Showing posts with label Massachusetts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Massachusetts. Show all posts

Tuesday, 6 December 2016

Leaving Eden Q&A

Your name: 
Eric Gynan.

Where are you from? 
Boston MA, USA.

Name of band:
Leaving Eden.

Who else is in your band?
Eve (lead vocals), Ryan Manning (drums) and Johnny V (bass).

How would you describe yourselves?
Well, we def like to have fun! We consider ourselves rock, metal, progressive, alternative  - so that there’s really no box to put us in. We even do acoustic unplugged stuff too!

Who are your main influences musically?
Let's see, we all are influenced by so many great artists but Ryan likes Suicidal Tendencies, Johnny likes Kiss, Eve likes Janis Joplin and I like Sabbath, Disturbed, and way too many to list. Love Ritchie Blackmoore though...

What do you hope to achieve in music?
Great question! I’m not in it for the lure of $$, or even fame for that matter. I just humbly write songs that I hope people will enjoy. We do write provocative lyrics which are reality based so that maybe one could be inspired.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
So many, that’s a tough question. Leaving Eden has toured the USA, UK and Canada sharing the stage with hundreds of the biggest national bands in the world including; Lacuna Coil, In This Moment, Black Sabbath (Heaven & Hell), Ronnie James Dio, Rob Zombie, 5 Finger Death Punch, Disturbed, Marylyn Manson, Alice Cooper, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Puddle of Mudd, Korn, Killswitch Engage, BuckCherry (Jefferson Starship, Big Brother and The Holding Company, Country Joe, 10 Years After, 40th Anniversary Woodstock) Shinedown, Dropkick Murphys, Alice in Chains, Papa Roach, Bret Micheals, Halestorm,Theory of a Deadman, Avenged Sevenfold, Seether, Hell Yeah, Trapt, Dope, Soil, Fuel, Queensryche, Saving Abel, Hinder, Damage Plan, 7Dust, Sebastian Bach, SoulFly, Days of the New, NonPoint, Drowning Pool, The Misfits, The Butcher Babies, Collective Soul, MushroomHead, Mudvayne, Chevelle, Godsmack, Powerman 5000, 10Years, Taproot, Gin Blossoms, Michael Schenker (UFO, MSG & The Scorpions), Herman Rarebell (The Scorpions), Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden), Kittie, One Eyed Doll, Uncle Kracker, Tremonti (Creed/Alter Bridge) Lamb of God, Slayer, Stone Sour, Motorhead, Blackstone Cherry, HOOKERS & BLOW Featuring GUNS N' ROSES, QUIET RIOT, W.A.S.P. Members, Steven Tyler, Ted Nugent, Lita Ford, LA Guns, Trixter, Warrant, Apocalyptic Review (featuring members of Godsmack) & many more..

We were winners at the 2014 New England Music Awards (Best Hard Rock/Hard Core/Metal Act of the Year), winners of The 2015 Pulse Magazine Music Awards (Best Hard Rock/Hard Core/Metal Act of the Year) & (Sexiest Musician "Eve") and submitted for consideration to 15 categories for the Grammys this year. 
With all that said, Sharing the stage with Black Sabbath (Heaven and Hell) with Ronnie James Dio prior to his untimely death was incredible. I think playing Woodstock Anniversary was full circle in terms of where it all started. Got to hang out with Janis Joplin's band Big Bro and the Holding Co, Jefferson Starship, Country Joe, ya man too cool!

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
Well, hmmm, I very, very seldom get drunk, maybe once every two years, and I remember on an off night on tour, we let our hair down (I have a shaved head lol) but anyways, ya probably want to forget doing cartwheels down the street somewhere in the Dakota’s...

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
Another good question. Let's see, we got four Albums released to date:
So I guess on our Pinnacle album released by Rock Ave Records USA, “Feel Alive” where I believe the lyrics and music are inspiring; “Walk on through before the door closes, you have one shot so you better make it right. The door is wide open, why are you waiting to feel alive?”

Where can we listen to it?

Where can we find out more about your music?

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?
Sure man, wanna thank ya for chatting with us here and ya, here’s our video for We Are Not Alone, https://youtu.be/lLMINm6TV3Y 
We are touring the USA, Canada and Europe so hopefully we can catch ya when we come thru! Peace!

Wednesday, 2 December 2015

Jeff Michaels Q&A

Your name: 
Jeff Michaels.

Where are you from? 
Boston, MA.

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 
Indie piano rocker with a touch of humor and good old fashioned rock 'n roll.

Who are your main influences musically? 
Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Ben Folds, The Beatles, Counting Crows.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 
To continue to put out high-quality independent albums and grow our audience internationally.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 
There have been a few. Appearing on NPR and CNN Radio were both great accomplishments, as was having our music played on MTV's Real World, and some of the great gigs we've done. But I think the highlight so far was receiving a personal thank you letter from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick for "Boston Strong", a song I wrote after the tragic marathon bombings for the city of Boston.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 
There's be a few gigs... like the one we drove miles outside of Austin, TX to play only to find it was an open-mic night run by the drunkest guys I've ever seen.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?  
I think Top of the World from our new album, Townie Paradise really captures our sound right now. It has elements of pop, rock, and piano that result in a sound I'm really proud of.

Where can we listen to it?


Where can we find out more about your music?

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?
Be sure to join our independent mailing list! We routinely send out all kinds of free music, fun videos, and you'll be first to know about upcoming releases. Join here with one click: http://www.jeffmichaelsband.com/subscribe/


Wednesday, 4 November 2015

MM3 Q&A

Your name: 
Mike Meagher.

Where are you from? 
Massachusetts, USA.

Name of band:
MM3.

Who else is in your band? 
John Williams - vocals, Dave Morse - bass, Al Ruggeiri - drums.

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 
We're down to earth guys that just want to create and perform great music. We have a lot of mutual respect for each other and have a great time playing together. Our music draws from a lot of different influences but we all have a love of heavy 90's type rock and that is probably what would be first thing to pop into someone's head when they first hear us.

Who are your main influences musically? 
Tony Iommi, some of the 70's blues based guitar gods, the Edge for his use of effects. The 90's Seattle bands.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 
Being recognized as a great songwriter.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 
Being the principal songwriter of MM3, having our first album coming out Nov 12th. This is my first original work so having people and radio stations dig the music has been awesome. 

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 
Playing in a cover band and completely blanking out on a song, I completely forgot how to play a chorus part so bad, I didn't play anything, it was very noticeable and I just wanted to hide lol. So embarrassing lol. 

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 
Married To My Madness. It has the Nirvana-like heavy chorus, light verse, it's a catchy chorus, has cool bridge and pretty ripping solo.

Where can we listen to it? 




Where can we find out more about your music?

Sunday, 5 July 2015

Dan and Faith Q&A

Your name:
Daniel Senie.

Where are you from?
We live in Bolton, Massachusetts, which is about 30 miles west of Boston. Dan is originally from New York City, Faith from Cooperstown, NY (upstate).

Name of band: 
We perform as "Dan & Faith".

Who else is in your band?
Faith Senie. We’re a husband/wife duo.
I play guitar, five-string banjo and harmonica. Faith has a lot more instruments. She’s most often on mandolin and acoustic or electric bass guitar, but also plays mandola, octave mandolin, tenor banjo and is working on dulcimer. We also love a cappella singing. We add what instrumentation a song tells us it needs.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?
We refer to our music as dream-inspired folk. We do write some of our songs from dreams. Our music tends to be uplifting and hopeful. We do write darker pieces and political songs too, but our intent is always to encourage listeners to think, not hit them over the head with our message. We sing from our hearts and souls, and share that joy with each other while singing, and bring the audience along for the ride.
Our selection of cover songs reflects the directions in our own songwriting.

Who are your main influences musically?
We grew up listening to Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, The Kingston Trio, Cat Stevens, John Denver and Simon & Garfunkel. Our love of harmonies can be traced back to those days. For songwriting, influences include Larry Long, The Kennedys, Paul Simon, Cat Stevens and so many artists from the folk revival era.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
On the way to showcase at a conference a few months ago, we had a running conversation about the definition of success. At the conference, several workshop leaders shared their thoughts on the subject. One was all about writing that one great song that a hundred folks would cover, then retire and sip drinks on a beach. That wasn’t it. Another was pushing ways to sell premium recordings on vinyl. Nope. The last person was a friend who started out writing a major hit, writing under contract, then walking away from all of that, getting on the road and singing to smaller audiences. Connecting with smaller audiences. That resonated with our thinking. We so enjoy sharing our original songs with listening audiences. When someone comes up after the show and tells you how deeply one of your songs touched them? Priceless.
Overall, our goal is to use music to build community. We hope to open a few ears and heal hearts along the way.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
There have been many. A large audience spontaneously joining in on the chorus of a song, lifting us all higher, has to be one of the pinnacle experiences in life. Equally important though would be getting the chance to sing to a life-long friend in hospice, a few days before he passed away (at age 48) of melanoma, and seeing the sparkle in his eyes, seeing the friend we’d known all along. The quiet moments carry great emotion, and needed healing.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
We were at a critique session at one of the first conferences we ever attended. It was almost our last. The panellists listened blindly to each song and made comments. But the panel was all either hungover or still drunk (and still awake) from the night before. The session was billed as constructive critique, but was mean-spirited. Life is too short for that. We were left with a rather negative impression of several people who are otherwise revered in the community. It may have been the booze talking, but we were scarred by that experience.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
Simple Grace. It speaks to our message of finding the good, the peace and grace within, and building community, singing with a common voice. That said, it’s hard to pick among the many songs we’ve written. It’s like asking, which is your favorite child?

Where can we listen to it?


Where can we find out more about your music?

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?
We would love your readers to know that we do our best to live our message. We host a monthly open mic in our town’s public library, and a songwriter showcase with different guests each month at a local cafe. When not out on tour, we also help with other area open mics, doing sound reinforcement, guest hosting or whatever we can to help build community. On the road, we look for open mics on nights off as a way to meet local musicians in an area to network and collaborate. In our part of the world, the open mics are also a time for the musicians, especially songwriters, to get together and share songs. With so many of us playing our own shows, we rarely get to go hear friends.

Sunday, 8 March 2015

Western Education Q&A

Your name: 
Georgio Broufas (guitarist, backing vocals).

Where are you from?
The band formed in Lowell, Massachusetts (an industrial city 45-minutes north of Boston).

Name of band: 
Western Education.

Who else is in your band?
Gregory Alexandropoulos (vocals, keys) and Will Hunt (bass, production).

How would you describe yourselves and your music?
Western Eduacation at its core is a dance rock band consisting of guitars, drums, and synthesizer. That being said, we are definitely a genre-crossing band, having elements of alt-rock, post-punk and pop.

Who are your main influences musically?
The band collectively enjoys bands such as The Killers, The Strokes, Bloc Party, New Order, Depeche Mode and Blink-182.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
When it comes down to it, we just want to share our music with as many people as possible and hope that it gives them the enjoyment and emotional release that our favorite bands gave us and continue to give us.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
Being played on a radio station in the UK was an exciting moment for us. We have also had our first sold out Boston show recently, which was a very rewarding feeling. Furthermore, we have had the opportunity to open for some nationally recognized bands that we love such as Paper Route and The Ataris.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
Just like every band starting out, we've had our awful shows, whether it be playing to practically no one except for the sound guy, or having technical issues. Now we look back and laugh, but at the time it was not fun.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
Rivals is Western Education at its finest: It has many elements in it that our band tends to utilize often: catchy guitar hooks, danceable grooves, and anthem-like choruses.




Where can we find out more about your music? 
Official Site: www.westernedrock.com

Is there anything else you'd like to say that I forgot to ask?
Our debut album Let Your Secrets Out was released in July 2014.

Monday, 9 February 2015

War Games lay their Foundations

INDIE rockers War Games have unveiled their debut single Foundations from their forthcoming full-length.

The five-piece from Southern Massachusetts - formerly known as Another Option - will release Holding Patterns on March 10th and promote it with a UK tour.

Guitarist Ian Provost told RealSoundsOK: "Foundations is one of the first songs we wrote for the album. We feel it's a great spokesperson for it in that it represents the overall feel of the record being dark yet uplifting, like there's light at the end of the tunnel."

On the the album, Ian adds: "Now that we have all the recording done, we've been listening to the songs in the order that they will appear on the album and it flows really well. It feels cohesive."

The UK tour kicks off on March 10th in Grimsby, with dates in Doncaster, Northampton, London, Brighton, Stoke and Sheffield.

You can listen to Foundations and for more information head to facebook.com/WARGAMESmusic

Tuesday, 28 October 2014

The Gravity Guild Q&A

Your name:
Colin Simson, lead vocalist.

Name of band:
The Gravity Guild.

Who else is in your band?
Jay Way – Guitars/Backing Vocals
Colin Simson – Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitars/Percussion
Abel Vallejo – Drums/Percussion

Where are you from?
Guitarist Jay Way moved out to Los Angeles from Michigan in 2000 to pursue music and studio engineering. He met a drummer who helped hone the sound that would later become The Gravity Guild. Way found Boston native Colin Simson through an online ad and the two started playing and writing songs, quickly realizing that they had the same taste in music and had a great creative connection.
Shortly thereafter, Way and Simson met Abel Vallejo, drummer extraordinaire, who embodied everything that the band stood for and wanted in terms of heavy hitting and intelligent musical reactions to the riff-based sound.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?
The Gravity Guild blends a mixture of classic progressive rock styles with modern progressive metal all wrapped up with a thick cocoon of 90's grunge. Progressive grunge? Perhaps, but it’s more refined than that… Think Led Zeppelin, Dream Theater and Rush meet Alice in Chains, Tool and Soundgarden.

Who are your main influences musically?
We are constantly inspired by classic rock and the grange era - music that we grew up listening to as well as the newer bands who’ve come out recently that clearly share our taste for heavy-hitting rock and alt metal.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
We want to take this project as far as it can go. The Gravity Guild is currently laying down tracks for our third studio release tentatively titled, "III" ... It promises to be our hardest hitting album yet.
Our first release, “I” is a crushing album that breaks the typical boundaries of hard rock while paying tribute to 70's rock, 90’s grunge, and modern rock. “I” swaggers with innovative guitar sounds and powerful riffs melded with heavy hitting drums and monster bass lines that carve out canyon-sized grooves over odd-meters. Melodic hooks laced with tight harmonies and evocative lyrics bring all of these elements together in this impressive full-length album.
Our sophomore release, “The Great Divide” expands on our experimental sound-scape while offering listeners a moody and introspective experience. The tracks for “The Great Divide” and “I” were recorded simultaneously giving the band an opportunity to have a follow up release less than a year after the release of “I”.  These contrasting styles inspired the band to re-imagine a couple tunes from “I” using their new acoustic approach. Ominous tracks “The Game” and “Time & Again” were stripped down and restructured, giving the audience a fresh perspective.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
The highlight of our career continues to be meeting new fans. Our fans are everything to us! Without fans we’d be playing these songs in our studio for ourselves. But because of support from loyal music enthusiasts, we’ve been able to play the best venues all over Southern California and even make a little money for doing what we love. It doesn’t get any better than that!

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
Being in a band is very much like being in a relationship. We’d never speak ill of the musicians who’ve come and gone during the early stages of forming The Gravity Guild, but the most frustrating parts of being a professional musician, and the things I think we’d all like to forget, have to be those moments when you realize that someone in your band isn’t working out. 
Break-ups are never easy but often necessary in order to keep moving forward creatively.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
SLO is the perfect track for audiences to get to know The Gravity Guild because it is both heavy and upbeat. Plus, SLO showcases the band’s versatility through Jay Way’s killer guitar lines featuring his effects-heavy sound, Simson’s soaring vocal lines with tight harmonies, and an array of African percussion including congas and djembe that augment Vallejo’s massive drum grooves.

Where can we listen to it?



Where can we find out more about your music?
twitter.com/TheGravityGuild (@TheGravityGuild)

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?
The Gravity Guild is not yet signed, and though we welcome the right deal, we are proud to say that everything we've released has been written, produced, recorded and mixed in-house in our home: Inside Studios.

Sunday, 27 July 2014

Lish Ventura Q&A

Your name
Alycia (Lish) Ventura. 

Where are you from? 
Leominster, Massachusetts, USA.

How would you describe yourselves?
I like to think of myself from a singing perspective as a person who can sing whatever is thrown at them. I literally can sing anything from Birdy to Evanesence. Its really just about emotion and trying to send the message that the song is trying to get across.

Who are your main influences musically? 
Mostly Katy Perry, because she was rejected by numerous record labels, but never gave up on her dream. 

What do you hope to achieve in music? 
I want to inspire someone to persevere a career that they love. Most people get put down when they want their dreams to come true, so I want someone to look at me and say, "If she did it, why can't I?"

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 
Being number three on the Boston pop charts is possibly the greatest thing to ever happen to me, because I get told that I am a fantastic singer all the time by friends and family, it isn't out of the ordinary. But when complete strangers look at what I have to offer and like it, that's when it hits you that you have something. Also, my video "Imaginary"is one of my larger accomplishments on this path. We had a lot of people in the production of this video and we had a lot of fun doing it.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
I don't want to forget anything, really. I know it sounds corny, but every mistake you make on a career path is a lesson, and if i forgot one of my lessons, I don't think I would be where I am today. 

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?  
At the moment, I just have cover songs posted. But the song that represents me, and what I want my music to represent is Titanium. Its influential in many ways: "you shoot me down, but I won't fall, I am titanium." The beat of the music is really happy and fun too. 

Where can we listen to it?


Where can we find out more about your music?

Anything else you’d like to say that I forgot to ask?
My new songs will be released in late 2014 and early 2015 , for starters. I will be accomplishing a lot soon! I am currently working in the studio with Emmy/Platinum Award winning producer Sunny Lake, Media Producer Eric Baird, and Music Industry Veteran Hugh Norton at Crush Media Studios near Boston, Massachusetts. I am currently writing new songs for an album. We are not sure of the release date as of yet, but we are moving as quickly as possible to get it all complete. I continue to write new songs each week as the whole thing takes shape. I'm really excited to share it all with he world, but I also want to make sure it's just right before we do. I want make sure I have a great connection to this new music and it's something my fans will also feel is the right thing. I want them to feel this music they way that I do. We are having a lot of fun and I think in the end that is the most important thing. You have to love what you do. Now that my fan base has really started to grow I have gained a new appreciation for all of them. The comments really drive me to keep pushing harder. This whole thing is going to take off and I am so thrilled to be right here in the middle. Nothing could be better.

Thursday, 17 July 2014

Hillary Reynolds Band Q&A

Your name:  
Hillary Reynolds - piano/mandolin/vocals.

Where are you from?
I'm originally from Wisconsin, but the band was born in Boston, MA.

Name of band:
Hillary Reynolds Band.

Who else is in your band?
Trevor Jarvis - cello/vocals, Jeff Hale - drums/ukelele/glockenspiel, Chris Mewhinney - upright bass/electric bass & Connor Reese acoustic guitar/pedal steel guitar/vocals/electric guitar

How would you describe yourselves?  
We're like a family with all of its kinks and quirks but at the heart of everything, unconditionally love one another and love creating music together. Chris brews absolutely delicious beer and cooks unbelievably good Indian food. Trevor lives for summer beach sunsets in southern Massachusetts. He also loves a good pair of cheap sunglasses. Connor is obsessed with The Lord of the Rings, and is absolutely AMAZING with impersonating characters with different dialects. He also knows every single Weird Al song. Jeff is a quiet soul, but an animated story teller. It's rare to see him in that form, but whenever he tells a story, I am usually laughing in hysterics for minutes after. He loves the Smoky Mountains, has a convincing southern accent, and got the entire band into listening to "trucking music". As for me, I love forests, flannel, a good glass of bourbon by a fire and watching baby elephant YouTube videos.

Who are your main influences musically?
The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Nickel Creek, Jethro Tull, The Civil Wars, James Vincent McMorrow, AC/DC, Alison Krauss, The Oh Hellos and Puggy to name a few... 

What do you hope to achieve in music?
Our collective goal is to be able to use our voice and artistry as a force for good. I personally want to be able to be a voice for positive change wherever our music is consumed. I want our band to add light to the collective consciousness of the world. 

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
Two moments stand out to me. One highlight was opening for Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons and Norah Jones at Mile of Music last year. There were 1000 people in the crowd, listening to us share our stories, and watching us express ourselves. The energy of our performance was reflected with the audience. It was a beautiful mirror. After that performance, I became addicted to that spark and connection. The other ongoing highlight of our career is playing a concert and seeing kids run up to us saying they want to be like us when they grow up. 

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
After a week out on the road, we were making our way back to Boston from NYC. There were a couple accidents along the way & there was terrible traffic. It was hours of traffic. Once we were finally in the clear, we noticed the engine overheating, only 25 miles from Boston in the middle of August. We had to drive slow on the interstate, roll the windows down & blast the heat in order to offset the heat from the engine just so we could get it back to Boston & to the mechanic. Most miserable 25 miles ever.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
I would select "Honey, Come Home" because it reveals the sonic depth of our instrumentation, as well as the dynamic of our arrangements. The song shows the intimacy of our simple, yet heart capturing lyrics, and the energy of the track really aligns with who we are.

Where can we listen to it? 



Where can we find out more about your music? 
Twitter - @HillReyBand

Anything else you’d like to say that I forgot to ask?
What are the best ways to make the best of a nine-hour car ride while on tour? Well, first there's Mad Libs, and Cards Against Humanity. Both are great ways to laugh between naps and silence. And then there's listening to every music genre we can possibly think of - everything from bluegrass to 90s pop to hard rock, metal, classical, jazz, Jethro Tull, electronic music, Disney film scores, and our personal favorite: old two-step trucking country songs. 

Thank you for the lovely interview! Sending our love across the pond.