Monster High Returns in 2020?
When looking on the Wikipedia page for Monster High DVD listing's a "third generation" film release set for 2020 is expected! It is titled "Hello Monster High!" and is set for release in 2020! Find the posting HERE.
December 2019
Death Valley High Announces New Tour Dates!
Horror obsessed provocateurs DEATH VALLEY HIGH will kick off 2020 in high gear, taking to the road for a west coast tour with electro-industrial outfit Silver Snakes just a few days into the new year.
The nine-date tour begins January 3 in San Francisco and wraps up January 12 in Fullerton, CA.
"We’ve been chatting off and on about teaming up with Silver Snakes for a while," says DEATH VALLEY HIGH vocalist Reyka Osburn. "We had played a show in San Francisco together once before and we're amped to be out on the road with them for this run."
TOUR DATES:
1/3 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
1/4 – Portland, OR @ Twilight
1/5 – Seattle, WA @ Funhouse
1/7 - Eugene, OR @ Old Nick's
1/8 – Reno, NV @ Jub Jubs
1/9 – Sacramento, CA @ Holy Diver
1/10 - Las Vegas, NV @ Backstage Bar & Billiards
1/11 - Los Angeles, CA @ 5 Star Bar
1/12 – Fullerton, CA @ Slidebar
Relate Chats So Much You Can Totally Relate!
German indie synth-pop rockers RELATE want all to hear the wrap-up they have mixed up with these genres and then some. As they want all to just drift and fade away into the uniqueness and variety that is their own sound. Thus, with this they are hard at work upon their debut album, with touring set in stone and just having total fun together! Find how just what else was said in the chat below!
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
The current formation consists of Patrick (Lead vocals, Keys, E-Violin, Guitar), Mike (e-Drums, Drum pad), Lisa (Lead guitar, Keys, Background vocals), Lukas (Bass, Keys, Background vocals). It all started in 2015, when Mike joined the band to support them at a local newcomer contest. He learned all the songs on guitar and keys within 15 hours and they even won the contest! Since then, Relate has existed as a trio. Mike is an excellent guitarist but an even better drummer! Lisa had already been a friend and a fan of our music. When her band played a show at the same festival, we invited her to join us on guitar, so that Mike could play the drums. It worked out perfectly on a musical level as well as on a human level. Consequently, as of August 2018, Relate became a quartet.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
Our singer Patrick chose the name way back in 2012 when the band hadn’t even been founded. He liked the idea of listeners connecting to, or rather “relating” to, music and its lyrics on an emotional level.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We’re based in Gelsenkirchen and Essen. These cities lie in the Ruhr area, one of the most densely populated areas in Germany. You might know Gelsenkirchen if you’re a football fan and like FC Schalke 04. Last weekend we played a show with two brilliant local bands: Tiktaalik (Trip-Hop, Electronica) and Unplaces (Electro- Wave-Rock). We had the best time and even played a few songs together. We have good chemistry and a lot of respect for each other’s work, so we’re lucky to count them among our friends 😊 Please, check them out!
4. How would you describe your style?
When we ask people to describe our music, they come up with all kinds of different genres and bands that they think we sound like. But we found out that it boils down to three genres: indie, synth pop and rock. So that’s what we usually use to describe our style. Our sound is also partly inspired by 80's music.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
So far we’ve released two full albums: “Talking Circles” and “Pictures”. You can expect meticulously arranged compositions where every synth melody, every guitar riff, bass line or drumbeat serves the idea of the song and its story. There’s also an acoustic EP available which we released just for fun.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
Yes, we’re currently working on the release of our next single. It will probably be available sometime in spring. Also, we’re planning to record our first studio album. We recorded the previous two albums ourselves, in our rehearsal room. Our first studio album will include new songs as well as our favorite songs of the ones that we’ve released so far, this time in higher quality.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
We’re currently planning our first EU tour which will be in July. Otherwise, there’s a show almost every weekend and sometimes we’re booked spontaneously. To stay up-to-date, just check our website: http://www.relate-official.de/shows.html.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
Recording our first studio album, going on our first international tour and slowly expanding our reach. Having fun making music together and connecting with other musicians and artists 😊9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
You can listen to our music on almost every streaming service there is, e.g. on Spotify, Deezer....
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5MsJJi2AdMKA9ibFqto4GJ
Or check our out Youtube channel:
www.youtube.com/relate-official
You can buy our albums e.g. on Bandcamp, Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, etc.:
www.relate.bandcamp.com
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
A catchy hook, a line in a song that they can relate to, the tone of our singer’s beautiful voice... XD
Envy Motel Says They Plan on Being Busy Next Year!
Mixer uppers ENVY MOTEL have an EP out titled "Perspectives" that totally mixes up the genres, upon it's tracklisting. Besides that release, the band says they will be quite busy come this next year!
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
The band was started by myself (Stephen, lead vocals and rhythm guitar) and our lead guitarist, James. We’ve been mates since forever and always loved playing music together, so we just knew we wanted to start a band. We looked for a drummer for a few months to no success and then met our drummer, Luke, through social media and he joined the band. In December 2018 our bassist, Callum, joined to complete the lineup. Once we had our full lineup, we just clicked straight away. We knew the direction that we wanted to take with it and sorted a permanent practice space and fully committed to getting our first EP out. It’s been a busy year for us.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
After throwing a few names about that we couldn’t decide on, Luke came out with “What do yous think of Envy Motel?” We all decided it was something that we liked but really, we just picked it because it sounded cool. Loads of bands have deep meanings to their names but we were just like “aye sounds good we’ll have that”.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We’re based in Sunderland but are involved in the North East music scene in its entirety. We love playing shows in Newcastle and most recently played a show at Head of Steam with some amazing support acts. We’d recommend Kickin Lilies, Vandebilt and The Midnight Drive as local bands to check out. They’re all class.
4. How would you describe your style?We’ve got quite a diverse style; everyone has different genres of music that are their favorites so we just try to incorporate everyone’s tastes. If you look at our debut EP “Perspectives” you’ll understand what I mean; our first song “Height of Arrogance” is quite a fast-paced Hard Rock tune, but then we’ve got “Boundaries” which has a really funky rhythm to it so we just try to use whatever influences us. We don’t really think of ourselves as being one specific genre.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
We’ve released a four-track EP titled “Perspectives” and two singles after that. As for expectations, I’m not sure what people would expect from us since we don’t really know what to expect from a song until we write it. The main thing for us is playing music that we like and keeping the crowd hyped up.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
We’ve got a few songs written that we haven’t showed yet, but as for when they’ll be released, we don’t know yet.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
We’ve got a show at Independent in Sunderland on the 18th January, as for anything else, I don’t want to give too much away yet but let’s just say we’re planning on being busy in 2020.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
We just want to take this as far as we can, for us it’s not all about the fame, it’s more about sharing our music with people who enjoy it and playing music together as four mates. That’s what all this comes down to, we’re basically family at this point.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Our music can be found on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?I remember listening to our first song “Head in the Clouds” when it came out and honestly it was the most surreal feeling ever. It felt really weird, we were like “wait that’s us”. Even though we’d worked so hard to get it out there we still couldn’t believe the fact that it was out and that people actually liked it. It was a very proud moment for us all. So, in that sense, we want our listeners to primarily remember that we’re always just going to be ourselves, unapologetically. We want them to be the same. Music can bring so many people from so any different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs together in a room just filled with energy and good vibes, and I think we all want this band to be something that promotes good vibes for everyone who listens.
Cruel Juno Talks of Playing with Monster Musicians and Realizing the Dream!
Hard rock project CRUEL JUNO is one of those projects that brings together different aspects and elements as well. This project has a handful of single releases thus far, with an EP expected come this next year! One of the members of the project goes into talks about reality, music, and monsters!
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
When I moved back to my old hometown in Texas a few years ago, I couldn’t find a local band to join. So I thought I’d ask the musicians on some of my favorite albums if they’d be willing to record with me remotely from their home studios. Amazingly, they were interested, and CRUEL JUNO was born. With Italian guitarist Luca Princiotta (DORO, BLAZE) and Sicilian vocalist Gandolfo Ferro (Heimdall) signed on as special guests, I produced the first single, “Swallow My Medicine” - and then went in search of additional artists to work with, such as Fabio Lione (RHAPSODY, ANGRA, VISION DIVINE), Oliver Palotai (KAMELOT, EPICA), Gian-Andrea Costa (DREAMSHADE), and Jasio Kulakowski (KOBRA AND THE LOTUS). And there’s still more people I’d like to work with! I sometimes think of the project as “My Avantasia.”
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
I am a huge fan of Heimdall’s concept album “Aeneid” – which is based on the epic poem by Virgil. (That’s how I discovered Gandolfo Ferro, who lends his amazing voice to most of our songs.) The name CRUEL JUNO is a direct reference to the Aeneid, and is also meant to honor Gandolfo and Luca being from Italy/Sicily.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We are an international collaboration, but most of the musicians I’ve worked with are from Italy. Although we’re more straight-up hard rock than what’s happening in the Italian metal scene, I think we’d fit in well there. A lot of the bands I listen to are from there – I love the music that’s coming out of Italy right now. Eternal Idol’s first album is absolutely incredible. Fabio Lione and Giorgia Colleluori sang so well together, and Camillo Colleluori’s drumming is just flawless! I also listen to Temperance, Vision Divine, and to hear some incredible playing: the Luca Princiotta Band.
4. How would you describe your style?
CRUEL JUNO is straight up full-throttle hard rock. Loud at any volume! Drum-wise I don’t get too busy. I want the songs to rock, and I’m not going to step all over them by over-playing. I tend to stick to single bass, giving the songs a bit more old-school hard rock sound – think ‘80's JUDAS PRIEST, with modern production.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
We have 3 singles out, the 4th is ready to go, and our EP, “Playing With Monsters” will be released on Jan 10, which will have all 4 of those songs, plus a bonus track. When I started out, I wanted to tie all of our songs together, not as a concept album, but using a general theme. With the first song being “Swallow My Medicine,” which had an overall Jeckyll/Hyde feel, I decided that each song would represent a classic monster: Jeckyll/Hyde, Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Mummy. The monster theme also provided a great way to have quality music videos. I’d edit old monster movies and set them to our music. They’re fun to watch, and it’s really the only affordable option with musicians are spread all over the world. – Although for the new mummy single, “Wound Too Tight,” there was really not enough footage of mummies in any old mummy movie, so I had to shoot my own video. I bought a spandex bodysuit mummy costume and filmed myself in front of a tomb backdrop. It was all going OK until the zipper broke midway through the take. Ever worn a spandex bodysuit? Let me tell you a secret: They’re just like Cinderella. You have until the twelfth stroke of the clock to get home before you’re naked, because those suits will literally just peel off your body once the zipper fails. The suit was ruined, so I had to reuse the first half of the take I’d filmed, making the mummy video I filmed genuine B-Movie material. Rock and Roll! lol
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
Yes. I am collaborating with Jasio Kulakowski (KOBRA AND THE LOTUS) on a new song as we speak. Drums are finished, and he and I will decide whether we need to bring in more musicians to finish it. I need to record drums for another song that Luca wrote, and there are several others in the works. We already have enough material for another EP. I guess we could have waited and put it all together as a full album, but it’s taken a year to get these 4 songs done, and I thought it best to go ahead and release them as an EP.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
It would be extremely difficult to play shows with the musicians I record with. Not only are we in different countries and continents, we are all involved in separate projects. That doesn’t diminish the interest, though. I’ve encouraged Gandolfo to perform the songs with his band in Sicily. I’d love to watch that via live feed!
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
There are more songs to record, and more great musicians to work with. It can be a bit daunting. I started this project with a mindset that people would probably only do one song. “Ok, I’ll do it. Just this once – as a favor because I’m a nice guy.” That sort of thing. I’m always surprised when they really like my song and ask how soon I’m going to send them the next one. It’s a good feeling, but a bit scary too. Suddenly I’m thinking, “Can I write another song good enough that they’ll like it?” I’m starting to run out of monsters, too!
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Our music is available online pretty much everywhere – Spotify, Amazon, Google Play, Apple, etc. Videos are on Facebook and YouTube. And I’m currently pressing a VERY limited number of CDs – only 50. I’ll likely put the CDs on Reverb.com, but people can email me at crueljunoband@gmail.com to get one, too. I’ve got handwritten lyrics and the drumsticks used on each song for anyone who likes that sort of thing.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
This isn’t just an album – I’m realizing my dream. Ever wanted to walk up to your favorite musicians and ask, “Hey, will you jam with me?” And they respond, “Yeah!” That’s what I’m doing - I’m playing with monsters!
Slayer’s Night 2 at The Forum Would Be A Sold Out Case That Lasts a Lifetime in Los Angeles
Forty years is a long time to be together, and for thrash metal act such as Slayer, forty is just about as close as these guys got, within their music careers as what else musicians! Night 1 of their final tour took place during a back to back night event, happening November 29th 2019, it close to selling out but not quite. Whereas the final night, or night 2 was completely sold out come November 30th 2019. The Forum being the place to go out in Inglewood, California in the Los Angeles County area, where nothing but the word SLAYER was shouted throughout the entirety of this cold night’s evening…..
Fans alike were at this venue, some even being there as early as 2PM. While others filed in close to show time about 5PM, when the doors were opened wide and fans piled into the venue, filling up all the spaces available both on the floor and seats up top! An hour later the openers would hit the stage, being Philip H. Anselmo and the Illegals, where they would do yet another night of a tribute to Pantera, dedicating it to Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrel, and the bands performing this night as well. Their setlist changing things up a bit though, as the band would play "A New Level", having played "Walk", the previous night. Other Pantera tracks and hits played included such as "I'm Broken", "This Love", and "Fucking Hostile", to name off the lot that fans went nuts over! Might there be an add-on that the track called "Becoming", being played twice, well somewhat the band started the track then restarted the track to get a better response from the crowd of on lookers. Their set doing quite well, that everyone in ear and eye shot dug what was being played.
Up next was the band Ministry whose industrial ways kept the crowd entertained yet calm. The band giving way lots of energy and angst throughout their set, everyone just was into their set taking it all in really. Loads of lighting effects took place, with even groovier backdrops that made the whole appeal of Ministry that more gripping.
For it would be Primus that would keep that calm pace of the crowd, keeping it really effective through and through. The band's music being done with vocals but most instrumentals for the most part, their set being lengthy yet enlightening at times. The music kept pace with itself, keeping all who was present just together with the beats and tones playing off one another.
Lastly for the night would be none other than Slayer, having a whole different introduction than the night before. As the lights lit up, showcasing the darkened stage with the side panel screen's playing a recording of fans shouting a lot of Slayer's namesake, along with wishing the band a happy time of retirement as this is what this final tour was all about. That video wrapping up after a couple of minutes with a countdown, counting down it all til the end, as the band would go into the intro track and start off with "South Of Heaven", just as they had done the night before. The following track being "Repentless", with numerous other tracks like "World Painted Blood", "Stain of Mind", ""When Stillness Comes", and the fan favorites like "Raining Blood", and "Angel of Death", being the closer of the night. An extensive set list consisting of 20 tracks, per each of the final night's, each one being slightly varied with it's track listing, kept the fans on the final night truly excited. Fans would be crowd surfing, tossing tshirts and other appeal up into the air, while the mosh pit would go into circular motion for the entire night’s lifetime, fans were pleased with what was happening surely enough.
Overall Slayer would end the night having themselves take a snap shot together, giving one another a hug or two, then having the entire crew come together for some more snap shot pictures, waving goodbye to the fans, that had been there since the beginning of the band's career, down to the many who were there from different time points, to the rest being completely new altogether. No matter which it may be, Slayer would be an act that has made a staple for themselves, and will easily be one to go down in history, if having not done so already.…
SETLIST NIGHT 2:
1. Delusions of Saviour (Partial)
2. South of Heaven
3. Repentless
4. Postmortem
5. World Painted Blood
6. Hate Worldwide
7. War Ensemble
8. Stain of Mind
9. Disciple
10. When the Stillness Comes (Clean intro was skipped)
11. Born of Fire
12. Payback
13. Seasons in the Abyss
14. Jesus Saves
15. Chemical Warfare
16. Hell Awaits
17. Dead Skin Mask
18. Show No Mercy
19. Raining Blood
20. Mandatory Suicide
21. Angel of Death
Killswitch Engage Announces New Spring Headlining Tour for 2020!
Gold-selling hard rock heavyweights Killswitch Engage have announced that Light the Torch will serve as the opening act on their upcoming Spring 2020 headline tour. As fans are more than well aware, Light the Torch features frontman Howard Jones, who served as KsE's singer from 2002 through 2012.
"We are excited to bring out Light the Torch, first of all, because they are a killer band," says singer Jesse Leach. "Obviously, having Howard out with us allows us to make this a tour to remember. I've always respected Howard as a singer, but in recent years, he's become a friend. So it means more to me now than it would have in the past. We are happy to see him back up on the good foot and singing his heart out again in top form. With both August Burns Red and Light the Torch, there will be no punches pulled. Just a killer lineup. Fans won't want to miss this tour. You will want to come early and stay late. All hails."
Check out the list of dates below.
TOUR DATES:
3/10 — Cleveland, OH — Agora Theatre
3/11 — Grand Rapids, MI — 20 Monroe Live
3/13 — Philadelphia, PA — Franklin Music Hall
3/14 — Silver Spring, MD — Fillmore
3/15 — Raleigh, NC — Ritz
3/17 — Atlanta, GA — Tabernacle
3/18 — Orlando, FL — House of Blues
3/20 — Dallas, TX — Southside Ballroom
3/21 — Houston, TX — House of Blues
3/23 — Tempe, AZ — The Marquee
3/24 — Los Angeles — The Wiltern
3/25 — Riverside, CA — Municipal Auditorium
3/26 — San Francisco, CA — Warfield
3/28 — Seattle, WA — Showbox Sodo
3/29 — Boise, ID — Revolution
3/31 — Salt Lake City, UT — Complex
4/1 — Denver, CO — Fillmore
4/3 — Minneapolis, MN — Fillmore
4/4 — Chicago, IL — Radius
4/5 — Detroit, MI — Fillmore
4/6 — Toronto, ON — Rebel
4/8 — Montreal, QC — MTelus
4/10 — Portland, ME — State Theatre
4/11 — New York, NY — Terminal 5
4/12 — Boston, MA — House of Blues
Justin Symbol Releases Music Video for "Trash Fire
Multi-genre artist Justin ‡ Symbol has released the official music video for "Trash Fire (ft. VoKillz & Angel Nightmare)". Directed & Shot by Ricky Rubinson, "Trash Fire" is off of the artist's new album, "Candy Man". Check out the music video right over HERE.
Zilch Details of Music and Plans Ahead
Trio act ZILCH mixes melodic and aggressive music to create something that would have come out of the 70's era with such influence behind it, it would span from there into the modern present day. The band goes into detail about their music, source of styling and plans coming up next.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Well, we formed in March 2018. Crag and Thom were in a band together already and decided to start it out as a little side project with Cal, who we’ve both been in bands with before.
That band fizzled out and we were able to make it a full-time, so we hit rehearsals hard and had a half-hour set within 2 or 3 weeks. I had a few ideas that hadn’t come to fruition in earlier bands, so we fleshed those out as a base for our sound and then started writing new stuff.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
we couldn't think of a name for quite a while. We didn't want anything too wordy or not memorable. We kept circling round the idea of "nothing" because we weren't taking ourselves seriously and "zilch." came about and stuck. We also needed a name quickly cos we had a gig coming up. We also added the full stop at the end of it for a bit of fun.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We’re from Worcester, which is pretty small for a city. The only thing we’re really known for across the country is Lea & Perrins sauce. If anybody ever asks where we’re from and we say “Worcester” they never usually know where it is until we say, “You know, the place with the sauce”. They usually get it then. The music scene in Worcester is really active, helped by the University and there are some great bands here. Hipflask Virgins, Soden, Nuns of the Tundra, Skora, Jericho Racks, Plane Crasher, Word of Mouth and The Earnest Spears, to name a few.
4. How would you describe your style?
We kind of go for 'alt rock' tag or Grunge although we are pretty much straight ahead Grunge. We're melodic, kind of heavy, kind of poppy, kind of punky, sometimes there’s screaming, but there’s also clean ‘poppy hooks’, so those terms sort of scope all of our sound for people.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
We’ve release three singles so far; 'righteous', 'Shade' and 'new way out' by ourselves not Via any label. Righteous is a heavier, grooving pounder song but still catchy. 'Shade' is a more up tempo borderline punk song with some singing and dancing opps. 'New Way Out' is more along the pop lines but still has its loud moments.
I think people can expect fun, loud rock songs that you can bang your head and vent some energy to.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
Of course! Yeah, we’re always writing and coming up with new ideas. It’s just about figuring out priority of which ones to work on and which ones we like best. There are some ideas we’ve had on the back-burner for a while as we’ve come up with newer stuff that is different to what we have previously written, so our sound is constantly developing. We have an EP planned for release in Spring 2020.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
We’ve got 2 shows booked for the remainder of the year, both in December, and possibly a 3rd on NYE. We do have some shows booked already for 2020 and we’ll be looking to book a lot more. As far as touring, there is nothing planned but we are dead keen to get something together.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
As we said, a debut EP is fairly imminent and we don’t want to say too much, but I think people could expect a new single pretty early on next year. We want to gig as much as possible, in as many places as possible, hopefully record an album after we’ve got a few tours under our belt. We'll rinse and repeat until we drop dead onstage.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
We’re on Spotify, iTunes, Napster, Deezer, iHeartRadio… Loads of streaming platforms – Just remember to search Zilch. Including the full stop to get the right band! If you check us out on Spotify, we’ve got playlists of music that influences us plus the local bands we mentioned earlier. Spread the love! You can buy our music on Bandcamp and iTunes or come to our shows for t-shirts.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
Hopefully the songs and any good vibes it made them experience. If it was happy boogeying or some anger venting, that's job done for us and we're happy. We want people to come have fun let loose and enjoy the moment of seeing some dudes sweat it out with them no matter what they’re going through.
Band Links:
https://www.facebook.com/Zilch.Band.UK/
https://www.instagram.com/zilch.band.uk/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/54iIM7vYDPUmc6MNyLrvwk?si=P9k4kdcnSVOh0WS-_5WlVQ
Ask Carol Talks of Music Both Current Material and Upcoming Works!
Alternative pop duo AS CAROL have toured the world and has even released a debut EP. But in the mean time, the band is currently hard at work upon all new material set for release in the summer of next year sometime. But before that a few single's will be released in the New Year as well. Find out just what else was talked about when it comes to the music and planning of an duo act such as this one.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
The two members of Ask Carol met for the first time at a school, studying jazz, in southern Norway, over ten years ago. It wasn't until years later, in 2015 we decided to start a band. That summer we stayed at a cabin in the Norwegian mountains, with no electricity and no water, far away from people and civilization, only a few sheep outside the windows. That's where our first songs were made, and the seed to what would become Ask Carol started. One more year went by before we started for real, and Ask Carol was officially born, in 2016. Our first concert ever was at a small blues club in Seoul, South Korea, called Strange Fruit. At that point, Carol was already a somewhat known guitarist-for-hire in the Oslo music scene, and had never ever sung in front of people before, or at all for that matter. That's why we wanted to try out our music and hold our first concerts far away from our hometown.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
After thinking hard and long about the band name, with many pretty good suggestions, we ended up with the simple band name Ask Carol, the first names of our two members, Ask and Carol, put together. Ask is a real Norwegian name, coming from Norse Mythology, the Viking religion; he was the first human being, created by the God Odin, out of a piece of Ash-wood.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Ask Carol is for the time being based in Carol's home place, Auma. We like to call it Auma City, but only around 150 people live there. That means there are not so many other bands there either, so we feel partially connected to the capital, Oslo, too, where there is a bigger music scene, and quite a few good bands. For example the duo Aiming for Enrike whom we played with as SXSW in 2018, and guitarist/singer Hilma Nikolaisen, who we saw at ByLarm this year are pretty good. Just to name a couple.
4. How would you describe your style?
Our style is a mix of different genres, but we like to call it grungy alt-pop. Usually we sound a little more rough live than on the records, with more of our rock influences shining through live. We like so much different music, and different genres, and we believe by blending them we can create something a little bit new.
Being only two, playing almost all instruments live on stage, our live-style is multitasking, with both of us often playing two instruments at a time, maybe even more. For bigger concerts/stages we use either a third person or a little bit of tracks to fill in.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
As of now we have released 6 singles and one EP (which includes three of them).
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
We are currently recording songs for our upcoming album, scheduled for release some time around summer next year. There will also be a couple of new singles coming after New Year's, following on from our last single, "Shining Bright", released last week.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
In February we are planning a tour to the Philippines, where we have big following thanks to Carol being half Filipino, and having toured there before. We also plan on doing a small tour in the UK and Germany in the coming spring, and a US tour later next year.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?Well, first of all the album we mentioned, and also as much touring as we can.
Oh, and we're working on setting up a webshop for our merch. It was so popular at the shows, so we thought it would be a good idea to get something online too. As an independent DIY band we are doing everything ourselves though, so it might not be ready before Christmas... But we promise to get it ready soon :)
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Our songs are available on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and most other platforms. All songs are on YouTube too, some of them with music videos. And as mentioned we are working on a webshop, it will come to askcarolmusic.com soon!
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
The feeling it gives them, Carol's voice, and the guitars. Have a great day, and all the best,
Ask T. Borgen from Ask Carol
Together In Tragedy Talks of Show Playing and Music!
Metalcore band TOGETHER IN TRAGEDY releasing an EP "Social Construct" (2018) with a single and accompanying debut album "Victimier" (2018) and EP "Delirium" (2019) with tons of shows played between 2017 into 2018, with 2019 focusing on time to rest and write and record the newer music that was released on said EP, with the next year having more room to play many more shows! So much more was talked about from the band, including more plans that are in-store!
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Our current line up is Aaron Dalton (drums), Alex Woollams (vocals), David Rea (bass) and Michael Webb (guitar). Aaron jammed with friends of his prior to one of them inviting me (Alex) to come jam since he saw I did vocal covers on YouTube. They already had a bunch of songs written so I put some lyrics I had on top and we got straight to writing more songs. That was around August 2016.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
We were just throwing around different ideas for band names and this one stuck with us the most as something memorable.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We are all from Western Sydney in Australia. There is a pretty thriving scene of variety right now, some of our friends include Forsaker (down tempo deathcore), Infinite Illusion (metalcore), Reliqa (alternative rock) and Artisan (djent).
4. How would you describe your style?
Aggressive groove is our own title but we fit in with nu-metalcore/metalcore, some say beatdown, honestly just heavy music is fine too.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
We put out an entirely self produced 8 track titled “Social Construct” in 2018 followed by a single and studio debut, “Victimizer” later that year. We just put out a new EP called “Delirium”. You can expect heaviness, grooves, raw emotion and thick bass when listening to it.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
We just put out new music last month but there’s always new music on our mind.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
We spent all of 2017 and a lot of 2018 playing shows along the east coast of Australia. We took a break from shows this year to write and record. Next year we’re hoping to play as many shows as possible.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
More music, more merch and more shows!
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
We’re on all major streaming platforms, here’s a little link with everything in one spot. http://smarturl.it/deliriumTIT and our merch store is here https://togetherintragedy.bigcartel.com/.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
We hope that when they hear one of our songs they get hooked on the sound and want to hear more. If they can remember a beat or a lyric or a breakdown from one of our songs while going about their day, we’ve done our part.
Our Sorrows Discusses Music, Plans, and More!
Four piece band OUR SORROWS uses metalcore as their genre of choice, having it hit hard, creating such groove orientated rhythms and melodies of vocal chords, that their works is purely unique. Find out with the band members had to say, i.e. Kyle and Chris, as they discuss the band's forming, music, and plans ahead.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Kyle: So, we were all involved in bands in the 2006-2012 era with varying levels of success before we kind of lost the dream and moved on to big boy careers.
At the end of 2018, Chris and I started a small music review show on Twitch which really re-lit that fire. Once we decided we were going to do this thing again, Chris reached out to an old band mate (Austin) who had kind of moved on from music, as well as his brother (Cameron) who was still playing around in the local Dallas scene.
Our time away from it really put some things into perspective, how we wanted to approach the music, the presentation, and having a message that we want to drive home to everyone.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
Chris: The name Our Sorrows really just came from what we wanted this band to represent. Every person in this world has their own struggles that they go through on a day to day basis and that amount of similar struggle and sorrow that stems from it is what brings us closer as a human race.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Kyle: Chris and I are actually living in Central Florida, Austin is living in Tampa, and Cameron is actually still living in Dallas. The Florida scene is so awesome right now honestly, in that gap of time of not playing I would very rarely go to local shows and it’s crazy just how talented everyone is. Gotta give a shout-out to our boys in Scatter Shot here, they go hard and they’re such good dudes.
4. How would you describe your style?
Chris: We are definitely a band that is reminiscent of the early 2000's hardcore and metalcore sound. We like to blend this super heavy sound with a mix of catchy melodies and choruses. Our album goes from heart pumping, driven heavy songs to full on ballads and we love that we can mix the two in a way that is very "us".
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
Kyle: We actually dropped our Freshman release Anima//Animus at the end of October, I think Chris said it well from a sound perspective. I’d just add that these really do come from a genuine place, so as far as what to expect. We made a commitment to each other in getting back into music that we’re never going to phone it in. Every song and album is going to be something that means a lot to us. t we’re never going to phone it in. Every song and album is going to be something that means a lot to us.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
Chris: We have started to work on our next album and we are beyond excited to start recording it early next year. We are definitely continuing in the style of our first album as it is something that really has spoken to us and continues to motivate us in the direction of this new music. It is definitely, in our opinion, some of the best music we have ever created!
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
Kyle: We actually do have some unannounced stuff on the books. The goal is to tour as much as we can in 2020.8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
Chris: As far as short term future plans, we are going to start playing out much more so that people all around can enjoy and experience our music. We are looking to be touring early/mid next year. Long term for us we would love to be with the right management team or label and be touring the world with our favorite bands year round.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Kyle: You can find us on YouTube and all the major streaming platforms or our website, so in no particular order;
Website: https://oursorrows.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/OurSorrowsOfficial
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OurSorrowsMusic
Instagram: https://instagram.com/OurSorrowsOfficial
Youtube: https://youtube.com/OurSorrows
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3WPkmecpxS1kHEWSiHgex2?si=YgI3CFX7QjGXA8S6UxWICA/0vWKyz9ymhtcvCnK4jOdIL?si=JpyRRr4wR9WXB4iAwTG1Vg
iTunes/Apple Music: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1470742681?ls=1&app=itunes
Google Play Music:
https://play.google.com/store/music/artist?id=Aamxfcep6pevbkq2dedpw6fj37i
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
Chris: I think a lot of this was touched on the meaning behind our name. However, what we would like a listener to take away from our music is that they are not in this crazy thing we call life alone and that, at the very least, they have our music and words to confide in. Our true goal with our music is to create this sphere of togetherness, whether it be through listening to our music or watching us live, that people feel a much deeper connection with and makes them feel stronger and able to overcome these adversities.
Never Gonna Make It Further More Says Lots on Themselves
NEVER GONA MAKE IT, take on the genres ranging from metal, pop punk, grunge and alternative to create a genre that is rock crossed with pop punk mixed together to make an easycore hybrid in the metal sense. In other words, sounding between the likes of The Wonder Years, Fall Out Boy and A Day To Remember! With this genre mixing they went on to release one album titled "Don't Quit Your Day Job". But that's not the only amount of music available, because the band has all new music in the works! Shows will be following come the next year, with the band going on further more to say a lot about themselves.
1. Please tell us about the history of the band and its members.
The history of Never Gonna Make It starts back in college in the year 2015. Chris (vocals, R. guitar) wanted to start a project with Grant (bass) because of their shared musical interests. they were fraternity brothers at the same college, and that fraternity was also what introduced them to Ben (L. guitar). after the three decided that they needed a drummer, Ben brought in Steve who was the drummer in a previous project that Ben had been a part of. Tim (vocals), a long time friend of Chris, was involved in the writing process of some songs they were playing, so Chris invited him to feature in the studio when the band came ready to record a demo. They liked how it sounded, offered Tim a spot in the lineup, and that's how the final band lineup came to be.
2. What's the origin of the band's name?
The band name stems from our conversations about band names, oddly enough. We would brainstorm names and came up with a few of them: Makes Noise at You, Don't Quit your Day Job (which later became the title of the album), but no matter what we came up with, we always said, "it doesn't matter what we call ourselves, because we're never gonna make it." eventually that ended up being the case: we are Never Gonna Make It.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
The band is based out of different areas of Massachusetts in U.S.A., some from the north side, some from south side. the scene around us is so broad, and there are so many talented acts, be it power pop, prog, metal, pop punk, jazz. I mean, you have powerhouses like Far Above The Ground, Sunsinger, Frantic Endeavor, Professor Caffeine and the Insecurities, the list goes on.
4. How would you describe your style?
A: Our style is somewhere in between The Wonder Years, Fall Out Boy and A Day to Remember. We come from metal, pop punk, grunge and alternative backgrounds, and the product is a rock solid pop punk/easycore hybrid.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
So far, we have one full length album released: Don't Quit Your Day Job. Going into this album, you can expect strong pop punk and easycore elements, but diversity therein, stemming from each of our respective influences and experience
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
Yes! We have lots of new music in the works. We are fleshing out some old songs and constantly writing and improving new ones, with a style reminiscent of the classic early 2000's cult classics. Definitely more towards the Thursday side than the Fall Out Boy side with this one, though.
7. How about playing shows and touring? Have anything planned out?
Coming up February 7th, we'll be playing the The Cave at New World Tavern in Plymouth, MA with Far Above The Ground. More shows to follow next season.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
As a band, the future could hold anything. We would love to see ourselves tour. We would love to spread our music to any ears that would have us. For the short term, we're very excited to have fans sing their hearts out with us now that DQYDJ is out.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
You can find Never Gonna Make It on all major streaming platforms, and if you want to buy the album, you can find that here:
http://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/NeverGonnaMakeIt.
10. What is it you'd like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
If there is something we could tell the listener before they jump into DQYDJ for the first time, I would tell them to enjoy it. Take their time with it. Pop punk is a fun genre, where talking about issues in your life or the world are turned into camaraderie and fellowship. Let's keep that trend going!
