Rosedale Q&A

Your name: 

Mike Liorti.

Where are you from? 
West outskirts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. City called Brampton.

Name of band: 
ROSEDALE.

Who else is in your band? 
Just me but I have a bunch of fill-ins all over.

How would you describe yourself and your music? 
Aggressive power pop. It's like if Boxcar Racer and Boys Like Girls had a tall, production-junkie child.

Who are your main influences musically? 
Tom Delonge, Jerry Finn, Kris Roe, Roger Joseph Manning Jr. , Alex Baker, Owl City, Ben Gibbard, Radiohead, Underoath, The Starting Line, Travis Barker, Kenny Bridges.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 
Happiness and legacy. I want to change lives like my favorite songs/albums/shows changed mine.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 
Performing outside of Warped tour was always bittersweet. Sometimes kids just weren't in the mood to hear a new band while waiting to get in and see the bands they know. But often times people connected and were extremely supportive. It was the best experience of my life getting bands like All Time Low, Bayside, Taking Back Sunday, New Found Glory, Attack! Attack! The Used ect., bands I've looked up to for years, checking out my one-man show and buying my CDs and merch. Then FINALLY getting on the schedule and playing some stages. Those were the real trophy moments for me. Especially after all my bandmates and managers threw in the towel.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 
There's a lot of those!! One that comes to mind was when we got caught at the border with a tour itinerary and expiring work permits fall of '09. We lied about the tour and almost got banned from America for seven years. Luckily they saw no harm done and gave us a one-year watch period with a denial notice. That was a big tour we had to miss out on though and a depressing drive home. We were young and dumb, lesson learned. Then there's the time we went to Montreal for a last-minute Warped-line set and rolled our van into a ditch on the way home..but I'll save that one.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 
That's very tough. Every song is almost a whole different genre. Lyrically: Sustain, instrumentally: Quicksand, tone-ally??: Grey, integrally: A kid Again, progressively: To My Father ...I really missed a few. I love'm all.

Where can we listen to it?  rosedale.bandcamp.com

Where can we find out more about your music?  
ROSEDALE:
www.rosedalemusic.net
www.facebook.com/ROSEDALEmusic
Www.rosedale.bandcamp.com
@rosedalemusic
@rosedalemike
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rosedale/id1084782852
Videos:
https://youtu.be/Gv1SdZkmopI
https://youtu.be/PAyXNRap4u8
https://youtu.be/_N7f64nsMOM
http://youtu.be/awbS8xLViFA
http://youtu.be/IVMDya1GALI

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask? 
I'm always looking for musicians to tour. So if you wanna travel and play shows, hit me up with a video of you playing and I'll check it out.

Blue Helix Q&A

Your name: 

Sami Chohfi.

Where are you from? 

Washington State.

Name of band:

Blue Helix.

Who else is in your band?

Juan Carrion, Noah Phipps and Arman Birang.

How would you describe yourselves? 

We are an four-piece original band that writes and records songs in many sub-genres in rock and alternative. We blend hard rock elements with acoustic/singer-songwriter concepts as well as a grunge inspired twist with modern songwriting elements.

Who are your main influences musically? 

SoundGarden, STP, Nirvana, Radiohead, NIN, Smashing Pumpkins, Tool,  Alice in Chains.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

To be able to make an honest living touring the US, Europe and South America. To be played on many radio stations worldwide.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 

The completion of our album Tale of Two Halves, it has received a lot of attention with radio stations all over the US and parts of the UK.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 

None, all moments are a stepping stone to tomorrow.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

Aliens. Its just my personal favorite.

Where can we listen to it?

https://soundcloud.com/bluehelix-music/04-aliens

Where can we find out more about your music?

www.bluehelixmusic.com

https://www.facebook.com/BlueHelixMusic/

https://twitter.com/bluehelixmusic

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tale-of-two-halves/id921512905

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?

Our favorite thing about what we do is our ability to appeal to all ages of listeners. Thats our biggest strength. Our live show is what we live for.

Kaleido Q&A

Your name: 

Christina Chriss.

Where are you from?

Detroit, MI.

Name of band: 

Kaleido.

Who else is in your band? 

Joey Fava (drums), Ronnie Rosolino (guitar), Jamie Burnham (guitar) & Cody Morales (bass & DJ).

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 

I'm a free spirit. I love using my life experiences to create songs. The music is raw & real. I really love being in a band and putting my head together with my guys to create music that makes people feel something. It's rock music with pop and urban flare.

Who are your main influences musically? 

Guns n Roses, No Doubt, Foo Fighters, Kid Rock, Eminem, Patsy Cline, Madonna .. I could go on and on. Very diverse and the different influences definitely come through in the music we create.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Writing the best songs that stand the test of time and bringing rock music back to the forefront of mainstream pop culture.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 

There have been so many incredible opportunities for us it's hard to pick just one highlight. We've toured the US multiple times, opening for bands like Aerosmith, Slash, Sammy Hagar, Kid Rock, Alien Ant Farm (just to name a few). We've worked with a Grammy award winning producer. One of the most touching and memorable moments for me was singing the Star Spangled Banner at the Detroit Tiger's game in front of thousands. What makes it even more special is that it was on my grandfather's 79th birthday (he was a veteran and served in Germany with Elvis Presley in the 50s) and he was there to see it. He recently passed away and I am so thankful to have had that memory with him. He was very proud and supportive of my musical career. 

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 

None!! Every up, every down - has brought me to where I am! I wouldn't change anything! It's my journey. If anything I wish my memory was a bit better and I literally could remember every single second. 

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

My Rock & Roll. Along the way many people have tried to influence, sway and change our sound. That song is our response. We're taking back our rock & roll. No one can steal that from us.

Where can we listen to it? 

https://youtu.be/GZxKklXjVgc

Where can we find out more about your music?

Www.kaleidoband.com

Www.facebook.com/kaleidoband

Www.facebook.com/christinachriss

Www.twitter.com/kaleidoband

Www.twitter.com/christinachriss

Www.instagram.com/christinachriss

Www.instagram.com/kaleidoband 

Unbreakable by Kaleido

https://itun.es/us/tKtxY

Kaleido by Kaleido

https://itun.es/us/-6txI

Starfinder Q&A

Your name:

Ian Galloway.

Where are you from?

Chicago, IL right now.

Name of band:

Starfinder.

Who else is in your band?

For now Starfinder is a project where I write, perform, and record all the music. Although in the future I may have some other members for live performance.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

I'm a punk rock guy at heart who has also loved new wave and synthpop since I was a young teen. I've been a member of several past and present punk, garage, and indie rock bands including Porno Mags, whose self-released debut album peaked at #47 on CMJ in 2014. I also a member of Chicago bands Witchfeet and Joy Shooters. I started messing around with synthesizers and samplers about five months ago and decided to start writing 80s influenced new wave tunes in my spare time. It's been a blast so far and I'm just completely out of this world happy how well received my first two singles have been by both fans and the media.

Who are your main influences musically?

They are all over the place. I love 70s punk like Ramones, Buzzcocks, The Jam and stuff like that. I'm also a huge fan of old power pop and garage rock like The Real Kids. 90s indie rock is something I'm way into as well, stuff like Guided by Voices, Dinosaur Jr, etc. For Starfinder I take a lot influence from bands that used a lot of electronic elements like New Order, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Pet Shop Boys, Human League, and stuff like that. Blend all of this together and that's where Starfinder comes from.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Ideally I'd love to find a label interested in pressing some vinyl for Starfinder. I'd also like to do some short tours with Starfinder in the future, possibly with a couple other people to help pull it off live. Mainly I just want to keep writing songs and sharing them with anyone who's into it. It's really rewarding just working on music on my own and releasing songs when I can.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

I've had lots of great things happen over the years. Touring in some of my bands, meeting great people all over the US, getting played on college radio all over the US and charting on CMJ, playing street festivals here in Chicago, hearing Starfinder on the Synth City radio show in the UK, playing really fun house shows, recently having Starfinder reviewed on the Indie Rock Cafe blog, the list goes on...

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Definitely had lots of van break downs in the past when touring. One time it was the middle of winter in Wyoming in a huge snow storm. We had to wait for a couple hours for tow truck in no heat. As we were sitting there on the side of the road, we saw a flatbed tow truck coming in our rear view mirror. We were happy to see our tow truck coming, when all of a sudden the truck started sliding sideways. The truck slid off the road at like 50 miles an hour and missed hitting our van by inches. It was really scary. Luckily that wasn't the truck coming for us! Another time our van flew off the road, again in the snow and did a 180 spin at like 70 mph all the way across to the other side of the highway. That was probably the single scariest moment of my life.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

Well, I only have two singles out right now so either one is pretty representational of the band at this point but I'll go ahead and pick "If I Were You", it seems to be the fan favorite right now.

Where can we listen to it?

https://soundcloud.com/starfinderchicago/if-i-were-you-single-mix

Where can we find out more about your music?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starfinderband/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/StarfinderSynth

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/starfinderchicago

Bandcamp: https://starfinder.bandcamp.com/

Tumblr / Website: http://starfinderband.com/

The Bad Flowers Q&A

Your name:

Dale Tonks.

Where are you from?

Cannock, West Midlands.

Name of band: 

The Bad Flowers.

Who else is in your band?

Tom Leighton and Karl Selickis.

How would you describe yourselves?

We're a three-piece rock band who thrive on writing songs with thunderous riffs and putting on energetic live performances.

Who are your main influences musically?

Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Rival Sons, Tyler Bryant and The Shakedown - just some if many.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

The dream for all of us is to make a career in music and do what we love for a living.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

We had the opportunity to open for The Sheepdogs because we had seen them when they supported The Temperance Movement. We've also been asked to support Crobot on their up and coming UK tour.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

There are no moments we want to forget in terms of music, but there have been some eventful journeys along the way!

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

It would be one of our newest releases City Lights, we've put a lot of work into it and we are really proud of that track. It shows the raw emotion and direction the band is aiming for.

Where can we listen to it?

It was released on Sunday, June 12th, so check out our Soundcloud! www.soundcloud.com/thebadflowers

Where can we find out more about your music?

Our Facebook is where we do the majority of posting. You can also get links to all our other social media through our website www.thebadflowers.uk

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?

We'd just like to say thank you for asking us to do the interview. We hope that the people reading this want to check us out and we'd love to see you at our shows.

Dark Messiah Q&A

Your name: 

Jonathan Hayward.

Where are you from? 

We're from Winnipeg, Maitoba, Canada.

Name of band: 

Dark Messiah.

Who  is in your band? 

Dark Messiah is made up of Stephen Chubaty on vocals, Lawrence Reimer on rhythm guitar, Jared McKnight on bass, Dustin Tyler on drums and myself on lead guitar. 

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 

We're a couple of greasy metalheads who just love what we do. Our music is heavy duty thrash metal inspired by the classics.

Who are your main influences musically? 

Let's just say that if Slayer and Judas Priest had a baby, and then Metallica and Pantera had a baby and those two babies spawned and that offspring had a threesome with Lamb of God and Zakk Wylde, you'd get Dark Messiah.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

We want to take this as far as possible, share our music with the entire world and play for as many people as we can.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 

Every chance we get to play in front of people is a highlight of our career for us. Every time people enjoy what we do and have a good time listening to us it fuels us. It reminds us of the one reason we do this in the first place.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 

There's ups and downs for us like there is with any band. It's not so much about the moments you want to forget but how you learn from those moments and how you move forward. We've had to pick ourselves up from some setbacks but in the end it's only made us stronger.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

No Soul To Sell is the first song we ever wrote and sums up our sound. When we wrote that song it showed us what we have and where we could go as a band. It's a heavy song with a hook and definitely influenced and inspired what we create and what we want to accomplish stylistically  moving forward.

Where can we listen to it? 

We are currently in the studio recording our debut E.P. We will have a website up and running shortly before it's release. In the meantime fans can check out our social media sites for content and footage from our shows.

Where can we find out more about your music? 

www.facebook.com/DarkMessiahWpg,

www.instagram.com/darkmessiahmetal 

www.twitter.com/DarkMessiah204

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask? 

We like to let our live performances and music speak for itself.

PRANX Q&A

Your name:

Boris.

Where are you from?

Mosbach, Germany.

Name of band:

PRANX.

Who else is in your band?

Rouven (bass, vocals) and Marcel (drums).

How would you describe yourselves?

We're a pop punk band trying to spread good emotions with catchy sing-along songs.

Who are your main influences musically?

blink-182, Green Day, All Time Low, Neck Deep.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

We hope to enrich some peoples life by playing music, just like all those bands we look up to did and still do to us. Music of those bands had such a massive impact on our lives over the past few years, so we hope that someday people feel the same thing about our music.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

It's hard to pick just one but one of the greatest moments was when the pressings of our first EP arrived. It was an awesome feeling to hold our own CD in our hands for the very first time and to be proud to finally have the results in our hands of all the work we had put in the band for so long.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Maybe one of the few times we drove for hours to a show in the middle of nowhere and nobody except the other bands that played that night showed up to watch us play. But I think every band has this kind of experience in their early stages so it's not that bad as it sounds.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

'Another Year'. In my opinion it's the catchiest song on the EP. I think it's the closest to the style of pop punk that we try to play and has the best mixture of pop melodies and punk sound.

Where can we listen to it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWQsOHqVIZk

Where can we find out more about your music?

https://www.facebook.com/PRANXofficial

http://instagram.com/pranxofficial

https://twitter.com/PRANXofficial

http://pranx.bandcamp.com/

http://pranxofficial.com/

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?

Thanks for the interview! Watch out for our next music video for the song 'Pogo Romance' that's going to be released soon. Make sure to check it out :)

Harlow Q&A

Your name:

Kelly.

Where are you from?

Metro Detroit, MI, USA.

Name of band:

Harlow.

Who is in your band?

Lauren – vox / Tomas – Guitar / Kelly – Bass,vox / Kevin - Drums.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

We are a female-fronted hard rock band based out of Detroit and you can hear metal, punk, pop and rock influences in our music.

Who are your main influences musically?

A lot for each member but you can hear Pat Benatar, Debby Harry and Pink in Lauren's Delivery vocally and the rest is everything from Sabbath to Bring Me The Horizon.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

We would love to be able to do this as a living and tour as much as possible or as much as the fans will want us to.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

There have been a lot of them but we focus on making each show a highlight for all those in attendance and for us on stage every night.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

There has been a few of them but we don’t let ourselves look towards the past as we head forward.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

Ooooh tough question. Our first single off this album is called “Shattered” and we have a video out on YouTube for it. We selected it because it sets the tone for the album about breaking down and finding your independence. My personal favorite is either Leech or Home.

Where can we listen to it? 

You can go to www.harlowband.com and listen to the track and see the video.

Where can we find out more about your music?

As mentioned before you can go to www.harlowband.com and you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, bandsintown, Reverbnation and YouTube.

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

We love what we do and we value each and every one who supports local music scenes for allowing us to come out and be a part of yours… Get out to a venue, support bands, buy merchandise and CDs and let's rage!!! Thank you for the opportunity to tell people about us!

Level & Tyson Q&A

Your name: 

Richard Noir and Lorentz Johansen.

Where are you from? 

Oslo, Norway.

Name of band:

Level & Tyson.

Who else is in your band?

Sofie Søndervik Sæther (bass and vocals), Namra Saleem (Keys, guitar and backing vocals) Joakim Kristiansen (Guitar) and Mattis Møksvold Lauritzsen (Drums, backing vocals and electronics).

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 

I think we are all freaks. I think that is the glue that binds us. And that is reflected in the music as well. 

Who are your main influences musically? 

That's really a tough question to answer since we get influenced by new stuff all the time, and the fact that everyone in the band has different things they're into, but we all have a lot of love for bands and artists like  Sly and the Family Stone, Prince, The Pixies, Pere Ubu, The Cure, Velvet Underground. But also new things like Rihanna, Kendrik Lamar etc.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

To keep moving I guess, and have fun while we do it. The road is the goal.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 

Finishing projects always feel like a highlight. When the mix of an album is ready and you can't stop listening to the music it's a real rush. But I guess you meant commercially? In that case, our first tour in the USA felt like a step up and a personal achievement for me.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 

They are forgotten =)

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

We tend to be pretty restless and looking for new things, and that's kinda the unwritten rule in the band; we're making music that keeps us interested at the time. The song that represent the band the most at this point and the upcoming music I think is «Tied Up». It's fun and has layers of emotion.

Where can we listen to it?

soundcloud.com/levelandtyson/sets/gruesome-twosome

Where can we find out more about your music?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/levelandtyson/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LevelandTyson

Spotify: Level & Tyson

ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/no/artist/level-tyson/id540162583

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_srch_drd_B008FQSQ7A?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=Level%20%26%20Tyson&index=digital-music&search-type=ss

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelandtyson/

Webpage: www.levelandtyson.com

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask? 

When can you hear some new from us? In August!

Andrew Franey Q&A

Your name: 
Andrew Franey.

Where are you from? 
I'm from Canada.

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 
I like to say that I write 'post-apocalyptic love songs'. The music is best described as synthpop. Myself, I'm a bit of an introvert. I've always had a different world that goes on inside my head.

Who are your main influences musically? 
As a young kid I found a copy of Duran Duran's 'Seven and the Ragged Tiger' and I remember really liking that album. I was a pre-teen through the 80's and maybe it's nostalgia, but I really love all the poppy synth stuff from that era and I think that that can be heard in my music. More modern influence would definitely be Kavinsky and College. I really like the Chvrches album from a couple years ago and lately I'm really into synthwave/outrun stuff like Lazerhawk and Bourgeoisie, which will probably be evident on my next album.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 
I hope to keep producing music, whether it's my own or other artists that I find a passion for. I want to keep making synth and electronic music, using computers and hopefully help to advance the popularity of this kind of music in North America (where music has been stuck in a rut for a long time in my opinion) and hopefully find fans all over the world that like what I do.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 
It could have been that I was nominated for a Juno (Canadian Music Award) with my former band Smoother, but I would have to say releasing my solo album The Stars Shine For You, because it proved to myself that I can make and release music the way I want to do it, writing, recording, producing and not having to let other people influence the final outcome. It may sound strange but it really is a struggle to be happy with the final outcomes of recordings, but I can say I'm happy with how this album turned out.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 
One time, with my old band Smoother, I was late to a big show (opening up for Nickelback) because I couldn't find the venue (it was an outdoor open air afternoon show in the summer), when I finally arrived my band was already on stage playing and making a mess of things, I got on stage shouted some profanity to the effect of 'Where the @%#& is ______?' or something only to realize that the audience was all families with little kids. Needless to say I felt like a big ass that day.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

I think the song 'Adorable Freaks' off of my album The Stars Shine For You. 'We are not so forget-able, we are not just adorable freaks, we are not too scared to make them believe that we care'. In a vague way it kind of sums things up. And of course it's full of hooky melodies, which I have always needed to put in my songs.

Where can we listen to it? 
andrewfraney.bandcamp.com

Where can we find out more about your music? 

facebook.com/AndrewFraneyMusic

twitter.com/AndrewFraney

instagram.com/andrewfraney

apple.co/1M8dk0N

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

Just that I hope everyone will give the album a listen through. It's meant to be listened to as an album and not just for the odd song. It's important to me to make a great album and not just a couple singles.