Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Music Spotlight: LANY


Indie electro-pop band LANY has been making a name for themselves in the music industry these past few months. After supporting Halsey on her recent Badlands tour, they have now signed on to open for Ellie Goulding on her UK leg of her upcoming tour. Created in Nashville, this bi-coastal band divides their time between Los Angeles and New York. Their song "ILYSB" has been play over 5 million times on Spotify. I am absolutely addicted to this band and can not wait until they release a full length album. You can definitely hear their urban city influences in all of their music. LANY is transcending the indie scene because they are such a band of the time. Their nostalgic yet innovative sound is so new and interesting. They even keep their song names creative by using common text language such as "ILYSB" and "BRB." My favorite songs are definitely "ILYSB" and "Made In Hollywood."



Make sure to check them on Twitter!

Buy their music here!

xx
Ashley

Saturday, November 14, 2015

#WelcomeBackGC

THEY'RE BAAAAAACCCCCKKKKK!!!!!!!!!



Last week, Good Charlotte announced that they are back together and writing an album! No one was more excited than I was. This band completely changed my childhood and are the reason why I fell in love with alternative/rock music. They just put out their new single Makeshift Love and now have a video out as well. Also announcing they will be going on tour with All Time Low! I'm hoping that tis means that an album is coming really soon!



xx
Ashley

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Bring Me the Horizon Drops "True Friends"

With the release of Bring Me the Horizon's highly anticipated album "That's The Spirit" quickly approaching, the band dropped another track this morning titled "True Friends." The album is set to be released on September 11th (which in my opinion is not soon enough.) The boys will be playing at Reading & Leeds Festivals this coming up weekend and have a U.S. tour coming up with band, Issues, in the fall.



Pre-order "That's The Spirt" here on iTunes.

xx
Ashley

Friday, August 7, 2015

My Music Festival Survival Guide


I have been to my fair share of music festivals. After a lot of practice, I think I have finally come up with a decent guide on how to survive. If you have never been to a festival, and are planning to in the future, here are my tips.

1. If you are going with a group of friends, have a meeting spot. Cell service at any festival is awful and getting a hold on your friends can be really difficult. So make sure before you split up, that you have a easy meeting spot.

2. Go in with a plan, especially if there are quite a few artists you want to see. Take pictures of the lineup and set times. It will save a headache.

3. Wear comfortable shoes. I can not stress this enough. I happen to be a "cuteness before comfort" type of person, so find something cute and comfortable. Converse, Vans, or even cute boots/booties. And make sure you don't mind if they will get ruined, because they probably will.

4. Drink a lot of water. A couple of years back at Coachella, I almost fainted due to dehydration and missed Tame Impala. I will forever regret not doing the simplest thing ever… DRINKING WATER.

5. SUNSCREEN!! This is probably one of the most important parts. I went to Warped Tour a few days ago and got one of the worst sunburns of my life before 3pm. Make sure to reapply it every few hours.

6. Portable phone chargers will be your best friend. You will probably be taking quite a few photos and video, which drains battery really quickly. You can buy a charger for as cheap as $10. It is completely worth it.

7. This is really only a tip for rock shows, but if you can't handle mosh pits, do not stand in the middle of the crowd. Mosh pits can get mental really fast. So if you don't like them, stand towards the back so you can enjoy the show.

I hope these tips help make your festival experience more enjoyable!!

xx
Ashley

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Music Spotlight: Halsey


I recently talked about Halsey in a recent blog post after the release of her new music video, Ghost, but I felt like it was necessary to talk about her again. I discovered her about a year ago because of her involvement with a band I like... (aka love), 5 Seconds of Summer. Halsey is, in my opinion, one of the best songwriters of my generation. Her music only to be described as dark indie pop. She is only 20 years old and writes all of her own music. Originally hailing from New Jersey/New York, Halsey (aka Ashley Frangipane), draws a lot of her lyrical inspiration from being a unique teenager in New York. She is in the process of releasing her new album, BADLANDS, in August, and is currently touring as the opening act for Imagine Dragons. I was extremely lucky enough to meet her at Coachella this year and she was so incredibly sweet. She told me, "Touring with Imagine Dragons this summer is going to be really different for me because most of my songs are about sex and other things, and this is a completely different audience. Now I have to try and be 'family friendly Halsey'. But I'm extremely excited." Apart from her music, she also has the most incredible style and iconic blue hair.


If you don't know who Halsey is now, I'm sure you will be hearing a lot about her really soon.

You can pre-order her new album BADLANDS here!

xx
Ashley

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Vinyl Theatre On Their Recent Adventures


Milwaukee bred, Vinyl Theatre, caught my attention when I came across their hit song "Breaking Up My Bones" on Spotify about 9 months ago. Since then, the song has been played over 1 million times and their name has come up numerous times in the alternative music world. Bassist, Josh, and keyboardist, Chris, met in grade school, later becoming friends with lead singer, Keegan, and drummer Nick in high school. After realizing they all had a similar interest in music, they created a band, originally named "Alchemy", later changing the name to Vinyl Theatre. "The name Vinyl Theatre comes from us wanting to be able to share the bond and connection that music creates with our fans. When you buy a vinyl record, you are sharing a closer, more intimate bond to the band. Theatre comes from us wanting to give fans the best possible show that we can, not only sound wise, but theatrically as well," stated the band.

The band signed with Fueled By Ramen last year and released their first full length album titled "Electrogram" in September. Every song on the album is different from the other and has its own unique vibe but the song "Breaking Up My Bones" definitely caught the attention of everyone quite quickly. "Breaking Up My Bones was a song that we worked on for a good amount of time. When writing it, we actually didn't think it was really going to be a single. The song to us is about the struggles of trying to create something that is unique in a world of noise. There's so much music out there, and it's tough to decipher what is unique." Obviously being proud of all of the songs they wrote on the album, I asked which one means something more to them. They said, "Gold is a song that we are all very close to. It was one of the first we wrote as a band and the meaning behind it has a very positive message about finding what it is in this world you want, and following it."

When writing, each member tends to have a different influence which in the end creates a really unique sound for the band. "Keegan and I (Chris) share a mutual bond over The Killers and a few other bands. Josh takes a bit of influence from some electronic artists, as well as, being into The Shins. Nick is a big fan of the Police and Rush. Overall, we all try and listen to the same groups while we are on tour." Their dream bands to tour with would be Bad Suns, which they said is one of their "go-to" albums to listen to or The Killers.

Currently, they are touring with the Mowgli's around North America. "The tour with The Mowgli's has been great. Everyone in their band and on their crew is extremely friendly and it has made for an awesome tour so far." They also recently toured with Twenty One Pilots. "Our tour with Twenty One Pilots was amazing. Having that be our first national tour was very important for us in terms of motivation and inspiration. We were fortunate enough to have a great group of guys to learn from. It was nice to see how they treat people and especially how they work as a team." After supporting quite a few artists over the past year, I think fans (including me) are anxiously awaiting a Vinyl Theatre headlining tour soon.



You can download Electrogram here!
Twitter: @vinyltheatre
Instagram: @vinyltheatre

xx
Ashley

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Halsey's "Ghost" Music Video Release

Dark electro-pop artist Halsey released her music video for her single "Ghost" this Thursday. I was extremely excited being a huge Halsey fan myself. The video takes place in Tokyo and certainly pays homage to the film "Lost in Translation." Halsey said to The Fader, "I wanted to see some representation of a lesbian relationship that wasn't over sexualized. Just two people in love—or at least they used to be." With so much build-up to the release date, it was beautifully done!



The release of Halsey's new album BADLANDS is fast approaching with an expected release date of August 28th. You can pre-order deluxe version here.

xx
Ashley

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Interview with Magic Man


After their second album, "Before The Waves," was released in July of 2014, indie synth rock band, Magic Man, sent literal "waves" through the alternative music scene. I've been extremely lucky to see them live and definitely understand why they are loved by many. Alex Caplow (vocals) and Sam Lee (guitars and keyboard) started the band in 2010. "Alex and I wrote the first Magic Man songs when we were traveling together in the south of France, the summer after our freshman year. We made a DIY, self released record that we put online for free and started playing our first shows once we got back. The band ended up expanding to a five piece line up, Justine Bowe (keyboards), Gabe Goodman (bass) and Joey Sulkowski (drums), as we wanted to bring a more band oriented sound to the music, which up to that point was pretty lo-fi and bedroom pop." Lee explains.

No one has really been able to pinpoint the exact genre that Magic Man is, not even the band themselves. "Someone once called us glo-fi, which I like, although I'm not really sure what it means." The beauty of this band is that no song sounds exactly the same. From their first album "Real Life Colors" to their second "Before The Waves" there was quite a big shift in sound. When I asked if we could expect to hear another sound shift in their next album, they replied, "Anything's possible! We're always interested in exploring new sounds and styles, and that's definitely something we're planning for our 3rd album, although we're not exactly sure on the direction as of now."

Fashion style is always something I find fascinating about bands and that was no exception the first time I saw Magic Man live. "In a sense, every aspect of the band influences our image, yes, but I don't think (fashion) has been a huge part of Magic Man the way it might be for a band who dresses up in elaborate outfits for a show. We try to stick to timeless classics and simple styles, something we've always tried to mirror in our music. It's always nice to hear that not only does a fan like your music, but their parents that brought them to the show as well!" They explained.

I was also curious for them to explain the various songs on their albums named after cities. "(Each song is) more so a representation of what that city/place means to us, although sometimes it refers to a specific moment or event related to that place. We actually wrote Chicagoland about a DIY warehouse venue in Providence called Chicagoland, although we love the city of Chicago too!"

Hailing from Boston, I asked if they felt that the city had much of an influence on their music. "Definitely, why do you think we only sing with a strong baaawston accent? In all seriousness, I think playing a lot of our first shows in the Boston DIY scene really affected how we approach a live show. When you're dealing with a subpar PA, no stage, and a tiny sweaty basement, it's really up to you as a performer to make the show exciting. I think it was where we first started to learn how to put on an exciting show." When asked what city would be their wish of the last city to ever perform in, of course, they replied with "Boston—we have such a wonderful group of fans in our home city, and most importantly, it's always great to play for so many friends and family. I never want to play a last show, but if we had to, Boston would be a great spot to do it."

In 2013, they supported Panic! At The Disco and Walk The Moon on their summer tour and picked up a lot of new fans.

Once their single "Paris" started being played on every alternative radio station, the band was "pleasantly surprised." Over the past year, Magic Man has certainly made a name for themselves and I predict that they will only get bigger from here.



If this is the first time you have ever heard of Magic Man, you should buy there album here!

xx
Ashley

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Music Spotlight: Coasts





As some of you may know from reading some of my previous blog posts, you know that I love the show Made in Chelsea. One of the things I love most about it is how good the music on the show is. Recently while watching one of the episodes, I discovered the band Coasts and fell in love. Coasts is a small English rock band from Bristol. Formed in 2011, the band has been making some serious waves (no pun intended). They recently started touring the country with Bad Suns and I was lucky enough to see them perform live for the first time in America a few weeks ago. Coasts has been compared to a young Coldplay quite recently, and I definitely agree. Their sound is fun and infectious. Their hit single "Oceans" has been played on Soundcloud over 4 million times and the number just keeps growing. They will also be playing at Coachella in a couple of months, which I am extremely excited about!

My favorite songs are Oceans, Let Go, and Wallow.

Be sure to check them out because they are so sweet and so talented!!

xx
Ashley

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Coachella 2015 Lineup Announced


It's that time of year again! The time when the Coachella lineup is officially announced. I was awaken this morning by an update from Coachella's twitter and was extremely excited, but then a little bit let down when I saw it. Don't get me wrong, I'm more than excited to see George Ezra, Alt-J, Florence & The Machine, Royal Blood, Milky Chance and many more, but in contrast to the last few years, this lineup is a bit of a let down. Regardless of that, I'm still really excited to be attending Weekend 1. Headliners include ACDC, Jack White and Drake.

The festival with be taking place on April 10-12 and April 17-19, in Indio, California.

Be on the lookout in the next few months for Coachella fashion posts on here.

For more information about Coachella, be sure to check out their website!

P.S. Tickets for the general public come on sale tomorrow! So be ready!!!

xx
Ashley

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Music Spotlight: She & Him




Who doesn't love Zooey Deschanel? I fell in love with the indie duo of She (Zooey Deschanel) & Him (M.Ward) a few years back because they were so original. They take a lot of inspiration from vintage doo-wop and pop groups and pair their beautiful voices with guitars, pianos and ukuleles. Their sound is generally feel-good and they wrote one of my favorite songs of all time, obviously titled "London". Deschanel and Ward actually first met on the set of her film "The Go-Getter", where she asked the director if her and Ward could sing a duet together for the film. That was the start of She & Him!

Their new album "Classics" came out just a few weeks ago and is so amazing! Check it out here!

xx
Ashley

Monday, November 10, 2014

Taylor Swift Releases Blank Space Music Video



THE BLANK SPACE MUSIC VIDEO CAME OUT TODAY!! Yes, I understand I'm an overly excited person, but I just really love Taylor Swift and this song! The video actually got leaked and wasn't supposed to be out yet but Taylor decided to fully and officially release it after the issue.

Besides that, the video is absolutely incredible! From her incredible outfits to the beautiful location.
Watch it for yourself and tell me what you think!


xx
Ashley

Monday, November 3, 2014

Interview with Tyler Ewing


A few months ago, I was approached by someone at Go Rogue Records, asking me to listen to a track called Breathe by Pinewood Social, "the creative alter universe" of composer Tyler Ewing. I was curious and had to take a look. I listened to his new track and fell in love with the sound. It's fresh, new and inventive. It also had a sound very similar to my taste in music already. Based in Nashville, Tyler blends pop, folk and indie sounds to create music that is really unique. Once I listened to the track, I knew I had to set up an interview with Tyler to pick his brain and find out where his inspiration came from.

- How long have you been making music and when did you know that you wanted to do it for a living?
I've been playing music since the 2nd grade when I began taking piano lessons, and began writing and recording (on a four track tape recorder ... gotta start somewhere) when I was in 6th grade. When I was in high school, I played bass in a band, cello in the school orchestra, piano in the choir, and began experimenting with music technology in music theory, which helped to shape my decision to pursue music as a career. I got the opportunity to write professionally when I graduated from college and have been fortunate to get to write music everyday for a living.

-Do you think living in Nashville has influenced you or your music at all?
Nashville has definitely had a huge impact on me musically. I've gotten to work with some great musicians over the years that have really pushed and inspired me to improve on everything from technique to mixing. I've also been very fortunate to have had some great mentors along the way.

-Who are some of your biggest musical inspirations?
That's a really difficult question because there is so much amazing music out there, but some artists that I've been particularly interested in lately and have influenced my work are: Bruno Coulais, CHVRCHES, Jonsi, One Republic, M83, and Mumford & Sons.

-What inspired you to write Breathe?
I had worked with the singer on Breathe, Hannah Arn, before and really wanted to write something that would feature her incredible voice and talent in a different way than what we had done before. I can't say that I really drew inspiration from any one source in particular, but I knew that I wanted it to have a bold and eclectic quality to it.

-You have such an amazing and unique musical style, what is the best way you can describe it?
Thank you! I try not to fall into any particular style, but will say that I typically lean towards an indie pop sound. I do my best to think outside the box and really experiment when I'm writing and recording.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Make sure to check out Breathe here!
And be sure to follow @GoRogueRecords on Twitter for updates on Tyler's new music!

xx
Ashley

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Interview with Tyson Motsenbocker


While at the James Bay show, I got the chance to discover his incredible opening act, Tyson Motsenbocker. He has the most incredible voice and was able to command the whole crowd to pay attention to him. He also had the chance to explain the incredible journey that he embarked on last year. He walked from San Diego to San Francisco after the passing of his mother. After hearing his beautiful voice and his amazing story, I knew I had to write about him. After the show, I had a chance to talk to Tyson. He was so lovely and agreed to an interview.

AG: First, who do you draw inspiration from for your music (in terms of musical artists)?

TM: I draw inspiration from artists in seasons. Right now I've been really inspired by a Los Angeles songwriter named Blake Mills. I'm really liking the new Ryan Adams record as well, a band called Dawes I really enjoy. I spend a lot of time listening to instrumental music as well, Helios and Nils Frahm this week. I get a lot of drive from my friends as well - Ethan Hulse and the Lowly Spects and my good Canadian friend Mike Edel.


AG: What is your writing process like?

TM: I know all artists have their own process, words first or music first, chorus first or verses first and so on. I can't really write a song until I have a visual picture of where the song is happening. I end up doing a lot of daydreaming and imagining until I understand the setting and the mood and the way the song will feel, usually the lyrics come pretty quickly after that. I write music first, almost always, usually verses after that.


AG: What is your favorite song you have written and why?

TM: My favorite song I've written is probably a song off my yet-to-be released record called Always. It's a vivid song for me with a strong chorus and it makes me feel happy.
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His EP, Roads & Rivers is incredible. You can check it out here.
Footfalls and Fallen are definitely my favorite songs.

Follow him on twitter!

I hope you guys liked the interview!

xx
Ashley

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Meeting James Bay

If you read my last blog post, you will know that I talked about my love for English singer songwriter James Bay. Last night, I was surprised by my one of my best friends with tickets to his intimate show at The Loft at UCSD. I was so excited and extremely surprised because I hadn't heard about him being in town! At the end of the show, I also got to talk to James for a little bit and told him about the post. He thanked me for writing about him and we had a short conversation afterwards. It was such a great experience! Here are some of the photos I took last night!


Also, be on the look out for my post coming up in the next few days about his opening act, Tyson Motsenbocker!

xx
Ashley

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Music Spotlight: James Bay




I don't know why it took me so long to discover this incredible voice. He has the most beautiful folk-pop style and his voice is addicting. James Bay recently toured with Kodaline, Tom Odell and John Newman. He has the same affect over me that Ben Howard does, and he has a similar style. James is from Hitchin, England and you can definitely hear the influence in his voice. His new EP, Hold Back The River, is coming out next month and you can pre-order it here. Make sure to check him out, you will not be disappointed.

So far, my favorite songs are Let It Go and Clocks Go Forward.

xx
Ashley

Friday, August 15, 2014

5 Albums To Buy Right Now

It's no surprise that I love music dearly. I often get into obsessive relationships with albums and listen to them nonstop. These are the albums that I've had on repeat. I recommend you buy them too, because you will get addicted!

Turn Blue
The Black Keys

This is the 8th studio album for one of my favorite bands of all time, The Black Keys. They have such a classic sound but are so inventive and fresh. You will not regret buying this album, it's pure gold.

Trxye
Troye Sivan

I just love Troye Sivan! I discovered him a couple of years ago on YouTube and have been obsessed with his videos since then. His album literally came out today! It's wonderful and he is absolutely adorable.

The Looking Away
Animal Kingdom

I was in love with this album when it came out in 2012 and have recently rediscovered it in my iTunes library. Now i remember why I loved it so much in the first place. It's so stunning and perfect for chill out days.

An Awesome Wave
Alt-J

This album also came out in 2012. I haven't stopped listening to it since then. Alt-J is so unique and have the most incredible sound.Their music will put you in a trance. I can't wait for their new album to come out this year!

Language & Perspective
Bad Suns

This is Bad Suns first album and has become really popular in the Indie Alternative music community. You can clearly hear their influence of California and the 70's and 80's. I'm obsessed with their sound!

xx
Ashley

Friday, July 4, 2014

Music Spotlight: Broods




I have recently become obsessed with the electro-indie pop duo, Broods. Siblings from Nelson, New Zealand, their music is beautiful and so addictive. They released their debut EP this January and have blown up in the indie music scene. Georgia and Caleb Nott have been performing together since they were younger and won a few large talent competitions near their hometown. Georgia and Caleb have incredible voices and harmonize beautifully. Although a very new band, I think that we might be able to expect them at Coachella next year.

So far, my favorite songs from their EP "Broods" are "Never Gonna Change" and "Taking You There."

Be sure to check out this incredible band!
xx
Ashley

P.S. Down In The City hit over 10k page views! Thank you for reading! x

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Coachella 2014

With the First Weekend of Coachella starting tomorrow, I thought it would be a fun idea to share a playlist of some of my favorite artists playing!



And here are some of my festival essentials and fun looks for the 3-day event. Coachella is all about easy, breezy, boho chic. It's so much fun but the heat can get a little unbearable, so covered clothes are not recommended. Take a risk and have fun when dressing for festivals!


If you are going to the festival too, either this weekend or next, make sure to have fun, be safe and stay hydrated! If you aren't going, Coachella will be live streaming from their website all weekend! http://www.coachella.com

I'll be posting my looks from each day really soon!
For photos during the festival, make sure to follow me on Instagram: avgumm

xx
Ashley

Have fun guys!!