popwreckoning

One week after Rachel Taylor started working at a record store she met Trevor Kelley. He was into hardcore music, wore skinny jeans and was not someone Rachel ever imagined she would befriend or have change her life so drastically.

I was like ‘who is this kid… he’s weird… he’s skinny’

It wasn’t long after Trevor started working with Rachel that they became friends and started jamming in the back room. They soon became He is We. They put out their music on all of the popular websites for aspiring musicians: YouTube, MySpace and Pure Volume. They were still not aware as to what they had started. A growing local and online fan base got them named the #1 unsigned band of 2009 on PureVolume.com and not long after they were picked up by Universal Motown and FrameworkNY.

Here are all of the juicy details from a PopWreckoning interview Q&A style with singer Rachel Taylor:

PopWreckoning, Andrew Dunlap: Your band’s philosophy, per your website, is: “The idea that someone who you pass by every day can influence the rest of your life and you would never know. It’s the thought and power one person can have over their surroundings.” Elaborate on this ideal and how it’s applied to your life/your story…you and Trevor both worked together and this all just fell into place…
Rachel Taylor, He Is We: We’re all judgmental and prejudice without even realizing… like me with Trevor, I shouldn’t have done that. You never know who’s really going to impact your life. Don’t have those preconceived notions. It’s all about those connections we make and being open because you never know if this person you meet is going to pop back in your life or if you will impact someone, and because of that they impact someone. It’s kind of like the whole butterfly effect.

PW: What sort of response are you getting at your shows? Are you finding people come out who knew you from the web or are you winning over new fans right then and there?
RT: It’s been interesting; we go into every show not expecting anything. We had no idea what to expect because we have never toured over here before. Each night we get surprised… every single time we’re surprised of all the random people who show up and already know our music.

We had a show that got canceled and we had to rebook it for this café that had an open mic night that same night and there was a tornado warning, flash floods; traffic lights were going out. We still had 15 people show up. They came out of their way to see us and it was one of the most incredible moments.

PW: What are your thoughts about how much the web and your online fans played such a large role in getting you guys to where you are now? What does this mean for you and what do you think it means for the music industry?
RT: I don’t like to think about that. I want to stay focused on fun. Once I start thinking about numbers and labeling things it becomes a job and it won’t be fun anymore.

If you aren’t aware of that stuff then you won’t put yourself on a pedestal. Stay humble, keep true to your music

PW: I have found several “remixes” floating around online, especially for the song “Pardon Me,” what is that all about?
RT: I have NO idea! That surprised me. Though I listen to this one by (jco?) every morning when I brush my teeth. I don’t know how they did this, they are smart. Like, they didn’t even have any of the original files to put something like that together.

PW: Anything out of the ordinary or unexpected or just completely random happen while on tour?
RT: We have a lot of fun with Frisbee I guess…. We discovered Steak n’ Shake, which is this really cool restaurant that we had never been to before, and near every Steak n Shake there happens to be an incredible parking lot and we’ll play Frisbee. All of our band mates- they dress very, metro I guess? Very clean cut, skinny jeans and all that jazz, and the neighborhood we were in was full of college guys.

Any way, we were all playing Frisbee and our drummer, who is the nicest guy in our band, and he throws a Frisbee right at this car. It literally hits this car and it’s full of bros-just like bros galore! I just remember seeing his face: his jaw dropping and being like ‘Ohhh Myyyy God.’ He just booked it. It was the funniest thing in the world, he was just terrified. He kept saying ‘it’s not worth it, it’s not worth it’ you know to go back for the Frisbee.

They have been made fun of in every state that we’ve been in, except for Indiana – Indiana was the nicest state and no one made fun of them, at all.

PW: What is something that you would like to put out there for every one to know?
RT: Actually, I am asked this a lot by other musicians “How can I get my stuff known?”

I say, put it out there and it will come. You shouldn’t have to push your music onto anyone, hand out flyers or sell yourself. Stay true to who you are and people will catch on. Do what you love.

He is We finished recording their debut album before going on their summer tour with Bobby Long and Trouble Over Tokyo (which if you ever get the chance to see Trouble Over Tokyo live… you HAVE to see him).

They played the RecordBar in Kansas City on June 30 and they delivered a performance that upheld their PureVolume and MySpace reputation. The fans seemed to come from all over. I sat by a group of girls who drove from Oklahoma City just to see this group perform at a small, yet amazing venue in Kansas City.

I anticipate that we continue to hear a lot from this group of young, talented yet humble artists and they are currently on tour with The Rocket Summer, click here to view tour dates. Their album is still being finished (or it might be done already. According to their Facebook page, we should expect a release date soon). We will look forward to listening to it!

PopWreckoning got to see Alkaline Trio rock out at the Granada Theater in Lawrence, Kansas on Friday, February 26, the same week that they released their 7 album This Addiction. The show was sold out, so the trio got to play for a full house. The show opened up with The Dear and Departed followed by Cursive, who was just in Lawrence months before.

Alkaline Trio played a majority of their songs off of the new album, but played enough of their older songs to keep the crowd excited. For their album having just been released on that Tuesday, there were lots of people singing along to their newer songs.

Below are several photos by Mike Goehring that capture the sweet action that is Alkaline Trio:

This was my first time seeing Weatherbox perform so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was a late show at the Jackpot in Lawrence Kansas which made for a small and intimate setting.

The two openers were local Lawrence acts: Second Star Operator and From Quiet Arms.

I had never seen Second Star Operator before, and I was fairly impressed by them. The vocals were definitely there and several of their songs seemed to have a great hook. I look forward to seeing them again and would be anxious to hear what they would sound like if they were to go in-studio.

Next up was From Quiet Arms, which I have seen from time to time over the past few years. This band has always had great stage presence and has definitely maintained a consistent sound. They have continued to grow, both musically and professionally as musicians and as any band should strive to do, is improve and grow along the way. These guys like to go all out and try to bring anything they would do in studio onto the stage, this time with a lot more harmonizing vocals that I am used to hearing from them which I enjoyed quite a bit.

For the show being on a Tuesday, during a KU basketball game there was a decent amount of people out at the show. I noticed a lot of fans and friends of the local acts coming out to support and sing along with their friends and soon after the secnd band, From Quiet Arms performed the venue began to dissipate. Soon a new crowd of people came forward just as Weatherbox was getting ready to perform and the local crowd seemed to either leave or be hanging out towards the back of the venue at tables.

Weatherbox’s set started off by three or four solo songs by singer, Brian Warren just him and his guitar. His songs were all raw/acoustic in style- besides the fact that it was played on clean electric- but I definitely enjoyed his set. The rest of the band stood in the audience as he performed, which is part of the experience going to a show at such a small venue- the opportunity to interact with the bands.

The rest of the band joined Warren on stage as they kicked up the pace. After the first song with the full band the crowd in front of the stage began to thicken as local scene kids and the guys from Second Star Operator and From Quiet Arms trickled back in. The show definitely had an obvious separation of fans. There were those who were initially there for the local acts and those who came up later strictly for the headliner (not unheard of). There was several people right up in the front that were dancing and singing along the entire time while towards the back were those, like myself, hearing this band for the first time.

A few songs into their full band set they stopped playing and a mix of smiles were shared by the guys on stage. They revealed to the crowd that they had just acquired a new bassist (Landon Hedges of Omaha’s Little Brazil), and by ‘just’ they meant only hours before the show. I was not sure if that was an exaggeration or not but thought it was interesting. Pretty impressive if it was the truth, that this new bassist learned their whole set just before the show. They got ready to start the song back from the chorus when someone from the crowed yelled out “START FROM THE BEGINNING.” This motion was backed up by the rest of the audience, and not daring to disagree, Weatherbox started the song over again.

I hope that those in the crowd who, like me, were seeing this band for the first time were as taken with the band as myself and will make their way to see them again. They were excellent performers and enjoyed their entire set. As for the new bassist story, pretty impressive feat if he did learn that quickly.

“They always have the same sound but the punk level changes…” 

This Addiction, the seventh album by Chicago natives, Alkaline Trio, cycles back to their beginnings. Fans will be split, either into separate groups or divided inside themselves. Some will enjoy the sound which brings the punk level of Alkaline Trio back to the 90s while others, who were captured by their building mainstream appeal of their past three albums, might be deterred.

Driving drums and common punk chord progressions aside- the vocals are what makes this so recognizably Alkaline Trio. This is one of the few bands I can think of that have alternating lead vocals where it is pulled off so well. It’s the consistency/production of all the tracks in the album making so cohesive.

Bassit Dan Andriano sings on only three tracks , two of which I love (“Fine” and “Off the Map”) while I don’t particularly care for “Dine, Dine my Darling,” which speaks to the fact that I am one who has enjoyed their punk to mainstream build over the years.

I have to say my favorite song sang by Matt Skiba is “Draculina,” though I have to admit after my first listen of the album, “Draculina” is one of the last that I wanted to revisit. I can appreciate the goth-rockoprea-esk story (I keep thinking of the most recent Ludo) that the song tells, although the name/word Draculina is the one thing I DON’T like about the song. Here are some lines that really stand out to me both lyrically and the melody.

Love this line!

“Leaving heaven behind for good this time, the angels can keep it.
I’ve got a demon in mind and she’s standing behind my dark secret.”

And also this line:

“I’ve got a devil inside that has been exorcised, now I’m bleeding.”

The theme of this album is seen throughout, from album title, musically and lyrically. Though using drugs or addiction as a metaphor for relationships is nothing too original, it is done well in This Addiction. Musically the album has a mix of punk roots with their more recent melodic-mainstream tendencies (at least vocally). A few tracks feature horns in them which might throw you off at first listen, but it actually fits and adds a nice touch to the album, with the exception of the trumpet featured in “Lead Poisoning.”

Track Listing:
1. This Addiction
2. Dine, Dine My Darling
3. Lead Poisoning
4. Dead on the Floor
5. The American Scream
6. Off the Map
7. Draculina
8. Eating Me Alive
9. Piss and Vinegar
10. Dorothy
11. Fine

With several albums, a song in the trailer for a popular motion picture and even a nomination for the upcoming Grammys, Red has had a good few years and the future only looks brighter. PopWreckoning’s Andrew caught up with guitarist Anthony Armstrong to see what life is like for these rising stars.

Andrew Dunlap, PopWreckoning: This last tour (Class of ’09 Tour) that you were on came to an abrupt end. Something happened with one of the other bands?
Anthony Armstrong, Red: Jared, [lead singer of Saving Abel] got really sick. He has diabetes, I guess, and none of us really knew about that. He started having flu symptoms and they were afraid he had swine flu. We had actually dropped off the tour a few days before that for our own reasons…People getting sick; just trying to be as safe as possible. If one of our guys gets sick and ends up in the hospital, it puts our tour on a standstill. We actually had to cancel a few shows in Michigan for a similar situation. To cut our losses, we decided to end the tour.

PW: Was anyone from your band sick while on the tour?
AA: Our lead singer is prone to sickness, we don’t know why, but he is. It’s like he has no immune system whatsoever. All of us were fine, but if one of us were to get sick, we could still stand there and play the guitar. But if he gets sick, it’s obviously a whole different ball game. We actually kept our distance from Jared and those guys just to avoid catching anything, you know? We have some big tour plans coming up and we didn’t want to take any chances.

PW: You guys are going to start touring in 2010 and you will be headlining?
AA: Yes, it’s called The Nothing and Everything Tour.
PW: And is this your first headlining tour?
AA: It’s our first headlining tour with this record and a full touring package. We’re playing with a band called Me in Motion. They’re an unsigned band. We always like taking out at least one unsigned band to give them a chance to get some exposure. We’re also playing with The Wedding, some good friends of ours, and a band called Pillar.

PW: The title of the tour comes from the title of one of your songs. What’s the story by taking this song or song title to name the tour?
AA: We’re a very theme-based band and we like to stick systematically to things. Doing this headlining run, the first song, “The Fight Inside,” off our new record is basically the entire meaning behind the whole project and there’s a lyric in that song “It’s nothing it’s everything.” It’s in the bridge actually. It’s like a chant that we do back and fourth with the audience. Just thought it was a perfect title to go along with the whole tour.
PW: There is also a song titled “Nothing and Everything” that is basically an acoustic version of “Fight Inside.”
AA: The very last track on the Deluxe Edition is called “Nothing and Everything.” It’s basically the song “Fight Inside” done acoustically in different tuning. It’s actually in standard tuning key. There’s another very very melodic string orchestra part in there. It also has the same nothing and everything lyric in it.

PW: You guys did something similar on your first album with the song “Already Over.” You had “Already Over,” then “Already Over Part 2,” which was more down and acoustic sounding. Is this something we can come to expect from you, a reoccurring thing to have a harder song and then a more acoustic version of the same song?
AA: All of our songs originate on the acoustic guitar. Believe it or not, even the heavier stuff is done on the acoustic guitar. When you hear a song acoustically without all the programming – a really stripped down version you get a sense of, as far as the vocals are concerned, what exactly you are hearing underneath all the craziness. It’s just something we have always liked to do, but not necessarily something we will continue to do on future projects. We’ve talked about doing acoustic CD’s for that reason. You know anyone can get in there with ProTools and make it sound huge and epic, but when you can strip it down and still pull it off that’s what we think is really cool.
PW: You also put out an acoustic version of your first single from your first album, “Breath Your Life into Me.”
AA: You hear such a heavy version of this song on the record and it’s like “how can they pull this off acoustically?” so it was just our way of saying, “here, this is how we do it.” We do acoustic sets every so often and we love to pull those songs out. You can really pick out the different notes, the vocals, chord progressions and harmonies- when we get requests for it we try to as much as we can because there is such an interest for it.

PW: The song “Pieces” off your first album was featured in the preview for the film “The Blind Side.” How did you guys get involved with that?
AA: We were actually approached by people out in LA to feature some songs in several different movies. That one was one that actually got put on the back burner for awhile and we were surprised when it actually happened. There were a couple other movies and there was talk about being part of the new “Twilight” movie soundtrack, but the song ended up being placed with this movie (“The Blind Side”). We were very excited when we got the news and heard it in context. We saw it all pieced together with the trailer and it just fit so well. You know the song was written three years before this movie was even a twinkle in anyone’s eye and to see it work so well with the theme behind that movie is pretty awesome.
PW: Is your song actually featured in the film at some point or strictly the trailer?
AA: There is no part of the track in the movie whatsoever- it’s just a part of the official trailer. It didn’t make any part of the movie, which is unfortunate. But many songs that are in trailers don’t actually make it in the movie or as part of the soundtrack. But we were so excited just to be involved at all.
There are so many bands out there and songs being pitched for everything. It’s just another medium to get your music exposed and the labels work really hard to make that happen. It’s something that were always been interested in, our music has such a cinematic sound, there are just so many movies out there that we would love for our music to be in but its not something that we set out to do when we are making a record it just kind of leans that way sometimes.

PW: So I take it that you have gotten a chance to see “The Blind Side”?
AA: Oh ya! I think they did an incredible job and if you know anything about Michael Oher, it’s a pretty amazing story, and to see him out there in the NFL right now as a rookie for the Baltimore Ravens, it was pretty amazing. To be a part of any experience with that whole movie has just and honor and they did a great job. TWO THUMBS UP!

PW: Speaking of honor, Red was just nominated for another Grammy?
AA: Yes, we are once again completely excited and very, very surprised. It’s a great category to be a part of and there’s just such a broad range of artists out there that we’re always up against for any type of an award. It’s funny because we know four of the five bands that are nominated, so it’s neat to share that experience with peers. A couple of them we have actually toured with so we call ‘em up to congratulate them and play games back and fourth with each other like “well, we’re going to win; we’re going to win!”
It’s definitely an honor; it’s the biggest night in music. It’s a very prestigious honor to win and to even be nominated- there’s guys who’ve been nominated 21 times and have only won a few times- so it’s an honor to even be nominated.
Did I say we’re excited? Just keep your fingers crossed. We’re going to be down there on the 31st and if we win we will be on cloud 9 and will probably never come down from there. We always would joke around saying that if we ever won a Grammy, we would just quit because it’s just such a huge accomplishment in a musical career but you definitely need to try to keep your head on the ground for the most part.

PW: This album Innocence and Instinct is themed. Could you explain a little bit about that?
AA: Starting with first album- to answer completely the question- The End of Silence, was about getting out of those ruts that a lot of people get into, like all of the vices that we are held by. Speaking out about those things and not being quiet about the problems that we have because we all share very similar things in life regardless of what our nationality is, what our religion is what our belief structure is.
We’re all universal and tied in some way and we chose to use music, because music lets you get out there and touch anyone. It’s basically our therapy -getting out there and playing those songs every night. Because we remember exactly where we were when we wrote the songs. Now, going into Innocence and Instinct we didn’t want to focus on the same things we really wanted to dissect the struggles themselves. Innocence and Instinct has a duality of man. We’re all born with the innocence of life and the instinctual side. It’s also positive, when we typically find and the negative side.
It’s like you’re constantly battling those things in your life, and trying to overcome them. That was basically the entire theme of the record.

PW: So with your theme in mind, how did covering the Duran Duran song “Ordinary World” come to make it on your album?
AA: We wanted something to continue on with the theme behind the record. If you know anything about that song, “Ordinary World” just talks about Utopia: the perfect life. If it exists, let’s find it. You know what I mean? Let’s get back to it. It’s getting away from the vices we have in our lives and finding that perfect place. It’s the perfect song for the record.
It’s such a classic early 90s song. It was a top 40s hit and everybody knows Duran Duran. It was neat to find a song that fit our record and we think we pulled it of pretty well.
It’s a very fun song to play live too. A lot of people don’t realize what it is at first until that first chorus hits because it’s the most familiar part of the song, and then the solo. People are just like “oh yea!!!” We’ve had people ask us if we wrote that song. They probably just heard it on our record and didn’t make the connection, they just liked the song. So we are like “ummm that’s actually a cover song.”

PW: It’s the beginning of a new decade, 2010. What is your favorite musical memory of the past ten years?
AA: My favorite memory… we’ve been on the road for the last 4 years, we’re a very young band and I think my favorite memory is just the experience itself. It’s nothing like we thought it was going to be. We get out there and it’s so much more hard work than anybody realized and there’s just so much that goes into being in a touring act: when you’re young and you’re like “I want to be in a band, I want to tour, I want to do this and I want to do that” and then when you actually get out there and you actually make it out of the thousands of bands who will never ever see a record deal or the exposure.
We’ve had an incredible four years of touring, of honors and accolades. You know, it’s something that you hold close because it’s something that we pour everything that we’ve got into, our heart and soul. It’s everything that we’ve got inside and poured into our music. And to have the experiences that we’ve had out on the road so far, hopefully it will continue for another ten our twelve years or whatever is the most memorable thing to me because it’s not just one instance. I think I would just add it all up and say it’s been an amazing ride so far. To have all the experiences we’ve had with all the bands we’ve toured with, at all of the venues we’ve played, and just the good times we have as a group of guys out on the road on a bus just traveling around and see what all the world has to offer is the most memorable thing for me.

As avid 30 Seconds to Mars fans, we had high expectations of their latest album, This Is War. -We were not disappointed.

Several of the tracks live up to the intense almost dramatic music they are known for with a concentration on aggressive vocals and studio production (this album does weigh heavy on the production). This includes their first single, “Kings and Queens,” as well as “Night of the Hunter,” “Closer to the Edge,” and “Vox Populi.” This album also features an interesting collaboration with Kanye West and Brandon Flowers of The Killers (rumored on piano?) on a track called “Hurricane.” Some may feel this collaboration is a bold and almost a sell-out type move on the band’s behalf. Regardless, this track is bound to get some attention, if not radio play, then some “love” on MTV (They still play some music right? Maybe just a little?).

The album is not complete without a softer side: “Alibi,” “100 Suns” and “L490” help transition the album’s intense climatic moments and give the album a storytelling feel.

As a whole, This is War is thematic in nature. Not only is the album title the name of one of their songs, but they also use the title as a line that reoccurs in a track or two. Other warfare like references can be picked up in other tracks and there are some musical themes going on which include deep eerie vocal droning, a children’s choir/chanting in several tracks and ambient/synth progressions weaving in and out of the album.

Though This is War sounds like more went into this studio mix than on A Beautiful Lie, the energy and execution behind the vocals of Jared Leto draw you in and allow you to loose yourself in at least one track.

Sara’s favorite line in the album – “Honest to god I will break your heart, tear you to pieces and rip you apart.” – “Night of the Hunter”

Andrew’s favorite line in the album “To the leader, the pariah, the victim, the messiah.” – “This is War”

This is War is available December 8, 2009, and those of you who have played the BioWare video game Dragon Age: Origins may have heard all or part of 30 Seconds to Mars’ title track “This is War” while playing the game, or in the game’s trailer.

Track Listing:
01. Escape
02. Night of the Hunter
03. Kings and Queens
04. This is War
05. 100 Suns
06. Hurricane
07. Closer to the Edge
08. Vox Populi
09. Search and Destroy
10. Alibi
11. Stranger in a Strange Land
12. L490
Bonus track versions:
01. Kings and Queens (LA Riots Vocal Mix)
02. Night of the Hunter (Flood Remix)

30 Seconds to Mars: website | myspace

Co-Reviewed by Sara Monahan and Andrew Dunlap

This is not a film about music. This is a film about musicians.

Filmmaker Bob Moczydlowsky returns to Kansas City to give 150 people a sneak-peak of his recently finished film entitled 72 Musicians. The fundraiser screening will take place at 6 p.m. this Sunday, July 19th at the Screenland Theatre at 1656 Washington in Kansas City, Missouri. Tickets are $20 and must be purchased in advanced online at www.72musicians.com/download/screenland by noon on the 19th. The money from the screening will go toward further funding their near-nothing-budget-film to travel to various film festivals.

Aside from the fundraising aspect of the screening it serves an additionally unique purpose.

“The idea of the screening is to create an environment where the people who are in the film and featured in the film can see it ahead of time in an environment where it’s just us.” – Bob Moczydlowsky

The screening is open to anyone who purchases a ticket but likely that the theater will be full of those musicians seen in the film and others who were involved.

“My opinion is that this film belongs as much to the people who are in it as much as it belongs to me.” – Moczydlowsky

After the screening everyone is invited out for laughs and drinks the Record Bar where 72 Musicians was filmed two and a half years ago.

72 Musicians consists of one part performance and the other part interview. The majority of the footage for the film came from the OxBlood Showcase in February, 2007 at the Record Bar in Kansas City. The filmmaker and crew filmed the entire two night show and conducted personal interviews with the artists and other local musicians from the Kansas City and Lawrence areas to capture their lives and stories. But viewers will not be able to tell who the artists are or what city they are in when watching the film.

“The film is about musicians, it’s not about music. And it’s about any musician anywhere. It just so happens to be the universal story told by people who live in Kansas City and Lawrence.” -Moczydlowsky

The film had its first showing last Sunday at the Maine International Film Festival in Waterville, Maine.

“We got a very enthusiastic response and a lot of Q and A afterward. They bought us drinks at the bar when the screening was over, so apparently they liked it.” – Moczydlowsky

72 Musicians will be returning to Kansas City in September for the Kansas International Film Festival, so those who do not get a chance to make it to the sneak-peak will have an opportunity to see it then.

Moczydlowsky says that the film will eventually be available for download on their website and a free 12 song soundtrack is available to download now.

72 Musicians: website