#Underoath fan art

[sagehaleyofficial]

HERE’S WHAT YOU MISSED THIS WEEK (12.4-12.10.19):

NEW MUSIC:

·         SWMRS geared up to release a live video of “Too Much Coffee,” recorded at Orange Vélodrom in France. The world premiere was last Wednesday, and the band also held a live Q&A leading up to its release.

·         Halsey took to Instagram to finally reveal the tracklisting for her upcoming album Manic. She also opened up on why her anticipated collab with Bring Me the Horizon was missing, and dropped two new singles, “Finally // beautiful stranger” and a track with BTS’ Suga.

·         Motionless in White dropped a tear-jerking new music video for their track “Another Life,” taken off their latest album Disguise. Directed by Max Moore, the imagery follows a broken love story as a gentleman replays sweet memories he and his partner shared together.

·         Fall Out Boy dropped a new animated music video for “Bob Dylan,” taken from their most recent album endeavor Believers Never Die – Volume Two. According to Billboard, the track was originally a B-side for American Beauty/American Psycho.

·         Waterparks’ hit track “Dream Boy” got an EDM retouching courtesy of producer and DJ, JVNA. The band praised the remix on their social media accounts last Wednesday, with the producer also sharing her hype for the new remix.

·         Machine Gun Kelly announced a rock album for 2020 and said a new song would release by the end of this year. Collaborations with Goody Grace, Blink-182’s Travis Barker, blackbear and Attila‘s Chris Fronzak also seem to be on the horizon.

·         Billie Eilish made her directorial debut on the much-anticipated music video for her hit “Xanny.” As per usual, the video has a few jarring visuals and some disturbing movements, but is overall pretty straightforward.

·         Pure Noise Records released Keep Shining On last Friday, a tribute album featuring the songs of Tim Landers, the late guitarist/vocalist of Transit. The six-song mini-LP features Landers’ songs performed by Man Overboard, the Story So Far, Elder Brother, Casa Loma and Misser.

·         Scene veterans The Used returned with a new single and video, “Blow Me”. The song and video both feature Jason Aalon Butler of Fever 333, and the band is currently working on their eighth full-length album.

·         Blink-182 dropped a new Christmas track, “Not Another Christmas Song,” highlighting the downsides of the holiday season and causing a raucous on the North Pole. The accompanying music video is a claymation of the band performing the song for elves.

·         Selfish Things dropped the music video for their song “Torn,” which also features Spencer Chamberlain of Underoath. The video takes inspiration from the old silent films, with slides describing the action.

·         Blink-182 and the Chainsmokers’ official collab release came nearly an entire year after it was initially teased by the latter group. The song, “PS I Hope You’re Happy,” was announced on the Chainsmokers’ social media pages.

TOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS:    

·         5 Seconds of Summer recently announced a U.K. and European tour, and also launched an album pre-order for a release that hasn’t been revealed yet. The band took to Twitter to remind fans of the new package, which comes with early access to the No Shame 2020 Tour dates.

·         Coheed and Cambria announced on Instagram even more bands joining them for their 2020 cruise aboard the S.S. Neverender. Thrice, Power Trip, Sheer Mag, Radkey, Hail the Sun, and Peelander-Z were also announced.

·         Hayley Williams of Paramore is bringing back the Sanctuary of Self Love to the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival next summer. This is the second year the iconic Williams will be curating the plaza, which was a mega-hit last year.

·         Scary Kids Scaring Kids revealed they will be bringing along Secrets and Push Over on their upcoming reunion tour. The tour kicks off in January, with tickets and VIP packages available for purchase now.

·         Third Eye Blind announced they are going to be joined by Saves the Day on the second leg of their headlining tour in support of their latest album, Screamer. The tour kicks off March 11th in Seattle, and its announcement arrives alongside the news they’re also launching a new podcast.

·         Twenty One Pilots’ Bandito Tour secured a spot on Billboard’s year-end lists as one of the top-grossing tours of 2019. The top spot went to pop singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, who grossed $223.6 million with 2,587,445 fans attending 54 total shows on his Divide Tour.

·         Knuckle Puck announced an intimate U.S. club tour that will run in spring 2012. The tour kicks off at the Beat Kitchen in Chicago on February 21st and ends at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis on March 22nd.

·         The latest My Chemical Romance show to be revealed is one with Thursday in Osaka, Japan. MCR previously revealed the band will support them on their forthcoming reunion in Los Angeles on December 20th.

OTHER NEWS:  

·         Musician Juliet Simms revealed her casting in the upcoming American Satan TV spin-off, Paradise City. With news of Sleeping with Sirens frontman Kellin Quinn joining the cast over the summer, the spinoff was first announced in June 2018 with the film’s cast teasing their return.

·         Fever 333 announced the first signing to their own label, 333 Wreckords Crew. They introduced the Nova Twins, the London-based duo of vocalist/guitarist Amy Love and bassist Georgia South, who are two black women in rock music twisting the convention of a genre.

·         My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way announced he is dropping the final issue of his brother Mikey Way‘s first comic, Collapser. The final issue ends the series, which began back in April and marked the first comic book collab between the two MCR brothers.

·         Angels & Airwaves frontman Tom DeLonge revealed that an older solo track of his titled “Suburban Kings” is about his former band Blink-182. In 2015, just a month after departing the band, DeLonge dropped his first studio album titled To the Stars…Demos, Odds and Ends.

·         Former Lostprophets bassist Stuart Richardson opened up about his time working with ex-vocalist Ian Watkins, who has been convicted of several child-related sex crimes. On a recent episode of ‘Sappenin’ Podcast with Sean Smith, he revealed what happened while in the band.

·         Some Spotify users noticed that Brand New have been removed from their #spotifywrapped lists. Many current and former fans speculated that the band have been blacklisted from the site’s stats following their sexual misconduct issues that surfaced in 2017.

·         Rapper Juice WRLD, aka Jarad Anthony Higgins, passed away at the age of 21 after suffering a seizure in a Chicago airport, TMZ reported. In a statement from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, an autopsy conducted has come up inconclusive regarding Higgins’ death.

___

Check in next Tuesday for more “Posi Talk with Sage Haley,” only at @sagehaleyofficial!

[tonguetiedmag]

interview: as it is

Wrapping up The Great Depression Tour with only a handful of shows left , I caught up with Patty Walters from As It Is just before the group rocked out a set at The Hi-Dive in Denver to learn more about his favorite vegan eateries, rare studio-moments during the recording of the band’s latest release, and what it’s been like welcoming in a new permanent member.

What’s been your favorite part about this tour apart from other tours you’ve done?

“I think the camaraderie. We love the bands we brought out as bands, and as people. We didn’t know Point North or Hold Close as human beings before this tour, but we were fans of their music and their art, and we’ve gotten to know everybody over the course of however long it’s been, probably about a month now-- it’s bittersweet. Sharptooth were some of my closest friends on warped tour of last year, we’ve seen them on pretty much every day off as well. It’s just been one big happy family honestly this tour; I think that’s the bittersweet part, is you have such a good time when everyone’s here and that just makes saying goodbye a little more difficult. It’s been one of my favorite tours we’ve ever done over 6 or 7 years now.”

What’s been your favorite song from The Great Depression to play live?

“​The Wounded World i​ s always going to be a standout because of the relentless energy of it--I’m just a big fan of songs that really go 100 miles an hour throughout the whole thing, it’s absolutely one of those songs. Equally, opening with ​The Reaper ​has been so much fun, and ​The Question, The Answer​ has been a nice intimate moment. We weren’t sure if we were going to be playing it out here; it’s been such a fun part of the set, it makes it so much more dynamic and intimate. So there’s a couple standouts, but I think ​The Wounded World​ is probably my favorite moment of the set, which is why it’s last in the set and it’s the biggest climax and finale that we possibly could have created.”

Is there any song you wanted to put on the setlist that didn’t make the cut?

“Yes-- and part of the nature and the reason behind is that Ronnie [Ish, lead guitar] is a very new member and only knows so many of our songs right now, so we were limited to songs that we were playing on our most recent EU and UK headline run, which is why this setlist bears so much similarity to that one. But equally, we put so much time and effort and thought into this set so that it does feel theatrical and ... special-- It’s a set that we have all crafted and believed in. Adding “​Such Great Heights” ​[The Postal Service]​ t​ o the equation out here has been really fun, so there were a couple that we did manage to sneak in. I think we’re getting Ronnie there maybe one or two songs per tour, just learning the entire As It Is discography slowly.”

When did you guys know you wanted Ronnie to become a permanent member?

“For a while, it’s been a long time coming. Ron was in the studio when we were writing and recording The Great Depression, but Ronnie has been family for a long time--we met Ronnie in 2015 on the Vans Warped Tour, he was living on our bus. He, in the interim period, served as every different touring crew member...you could imagine, as tour manager, guitar tech, driver, and merch. The thing about it--and I think it’s often a thing that gets viewed from one perspective-- is it’s not only ‘Did we want Ronnie to join?’ (which of course we did), it’s ‘Does Ronnie want to commit to these four people, this lifestyle where he doesn’t get to see his friends and family very often, where he doesn’t get paid as much as he probably could back home. For that reason I think we’re really flattered and humbled that he wants to commit the next however many years of his life to this band and us as people. The first real trial period of tour was warped tour of last year. That was Ronnie’s first time playing onstage with us, but we just kind of knew it in the back of our minds, and the back of his, that this was what we were meant to do together.”

Has the dynamic changed at all?

“Oh massively. Ronnie has the biggest personality of anyone I’ve ever met, for better or for worse; some days you’re not in the mood to be surrounded by such a loud presence. He’s one of a kind and he brings so much more energy and sincerity to what we do to our live performance, and engaging and interacting with our fans on and off stage, before and after the set.”

What’s a favorite memory you’ve made with another band on this tour?

“That’s a great question! Doing Disney world with every band on this tour was really fun, that was a really nice moment. We did an escape room with Sharptooth and Doll Skin in Arizona, that was really fun-- I had never done an escape room before, I don’t think most of us had. We were divided into four, which became two teams due to the nature of the escape room-- it was tons of fun.”

With the stark difference sound-wise between ​Okay ​and ​The Great Depression​, how have you seen the dynamic of your fanbase change, if at all?

“Well, that’s one of the most interesting, kind of humbling things is that, we were uncertain as to who was still going to relate to this sound, enjoy this sound. One of the most humbling things is that so many fans from all around the world, that have been with us for upwards of five years since we’ve been touring internationally are still coming out to shows-- and it’s like nothing has changed, even though so much has changed. I think it speaks to the authenticity of the art that people can totally really love what we do and really believe in what we do. Yes, we’ve embraced a much more aggressive, darker sound, but it was the only natural evolution for our sound as a band for sure.”

Whatever you guys release next, are you gonna take it slow? Do you have ideas?

“I have ideas. Although, it was a conscious decision to be more present and engaged during the release of ​The Great Depression.​ We started writing ​The Great Depression​ three weeks before Okay was released, so when everyone got to really appreciate and consume okay, we were busy creatively, consciously invested in this next album. We didn’t get to live in the moment of ​Okay as much, and I was very aware that it would be a mistake to do that again. We all have ideas for the next record, but we haven’t started writing just yet. Equally, there are exciting expansions of The Great Depression​ that people are gonna get to enjoy pretty soon--we’re really making this one last.”

What motivates you to get up and keep going every day?

“Honestly, I’ve just made more of a conscious effort to live every day for me, as selfish as that sounds. Being as painfully introverted as I am, the most minute interaction often claims a big piece of myself and my energy. So I very selfishly at times hide myself away in my bunk, or in a cafe or something like that. We’re just working on so many exciting things right now that I don’t really have the time or the opportunity to slow down-- speeding away on a million different As It Is related projects, that’s pretty exciting.”

With you spending a lot of time in cafe’s and such, what’s your favorite place when you’re traveling to stop and eat, a place you look forward to?

“I wasn’t familiar with, but loved Arlo’s in Austin, Texas. Although, the thing about seeking out vegan restaurants on tour is that they’re not always healthy, and I’ve made a more conscious, mature decision to be healthier on tour for everyone’s well being, because I feel like trash if I just eat fake meat and cheese all day. Some of my favorites... I wanna say it’s called ‘Blackbird’s Cafe​’ o​ r something, but it’s in Philadelphia. They do an amazing vegan philly cheesesteak, vegan wings-- they have these root beer barbecue wings. That was a rare, indulgent, ‘eat the trash, feel like trash’ moment, but it was worth it.”

How do you personally fight against writers block?

“Something that I’ve found only more recently--over the last year or so-- is that I hold some of my biggest influences to such a high standard, I put them on the tallest of pedestals. Some of my favorite writers/lyricists are Adam Young from Owl City, Lights, Motion City Soundtrack, Death Cab For Cutie, The Postal Service. Something I’ve done more recently is--yes, these artists have written some of my favorite songs--some of which I believe to be the greatest songs ever written-they have also written songs that I just don’t enjoy. I seek out those songs to remind myself that everybody is human, everybody falls shorts at least in my standards [when it comes to] music that I enjoy, and remind myself that just because these people are my biggest influences in the world, doesn’t mean that they write perfect songs every time. I love starting songs, and hate finishing songs. I start a lot more projects than I finish; partly because the potential of an idea becomes very romanticized in my head, and a lot of the time the actuality of finishing that idea isn’t as great as the potential that I see in it-- and that is a very difficult battle to win some days. What I do is remind myself that every great songwriter is human, and falls short, and doesn’t write 10/10 songs every day of every year.”

Who did you guys pull inspiration from when writing The Great Depression?

“So, we very consciously paid homage to post hardcore and emo bands, such as Armor for Sleep, Underoath..But equally, being a band from the UK, and having lived in the UK since i was five years old, I listened to so many british post hardcore bands that never got the international recognition that this band is fortunate enough to have recieved. We paid homage to bands like Hero for a Friend, Hell is for Heroes, Hundred Reasons-- the third track on The Great Depression,​ The Fire, The Dark​ is co-written with Larry Hibbitt of Hundred Reasons. If you’re from the UK, and you grew up in the 90s and 2000s there was no way to not know about this band. They were on mainstream radio, playing festival mainstages, a giant in UK rock music--but I guarantee none of our fans ever hear of that band, and getting to write one of our songs alongside one of the acts that we were paying tribute to was very cool, very surreal.”

The Great Depression also features a lot of smooth, instrumental transitions between sings--what was your favorite one of those to create?

“I think my favorite to create was the transition between​ The Reaper​ and​ The Two Tongues (Screaming Salvation)​. I don’t know if anyone knows this, I don’t know if I’ve ever said this, and I don’t know if you can even tell--but in the buildup into ​The Two Tongues​ there’s a sample of a song called ​The Prisoner’s Song​, and I don’t even remember who its by, but it was written in like 1925. There’s all this guitar feedback and eerie soundscapes, and our mad scientist of a producer, Machine, had the idea of screaming into the guitar pickups-- because screaming “salvation”, it made sense. [There’s] this never seen, never released video of Machine screaming “salvation” into the guitar. You probably can’t hear it- I can hear it ‘cause I was there: right before the song kicks in , there’s this very distorted sound. It’s a guitar, but you can hear that Machine is screaming “sal-va-tion” into the guitar, and maybe if you really listen closely you’ll hear it now. It’s one of my favorite moments, because i feel like modern music--not even just modern rock music--modern ​music​ isn’t as indulgent as it used to be. I used to read about all these incredibly indulgent studio stories that I just feel like don’t exist anymore, ‘cause no one has the time nor the budget to be as indulgent as some of the greats used to be. Getting to play around with silly things that ultimately don’t matter, but equally fulfill ​you​; ​that’s​ why they matter.” 

If you could spend one day jamming with a favorite musician dead or alive who would it be, and why?

“For me it would be Adam Young in Owl City. Just my biggest influence of all time, somebody that I just respect so endlessly. I think he’s just an expert in sound just as much as he is in songwriting, I just love everything he’s ever done.”

What’s a song--either on the setlist or not--just a song of yours that you hold a lot of personal meaning to?

“​Hey Rachel​. Just hearing audiences from every end and hemisphere of the world sing your sisters’ name is always going to be hugely sentimental and personal, and it’s a very personal moment of every set we play.”

What is a song you can rage to no matter what, something that gets you hype every time?

“​Clever Girl​ by Sharptooth. Anytime [when] we were on warped tour of last year I would seek out the Sharptooth set and just get a little more fired up, and a little bit more pissed off at the state of the world, and get a little more inspired-- it’s something that I’ve tried to catch as many times as I could on this tour, cause it makes me so much more excited for my set--it’s such a great song.”

If you had to describe your music to someone who doesn’t hear, how would you describe it?

“Where optimism and pessimism come to kick the shit out of each other.”

If you want to catch the group on their upcoming “The Intimate Depression” run, or see when they’ll be playing near you next Check them out Online:

https://asitisofficial.com/

https://www.facebook.com/asitisofficial/

http://www.fearlessrecords.com/artists/as-it-is/

https://twitter.com/ASITISofficial?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Interview by: Liz Holland

[bthenoise]

Here’s Your Chance To Buy Discounted Tickets To Slipknot, Slayer, Korn & Underoath Shows

Continuing their annual rock and metal promotion dubbed Ticket To Rock, Live Nation has announced discounted group tickets to some of our scenes biggest names. 

As seen on the image above, the world’s largest concert promotion company will be offering reduced ticket prices to select summer shows featuring Slipknot, Korn, Alice In Chains, Breaking Benjamin, Behemoth, Chevelle, Gojira, Underoath, Volbeat, Shinedown, Slayer and more. 

“Today Live Nation unveiled details for the 2019 Ticket to Rock– one ticket that gets fans into some of the hottest rock shows all summer long,” reads a statement from the company. “Ticket to Rock makes it easier than ever for fans to get tickets to see some of their most anticipated rock bands live at an amphitheater near them this summer. The 3 show packages start at just $59 and 4 show packages in select cities that include Shinedown or Slayer start at $69.”

While full tour lineups and dates will be announced soon, tickets for the highly anticipated shows are currently on sale now and can be found here. For more information on the Ticket To Rock promotion, head here. For participating venues, see below.  

Ticket to Rock Participating Venues: All venues will have a 3-show package unless noted below

Albuquerque, NM Isleta Amphitheater* Alpharetta, GA Ameris Bank Amphitheatre Austin, TX Austin360 Amphitheatre Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live Camden, NJ BB&T Pavilion^ Dallas, TX Dos Equis Pavilion* Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Amphitheater Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre* Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center* Mansfield, MA Xfinity Center* Noblesville, IN Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center* Phoenix, AZ Ak-Chin Pavilion* Pittsburgh, PA KeyBank Pavilion* Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center Tinley Park, IL Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre* Toronto, Ontario Budweiser Stage & RBC Echo Beach+ Virginia Beach, VA Veteran’s United Home Loans Amphitheater* Wantagh, NY Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater

*4-show package +4-show package will be available for $100 ^5-show package will be available for $93

[bethshootsbands]

Rozu Interview

How would you best describe yourselves and your sound? 

We are Rozu, a Post Hardcore band from Denver Colorado. For fans of Underoath, Like Moths To Flames, and The Plot in You.

What do you bring to the current music scene that other artists don’t already offer, what makes you stand out in such a competitive industry?

I think we just bring a different mindset to the table and we have a lot of diversity within our writing sessions. We don’t stick to a certain formula and we really write honest songs that have a little something for everyone.

* What are the messages and motives behind your music?

Music and art in general is so subjective that I love to hear what other’s interpretations are. We write music that is very honest to ourselves and lyrically talk about some real life stuff and always promoting that no matter how bad a situation can be there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Things do get better.

* When did Rozu first come together?

We have all been doing this for at least 7 plus years on the band scale and have been writing together for about a year. Our process is just really keen on sitting in the studio or bouncing ideas back and forth from our homes. We really like the ability to record ideas dissect and make the best we can. Pre Production is our best friend right now.

* Any upcoming releases or anything readers can expect to see soon?

We just released our latest single Fading on December 12th so everyone should probably check that out.

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ZRMGaHRC8sb4hD7hMzFoe

[ghostcultmagazine]

FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Aftershock Festival 2018

California biggest rock and metal event of the year, Aftershock Festival, will be kicking all kinds of ass this weekend at Discovery Park in Sacramento, CA. The fest is totally sold out and Ghost Cult will be there to document the festivities and shenanigans once again! The fest has an insane lineup which features System of a Down, Deftones, Alice in Chains, Incubus, Godsmack, Shinedown, 311, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, At The Drive-In, Seether, Jonathan Davis, as well as Bullet for My Valentine, Underoath, Black Veil Brides, Asking Alexandria, Sevendust, Everlast, GWAR, Emmure, Stick To Your Guns, Dance Gavin Dance, Monster Magnet, Red Sun Rising, Bad Wolves, The FEVER 333, Dorothy, Wage War, Plague Vendor, Hyro The Hero, Amigo The Devil, All Them Witches, Slothrust, The Dose, Viza, The Jacks, and more! Check out the full schedule, map of the grounds, including the exclusive after party featuring Amigo The Devil and all of the unique festival experiences.

In addition to two full days of unforgettable sets from today’s biggest rock and metal artists, Monster Energy Aftershock also invites ticketholders to an exclusive after-party: The Official Monster Energy Aftershock Post-Mortem Party With Amigo The Devil and BlackCraft Cult Sunday, October 14 Goldfield Trading Post, 1630 J Street, Sacramento Anyone with a weekend pass or single day Saturday or Sunday ticket will be allowed free entry on a first come, first served basis. Onsite experiences at Monster Energy Aftershock will include: Monster Energy Experience: Fueling the festival with energy and offering interactive artist experiences f.y.e Fan Experience: The only place for your favorite bands’ music; hosting the ultimate fan & artist interactive experiences Coors Light: Refreshing festival attendees (21+) with the crisp taste of the Rockies The Music Experience: Interactive exhibit featuring guitars, basses, amps, drums and more, as well as artist meet & greets and contests The Student Experience: Offering a unique opportunity for youth engaged in music and art related academic programs with unprecedented access and an inspirational behind-the-scenes look at the festival Fxck Cancer/Dyin 2 Live: Fighting cancer by raising awareness and to educate about early cancer detection. The Dyin 2 Live wish-granting program looks to enrich the lives of those fighting cancer by offering them an experience that will bring joy, hope, inspiration, and courage into their lives. Kolas: Kolas represents a lifestyle and culture for anyone ready to take their passion for cannabis to the next level. Swing by the Kolas booth for some fun swag, great industry information and promotions from leading brands, and other surprises you won’t want to miss out on. : Offering a full stock of Zippo lighters, including limited-edition festival designs. Visit early every day for a chance to get access to some of the best “seats” in the house, the Zippo Hot Seat! The official Monster Energy Aftershock mobile app will be available for download starting September 25. Attendees can build their own schedule, learn more about the artists and personalities appearing at the festival and get the latest must-know information through push notifications. Download it through the Google Play and Apple stores. As previously announced, in addition to performances from top music artists, Monster Energy Aftershock will also feature a variety of onsite food and beverage experiences. Beverages: Festivalgoers 21+ can enjoy a variety of beverages at one of the festival's many bar locations. Specialty experiences include Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards Wine Garden (owned by Arizona resident Maynard James Keenan, co-founder of international recording acts Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer) and the Belching Beaver Bar (featuring drafts from the Vista, California brewer, including the popular Phantom Bride IPA, a collaboration with Deftones). Coors Light and other beverage options will also be available throughout the festival grounds. Eats: Food and Beverage options will be provided by Southern Hospitality Concessions LLC, DWP's affiliate concessionaire. Patrons can enjoy some of Sacramento’s local favorite restaurants, cuisine and food trucks such as: Angry Bird Grill, Bacon Mania, Barrett’s Burgers, Bella Familia Wood Fired Pizza, Big Joe’s BBQ, Buckhorn BBQ, Cousins Maine Lobster, Deluxe Chinese Cuisine, Dippin Dots Ice Cream, Dogtown, Drewski’s Hot Rod Sandwiches & Twisted Tacos, Florez Bar And Grill, Gyro Stop, Island Noodles, La Terraza, La Mex Taqueria, Master of Patties, Mount Olympus, Pica Pica Arepas, Saucy Lito’s, Sausage King, Slider Nation, Smoothie Patrol, Spicy Pie Pizza, Strawberry Fields Wraps and Salads, Thai One On, and What’s Poppin’ Kettle Corn. (Note: Some food offerings are only available in the VIP Lounge (check festival website for details.) Monster Energy Aftershock is fueled by Monster Energy. Additional 2018 sponsors include f.y.e., Coors Light, Zippo, The Music Experience, Fxck Cancer, Take Me Home, Thunder Valley Casino Resort, Belching Beaver, Caduceus Wine, Heavy Grass, The Stash, Blackcraft Cult, Fearless Records, Roadrunner Records, Ace of Spades, Kolas, Cyco Flower Nutrients, Warner Bros. Records, Captain Morgan, Don Julio, Smirnoff and Bulleit Bourbon. Monster Energy Aftershock is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, a producer of some of the biggest rock festivals in America, including Rock On The Range, Bourbon & Beyond, Welcome To Rockville, Monster Energy Aftershock, Carolina Rebellion, Chicago Open Air, Monster Energy Rock Allegiance, Northern Invasion, the recently announced Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival and more. For more information on Monster Energy Aftershock, visit: Website: https://www.AftershockFestival.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AftershockFestival Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AftershockSac Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AftershockConcert/ Read the full article

[blackoutproblems]

Amore, Amore.

Paul Ambrusch aka Final Chapter & Bernhard Schinn. Zwei ganz besondere Kerle sind das.

Der Eine: Österreicher, mit dem Kopf durch die Wandtiroler, Was-Nicht-Passt-Wird-Passend-Gemacht-Attitüde, Kamikazeautofahrer, unreligiöser Underoath Fan und irgendwie trägt er in meinen Augen noch Frisurentechnisch einen Ticken Emo mit sich rum. Lieblingsspruch: “Fohr zua Seitn, siest zindt i du u und schmeiss di a de Ochn.” zu deutsch denke ich heisst das in etwa: “Ich fick’ dein Leben in zwei Teile!” Naja, jedem das seine.

Der Andere: Raucher. Lieblingsspruch: “Ich rauch noch schnell eine”.

Für mich: beides Todeshalunken & Freunde. Zu dritt haben wir uns ab 27.12. auf einen wilden Ritt begeben um ein Video zu drehen, zu dem - wie kann es auch anders sein - “ein bisschen” der Plan fehlte. Nach einem Monat des Kopfzerbrechens stand der Drehtag irgendwann vor der Tür ohne, dass ich den anderen Beiden gegenüber richtig artikulieren konnte, wie das Video aussehen soll und was ich machen wollte. “Ich erklär’ euch das Konzept auf der Fahrt.” Los geht’s.

Verrückte 128 Stunden später war das Video zu Poli’s Song geboren. Mit an Board: Paul’s Analogfreunde eine Voigtlander Rangefinder Kamera und eine Canon SLR mit der diese Bilder entstanden (Mit Ausnahme vom rauchenden Bernhard (c) Ilkay Karakurt & dem Droni (c) Bernhard Schinn).

An der Stelle ein herzliches Danke, High-Five und Holla-Holla an meine Kumpels Paul & Berni. Danke für den Ritt!

Kössen, Taubensee - 1.138m

Klobenstein - 817m

Irgendwo in Italien, vielleicht sagt man dort noch Südtirol.

Wir wollten nach Lucca, wir sind hier gelandet: Lignano. Ein Ort der im Sommer an Mallorca erinnert und die stolzen eingeborenen Italiener dazu bringt Deutsch zu lernen, um Karl-Heinz aus Spandau und Brigitte aus Klagenfurt Pizza mit Pommes und Paulaner Weißbier zu servieren. Im Winter erinnert Lignano an einen verlassenen Ort aus einem pixeligen Playstation-Spiel. Die Geschäfte zu, die Hotels leer, die Kochplatten der Restaurants kalt. Wir mussten nach offenen Plätzen für Kaffee und Pizza googeln und hatten tatsächlich Glück.

Amore.

Love? Love, my son, that’s like... That you’ll find a person you love, you adore, you think that’s complete with each and every little mistake.. I would’t doubt it a single second. It will happen to you. It happened to me. Finding her is luck. And luck,.. that’s something you’ll have every once in a while in life. That she’s gonna love you back, that’s fortune. Just fortune my son. Not destroying this accidentally luck, that’s art. What should I tell you about love? God knows I’m no artist.... I never had the eyes to recognize true art.

My son... love will bring you to your knees & tear you apart.

But that’s life.

Danke für’s gucken und teilen.

[thephotopitmagazine]

KNOTFEST.COM Launches New Global Content Destination Showcasing Art, Music, Culture & Media For The Rock & Metal Community Brought To Fans Directly From Artists And Leading Genre Content Creators Announces Several Exclusive New Content Series Including  Electric Theater Interview Series Hosted By Clown Special Knotfest Roadshow Streaming Event  With Exclusive Concert Streams And Interviews From Slipknot, Underoath and Code Orange Friday, May 29th Starting At 3pm PST Featuring Exclusive Slipknot Tour Merch Collection Available for 72 Hours Only, As Well As Strictly Limited New Knotfest Merch Designs

KNOTFEST.COM Launches New Global Content Destination Showcasing Art, Music, Culture & Media For The Rock & Metal Community Brought To Fans Directly From Artists And Leading Genre Content Creators Announces Several Exclusive New Content Series Including  Electric Theater Interview Series Hosted By Clown Special Knotfest Roadshow Streaming Event  With Exclusive Concert Streams And Interviews From Slipknot, Underoath and Code Orange Friday, May 29th Starting At 3pm PST Featuring Exclusive Slipknot Tour Merch Collection Available for 72 Hours Only, As Well As Strictly Limited New Knotfest Merch Designs

  Launches New Global Content Destination  Showcasing Art, Music, Culture & Media For The Rock & Metal Community Brought To Fans Directly From Artists And Leading Genre Content Creators

  Announces Several Exclusive New Content Series Including  Electric Theater Interview Series Hosted By Clown 

  Special Knotfest Roadshow Streaming Event  With Exclusive Concert Streams And Interviews From   Sli…

[sagehaleyofficial]

HERE’S WHAT YOU MISSED THIS WEEK (1.8-1.14.20):

NEW MUSIC:

·         Record Store Day went on social media to unveil its 2020 date, which is set for April 18th. Last year, a special edition turntable manufactured by Crosley Radio was available at select record stores.

·         Green Day took to social media to share a GIF announcing their new track “Oh, Yeah” will be released later this month. Additionally, they also confirmed a rumored tracklist that was anonymously sent to a fan earlier this month.

·         Spanish Love Songs announced the release date of their third studio album, Brave Faces Everyone, on February 7th via Pure Noise Records. The band also released a new single “Kick” with an accompanying music video.

·         New Found Glory announced that they are looking to include fans in filming a new music video. Recently, guitarist Chad Gilbert took to Instagram to tease that the band have been working on a new album, which will follow up their 2017 release, Makes Me Sick.

·         Silverstein announced a release date for their next studio album, A Beautiful Place to Drown. They also dropped their latest single off the LP, “Infinite,” featuring Underoath and The Almost musician Aaron Gillespie.

·         In a very recent interview, Senses Fail vocalist Buddy Nielsen revealed what he thinks will be the title of the band’s eighth album, calling it Hell is in Your Head. The frontman also talked about the relationships between this new album and their 2006 record, Still Searching.

·         Evanescence dropped a music video for their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s song “The Chain,” which was featured on the soundtrack for the video game Gears of War 5. Singer Amy Lee also lent her vocals to the game’s launch trailer just prior.

·         The 1975 announced the debut of a new song titled “Me & You Together Song,” set to drop this Thursday. Their fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form, was then pushed back from its original release date on February 21st to sometime in April.

·         Halsey took inspiration from country music in her latest single “You Should Be Sad” off her upcoming album Manic, dropping this Friday. She revealed on Twitter that the track was inspired by some of her favorite female artists of the genre, namely Carrie Underwood.

·         Creeper announced the release date for their upcoming album, Sex, Death and the Infinite Void, along with a brief tour in the UK. The band teased fans on Twitter prior to the announcement by posting a series of periods and short videos.

·         PVRIS dropped a haunting acoustic version of their song “Hallucinations,” originally the title track of the band’s latest EP. Singer Lynn Gunn also shared it on her own Twitter feed, saying “It’s chill.”

·         The upcoming film Birds of Prey is getting its own soundtrack, appropriately titled Birds of Prey: The Album. The soundtrack features Halsey, K. Flay, a collab by Megan Thee Stallion and Normani, and more internationally-acclaimed female artists.

·         Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams teased what could potentially be a lyric from her upcoming solo project debut, Petals for Armor, releasing January 22nd. Clues of the new project surfaced on Instagram and city streets with a release date for some time this month.

·         A recent video shows Halsey in the studio with Bring Me the Horizon’s Oli Sykes and Jordan Fish. It appears that the video is referencing her new song for the Birds of Prey soundtrack titled “Experiment on Me.”

·         Alexisonfire dropped a new single titled “Season of the Flood,” which marks their third new song in 10 years and premiered on BBC1’s Rock Show. Last year, the band dropped two singles, “Complicit” and “Familiar Drugs.”

·         Point North’s new song, titled “Into the Dark,” just dropped, featuring current tour mate and Sleeping with Sirens‘ singer, Kellin Quinn. The bands are currently on tour with Set It Off and Belmont.

TOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS:

·         Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival announced the lineup for the festival’s 2020 dates. This year’s headliners include Tool, Lizzo, Tame Impala, Miley Cyrus, Bassnectar, Flume, Oysterhead, Lana Del Rey and Vampire Weekend.

·         The Almost frontman Aaron Gillespie recruited his Underoath bandmate Tim McTague to join him on stage during a show at the Orpheum in Tampa. Gillespie shared photos of the evening, touching on the “unnecessary friction” at The Almost’s formation in 2005.

·         In anticipation of their upcoming release Father of All… next month, Green Day announced that they want to host a wild party at a fan’s house. In a video posted to Instagram, Billie Joe Armstrong talked about wanting to play in one very lucky fan’s backyard in California.

·         Halsey announced the dates for the North American installment of her Manic World Tour. It was also announced that CHVRCHES, Omar Apollo, blackbear and PVRIS will all join her on select dates of this tour.

·         Circa Survive announced that Polyphia and Gouge Away will join them on their Blue Sky Noise 10-year anniversary tour. The band took to social media to announce the supporting cast for the tour.

·         Billie Eilish, Gwen Stefani with Blake Shelton, Aerosmith and Lizzo will all take the stage at this year’s Grammy Awards on January 26th. R&B songstress Alicia Keys will again host the ceremony.

·         Post Malone was announced to headline the “Bootsy on the Water” pop-up event at one of this year’s Super Bowl kick-off parties in Florida. Fans have the opportunity to see the rapper live, but tickets range from a hefty $1,000 to $150,000.

·         The Maine announced their second edition of 8123 Day to celebrate their 13th anniversary as a band. The event will offer fans fun opportunities such as an online scavenger hunt, contests, new merchandise and more.

·         My Chemical Romance’s return show grossed nearly $1,500,000, making history as the highest-grossing show at the venue ever. A Paradigm agent, Matt Galle, spoke with Variety last December about how everything came together.

·         Joe Rogan, Jim Jefferies and Whitney Cummings are joining forces to appear at Stand Up for Australian Fires, the Australia wildfires benefit show taking place on January 26th. Proceeds from the show, co-produced by Kevin Lyman and Joe Sib, will go to Wildlife Warriors.

·         After announcing their first full U.S. headlining run last month, Sleep On It finally announced the opening acts for the “Pride and Disastour.” The band’s upcoming tour, which kicks off at the end of February, will be supported by Bearings, Between You and Me and Neverkept.

·         Sleeping with Sirens revealed a stacked co-headlining run with the Amity Affliction kicking off in April. The tour will begin April 15th in Reno, Nevada, and conclude May 23rd in Milwaukee with support from Stray from the Path and UnityTX.

OTHER NEWS:

·         The Maine drummer Pat Kirch married his longtime partner Shacara Nemetz, with his bandmates, family and friends in attendance at the ceremony. Last September, the couple also announced they were expecting their first child together.

·         One talented drummer took on the challenge of combining 50 My Chemical Romance songs in 10 minutes. The fan in question, Sage Duvall, is a member of Florida-based indie band Raggy Monster and impressively recorded it all in one take without the use of a click track.

·         Bad Religion announced the release of their new book, “DO WHAT YOU WANT: The Story of Bad Religion,” which is set to drop on August 20th by Hachette Books. The autobiography is a deep examination of the band’s four decades in rock music.

·         Music IP investment company Hipgnosis Songs acquired 157 songs from alternative icon Tom DeLonge‘s catalog. “All the Small Things” and more Blink-182 hits were reportedly acquired.

·         Ice Nine Kills joined numerous musicians in fundraising to help put an end to the Australian wildfires plaguing the country. The band is selling a T-shirt featuring a kangaroo dressed as horror icon Freddy Krueger, with all proceeds going towards Australia’s relief efforts.

·         The upcoming film Birds of Prey revealed its second official trailer, which may reveal what happens to Jared Leto‘s Joker character. Recently, lead actress Margot Robbie, who plays Harley Quinn, confirmed that Leto would not be in the film.

·         Featuring a red, black and white color palette, Vans’ latest “I Heart” shoe collection recently hit their online store. The line showcases the phrase “I heart boys, I heart girls” in a continuous pattern.

·         Neil Peart, iconic drummer and lyrical voice of legendary Canadian prog-rock act Rush, has passed away. Rolling Stone reported that Peart had succumbed to aggressive brain cancer at age 67 after a brave three-and-a-half-year-long battle.

·         The Umbrella Academy fans were surprised last week when the comic series appeared as a question on the game show Jeopardy!. The show is currently hosting its “The Greatest of All Time” tournament, which has three record-breaking former contestants playing.

·         Blink-182 joined the relief effort toward stopping the Australian bushfires by releasing a new merch collection. Proceeds from the shirts will go towards Australia Zoo, which is giving medical help and rehabilitating to sick, injured and displaced wildlife in the country.

·         Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker is partnering with Barrett-Jackson to sell a few of his vehicles to the highest bidder. There will be three cars up for sale – a 1941 Cadillac 62 Series convertible, a 1960 Cadillac Coupe Deville and a 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.

___

Check in next Tuesday for more “Posi Talk with Sage Haley,” only at @sagehaleyofficial!

[speakmuzik]

        On Friday 15th March 2019, As It Is arrived in Brighton for the final date of their The Intimate Depression Tour, in support of their latest album release, The Great Depression. The band were supported by Modern Error, Bellevue Days and Klae. It was an extra-special evening, not only because it was the last night of the tour, but it was a return to the city they started in! Here’s what we thought of the evening…

Klae

Klae are five-piece, female-fronted band from Brighton, who kicked off the evening with their blend of gritty pop rock. They have a tight, commercial sound to them, and clearly a loyal following is already building for them. They’ll be a local band to keep an eye out for with their atmospheric, airy guitar melodies and honest lyricism…though at times, some of the dancing seems a little contrived.

Bellevue Days

Next up, was the rather slick Bellevue Days – their performance was flawless and they have obviously honed their songwriting skills to perfection, with little fills and quirks in all the right places; whilst it makes their songs stand out, at times they change pace a little too often, meaning you can’t quite get into the groove, or the song appears to end, just as it seems to be building up to something more.

Personally, I preferred the backing singer’s voice, when he took the lead on ‘Faith’ and think he should definitely take the lead a little more, however, between the three vocalists, their harmonies are sensational!

They’re very much Weezer meets Brand New with a little Blur thrown in…one song in particular was almost like a carbon copy of Brand New though. All round, they’re a great live band and certainly have a good stage presence…even if the drummer did look petrified throughout the performance.

Modern Error

The last support to take to the stage was the intense, high-energy, Modern Error – an in-your-face, scream-metal band with solid production (in the form of atmospheric backing tracks) interwoven seamlessly with their skilful performance.

The band are nicely topped off with the lead singer’s screaming vocal which seems to come so effortlessly – though his attempts at more melodic singing weren’t quite as strong.

It’s clear that this band have found inspiration in the likes of Underoath‘s album, They’re Only Chasing Safety, as far as synth sounds merging with post-hardcore or metal sensibilities go.

The band’s octane-infused set really ignited the audience into a frenzy, creating swirling circle-pits and people manically moshing around. Modern Error are a well-rounded band with a clearly well-rehearsed stage presence and really know how to work a crowd; the only criticism…a little too much reaching out with one hand.

As It Is

Finally, As It Is took to the stage! Although each of the supports were well-rehearsed and their performances polished, the quality of this band is truly next-level impeccable, instantly demonstrating just how professional they are at this.

It might well have been the last night of their UK tour, and by their own admission, they were exhausted, but you definitely couldn’t tell…the energy they brought was magical, captivating even. The band are very much at home on stage – standing on speakers, thrashing round wildly, swinging the microphone round, for some perfectly-timed manoeuvres and Ronnie Ish even pulled off a little crowd-surfing…simply put, they owned that stage!

Having started out in this very city, the band shared their gratitude (a few times) for finally being able to headline their own show at the iconic Concorde 2, having watched some of the bands that inspired them, performing on that very stage. It was special thanks that went out to their fans, throughout the show, for getting them to where they are today and you could tell, their appreciation is genuine.

They may have visually changed their style since their last record, and their sound may have got a touch heavier than before, but at their core, they’re still quite the pop punk band they always were – they just have a little more ’emo’ edge to them now. They’re writing and singing about more taboo subjects, like anxiety, depression, self-harm, etc. but are managing to do so with sincerity and integrity. You can tell that their fans admire it too, singing back every word with equal the passion that Patty Walters sings out to them.

Watching this set, truly felt like watching the early days of the iconic punk rock/pop punk/emo bands I used to love, growing up – the likes of Good Charlotte, New Found Glory, My Chemical Romance, The Used, etc. It was really something special and I’m certain that if this show was anything to go by, this band are only going to continue to grow to new heights in their career, from here. I would highly recommend seeing them live – they’ll draw you in and have you moshing around in an instant!

Highlights:

The way the band use the whole stage, to jump and spin around, interact with each other and even swing the microphone round, made the show something spectacular to behold.

Whilst the set was predominantly filled with material from their latest album, The Great Depression, there was also a good deal of older songs to please fans old and new.

Patty Walters‘ honest out-pouring of emotion and sharing of personal anecdotes with the audience, let them know that this is more like a family than just a band and their fanbase, even referring to them as family. His speech around mental health, and the way talking about this is sometimes perceived within the genre, was actually very touching and heart-felt – things like this can so often be cringey, when delivered by someone in his position, but actually, I found myself hanging on his every word, and if this is enough to save even one life, then it can only be a good thing!

The audience’s love for this band is raw and emotionally-driven too, making the atmosphere in the venue, electric. A few people were even brought to tears by their presence, their lyrics and the passion the band pour into their art.

It was actually a highlight in itself, just to see this band (who could so easily sell out a larger venue) performing to a smaller audience, in a more intimate setting, but without compromising any of the quality of their set and stage presence. It was a truly marvellous event!

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 📸 All of the photos of As It Is are credited to Chloe Hashemi – CCZH Photography 📷 Go and give her a follow on Instagram and Twitter, and visit her website.

 Setlist

The Wounded World The Two Tongues (Screaming Salvation) The Great Depression The Reaper The Handwritten Letter No Way Out The Fire, The Dark The Haunting Cheap Shots & Setbacks Such Great Heights (The Postal Service cover) The Truth I’ll Never Tell You, The Room & The Devil On Your Shoulder The Question, The Answer Winter’s Weather Patchwork Love

Encore Okay Dial Tones The Stigma (Boys Don’t Cry)*

* This song can be viewed in the YouTube video, below.

Finally, I want to say a big thanks to Patrick Marsden at Lout Promotions for enabling this review to happen but also to As It Is, Modern Error, Bellevue Days and Klae for making the evening such a special one!

Enjoyed this? Check out some of our other live reviews here:

Muzik Speaks Live Reviews

Matt – Muzik Speaks www.facebook.com/muzikspeaks www.twitter.com/muzik_speaks

@ASITISofficial put on one hell of an intimate yet powerful show at @concorde_2 in #Brighton last night! w/support @modernerroruk, @bellevuedays & @weareklae. Special thanks to @LoutPromotions for this #review! 📸 @cczhphotos         On Friday 15th March 2019, As It Is arrived in Brighton for the final date of their 

[themusicenthusiast]

Korn and Alice In Chains Announce Summer 2019 Co-headline Tour; Rocking Dallas’ Dos Equis Pavilion on July 21st

Hard rock legends KORN and ALICE IN CHAINS have announced an epic co-headline amphitheater tour across North America this summer. Underoath will join as special guest on all dates, with Ho99o9 and FEVER 333 opening on select dates. Produced by Live Nation, the 30-city outing will kick off July 18th in Del Valle, TX at Austin360 Amphitheatre and make stops in Dallas, Nashville, Toronto, Denver and more before wrapping September 4th in Mountain View, CA at Shoreline Amphitheatre. Tickets are on sale now. Since forming, KORN has sold nearly 40 million albums, collected two GRAMMYS, toured the world countless times, and set many records in the process that will likely never be surpassed. Vocalist Jonathan Davis, guitarists James "Munky" Shaffer and Brian "Head" Welch, bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and drummer Ray Luzier, have continued to push the limits of the rock, alternative and metal genres, while remaining a pillar of influence for legions of fans and generations of artists around the globe.  KORN’s most recent LP, 2016’s THE SERENITY OF SUFFERING, built upon the band’s remarkable history with a return to the dual-guitar dynamic that first fueled their music, and earned the group their 10th GRAMMY® nomination.  KORN are currently in the studio finishing up work on their widely anticipated follow-up to THE SERENITY OF SUFFERING, which will be released later this year.

Seminal rock band ALICE IN CHAINS are touring in support of RAINIER FOG, which hit No. 1 across Billboard‘s Rock, Alternative and Hard Music Charts and No. 1 on the iTunes Rock Album Chart and earned them a Grammy nod for "Best Rock Album." Over the course of their remarkable career, ALICE IN CHAINS (vocalist/guitarist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Inez and vocalist/guitarist William DuVall) have garnered multiple Grammy nominations, sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, and amassed a diehard international fanbase whose members number in the millions. Korn and Alice In Chains 2019 Tour Dates: July 18--Austin, TX--Austin360 Amphitheater* 20--The Woodlands, TX--The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion^ 21--Dallas, TX--Dos Equis Pavilion* 23--Birmingham, AL--Oak Mountain Amphitheatre* 25--Alpharetta, GA--Ameris Bank Amphitheatre* 26--Nashville, TN--Bridgestone Arena* 28--West Palm Beach, FL--Coral Sky Amphitheatre at the S. Florida Fairgrounds* 30--Virginia Beach, VA--Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach* 31--Bristow, VA--Jiffy Lube Live* August 2--Darien Center, NY--Darien Lake Amphitheater* 3--Camden, NJ--BB&T Pavilion^ 6--Wantagh, NY--Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater* 7--Holmdel, NJ--PNC Bank Arts Center* 9--Mansfield, MA--Xfinity Center^ 10--Hartford, CT--XFINITY Theatre* 11--Saratoga Springs, NY--Saratoga Performing Arts Center* 13--Clarkston, MI--DTE Energy Music Theatre* 14--Toronto, ON--Budweiser Stage* 16--Cuyahoga Falls, OH--Blossom Music Center* 17--Burgettstown, PA--KeyBank Pavilion+ 18--Cincinnati, OH--Riverbend Music Center+ 20--Noblesville, IN--Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center+ 21--Tinley Park, IL--Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre+ 23--Maryland Heights, MO--Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre+ 25--Denver, CO--Pepsi Center+ 27--Albuquerque, NM--Isleta Amphitheatre+ 30--Irvine, CA--FivePoint Amphitheatre+ 31--Phoenix, AZ--Ak-Chin Pavilion+ September 2--Chula Vista, CA--North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre+ 4--Mountain View, CA--Shoreline Amphitheatre+ *with HO99O9 +with FEVER 333 ^support TBA

Photos by Jordan Buford Photography

[bthenoise]

Q&A: Fit For A King’s Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary Talks ‘The Path’ Plus How To Work With Your Favorite Artists On Featured X

Despite everything going on in the world and the limitations presented in the music business, Fit For A King bassist/clean vocalist Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary has remained extremely busy.    

Not only has O’Leary released new music with his indie rock side-project Off Road Minivan and recorded a highly anticipated Fit For A King record but the DIY musician has also started a brand new podcast and created a new company called Featured X.

The new business, which launched at the end of July, is your new goto to get some of your favorite musicians featured on your music -- think Fiverr but with all metalcore, post-hardcore, hardcore and deathcore artists.

Talking with Tuck about his new site featuring the likes of Tyler Carter, Shane Told, Spencer Charnas, Brendan Murphy and more, the outgoing entrepreneur said, “Originally, we're like, ‘Okay, we're going to launch and we're going to put out like 13 guys.’ And then 13 guys turned to 30. And then 30 turned to 60. And it was just like, ‘Holy shit. Okay, we're just going to see however many we can get now.’” 

He added, “I think with this Friday's drop, we're going to be at around like 100 vocalists because now more people are getting interested in it because they're seeing it which is the exciting part where I just want my friends to get paid. And the reality is, if they can sing two songs a month, pay all their bills and they're good and they can remain artists, that's what's up.”

To learn more about the exciting Featured X as well as Fit For A King’s brand new album The Path, be sure to look below. Afterward, make sure to grab a pre-order before it hits stores September 18th via Solid State Records.    

Regardless of all that’s going on in 2020, you’ve still been incredibly busy with a new Off Road Minivan record, new Fit For A King album and now the Featured X platform you just announced. Were all these planned pre-COVID? 

Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary: Not all of them and also I actually have a podcast that I just teamed up with Idobi Radio for recently as well. It's called Get Tucked. You can listen to it every Monday at 4pm on Idobi Howl, which is their metal station or on every other platform starting on Wednesdays. Just to throw a little ad there [laughs]. But yeah, the Off Road Minivan record had been done actually for maybe eight months or so before it was released. So that was all pre-planned and ready to go. The Fit For A King record was finished in January. So we were prepared for that and that was supposed to come out on the Parkway Drive tour that we were going to be doing this summer. So that threw a wrench in the works for that. I mean, it was really nice to be home for the Off Road release because I was going to be on tour so it was kind of cool to like, actually get to sit and concentrate and look at the plays and comment on things and really be there for it. Because if I was on tour with Fit, I definitely would have been much busier. But it was a really nice experience getting to do that and luckily having the Fit music -- you know, the two singles we've released and getting to now recently make music videos as of like two weeks ago -- it's been really helpful for us to be able to keep some momentum and our Spotify actually just hit 800,000 monthly listeners today so we're extremely excited. But you know, it's a weird situation to be in because no one necessarily knows how to make the kind of money that people made on tour. And everyone's been really inventive. You know, like the Underoath stream. That was awesome. I watched [them play] Define The Great Line and it was great. So just, we've started to put some things together, we got to film some music videos like two weeks ago or so. But you know, trying to keep as busy as we can. 

Totally.

The Featured X platform just came up out of the blue where one of the co-owners is one of my best friends. His name is Jeff. We talk on the phone almost every day just cause we've been friends for 15 years. One morning we're talking and he just like brings up the idea like, “Dude, what if there was this platform and like everyone could just go get their guests features” and it came up because we manage a band called Left To Suffer from Atlanta, Georgia. We were getting together features for their new EP that's going to be coming out and it was just one of those where I was like, “Well, I can call so and so and so  and so and we can get these guys on and we'll talk.” And then we're like, “Well, what if there is just a really easy way to streamline this and have everyone get access to these guys?” You know, I can text a guy I've toured with -- Tom Barber [Chelsea Grin] or Ryo from Crystal Lake -- but how long are you gonna wait in their DMS until they respond to you? A long time. 

So it was just an easy way where the second he said it, I was like, “This isn't ridiculous. This is feasible. Like, we could do this and we can do this right now.” The hard part was finding someone who can handle the web creation. So we made some posts to try to find a web designer and this guy Adam, he’s from Atlanta and he plays in another band but he also owns a web design company. We pitched the idea to him and he loved it so much that, you know, first he was just working on it and then we gave him a portion of the company as well when we had to do all our paperwork and whatnot. But it just really came together in a matter of like a month and a half. As I'm getting people and building the roster, Adam and his team are building the site and it just kept growing and growing. Originally, we're like, “Okay, we're going to launch and we're going to put out like 13 guys.” And then 13 guys turned to 30. And then 30 turned to 60. And it was just like, “Holy shit. Okay, we're just going to see however many we can get now.” And I mean, I think with this Friday's drop, we're going to be at around like 100 vocalists because now more people are getting interested in it because they're seeing it which is the exciting part where I just want my friends to get paid. And the reality is, if they can sing two songs a month, pay all their bills and they're good and they can remain artists, that's what's up. That's what's important right now. Because none of us can tour, none of us can go make the income we usually can because we gave up all our masters, right? We sign these contracts. When you're on tour, you pay management, you pay booking agents. I'm not saying these things are negative. I'm just saying that they're the reality. I love my booking agent, I love my management, I love my label. I'm all for these things. But the reality is right now, no one's getting shit. You know, because we don't have the income from Spotify and we don't have the income from these kinds of things. So people are being really innovative and they're doing live stream concerts and they're putting together incredible merch packages. But when you put into account how much merch on top of donations to charities has been purchased in the last four months, you've seen how resilient and caring these fans are because they not only bought everyone out of debt, they also donated millions of dollars to good causes. So this was a cool way in our heads to finally connect some people, connect some dots, help our friends who are in a pinch. And I'm not saying that every guy on the site is like broke and needs money but it's helpful. They want to make art, they want to be a part of things. They want to stay artists and the hardest part of this whole thing is sitting in my house for the first time for five months when I've never done that before. So it's been an interesting experience. Sorry for the super rant, Jesus. 

It's totally fine! So when you hit up all your friends about Featured X, did they all immediately jump on board thinking it was a great idea?

Yeah, there was like a couple people who couldn't do it for logistical reasons or some guys who were like “I want to see how this” -- and I hate that I keep saying "guys" -- some people who will look at it and be like, “Hey, this isn't for me right now but let's see what it's like in three months.” So what I did first was just hit up the people that I'm closest to which was obviously Kirby [Fit For A King] and Tom Barber and Ryo and Telle [Smith, The Word Alive] and Levi [Benton, Miss May I] and Dave Stephens [We Came As Romans] like, some of these guys that I just thought would be interested in it and would probably back me and help me. Once we got these people involved, it just started becoming so much easier because others were like, “Well, if so and so is doing it, fine, yeah, I'll give it a try.” And a lot of it comes from, you know, we have so many different mindsets that come from these different styles of music, right? And it's definitely created part of the communication between fans and this now where there are fans of like hardcore music and they don't really want their favorite hardcore vocalists to be on a bunch of songs and a ton of features. They just want the vocalist of Kublai Khan doing vocals on an Acacia Strain song because they're friends, right? And I think that's really cool. And that's how it's been for a really long time. But the reality is that when you're a big popular vocalist and this is your job, this is your career, this is what you've been doing, there's nothing wrong with singing on an extra 10 or 20 songs that are awesome. What if you listen to a song and there is this amazing young band and what would really help them to get seen and to get signed and to get traction is to have that [guest] vocalist on their song? And that helps them create momentum and everyone gains something out of this. And you know, people talk about how the friendship aspect is so important to them where they only want to do features with people that they really care about. What if I ended up really caring about your band because I heard your band and I sang on your song? What if I want to help you after that? What if they want to help you after that? Because I've seen that happen. So we're just trying to connect things where right now there may be some issues in the mindset where some people are skeptical maybe of how it will pan out. And we don't know yet. We've had [as of this interview] 14 requests and one fully confirmed. So you know, it's not like we've put out 200 songs in a weekend. I'm very interested to see how it grows and how people take it but it's been overwhelmingly positive for us so far. Fans seem extremely stoked on it. And I'm really happy with how it's going, it's pretty cool. Like for me too, it's just weird to be talking to all my favorite singers [laughs]. I'm a fan first and it's cool to get to have time to speak with a lot of these people, that's a really amazing experience. 

With these features, is it the artist's final say on whether or not they want to participate on the song? 

Oh yeah, so the way it all works is pretty simple. If you are in a local band and you really want to go and work with Ryan Kirby, you send him your song and your social media links through the website. Ryan logs into the profile that we've given him, he listens to the song, checks out your social media links, takes a minute and thinks about it. Maybe he sends you a message because we have a text bubble there, talks about what you're about, what the song is about, what you want to sing about, why maybe you want Ryan on the song and then if he feels that these things are appropriate for him and this is a good look for him and he wants to sing on that song, all he has to do is hit accept. Upon him hitting accept, you have to pay him. Once you pay him, he has two weeks to perform the vocals and send them back to you. And all of this is done through the site, even the file sharing. So it keeps it really easy and everyone's able to communicate with it and they will see your song, he will listen to your song. And I just use him as an example because he's one of my best friends and he's in my band. So it's really cool because I can listen to these songs as well and we have been as they come in. The first request of all was to Lil Lotus and when the song came in, we're like “Okay, well he's an interesting artist because he does the screamo stuff but he's more prominent of a hip-hop artist, right?” So I was like, “Okay, this'll probably be a hip-hop song.” So we spin it and we're like, “This is a bop! This is good, like, this is a really good song. Holy shit.” And you know, it's just cool to see that work. I want to hear more good music and, like this morning, I woke up and I saw there was a new video by this band called Filth that came out. I think it's just called “Hell.” And the vocalist was so absolutely insane and the band was so good where I just had to hit him up and be like, “Yeah, dude, do you just want to do [Featured X]? Because your band is absolutely bonkers. And I know you may not be the biggest band right now, but if I'm gonna put money on something, I think I might put it on you.” So it's a really cool thing where we're not just trying to have it be a who's who of the scene where if I hear somebody or my partners hear someone and we think they're super talented, we want them to be here too because maybe more people will recognize them from that. If it works, that would be great. I'll make a lot of money off of them, I'll have extremely large pinky rings, Gucci slippers and I will only wear silk, but we'll see. That's the ultimate experience [laughs].

It sounds like this will be pretty fulfilling for you creatively getting to hear all this music.  

Oh 100%. Yeah, it's really nice. I mean, I've always tried to stay a fan and a listener first, you know what I mean? I think I absorb a lot of music or at least I try to. And it is really inspiring to see these people and see what others are capable of. And now that there's so many artists and there's so many bands and everyone can get their music out there so easily, it's amazing to see how some stuff circulates based off raw talent. I mean, I love my Off Road stuff. But when I post it, does it get a million views in a day? No, not at all. But then it's cool to see this Filth video that came out today just pop off and people are sending it and it's going around and it's tag after tag on Facebook. And it's like, that's what I want to see is just something that people are excited about. And it is very exciting for us too because when building tours, I want to constantly have a tour that's cool and fun and relevant. And I want to take bands out that other people are excited about. So being on top of young talent, whether it's a band like Filth or Static Dress or like any of these like really cool up-and-coming bands, it's just exciting to always feel like I still have the same feeling I had as a kid [where] I want to love something first, you know? I want to know that band before everybody else knows that band. It's cool and exclusive [laughs]. You know and then you hope for ultimate success for everyone. I don't want them to stay that small band.  

So you you spoke a little about the roster and mentioned how you hate referring to everyone as "guys." There are a few women on the roster...

There are only two out of 63 on the site currently [as of this interview]. 

Are you planning to add more? 

Oh yeah, I have quite a few more this week. The thing that people have to keep into account when it comes to, especially with our [scene], when it comes to discussing women and people of color, there aren't a lot. So when I get turned down by one, there's 50 more guys for every Courtney LaPlante. You know, and believe me, I'm trying. I am trying very hard. It's just, one: I don't know everyone. I know who I know and then I branch out from there. And there are only a few girls that sing in metal and core bands. There are only so many LGBTQ people that sing in metal or core bands. There are only so many people of color that sing in metal or core bands. So it's really hard when you do get denied by one or two, and I'm not saying that Courtney turned me down. I was just using her as an example because she's super talented and Spiritbox is crushing life right now. But it's a conversation that I knew was gonna happen. I think the comment was on your guys' Instagram actually where someone pointed it out. And I'm ready for it because I think if they knew me personally, they would understand that I'm not captain of the boys club even though I am a bald, graying little monster of meat. I want it to be as equal of a playing field as it can be. I'm very excited that I have quite a few women that are going to be on the roster added this week. And I'm doing the same thing with females that I am with, you know, someone like the singer of Filth from today where you don't have to necessarily be in the biggest band but I think if you're really really really talented and someone would want to have these things on their song then that's what's most important to me because making really good art is what's most important. 

And, you know, it's not just about getting everyone paid because there are some people that are just really good and they're supposed to be there because that's what my gut tells me. And luckily, I get to make those decisions because it's mine [laughs]. But yeah, we have quite a few ladies that are added on this week. And you know, I'm constantly trying to work on that but the other thing that comes with that is, like, okay, so when I talked to Booka from Make Them Suffer, I was like, "Yo, you're my only girl so far. I just want to be upfront with you. Thank you.” And she's like, “Yo, let's get it.” Like, “Cool, I'm into it and I appreciate that.” But you also can't approach people and be like “I really don't have like any girls on my website like can you come and like represent ladies for me?” Because it doesn't bode well either where this is about talent, right? So I want you to know that I want to work with you not because of the way you look, not because of your gender, your sex or however you identify. I want you to know that I want to work with you because I care about your voice and I'm excited about you and I like what you're doing. And I think that other people will want to work with you as well. So it's a really interesting thing to navigate and I think we're doing our best so far that we can. Lacey Sturm if you hear this, I emailed your manager, come do the site please Lacy Sturm.

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A post shared by Featured X (@featuredxdotcom) on Aug 14, 2020 at 11:04am PDT

Do you think setting up Featured X has helped you appreciate someone like Kevin Lyman a little bit more who got grief for years with people saying Warped Tour wasn’t diverse enough? 

Oh yeah. I had a conversation about it this week with Lauren from Sharptooth who is going to be on this week's drop. Which I'm extremely excited about because we're friends and one of my close friends from home Peter plays bass in Sharptooth. I love their band. I love Lauren, love everything she stands for. When we were talking on the phone about it, I was like, “Yeah, I kind of feel for Kevin now because I'm seeing it.” And you know, you have to think it just stinks because you want the festival to be the biggest and best it can be so in order for it to be biggest and best it can be, it has to be with the biggest and best bands and then just sometimes there aren't as many girls in bands that are as relevant so they get left behind. Where I thought he always did a pretty good job at evening things out was on the lower stages. But again, it's a challenge. Like, find me female deathcore vocalists. How many are there? Find me female metalcore vocalist. There's not that many. There's like, Courtney and there's this girl from the band Machinist and there's like Emma from Dying Wish but there's not a lot. And believe me, I'm trying. I'm trying to keep it open to suggestions. So what I did was, after we made the [first] drop, I tweeted out, “Hey, I know we're really male heavy. Give me some suggestions, tell me who the ladies are.” And I got great suggestions from it. And I'm talking to people and [now] I have a bunch of great people signed up. So it's just something where I need guidance too. I'm 31. I've been doing this for a long time. I don't know every band on the planet even though I'd like to think that I do. And it's been very helpful so I'm kind of letting the community guide it a little bit as well, where, sure I could really want someone -- in my perfect world, Geoff Rickly from Thursday calls me and he goes, “Hey Tugboat, I'm gonna be on the site” and I'm like, “Okay, Geoff. We're gonna be best friends now.” And then he's like, “Okay, cool.” And then we're best friends. But that's not necessarily everyone else's [top choice]. You know, maybe some of these kids are like, “I really want Ronnie Radke or I want Chris Motionless” or something like that. So we may want different things. So I like suggestions. It helps me stay relevant and to understand what other people want.

Do you plan on opening it up to guitarists if they want to do featured solos?

Yeah, we're gonna have guitars added to it. We're going to do drums as well. But there's going to be two different styles with the drums where, you know, the reality is a lot of it is digital these days. So if you just want to work with someone and help you write the parts, you hire a drummer to write the drum parts. And if you want them to actually perform the drums in a studio, you can pay for that as well. We're going to do guitar solos, we are also going to do full songwriting and production too. There are a lot of people out there who are just vocalists and they want Bobby from Fit For A King to ghostwrite songs for them. So that's going to be an option as well. And, the last thing I think we're going to add are lessons in case anyone wants it but I think Music Mentors is really the place to go for that. I think Music Mentors is a fantastic place if you're trying to get any sort of lesson options, they have incredible people to choose from. It's very similar to what we do and it's owned by a dear friend of mine. So that's not really a place that we're trying to dip into too much but more so staying on the performance end of things. 

So it sounds like younger bands really have no excuse not to take advantage of these opportunities and progress their career. Sure it's gonna cost something but the tools are out there.

Absolutely. And when you talk about the cost, one thing to greatly consider with that, because that's one of the things that I do see some comments on, it's like, “How can this guy charge $1,000?” Well, the reason why is because one: You have like four or five people in your band, right? So $200 bucks a piece on anything, really isn't that bad. Two, you say this guy is one of your favorite vocalists of all time. You wouldn't pay $1,000 to work with your favorite vocalist? Because I know I would pay $1,000 to work with Dustin Kensrue or Geoff Rickly. Then on top of that, we're not asking you for publishing, we're not asking you for masters. So that's really not that much money in the grand scheme of things. The fact of the matter is that you get to own it, you get to push your career with it, you get to make content around it and I'm never going to see anything from it for the rest of my life. So I think that it's a pretty fair deal. And a lot of people don't necessarily want that but then you see in hip-hop, DaBaby is like, "Hundred thousand for a fucking feature, bitch!” And I'm like, “Yes! This is amazing!” Hip-hop is so like, encompassing in the community where they all help each other and they boost each other's songs. That's why Drake has made like 500 people famous and it's amazing to see that and we need more of it. Now I don't want to see Ryan Kirby on 500 songs the way Drake is but I do want people to lift each other up and do more collaborative stuff. An example of that is Fit For A King and We Came As Romans. We took “Backbreaker” and “Carry The Weight” and Dave sang on “Backbreaker” and Ryan sang on “Carry The Weight” and it crushed it. We did limited merch but we sold a shit ton of merch and everybody was streaming the songs and they're all happy about it. They really like it. But then when you look at the comments on YouTube, people still go “Who's Ryan Kirby? Who's Dave Stephens?” Holy shit. How is it that all the fans of We Came As Romans don't know who Fit For A King is and how is it that all the fans of Fit For A King don't know who We Came As Romans are? Mind blowing. So it just shows that there needs to be more connectivity. There needs to be people working together more trying to connect these fan bases because obviously we haven't tapped into everybody.

It sounds like there just needs to be a giant metalcore mixtape where everyone gets a feature and that's how you discover people.

Someone proposed the idea of a GoFundMe [laughs]. Do a GoFundMe, pay all the vocalists on the site. Do like that, um, one Tech N9ne song where there's like a million rappers on. I forget what it's called but they all rap really fast on it. They sound like Fronz. I'm just kidding. They don't sound like Fronz. They sound like rappers but... 

So yeah, before we let you go, we should probably discuss the new Fit For A King record. 

Oh, of course. Please. 

Talking about features, you have Ryo from Crystal Lake, who you guys have been friends with for a while, on a song.

Yeah, [we've been friends for] a couple years now. So in 2017, we're on Warped Tour and there's this girl who comes from Japan and goes to a bunch of tours and flies over here and goes for a few days and then flies back. And she was at the merch table and me and Ryan were talking to her and I was like, “Hey, are you friends with Ryo from Crystal Lake?” and she was like, “Yeah.” And I was like, “Well tell him that I'm pissed because he had Gideon come to Japan and I want to go to Japan. So invite me to Japan.” And she was like, “Okay, I'll tell him” and I was like, “Yeah, okay” because I was just being my sarcastic self. And a couple days later Ryo slid in my DMS and he was like, “Hey, I love Descendants. You guys want to come to Japan?” And I'm like, “Fuck, yeah!” and they invited us to play the 15 year anniversary of Crystal Lake. For a lot of people who don't know, Crystal Lake originally had a bunch of different members except for Udi, the guitar player. So he invites us over and we go and we play this festival and we come back and then we just kept in touch and they were super kind to us and took us around Tokyo and shit. And then we did the August Burns Red tour in the States. It was August Burns Red, us, Miss May I, and them. It was their first tour in the US. So we just kind of stuck by them the whole time and made sure they were good. ... We just bonded. I love the shit out of them. I have a Crystal Lake tattoo. It's a Crystal Lake, Miss May I, Fit For A King Smash Bros tattoo. It's interesting, you meet some people on the road that are extremely special that just hit you where it's like I've been waiting my whole life for you. Ryo's one of those guys. Like I would slaughter a whole room of individuals for him. He's the greatest. They're all incredibly loving, kind, passionate, happy, great people. And it's a blessing to get to know them because they do live so far away and I would have never met them if it wasn't for music. So very, very grateful for those guys. They are just, yeah, we are peas in a pod.

So how special was it to get Ryo on "God Of Fire" which paired with the announce of the new album 'The Path?'

It was the shit. Yeah, it was great because especially when you hear his raw files when they come back, it's pretty impressive. You think he's good live, I mean, when you can actually hear them just super raw it's insane how good his voice is and we couldn't think of anybody else when we heard the song once we got done with it. It was just so necessary. And yeah, he's the best frickin’ dude. We're so lucky to have him and have him involved with the song. It certainly brings a lot of attention to it because it doesn't get much hotter than Crystal Lake right now. I think them, Spiritbox and Polaris are probably the most hot up-and-coming metalcore bands right now and Crystal Lake every time they come back they draw more people, they're selling more merch, more people are interested. It's insane, absolutely bonkers. When you watch them open a show, it doesn't matter that they played first, the show's over. Like you feel like it's just done at that point because Ryo's in the middle of the crowd and there's 200 people holding him up by his ankles and he's doing this epic shit. Everyone's swaying their arms and you're just like, “Yeah, how do I come out on the stage after that?” So yeah, very lucky to have him on the track. 

And as for the track itself, was it important for you guys to come out with a heavy song so there's weren't any doubters thinking “Oh, Fit For A King's changing their sound” or whatever? Like, you wanted to lead with something super heavy. 

Well we did “Breaking The Mirror” first. So “Breaking The Mirror” was out and that is definitely way more rock. It's one of the more rock song, there's one other song that's kind of rock-y too but it's way different rock, it doesn't sound like butt metal rock. It sounds different. I say that with love because it's my band and I can describe my music however I want. But um yeah, so we did the “Breaking The Mirror” thing. You know, at first, it started doing really well on Octane. We ended up doing pretty decent on the active rock charts and we're like, “Okay, well, after you give them the soft side, you got to come right back with the heavy side.” And the other thing that's cool about “God Of Fire” is it has some experimental stuff to it. It does have the kind of EDM build in it and it has some electronic elements. And for me, I still have a top heavy banger that's on this record that no one's heard yet. I'm excited. 

This is the easily my favorite Fit For A King record. I can say that. I actually, when Dark Skies was made, I didn't listen to it for like two months because I was really sad that I didn't sing that much on it and I have a huge ego. You know, it took me a minute to accept it and be like, [jokingly] “They're not gonna hear me as much, what the fuck.” But then when “Everything Means Nothing” did really well, I was like, “I'd rather hit a home run then get 10 at bats and sometimes hit a single.” So I had to put myself in check there and then bringing in Daniel [Gailey, guitar] helped a lot. Where Daniel and Bob -- you know, Bob is the writing guy -- but Daniel can shred in a way that just the rest of us can't. So having him get in there and being able to add really helps exemplify some of those more metal moments [and] some of those more chaotic moments. He can play in a way that we don't necessarily play. So having him, plus his vocal range is absolutely bonkers. He can do these like Sam Carter [Architects] yells. And then also, his voice matches really well with Kirby when they're in a similar register with the more like, “Price of Agony” style choruses. So overall, adding him to the team just boosted everything. 

That’s awesome.

So going into this record, we were happy. We were in a great mood, we wanted to be around each other. We knew what we wanted to write. We didn't want to write some like super depressed record and we weren't depressed. So it was helpful because we just had the best year of our lives. And we were just like ready to make something that's powerful. Something that just makes you fucking stoked, makes you want to get in your car and like slam it into a brick wall. I don't know why that sounds like fun to me at the moment. Maybe it's the life I've been living lately [laughs]. That was a terrible example, I take that back. But regardless, it's fun. I think it's victorious. It's powerful. I think people will enjoy it. So it's been cool getting to drop “God Of Fire” and have everyone take to it the way they did because for me, I've still got that number one heavy banger there. There's other heavy songs too. There's one where I'm like, “Yeah, you guys are gonna like this.”

We could probably talk about The Path a lot longer but just to wrap this up, do you have anything else in store for 2020 or will you just be focusing on Fit For A King and Featured X for the rest of the year?

I think I’m just going to be focused on Featured X and the new Fit record. Keeping up with the podcast on top of that has been really difficult but I’m getting there. I just think, as soon as I can get back out and do Fit stuff and play shows, obviously we’re going to be out there and doing that but right now all of my other free time is dedicated to Featured X. I’ll be honest, I’ve probably worked more now than I ever have in my life. My phone [usage] is at about 10 and a half hours average daily [laughs]. It’s been a bit intense, my fiancée is baring with me and being extremely supportive but it took a lot to get 60 people in a month and I want to be at 500 in six months.

Wow! That’s a pretty lofty goal.

It is. And it sounds insane and I’ve told myself that it’s too insane but I’m going to try and we’ll see what happens. And now that we have the application coming in, if you are a great singer and your band is really good, I want you to apply. And if you don’t get accepted it’s not necessarily because you’re bad. Your band might not be there yet but I am contacting just about everyone. Cause I want to have conversations and transparency throughout all of it as well where there is a time where, you know, you’re a really good singer but your  band has only five monthly listeners on Spotify where I gotta be like, “Come back in like six months and maybe we can put you on and help you push a release or something.” But then I get someone who is really, really talented and their band has like 7,000 monthly listeners and I’m like “Well, your band is not huge but you’re really good and your band could be really big and I’d rather have you here first before you’re anywhere else.” And I’m all for that, we’ll find that middle ground, we’ll talk about it, I’ll be honest with you and I’ll only try to help and not hurt anybody. But I want to hear everything and I like hearing these applications and I like checking out these bands. Myself and my business partner are checking all the applications that come through. I do see everything that comes in, so please feel free to communicate with me. Hit me up on Instagram, hit me up on Facebook, Twitter or whatever. I’m pretty good at responding. Holler. 

[chorusfm]

Fearless Records Announces Executive Promotions

Fearless Records’ founder, Bob Becker, has appointed executives Jenny Reader to President/Chief Creative Officer and Andy Serrao to President/Chief Talent Officer. The full press release can be read below. Fearless Records founder Bob Becker has appointed executives Jenny Reader to President/Chief Creative Officer and Andy Serrao to President/Chief Talent Officer. The two will oversee all label operations and steadfastly maintain the company’s resolute dedication to developing and breaking the next vanguard of 21st century rock acts. Becker, the visionary who started the company and steered it through some of its greatest successes, will become Chairman Emeritus, continuing to advocate for Fearless Records. “After starting Fearless Records 25 years ago, I am happy to be moving into the role of Charmain Emeritus of the company,” comments Becker. “I am very confident and happy to have appointed Jenny Reader and Andy Serrao as Fearless’ Co-Presidents. They have both been instrumental in the label’s ongoing success. With a stellar roster of artists, I look forward to Fearless having 2019 be the most successful year ever under their leadership.” This changing of the guard happens at an exciting time for the label as it will celebrate its 25thAnniversary in 2019. Since 1994, with Becker at the helm, the Fearless brand has set the pace for alternative, rock, hard rock, and heavy metal and continues to represent the pulse of the culture with a diverse and dynamic roster. The label will continue to define rock music deep into the next decade and beyond, expanding on what Becker and his team have tirelessly and painstakingly built over the last 25 years. Fearless will celebrate this landmark anniversary with special back catalog releases in addition to albums by frontline artists, a curated series of unique events and activations, and an integrated focus on Fearless’ own properties including original programming through their YouTube channel, which currently boasts over 1.8 Million subscribers. Reader moves into this newly announced post from the position of VP, Marketing & Product Management at Fearless. Born and raised in the UK, she has over 16 years of experience in the music business, working in music television and magazines before running the UK office of Victory Records and later the Publicity and Marketing departments at the company’s Chicago office. In 2009, she relocated California to head the Fearless PR department. Throughout her career, she has devised and spearheaded successful marketing campaigns for the Fearless rock roster, including Pierce The Veil, August Burns Red, I Prevail, Motionless In White, and Underoath. Serrao joined Fearless Records in January of 2018 as VP of A&R. He has over 15 years of experience both as a concert/festival promoter and as A&R for Roadrunner/Atlantic and Pure Noise. Having both major label experience and indie label savvy, Serrao’s entrepreneur spirit brings a fresh approach to being a label partner in 2019 and beyond. “It’s thrilling to be able to lead the charge on a new era of Fearless, at one of the most exciting times for music and rock,” says Reader. “Our roster is the strongest it has ever been, with some of our biggest releases to date coming in 2019, and I am proud to be taking the label into its next chapter with Andy and the Fearless team. We are incredibly dedicated to artist relations, development, doubling down on the lifestyle element of Fearless and the intelligent integration of our artists within our own properties. We are not afraid to push the creative boundaries on what is possible within the genre and well beyond.” “Fearless Records has long been a place where artists have realized their creative talent and have taken their art and business to a global level,” states Serrao. “Our commitment to their vision is driven by the independent spirit and drive that Bob Becker instilled in this company from day one. I am excited to continue this commitment with the incomparable Jenny Reader and our Fearless family.” Tom Whalley, Concord Music’s Chief Label Executive, comments, “Fearless has always been a strong, cultural music company and I have no doubt that Jenny and Andy’s leadership will continue to serve the needs of the label’s artist and fans. I look forward to working with the Fearless team in the label’s 25th anniversary year and beyond.” --- Please consider supporting us so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/news/fearless-records-announces-executive-promotions/

[thebestintoronto]

The best Toronto concerts of July 2018

Big acts like Janelle Monáe, Radiohead, Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu are all in town; plus, Nano Mutek and the final Warped Tour

1. Janelle Monáe

The genre-defying musician has yet to score a big hit single to rocket her into mainstream consciousness, but has steadily grown her audience thanks in large part to her incredible live presence. An heir apparent to go-for-broke acts like Prince or James Brown, Janelle Monáe concerts generally mix theatrical flourishes, audience participation and almost non-stop (and deeply satisfying) funk rhythms. And this time she’s coming to town in support of her best album, Dirty Computer. Not to be missed.

July 16, doors 6:30 pm. Rebel. $69.50-$75. ticketmaster.ca.

2. Radiohead

It’s been six years since the stage collapsed at Downview Park, killing Radiohead’s drum tech Scott Johnson. And while an inquiry into Johnson’s death is still ongoing despite the case no longer in courts, the English art rock band is making their return to Toronto. They play back-to-back shows at Air Canada Centre – aka the newly minted Scotiabank Arena – on July 19 and 20. Tickets for both concerts unsurprisingly sold out within minutes. While the band’s last album, A Moon Shaped Pool, was released in 2016, fans will likely be hoping to hear favourites like Karma Police, Creep and Paranoid Android from their back catalogue

July 19-20, doors 7:30 pm. Scotiabank Arena. $79.50-$99.50. ticketmaster.ca

3. Ms. Lauryn Hill, Santigold, Busta Rhymes, Tierra Whack, Dave East

The hip-hop icon has a rep for being late and difficult, but she also happens to be one of the most intense live musicians working today. Whether or you like the live, furiously played re-arrangements of her classic hits or not, you have to admit she’s a hard-working frontperson and intense rapper. This tour will feature her seminal The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill album in its entirety and a stacked list of openers, including fellow rapid-fire rapper Busta Rhymes (who is back in town at Rebel on July 27 with Lil Kim).

July 18, doors 5 pm. Budweiser Stage. $37-$199, all ages. ticketmaster.ca, livenation.com.

4. Courtney Barnett

The laid-back Australian overthinker/songwriter brings a new batch of songs from her excellent new album Tell Me How You Really Feel to Toronto for two nights. A mix of wry sarcasm and wordplay and intense introspection, Barnett’s music is sure to attract a very specific, but surprisingly far-reaching crowd. Call it a sign of the times.

July 9 -10, doors 7 pm. Danforth Music Hall. $37.50-$40. ticketmaster.ca.

5. Erykah Badu

It’s been a while since Erykah Badu blessed a stage in Toronto (five years – yes, we’re counting). Good news: the singular soul/R&B/funk star is coming to town to spin at legendary Art Deco venue the Carlu as part of the expanded AfroChic Festival under her Cooley High-inspired DJ alias, Lo Down Loretta Brown. The next day she’ll hold court for an on-stage chat alongside unnamed special guests.

July 14, doors 6 pm. The Carlu. July 15, 2-6 pm. Globe and Mail Centre (in conversation). $50-$125. Afrochic.ca.

6. St. Vincent

Annie Clark hasn’t performed in Canada since 2015, but she’s doubling down this summer with a stop in Toronto and Montreal. Ahead of her performance at Osheaga, she’ll be at the Sony Centre. Unlike typical St. Vincent gigs with a backing band and visuals, this tour will see Clark performing songs from all five of her albums solo.

July 31, doors 7 pm. Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. $49.50-$79.50, all ages. ticketmaster.ca, livenation.com.

7. Feast In The East 69

Feast In The East is bringing its music and food series back to the park with an outdoor show (and meal!) at Prairie Drive Park. In addition to art installations and dinner, veteran Indigenous singer/songwriter Eric Landry will bring his guitar-accompanied folks songs to the stage. Other performers include psychedelic country band The Highest Order, and Drag City freak folk duo Faun Fables. Vegan eats will be provided, free of charge, by chef Keithen Codner.

July 7. Prairie Drive Park. FREE, all ages. feastintheeast.tumblr.ca.

8. Tink

We’ve been huge fans of the Chicago rapper since we put her on our cover in 2015. The Timbaland-produced major label debut she told us about never saw the light of day, but she’s put out several mixtapes full of sung-rapped songs that incisively tackle love and loneliness. Her latest release, the six-track EP Pain & Pleasure, is no exception.

July 13, doors 7 pm. Mod Club. $25-$35, all ages. ticketweb.ca.

9. Sleep

Cannabis won’t be legal by the time Sleep come to Danforth Music Hall after all, but you can still expect to see bongs being ripped in front of pubs all throughout the Danforth. The pioneers of stoner metal put out the Sciences, their first album in nearly two decades, in April (guess which day), and its titanically slow and heavy doom riffs are begging to echo through one of our city’s music halls. Are you blasting Marijuanaut’s Theme in anticipation yet? We are.

July 30, 7 pm. Danforth Music Hall. $30.75-$38.50. ticketmaster.ca.

10. Nano Mutek

Ahead of Montreal’s big electronic music festival in August, Mutek has partnered with local promoter It’s Not U It’s Me for a teaser. This year, six artists on the rise in Toronto and Montreal are performing, including Korea Town Acid, who recently dropped her otherworldly debut EP Mahogani Forest, and E-Saggila, whose industrial techno and noise-inspired sets recently wowed crowds at CMW. Rounding out the main room are Scott Hardware, Richard Wenger, Ginger Breaker and ACOTE. Set at 2FL, a King West event space next to ping-pong bar Spin, a second room will showcase even more talent: DJ Name, Jaime Sin and Priori. Even if you’re planning on making the trek to Montreal this summer, this satellite show holds its own as one of the best electronic events of the summer.

July 7, doors 10 pm. 2FL. $15-30. eventbrite.ca.

11. Pharmakon

Margaret Chardier’s noisey, droney, scraping, screaming confrontation was one of our highlights of Halifax’s Obey Convention. If any of those descriptors appeal to you, you should be at this Garrison show. It’s a seriously cathartic experience.

July 21, doors 9 pm. The Garrison. $15. ticketfly.com.

12. Hopped and Confused

The annual beer and music series is making its way to Toronto for the first time ever. Located in the Distillery District, the one-day event features a Canadian indie rock lineup of Sloan, Tokyo Police Club, Land of Talk Mt. Joy and Taylor Knox, as well as other acts curated by Dine Alone Records. What goes better with music on a hot day than cold brews? Luckily, over 15 Mill Street beers and Brickworks ciders will be available on tap for $5.

July 14, 3 pm. Mill Street Brewery. $40-$80. hoppedandconfused.ca

13. L7

The Los Angeles-based proto-riot grrrl band are playing their first local gig in three years. Last time, they had a crowd of mostly women swinging rubber dicks in the air to their thunderous 90s hits. (Even more memorably, a shitlist in the washroom listing alleged local music scene abusers stirred up conversation about sexual assault in the music scene.) This time, the foursome has some solid new tunes in their arsenal and are planning to release their first album in 20 years next February.

July 25, doors 7 pm. Danforth Music Hall. $26.50. ticketmaster.ca.

14. King Princess

One of the buzziest acts coming to town this summer is retro-pop musician Mikaela Straus. She’s the first artist signed to mega-producer Mark Ronson’s label Zelig Records and her torchy queer love anthem 1950 found a fan in none other than Harry Styles, who recently tweeted the lyrics. She’s sold out two shows at the Drake so if you didn’t get tickets, you only have FOMO to fear: It’s probably a safe bet that she’ll be back to play a much bigger venue sometime soon.

July 15-16, doors 7:30 pm. The Drake Hotel. $25.05. ticketweb.ca.

15. Deafheaven

The San Francisco black metal band has been controversial in metal circles since they started throwing shimmering shoegaze and dream pop textures into the typically unrelenting subgenre template, and the early tastes of the former NOW cover stars’ upcoming album Ordinary Corrupt Human Love adds even more colours into that bleak palette. So don’t expect your typical metal show crowd, but do expect a dynamic-filled sound adventure.

July 27, doors 7 pm. Opera House. $22.50. ticketfly.com, rotate.com, soundscapesmusic.com.

16. Warped Tour

The travelling punk festival is calling it quits after this year, and though it has a checkered history whose toxicity has been showing itself long before #MeToo, it still feels like the end of an era. It’s probably best to let it die, but first there’s a nostalgia-filled lineup that includes alumni like Sum 41, Simple Plan, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, The Used and Silverstein alongside current Hot Topic teen favourites like 3OH!3, Underoath, Assuming We Survive and In Hearts Wake.

July 17, doors 11 am. Budweiser Stage. $69.50, all ages. ticketmaster.ca.

17. Weezer and Pixies

Nostalgia is often strongest in summertime, so a Weezer/Pixies co-headlining tour makes sense. Everyone’s two favourite college bands will land at the Budweiser stage on July 14. The tour comes on the heels of Weezer’s 11th studio release Pacific Daydream (and in case you’re wondering, Rivers Cuomo is 48 years old), and lucky for Weezer fans, they havn’t changed all that much over the years. Expect to play air guitar with hundreds of other fans to the likes of Say It Ain’t So, El Scorcho, summer fave Island In The Sun and their new – charting hit! – cover of Toto’s Africa. Pixies will be there holding down their hits from the last three decades – yes, if you want to feel old: Surfer Rosa was released in 1988.

July 14, doors 7: 30 pm. Budweiser Stage. $59-$310. ticketmaster.ca.

18. Arcade Fire

It’s been one hell of a year for Arcade Fire. After performing on Saturday Night Live for the fifth time and winning Album of the Year at the JUNOs, the Montreal band is heading back out on the road in support of Everything Now (again). Calling it the Everything Now Continued tour, their stop in Toronto is the only Canadian city on the list – albeit a slight step down from the Air Canada Centre, where they last played. See the world’s biggest indie band live at Budweiser Stage.

July 22, doors 6 pm. Budweiser Stage. $36-$100, all ages. ticketmaster.ca, livenation.com.

This article " The best Toronto concerts of July 2018" was first seen on Now Toronto

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[ragdollswritings]

Lets talk about letlive.

           Thanks to the winter break from classes and the new semester starting, I haven’t had the focus to sit down and write a new review! I’ve been going through my library trying to figure out what to write about and I have settled on an oldie but goodie.  This week we’re gonna talk about one of my favorite bands of all time, LETLIVE.

           This California based band started in 2002 in the garage of lead singer Jason Butler.  He had been playing music since he was little, doing his absolute best to create music that was emotionally driven and relevant.  He completely succeeded with the help of his friends.  The end product was Letlive. a very politically driven band with an equally driven fan base.  Letlive.’s first release was “Speak Like You Talk” in 2005.  If you are familiar with their more current albums “Speak Like You Talk” is extremely different.  Jason sounds younger, and the albums seems almost discordant with their more recent releases.  It is heavily punk, and while it gained them some traction, their major hit was their sophomore album “Fake History” in 2009.  They toured off of both these albums and gained massive traction in the U.S. and Canada.  After signing with Epitaph Records in 2011 they undertook a brief European tour. Thanks to Epitaph they were able to re-release “Fake History” with two new B-side tracks.  Even with the re-release “Fake History” didn’t even make the charts here in America, but their fan-base continued to grow thanks to a tour with Underoath and August Burns Red.  

           In 2013, on July 9th, Letlive. Introduced their newest brand of mind-numbing awesomeness that is “The Blackest Beautiful”.  With this album Letlive. truly found their groove. It debuted at number 74 on the Billboard 200, sold nearly 5,000 copies, and debuted in the UK at number 64 on the hard rock charts. This album had four different studio drummers because the band at the time did not have a permanent member, and went through four different recording masters.  It was finally mastered to have a very organic, human feel to it.  It has an impressive range of frenzied instrumentation and the rage filled screaming as well as beautiful harmonies and melodies. It has been described by many as a pop album, but its influences are deeply soul, funk, punk, and rock.  With “The Blackest Beautiful”, Jason allowed the lyrics to say more than previous albums had.  While still deeply influenced by the band members lives, the album had more commentary on the political and religious spectrum that the previous two. They released one single from this album, “Banshee (Ghost Frame)” and streamed the album for free online three weeks before the release.  Even with that, it still made the charts and sold a decent number of albums for a band that was just starting to gain traction.  

           In 2015 Letlive. announced that they had finished their fourth studio album, “If I’m the Devil…”.  It pushed the band’s musical limits into trying things they had never done before. They wanted the album to be the best compilation of all of them.  With each member wanting the album to have a different style it took a lot of arguments to get the songs where they were all happy with them.  Jason ended up singing more on this album than the previous ones, and the band experimented with different musical instruments.  They even recorded themselves slapping desks and walls just to see how the sounds would play together in the album.  Once completed they were all pretty happy with the result.  “If I’m the Devil…” was their most politically outspoken album yet. Letlive. released two singles off of this album, “Good Mourning, America” and “Reluctantly Dead”.  “Good Mourning, America” is a very anthem driven style of song and is the most political one on the album.  It deals largely with police brutality and racism in America.  After yet another shot heard around the world in Ferguson, Missouri, U.S.A. many American musician spoke out again the brutality facing young black people in America.  Jason Butler, a man who has seen this kind of violence first hand immediately started using his art to influence any kind of change.  

           On April 28, 2017 Letlive. posted to their social media pages that they were going to be breaking up.  As Metal Hammer said, “the heartbreak of millions could be heard.” Since the announcement not much has been heard from any members of the band.  Jason has been working on a new project called The Fever 333. They currently have three singles up on iTunes for purchase but not much else is available.  

           If you are in the mood to have your heartstrings pulled on while simultaneously having your mind blown and your eardrums pierced, then turn Letlive. up to ten and have a party.  They are an absolutely amazing band who worked with an incredible driving force to become the band that they were.  My only hope for the future is that they figure out how to get back together and bring us more music that will make me cry while also making me scream at the top of lungs.  

 Sources:

https://www.facebook.com/theletlive/

[lostinthesoundofunderoath]

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[thephotopitmagazine]

We are literally two months away from one of Orlando’s biggest music festival Earthday Birthday, also known as EDBD. Hosted by Orlando’s rock station WJRR, the event held at the Central Florida Fairgrounds brings in thousands of people from the Central Florida area to relish in a day of hard rock and heavy metal. Last year, the event hosted its 25th anniversary with Shinedown as the headliner, a band that WJRR has supported since their inception. This year, EDBD 26 once again delivers a stellar lineup that you shouldn’t miss on April 13, 2019.

This year’s headliner is Godsmack. The band from Boston has been rocking since 1995 and show no signs of slowing down. Godsmack has played EDBD numerous times and this time they are the main event. The band is still touring of their most recent album When Legends Rise released on April 27, 2018. Last summer the band toured the U.S. with Shinedown in support of their album. They are sure to put on a stellar performance for the fans.

Three Days Grace returns to EDBD after putting on a spectacular performance last year. The Canadian band has been around since 1997 and has released amazing albums including their self-titled debut album and One-X. Last year, the band released Outsider their sixth studio album on March 9, 2018. Their first single from the album “The Mountain” hit #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and was their 13th #1 single. Three Days Grace is sure to provide the fans with another memorable performance.

Three Days Grace at EDBD 25. Photo by Talon Kane Photography.

Three Days Grace at EDBD 25. Photo by Talon Kane Photography.

Another return band from EDBD past is the Michigan rockers Pop Evil. Formed in 2001 the band has made a huge impression with rock fans since their debut album Lipstick on the Mirror which included “100 in a 55” which hit #8 on the Billboard U.S. Mainstream Rock Chart. The band is currently on tour supporting their fifth studio album Pop Evil. The album was released on February 16, 2018, and the first single “Waking Lions” hit #1 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Chart. Pop Evil never disappoints with their live performances and it’s great to see them coming back to EDBD.

Florida’s own Underoath will also be performing. Underoath captured major media attention when they announced they were releasing a new album after the band disbanded in 2013. It was the first new music from them since 2010. Their eighth studio album Erase Me was released on April 6, 2018, and hit #1 on the Billboard U.S. Top Hard Rock Albums chart and peaked at #16 on the Billboard 200 Chart. The band toured heavily over the summer in support of the album and is continuing that tour in 2019 including this stop at EDBD.

From the West Coast, we also have the California band Atreyu. The band has been around since 1998 and has since released 7 studio albums. Their most recent, In Our Wake was released on October 12, 2018. The album hit #2 on the Billboard U.S. Hard Rock Top Album Chart and they’ve been touring since the release. Atreyu always puts on phenomenal live performances and this is one band I am definitely looking forward to seeing once again.

Atreyu performing at The Ritz Ybor. Photo by Talon Kane Photography.

Atreyu performing at The Ritz Ybor. Photo by Talon Kane Photography.

Atreyu performing at The Ritz Ybor. Photo by Talon Kane Photography.

The rest of the EDBD 26 lineup so far also includes P.O.D., Motionless In White, Badflower, The Glorius Sons, Rival Sons, and The Blue Stones. And maybe we may see more bands added to the lineup closer to the event date.

EDBD events always provided more than just music at their events. There will be various food and drink vendors, a V.I.P. Lounge (if you were lucky enough to grab V.I.P. tickets), body painters, and the Art and Charity Walk area where various artists will have their creative items for sale along with charities looking to raise money for good causes. On top of that, there will also be the return of the Colours Couture Traveling Tattoo Show & Competition. Ink Master Jime Litwalk and Colours Couture premier artist JR will both be at EDBD 26 along with an open tattoo competition for anyone who has them plus some surprising sideshows. There will also be a number of bands performing on the Colours Stage that include Eve To Adam, Handsome Pete, Losing September, Phoenix Rising, Modern Mimes, Razorwire Halo, and Black Oxygen.

Ticket prices are as follows:

GA Tickets – $75.00 + s/c 4-pack GA tickets – $260.00 + s/c

You can purchase your tickets through Ticketmaster HERE.

Military/First Responders – $65.00 + s/c

Military and First Responders can purchase their tickets through GovX HERE.

Do yourself a favor and don’t miss out EDBD 26. It is an entertaining and family-friendly event for all rock and metal fans!

From The Pit To The Crowd: EDBD 26 Preview We are literally two months away from one of Orlando's biggest music festival Earthday Birthday, also known as EDBD.