In a year full of promising debuts, Mighty’s self-titled LP stands out. It captures the gritty energy of the debuts by fellow southern indie rockers All Get Out and Microwave – look no further than lead single “Safe and Sound” – but with a charm all its own. Last week I had the chance to speak to bandleader Angelo Fiaretti about writing this album. The album is out this Friday and if you’re interested you can pre-order it through their label.
Interview: Dance Gavin Dance (Video Interview)
I recently sat down with Will Swan and Jon Mess of Dance Gavin Dance to talk about their eighth studio album, Artificial Selection, and much more.
Interview: Underoath (Video Interview)
Aaron Gillespie and Spencer Chamberlain of Underoath talk openly and honestly about their latest release, Erase Me, and walking that fine line between making fans happy and making themselves happy.
Interview: Parkway Drive (Video Interview)
I sat down with Winston McCall, lead singer of Parkway Drive, to talk about the band’s newest release Reverence, the role of Warped Tour, and dealing with loss.
Interview: Echosmith (Video Interview)
I recently sat down with Sydney, Noah, and Graham Sierota of Echosmith, having done so last in 2014. Not only have the siblings grown up, but their music has matured as well.
Interview: Eight Years Down: Cary Brothers on His Long-Awaited Return
As listeners, we typically assume that a debut album is an artist’s mission statement. Simply put, an artist’s first album is supposed to establish what that person or band sounds like. It’s supposed to lay the foundations for the rest of their career and give listeners some idea of what to expect later on down the road. But what happens when a debut album proves to be an anomaly? When the first record establishes a sonic identity that the artist doesn’t want to chase on future releases?
For more than a decade now, Cary Brothers has been asking precisely that question.
Brothers burst onto the scene in 2004, with a December release called All the Rage. It wasn’t until the next year, though, that he got his big break, thanks in large part to the Garden State soundtrack. Brothers’ beloved contribution, the song “Blue Eyes,” had already been a Hotel Café favorite when Zach Braff scooped it up for his quirky coming-of-age dramedy. Garden State took the song and immortalized it for listeners and movie fans who were of a certain age at the time. While the song gave Brothers the kind of boost that just about any songwriter would kill for, though, it also meant that he got the musical version of typecast. “Blue Eyes” was a singer-songwriter song, and Brothers’ full-length debut, 2007’s Who You Are, was a singer-songwriter album. You could hardly blame early Cary Brothers fans for making the assumption that he was an acoustic singer-songwriter, period.
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Interview: Honey and Salt
Austin, TX, math rock band Honey and Salt will be releasing their sophomore album, Honey and Salt, next week via Spartan Records. I got the chance to sit down with vocalist/guitarist Wade Allen and bassist Austin Sears about the writing of the record, fighting nihilism, and the best band that ever was, Fugazi.
Interview: Slow Code
Seattle, WA, leftist punk band Slow Code will be releasing their new LP Wastelayernext month. I recently spoke to the band about the politics of the record and a shared respect for Mark Fisher.
Interview: Matt Politoski of Animal Flag
I wrote about Animal Flag at the beginning of the year for our most anticipated albums of 2018 and predicted their new album being “a stunner.” Now they’ve announced that album – it’s called Void Ripper and it comes out on April 13 via Flower Girl and Triple Crown Records – and I can assure you it’s a stunner indeed. I recently had the pleasure of speaking to frontman Matt Politoski about the writing of the record and the break away from Christianity that inspired it.
Interview: Brian Swindle of Have Mercy (Video Interview)
I sat down with Brian Swindle of Have Mercy to talk about Old Bay, Full House, and the benefits of buying tangible music.
Interview: Josh Gilbert of Household (Video Interview)
I sat down with Josh Gilbert of Household to talk about the inspiration behind the band’s latest release, Everything a River Should Be, and why it was worth the wait.
Interview: Buddy Nielsen of Senses Fail (Video Interview)
I recently had the chance to sit down with Buddy Nielsen of Senses Fail and talk about how he never gave up on the band, breaking records with If There Is Light It Will Find You, and playing by his own rules.
Interview: Lights (Video Interview)
I was lucky enough to recently sit down and catch up with Lights.
Interview: Dylan Slocum of Spanish Love Songs
Spanish Love Songs will release their new album Schmaltz on March 30th. It’s one of the freshest and most honest punk rock records in recent memory. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with vocalist Dylan Slocum and he told me about the delicate art of opening a record and embracing dad punk.
Interview: Broadside (Video Interview)
I recently had the chance to sit down with Broadside to talk about their recent album and their summer touring plans.