Photography, Interviews, Promotion & more
July 23, 2020 Leave a comment
Co-editor Jamie Kaufman sits down to chat with singer songwriter Jessame.
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Editing by Quinn Hall
May 6, 2020 Leave a comment
During this time ourselves and everyone around us has had to adapt to a new normal. Usually, I’ve done in person interviews or written – this time it’s a video chat interview! In a time where work and school are all done remotely I figured why not interview an artist remotely as well. Below is our first ever zoom interview Cristine did with singer/songwriter Erin Kirby.
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Interview courtesy of Cristine Trimarco
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April 21, 2020 Leave a comment
In a genre like metalcore where so many bands fade into the back, patterns often repeating, and a lot of songs falling into a similar sound, how do you make yourself stand out? Sleepsculptor’s answer is to create intense, chaotic music that will leave your jaw on the floor. Of course many bands fall flat by doing too much. Sleepsculptor has done the opposite, taking a huge hold on the scene they’ve become a part of. I talked with Ben Pypiak and Hunter Derr, lead vocalists of Sleepsculptor to ask about what makes the band special.
What inspired Sleepsculptor and the sound you guys were going for?
Hunter: Definitely bands like the Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, Arsonists Get All The Girls, IWrestledabearonce. We were going for a more mathy approach to metalcore.
Danza was a metalcore giant that had a huge influence on the scene with the same sporadic, chaotic sound Sleepsculptor achieves. The band regularly covers them in their live shows, giving insanely impressive performances of Rudy X 3 and The Alpha The Omega, a song that the TDTE never played live themselves. Their cover of Rudy X 3 can be seen here: https://youtu.be/h8gE8z82Xc
The inspiration coming from bands of the same genre brought me to my next question.
Is that where you pull inspiration from while writing. Is it solely mathcore/sporadic metalcore based or do you pull inspiration from other genres?
Hunter: I feel like we most definitely pull from a lot of genres. I mainly listen to Captain Murphy and Earl Sweatshirt. Everyone else listens to some pretty niche stuff I’d say.
Do you ever worry about how your music will be received based on how unique it is?
Hunter: Nah not really I feel like we just write what we want to write and if people like it, that’s cool. If not, I don’t really mind because I make music for myself at the end of the day. Ben: It’s pretty cool to hear that people like what we make anyway.
Sleepsculptor isn’t for the faint of heart for sure. The live shows feel claustrophobic in the best way possible. The constantly changing guitar, the vocalist’s fast and angry tonal changes. It’s enough to make anyone want to get moving, and their shows certainly deliver. It’s amazing to see them move as a unit, which is difficult for bands so large sometimes. Along with two vocalists, they have two guitarists, Jake Moyer and Kuyler Massam, who offer intensely technical playing along with the classic breakdowns everyone knows and loves. To help with the fast paced performances, James Slattery as drummer, and Travis Antoniello on bass, are both well versed in the metalcore scene, both being in the Wilkes Barre local band Toothless. With so many amazing creative minds, I always wondered who took the reins while writing.
Is there any difficulty having 6 member’s input while making music?
Hunter: I don’t think so, we’re all generally into the same stuff. It’s easier to get weirder ideas. Ben: We’re all pretty connected.
Do you two (Ben and Hunter) ever disagree on where to go vocally/lyrically or does it work best when you bounce your ideas off of each other?
Hunter: Not that I can think of, we’ll usually write in chunks and then go back and dissect/ split parts up. Ben: Not really, sometimes we swap lyrics.
Their first album, Untimening, was well received, but their most recent album, Entry: Dispersal, was beyond unique.
Entry: Dispersal was different than Untimening, do you plan on leaning towards more of a drastic change with your next release?
Ben: We all decided to get pretty experimental, but not straying too far.
Hunter: It’s definitely gonna be a lot weirder than anything we’ve released yet.
Weird has turned out to be an amazing thing for Sleepsculptor. The band constantly works and writes, which explains why in seemingly less than 2 years, they have grown into a force to be reckoned with in the Pennsylvania metalcore scene. Entry: Dispersal was a fantastic album in every sense of the word, every song having the same vibe, but every one felt insanely unique. Every piece of music released by Sleepsculptor has its own personality and own breath of life, making them an absolute joy to listen to. It’s exciting to support them, and I cannot wait to see what they do in the future.
Follow them on Instagram , you can listen to & buy their music on ITunes, Bandcamp, Spotify, and other streaming services
Interview + Photos courtesy of Emily Sulkowski –Instagram| Twitter
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December 29, 2019 Leave a comment
Team member Chyenne sat down and interviewed The HU, they answered these questions in both Mongolian and English.
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December 4, 2019 Leave a comment
How did you get into music, and what made you want to pursue a career in this industry.
My parents were the ones to first pass me a love of music. My dad played guitar which is initially what started my interest in playing music. Around high school my friends started listening to a lot of electronic music and I was fascinated with how these EDM producers were making these loud, absurd noises with computers, so I began teaching myself electronic production. I’ve been writing different styles of music since then. Music has been the one consistent skill that I have had a drive and passion for, so it’s hard to imagine pursuing any other kind of career.
Are you currently making new music ? If so , we can we expect a sneak peak or release ?
I am working on new music! I’m looking to at least have a new single out by January, so expect to see some teasers and promos in December
An artist you would like to collab, and or tour with ?
The dream collab would be with Omar Apollo. He’s an incredibly talented, young musician who I expect to be blowing up very soon. He can write such a catchy tune and I’d love to sit in and jam with him.
How would you describe your genre of music ?
Indie pop. I have a long list of inspirations–from hip-hop to folk artists–that I pull from while writing, but being a pop artist allows me to be almost genre-less. I’ve always enjoyed exploring different styles, so I always tell my listeners to never expect the same thing twice.
For anyone that hasn’t heard of you before what song would you recommend the listen to first ? why?
“Hello” is one of my favorites. It’s fun and catchy, and I think the lyrics contain material anyone can connect with.
What is the story behind your artist name?
My artists name came from a work nickname! There were two Kevin’s at my last job, so to make the distinction one of my managers started calling me K Fox. I was kind of like “Huh, that would make a pretty sweet artist name.” It’s a concise, easy-to-remember name that still feels personal without having to use my full name. And unlike my last project KMPLT (pronounced “complete”) it requires very little explanation for pronunciation and spelling!
What’s your biggest accomplishment as a artist so far ?
Making connections with talented people through my own creations. There will always be more shows, bigger crowds and more playlists to have your music heard on, but I’ve been privileged enough to meet some incredible artists and people in Portland that have inspired me and taught me new ideas that I’ve carried since meeting them. Gabe Fleck and Pat Kanji are two artists that saw a talent in me before I really believed in it, and I’ve worked with them extensively over the last two years. Very recently I started working with Jame Doe, another incredibly hardworking, talented artist from Portland, and I’m excited to see what happens from this collaboration.
What is something you are passionate about aside from music ?
I love running. I ran two half marathons last year and I’m currently in the process of training for another. I know that sounds absolutely awful to most people, but long runs are honestly one of the best feelings ever. It blows off stress and nerves, and it’s a great opportunity to have time alone to reflect and set my mind straight. It quite literally keeps me sane.
what has the feedback been like for your newest release ?
The feedback for 5900: SUMMER has been unbelievable. I’ve had friends showing me my music rather than me showing them my music. It’s a work I’m proud of and have no issue showing or sending to new listeners It’s my first true dive into songwriting and singing, so to hear such positive feedback has motivated me to keep creating more music like that and improve upon my songwriting.
If someone who is reading this is going through a rough patch right now, what would you say to make them smile ?
Focus on what you have, not what you don’t. Focus on the parts of your life you can control, because it will eventually impact what you cannot. In my experience, and this is not everyone’s experience, I believe you are in control of your own happiness. Events outside of your control act to control your happiness, but it’s up to you (with extra help from a therapist if you need or can!) to find what makes you happy. It can be a long journey, but even doing one thing per day to make you happy can have a huge impact.
What are some big differences between the EDM music and r&b/pop music? What made you switch genres?
EDM music is formulaic and straightforward, so I just got bored of it. The same could be argued for pop music, but after spending years making EDM there never felt like there is anything new to say. With pop music, there’s always a new story to tell. I love that I can put a feeling into words and then into a song that people can relate with. To put it shortly, I started making pop because I wanted to connect with people.
Photos by Zac Oser
Interview by Cristine Trimarco
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August 26, 2019 Leave a comment
Artwork by : Sophia Bonafide
The Camera Affect Promotions had the pleasure of sitting down with New York native Shiragirl before her set during Vans Warped Tour to discuss everything from the creation of her own stage to her EP ‘Brooklyn Goes Hollywood’ to playing with Joan Jett. If you want to find out more about what Shiragirl had to say, keep reading below:
What was your reaction when you found out that this was going to be the last year of Warped?
I was super sad. I actually found out in 2017 that 2018 was going to be the last full cross-country run. I was bummed, it definitely felt like the end of an era.
What was your reaction when you were asked to come and play?
I was so happy and so excited and just honored to be included. Yeah, really happy.
So, I know that the Shiragirl Stage came about in a really unique way, correct me if I’m wrong. You pretty much asked Kevin (Lyman) if he could include more female bands on the lineup and he said maybe next year and you just did it anyways.
Yep that’s exactly it!
What was that like knowing you had kind of “defied” him and you ended up with your own stage?
So how it happened was I was on the tour the previous year and I had noticed there were no female musicians and I said “hey can we come back and host some girl bands maybe in the Girls Garage Tent and he said “great idea, maybe next year.” We just decided lets do it anyway. We drove into the gates and set up and we had a little punk-rock set up. We just thought a year seemed so far away when you’re a kid, you know, and we thought why not and he walked up and we kind of held our breath because we didn’t know if we were going to get kicked out or what not and he just looked around and said “alright Shira, so you’re on for the whole tour” and it was both kind of an invite and almost a challenge. It felt really good to be able to then come back the next year and we were invited back to do an official stage, which Kevin named the Shiragirl Stage and host all those bands including Paramore on their first ever tour.
That’s wild. I heard that and was like “she’s a badass.”
Aww thank you!
So as a female in a predominantly male dominated scene, did you find that you had to prove yourself when you played your first Warped Tour? Do you find that you still have to prove yourself now?
Oh absolutely, one hundred percent. We definitely had to prove ourselves. In a male dominated space women definitely have to work twice as hard to get the respect a man gets and that’s just how it is, and when we first started out there were bets against us finishing the tour. We were not taken seriously. People would say “this area back here is only for the bands” and we would say “we are the band” you know? Even now there’s a lot more exposure and representation but it’s still not equal and I feel like there’s this misconception that we’re all equal now but if you look at the numbers it’s just not true.
Did they come to respect you more overtime or was there something that you did that made them respect you?
I think just working really hard absolutely, building relationships on the tour and also just kicking ass, playing our instruments well, rehearsing, taking our craft seriously, that’s important too, putting the hours in and being good at what we do.
Makes perfect sense. I know you’ve been called the Punk-Rock Madonna, where did that name come from?
It’s so funny, actually this girl Rose who is in a band called Anti Hero who played our stage in Canada, she’s from Toronto, she first said that to me and it kind of just stuck with our team. I think that our manager put it into a press release or a bio that made its way to Billboard and then Billboard kind of coined it last year when they premiered our first single. After Billboard said it I thought “oh my gosh, it’s official,” and I love it. Madonna is a huge influence of mine so it’s a compliment.
Your EP Brooklyn Goes Hollywood showed the juxtaposition between Hollywood and New York where you’re from. Did the title come before the sound of the album or did the sound of the album influence the title?
That’s a good question. I think it was a big theme because our whole band is from New York, at least my drummer and bassist, the three of us really co-wrote that record and we wanted to achieve this fusion of a sound that was like the dancy pop fun aspect meets this harder punk-rock sound. I actually wanted to write a song called Brooklyn Goes Hollywood, I’ve had that in my mind forever. As songwriters, you often think of the song title before you think of the song sometimes and so it never became a song but then when we were talking about the album name I just thought this is like, the perfect way to describe the duality of the record.
What was it like having Joan Jett play your stage?
That was a dream come true! So Joan was on the tour, she used to bike over to the side of our stage and watch the girl bands and she actually gave me a pep talk because about halfway through the tour half my band quit, first my drummer then my guitarist quit. I was super upset, we were hosting all these bands, and she knocked on my RV door, sat on the couch next to me, looked me in the eye and said “you’re doing a good thing and you have to keep going.” She said “girls like that make girls like us look bad and you’ve got to keep going” and I said “okay I’ve got to keep going because Joan Jett told me to.” The last day of that tour was when it had kind of been discussed that she would do a special appearance with her manager and it was Cleveland, Ohio and they said “Joan wants you to sing and she’s going to play guitar and do backup” and it was crazy. Right before we went on we were rehearsing on the side of the stage it felt like I was in the Runaways. It was really a dream and I was so honored, just recently they put a Warped Tour exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I got included and in it is our set list from that day and a photo of us performing with Joan Jett next to her bra and her setlist and my shirt so it’s really cool. What an honor. This was before Instagram and stuff so someone had captured a video of it on Youtube somewhere but I wish I had gotten more of my personal footage from it, from that moment, but nothing can replace that memory. Just looking out and seeing Kevin Lyman in the crowd.
I bet. Did you ever think you would get from where you started to playing on the same stage as Joan Jett singing one of her songs as the main vocalist?
It was an honor. We did actually open up for her band earlier that year and I just have to say it’s a great example of how Warped Tour has opened up so many doors for up and coming artist because if it weren’t for Warped Tour I never would have met her because she was playing the tour and we got introduced. So yeah, huge honor and definitely inspires me to keep going.
What has been your best or craziest memory?
Oh my gosh, there’s so many but one that comes to mind is that I got to perform Lori Meyers with NOFX and that was super cool. Any time you’re on the main stage the crowd is so big and the energy is amazing and I also got to perform with The Transplants and that was super cool. Anytime you get to do a special guest performance like that is amazing.
Last question. When they announced that Warped Tour was coming to an end I noticed a couple pop up tours start happening and they started traveling the country. Do you think there’s ever going to be anything on the Warped Tour scale again or do you think Warped Tour is kind of the “Mecca” of everything.
Great question. Personally I think there’s only one Kevin Lyman and Warped Tour is one of a kind and I don’t think there will be another Warped Tour. I know Kevin hopes to see someone else pick up the torch and do what he did but you just can’t duplicate it. I do hope to see other tours, like Sad Summer tour and Disrupt and I would love to play any of those and be part of it but nothing is ever going to be like Warped Tour. The way that Kevin really brought together all these baby bands and big bands in one plane and made them feel like a family with the after parties and barbecues, his involvement in non-profit organizations, making sure the tour recycled, getting involved with charity organizations, such as FEND, you don’t see that a lot in the music industry. He’s a humanitarian and a lot of people in the music industry are more about profit or whatever it is, fame, and he’s really just a great person. While I hope there will be another Warped Tour, I think it really is one of a kind. That being said. Kevin is advising me, I’m actually working on starting a tour of my own, kind of based on a similar mission we had with the Shiragirl Stage to promote women in music and platform for female artists. It’s going to be called Gritty in Pink and it’s going to start off as an event series, monthly in LA and eventually we’re hoping to build a whole tour off of that.
I love that, I’m definitely coming back just for that!
Yay!
Keep up with Shiragirl on Twitter| Facebook | Instagram
Show some love to the graphic designer Sophia
Interview courtesy of Linette Wainwright | Twitter & Instagram
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August 17, 2019 Leave a comment
As a teenager in the late 90s and early 2000s, Jack grew up with the birth of the internet, as well as one of the first popular music sharing services, Napster. While many kids his age were using it to download popular music, Jack took a different approach. “I just started following things backwards, just kind of how I think it went…Rancid was one of my favorite bands when I was really young, and I started kind of just tracing their influences. That was just like a natural thing for me to do because I was curious of how they got to where they were. And I just kind of kept going back in time and back in time and wound up at the country blues and Woody Guthrie and all this folk music that was super fascinating to me, and I kind of just stuck around there for a while.
Being a child of the 90s when it’s just like N’Sync and the Backstreet Boys in all these neat little packages, it’s really nice to hear someone really raw like Woody Guthrie who’s just singing a song about how the Dust Bowl has affected his life. There’s something super honest about that that’s really real that rang a bell.”
Woody Guthrie’s influences are clear in Jack’s earlier albums, through his storytelling lyrics, solo fingerpicking guitar style, and simple, raw sound. But for his latest album, Ain’t It The Same, Jack decided to take a new approach. “That first solo record is recorded was in my friend’s basement, just basically live. The second record I did, The Shadows in the Sunset is just recorded in an old church live as well. We had two days on this track to record everything straight without any overdubs. [For Ain’t It The Same] I just I kind of planned out a year of my life and decided it was something I wanted to do and put together the best band I could think of and found the best studio I could think of. I really just wanted to get into the studio environment and see what happens. I had a lot of fun with it.”
A big difference on Ain’t It the Same is the addition of the band, something Jack was very excited about, and rightly so. Ain’t It The Same features a huge amount of talent: John James Tourville (fiddler for The Deslondes) on guitar, Casey McDonough on bass, and Alex Hall on drums, as well as studio engineer for the album.
“Basically, all these all these guys had a huge hand in it. I know my bio claims production status, but in a sense, it is a very anarchistic, kind of production in that I wrote the songs, I put the band together, I booked the studio time, arranged travel for everybody and then we had two weeks in the studio. And they had never really even heard these songs before. We just kind of worked them out together and kind of just worked to find what felt good and what felt right and what felt fun. That’s what came out of it and it was such a fun process of collaboration”
But Jack has made sure to stay true to his roots, even with more people and more polish. “The post-production phase was a little bit more involved to where [Alex Hall and I] did spend a lot of time and just got to play around in the studio like little kids, adding a little effects here and there.. But yeah I did kind of keep true to the live aspect that the old CDs had, just with a bit of trickery.”
As Jack’s career continues to grow and change, his thoughts on music stay the same, echoing himself as a teenager downloading blues jug music in a world of boy bands and bubblegum pop: “It’s kind of like that Louis Armstrong quote, ‘There’s only two kinds of music, good music and bad music.’ I think any music has to have soul. Something behind it, something real to make it move somebody. I think that’s the way it’s supposed to be.’
Jack Klatt – Interview + Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Rajchart | Instagram
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July 31, 2019 Leave a comment
On the last day of Warped Tour in Mountain View, CA The Camera Affect Promotions had the honor of sitting down with Philadelphia rapper Whitney Peyton. With her yellow pineapple pinata in tow, we discussed everything from headlining tours and released albums to the rap industry and being an independent artist. Check out the interview below:
TCAP: What was your first reaction when you found out that Warped Tour was ending?
WP: It felt like a new chapter I guess, because Warped Tour is a very nostalgic thing, so it was just one more thing cementing that I was not a kid anymore, so that’s kind of sad. This is why I have things like this (holds up a pineapple pinata) to keep me childish. I think Warped Tour is just a big staple in the music scene so it definitely felt like the end of an era.
TCAP: And what did it feel like when you were invited back to play the last Warped Tour?
WP: I was surprised because I didn’t know it was going to happen again, they resurrected it. I was stoked to be playing it because I did play last year which was the final one where they did the full tour and I just had no idea that I was going to have the chance to do it. I was like “okay it’s over, I won’t get the chance.” It was kind of a bucket list thing to do, you know, and then being invited back this year made me feel like they liked me last year, they must have liked something, I did something right which is rare, so yeah it felt really good.
TCAP: Well that’s good!
WP: “It was terrible, why am I here, I hate it.” Don’t do that, don’t make that the clickbait, I’m going to be looking for the title.
TCAP: I will not make that the clickbait, I promise I won’t make that the clickbait. So last year was your first headlining tour, correct?
WP: Yes! Full country headlining tour.
TCAP: I know you toured with Twiztid before. How did that feel going from a supporting act to a headlining act ?
WP: It was so weird because you know what, besides Twiztid I’ve done over a dozen national tours and I’ve toured with Three Six Mafia, Cottonmouth Kings, acts like Blood On The Dance Floor, so yeah, I’ve even done shows with Borns of Osiris and that’s super heavy for me to be on. I’ve always been such an eclectic like, every single lane, because when you see me they don’t know where to put me, booking agents don’t know where to put me. They’re like ‘okay here’s this rap-rock chick, what can we put her with,’ so I end up going out with everybody which is awesome, but at the same time when I went to headline I was like ‘oh my god, what’s this going to be like?’ Is this going to be like a melting-pot type of all different people which would be dope, but then I’m hoping that they’re able to mesh together and not just be segregated like the high school kids tables. Like those are the Juggalos and those are the punk kids and I just want everyone to kind of mesh, but luckily with the way music is going now with everything being a fusion, with MGK being rock-rap and Yungblud being like an emo-rap-rock thing it’s kind of like blurred lines and there’s no rules anymore.
TCAP: Did you find that people don’t take you seriously as a female in a predominantly male dominated industry?
WP: Yeah of course, I mean my DJ is a girl and I work with Gina over here who’s also a girl if you can’t tell. I work with a lot of women and I think it’s kind of like, I even tell these guys, on my set when I come out, I make sure I don’t even step onto the stage until I’m actually rapping so I don’t even show myself until I’m doing my vocals so they’re being hit with that at the same time so they have no time do prejudge what it’s going to sound like, they can only go off of what’s happening right there. Yeah you’ve got to prove yourself a lot more. A lot of people think it’s an advantage because you’re the only chick, so everyone gravitates toward it because it’s different, but being a girl can make them interested in it, it’s not going to make them stay. The music is going to make them stay, so that’s what we want, the ones that stay.
TCAP: And you were primarily an independent artist but you were just signed to Tragic Hero Records, correct?
WP: Correct. I did my last album Iridescent with Tragic Hero with Warner Brothers Distribution but my next album is going to be independent again. It was cool, it was like this metal label so that was dope. I just like being independent. I wanted to try something new with them and they did awesome for me. I charted on Billboard, I was Top 10 in rap albums first week. We were on Heat Seekers, like 4,200 copies first week and that’s pretty crazy in a day and age where everything is digital because most of them were physical albums, so I’m blown away by that.
TCAP: Is there anything that drove you more towards being an independent artist?
WP: I’m a control freak! Yeah, I just don’t like being told when I can drop things and being told this is who’s producing you and this is who’s writing your songs. I write all my songs. I’m up to co-write songs with people and stuff but no one can tell my story. I want it to feel genuine to the fans. The type of fans that I have currently I’m so thankful for and it’s because I connect with them and I don’t want to risk losing that connection by having someone else write what I’m saying.
TCAP: Yeah, you want to keep the authenticity.
WP: I think it’s achievable to do both. I think a lot of people believe that you have to have these writers and you have to have these producers to be able to have a breakthrough song or something and I just completely disagree. I think maybe it’ll be harder because you have to get the platform yourself and you’re not just grabbing their platform but I think the genuine stuff will shine through at the end.
TCAP: Last year you released your sophomore album, Iridescent. What was the process like going into writing your second album that was different from writing your first?
WP: Man, the thing is that I tour so much. The last couple years I was touring like ten months out of the year so the Firecracker album I did in like eight days or something like that. The Iridescent album was pretty similar in the sense that we did it in less than two weeks. Sometimes that makes me upset because I like to take time to write and sometimes I’m like, it captured a moment in time, so it was a snapshot of a moment in time. As much as sometimes I’m like, ‘I wish I had more time to do the album,’ I’m the kind of person where if you give me too much time it’ll just never come out because I’ll be like no we can make this better, no we can do this, no we’ve got to change this and it’ll just never end up coming out because no one is forcing me to put it out. In a way there’s got to be a middle ground where I have a little bit more time for the next one but someone is still giving me a deadline so I’m not like, ‘no we can make it better,’ ‘no let’s rewrite it,’ because it’ll just never come out dude.
TCAP: What has been the most difficult part of your career so far? Have you ever questioned if this is really what you want to do?
WP: I’ve never questioned if it’s what I want to do because it’s a great release but I think the hardest part is that I have a lot of anxiety especially being on tour, which you wouldn’t think because I tour so much, but I do have a social anxiety a lot of times so it’s difficult at times to be surrounded by people and also in the genre I’m in I feel like everything is competitive, like there’s a competitive air around hip-hop. I especially like playing Warped Tour because I think a lot of the rock dudes are just kind of more laid back and like ‘yeah we’re in it together,’ and I wish hip-hop was a little more like that. Hip-hop stems from the era of battling and battle raps and it still has a lot of that sense about it where everything is like ‘I have a better car than you, I have a hotter girlfriend than you,’ you know, so sometimes it gets really tiring feeling like you have to step out with this confidence that you might not always have.
TCAP: They try and one up each other.
WP: Right, and that’s pretty exhausting.
TCAP: Alright last one. I know since they announced that this was going to be the last hurrah for Warped Tour a couple of smaller pop up tours have been touring the country. Do you think that there’s ever going to be anything like Warped Tour again or do you think that this is kind of it to this level?
WP: I definitely think we’re it to this level because we’re in such a digital age and every festival is getting smaller I think. You have a lot of artists touring too because they’re not making as much money digitally, so they’re touring to make up for it. You have so many options so you’re like ‘oh I could see this person tonight or this person or this person, they’re all coming through town.’ Before it would be like ‘this is the show we’re all going to.’ I think Warped was kind of bigger when it was more about being there and now it’s like ‘well we can watch it on YouTube.’ I mean there’s nothing that’s ever going to replace the sense of a live show, but I do think that’s going to be on a smaller scale unfortunately.
TCAP: I know Kevin (Lyman) has said that he’s kind of hoping that someone steps up and takes the reigns for Warped Tour, do you think that will happen?
WP: I think people will step up and try and do something similar but I don’t think nothing will ever be able to imitate it, you know what I’m saying? I think it’ll happen, I hope it happens, so we can keep it going and keep it punk-rock.
You can keep up with Whitney by following her on social media and find her music on both iTunes and Spotify when you search Whitney Peyton.
Whitney’s socials: Twitter | Instagram| Website
Interview & photos courtesy of Linette |** full photo gallery to come **
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July 1, 2019 Leave a comment
Recently, I got a chance to ask musician and friend Chris Russo of Highwind a few questions. Highwind is an alternative rock band from New Jersey, who just put out their debut ep “How’ve You Been?” earlier this year. If you haven’t, I highly recommend this checking out this band.
What’s your favorite show you’ve ever played? Who was it with? Where was it?
I have two answers for this. When I was in My Lonely Heart, we played a memorial show for our drummer after he passed away. And there was no other feeling quite like playing that showing and feeling all of the love that everyone in attendance was showing towards one of my best friends. The other answer being the release show for, “How’ve You Been?”. The feeling of hearing and seeing so many people singing back the lyrics to a record that came out THAT DAY was magical. It was surreal. And really gave me faith that Highwind was special.
What’s your favorite show you’ve ever attended?
I have SO many answers for this. Yellowcard’s final New Jersey show was flawless. It was the most emotional I have ever gotten at a show for multiple reasons. When I was in MLH, we opened for the Jersey show of As It Is’ O.k.a.y. USA tour, and I think that was my favorite As It Is show to date. Seeing them play a floor show to 500 kids was WILD, and I crowd surfed probably every song. Seeing The 1975 sell out Starland Ballroom was pretty mind-blowing too.
Who in your life influences you to keep creating music the most?
I have a lot of friends that give me a new reason every single day to keep writing and keep playing. My producer for “How’ve You Been?”, CJ Rarela, constantly inspires me to keep pushing myself and move forward. My best friend, CJ’S brother Adam. He was the best musician I have ever had the honor to play music with. Who he was inspires me to keep pushing forward every day. Listening to my favorite bands and seeing how far they’ve come is always a really good motivator for me.
What is your songwriting process like?
It…just kind of happens. I get the idea for a new song and I just let it happen. The lyrics and music just kind of happen it at the same time. Sometimes I’ll get an idea for a chorus and I’ll build a whole song around it. Sometimes I’ll start from the beginning of a track until the whole thing is finished. Sometimes it takes me 15 minutes to write a song, sometimes it takes a month or two.
What song took the longest to write off of “How’ve You Been?” ?
Technically Afterlife. I wrote the song a year before I recorded it. And then re-wrote the chorus mid-way through recording the EP. Bi-Polar took months because that song went through 3 or 4 lyrics revisions.
What song was the quickest to write off of “How’ve You Been?” ?
Wednesday, 2 O’clock. I wrote the whole song in a half hour to try to calm the nerves I was feeling about seeing a therapist for the first time. The anxiety drove that song. I just felt so nervous of what I didn’t know and that feeling drove that whole song.
How was it working on Bi-Polar with Nina Schrimer?
Nina is an absolute angel. I’ve known her for a few years now. And she has always been a very kind soul. I knew she had to be on Bi-Polar. I told her about the song and she was super excited about it from day one. Actually seeing her and hearing her in the studio was wild. I’ll always support anything and everything she wants to do in life. She deserves so much happiness.
Do you plan on collaborating with anyone else soon?
I have so many bands and singers that I would LOVE to collaborate with. Nothing is in progress quite yes, but I plan on shooting out a few emails down the road and seeing if it gets me anywhere.
I know “How’ve You Been?” just dropped this year, but any new music in the works?
Yes! I have some new music in the works for later this year. It’s going to be out a bit later than originally planned, but I want to give these songs the time and attention that they deserve. Very excited for everyone to hear these songs!
Photos + Interview by Madison Boyce | Highwind : Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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June 16, 2019 Leave a comment
Being odd is typical for artists. It’s what makes us all unique. Josh Balz took the idea of odd and amplified it. Owner of the Strange and Unusual Oddities Parlor in Kingston and Philadelphia, PA, Josh has certainly added a little gem to the often dreary North East, PA. I sat down with him to talk about how life has been after his transition from being in a touring band to running his store full time.
I started by asking if the transition from touring to being grounded back in PA was strange?
“ I love the area, I grew up here and always lived here.” He says.
He certainly thought the transition was strange, since the hectic touring life took a lot out of a person, “ I never felt busy, I felt like I wasn’t doing enough, since I was only running the store, not doing both.” He said while talking about reconfiguring his life after leaving his band.
I asked about his music, Strange Kids, which he’s released two singles under, and more importantly if he was releasing more music, “ I’d like to, it’s more of a hobby right now.” Genre wise, Strange Kids and Motionless in White are very different. Josh said, “ It’s all based on my emotions, what I’m feeling at the time.”
In NEPA, Josh is somewhat of a hometown hero. I asked him if support from local fans had ever changed after coming home. “ I think there’s more support now. The store and Motionless have the same vibe. It goes hand in hand.” His employees at the store said his fair share of fans still come in, excited to meet him. Fans and locals alike still love the shop, enjoying how different it is among the repetitiveness the Valley seems to see often.
Owning a store like this comes from a love for weird things. “ I always enjoyed them (oddities). The stuff comes from all over. A lot of vintage taxidermy” He said when I asked how he finds his unique items, “ It’s definitely a process.”
In a town full of pizza shops, I wondered how a shop selling human bones and spell books does so well, “ I wanted to do something different here,” Josh said when I asked what inspired him, “ Everyone told me I was going to fail.”
Balz said that the shop does very well, being able to sell such unique, incredible items and still stay afloat, where in a huge city it would be difficult. Having the backing he did, it’s no surprise the shop is well loved and received. While wrapping things up, I asked him how it feels to know his music and his parlor help so many people. Being weird isn’t always easy, and he’s always made people like him feel a little less like outsiders. I asked if he ever wanted to have that effect on people. “ Always. I’ve always been a very supportive person. I love helping other people.”
Josh has always encouraged people to be themselves, and be interested in unique things. He’s very proud of who he is, and everything he’s built. “ I hope people come in, to see the shop and try the cafe.”
The Strange and Unusual Oddities Parlor sits at 467 Wyoming Avenue in Kingston, Pennsylvania. Now boasting a Harry Potter themed cafe called Steamy Hallows, serving cookies, Butter Brew coffee and hot chocolate covered in glitter, The Strange and Unusual is a little gem in a town that people seem to forget. Give the shop a visit, buy a skull or two with your coffee, and never be afraid to be a little weird.
Interview courtesy of Emily Sulkowski | SHOP NOW : The Strange and Unusual
Follow Josh Balz here
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