#IBOTW

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IBOTW - ARTIFAS

IBOTW – ARTIFAS

Artifas American Hard Rock band ARTIFAS  formed in ten years ago in Jackson, TN by lead guitarist Cody Criswell and lead vocalist Scottie Somerville. Immediately they recruited an assortment of hometown musicians and began looking to record their debut EP,  Enemy Inside in 2013. After numerous regional/national tours to support the EP, the band got the recipe right with guitarist Mikey Miller,…

[rockrevoltmagazine]

IBOTW - ARTIFAS

American Hard Rock band ARTIFAS  formed in ten years ago in Jackson, TN by lead guitarist Cody Criswell and lead vocalist Scottie Somerville. Immediately they recruited an assortment of hometown musicians and began looking to record their debut EP,  Enemy Inside in 2013. After numerous regional/national tours to support the EP, the band got the recipe right with guitarist Mikey Miller, bassist Anthony Mattox, and drummer Jared Wainscott.

Now,  ARTIFAS has released the official music video for their new single “LEAVE ME FOR DEAD”!  from their forthcoming album titled Reflections, due out November 19, 2021 – and we are more than pleased to have them as our latest INDIE BAND OF THE WEEK! We had a brief moment with Scottie and got to know the band a little bit better!

  Why did you pick your band name?

Artifas is originally spelt Artifice. We were looking into Sanskrit, which is the first recorded language. The meaning of the word is the balance of duality and surviving through your art. It seemed fitting for us, so we changed the spelling a bit and it’s there to stay. 

It is quite fitting. How would you define the word success?

Success, to me, is accomplishing what you set out to do. Success isn’t just measured in money. At the end of the day, if you are happy with what you’ve done, that’s success to me. 

How did you form?

Cody and I started the band in 2011. We had been in different bands for years, and we had always worked together. Once our former bands broke up, we joined forces and that’s all she wrote. We were two dudes with a dream and nothing was gonna stop us. 

When and why did you start playing?

I had always loved music, but a life changing moment for me was the first time I saw Garth Brooks actually. He was flying over the cloud like Peter Pan with a guitar, and I knew in that moment that that’s what I wanted to do. 

What was the first tune(s) you learned?

The first tunes that I learned was first off “Smoke on the Water” and then “Proud Mary”. These were the only two songs my dad knew how to play, and he made sure I could nail them. 

  Who writes the songs? What are they about?

We all write the songs. It really is a group effort. A lot of times I’ll write the main body of the lyrics and the guys will help me iron them all out. The songs on this new record are about inner struggle and reflecting back on your life and the choices that you’ve made. A lot of the content deals with mental health, as we’ve all had our own struggles in that area. 

Do you think that online presence is important for fans to find you and critics to find your music to write about?

Online presence is so important these days. Most people are glued to their phones looking for the next thing to catch their attention and we want to be the one grabbing that attention. It’s also a great way for us to stay in touch and communicate with our fans. I honestly don’t know how bands did it back in the day. 

What advice would you give to fellow bands?

Persistence is key. If this is something you want, you have to dive in and keep swimming. It’s not an easy path but anyone can do it if they have the will. Also….read and dissect all contracts (laughs)

Connect with Artifas (click icons):

IBOTW – ARTIFAS was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

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IBOTW: The Lonely Ones

The Lonely Ones

Formed in the summer of 2019, The Lonely Ones are just waiting to pump your ears full four piece vocal-oriented hard rock band. These guys are no strangers to the music industry. The Lonely Ones know what they want and know how to get it. Satiate your inner stirrings with this interview by Jymmy Tolland and gorge your ears on their first singles “Eternal Sadness” and “The Lonely One” debuted in March of 2020. We are giddy beyond belief to have them as our very own INDIE BAND OF THE WEEK!

How do you rate your live performance ability?

I think that live performances of the thing that I’m best at. What other scenario can I be in where it’s appropriate for me to grab my dick at people, or flex on top of an amp? I’ve got no desire to stare at my hands, be still and play perfect. I’d rather act like a wrestler up there than a scientist.

Do you think that online presence is important for fans and critics to find your music to write about?

Yeah! Of course. If this were 1985 or 1969, I’d be limited to how many posters I could print off at Kinko’s and how many open telephone Poles I could staple ’em to! In this day and age, however, it’s just as easy for me to get my music to somebody in a different country as it is to get to my neighbor down the street. It really is kind of a Golden Age for promotion. Maybe that over-saturates the waters – maybe it doesn’t.

What’s your claim to fame?

I don’t know if that’s for me to say! The first thing that comes to mind, though, is that I was on Stormy Daniels’ bus when she was framed in Columbus, Ohio. It was a pretty fun laid back night with some friends until lo and behold I found myself locked up on her bus with the police outside saying that everybody was going to go to jail.

Well, I wouldn’t call that claim to fame, but it is something! What is your biggest pet peeve?

My biggest pet peeve is people who – when you tell them what you want to do or what your goals are – their 1st question is “why?” or they like to tell you why you shouldn’t do something. Kevin Smith once said that it’s much better to surround yourself by people that say “why not?”

The best thing you can do as an artist, or anybody I suppose, is to surround yourself with people who, at worst, cheer you on or, at best, find some way to help you. Anybody who asks you why you want to do something or tells you why you shouldn’t do it is not somebody you want around you.

Fair enough! How do you handle mistakes during your live show?

The best way to handle a mistake during the live shows to pretend like it never happened. Never let on that anything’s gone wrong. Rock and roll is all about confidence, swagger, bravado etc. Don’t look like you saw a mouse on the floor because you played a wrong note.

When and why did you start playing music?

I think I started playing music for the same reason that most young boys do. You’re trying to figure out who you are and who you want to be and you’re struck by somebody with long hair and a guitar and surrounded by chicks. That can definitely be a defining moment for a 15-year-old.

Besides the chicks, were you influenced by old records and tapes?

I grew up in that weird in between era where it was before record players were cool and vintage, but after they were the norm. I think it’s called the late “90s”. I have a distinct memory, though, of my dad picking me up from preschool in his ugly white and red Dodge truck with Aerosmith’s 1st album or GNR’S Appetite for Destruction playing way too loud. What he finally sold that truck and bought something with a CD player he gave me all of those old tapes. I used to hide cigarettes and joints in the Aerosmith cassette case. Sorry Dad!

Dad! Your son was a rebel! What was the first tune you learned?

I can’t really remember. It might have been “Smoke on the Water” or maybe “Train Kept a Rollin” by Aerosmith or maybe “TNT” by AC/DC. Not that I really “learned” any of them well.

Describe your first instrument.

My parents finally caved and bought me and Ibanez GIO that vaguely looked like a double cut Les Paul when I was about 11. I wasn’t smart and mature enough to apply myself to practice so it set by the wayside til I was 15. The 1st instrument that I really got into was trombone in middle school. I think I wanted to play drums but there were already too many kids who had gone to the schools with band programs and already had experience. So, I went with the instrument that had the funniest name. There’s nothing funnier for an 11-year-old and being allowed to say the word “Tromboner.”

Connect with The Lonely Ones (click icons):

IBOTW: The Lonely Ones was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

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IBOTW: The Nomadic

This week’s Indie Band of the Week is TRULY INDIE…We know, we know…not our standard fare of in-your-face, balls-to-the-wall, metal. Let’s turn over to expose the more sensitive nature of RockRevolt – and bring you Australian guitarist and singer/songwriter Robert Gaylard, The Nomadic!

And now you ask, why RockRevolt why? We want to suffer in the wraith of massive metal!!! Well…we all need to be well rounded, and The Nomadic is our way of culturing your asses. The Nomadic promotes and advocates for issues of social action and innovation, human rights, support for minorities, as well as doing the next right thing, including the idea that it is never too late, including for people to follow their dreams and passions. AND THAT MY HEATHEN friends, is WHY we chose The Nomadic to be our INDIE BAND OF THE WEEK!

Why did you pick your band name?

I have always been a Nomadic person! My parents had international careers and I was taken as a 5-week old baby to Burma (now Myanmar) and then lived in 5 different countries before the age of 10! I used to play music with my cousin Maddie in Australia, and joked that I would form a band “Nomad” and there would be “no-mad” in the band! We got a good laugh out of that idea! My career in 2002-12 took me to Australia, Kenya, Somalia, the Sudan, U.S.A., Afghanistan, Indonesia, Israel, and Palestine. So, when I came to New York in Sept 2012, and was looking to further my songwriting and music, when looking for a band name, I was playing around with that idea of “the Nomad”;  theme of travel, adventure, movement, strength through diversity and exposure to different cultures. Then I thought of all my friends and people around me, and realized we are really just one big “Nomadic” tribe! 

Sounds accurate! Do you think that online presence is important for fans to find you and critics to find your music to write about?

Absolutely! I think it’s probably good to pick 2-3 and really focus on that rather than spreading yourself too thinly! For The Nomadic, it’s probably Facebook and Instagram and YouTube check out our last 2 releases “Drifting” and “Waiting”! 

What are your immediate music career goals? (Next 1 to 3 years.)

Focus on releasing great music! Keep releasing singles. Focus eventually on an album. Keep writing, playing live, and hopefully in the post-COVID-19 world, touring and playing festivals! 

How do you handle mistakes during a performance?

I learned early on just to ‘own any mistakes’ and keep on smiling! You are responsible for keeping the mood of the show positive, so the worst thing you could do is to stare/ glare at your bandmates or pull a negative face yourself!! Keep on going! You are in a very privileged position to have people watching your show, so just enjoy it and know that 9 times out of 10, the crowd will just think it was part of the song rather than a mistake! 

Do you get nervous at all before a performance? What advice would you give to beginners who are nervous?

Yes, I do! A bit of nerves is actually very healthy! It’s good to be on edge a little. The adrenaline helps you to focus! Sometimes I will write down “Go with God” and “Be of Service” so that you take the ego out of the situation! You are there to put on a good show and to be of service to the crowd, not to feed your own ego! Try to do your best and just leave the results up to the universe! 

Wise words! How would you define the word “success”?

Everyone has to define success for themselves. No-one can do that for you! For me, at the moment, it is about having the creative and independent freedom to express myself through the songs and lyrics! 

Since everyone was a startup once, can you give any smaller or local bands looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

Whatever your chosen art, (songwriting, instrumental expertise, production, graphic design, photography and videography, etc. etc.) do it for yourself and because it’s a part of you that needs to be respected, nurtured and honored. Be proactive, set short/ medium/ long term goals (creative and business) and do at least 3-5 things every day that contributes to those! These could be things like writing to 3 clubs about a gig, going to watch and introduce yourself to other bands; writing to a radio for an interview or to a reviewer/ blogger; writing a song; writing a video treatment for a song. Just keep going! Don’t give up! Believe in yourself and the power of momentum! Build a team around you that believes in what you are doing and wants to help you achieve your vision. 

How do you balance your music with other obligations – mate, children, job?

Like as before, it’s keeping everything in perspective and your priorities straight! Remember life as an independent musician is a marathon not a sprint! Believe in momentum! If you do 3-5 things every day to pursue your goals- that quickly adds up. Don’t do 40 things one week and then take a 2-month break, or worse still, give up on your project!

What are your songs about?

We often write about personal experiences, could be romantic, could be travel, political, cultural. I am interested in issues of social justice and social fairness, and telling the stories of people who are voiceless. 

Is your family musical?

 Yes! both my grandmothers were singers, my mother sings, my father was a very good guitarist in Australia. I found out very recently that as a young boy, 10 years old, my grandparents would take him to pubs in Brisbane, Australia, and he would make money by playing well know country music hits! I have cousins who are singer-songwriters, and now my niece in the UK, Libby, at 10-years old is starting to churn out some impressive guitar compositions! 

Connect with The Nomadic (click icons):

IBOTW: The Nomadic was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

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IBOTW: Parts Per Million

Parts Per Million Paul McSweeney Vocals/Guitar S. Brian Bailey Guitar/Vocals Alex Marks Bass/Vocals David MacCauley

And here we are again – bringing you some incredible music from amazing bands that deserve your eyes and ears. This week’s Indie Band of the week is Parts Per Million, an independent rock band from the New England area. The band was founded by singer/songwriter Paul McSweeney and guitarist Brian Bailey, and rounded out with bassist Alex Mark’s and drummer David MacCaulay. They are bringing back that 90’s era heavy rock and grunge, paired with four part singing harmonies and soaring guitar solos.

Read on to get a little more acquainted with Parts Per Million and feast your ears on their music, because we know these guys are going to rock it like none-other.

Hi! It’s great to get a chance to talk to you about your band and your music. Let’s start off with whatever you feel we need to know about what you are up to right now.

We have a new EP releasing sometime this summer, depending on the current situation titled The Cycle. We just released “2020 VISION”, our fourth single from that EP, and an incredible video worth checking out.

We will definitely do that – how would you describe your band?

The vocal harmonies of AIC, the sonic assault of early Soundgarden, and the energy off the Foo Fighters.

Bold words my friend! I like it. Why did you decide to play the genre or genres you do?

I really miss good heavy rock music in the mainstream. We just want to believe we have something special and different, and just enough of what others miss to make a serious impact on the world.

Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?

Inspiration usually comes from other musicians and songs. For me the writing process almost always starts on an acoustic guitar, followed by vocal humming. At this point it usually goes to the band and becomes a possibility of someone adding something to it. From there I usually go home and write lyrics on something that I already had determined somewhere along the line. Initially, it always starts in a quiet place.

What specific themes do your songs cover?

 Suicide, politics, societal pressure, abandonment, death…you know…all the happy stuff! (laughs). The newest EP is about cycles, whether of behavior, politics, or life. Some of the many repeating things that happen in our lives

Do you think that online presence is important for fans to find you and critics to find your music to write about?

Yes. especially now. We all have noticed a downward trend on crowds in venues as a whole. Any way to connect with people on any level is important, and we enjoy making videos and content. We also welcome critique of the band and our songs, whether good or bad to keep perspective.

How do you promote your band and shows?

Every way possible: social media promotion, direct messaging, going to other area shows and handing out flyers and tickets. This, still being the best way in my opinion. Putting faces to names and making friends in the scene is the best way to build a following in my opinion. To many bands do not get out and support others unless they are playing the show.

That’s a shame, especially now. What’s the best and worst thing about playing clubs?

The best thing about it is it can be an intimate packed house full of energy. The bad part is it can be completely dead.

Agreed. What are your immediate music career goals?

To tour, to get a little more recognition nationally, and to play in front of a festival or large crowd.

Those are great goals. Once you’ve achieved that, do you feel you would call it a success? What is your definition of “success”?

If I could make a living off of music with 3 other guys, I’d call that a success. If this ended today, I’d still feel the same way. We’ve put out some really good material, and I’m proud to have it in the world.

Most definitely. What advice would you give to fellow bands?

Just keep going. If you find the right people to make music with, just keep going. It takes time. We have been through so many ups and downs and sometimes when things looked like they were at their worst, we did our finest work.

How do you balance your music with other obligations – mate, children, job?

For me this was always a big deal, so it comes out on the table in the beginning with anyone who enters my life. It isn’t always easy, and usually takes a lot of my free time. I wouldn’t do it any other way though. I love playing and writing music more than anything in this world.

Connect with Parts Per Million (click icons):

IBOTW: Parts Per Million was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

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IBOTW: LAKESHORE

Indie Band Of The Week is officially back!

Photo credit: Mackenzie Baker / Shadow Pine Media

To kick things off, we’re going to be taking a look at modern hard-rock outfit Lakeshore, from New Fairfield, Connecticut.

Lakeshore was formed by ex-Emmure brothers Joe and Ben Lionetti on the drums and guitar, along with Chris Segovia on the bass and lead guitarist Mitch LoBuglio. Vocalist Jesse Doran rounds off the five-piece act as the newest member of the band.

While reminiscent of old-school rock-and-roll, Lakeshore’s sound has a distinct modern feel and melodic proficiency that makes them stand out. There’s no better demonstration for this than their latest single, “Mountain View”, whose video debuted on February 24 on Alt Press.

Here’s what they had to say about the song:

“We are super excited to share this song with everyone, not only does the song hold deep personal meaning to us, but working with such an accomplished producer as Sahaj Ticotin (Motley Crue, Starset) and Directer Tom Flynn (Buckcherry, Lamb Of God) really made this vision come together. We are very excited to share more music with you soon, and to see what else 2020 has in store.”

We got a chance to chat with guitarist Ben Lionetti about “Mountain View”, Lakeshore, their upcoming EP Ok, Psychopath, and Music Stuff in general.

Who are you, and what is your role in the band?

My name is Ben Lionetti and I play guitar in Lakeshore.

How did you guys come about forming Lakeshore, and how has the response from fans been?

My brother (Joe Lionetti) and I have always been in bands together. We have had success in the past and decided it was time to put forth a new project. The response has been amazing thus far.

You recently debuted the video for “Mountain View”. What was the inspiration behind the track and the video, and did its reception surprise you?

There’s a lot of meaning and emotion that went into that song. It’s pretty much just about staying true to yourself and keeping it real. The response so far has been great. You never know how a music video is going to go over even if you have the best idea ever, but the response to this song has been nothing short of awesome.

What’s your favourite aspect of touring or playing shows?

Just connecting with the crowd and being able to play songs that mean so much to you. It’s a nice relief from the behind the scenes work and struggles.

Who are some of your biggest influences and/or inspirations?

Aerosmith, Stone Temple Pilots, Steely Dan and Korn have been absolutely the biggest influences in my life for playing and musically.

How would you say you’ve changed or evolved since 41?

Well, we’ve grown so much since that first EP, obviously. It’s hard to even look back and consider that the same band.

Is there a song or band you’ve been listening to a lot lately?

I’m really into the new Fire From The Gods. I always keep Nickelback on repeat though!

If you had to describe your upcoming EP, Ok, Psychopath, in five words, they would be…

Good old fashioned homemade cooking.

Yum! What’s next for Lakeshore?

We are really trying to put a good team together behind the scenes so we can get the wheels turning. We hope to really accelerate the touring side of things.

Any parting words?

Please go share the “Mountain View” video with your friends and save it to your Spotify playlist ….best played at full volume!

Connect with Lakeshore (click icons):

by Stan Rastogi

IBOTW: LAKESHORE was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

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INDIE BAND OF THE WEEK: ZFG

Sometimes you have to fight for your right to go against the grain. Do it differently. March to the beat of a different drummer. There is NOTHING wrong with it. Even though some people may look down their noses at you for being too “this” or too “that”, DO YOU. Just DO you. How? Hakuna Matata?

No. By giving absolutely no fucks.

This indie band of the week is starting out and is slathered with all the indicators that make us scream, “Fuck yeah!” at the top of our lungs and hail the mighty powers that have bestowed upon us the music that makes us throw our heads back and forth. Their single “Special” landed among the Top 10 Greatest Gainers on BOTH the Billboard Indicator & Foundations Chart! Um, YES!

Based out of Los Angeles, ZFG is Jules Galli (vocals), Trev Lukather (guitar), Sam Porcaro (bass), and Josh Devine (drums). These guys were tight, but when they decided to get into the studio with a new approach in mind, ZFG was born.

We had the absolutely pleasure of chatting up Mr. Devine (Josh) about everything that makes ZFG tick! READ!

Alright. I hate asking this question but tell me a little bit more about ZFG – Zero Fucks Given. I mean: New Band, New Year. Tell me more about how you went into the studio and said, “You know what? This is it! We’re going to go for gold!”

Yeah well, Trev Lukather and I met a couple of years ago and we’d always been big fans of each other’s playing. There’s a lot of respect and we’d always say to each other, “Hey! We need to be together in the studio and do some fun stuff and just write stuff that we’re really digging.”

We both had our own projects going at the time; we both played for other artists at the time. It was all still very pop oriented and more for what the market was wanting and what was going to sell – all that kind of stuff. One day we just said, “Yo, let’s just get in and let’s just create some music that we’re big fans of.” You know? No rules or anything like that. It kind of all came to life.

You said no rules. Tell me what rules you broke to make ZFG “Zero Fucks Given” come to life.

Usually, when you’re writing with artists or you’re getting into the pop game, everything is just “the song needs to be this long” or “we want to shy away from this type of genre”, “we don’t want to have this kind of music,” “we need to keep it friendly”. There’s all these kinds of norms and we just decided, “You know what? Screw this! We’re just going to get in, keep it live, keep it real, keep it very authentic. It’s going to be hard driven, it’s going to be live drums. We’re not going to do these drum machines or copy and paste on the computer like most sessions are these days.” So, yeah it really just came to life very naturally as well. When Jules came into the mix and we got him on to do some vocals, everything changed. His voice has this real RnB kind of soul twist to it, so everything kind of changed again. And then when Sam came into the mix and started playing, we were told to pocket this guy. He just brings the grooves and he’s such a pleasure to play with as a drummer. Playing with Sam on bass, it’s like the stuff we get to do together just changes the vibe again. So it stopped being a straight all out rock band and became a kind of new kind of funky RnB sounding rock stuff. It’s very apparent in the rest of our music that we’ve been recording. We’re definitely exploring those avenues. We just kind of thought, you know, no rules, no conforming to what anyone wants us to do. We just want to do exactly what we want to do.

Did you all do your own production?

Yeah well, we were working with some producers in LA, but we always co-produce everything. Because at the end of the day, it’s nice to have an outside ear to come and say, “Hey! Have you guys thought about this or have you thought about that?” But quite honestly, we want it to just be exactly how we envision it. So, quite honestly, it’s a lot better to just produce it ourselves to really get the results we want. That’s something about the band: we’re all very in tune with this. We all know what we want and collectively, we all very much have the same vision going forward. So it’s very easy to create with these guys. It’s definitely a dream scenario.

It sounds like it evolved while you were recording.

It did. We were coming up with basic concepts and then as soon as we got into the studio, everything keeps evolving, everything keeps changing. Its old school in the way we do it. Like on “Special” we weren’t even really going to do that song, but then we just sort of started jamming the riff and Jules just started riffing on that and we were like, “Holy shit! What is this?” And we literally on that day built the whole track. I went in and just started laying down the drums with Sam playing bass and yeah we kind of built the track then and there on the spot. It was very natural, very organic. It wasn’t like a planned thing where, as some of the other stuff, we sit with them, get the lyrics done and then we build the song around it. This one was very standout, it was brilliant.

Was “Wholehearted” the same way?

“Wholehearted” was a little bit different. We originally sat down with an acoustic and Jules came over (Trev and I live together) to our place and we just spent a good four hours that night writing. I think that we must have written 3 or 4 songs pretty much fully in those hours. That was a little bit different. But again we’re not boxing ourselves in. If the moment takes us where we write it on an acoustic and with voices or something, we do it that way. If we’re in the studio and we start jamming as a full band, it’s all also – as you say, no rules.

You all come from other musical backgrounds, so how is this a different experience?

I mean, for me personally, I’ve always been a hired gun. I’ve always played for other artists. I’ve played everywhere in the world for massive artists and I’ve done rap, I’ve done pop, I’ve done rock; everything you can imagine. But for this, it’s so different. It’s my baby. It’s all of our, like, love child! It’s really different and interesting as now the pressure is on because actually I’m not just playing for other bands and helping build a brand. We’re kind of building our own and everything is on the line. We’re vulnerable; this is us! People get to look into us and it’s very different. I was blessed to be able to go and tour the world for five years with One Direction, but that is completely different from touring the U.S. at the moment with ZFG. It’s just a completely different kettle of fish, but it’s great. I’m loving it. Loving everything second of it.

It sounds like you feel more connected. 

Completely! I mean it’s just nice to be creatives. Because being a hired gun, you’re kind of told, “this is what we want you to play and you can dance around this and you can do this but this is the song, this is how we want you to play it. Now put your spin on it.” Whereas for this, it’s like “Oh! This is MY song. I want to play it THIS way. Trev wants to play it THIS way. Jules wants to sing it THIS way and Sam wants to play it THIS way. So let’s do it!” There’s no one telling us what to do. This is just all of us going, “This is what’s best for the song and this is how we’re going to do it,” and that’s a beautiful thing.

It sounds like it. Does it feel more satisfying?

Completely. It’s very fulfilling. I mean, even though we haven’t had success like I’ve had personally and Jules’ had personally doing other things – we’re not playing in front of 86,000 people yet. It’s still satisfying even to have 100 people in a room singing the words back to you; that’s pretty glorious

Absolutely. Do you feel more connected, not just to your band, but to your audience?

Yeah completely! I mean I think people really can tell it’s authentic. And when people really do something, especially with this kind of music, people dedicate their lives to this kind of stuff. It’s just such a beautiful thing. I feel very connected to everyone that really wants to support. We’ve had overwhelming amounts of support from fans and people who haven’t even heard of us before individually, and they hear the band and they’re like “Man! This is something I really can get behind!” Especially people that don’t really dig rock music. Most of my friends back home aren’t into that kind of genre. They’re listening to it like “Man! I think I like rock music now, this is great!” That’s kind of a really really humbling thing.

You’re introducing rock to the masses and that IS a great thing.

Yeah, I mean at the end of the day, I grew up on rock. Trev and Sam grew up in rock. The thing that we love to hear is people saying that we’re helping to push rock into their lives. That’s a huge amazing thing. It’s overwhelming.

Absolutely. I read that you all played “Special” for Gene Simmons. What was that like? That must have been an experience.

It was funny actually. We were rehearsing in north Hollywood and KISS were rehearsing in the room next door. So we’d periodically get out of playing our own songs, go stand outside their door and hear them play like all the classics and we’re like “Holy shit! This is so sick!” And our manager John disappears for like two minutes and we’re just jamming and he walks back in with Gene Simmons, we’re like “What?” He’s like “Yo. This is Gene. He’d like to hear you in play. We’re like “Oh okay. Let’s play “Special” Let’s do it.” He was very very funny – very much as you would expect. He gave us some great advice and yeah we had a laugh. He definitely lived up to the rockstar legend expectation as you’d imagine

What advice did he give you?

More than anything, “You guys sound great but how are you going to make money?”

There you go. Like a businessman.

Yeah. I mean we definitely feel like he threw us a bone as well. We actually an ANR from the label in there with us, checking us out and he just looked to the ANR and he goes, “you best get these guys the biggest fucking advance.” And we were like “YESS! Gene Simmons! This is great!”

That’s amazing.

It was really good. It was one of those funny moments where he walks out and you’re like, “Did we just play for Gene Simmons? This is crazy!

You played for a legend. It must say something that Gene Simmons is listening to you.

Well yeah and we took a little video and I think the video is up on YouTube I’m sure. He’s definitely standing there, stern face, and crossed-arms, but I promise you, he was enjoying it. He said he enjoyed it. It may not look like it by the image unless he was just being nice to us, but I very much doubt it.

Tell me about the lyric video for “Special”. How did that concept originate?

Well, our manager was like, “Hey! We should do a video. I think it’s too early to do a proper good video. Let’s get like a lyric video – give people a taste. We got to get up on YouTube anyway.” And he found the guy that built this video for us. I remember the guy sent us like 30 seconds previews saying, “Hey! Just spent some time on this, tell us what you think.” And we watched like 30 seconds of it and we were like, “Damn this is something special! No pun intended.”

There you go! So you all didn’t have a hand in it. It was just basically the guy that came up with this concept and it worked.

I would love to say that we were working on the vision we were building for this is this, but no we had nothing to do with that. The guy was like “Hey! This will work. This is really cool.” We just agreed like, “Damn! This is great!”

Sometimes you just got to let the pros do what they do.

Exactly, I mean at the end of the day, you go into a tattoo artist and say, “Hey! I want you to draw this line slightly thicker…” and you kind of give them the idea, but you let the pros do it. That’s their job. We just did the same thing.

Right! Like if I had a surgeon, I wouldn’t tell them how to do it. They know what they’re doing.

Exactly. That’s their lane, let them do it so it can come out better.

There you go. You are on tour with Adelita’s Way. 

Yes so we just left yesterday. We’ve got a long ass drive to Texas that’s for sure.

Oh my gosh! And Texas is HUGE! 

Yeah. I mean last time I did Texas, I did it in a tour bus, so I could just fall asleep but we’re not doing it in a tour bus this time so I’m actually going to see all the in-between bits, so I’m realizing how far way everything in America really is.

It is!

I mean, I come from England, and it’s like tiny. You can drive across the whole country in a day.

Oh yeah. The U.S. is huge. I know from where I’m at, it takes me a good 16 hours, if not more to get to San Antonio. Yeah and I’ve made that drive in a day.

Oh my god. I’m pretty sure you could go from my hometown Bournemouth which is in the south coast to the top of Scotland in 14 hours and that’s like journeying across two countries, it’s ridiculous.

But it sounds more impressive when you say it that way that you go across two countries. When you say you go from like one state to the other, it doesn’t feel that big. 

It’s all crazy. I can understand now why 40% of Americans don’t even have a passport. To be honest, you guys have got everything here, you can do anything and go anywhere with half the climate.

Absolutely. If I’m craving the beach, I can go south.

Yeah its nuts. Absolutely nuts.

So you’re starting off on this tour. You all are not unfamiliar with tour life, so what are you expecting and then what would you like to have happen? Like what are you dreaming for?

I’m expecting this is isn’t going to be like the tours I’ve done personally. I feel like I’ve been very spoiled. The first major tour I ever had, we were taking busses and jets. It was the Rolls Royce of touring I’d call it. Now this is going to be definitely the other side of that, but I’m expecting to have a good laugh. I mean at the end of the day, we all get on as friends so the banter is there. We’ve been on this for a day already and we’re cracking up at every opportunity, it’s so much fun. So yeah, we’re just expecting to have a good laugh, to hopefully win some fans over and some new people check us out and hopefully dig what we’re doing. The dream is obviously that we’re going to just keep touring so we can do bigger shows, and yeah, we’ll see how far this crazy rides takes us.

Sounds amazing. So did you know that there’s a ZFG pale ale brewed out of Hidden Springs in Tampa Florida?

No way.

Yeah it’s… I’m just curious because I was doing some research trying to find more information about you all and the first thing that comes up is this beer, I think ya’ll need to try it.

Damn alright! I mean I have to hit them up and say yo there’s some mutual benefit going on here, we need to co-brand some stuff. That sounds great. 

I think you need to. Because-

I’m going to take a leaf out of Gene Simmons book and start thinking about expanding the empire!

There you go. It’s not a terrible thing to have it be a beer, you know what I mean? It could be good.

Yeah I mean, we all take beer. That sounds like a logical progression. 

Yeah I mean it could be something horrible like a rat trap or something, you know what I mean [laughs]

[laughs] Yeah. Like cockroach extermination supplies or something.

Exactly “ZFG Exterminations”. I mean you’re on the-

You know what, we’re going to start a whole empire of all these weird shit.

[laughs] ZFG Rat Traps. ZFG Butt Plugs. ZFG everything. I think you should make a series of –

ZFG Tarmacking equipment. We’re going to help with people tarmac the road. It’s done. It’s going to be great.

ZFG Roofers. It’ll be great.

I love it.

That is my last question. Enjoy your trip, take a lot of naps and have a good time.

Thank you so much for taking the time to question me, it’s very fun!

ZFG w/ Adeltias Way “What it Takes” Tour Dates:

4/17 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live

4/19 Austin, TX @ Come and Take it Live

4/20 Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey

4/24 Heath, OH @ Muddy Creek Saloon

4/26 Tucson, AZ @ Pima County Fair

4/27 Easton, PA @ One Centre Square

4/28 Buffalo, NY @ Iron Works

5/1 Pittsburgh, PA @ Crafthouse

5/2 Flint, MI @ Machine Shop

5/3 Battle Creek, MI @ Music Factory

5/4 Joliet, IL @ The Forge

5/5 Madison, WI @ Majestic Theater

5/8 Chippewa Falls, WI @ Every Buddys

5/9 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line

5/10 Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre

5/11 Denver, CO @ Marquis

5/12 Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep

ZFG w/ The Winery Dogs “Who Let The Dogs Out” Tour:

5/25 Las Vegas, NV – Vamp’d

5/28 Sacramento, CA – Crest Theater

5/29 Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theater

5/30 Anaheim, CA – The Grove

5/31 Beverly Hills, CA – Saban Theatre

Connect with ZFG (click icons):

INDIE BAND OF THE WEEK: ZFG was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

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Indie Band of the Week: The Standby

Photo Credit: Zack Pude

This week, we’re going to take a look at the up-and-coming emo-indie band from Erie, PA: The Standby. Jordan Sigmund (Vocals, Guitar), Lyle Sallade (Bass, Backing Vocals), and Jake Brown (Drums) have been taking Erie’s scene by storm and were deemed “indie hometown heros” by The Erie Reader. Their “About” on their Facebook page states, “The emo indie trio finds its roots in raw lyrical content, deep bass lines, psychedelic guitar licks, and dark grungy tones,” which is most recently featured in their new track, Wintersun.

Wintersun was produced by Gary Cioni (Sorority Noise, Grayscale, etc.), and the video that compliments it is produced by Alex Zarek. Within 24 hours of the recent release the track received 8k views and around 100 shares; growing by the thousands each day. Wintersun can be found in Alternative Press’ Discover Spotify playlist, and the video was premiered on AP’s Facebook Live (link to band and song found below). The track features an acoustic The Plot in You meets Nirvana vibe with an absolutely killer bridge. We highly recommend checking out their track (linked below) and keeping up with their progression into the scene.

LINK TO WINTERSUN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4_IXbUymxc

Connect with The Standby (click icons):

UPCOMING DATES TO SEE THE STANDBY:

5/3 Blank Slate Elyria- Elyria, OH

5/4 West Cross Station- Detroit, MI

5/5 LiveWire Lounge- Chicago, IL 

5/6 The Flower Pit- Minneapolis, MN

5/7 Lefty’s Live Music- Des Moines, IA

5/8 The Lookout Lounge- Omaha, NE

5/9 The Rino- Kansas City, MO

5/10 The Vanguard- Tulsa, OK

5/11 Four Quarter Bar- Little Rock, AR

5/13 The Mag Bar- Louisville, KY

5/15 Healer- Indianapolis, IN

5/16 Big Room Bar- Columbus, OH

5/27 The Ballet Haus- Erie, PA

ROCKREVOLT WRITER: DEVON KELLER

Indie Band of the Week: The Standby was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

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INDIE BAND OF THE WEEK: ZFG

INDIE BAND OF THE WEEK: ZFG

Sometimes you have to fight for your right to go against the grain. Do it differently. March to the beat of a different drummer. There is NOTHING wrong with it. Even though some people may look down their noses at you for being too “this” or too “that”, DO YOU. Just DO you. How? Hakuna Matata?

No. By giving absolutely no fucks.

This indie band of the week is starting out and is slathered…

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Indie Band of the Week: heyohwell

On Wednesday, March 28, 2018, this week’s Indie Band of the Week, heyohwell played to a packed house at Mahall’s in Lakewood, Ohio. Setting the tone for the night with catchy pop-punk riffs and solid beats, heyohwell proved why they’re one of the hottest bands on the local Cleveland scene. The trio, formed out of Cleveland, OH, has previously opened for bands such as Set It Off and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus; this time, they shared the stage with California band, Forever Came Calling. Heyohwell consists of three members; frontwoman and guitarist Hallie Hertrick, guitarist Daniel Pavilonis and drummer Matthew Heckman. Opening for an enthusiastic crowd, heyohwell nailed their set; not a single note sounded out of place, and every lyric was spot on. We had the opportunity to sit down with Hallie to get the latest details on what they were up to.

So you guys just finished your set, how are you feeling? I especially appreciated your cover of “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World. I’m good! It was fun!

Glad to hear it! You guys played well. Talking about Heyohwell as a band for a bit, how did you guys get your start? Well, so basically I was in this high school band. That ended, and I didn’t know what I was going to do with myself. So I started playing acoustic, and then for a few months things just kind of fell together for me to put together another band. So, I did that and met my guitar player Danny [Pavilonis]…

Good name. Haha yeah! And then we met our drummer Matt [Heckman], and the rest just fell into place and is history!

Awesome! As a band, what would you guys cite as some of your influences when you started out to now? Well, you’ve gotta get the obvious one out there which is Paramore. They’re female fronted of course, love them. All Time Low, Fall Out Boy, Jimmy Eat World, The 1975, Waterparks, yeah list goes on and on.

Touching on the female fronted topic for just a moment, what have your experiences, either positive or negative, with it been? If any at all. Being a female in a band, it feels exactly the same as being a guy obviously. No, but I think there’s a stigma attached to it definitely; there have been some comments made such as “you’re sleeping with the band” which is NOT HOW THIS GOES. We’re just playing music. But yeah some nasty comments have been made, but you learn to let go, ya know?

I’m really sorry to hear that. All good.

Do you guys have a particular show or moment that really stands out as memorable? Yeah, a couple of months ago we opened for Set It Off, and it was a sold out show at The Foundry. It was just AMAZING. It felt amazing, and the energy was great; it was wild. Even though, you know, Set It Off brought those people, they weren’t really there for us, but it was awesome going outside before our set and seeing the line of people down the street waiting to get in. That was a super cool moment, and people were really receptive to us.

Word is you guys have a new EP coming out. Give me details. What’s it called? Alright, we don’t have a name yet. We’ve been working on this guy for a long time, and basically when I was still playing acoustic, to give a little backstory, I opened for this band called The Wrecks, It was actually here at Mahall’s in the basement. I opened for them, and a couple days later their producer and sound guy [Andrew] messaged me. He was like, “hey I heard you. Your songs are great, and I want to produce a song for you for free.” So I’m like wow that would be amazing.

So, that happened, and he produced our song that’s called ‘Small Town Syndrome’ that’s out right now. So, then some things happened and months went by, and we tried to record at some other places and things were not in our favor. I actually ran into Andrew from The Wrecks again a couple months ago… maybe just a month ago… I can’t remember. It doesn’t matter. I ran into him when The Wrecks were playing at The House of Blues and he’s like, “Hey I’d like to produce your EP if you want to.” I’m like… yeah!

And we thought about it more, and we were like HELLLLLL YEAH! So, he’s doing it. The cool thing about that is we were sending him songs, and he’s sending us these awesome mixes back because he rocks. He showed it to the lead singer of The Wrecks, and now the lead singer’s like, “Hey, I’m gonna co-produce this, too.” So, it’s a big deal for us because we’ve got these great minds working on our little pop-punk songs. It’s really exciting.

Oh holy hell thats awesome! Yeah! Long story, though, thanks for bearing with me!

Absolutely haha. Do you find that this upcoming EP is going to deviate from your signature sound or are you hitting us with more awesome pop-punk? We branched out a little bit on a couple songs. If you’ve seen us live before it’s kind of straight up pop-punk, but when we went to record this we added a lot of electronic elements. There’s also an acoustic song on there that ends up being really poppy, which is totally different from us, but it’s really awesome. I’m really excited.

Where do you guys as a band see yourself going? Do you want to be a local group or are you going for sold out arenas or anything in between? We would love to go as far as people will let us, you know? Would love to play our music for as many people that will listen. The sky’s the limit haha.

Excellent! Talking about you personally for a second, are you from the Cleveland area? I am! I grew up in Geneva. That’s about 45 minutes somewhere away from Cleveland.

Do you have any personal influences? I know we touched on influences as a band, but are there any individuals that stand out as inspiration for you? I’m guessing Hayley Williams of Paramore is top of that list. Absolutely, Hayley for sure. They did a performance on American Idol a couple years ago and that’s what got me into Paramore. I was like, “Oh my god that girl is rad!” That’s what kind of pushed me. Also Maddie Finn from The Whiskey Hollow. She’s amazing; she was a huge influence to me starting off. She actually helped work on our record, too. That was a really full circle moment, really cool. And finally, my mom! She’s awesome, awesome vocalist.

Where will fans be able to see you guys next? Whats next for you? Alright kids, are you ready? 4/20 #blazeit we are back here at Mahall’s with The Whiskey Hollow, Marina City, An Ongoing Story, and I’m forgetting the other band [THE WLDLFE and PHANGS], but they’re awesome. It’ll be a great show. And it’s 420, everyone’s gotta come get litty.

Any final remarks? Anything you want to say to your fans? Or shout out to your mom? Hey mom! Love you! If you’ve ever come to a show before, thanks so much. Thanks for listening to our stuff on Spotify or watching, rather, the Waterparks cover that we just put out on YouTube. Thanks for being awesome. To any new fans, check us out. We’re cool cats!

Where can new fans find you on social media? Shameless plug time. We’re on Spotify, just Heyohwell, and the rest of our links will be displayed below for folks who want to click over and check us out!

Awesome! Well, thank you so much! Thank you!

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Connect with heyohwell…

Interview by Dan Cornelius, RockRevolt Journalist Live photos by Devon Keller, RockRevolt Photojournalist

Indie Band of the Week: heyohwell was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

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Indie Band of The Week: Call Your Shot

Indie Band of The Week: Call Your Shot

  Call Your Shot – IBOTW Call Your Shot is a band of four talented, driven young men based out of Cleveland, Ohio. Their live shows are an absolute blast of energy and musical mayhem, with lots of local flare tossed in. This week, they are our Indie Band of the Week, and you really need to check them out!  Thanks for talking with me! So, you are Call Your Shot out of Cleveland. That’s an awesome…

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ALBUM REVIEW: SCREAMING FOR SILENCE, HOUSE OF GLASS The long awaited EP from Screaming for Silence entitled House of Glass is set to release on July 28, 2017.

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ALBUM REVIEW: SCREAMING FOR SILENCE, HOUSE OF GLASS

The long awaited EP from Screaming for Silence entitled House of Glass is set to release on July 28, 2017.  We here at RockRevolt Magazine were lucky enough to get a preview of the album and see what it was all about.  Read below as we give a song-by-song synopsis of the album. 

“House of Glass”

“House of Glass” comes at you with furious guitars and backing percussion as Zeb Christensen comes on with the vocals to even out the verses before ramping things back up again for the course.  The songs title carries a lot of the weight of the song and actually acts as a spoiler if you put your mind to it.  We all know the old adage; those in glass houses should not through stones, well, “if want to throw stones, baby let’s go.”  “House of Glass” is about the all too well known story of a relationship gone bad with the added shit talking festival that usually goes with it.  I have to say I do love the imagery used in this song 

“Long Way Up”

For me and this is just my opinion, this song is the guys telling the tale of the journey they have been on to try and make their musical dreams come true.  Not only is it about the journey, it is about the doubters along the way and the trials and tribulations that they have faced along the way, and now that they are there you will not take it away from them. 

“In Your Eyes”

“In Your Eyes” is a powerful song with a great message in it.  Today’s youth, as well as many young adults, are fighting battles with depression and anxiety at an alarming rate. “In Your Eyes” is a message to everyone out there that they are not alone, there is someone that is there and ready to fight with you.  If you can relate to any of the above aforementioned battles, listen to this song and really try and soak in the lyrics. 

“Beetlejuice”

So when I saw the name of this song I was like, ok what the hell am I in store for? Well I have listened to the song five times now and have not the slightest idea where the name of the song came from.  I will tell you this is by far the most aggressive song on the album, and it kind of has the same theme as “House of Glass” but in a less P.C. way, and in a more of a go fuck yourself kind of way. So what I gather is that our friends at Screaming for Silence are just doing us all a favor and between “House of Glass” and “Beetlejuice” you can very nicely tell your other half what is on your mind, or you can tell them to tie a cinder block around their leg and jump in a lake.

“Worth Fighting For”

This is a song that will get you going and should make you feel good about yourself.  Honestly to me, “Worth Fighting For” kind of puts a bow on the EP because I feel that it ties in with every song.   Whether you are fighting that battle with depression and anxiety, or trying to get the nuts up to have that talk with your significant other, “Worth Fighting For,” is a song telling you that you, yourself is what is worth fighting for and to take that stand and to better your life.

This is a strong showing for the boys out of Omaha.  This EP is filled with a lot of anger and emotion that was laid out in a beautiful story for us all to follow.  I am happy to say that with this EP and a lot of other new music I am hearing, songs are starting to be driven by the lyrics again and the emotions of the bands writing the songs.

Album Review by Ace Sims, RockRevolt Magazine Journalist

ALBUM REVIEW: SCREAMING FOR SILENCE, HOUSE OF GLASS was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

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INDIE BAND OF THE WEEK: ALL THAT MATTERS

INDIE BAND OF THE WEEK: ALL THAT MATTERS

  The Atlanta-based band, All That Matters, has had one hell of a successful and great time these past few weeks! They beat out tens of thousands of other bands for the most highly sought spot amongst Indie Bands around the world and were chosen to play Vans Warped Tour on the Journey’s main stage at Aaron’s Amphitheater at Lakewood on Thursday, June 29th. 2017. From what we saw, this is a band…

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INDIE BAND OF THE WEEK: ALL THAT MATTERS

  The Atlanta-based band, All That Matters, has had one hell of a successful and great time these past few weeks! They beat out tens of thousands of other bands for the most highly sought spot amongst Indie Bands around the world and were chosen to play Vans Warped Tour on the Journey’s main stage at Aaron’s Amphitheater at Lakewood on Thursday, June 29th. 2017. From what we saw, this is a band that knows how to rock! Filling the massive Journey’s main stage area, with fans spilling out into the grass, ATM had the Warped crowd wanting more by the time they were through. Not an easy crowd to win over, but All That Matters  kicked some serious ass and proved why they deserved to be on that stage! 

Check out the live pics of ATM onstage live at Warped…

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Photographs by: Kinsey Blake Haynes, Staff Photographer – check out all of Kinsey’s photos from Warped below.

Being chosen to play on Van’s Warped Tour (Atlanta) is just one of many reasons why we picked All That Matters to be RockRevolt’s coveted Indie Band Of The Week. In the big scheme of things, this is technically a “win” for every indie band out there vying for recognition, on the cusp of “making it” – or at least still trying.

Because All That Matters is not just a band that “tries.” This is a band that is DEAD SERIOUS about the business of the music business, and their efforts to set goals and meet them are right on target thus far. 

Originally formed back in the halls of high school in rural Calhoun, Georgia, All That Matters have consistently striven to rise above the constantly changes ebbs and flows of the music industry. Although they’ve had a few lineup changes in the last three years, the work ethic of ATM is what differentiates them from 90% of the other indie bands out there. 

So, what do they do that’s so great (besides their collective musical talents)? We’re glad you asked.

This is a band that: 

Practices at least once (usually twice) a week – gig or no gig. 

Has grown a rock-solid foundation of fans that show up, supports them and buys their music and merch.

Understands the importance of social media and interacts with their fans and other bands online consistently.

They show up and support other bands when they aren’t playing themselves. 

They stick around and support other bands if they are playing (first or last). Further, they arrive to gigs early and don’t leave until the last band has played. 

They are sober when they play and don’t get stupid-drunk when they are done. There is a strict “no drugs” policy. 

Provide prompt replies to communications about ATM: fans, industry, press – they are on it. 

They don’t sit around waiting for the mythical “big deal” to come along. Those days are long gone, and they

aren’t bitter nor defeated by that reality. They stay up-to-date with trends, what is going on and hone the necessary skills to keep up and roll with the almost constant changes within the music industry.

There are no delusions of grandeur nor expectations of getting anything handed to them and don’t waste time sitting around bitching about why “it” (insert big dream) hasn’t happened yet. Instead, ATM set goals and goes after them. Case in point: they were determined to play Warped Tour this year  – and they did.

Every member is willing to work hard during the day so that they can “live the dream” at night. Yes, that means the dreaded “day job.” But they do it because they understand what so many others do not: that THEY need to INVEST in THEIR BAND. That means money, time, persistence and patience.

They are willing to spend their time, effort and hard-earned money to make sure that ATM is represented in the best possible way in every medium (personally, virtually and technologically). 

ATM goes into a real studio to record their music  and then have it mixed and mastered by professionals.

They have up-to-date, professional promo photographs, a slick EPK, and recently hired a manager to help with all of the intricacies that make any band successful behind the scenes that has nothing to do with music. 

ATM are constantly marketing themselves to venues and promoters for bookings. They are in the process of hiring a professional booking agent and are currently considering several major publicity firms to help promote All That Matters on a national level. 

They know they have to bust ass and network to form the necessary relationships in this crazy, wonderful, circus environment called “the music business” – where everyone knows everyone. Many times it all comes down to four words: “It’s who you know.” Maneuvering swiftly out of the sludge of bottom-feeders and con artists (that promise everything and deliver nothing) that prey on indie bands, to the people that can really help your band succeed takes persistence, professionalism and appreciation. These guys have a major “long game” strategy and thus far have proven that it’s working.

All That Matters have managed to move up that vaseline-coated, golden ladder to where they are at this moment in time because they possess all of those qualities. The result is that some of the biggest names in this business know their name and music in the span of a few short years.

So…that’s is just the business side of why All That Matters is our Indie Band of The Week. Now, let’s talk about their music shall we? After all, that IS what it all comes down to at the end of the day…

All That Matters latest EP, Anatomy Of Defeat, features six song rich in lyrics, melodies and consummate musicianship. The only “negative” thing we can say about Anatomy Of Defeat is that it was newly recorded and in the can already when ATM found it was necessary to bring on a new lead vocalist, which they found in Trent Arant. Comparatively, suffice it to say that Arant takes this band next-level  vocally like a porn star gives better head than your high school girlfriend on her first try. Yes, it’s true. 

In one of those “stuck between a rock and a hard place” situations, the band elected to have Arant record the vocals for the song “Old Flame” to replace the original version  and showcase his vocal prowess – and he blew it out of the ballpark (pun intended) via this video: 

“Old Flame” (new version) – All That Matters

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All That Matters will be heading back into the studio soon to record an new full-length LP and we cannot wait to hear the result.

In the meantime, be sure to check out their music, connect with them on socials and catch them live if you can because in the indie world – these guys are on our top 50 of kickass up-and-coming bands to watch…and that is ALL THAT MATTERS.  

By: Valerie King, Co-Founder / Editor In Chief (Print & Digital)

Vans Warped Tour Photo Credit: Kinsey Blake Haynes, Staff Photographer 

Additional Photographs provided by band. 

Connect with ALL THAT MATTERS (click icons):

INDIE BAND OF THE WEEK: ALL THAT MATTERS was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

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INDIE BAND OF THE WEEK - DREAMHOUSE

Photo by Ryan Pugh courtesy of Dreamhouse

What happens when a young guy gets an idea to start a band through a writing project? Well, take six years of experience and life, add a kick ass writing project with a lil bit of Dance Gavin Dance and Saosin, and throw in three tours in its first year of existence, and you’ve got the powerhouse that is Dreamhouse. Dreamhouse is taking the country by storm, one city at a time, and they’ll be at the LAUNCH Music Conference in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on April 13th and 15th. We had a chance to sit down with these hardworking folks and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for our new good friends in Dreamhouse. Check it out!

Who are you and what is your role in the band?

I’m Bri and I sing for Dreamhouse. My name is Derek and I play guitar.

How did the band get started?

Derek: The band started out as a writing project of mine back in 2011. I wrote songs for a couple years with the idea of making it an actual band. It took a few more years to find members before we actually started making some progress playing live and trying to successfully launch the band.

Who are your influences and how do they play a role in your sound?

Derek: I’m influenced by bands like Dance Gavin Dance, Tides of Man, Circa Survive, Saosin, etc. I think you can hear little nuances from some of those bands in our stuff.

What has been your most meaningful experience being in this band so far?

Derek: Getting to share the stage with Hawthorne Heights was pretty awesome. They’ve been a band Bri and I have listened to since middle school. They came to WI on the “If Only You Were Lonely 10 Year Anniversary Tour”, so it was really nostalgic to hear a lot of songs I haven’t heard in years, but still knew all of the lyrics. Haha. They gave Dreamhouse a shout-out during their set and that made us all feel good!

Favorite memory from a show you’ve played or a place you’ve travelled? Derek: On our most recent tour we had a day off in Tampa, FL so we all went to a tattoo shop and got tattoos. It was my first time getting one, and I got it on my ankle so it hurt a bit. Haha. It was just spontaneous and nice to do something with the whole band in a brand new city.

What do you hope to accomplish with your music? Bri: I mean for most people that do this, the obvious goal is to make it all the way. I think on a more realistic level, I just want to reach people and be relatable. There’s nothing more fulfilling than having somebody message you and tell you that one of your songs helped them get through a difficult time. The best part of being in this band is meeting a lot of people and being a part of the music scene as a whole, which is really something.

Something about you that no one knows? Bri: My first concert was Hillary Duff. lol.

What is next for the band? Bri: Over the next few months we’ll be writing and plan to release a video before the summer’s touring schedule.

Anything else you want to add? Bri:We just put out a record called “Bloom”. You can listen and grab it on our Bandcamp

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INDIE BAND OF THE WEEK – DREAMHOUSE was originally published on RockRevolt Mag