012) and others don’t. Indie Cindy however, is a mix. It is an honor that the album was released on record store day. What’s great is that their sense of style remains the same. There’s a lot of verses that sound like B-sides of Surfer Rosa and Doolittle. It was difficult for them to write the new album since there has been a long break and their creative energy and writing was obviously altered. The album opens up with ‘What Goes Boom’, it’s a great introductory track to a welcome back album. It’s heavier and darker than their usual tone with its belting vocals. ‘Greens and Blues’ is perhaps the best track on the album. It has a soft guitar opening which leads into an ultimate fun and catchy track. ‘Indie Cindy’, ‘Blue Eyed Hexe’, ‘Ring the Bell’, ‘Another Toe in the Ocean’ and ‘Snakes’ are all a close second best. They are definitely enjoyable filled with metaphorical lyrics, fun melodies and an all around new era of The Pixies. ‘BagBoy’ is their first single off of the album. It has a great rhythm to it, and a chorus that anyone can instantly sing along with. This track however, sounds as though the backup vocals were written specifically for Kim Deal to sing it. The mix even at times makes you wonder if it was trying to include her vocals in it. The truth is, her voice is not in this track, yet you wish it was. ‘Andro Queen’ is the only track on the album that has a different style, with its noticeable synth sounds and its softer tone. The vocals are soothing to the point that it feels romantic with lyrics such as, “Loving on our bed of flowers. Breathing in the smell of her musk. In a moon of milk she is scared, yes, she is. But she shows me under her silk.” Indie Cindy will grow on you. This is perhaps similar to Surfer Rosa. At a first listen, you are not sure if you love it or hate it, but after the second, third and fourth listen you learn that Surfer Rosa is one of their best albums. Indie Cindy is the beginning of the next generation of The Pixies. It’s a great start to a new era. The best part is that they remained true to their style even after twenty-three years. Go check it out and you will love it.

UPCOMING ALBUMS NONONO We Are Only What We Feel July 1st

Braid NO COAST July 8th

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers HYPNOTIC EYE July 29Th

Anberlin LOWBORN July 22nd

Jenny Lewis THE VOYAGERS July 29th

Bleachers STRANGE DESIRE July 15th

Rise Against THE BLACK MARKET July 15th

Little Daylight HELLO MEMORY July 14th

Spoon THEY WANT MY SOUL August 5th

Steve Aoki NEON FUTURE August 12th

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Tame Impa

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MAKING ARENA-WORTHY PSYCHEDELIC ROCK IN A VACUUM BY JACQUI SAHAGIAN

ame Impala is the critically acclaimed and indie incrowd adored psychedelic rock project spawned from the imagination of Australian native Kevin Parker. Parker began performing in several groups in his hometown of Perth, Western Australia before recording some material on his own, playing all of the instruments himself. Parker liked this insular mode of working, and solitude is a theme that has remained prominent throughout Tame Impala’s material. After posting some of these recordings on MySpace, Tame Impala gained the attention of the label Modular Recordings and Parker left behind the collaborative atmosphere of playing in a band, at least for writing and recording. For touring, Parker is joined by bassist Dominic Simper and drummer Jay Watson. Simper and Parker have been musical partners since they were thirteen, after meeting in music class in high school. Parker is the main creative force behind the project, though his band mates allow for his songs to evolve in the long jam sessions that make up their shows and harken back to 1960’s psychedelic in its prime. Parker said in an interview with Nylon TV that he likes “the kind of music that is the result of one person constructing an awesome symphony of sound. You can layer your own voice 700 times for half a second if you went, and I just love that kind of music.” The band’s first two albums are titled Innerspeaker and Lonerism. The dual concepts of the positive creative work that comes from solitude, and the negative feelings of loneliness and disconnection that result from isolating oneself are obsessions that make sense for a musician that creates enormously rich and textured albums alone. After Innerspeaker was released in spring of 2010, Tame Impala received all the accolades that every indie artist dreams about, including a rave review from Pitchfork, which named the album “Best New Music,”and a headlining gig in London attended by members of the indie-rock taste-making elite including Noel Gallagher, Noel Fielding, Alexa Chung, and Alison Mosshart.

PHOTO S BELON G TO TH EI R R IGH TFUL OWN ERS

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The release of Lonerism two years later proved that Tame Impala, and Parker’s creative vision, were more than just a flash in the pan. Lonerism got even better reviews than Innerspeaker, with Pitchfork’s main critic Ian Cohen saying the record was “leaner, more propulsive, more confident, and less beholden to its influences”than its predecessor. The single ‘Elephant’ stays anchored in a deliciously dirty guitar riff, while expanding off into layered synth weirdness. Meanwhile, there’s a voice that sounds so much like John Lennon (singing some bizarre poem about an elephant) it’s enough to make you grab the liner notes in confusion. The songs on Innerspeaker and Lonerism make Tame Impala stand out from the work of musical peers like Animal Collective because Parker turned to his guitar for psychedelic experimenting rather than electronics, giving Tame Impala an authentic super-vintage feel. Like what rock and roll might sound like if the Altamont disaster (or name the incident that ended the Woodstock days here) hadn’t happened and the Sixties dream had been allowed to continue. That idea is exacerbated further by the fact that Parker’s singing voice sounds scarily similar to John Lennon’s, as well as psychedelic music videos such as the Urban Outfitters-sponsored clip

for ‘Mind Mischief’ in which a young boy has a pretty groovy time sleeping with his English teacher. Tame Impala is currently touring in Europe through the summer, playing some of the continent’s smaller summer festivals. Parker spoke to Australia’s X-Press Mag about the state of the band’s next album back in April. “I’m always deep in it,”he said at the time. “The way I do it is that it’s always happening, there’s just varying levels of intensity. And being consumed by it. I’m definitely sliding down into the depths of being completely overrun by it, but I’m being kept afloat by other things that are going on… That’s kind of keeping me sane at the moment, preventing me from just completely losing myself in the next Tame Impala album. So it’s… what’s the word? Inevitable.” That’s perhaps the clearest answer one should expect from a man who says of his band on their official website, “Tame Impala is more of a ‘music ensemble,’ but its various other forms should not be disregarded (color that humans can see is only a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum, the rest is just as important to other things!)”. The band’s third record will be a highly anticipated one as many fans wait to see if Parker can pull off something even better next.

BY E L I S E YA B LO N

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hat happens when a pop artist and a hard rock guitarist team up to make music? You get one of the most critically acclaimed noise-pop bands of the last five years.

Sleigh Bells is the collaboration between singer Alexis Krauss and guitarist Derek Miller. After parting ways with his hardcore band Poison the Well in 2003, Miller went in search of a female vocalist for a new project he was working on. As the story goes, Miller was waiting tables in Brooklyn, when Krauss and her mother came in to eat. When Krauss’ mother struck up a conversation with Miller, he revealed his plans and need for a singer. Krauss’ mother volunteered her daughter, who had originally sang lead for the all-female pop group RubyBlue before going to school and becoming a teacher. Five years later, the duo has a self-titled EP, three full-length albums, and numerous song placements in movies (Bling Ring, Spring Breakers, etc) and TV commercials (Apple, Girls, etc).

Sleigh Bells shows no signs of slowing down either. The band already has a number of overseas festival appearances lined up for the summer, as well as two Mad Decent Block Party shows in Washington D.C. and Delaware this August. As Krauss told Stereogum, “There’s never been a feeling of, ‘Okay, we’ve made this. Now it’s time to revel in it’s awesomeness and chill for a minute.’ I think that mentality can be a little lazy.” Fusing hardcore and pop music sounds like a farfetched idea, but Sleigh Bells makes it work. With an ever evolving sound and band dynamic, the duo is coming into its own. “We’re really eager to see where our next steps will take us,” Krauss told Stereogum. “There’s a lot that we want to accomplish as a band, even if we’re totally thrilled to be touring and happy with what we’ve put out now. I want our music to reach as many people as possible, you know? We want to keep making music that’s better than the last music we made.”

The duo’s debut full-length, Treats, was released in 2010 through M.I.A.’s N.E.E.T. Recordings and Mom + Pop Records. The album was, for the most part, Miller’s ideas, with Krauss’ vocals being more of an instrument than her being a part of the the writing process. “Her voice was almost like a texture at times,” Miller told Paste in a 2013 cover story. “And we would talk at length about how not to emote, how I wanted her to be just totally deadpan.” The lyrics and vocals for many of the songs are fairly random, playing into the chugging guitar and synths as if it were no different from the other two. The second to last track ‘A/B Machines’ is a good example of this, where Krauss only sings two lines in the entire song while her vocal keep fading in and out of both volume and distortion. Reign of Terror trades the emotionless distance of Treats for more personal songwriting. While working on the album, Miller was going through a lot in his life, namely the passing of his father and his mother’s cancer diagnosis. Many of the songs on Reign of Terror have a dark underlying theme to them. If you listen closely to the lyrics, you can feel the torment and sadness that Miller must have been going through. ‘You Lost Me’ is an eerily haunting track that seems to be from the perspective of the dead with the aid of Krauss’ ghost-like vocals. Krauss’ shallow breaths in ‘Road to H*ll’ give off the feel of someone crying. The one bright light, according to the band, was the song ‘Comeback Kid.’ In a 2013 interview with Stereogum, Krauss says in regards to the song, “it was the first song where we kind of pulled out of that and we felt really good.” The duo’s latest release, Bitter Rivals, saw a big change in their writing dynamic. It has progressed over the years toward a more collaborative partnership. While Miller was initially the sole songwriter and composer, Krauss was given more input with Bitter Rivals. As Miller told Paste, “I was totally hands-off this time around. I let Alexis handle all the vocal duties, and for the first time we had a real chemistry. Where I’m working on something, and as I’m making a track, she’s sitting on the couch, hanging out, just humming ideas into her phone.” The inclusion of Krauss’ melodies gives the album a new feel, with the vocals now having more of a purpose. It is a much more standard musical formula than the duo’s previous albums, with the vocals on top of the instruments, instead of the instruments on top of the vocal.

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hellogoodbye BY E L I S E YA B LO N

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ellogoodbye have come a long way since their first EP came out over ten years ago. Over the years, the band’s sound has matured through lineup changes and life-changes. What was once a young, synth-pop band, has matured and taken on a new, more sophisticated indie-pop sound. Formed in California in 2001, Hellogoodbye started as a project between high school friends Forrest Kline and Jesse Kurvink. The band signed with noted pop-punk label DriveThru Records in 2003, releasing their self-titled debut EP in 2004. ‘Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn,’ the first single from the EP, is a danceable, distorted synth-pop jam that received modest airplay from MTV, and gave the world a taste of what they would be getting when the band released their full-length two years later. Their first full-length album, Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! was released in 2006. For the most part, the songs remain within the same synth-pop wheelhouse as the EP. Their hit single, ‘Here (In Your Arms),’ which launched the band onto the Billboard charts and scored them placements in a number of MTV shows, is a fun, danceable track with meant-so-sound auto tuned vocals and pulsing beat. Toward the middle of the album, however, there is a three-song shift in sound. Slow, sweet, ukulele-driven tune ‘Oh It’s Love,’ and the bright and uplifting ‘Baby It’s Fact’ change up the pace, foreshadowing what will become their future direction, before the album finds its way back into distortion. The four years leading up to the Hellogoodbye’s second album brought many changes. Original keyboardist Kurvink parted ways with the band, leaving Kline as the only original member. Hellogoodbye also broke ties with Drive-Thru, forming their own label, Wasted Summer, where they released Would It Kill You in 2010. Trading in computer distortions for a cleaner pop-rock sound, the album saw a wider range of emotion than their previous release. Kline says in the band’s Facebook bio, “I went through a lot in the course of making this record because it took a very long time. Just before I started it I got engaged and by the end I was married, so there are a lot of songs dealing with the process of being unsure about a relationship to knowing you made the right decision.” The album is full of catchy love songs like single ‘When We First Met’ and album opener ‘Finding Something to Do,’ but also songs about the future, such as ‘Getting Old.’ Particularly on live versions of ‘Getting Old,’ (their Nervous Energies session is highly recommended), you can hear the emotion in Kline’s voice as he really gets into the song as it builds-up, falls, and builds back up into that one last hard note at the end. Hellogoodbye’s latest album, Everything Is Debatable, released in October 2013 through Old Friends Records, takes the best from both of the band’s first two albums and, again, brings their music in a whole

new direction. First single, ‘(Everything Is) Debatable’ has an indie-pop feel to it that is not present in their past work. Here, the band brings back the synths and dance influence, but instead of going overboard with computer tricks, takes a note from Would It Kill You and keeps it clean and poppy. The band is aware that their sound has changed since their conception. In an interview with Virgin Music, Kline chalks the band’s ever-changing sound up to getting older. “Every day, your eyes are opened to broader depths of good and bad in the world. And obviously I try to reflect that in what comes out.” Fresh off their spring headlining tour with Vacationer and Heavenly Beat, Hellogoodbye will be playing a few more US shows this August, including August 15 at The Westway in New York City, and August 17 at Revolution in Amityville, New York. From their beginning in 2004 up to their latest work, Hellogoodbye has shown themselves to be a very adaptive band. Their sound has changed multiple times over the years, but has always kept the band’s signature charm. Whatever direction the band decides to go in the next decade, one can be sure Hellogoodbye will bring something new and exciting for their fans.

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BOKKA BY TREVOR GITTELMAN

he start-stop of an alien tape machine stutters in the foreground as an enormous synthesized world is cast behind it as if projected by the stutters. A distant vocal, sounding as if cried through an abandoned subway tunnel resonates like a female Sigur Rós. A whisper overtakes you, closing that great distance and speaking directly into your ear “it was dark, but then the light came, I lost my everything that made me who I am, but now I see colored fields and I can feel it again…” They are enigmatic, ethereal, and to top it off, they perform as shadows. Literally, they hang a backlit semi-translucent screen in front of the stage to appear to the audience solely as musical shadows. No, the strangeness doesn’t end there. No bootlegs of these shows exist, the album isn’t available in America and they are amassing a great following and critical acclaim overseas. This enigma calls itself Bokka, and besides what the music stands for, this is all we know: They are a trio of anonymous Polish musicians producing sophisticated alt-pop with suspicious maturity. The single track, ‘Town of Strangers’- released last November is accompanied by a beautifully produced music video centering on a lone boy, surrounded by doves in a farm setting just as the first lyrics of the song reach our ears: “early birds flying oh so high.” He gathers sticks and string to construct something, all the while concealing the nature of his labor. The boy spends his nights gazing at the galaxies on his home rooftop; the emotion is at once isolated, inspired and endlessly curious. Bokka here demonstrates great craftsmanship in their work, not unlike our response to the boy’s invention in the video. We are driven to the edge of our seats in curiosity, we just want to look over Bokka’s shoulder and find out what they’re up to. With an album gaining such a strong following, the band of three mysterious visionaries have garnered our interest with a magician’s flourish. Some moments romanticize youth and loneliness while others cry out in siren like yearning. As soon as we expect a

powerful pop chorus the song will descend into prayer-like whispers about spiritual transcendence. As soon as we disappear into the rich atmospheres of synth and piano the singer wails gently about her devil problems, yes devil problems. Bokka is not predictable, not conventional yet absolutely captivating. Bokka harkens to a pensive Florence and the Machine with an XX type of echo, all the while with experimental production all their own. While Florence and the Machine bring a heavy hitting chorus to almost every song, Bokka prefers something more antithetical, preferring whispers to shouts with field recordings of spoons for percussion and long evolving noises instead of bridges. The XX brings a slowed down breed of hip hop to the crossroads of alt-rock. Bokka seems to come straight from experimental electronic into alt-pop, if you can really give it a genre. For example, in the aptly named track ‘Strange Spaces’, a punchy four to the floor rhythm pounds out beneath a swirling atmosphere sustained by bass. A swelling realm of reverberation plays back and forth beneath an austere vocal delivery. As crunchy effected percussion swells towards the end of the song the vocals deliver, “I recall every strange distant space you felt home”, as a wavering guitar line comes in and evolves into a moaning reflective metallic creature almost unrecognizably man-made. The track ‘Found Something’, is an experimental world of echoes and wandering saxophones diving in and out of a watery piano tone. Then the singer’s clandestine whisper: “The sun breaks through the clouds, you’re free. Now is the time to come out from the dark. Take the chance when it arrives. I am free”. The anonymous listener and speaker share a paradoxical intimacy through Bokka’s music. Though we do not know who she is, we know the spell she casts and we want more. The album cover is a woman holding a mirror to her face and reflecting the universe back at the audience. This image of tenderness, curiosity and transcendence gives us a striking symbol for the sound world Bokka conjures.

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DRUMS the

BY JACQUI SAHAGIAN

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rooklyn-based new wave pop trio the Drums have teetered on the edge of a break-up since before the release of their sophomore record Portamento back in 2011, so it came as a pleasant surprise for fans when on February 16, the band posted a picture on Facebook of a cake on top of a turntable with the caption, “celebrating the only way we know how. Album 3 is finished.” Breathe a sigh of relief, Drums fans, another record is coming. The Drums rose to fame along with new wave-inspired colleagues like The Killers and Franz Ferdinand. Founding members Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham met as adolescents when their parents sent them to the same Bible Camp, where the two bonded over a shared love of Kraftwerk, saying it felt as though they’d finally found someone who didn’t think they were stupid for being into such strange music. The band’s first, self-titled album was released in 2010 after they built buzz touring with Florence and the Machine. That album’s first single ‘Best Friend’ features Pierce singing, “You were my best friend / And then you died”to a catchy New Wave-influenced melody. Pierce quickly became a notable front man for his quirky stage presence, and the band gained some attention for the fact that Pierce and Graham are both openly gay. Pierce has somewhat spurned the concept of becoming a role model for the gay community and doesn’t talk much about his sexuality, though in a recent interview with Rappler he did say what he thinks his role as a gay musician is. “For us, it’s not about being loud and proud; it’s just about being yourself… For me, I don’t think it’s important to be proud of being gay. Just as I don’t think it’s important to be proud to be straight,” Pierce said. “I think we should all just love each other and be ourselves. So, I feel like, me just being myself and being in this band, that’s as role model-y as I’m going to get. But it seems pretty effective.” As the band was building up all that success behind The Drums, guitarist Adam Kessler abruptly left the group under circumstances that it became apparent were not very amicable. While at first the group described themselves as “devastated” over his departure, it wasn’t long before they were working through the pain by writing even better material for the follow up to The Drums, 2011’s Portamento. Both Jonathan and Jacob made comments to various media outlets around this time that the band was possibly on the verge of a breakup, citing frequent arguments and general cynicism about the group’s ability to continue creating music together in their current form. All of that drama ended up bringing Jonathan and Jacob closer together to make Portamento, named after the glissando function on old synthesizers, bringing the pair back to the synth-based music that had brought them together in the first place. The album was self-produced, with Jacob and Jonathan recording songs spontaneously in Jonathan’s kitchen. Eventually Pierce called Kessler’s decision to leave the group, “a blessing in disguise,” in the U.K. newspaper The Independent, also making it clear that, “I’m not interested in knowing what he’s up to.” With Portamento, the Drums proved that they don’t need him, or a fancy recording studio, or even a major label, having moved to the indie Frenchkiss in the U.S. The album got even better reviews than the first record, but the Drums still have yet to meet as much success in the States as they’ve had in the U.K. despite their roots in Brooklyn. The band’s hardearned third record could be the thing to change that. Pierce spoke a bit about the upcoming record to Rappler: “With this new album that we just completed we certainly made some decisions to be a bit more bold and a bit more aggressive than we have in the past. A lot of this dreaminess is gone and it’s a very frank and purposeful album. I don’t see myself regretting that.”

The Drums Keep the Beat Going for a Third Album NEWSOUNDMAGAZINE.COM

Masha BY E L I S E YA B LO N

asha isn’t your typical female singer. When she belts out her unique rock-pop blend, you can tell that she is something

special.

“I’m bringing back that female rock. That oldschool, 90s Rock N’ Roll. I’m bringing it back. It’s not pop music, at all. But I think people are really craving it, and I think it’s missing,” said Masha in an interview with Kempire Radio in August 2012. With vocals that mix Alanis Morissette’s power with the grit of Courtney Love, Masha’s music speaks with a certain passion and cause that much of today’s music lacks. “I love Heart, I love Courtney Love, Alanis, Janis Joplin… I’m trying to bring back that female empowerment rock music, soulful singing, loud rasp, all of that.”

Masha, now 23, has been quickly gaining popularity over the last few years. In the last year, she was a candidate for Macy’s iHeartRadio Rising Star 2013 and Grammy Gig of a Lifetime 2013, both competitions that are voted on by fans. Her haunting cover of Nirvana’s ‘Come As You Are’ was picked up to be used in commercials for Lifetime’s Witches of East End. The New York songstress released her debut EP, Stupid, Stupid Dreams, in October 2013 on

“I like to immerse myself completely in the lyrics and melody of a song,” Masha told GALO Magazine. “There are stories behind my lyrics, which I can’t help but feel in my heart. I don’t think about anything when I sing. I just emote whatever comes naturally.” Besides her originals, Masha has been posting covers to her YouTube page for years, putting her unique spin on some of her favorite, well known songs. Some of the artists she has covered include Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Imagine Dragons, Lana Del Rey, Janis Joplin, Alanis Morissette, and P!nk, among others. She attacks each of these songs as if they were her own, sometimes with even more passion than the original. “I just like to take the song and flip it on its head. I try something different, and that’s exciting for me.,” Masha told GALO. A new EP is currently in the works and is rumored to be released in late 2014. She recently played at Mercury Lounge on June 23. Masha is not like the other female singers out there in music today. Her rock vocals and emotional deliveries make her and her music stand out. As she says in her interview with Kempire, “Once you hear it, you’ll definitely see the difference.”

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PH OTO CO URTESY OF M AS HA

Born in Latvia and moved to New York at only six months old, Masha grew up in a musical family. Supportive of his daughter, her father, himself the former lead guitarist for a Latvian singing sensation, helped Masha create a demo that would later get her a management deal. Masha began working on her own music at 11 years old. Growing up, she spent much of her after school time at the studio. “As soon as my classes were over, I’d take the bus into New York City and work on my music until late in the morning,” says Masha in her Facebook bio. “they wanted to know why I didn’t want to hang at the football games, but I was driven by the music.”

Carousel Records. Written with songwriter Claude Kelly and producer Nathan Chapman, the songs on Stupid, Stupid Dreams are full of emotional and honest songwriting. ‘Do You’ is reminiscent of Alanis Morissette’s ‘You Oughta Know.’ The lyricism of ‘Ladies First’ beautifully paints a picture of the ending of a relationship. Songs like ‘Amen’ and ‘Ugly’ carry empowering messages with uplifting vocals and lyrics. For example, ‘Ugly’ was written as an anthem for girls to not judge their self-worth by others’ standards. As she told GALO Magazine in December 2013, “I wrote ‘Ugly’ because I needed girls around the world to know that they are beautiful, and worth it.”

KING & COUNTRY for

BRINGING CHRISTIAN ROCK TO THE MASSES BY JACQUI SAHAGIAN

he Christian soft rock duo for KING & COUNTRY proved with their debut album Crave in 2012, that it was possible for a Christian band to cultivate an accessible enough sound to appeal to audiences much larger than that niche demographic. Now the band, which is composed of Australian brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, is getting attention again for a remix of the song ‘Crave’ retitled ‘Hope Is What We Crave’ as they prepare to release their sophomore effort in the fall. The musical Smallbone family relocated from Australia to Nashville in 1991 and the brothers have been performing together since they were in high school. The group’s name was chosen after the battle cry once used by English soldiers, something the brothers see as a symbolic nod to their willingness to give up everything for their God. “The history of that phrase is that back in the olden days, the British would go into battle shouting, chanting, ‘For King and Country,’ sort of as an anthem of fighting for something that they believed wholeheartedly in. We all looked at each other in the studio and we just knew that was it,” Luke says of choosing the name in an interview on the band’s website. Crave surprised everyone by climbing not only the Christian & Gospel charts, but the regular Billboard charts as well. Singles ‘Busted Heart’ and ‘The Proof of Your Love’

performed well as the Smallbones managed to craft songs that have a subtle Christian message within catchy melodies that have gained the group comparisons to Coldplay. For listeners who may be turned off by the idea of listening to a Christian band, the Christian message can be easy to miss with for KING & COUNTRY unless you’re paying close attention. Overall, Crave received positive reviews from critics, as well as providing a couple chart-topping singles. After touring in support of the record and making some television appearances to promote it, the Smallbone brothers returned to their native Nashville and performed at The Factory for a live album and DVD titled Hope Is What We Crave: Live. The group’s live set-up involves the two brothers singing, backed up by a small band. That Tennessee show produced the reworked version of ‘Crave’ that has been getting attention for being even better than the original song. The entire Hope Is What We Crave production shows how much the group grew between releasing their first record and the relentless touring they underwent to promote it. The brothers returned to Nashville on the final stop of their first headlining tour with improved confidence and a receptive hometown, Biblebelt audience.

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While the brothers’ songs may have found mainstream appeal through their melodies and the fact that the lyrics don’t exactly scream “Jesus”in your face, for KING & COUNTRY unapologetically sees itself as a Christian band. The band posts positive Christian messages on its Twitter feed and has promoted recent faith-based films including Mom’s Night Out. The band is currently touring all over the country through the end of the year, but the brothers promised the Kentucky-based Christian newspaper The Southeast Outlook back in December that a new album is in the works. “We have been writing as much as possible,” Luke told the publication, “we are about a quarter of the way through the new album. We will hit the festival circuit next summer, then expect to have a new album out next fall.” A taste of that album was made available at the beginning of May, as the new single ‘Fix My Eyes’ was released by the band without any other details on the upcoming record. The song echoes similar strong points found in the band’s previous material, catchy melodies and an upbeat message that can be embraced by Christians and positive-minded nonbelievers alike. With the melodic verses and the soaring chorus and lyrics like “I live like I’m not scared / Give when it’s not fair / Live life for another / Take time for a brother,”’Fix My Eyes’ could be the theme song for optimism had the title not already been taken by Pharrell’s chart-topper ‘Happy.’ For the moment at least, the Smallbone brothers seem dedicated to staying loyal to their Christian audience. Based on ‘Fix My Eyes’ it seems likely that for KING & COUNTRY’s second album will see them continuing to focus on Christian themes. It’s worth noting, though, that with those comparisons to Coldplay comes the insinuation that the band could reach a wider audience if they wanted to. Pop stars including Jessica Simpson and Katy Perry have strayed from the straight-and-narrow path of Christian music when they found more money could be made in secular singing, so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see for KING & COUNTRY pull a similar move. The Smallbone brothers’ status as men would even allow them to do so perhaps a bit more delicately than Simpson or Perry, potentially alienating fewer of their current, core audience. Whatever the distant future holds for the band, you can expect more positive, faith-based soft rock from for KING & COUNTRY sometime this fall.

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C A LV I N HARRIS BY OLIVIA JANNUZZI

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PH OTO CO URTESY OF C A LV IN HA R R IS

cottish D.J, singer/songwriter, and producer, Calvin Harris, is the phenom of house-electro music. Singlehandedly, he holds the record for most top ten hits from one studio album on the UK singles chart, with nine hits (that beats Michael Jackson). He won a handful of awards including a Grammy for ‘We Found Love’, and Forbes named him the highest paid DJ of 2013 with a jaw-dropping salary of 46 million. He has worked with a ton of artists, including Kylie Minoque, Dizzee Rascal, Cheryl Cole, just to name a few, and of course he worked with Rhianna on the single ‘We Found Love’; which was a huge worldwide success and became one of the bestselling singles of all time. Before he was the huge success known as Calvin Harris, he was Adam Richard Wiles from Dumfries, Scotland. According to Allmusic.com, he was first attracted to electronic music in his teenage years and started recording demos in his bedroom back in 1999. Eventually, in 2007, Harris released his debut album I Created Disco. This album-his first album-was a certified gold selling album, meaning it sold 100,000 copies. The record plays off its the name, it’s filled with disco-inspired beats that sound like they were pulled straight from the eighties. “I got love for you if you were born in the eighties” Harris sings over a glitzy beat on the track, ‘Acceptable in the Eighties’ which is a tribute to the era. It made it to number ten on the UK Singles chart, with ‘The Girls’ at number three, and ‘Merrymaking at My Place’ at spot forty-three. Not bad for a first album! Calvin Harris’ success story continues bringing us to 2009, when he released his next gold-selling album, Ready for the Weekend which earned the number one spot on the UK Albums chart. The single, ‘I’m not Alone’ reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, with ‘Ready for the Weekend’

following at number three. After the success of his two albums, Calvin toured the world playing shows with other artists like Major Lazer and Afrojack, and he’s released songs with Kelis (‘Bounce’), Florence Welch (‘Sweet Nothing’), and Ne-Yo (‘Let’s Go’), all songs reaching the very top of the UK Singles chart with plenty of other recognition. In October 2012, Harris released his third and latest album, 18 Months under Columbia Records. This is the album that made music history by becoming the first album to have nine singles reach the UK Top Ten chart. This would be Calvin’s second number one album in the UK. A favorite track off the album is ‘I Need Your Love’ featuring Ellie Goulding. The song (and the music video) is a great pick-me-up. Golding’s voice is light, warm, and even a little fragile, but against the drumming and Harris’ beats it makes for an amiable and uplifting song. “We Found Love” is a confident and catchy track that is fantastic for the clubs, although you probably heard this song in the car, or shopping, or on T.V, since it blew up everywhere. Rihanna dominates the track with solid lyrics, “We found love in a hopeless place,” making this single the strongest off the album. Most recently, Calvin Harris released ‘Summer’ on March 14th, 2014, which will be the first single off his new album. Not surprisingly, the hit debuted in the number one spot in the UK and Ireland. Calvin Harris took on the mainstream pop scene by storm and certainly has made a name for himself. You probably have already heard one of Calvin’s many works or collaborations, even if you haven’t realized it. He has really playful and celebratory music, similar to Daft Punk, David Guetta, and Icona Pop. Definitely recommended for any fun night out!

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The Spirit Of Competition

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Top 10 songs

1. “Halo (Beautiful Day)” - Ballyhoo!

6. “I’m Not the Only One” - Sam Smith

2. “Robot” - RDGLDGRN

7. “Scare Away the Dark” - Passenger

3. “Pressure” - Youngblood Hawke

8. “Sound of Erasing” - Rubblebucket

4. “Ultraviolence” - Lana del Rey

9. “Mona Lisa” - Little Daylight

5. “Sirens” - Cher Lloyd

10. “A Love Divine” - Saskwatch

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PHOTO COURTESY OF GINA CUTILLO BAND

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gina cutillo BY Z E N A E D . Z U KOWS K I

ong Island, New York is known for musicians such as Mariah Carey, Billy Joel, LL Cool J and Dee Snider. There have been venues that opened and closed its doors to the music world. The crowds have been growing smaller, while talented artists have been expanding all over the Island. Gina Cutillo, a Long Island native, stands out among the many talented artists. She has been writing music since she was eleven years old and her skills have helped her develop into an incredible talented pop singer/songwriter. Gina’s music is heavily influenced by Madonna, yet her Joan Jett rock-like edge makes her stand out more than other pop artists of today. She is a strong independent woman that wears many hats between her music, being in charge of her own bookings, press, motherhood and hosting her own webshow. Gina will make sure nothing stands in her way of doing what she loves-music. Her music is filled with pop, dance and rock elements that would make anyone want to bust a move on the dance floor. Before Gina branched out on her own, she was part of the band Supergenius. Shortly after she left, she created Gina Cutillo. Gina found her “musical soul mate”, lead guitarist Ron Labriola and steered him away from the rock scene, moving him into the pop world. However, Ron was still able to bring his Les Paul, Pulp Fiction “gold shine” inspired guitar along with him. Together they have brought three great stand alone albums; For the Love of C (2004), From Here to Desire (2007) and The Lover (2009). Zeke Zuclich (bass player) joined the band three years ago. The newest member who still “has yet to play a gig”, drummer John Von Braunsberg joined the

band in January 2014. He replaced Rob Mulry who left in late 2013. What makes Gina stand out is how she gives the band creative freedom and control. She gives each member room to grow to write their own parts of the music, including different drum styles and hints of guitar solos. These elements widen Gina’s audience, by pleasing not only pop fans, but rockers as well. Gina’s songwriting alone makes her more lovable. Gina writes about everyone that’s a part of her life, including their struggles along with her own. This makes her a genuine artist. Gina has played many gigs nationwide, including playing alongside Katy Perry at the 2008 Warped Tour. She recently performed at Dewey Beach in Delaware and the Jersey Shore festival back in May 2014. What’s great about the band is they leave an impressive image on and off the stage. From lead guitarist, Ron with his shirt and tie style during live performances, to Gina’s stunning personality displayed on and off stage. Gina’s music has been heard on commercials, TV shows and movies such as Degrassi The Next Generation, Mean Girls 2, Oprah and many more. Her music is only growing and expanding. Gina Cutillo is currently working in the studio to record her next album. Check out the latest single “In Time” which is on her reverbnation site. They are also finalizing “Fly” which, will be the band’s personal favorite track as of yet. They are only making masterpieces from here on out. Check them out. They are talented and humble people who are eager for success. Let’s hope to see them perform out on Long Island and help bring the music scene back to life.

BY JACQUI SAHAGIAN

AMDYNAMITE will gain comparisons to that other famous two-piece from Michigan, the White Stripes, if only for being a duo also from Michigan concerned with keeping it simple. Aside from that, IAMDYNAMITE’s sound is a bit more poppy and less rooted in the blues, with their debut album 2012’s SUPERMEGAFANTASTIC full of short radio-friendly alternative songs that led to a tour opening for Sum 41. Guitarist Christopher Martin and drummer Chris Phillips met while attending high school in the suburbs outside Detroit. “Some friends and I wanted to start a band, and with it being a really small town there were only three drummers, and Chris was the only real drummer with a kit and a place where we could rehearse,” Martin said on the band’s formation to the Austin Examiner while IAMDYNAMITE was recording their debut at Pedernales Studios in Austin. “Our sound is loud and fun. We try to keep it energetic and as powerful as we can. It’s not that we are AC/DC or something, but we still want the music to be very impactful. We keep it simple, not because people can’t enjoy things that are complicated, but simple is more impactful,” Martin went on to say. For a band that makes such fun party music – complete with lots of hooks and the ecstatic capital letters used in their name and album title – it’s hard to believe their name comes from something as serious as Nietzsche: “I am no man, I am dynamite.” For now the group is still playing shows in support of their first record and the video for the single ‘Where Will We Go’ has been gaining views on YouTube. Though plans for a follow-up have yet to be announced, it wouldn’t be surprising to see IAMDYNAMITE’s songs break onto the alternative charts with a new release.

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MOTHER MOTHER W

hen a band decides to step out of their comfort zone musically, usually it takes time for fans to adjust, but overall they tend to embrace the change. When a group puts out the same record over and over, it can be tiresome for fans and it can cause listeners to lose interest due to a lack of creativity. If you wanted to listen to the same sound over again, you would play their old records, right? Luckily, when listening to the band Mother Mother, one can never become exhausted from the group who is constantly evolving and trying new things. Every record that they put out sounds different than the next, which is why listeners are so intrigued to follow the journey of the multi-talented band.

Mother Mother is a Canadian rock band that currently resides in Vancouver, BC but was originally from Quadra Island. They can arguably fall into various genres, but the more prominent roots of Mother Mother are indie and alternative rock. They are also known for their efforts in folk, punk and pop rock music, with even a touch of hip hop influence. Mother Mother is a five piece group that consists of Ryan Guldemond (Lead Vocals & Guitar), his sister Molly Guldemond (Vocals & Keyboard), Jasmin Parkin (Vocals & Keyboard), Jeremy Page (Bass Guitar) and Ali Siadat (Drums). The band put out an independent release in 2005 under the name ‘Mother’, then two years later they changed their name and added the extra Mother, forming Mother Mother.

BY LISA HOL AHAN The group remastered their music and re-released their debut record after they signed with Last Gang Records; a record company that they are still currently signed with today. Their rereleased album titled Touch Up, made its debut in 2007 and Mother Mother scored a spot in the Vancouver Province top five bands to watch out for, during the same year. Being noticed in such a tremendous way really what jolted their career and gave them the opportunity to perform at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival and the Montreal International Jazz Festival. After their quirky folk oriented acoustic debut, the band released three albums that followed, titled O My Heart (2008), Eureka (2011) and their most recent effort, The Sticks (2012). The album O My Heart is geared more toward alternative and indie rock, whereas 2011’s release of Eureka can be described as more hip hop influenced with a mix of pop. The record Eureka contains catchy melodies and lyrics which are especially shown in the album’s lead single ‘The Stand’ and another standout track called ‘Baby Don’t Dance’. Mother Mother’s most recent release, 2012’s The Sticks, has more of a punk-alternative rock vibe, where the vocals and instrumentals pack a long lasting punch and are highly addictive. Check out a song from each of their albums to get the full experience, These tracks are highly recommended to check out ‘Touch Up’, ‘O My Heart’, ‘The Stand’ and ‘Bit By Bit’. NEWSOUNDMAGAZINE.COM

UNLOCKING THE TRUTH BY Z E N A E D . Z U KOWS K I

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usic is heard throughout film, television, commercials and just everyday adventures. Rock and metal music has a huge role in the WWE Monday Night RAW wrestling series. Sports, music and movies inspire kids today to create, play and invent based on what their idols and parents are into. Meet Malcolm Brickhouse, a thirteen year old Brooklyn native whose inspiration came from all of the above. At the age of seven he picked up a guitar and hasn’t let go of it ever since. He brought on his friend that he met at a birthday party, Jarad Dawkins to play drums. Dawkins came from a family with a music background. The two of them formed Unlocking the Truth. In 2012, they made it to the Show-Off-Round at the Apollo theater. This was called Amateur night and it was a competition that lead them to further exposure. Brickhouse and Dawkins were playing for awhile together as a two member act, until they realized they needed a bass player. They asked their friend Alec Atkins, whom they were friends with since pre-school to join the band. Atkins however, had no experience so

both Malcolm and Jarad had to teach him bass note by note. Once Atkins honed his skills, the three were on their way to further success. It is not everyday when a kid discovers their true music identity at such a young age, but the members of Unlocking The Truth sure did. They are influenced by 80’s metal and today’s Nu metal artists. They are true musicians that write their own music and lyrics. They are currently in the studio to record their debut album. They recently posted a teaser of their latest song on their facebook page which was being rehearsed at Ultrasound Rehearsal Studios. They have played all over Times Square which you can see on YouTube. They are one of the very few metal bands that recently played at Coachella, and Motorhead was another. They also had the honor to open up for Motorhead and Guns N’ Roses. Maybe in five years from now they will open up for the infamous Metallica. Unlocking the Truth may have many successful years on their hands. They are on the road to making Rock and Roll history. Go check them out!

LORENZA PONC

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BY LISA HOL AHAN

orenza Ponce is a multi-talented artist who is constantly breaking musical barriers by exploring all genres of music and collaborating with some of the greats, such as Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Ben Folds Five, Sarah McLachlan and Hall & Oates. Ponce is an American violinist and vocalist, who specializes in string arrangements and has performed on several records for numerous musicians. Lorenza is not only a unique artist but she has such a graceful presence on stage that you cannot help but be captivated by her performance. Aside from her collaborations with other artists, Ponce also has a very successful solo career with five albums under her belt. Her solo career began in 1997, when she released her debut titled Imago via EMI/ Angel Records. However, it wasn’t until she became part of a string quintet that accompanied Sheryl Crow on the theme for the James Bond film called Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), that she shared a few words with the artist and even gave Crow a copy of her record. Once discovered by Crow, Ponce’s career changed completely and she became exposed to a whole new world. Sheryl Crow was so impressed by Ponce’s capabilities that she invited her to play on television at a VH1 special, and also to accompany her on a world tour thereafter. Both invitations changed Lorenza’s life and gave her the exposure that her talents longed for. The dynamic performer continued to play live touring collaborations in the late 90’s with Ben Folds Five, John Tesh, Neil Young and Sarah McLachlan. In the year 2000, Lorenza came out with her second

album titled Mystic Fiddler and shortly after she released her third in 2002, titled The Instrumentals, both were released through Melodia Records. Ponce then came across a thriving country group, the Dixie Chicks, who wanted her to record string arrangements and violin parts on their cover of ‘Landslide’, a smash hit previously recorded by Stevie Nicks. The Dixie Chicks invited Lorenza to play at their Top Of The World Tour in 2003 ,which was later recorded as a live album. During the same year, Lorenza came out with a fourth album that was a dual effort with pianist Ben Zebelman, titled The Song Of Songs via Spring Hill Music. After several collaborations and live performances with Sheryl Crow and The Dixie Chicks between 2003 and 2006, Lorenza Ponce went on both US and Canadian tours with Hall & Oates to perform with them live. When the tour with Hall & Oates came to an end, Ponce was invited by Jon Bon Jovi to join his acoustic set of Livin’ On A Prayer, for MTV Unplugged and she later also performed on the Bon Jovi Lost Highway World Tour. Lorenza’s most recent album titled Soul Shifter (2010) released through Melodia Records received an overwhelmingly positive response. Soul Shifter contains thought-provoking music, along with beautiful vocals and mesmerizing violin techniques. With her amazing talents, you can bet that Ponce will continue to create, perform, and record phenomenal music. Check out her mastery of the violin, you will not be disappointed.

PH OTO S CO URTESY OF LOR EN ZA P ON C E

BY KAITLYN HARRISON

wedish indie electro-pop band Satellite Stories are riding the wave to great fame. They formed in 2008, and just four years later they were titled most blogged about artist for six consecutive weeks on Hype Machine. The band’s debut album Phases to Break the Ice (2012) led to a publishing deal with major publishing company, BMG. Next, X-ray Tourings signed the band for bookings in the beginning of 2013. In late 2013, Satellite Stories released their second album Pine Trails, a collectively energetic piece filled with flowy upbeat riffs and

harmonious vocals. With a style similar to Tokyo Police Club and Two Door Cinema Club and an originality of it’s own, the fanbase grew rapidly with the help of live performances in MTV UK, NME, Q, Clash and The Fly. They made appearances in Finland’s Flow Festival, Sweden’s Hultfsfred Festival and Holland’s Lowlands Festival, as well as touring this fall in the UK. There are hopes for Satellite Stories to spread internationally. Check out their song ‘Campfire’ for indie electropop perfection!

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PHOTOS BY SEVEN STRING

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MARTIN GUITARS BY ANDREW DAVIS

ocated in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, C.F. Martin Guitar Company has produced acoustic instruments since the 1830’s. The history of C.F. Martin starts in Markneukirchen, Germany, where Christian Frederick Martin, Sr., followed in his families footsteps as a cabinet maker. At the age of 15, C.F. Martin moved to Vienna to work as an apprentice for renowned guitar maker Johann Stauffer. In September of 1833, Martin Sr. left Germany and headed to New York City. He opened up a shop on the Lower West Side that sold anything and everything from cornets to sheet music. At the request of his wife, Ottilie Lucia Kühler, C.F. Martin sold his shop in New York and bought an 8-acre tract near Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Sales continued well into the 20th century, even during the great depression, where the Martin Guitar Company had held 3 day work weeks. Through the years such innovations as the 14-fret neck, the hand-scalloped “X” bracing system,

and the Dreadnought guitar helped establish Martin’s guitars as one of the finest instruments in the world. Martin guitars were in such high demand at one point in the mid 60’s that the company’s stock was on back order for as long as three years. Today the company is run by Christian Frederick Martin IV and is one of the leading massmanufacturers of flattop acoustic guitars. The Martin Guitar Company offers a variety of instruments ranging from the electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and the ukulele. Martin’s Custom Shop allows the musician to create his or her own instrument, allowing them to choose the shape of the body, wood, and inlays used. Recently, Martin Guitar Company developed instruments that are ecofriendly with their alternative material offerings in order to launch their ecomovement. Martin Guitar Company produces guitars with brilliant sounds, great feel, and amazing looks. Check them out online at http://www.martinguitar.com/.

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PHOTO BY T.CONWAY FLICKR

FAUL + WAD AD BY KAITLYN HARRISON

ith only two singles, Faul and Wad have already reached the top of the charts in Belgium and Germany. In addition to being in the top ten for several other different European countries, including the top three for electronic house music in England. This is all thanks to their international exposure via ‘Changes’ their last released single from mid November 2013. Faul and Wad are two french music DJ’s and producers who met in school and have been making music together ever since. Although this is only the beginning of their potential, Faul and Wad are mainly deep house. Their music is packed with steady 120 BPMs, euphoric build ups, and awesome samples (like an Australian children’s choir in ‘Changes’). With more enlightening music from these two expected, we are hopeful to stay tuned and see what their potential holds!

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E.D.M.

LiVE REVIEW

Ashley Monroe BY

JACQUI SAHAGIAN

lternative country songstress Ashley Monroe, best known as one third of the Pistol Annies alongside her “sister” Miranda Lambert and Angaleena Presley, took the stage at Nashville’s 3rd and Lindsley on Thursday, June 5 to play songs from her critically acclaimed Like a Rose for an adoring hometown audience. Monroe is one of those country singers that doesn’t get much airplay not because she doesn’t have a pretty face, but because she refuses to censor herself in her songwriting; and she considers herself first and foremost a songwriter. Choosing the cheeky “Weed Instead of Roses”as the single from Like a Rose definitely wasn’t the way to gain the most airplay on conservative country radio and making a video that’s a total throwback to a 1960’s television performance wasn’t the best way to court CMT either, but Monroe does things her own way and her fans adore her for it. “I don’t know why that didn’t get put on the radio,”she said after playing the song, which she dedicated to her grandparents who

happened to be in attendance. But her fans knew all the words. Monroe is part of a key group of women in the country music industry working to change what women in the genre are allowed to say through writing whip-smart songs that have gained her and her contemporaries critical adoration. If it weren’t for the Pistol Annies joking about popping pills, it’s hard to imagine how newcomer Kacey Musgraves could have gotten away with most of the material on her Grammy-winning debut, Same Trailer, Different Park, which sounds like the title of a Kid Rock album but is full of well-crafted songs and smart lyrics exploring what causes people to get stuck in their small hometowns when they’d rather be anywhere else.

Monroe played songs from throughout her career, including several cuts from Like a Rose as well as ‘Unhappily Married’ from the Pistol Annies and the early solo track ‘Satisfied,’ for which she asked for some help from opening act Striking Matches’ Sarah Zimmerman. Between songs Monroe told stories about her close relationship with Miranda Lambert. The two are longtime friends that frequently write material together not only for the Pistol Annies, but each other’s solo albums as well, including the song ‘Heart Like Mine’ which Lambert made a hit but Monroe sprinkled into her set because she helped write it. She closed out her performance with an encore of Graham Parsons’ great ‘Hickory Wind.’

Like a Rose was released last spring to nearly unanimous critical praise for its traditional country sound, well-written songs, and Monroe’s unique voice. Monroe cowrote all nine songs on the album, taking complete creative control that paid off for her sophomore effort. The record was named one of the top albums of 2013 by a litany of publications.

Like a Rose proved that Monroe has the chops to make a great record outside the Pistol Annies. Whether or not she can make a popular one outside that group remains to be seen, but the bigger question is probably whether or not she cares to. Her loyal fan base and the music journalists that gave Like a Rose top marks probably won’t care if she never gets on CMT. NEWSOUNDMAGAZINE.COM

VENUE REVIEW

(Unfortunately so for all you young live music goers!). Make football season a riot this year here with your buds, the best fried chicken and beer served on Long Island! Both the Jets and the Giants along with college division football have special events for you to sink your face in the biggest HDTVs you’ve seen.Be sure to catch these artists this summer right here, at the Brooklyn Bowl!

BY KAITLYN HARRISON

n entertainment venue seldom exceeds past it’s standards of a music hall, whereas the Brooklyn Bowl allows their guests to indulge in bowling with 16 bowling lanes, live music performances, a delectable food menu complemented by Blue ribbon and beers locally brewed and crafted. This makes it the ultimate entertainment hype of today. The Brooklyn Bowl is the first L.E.E.D certified bowling alley in the entire world. It’s located in the former Hecla Iron Works which was established in 1882. This is not to be fooled with any regular bowling alley nonetheless, other than weekends and 12-6pm, the Brooklyn Bowl is 21+

7/09 Zappa Plays Zappa 7/10 Brooklyn Bowl’s 5th Anniversary: DJ GuestLove 7/11 LTJ Bukem 7/12 Stooges Brass Band 7/12 Big Data Joywave 7/13 Splintered Sunlight: Tribute to A Grateful Dead WEEKDAY RATES: 20$ for one lane per half-hour from Monday through Thursday WEEKEND RATES (FRI-SUN): 25$ for one lane per half-hour from Friday through Sunday Here’s an awesome deal! If you mention “Sunday Night Special” after 8PM, you can receive 50% off any lane. NEWSOUNDMAGAZINE.COM

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

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BY JACQUI SAHAGIAN

he 1970’s power pop band Cheap Trick has balanced the thin line between writing influential, catchy rock-pop songs and being a parody-worthy example of the heights that rock and roll’s silliness can reach during their forty year career. The Foo Fighters, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, and Pearl Jam among many others have all cited Cheap Trick as an influence. The band’s members have serious chops, an enviable collection of vintage instruments, and tour constantly, but their cartoonish act is not meant to be taken seriously. Their rise to fame from a sold-out tour of Japan was mimicked in This Is Spinal Tap. So what are we to think of Cheap Trick? And what are they doing now? Cheap Trick had its well-chronicled humble beginnings in Rockford, Illinois, a hometown that has heroized the band to the extent that April 1st has been declared “Cheap Trick Day”. Their first three albums recorded in the 1970’s did not sell very well when they first came out, but became the group’s classics after the 1979 release of the live album Cheap Trick at Budokan. On that record, the band played for a rabid Japanese crowd that gained comparisons to Beatlemania and the live version of ‘I Want You to Want Me’ became a huge hit in the U.S. Once the records Cheap Trick, In Color, and Heaven Tonight were re-evaluated, the band gained a reputation for the ability to craft bombastic and catchy pop songs. Those records are the ones that made the group influential to a later generation of rock musicians with a soft spot for good pop music. The band is still highly active forty years later. Cheap Trick is currently opening for Boston, playing small arenas across the U.S. throughout the summer. They continue to be known for a relentless touring schedule that sees them playing at least 200 shows a year, and the current summer tour has a feeling of bringing the group full-circle, as they also opened for Boston at the beginning of their career back in the mid-1970’s. While the middle-aged, mid-level arena circuit might be a predictable place to find Cheap Trick, they have kept from resting on their laurels by having the work ethic and the guts to release new albums. Unlike some of their classic rock peers, they have continued to regularly make new music in recent years in addition to touring. Their most recent record was 2009’s The Latest, which was released to surprisingly decent reviews. Cheap Trick’s showmanship might be funny, and they certainly have never made the most groundbreaking or complicated rock music out there, but the band can still craft a great pop song.

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