Brandon Duhon, formerly from Glasnost has released his last remix on his Soundcloud site, and will be using the Night Drive name moving forward.   Here is the latest music video from Night Drive.  Expect more from Night Drive in the future.

NIGHT DRIVE – DRONES (Official Music Video) from nightdrivemusic on Vimeo.

Wild Moccasins tour 2013
May 7—Tricky Falls—El Paso, Texas*

May 8—Crescent Ballroom—Phoenix, Arizona*

May 9—Echoplex—Los Angeles, California*

May 10—Slim’s—San Francisco, California*

May 11—Wonder Ballroom—Portland, Oregon*

May 15—Cedar Cultural Center—Minneapolis, Minnesota*

May 16—Pabst Theatre—Milwaukee, Wisconsin*

May 17—Lincoln Hall—Chicago, Illinois*

May 18—The Madison Theater—Covington, Kentucky*

May 20—Town Ballroom—Buffalo, New York*

May 21—Paradise—Boston, Massachusetts*

May 22—Music Hall Of Williamsburg—Brooklyn, New York*

May 23—Canal Club—Richmond, Virginia*

May 24—Blind Tiger—Greensboro, North Carolina*

July 5—Grand Central—Miami, Florida

* with Of Montreal

By Ivan Guzman

On my first day of SXSW, I got to sit and talk with Sirah, a small little rapping fireball that hails from LA. Her debut album, C.U.L.T Too Young To Die, came out earlier in 2012, and her global collab with dubstep crooner, Skrillex, entitled ‘Bangarang’ won her a Grammy in 2013 for her collaborations on i

At the Moonshine Cafe, we met and went downstairs to escape the noise, to a silent and dark wine cellar – the perfect setting to talk with the rapper about her crazy performances at SXSW with people like Macklemore and Action Bronson, how growing up tough helps her in making her music, and the controversial but always entertaining female rap scene.

How is SXSW so far? Is it your first time here?

-Yes! It’s amazing. I haven’t gotten to see as many people as I wanted to see, but I’ve seen people from the shows I played – Icona Pop, Charli XCX, Macklemore, Action Bronson, Rocky Fresh. I tried to go out last night because one of my favorite bands, Y, are playing, but they were doing a show in the back room where there was Ghostface, Killa, and Iggy Pop, so there was no way to get in.

I heard you played with Macklemore and Action Bronson. How was that?

-Awesome. Action Bronson killed it. At one point I look over, and he picked up a dude that was in a wheelchair and had him draped over his back while he rapped, and I was like, “WHAT IS HAPPENING?”

So, you collaborated with Skrillex on ‘Bangarang’ and won a Grammy. How did that come about?

-6 years ago, I was on tour in Romania, and I got mail on Myspace from Sunni (Skrillex). He was doing this ambient, melodic music as a side project, and he told me that he loved my music and wanted to work with me, so that’s how that came about. With ‘Bangarang,’ he hit me up and asked me to send him 16 bars with a sort of ‘Lost Boys’ feeling – because I grew up like that. Our crew had that sort of ‘Lost Boys’ feel to it.

Did you attend the Grammys?

-Yeah! It was really odd. You watch it on TV your whole life and then you’re there, and it’s surreal.

Your video for ‘My City’ came out in February, and the song has to do with your childhood and growing up. How does that influence your music?

-I think that’s really all my music is – growing up and how I came to this place. But I grew up really hard, whether it was doing graffiti, being in gangs, whatever. I think that not only my music, but my life – being homeless and all – creates my music. I grew up in New York and then moved to LA and basically finished out there. I’ve been writing since I was seven years old, and when I was 12, I started just rapping, smoking blunts with boys, freestyling. I never thought that I could make music. I just did it because I loved to. Then at about 17, I started rapping in South Central at this place called Project Blow, and they really taught me how to actually rap. They boo you off stage, the Black Panthers tried to recruit me – it was mad weird.

Who did you grow up listening to?

-Well, my first show was The Beach Boys, even though they were all kind of dead – it was like the Beach Men. But also Joni Mitchell, Alanis Morissette, Big Pun, Biggy, Eminem – I just love music from everywhere, anywhere.

Dream collaboration?

-That’s really hard. I mean, I love Joni Mitchell so much, but I would never want to work with her. There’s people I love so much that I would never want to collaborate with them, as a fan. They’re just so magical that it would ruin my perception about them. Anytime I really love someone I would never really want to go see their show. I’m more of the person that is inspired by musicians who just have a creative vision, no matter who they are. That’s exciting to me.

What would you say the most common theme is on C.U.L.T. Too Young To Die?

-I think I’m just angry! Haha. I listen to it and think, “I sound so angry!” There were a lot of reasons why I named it C.U.L.T, but I think it was just me being tired of the internet being so grimey and people not taking time to understand who you are – all the misconceptions that I was reading, saying “You’re a hipster,” or “You’ve never rapped in your life!” I was just mad. To quote Dr. Dre, “If you don’t like me, blow me.” So that was what C.U.L.T was for me – how they have no idea what they’re talking about.

How much does the internet play a role in what you do?

-Now it doesn’t. I don’t read anything. It does happen where I’ll read something and be like, “What?!” After C.U.L.T came about, I just had a lot to say about all these misconceptions bothering me, but it doesn’t have any affect now. When people get really wild on the internet, I just kind of bug them out more like, “You need a hug. What’s up, are you okay?” I don’t even really use it to promote my music. I’m not that type. When people like my music, I’m still just kind of surprised. I think it’s an awesome tool for artists nowadays to even have that option, but I also think it’s a matter of just letting people get to know you – not promoting yourself.

What’s your favorite part about the music-making process?

-My favorite part is after spending days and days making something, the moment when you take it home from the studio and you’re in your room when you just know that you’ve created something that will last forever. That’s the thing about music. At some point, we’re all gonna die, but whatever it is your create, it’s going to outlive everything. In 5o years when nobody gives a shit, some kid is going to find it, and it’s going to mean something to them. Or sample it! I could pay my future kids.

A lot of female rappers are starting to pop up – Azealia, Iggy, Angel Haze – how do you feel about the upcoming female rap scene?

-I just actually saw Angel Haze perform at the Grammy pre-party, and she was really dope. She has an Aliyah vibe to her, while is so cool. Both Azealia and her have that vibe, which is maybe why they fight. I heard just the other day about Azealia getting in a beef with Brooke Candy, and it’s like, I wish us girl rappers wouldn’t have to fight so much. There’s only like 8 of us! I’m not all about that “let’s stick together” shit, but I’m also like, “why do we have to fight so much?” There’s so much to fight against when you get to the platform we have, and it’s just so hard to do this. Any girl that has come up, I would give mad respect to. But I think Azealia Banks is dope. I like her music. I guess hip hop has always been about beef, but I’m just not about that life anymore.

Since we are Indie Houston, who are some of your favorite indie artists that we can listen to?

-Oh! My favorite band, Why? I’ve always loved them. I don’t know if The Limousines are still unsigned, but I love them. They have this song ‘Internet Killed The Video Star.’ [starts singing]. I listen to a lot of indie music. I’m really on this rapper right now, who is actually upstairs – Jinx the Flyer. He’s from Connecticutt. He’s produced for so many big rappers. I even feel like there’s this weird folk and R&B resurgence happening right now, and I love it. I’ll hit up my fans and ask, “What are you listening to right now?” Because I just love new music in general. It’s exciting.

Watch Sirah’s video for ‘My City’ below.

By Ivan Guzman

Charli XCX and I took a seat out in the glistening sun at 10 AM on my second day of the adventure that was SXSW. The dark bubble-goth pop diva was dressed in some, I would say, 7-inch, black platform boots with a green plaid, high-waisted school girl-like skirt and dog collar choker – a 90′s, soft grunge style that is always apparent in what she does.

Her debut album, True Romance, was released a few weeks ago, and many have been inclined to stick her in with the new batch of young, underground pop girls that have been recently spotlighted. She DID appear on the cover of V Magazine with Sky Ferreira and Grimes, after all. But I think XCX is making a way for her own material to prevail, even more so after being able to gain some insight about her – face to face.

Read what Charli had to say about how, and IF, she can categorize her sound, being featured in a horror movie, and her surprisingly long road getting to where she is in her current career.

How is SXSW so far?

-Crazy, stressful, manic – but amazing. Just wild. I love the craziness of the shows, and how many shows you get to play in a short period of time. The craziness of the shows. Everything.

You are featured on and wrote the song , ‘I Love It’ for Icona Pop. How did this collaboration come about and how does it feel now that it’s such a big hit?

-Well, to be honest, it hasn’t really sunk in yet. I know it’s doing well, but since I’m still kind of distant from it and am just watching it grow and do its thing, it’s really strange for me. It’s amazing, though.

What had happened is that I went to Sweden about a year ago to work with this guy, Patrick Berger, and he sent me some tracks when I landed and was like, “Yeah, have a listen. I’ll see you tomorrow,” – that kind of thing. He sent me one which I wrote my song, ‘You’re The One’ over and one which I wrote ‘I Love It’ over, and I wrote both of them in about an hour in my hotel room, went to the session the next day, and he was really impressed. From the beginning, I knew that it wasn’t right for me, so when Icona Pop came down and heard it, they really wanted to fuck with it, and I said, “Sure! Do it.” And they did.

What can we expect from your debut, “True Romance”?

-You can expect emotional brooding, but still light-hearted pop music at times. It’s all love songs on the records – the album is about love and is dedicated to romance. I wrote it while growing up, so it’s kind of like a coming of age record for me. I guess I have changed my views on love and life while writing the record, so it’s all of my different view points on that. It’s a pop album with pop perks, but it’s done my way.

You call your music “pop,” however, you have toured with Coldplay and Santigold, who are kind of unrelated in a sense. Would you say you have a distinct sound?

-I think I do! When you hear the record, it will all come together for them. Since I’ve done so many mixtapes, EP’s, features, etc., I feel like some people may only have a random dubstep track I was featured on ages ago or something, so if they don’t have all the pieces, this album puts everything together. I like to call it “purple pop” music – it’s dreamy, dark, floaty, and emotional, but the songs are still structured pop songs.

So do you think you have a distinct audience for your music as well?

-I don’t know, actually. I personally don’t care who the audience is – if they like it, they like it, and I love that they like it. I don’t just want to play to hipsters, because hipsters are boring. I want to just let go and be free – performing for whoever.

You started at 14, writing songs and playing shows, but what do you think was that first specific moment that got everything started and sparked your interest in music?

-I’ve always wanted to be a musician. I suppose I just started putting songs online, and people started noticing, so I realized that, “Oh, I guess I might as well just keep going.” I was never a stage school brat with pushy parents – it was never some Macaulay Culkin shit or something like that. I’ve just always loved music and playing the piano when I was younger.

Are you a trained pianist?

-I am. I did my grade seven, but I can’t read music, so it’s pointless.

You came up with the name Charli XCX when you were 14 as well. Where did the idea come from?

-It really was just a scrambling mess. I met this guy Chaz who was running raves and parties in East London, and he asked me if I wanted to play a rave. I was like, “Wow! A rave! That sounds so cool. Yes!” He asked me what I wanted him to put on the flier, and I didn’t have a name. I would always sign off on my MSN chat as “XCX,” which stands for “kiss charli kiss,” and I guess it just stuck.

It took you a relatively long amount of time to make it to where you are right now in the industry. Was that at all a struggle?

-No, not really, because I think that, even though I’ve been making music and was signed when I was 15, my label never pushed me. They just had me there. I wanted to finish school and everything, so they were never like, “Why aren’t you writing a hit?!” They were just like, “Yeah, let her do her thing.” Then one day, just about 2 and a half years ago, I wrote my song ‘Stay Away.’ That’s when it all fell into place. Then half a year later we released it, and that was just about one year ago. So I feel like I actually started a year and a half ago. Before that, I just had some coverage online, but I wasn’t really doing anything in those years. I was still growing as a person.

You’ve done a lot of writing for other people – I even read that you did a score for a horror movie. Do you feel more comfortable in the studio or on stage?

-Yes! It was actually THAT guy’s horror movie, Elfie Hopkins. *points to young, scruffy movie director Ryan Andrews sitting behind us.* To be honest, I love performing. I feel so free and alive when I perform, which sounds cheesy, but it’s true. I think both. That’s why I do it – because I love all aspects.

What are some current artists that you draw inspiration from for your music?

-When it comes to drawing inspiration for writing my own music, I look more at films, photographers, and magazine pop culture – things like that. Chris Cunningham’s music videos for Bjork, The Horrors, Portishead, the Marilyn Manson video for tainted love, David Lachapelle’s photography, Sophia Coppola. I kind of look down those lines to get an atmosphere generated in my head for my music and lyrics.

You’re touring with and are close friends with Marina and The Diamonds, who has gotten pretty big. How is it like touring with her?

-I know! Last night her song was on ‘Glee’, which is so good! It’s great. We’ve got to know each other over the Coldplay dates when she was also opening for them. It’s just fun – a girly, sleepover vibe all the time. We get on well, and it’s nice going on tour with someone who isn’t an asshole. You always hear horror stories of girls going on tour together and it being a nightmare, but that’s not the case with Marina. She’s great.

Since we are Indie Houston, who are some of your favorite indie artists we can check out?

-I’ve just started getting really into Peace. I love them. I’m also freaking out right now over Kitty Pryde. I’m trying to see her show today. Sky Ferreira, of course. I’m a big fan of her EP. Also, IO Echo and Kitten, who is my girl. She’s the coolest.

Watch Charli’s new video for ‘What I Like’ below!

Mt-Wolf

When Willy Moon’s video for ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ and his song, ‘Yeah Yeah,’ both went viral, he got people interested. No one knew who this guy was, but they wanted to. Yet, as a person, I don’t think Willy Moon is the kind to lure an audience into his world at all. When I first sat down with Willy during SXSW, in the unbelievably elegant and cultured Driskill hotel, I could tell that he is really just in it for the art – and that he really isn’t in it for the interviews. Sitting down in his fine-fitted polka dot suit, sipping on a cocktail, and clutching his iPhone in his lap, Willy talked about throwback music making a return, Myspace, and why he can’t wear jeans.

So, how is SXSW so far?

It has been great. All of our shows have been packed, we’ve been well received. It’s been fun, man! It’s nice to be in some festival that’s not in some shitty field somewhere. It’s nice to be on concrete.

Is that your favorite part about it?

Yes. It’s my favorite festival I’ve ever been to.

What’s the difference between Texas crowds and crowds from other places like Europe?

I don’t know, I can’t really answer that. It’s a weird circumstance to be playing in the first place. I’ve never played at this festival. I would say from my experience everywhere that I’ve played, it’s not like country to country or state to state. It’s more from town to town that it’s difference. In the UK, you play in London, and it’s always the same. In Manchester, it’s always wicked. So, I can’t really say.

You started on Myspace. How important is the internet to all aspects of your career?

I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing right now without the internet. The internet was how I discovered and fell in love with music as a kid – illegally downloading songs, file sharing and stuff like that. It’s how I found so much music that I wouldn’t have found otherwise. In terms of Myspace, when I was putting up demos around 2011, it was still kind of a way to have your music online, but now there’s so many different avenues. I grew up on Myspace. We used to do all that shit with the “top friends” and see whether they’d get upset. But them it just became spam.

What inspires your style?

Just not wanting to be the same as every other motherfucker, man – just wanting to have my own thing. I feel comfortable wearing a suit, I like it. I would feel really weird wearing jeans like you. Just like you’d feel uncomfortable dress like me. I think it’s just always important to be yourself, and that’s what I try and do.

You’ve released a lot of promos – promo songs, etc. How do you plan to move forward with the debut album?

Well there are lots of songs on my record that I haven’t released. I think there are a lot of tracks on there that add to what I’m doing as an artist, but it’s not my record anymore. I’m finished with it.

Lots of male artists a doing a “throwback” kind of thing now.  What do you think sets you apart from all the other artists doing it, and why do you think that kind of artistry is coming back? 

People have always been doing throwback music. They’ve always been connecting with different genres from the past in order to find new ways forward. I think maybe the reason everyone is doing that at the moment is because everything is so stagnant. People are looking at ways to develop. I look back to try and look forward. I try and look to the past to find a future that makes sense to me, but I think it’s just natural. Any art form is always a conversation with the past – it’s inevitable.

Your song, “Yeah Yeah Yeah,” was featured in an Apple ad. How did that help you?

Million of people around the world are hearing my record – it’s pretty much an ad for my song. What could be more brilliant than that?

I remember when your first video came out and a lot of bloggers were talking about how they didn’t even know who this random guy was. Is being sort of mysterious intentional or do you just not like being in the media?

I make music. I’m a musician. I’m a record producer, I’m a songwriter. That’s what I do. So it makes sense that that is the way I present myself. I like making music videos. It’s a passion of mine. I am lucky enough that I have the freedom to indulge in through my music. I love cinema. It’s like a holiday for me to go do it, it’s a hobby of mine. I just want people to listen to music and forget about all the other crap.

Since we are Indie Houston, who are some of your favorite indie artists we can check out? 

I don’t even know what ‘indie’ means anymore – it doesn’t even make sense to me. I think the whole idea of ‘indie’ is something I never really got. If you’re talking about artists that are independent record labels – I can talk about artists that are on Exile records, but is it an independent record? It’s part of Beggars group. If you’re talking about indie as a style of music, I think it has so many mainstream and pop sounds, so I don’t really know if I can answer that question. Sorry.

Willy’s debut album, Here’s Willy Moon, comes out April 3rd everywhere.

Watch the video for ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ below.

I recently got to go to SXSW for a few days and interview a few people – like Kitten. A young, five piece 80′s electro-rock band led by polarizing Chloe Chaidez, who are more than capable and willing to take over the “hipster” scene with their smooth synths and youthful guitar backing. The youngest member in the band, Waylon, is 16. I got to talk to Zach (bass) and Chloe about their stage antics, how their new music has changed, and how they are planning to expand from their home within the LA music scene.

How is SXSW so far?

Z: Hectic, stressful, and amazing at the same time.

C: Yup, that’s the perfect way to describe it.

Is this your first time?

C: Third, actually! But this is probably the most hectic/fun so far.

 Who have you seen so far, and have you had any weird experiences? 

Z: We saw Japandroids and Wavves the other night. That was great. Last night we saw Hundred Waters, so good.

C: And we saw Poolside. Then we played with Tegan and Sara and Paramore at the Belmont, but we didn’t get to stay for that. Yesterday was weird because we were playing at 12 AM, and it was really routy and people were crazy. I love it when people get drunk and listen to you because they have more fun.

Chloe, you started the band when you were 15. What do you think you guys have learned most since then?

C: I think just that you can’t really plan out the way you want your “career” to go. It’s not in your hands. You just have to focus on your vision, as cliched as that sounds. But [if you focus on] what you wanna get out there through the years, and if [the music] is great, then the rest will work out.

Every interview I’ve read of you, the person talks about how calm you are in casual conversation but on stage, you’re really wild. Where does that stage presence come from? Do you just get an adrenaline rush in front of the crowd? 

C: Yeah, it’s kind of like a very spiritual, euphoric for me when I get on stage and start playing music. I’m in complete bliss in that moment, for whatever reason.

Z: For me personally, it’s because I’m such a quiet person on stage that I’m able to channel something else on stage. It feels like two different people.

C: Aspects of what I am definitely come out in what I’m doing. For example, if there’s a festival and there’s a gate with a line across the block, I’ll be like, “Hey, guys, let’s hop the fence.” But that spontaneity is totally inside of me, and it always has been, but it is pushed to an extreme on stage.

How does it feel to be touring with Paramore, and how did that gig come about?

C: It’s gonna be amazing just to know that there’s gonna be more than 20 people in the audience every night. We’re gonna get catering, we’re gonna get a sound check every night!

Z: And Paramore fans are awesome. We did a SXSW event last night, but there were people in Paramore shirts lining up since 2 in the afternoon.

C: We even played one show with them in Comona, and after that one show, we gained so many fans because they’re just so passionate about the music.

Z: They’re attentive, too! I joined the band after that show, and every time we play in LA, I have people coming up to me being like, “I didn’t see you when you guys played with Paramore!” That’s all anyone talks about, that Paramore show.

C: Yeah, after we played with them in Comona, I found out that Hayley really liked our music. We just kind of hit it off. We kept in contact, and they asked us to go on tour!

So at first listen, you can tell that in your new single, ‘Yesterday,’ the sound has changed a bit. You guys even changed the genre on your Soundcloud from “alternative” to “80′s pop.” How would you compare your old music to the new single? 

C: I do think that a lot of the elements we had in our previous EP’s are going to be on the album, so as “80′s” as people think the last two EP’s were, it’s even more 80′s – more Tears for Fears-inspired, all that.

Z: There’s a lot of different stuff going on in it as well, though. Since it’s now a new incarnation of the band, we’ve got a lot of different 80′s, 90′s influenced sounds – from wew wave, to garage rock, to shoe gaze.

C: We’ve put in a lot of post-rock, My Bloody Valentine, shoe gazey influences. It’s going to be a cool mix of those things.

Do you think 80′s rock will come back in full force? There are tinges of it here and there.

Z: There are a lot of cool bands doing stuff like that right now –  Merchandise, Trust, to name a few.

C: I think the great thing about where music is at right now is that you can do anything you want. You could be a white rapper, anything. There’s a niche and an audience for anything. In the 70′s, it was more like, “Oh, everyone’s in a rock band!” But now, it’s different.

Z: Also, trends in music to tend to cycle around every 20 or so years.

I was talking about that the other day – if you think about the most popular radio songs last year, you think Gotye, Fun., Ellie Goulding, but there was also Call Me Maybe and Gangnam style, which are complete opposites. 

C: Yeah, there’s not one genre that can be successful.

Z: 2013 has been interesting so far. There’s a lot of cool music coming out – a lot of 80′s revival stuff, yet a a lot of very, very modern stuff, too. It’s gonna be interesting to see what this year and next year has to offer.

C: I hate when people say, “NO, THIS GENERATION, BLAH BLAH..” I think some of the best music has come about from this generation.

Z: Fuck living in the past! It’s about what’s going on now.

Where do you draw your inspiration from, both musically and visually, too? You have some pretty cool artwork as well.

Z: It’s funny. Whenever we talk about the “new record cover,” we always go back to Loveless be My Bloody Valentine, because there’s just something so powerful about that album cover – the hand and the guitar. But it’s more the way that it is put in.

C: One thing I do prefer about the past is how there was this separation between the band and their imagery. I don’t wanna see my favorite band eating potato chips in the back of their tour bus. I want them to be other worldly – like David Bowie. I want them to be viewed kind of like aliens or superheroes. I think we try to make our imagery iconic.

Z: Music wise, we both grew up listening to a lot of different stuff. I grew up on more kind of Metal and punk-rock. So on stage, whenever I’m throwing my bass around, I’m just thinking about Metallica and the bands I grew up listening to.

My friend listens to you, and she said that she feels like she would play your music really loudly while shopping at Forever 21. 

C: Oh, okay! That’s cool!

Z: We’re glamorous! We made it.

So when can we expect the full length LP, and what can we expect from it?

C: Well, we’re looking at a July release. We’re in the process of finishing up the mixes. I think it’s a lot more rhythmic, sexy, and it’s also incorporating a lot more elements from our live shows – that energy and grandness.

Z: There’s a lot of different stuff coming to the plate right now, instead of it being more singular. It’s gonna be an interesting mix of styles.

C: I’ve also just been really into R&B a lot lately, too – that production level.

So, since we are Indie Houston, who are some of your favorite indie artists that we can check out?

C: I really like Rhye. I’m not sure how underground they are, but I really love them. Churches is really good. I also really like Foxygen.

Z: There’s a big electronic scene in Chicago going around. There are people like Supreme Cuts and Mr. Lies who are great right now. I love it.

Check out Kitten’s video for ‘Japanese Eyes’ below and download their latest EP, Cut It Out, here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTd3eKjIcp8

Interview by Ivan Guzman

“Wild and Free” is the title of A Rocket to the Moon’s upcoming sophomore album, which is due out March 28th. The Americana-rock quartet’s last effort was back in 2009, when they established their devout fan base and confronted the scene with pop-rock at its finest. I recently got the chance to do a short interview with Eric Halvorsen, the band’s bassist, where we managed to talk about critics, studio habits, album expectations, how the band’s music has matured, and the influences behind “Wild and Free.” Check out what Eric had to say!

Your new music video for “Ever Enough” just came out a few days ago. It stars Disney actress Debby Ryan. Where did you guys get the idea for this video and how did Debby come in?

-We actually didn’t come up with the story line ourselves. It was our director, Mark, who did our video for “Whole Lotta You” and “Mr. Right” from our last record. We were thinking about who could play the part for the girl, and we’ve been friends with Debby for a while, so she was just our first thought, and she was on board. We usually just have a vibe about what we want our videos to be like, and then it goes from there.

Many critics are easy to label bands’ second album as the “sophomore slump.” Did you guys go into the studio with this in your head?

-Not really. We just went in to the studio with songs that we wanted to record and write. I don’t think anybody goes into the studio thinking “Oh, we can’t write a record this way or that way because of this whole, cliche ‘sophomore slump’ thing.” I think [the record] either works or it doesn’t. We just wrote the songs we wanted to write and record them. So, if people want to call it that, then I guess it’s up to them, but we didn’t have that in mind at all.

Do you tend to listen to critics?

-No [laughter]. I don’t listen to them for other bands, for our band — I just don’t see the point. We put the music out, and not everybody is going to like it, but it’s not going to change what we do. I just don’t really care, I guess.

How has ARTTM’s music matured from “On Your Side” to “Wild and Free”?

-Well, we wrote “On Your Side” in 2008 when most of the band was 20, and now we’re around 24. I think as far as our sound, it has just been a natural progression over those four years. We didn’t really set out to change anything drastically. I don’t think any of our core fans will be too surprised with what’s on the record.

On the subject of how your music has changed – listening to Wild and Free, you can obviously tell that there is more of a country influence. How did this come about?

-That has to do a lot with our personal influences. We really like old country, Americana-type music. We’re all big country fans – alternative country, that is. We all just have this Americana vibe, so I guess it just mixed with our other music tastes and came out while recording.

How much of a group effort is it when you guys go into the studio?

-Writing is primarily Nick and Justin- not that we’re prone to writing as a band, but that’s just how it worked out. After that, for this album, we got together and actually play live together, which we haven’t done thus far.

What is your main strength when you go into the studio with the band?

-I wouldn’t say that I have one “stand out” strength that I contribute most. Everyone has their own mindset while recording. I guess I’m just good at being myself in the studio and collaborating with the other guys in the band. Well, I am the bassist, so there’s that.

What is the most important thing that you are hoping to accomplish with this record?

-I guess we all want to just get it into the hands of as many people as possible, learn more, and travel around the world. But the backbone of all that is a successful record, so hopefully it does well so that we can tour off of it. Whatever happens on top of that would be an added bonus.

Is there a certain theme with the songs on this album that you’re hoping to get across to people most?

-All the songs have different themes, but I think the whole record is relatable. We have songs about love, growing up, being yourself, having fun– it’s all across the board. Hopefully we can connect with everyone.

Last question – since we are Indie Houston, who are some of your favorite indie artists that we can check out? 

-I’m going to a show tonight to see my buddy, Ben, who is in a band called American Tomahawk. My other buddy is also putting out a record this year with his band called The Chain Gang of 1974. It’s a psychedelic, new wave-ish record, and people would be crazy not to like it, in my opinion haha.

Thanks for talking with us! Good luck with the record, and everything else.

-Thanks!

The Littlest Viking just put out their 2nd s/t LP on Long Beach’s Mountain Man Records and are going on tour in March to support it.

From the band: We kind of sound like the bastard musical lovechild of Don Caballero, Piglet, American Football, Braid, and Hot Snakes. Tamborines, ridiculous drum fills, wicked tapping, hoarse shouting, noise freakouts, salsa beats and the occasional Prince sample are a staple of any TLV live show.  This will be our 2nd U.S. tour and will include an official showcase at SXSW, which is neat, but only because of the free beer, bbq, and frisbees.  you can stream our new record here:http://mountainmanrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-littlest-viking-2

Shugo Tokumaru  new album, In Focus?, was released last week. Check out this gem of a video. Awesome!

Love in the Time of Lasers

Yes The xx are coming to Houston at the House of Blues on Saturday February 9, 2013 but I am really posting this to highlight an email I received from 16 year old, Ivan Guzman. Here is that email:

Hi Indiehouston!

I’m Ivan Guzman and I’m 16 years old from Houston, Texas. I’m an aspiring journalist and I’m emailing you in hope that you could help me in setting up an interview with The xx in Houston on February 9th that could possible be used on the music section of Indie Houston. I have been conducting interviews with people in the music scene, and it has been one of my goals to interview The xx since I started to recognize their talent in 2010. I thought that I would email you directly so that I could maybe be a correspondent for Indie Houston at the event.

I do have experience doing this kind of work through street teams, interviews, blogs, etc. About 3 years ago I was very involved in writing for different fan websites for artists like David Archuleta. I was in charge of the street team at David Archuleta Fanblast and then Archuleta Fan Scene. Over the course of doing this, I interviewed some of his band members and tour management over Skype, and my work on these websites actually got me interviewed by Parade Magazine. I am also in Newspaper/Journalism at school where we write about 3 articles each month (My instructor’s email is Linda.XXXXX if you would have any questions to ask her).

I have also attached my list of questions for The xx if you would like to take a look at them. In case you wanted to know, my intention with this interview would be that I record it with a small Flip camera so that I can watch it back, transcribe it, and pass it over to the editors at IH. Another option would be to just post the video on Youtube and distribute it using social media.

I am extremely diligent, have a tremendous sense of work ethic, and I am willing to conduct a great interview if you’d allow me the opportunity. I am friends with some fans of The xx, and many have mentioned to me that they want to hear opinions from young listeners. Not only would this be an amazing experience for me, but it would result in some great exposure for your site, as well.

Definitely email me back if you are interested, want to hear what I have in mind, and to find out anything else you would like to know.

Thank you so much!

Ivan Guzman
Houston, TX

So there you have it! A perfectly well written thoughtful letter from a 16 year old with big ambitions. Can we help him interview The xx ??? Do we have enough klout to send this kid off to interview a band of his dreams? We armed Ivan with an @indiehouston.org email address and gave him some suggestions on how to go about his quest. If you have any ideas for how Ivan can get close to his fav band, let him know. We’ll keep you updated on how this turns out for Ivan. Hopefully we’ll be posting his interview of The xx here soon!

Check out the band Everything Everything. They’re already huge in the UK with NME declaring that “they sound like the saviours of music.” The band will release their long-awaited US debut EP, Cough Cough, on February 5th via Julian Casablancas’ Cult Records and Kemosabe Records.

“I’m honored to be associated with such a talented, mind bending, modern band.” – Julian Casablancas

The band will be at SXSW this March before they play headlining shows in LA (The Roxy 3/19) and NYC (Bowery Ballroom 3/25)

One Night of Culture, Fashion, Art, Music & Food

The fifth annual Houston Press Artopia will be held at Winter Street Studios (2101 Winter Street) on Saturday,
January 26 from 8 p. m. – 11 p. m.

As in years past, this will be an evening of culture, fashion, art, music and food. Entertainment includes musical
performances by Bang Bangz, Bagheera and Poor Pilate, plus two fashion shows, live performances from FrenetiCore
Dance and Karen Stokes Dance as well as works from more than 25 local artists.

Artopia will also feature the fifth annual Houston Press MasterMind Awards sponsored by Stella Artois. During the
event, the Houston Press will award a $2,000 grant to three individuals or organizations that have made an important
impact in the local art scene in the past year. For more information about MasterMinds, please visit the Houston Press
Arts Blog: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/artattack/masterminds/.

Ticket prices include complimentary food, wine, cocktail and beer sampling. Food sampling will be provided by:
The Counter, Phoenicia Specialty Foods, Cajun Stop, and Sorrell Urban Bistro. This event is 21+ only and general
admission tickets are $55. VIP tickets are sold out. A portion of the event proceeds will benefit Houston PBS. For more
information and to purchase tickets, visit www.HoustonPressArtopia.com.

ADDITIONAL EVENTS:
An Artopia Preview Party will be held on Thursday, January 17 th from 7pm – 10pm at Eighteenth Cocktail Bar (2511
Bissonnet) to give attendees a sample of things to come at Artopia. This is a free event.

Additionally, the official Artopia After Party will be held at Hughes Hanger (2811 Washington Ave) from 11pm – 2am.
The Wave will provide shuttle service from Artopia to the After Party. Transportation sponsored by The Law Offices of
Tad Nelson & Associates.

All guests for Artopia, the Preview Party and the After Party must be 21+.

Artopia is sponsored by: Stella Artois, Lange Twins Winery, Mega DJ & Karaoke, Neal Hamil Agency, Kat’s Meow Salon,
The Wave, Houston Young Professional Society, The Law Offices of Tad Nelson & Associates, Hail A Cab App by Yellow
Cab, Chambord, Momentum Audi, Houston Arts Alliance, Houston First Corporation, Pinot’s Palette and 104.1 KRBE.

Vendors include: Green Painter, Alva Graphics, Silver Leaf Resorts, and Blank Slate Laser Tattoo Removal.

For a complete list of participating artists, visit www.HoustonPressArtopia.com.

How much? This event is 21+ only and general admission tickets range from $45 – $60 – VIP tickets range from $70 – $100. Ticket prices go up monthly, so theres that.

Where & When? Saturday, January 26, 2013 from 8pm – 11pm at Winter Street Studios (2101 Winter St.)

Event sponsors: Stella Artois, Lange Twins, Mega DJ Karaoke, Neal Hamil Agency, Kat’s Meow Salon and The Wave.

Better than Ezra will be playing Thursday at The House of Blues as part of a tour to promote a series of shows that they will be playing. Have’nt checked up on this band in a while, but while looking up some of their music videos on their website I found this gem of a song, Rosealia. If the name doesn’t already make you swoon, Salma Hayek, who stars in the music video will. Love the song. It has all the greatness of a 90′s indie rock song without the tainted ness of the mainstream buzz that most of us has grown to hate. Cheers to Better than Ezra whose die hard fans will be sure to have awesome moments revisited very soon!

[Band Press Release]

DCUP-Im-Corrupt-ViceoryRemix