I Can Make A Mess (Ace Enders) has released a surprise digital LP, Growing In through his Bandcamp page. This LP captures the raw emotion and highlights such an honesty in the music. The natural feel of the music is so refreshing and will take you on a musical journey. Ace explains, “I was feeling a little bit stuck creatively before doing the Aaron West & The Roaring Twenties record last year. During the process it sparked something in me and while I was finalizing mixes on the last day, I had about for minuets while a track would bounce out. I was feeling very inspired so I decided to try and write a song during each bounce and at the end of the day I had the beginnings of a record. I used the voice memos from my phone as my only outline. No metronome or edits. I just made songs, didn’t apply any rules and had fun with it.”
Well whatever he did, was perfect and the raw process really carries a weight of emotion. It is when music flows freely as on this LP, that you find yourself drawn to its purity and rawness. No need to sugar coat or edit. It is as if you are sitting there in the room with Ace as he records freely. Check out the track listing:
1. caterpillar
2. get normal
3. keep moving
4. undecided
5. back whoas of lavish glass
6. i’m the man (sarcasm)
7. call me everything
8. chartreuse
9. deciduous
10. i love my wife
11. growing into what you’ll grow out of
This definitely carries a lot of weight and shouldn’t be just considered a side project for Ace. It is a stellar LP deserving of your attention. Some of my favorite tracks are Keep Moving, Call Me Everything, Deciduous and Chartreuse. He brings a blend of styles to life, everything from pop, punk, alternative and indie rock. So I hope you head over to his Bandcamp page and pick it up.
DONORA is an indie pop/rock trio are set to release their album, Ha Ha Heart on December 9th on Rostrum Records. The first single of the album is a truly upbeat pop gem, Always Gonna Be and is newly released. Check it out here:
I love this new track as it completely embodies the fun spirited energy of the brother/sister team, Casey and Jack Hanner. “We didn’t grow up listening to a lot of the same music,” explains Casey, “but when we started writing together, we realized that we approached creating music in the same way.” The brother sister duo also quickly realized that their shared upbringing could translate to solid pop tunes. Their bassits, Jake Churton was added when a keyboardist they had hired couldn’t make it to practice, “One day the guy we hired to play keyboard couldn’t make it to practice,” remembers Jake H, “So Jake C started playing the lead keyboard lick with his bass. Casey and I just looked at each other and both knew we had found our third member.”
Donora‘s third full-length release on Rostrum Records is titled “Ha Ha Heart“. As the band puts it, this album is about letting go of everything that is holding you back; it’s about celebrating who you are. Casey explains, “We wanted to be as honest as we could be with this album. From the creative process, to the music itself, to the artwork… This is us.”
Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news.
Indie alternative band, TEAM from Texas are gearing up for the release of their new album, Good Morning Bad Day which is scheduled for a release tomorrow, October 14th through South By Sea. The first single off the new album is I Like It and it is a catchy infectiously bubbly track. Check out the new video for it here:
Check out the track listing for the new album:
1. The Man In A Suit With His Eye To The Sky
2. I Like It
3. Alone In My Room
4. Still Don’t Know You’re Wrong
5. All The Time
6. I’m Just Like You (When You Turn Out The Lights)
7. Say My Name
8. Looking For
9. Stay
Make sure to check out the tour dates below and see when you can catch TEAM at a venue near you:
Tour w/ Colony House and Knox Hamilton
10/8 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
10/9 Bryan, TX @ Grand Stafford
10/11 Dallas, TX @ Prophet Bar
10/12 Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits After Party
10/14 New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
10/15 Mobile, AL @ Moe’s
10/16 Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree
10/17 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10/19 Carrboro, NC @ Cats Cradle Back Room
10/26 Nutley, NJ @ Radiant*
10/30 Columbus, OH @ Double Happiness*
10/31 Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose*
*w/o Colony House and Knox Hamilton
Fall tour w/ Barcelona
11/2 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
11/3 Lansing, MI @ Mac’s Bar
11/4 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
11/5 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
11/7 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
11/8 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Make sure to pick up the album on iTunes, here: http://bit.ly/1qCGLuv. Also visit their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news.
Dream-pop purveyors Wild Ones have announced a co-headline tour with fellow Portland indie rockers Radiation City, that kicks off Nov 15 in Eugene and runs through December 4. Check the dates below to see if they will be making it to a venue near you:
Nov 15 Eugene, OR WOW Hall
Nov 18 Sacramento, CA Witch Room
Nov 20 Los Angeles, CA No Vacancy
Nov 21 Merced, CA The Partisan
Nov 22 Santa Cruz, CA Crepe Place
Nov 23 San Francisco Rickshaw Stop
Nov 29 Portland, OR Star Theatre
Dec 02 Boise, ID The Crux
Dec 03 Spokane, WA The Bartlett
Dec 4 Seattle, WA The Crocodile
Wild Ones’ latest full-length ‘Keep It Safe‘ was released in April 2014 via Topshelf Records and is available on iTunes here. The album highlights the band member’s musical influences ranging from German techno to American R & B. Their influences have inspired them to create their own unique sound that brings together a variety of sounds.
Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news.
Indie alternative band, TEAM from Texas are gearing up for the release of their new album, Good Morning Bad Day which is scheduled for a release on October 14th through South By Sea. They have premiered a new song, I’m Just Like You (When You Turn Out The Lights) with PureVolume. You can take a listen by visiting the following link: http://www.purevolume.com/_iframe/audio_button_player.php?songId=3555210
The first single off the new album is I Like It and it is a catchy infectiously bubbly track. Check it out here:
Pre-order for the album is available now on iTunes, here: http://bit.ly/1qCGLuv. Check out the track listing for the new album:
1. The Man In A Suit With His Eye To The Sky
2. I Like It
3. Alone In My Room
4. Still Don’t Know You’re Wrong
5. All The Time
6. I’m Just Like You (When You Turn Out The Lights)
7. Say My Name
8. Looking For
9. Stay
Make sure to check out the tour dates below and see when you can catch TEAM at a venue near you:
Upcoming Tour Dates:
9/26 San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
9/27 Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum w/ Mutemath and The Get Up Kids
9/28 Tulsa, OK @ The Vanguard
Tour w/ Colony House and Knox Hamilton
10/8 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
10/9 Bryan, TX @ Grand Stafford
10/11 Dallas, TX @ Prophet Bar
10/12 Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits After Party
10/14 New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
10/15 Mobile, AL @ Moe’s
10/16 Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree
10/17 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10/19 Carrboro, NC @ Cats Cradle Back Room
10/26 Nutley, NJ @ Radiant*
10/30 Columbus, OH @ Double Happiness*
10/31 Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose*
*w/o Colony House and Knox Hamilton
Fall tour w/ Barcelona
11/2 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
11/3 Lansing, MI @ Mac’s Bar
11/4 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
11/5 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
11/7 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
11/8 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news.
The Slang is an alternative/power pop/rock band from Columbus, Ohio that will easily soon become one of your favorites. The Slang consists of John Bobo on Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist, Michael Dillon on Drums and John Newsome on Bass. They have recently released their new single, Feels Like Work which is off their upcoming self-titled due September 2nd. The album was recorded at the Cutting Room, the album was mixed by Mark Needham (Imagine Dragons, Tokyo Police Club) and Mastered by Brian Lucey (The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys). Check out the song here in their official video for it:
The song really captures the a particular time in my life for me back in the 90’s where my music taste was satiated by the independent music underground of alternative rock which I was fed my fix daily through college radio stations. I really love this song and the vocals bring me back to my love for Thom Yorke in which they have the similar engaging style. You are just drawn into the vocals and your mind meshes with the notes, sounds, and tones of the song, simply enveloping you and creating your own new world.
I am looking forward to the new EP and even more so, excited about word of a tour by The Slang in support of it. The tour is set to start in the Fall of 2014 featuring John Bobo, John Newsome, Matt Thiedt (guitar/keys) and Michael Dillon (drums). Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news.
When faced with the many challenges and struggles in life, you always need a teammate to be there for you and become your personal cheerleading squad. Now there is an incredible indie pop duo who do just that with their music. TeamMate was formed out from the relationship break-up of drummer Dani Buncher and singer-keyboardist Scott Simons. Both of them were passionate about music and together have created inspiring songs that take you through their life journey. We recently brought you our interview with Dani and Scott and will repost that for you in a bit but first I wanted to share with you the new song that TeamMate band has just released, Goldmine.
Scott explains about Goldmine,“Goldmine happened one day while we were living together again for the first time since we had broken up. Dani had just moved to LA and was crashing on my couch. I had this chorus idea one day and asked Dani to check it out. We wrote the rest of the song together in one sitting.” Scott also added “Goldmine is about looking inward and acknowledging how much you’re worth. We’ve found it’s easy for us to blame or credit external forces for our failures and successes, but if we don’t know how valuable we are ourselves, we can’t expect other people to.“
Check out the song here:
This song truly speaks volumes of truth and is really rich in advice wrapped in a wave of synth pleasure amid Scott’s comforting vocals.. You can pick up the track on iTunes here or for a limited time as a free download through the Soundcloud. Definitely the perfect way to start the day is with new music by TeamMate!
Here is that repost I promised you of our interview with Dani and Scott about their music and what TeamMate is working on.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Music Junkie Press: Thank you very much for taking the time out to talk with us here at Music Junkie Press. We have to tell you that we love your uplifting and inspiring new track, Don’t Count Me Out. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind that song?
Scott:Thanks so much! We appreciate your support and kind words. I think the inspiration comes from our experiences. We’ve known each other almost half of our lives and have each been though some shit – together and separately. I think the song comes from experienced optimism. Like, we’re still standing, dammit.
Music Junkie Press: What is TeamMate currently working on now?
Dani:We have some new songs we’re excited to get done in the studio! We’ve been adding them to our live set and have gotten some nice feedback.
Music Junkie Press:Your song not only brings out emotionally driven lyrics but leads a great connection to the listener. Do you have a particular song writing process?
Scott: Every song is different, but I do like to draw from personal experiences to connect on a universal level. I’m not sure how that works, but somehow by letting people into my own head and life in a specific way, it makes it easy to apply to their lives I hope.
Music Junkie Press: Here at Music Junkie Press, we are very strong believers how music can help, heal, inspire, can you recollect a particular time in your life, where music helped you through a hard or challenging time? Can you share that particular story with us?
Scott:We half joke that this whole project is sorta self-therapy. Our break up was really brutally painful for both of us and we’re surprised that we’re where we are now. Creating and performing music together has really helped us move and figure out a new version of ourselves.
Music Junkie Press: That is so true. I think your music will provide that same therapy style release for the listener as well! Today, we live in such a digital world which unfortunately includes those digital demons who bully behind keyboards, what advice could you give to the youth about dealing with these digital demons?
Scott: Man… I can’t imagine what those kids are going through. I had my own share of being picked on growing up whether it was for being Jewish or for being in band or just for being slightly different but never with the social media element. I wish someone had told me then that in the future, I’d surround myself with people who love me and make me a better person and the people who were bullies were and are just miserable people. Be yourself, be authentic, be honest. F%&* anyone that tries to tell you otherwise.
Dani: Be yourself, stay strong, and try to surround yourself with good people who support you. Also, stick up for the underdogs.
Music Junkie Press: Your style of music brings to life my lost love of indie pop. What artists or musicians were most inspiring for you?
Scott: Indie pop is such a weirdly named genre. We feel like we’re just making pop music that we like based on influences we love. But I think having the “indie” does give us some license to be a little different and to try some out-of-the-box things writing and production wise. For me, I grew up loving the Beatles and Billy Joel. Writers like Aimee Mann, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson and Ben Folds changed everything for me.
Dani: I grew up listing to a lot of pop music and that has definitely influenced me as a musician and adult. George Michael, Cyndi Lauper, Peter Gabriel, Michael Jackson, Madonna…
Music Junkie Press: I think the great think about Indie: is that it allows for the musician to keep it their own individual style which I feel you two display very well in your music. If we had to peak into your Ipod, what artist or song might we be most surprised at finding in there?
Scott:You’d be surprised at the lack of music on my iPod/iPhone. I’m all streaming now for better or worse. But people may be surprised at our shared love of 90’s r&b and rap
Dani: I don’t have a lot of music in there anymore, my iPhone has been so slow since my last software update and I didn’t do a great job backing it up to “the cloud” last update. So, I’d be surprised if you found any music in there besides TeamMate Demos and rough mixes. .
Scott: She’s a narcissist is what she’s trying to say.
Music Junkie Press: Will you be performing soon and if so, out here in California?
Dani: We just did a bunch of shows in LA – LA Pride, Make Music Festival and some venue shows -and we’re trying to finish up this new music so we can play some more shows this fall!
Music Junkie Press: I am bummed we missed your LA shows but we will look forward to Fall. If you could create the dream lineup, what three bands or artists would you choose to have on your bill with you?
Scott: Oh man… Maybe Deathcab For Cutie and Tegan and Sara???
Music Junkie Press: If you could go back to your 14 year old self, what advice would you give to yourself?
Scott: Everything you think is gonna happen isn’t and the stuff that does will amaze you. It’s gonna be a wild ride, so buckle up, 14-year old Scott. And don’t grow that goatee at age 17. It’s gonna be your weakest fashion moment.
Dani: “It’s all possible. All of it”
Music Junkie Press: We really look forward to what TeamMate has in store for us! Lastly, is there anything else you would like to share with our audience?
Scott: Your audience and audiences of other blogs and non-traditional media are changing the music industry so rapidly. We truly appreciate your support and hope you’ll follow us online and stay in touch with us. We’d be excited to have ya on board for whatever comes next.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
We really look forward to more new music by TeamMate and hope you continue to check them out. Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news.
When faced with the many challenges and struggles in life, you always need a teammate to be there for you and become your personal cheerleading squad. Now there is an incredible indie pop duo who do just that with their music. TeamMate was formed out from the relationship break-up of drummer Dani Buncher and singer-keyboardist Scott Simons. Both of them were passionate about music and together have created inspiring songs that take you through their life journey.
We had the chance to talk with with Dani and Scott about their music and what TeamMate is working on. We are pleased to bring that interview to you here:
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Music Junkie Press: Thank you very much for taking the time out to talk with us here at Music Junkie Press. We have to tell you that we love your uplifting and inspiring new track, Don’t Count Me Out. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind that song?
Scott:Thanks so much! We appreciate your support and kind words. I think the inspiration comes from our experiences. We’ve known each other almost half of our lives and have each been though some shit – together and separately. I think the song comes from experienced optimism. Like, we’re still standing, dammit.
Music Junkie Press: What is TeamMate currently working on now?
Dani:We have some new songs we’re excited to get done in the studio! We’ve been adding them to our live set and have gotten some nice feedback.
Music Junkie Press:Your song not only brings out emotionally driven lyrics but leads a great connection to the listener. Do you have a particular song writing process?
Scott: Every song is different, but I do like to draw from personal experiences to connect on a universal level. I’m not sure how that works, but somehow by letting people into my own head and life in a specific way, it makes it easy to apply to their lives I hope.
Music Junkie Press: Here at Music Junkie Press, we are very strong believers how music can help, heal, inspire, can you recollect a particular time in your life, where music helped you through a hard or challenging time? Can you share that particular story with us?
Scott:We half joke that this whole project is sorta self-therapy. Our break up was really brutally painful for both of us and we’re surprised that we’re where we are now. Creating and performing music together has really helped us move and figure out a new version of ourselves.
Music Junkie Press: That is so true. I think your music will provide that same therapy style release for the listener as well! Today, we live in such a digital world which unfortunately includes those digital demons who bully behind keyboards, what advice could you give to the youth about dealing with these digital demons?
Scott: Man… I can’t imagine what those kids are going through. I had my own share of being picked on growing up whether it was for being Jewish or for being in band or just for being slightly different but never with the social media element. I wish someone had told me then that in the future, I’d surround myself with people who love me and make me a better person and the people who were bullies were and are just miserable people. Be yourself, be authentic, be honest. F%&* anyone that tries to tell you otherwise.
Dani: Be yourself, stay strong, and try to surround yourself with good people who support you. Also, stick up for the underdogs.
Music Junkie Press: Your style of music brings to life my lost love of indie pop. What artists or musicians were most inspiring for you?
Scott: Indie pop is such a weirdly named genre. We feel like we’re just making pop music that we like based on influences we love. But I think having the “indie” does give us some license to be a little different and to try some out-of-the-box things writing and production wise. For me, I grew up loving the Beatles and Billy Joel. Writers like Aimee Mann, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson and Ben Folds changed everything for me.
Dani: I grew up listing to a lot of pop music and that has definitely influenced me as a musician and adult. George Michael, Cyndi Lauper, Peter Gabriel, Michael Jackson, Madonna…
Music Junkie Press: I think the great think about Indie: is that it allows for the musician to keep it their own individual style which I feel you two display very well in your music. If we had to peak into your Ipod, what artist or song might we be most surprised at finding in there?
Scott:You’d be surprised at the lack of music on my iPod/iPhone. I’m all streaming now for better or worse. But people may be surprised at our shared love of 90’s r&b and rap
Dani: I don’t have a lot of music in there anymore, my iPhone has been so slow since my last software update and I didn’t do a great job backing it up to “the cloud” last update. So, I’d be surprised if you found any music in there besides TeamMate Demos and rough mixes. .
Scott: She’s a narcissist is what she’s trying to say.
Music Junkie Press: Will you be performing soon and if so, out here in California?
Dani: We just did a bunch of shows in LA – LA Pride, Make Music Festival and some venue shows -and we’re trying to finish up this new music so we can play some more shows this fall!
Music Junkie Press: I am bummed we missed your LA shows but we will look forward to Fall. If you could create the dream lineup, what three bands or artists would you choose to have on your bill with you?
Scott: Oh man… Maybe Deathcab For Cutie and Tegan and Sara???
Music Junkie Press: If you could go back to your 14 year old self, what advice would you give to yourself?
Scott: Everything you think is gonna happen isn’t and the stuff that does will amaze you. It’s gonna be a wild ride, so buckle up, 14-year old Scott. And don’t grow that goatee at age 17. It’s gonna be your weakest fashion moment.
Dani: “It’s all possible. All of it”
Music Junkie Press: We really look forward to what TeamMate has in store for us! Lastly, is there anything else you would like to share with our audience?
Scott: Your audience and audiences of other blogs and non-traditional media are changing the music industry so rapidly. We truly appreciate your support and hope you’ll follow us online and stay in touch with us. We’d be excited to have ya on board for whatever comes next.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
They have also recently released the song, Don’t Count Me Out on Rostrum Records, which I love! It is a great pick me up track that provides an uplifting message of hope. Dani explains, “Don’t Count Me Out is a song we’ve drawn from personal experiences but hope it has a universal theme. We’ve been playing it live for awhile and the response from the audiences really helped us know how to produce the song for the studio version.” and Scott mentions, “We’re excited to still be in each other’s lives and working towards something together. We couldn’t have guessed after all this time this is where we’d end up.”
Check out the track here:
We really look forward to more new music by TeamMate and hope you continue to check them out. Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news.
The Summer Set has been one of the must see sets at Warped Tour this year. Their crowd not only consists of extreme die hard fans but also many new ones who are having the opportunity to watch them for the first time. They have been dominating the Pop Rock scene and there is no letting up in sight. Their catchy pop punk infused songs have everyone on their feet at Warped Tour. The Summer Set is:
Brian Dales – Vocals
John Gomez – Guitar, Piano, Vocals
Josh Montgomery – Guitar
Jess Bowen – Drums
Stephen Gomez – Bass
Check out the photos by our Rockin Ryan of their set at Warped Tour Mountain View:
Make sure to check the schedule for their set time when you arrive. They are performing on the Electric Soul Stage. Also, make sure to stop by their merch tent or the Fearless Records tent during Warped Tour and purchase their album ‘Legendary’ + receive 3 unreleased tracks from the album on a special TSS laminate!
Vans Warped Tour Dates – Electric Soul Stage
Jul 6, 2014 – PNC Bank Arts Concert Center, Holmdel, NJ
Jul 8, 2014 – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien Center, NY
Jul 9, 2014 – Toyota Pavilion, Scranton, PA
Jul 10, 2014 – Xfinity Center (formerly Comcast Center), Mansfield, MA
Jul 11, 2014 – Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
Jul 12, 2014 – Nikon at Jones Beach Amphitheater, Wantagh, NY
Jul 15, 2014 – First Niagara Pavilion, Burgettstown, PA
Jul 16, 2014 – Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
Jul 17, 2014 – Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Jul 18, 2014 – The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI
Jul 19, 2014 – First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL
Jul 20, 2014 – Canterbury Park, Shakopee, MN
Jul 22, 2014 – Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
Jul 23, 2014 – Farm Bureau Live At Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach, VA
Jul 24, 2014 – Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood, Atlanta, GA
Jul 25, 2014 – Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg, FL
Jul 26, 2014 – Cruzan Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, FL
Jul 27, 2014 – Central Florida Fairgrounds, Orlando, FL
Jul 28, 2014 – PNC Music Pavilion Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
Jul 29, 2014 – Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, TN
Jul 30, 2014 – Marcus Amphitheatre, Milwaukee, WI
Jul 31, 2014 – Cricket Wireless Amphitheater, Bonner Springs, KS
Aug 2, 2014 – Utah State Fairpark, Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 3, 2014 – Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, CO
Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news. Don’t forget to pick up their latest album, Legendaryat Warped Tour or head over to iTunes here.
I have a great band to tell you about for some energetic aggressive pop punk that will get you pumped up and ready to start your day off right. I am talking about Nine Volt Heart from the UK. Nine Volt Heart is Mikey Lord on vocals/guitar, Paul Norfolk on guitar, Ed Truby on bass and Alex Sheldon on drums. These four bring together a fresh new take on punk infused with some melodic pop rock styles. The perfect combo to get you moving. We had the opportunity to interview Nine Volt Heart and are pleased to bring that interview to you here:
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Music Junkie Press:We are excited about the release of your album The Miracle Kids. This album brings a lot of great energy out and a great dose of pop and punk! What was the inspiration behind this album?
Mikey: Cheers! The album is built around a lot of stories I had, all set in this world where a nuclear apocalypse had taken place and people that had survived were trying to rebuild some sort of life. The songs on this album all come from different points in stories or different characters individually.
Music Junkie Press:Tell us about the band name Nine Volt Heart and how you all formed?
Mikey: The band name is something we’ve always had as a sort of ‘damn this has to be a song title’ thing, but it got to the point where we were sick of having crappy band names and picked that. It fits our style and our sound and we really dig it. We’ve been a band in various versions since about 2011, but Paul joined last year and that’s the line up we’ve been with since.
Music Junkie Press:You have a great punk feel to your music which I love, who were some bands that inspired you the most? Mikey – Thanks! Well there’s the usuals that people say, like the Sex Pistols and the Ramones, and Black Flag and Misfits were important for us. We’re teenagers, so Green Day’s totally in there. My Chemical Romance would definitely be the biggest one.
Ed: We’ve definitely been inspired by countless bands spanning just as many genres! Ranging from bands like Blink-182 to heavier bands, and I think this is shown throughout the album!
Paul: I think there are tons of bands out there that have inspired us, but some of the most inspiring would be bands such as my chemical romance, 30 seconds to mars and blink 182.
Music Junkie Press:All of you being so young and talented musicians, what advice can you give to other young musicians who struggle with the pressure of trying to fit into a music genre checkbox and pressured to play a more “popular” style of music?
Paul: I think they should just play the music they enjoy playing instead being pressured into any more popular genres. If they enjoy listening to and playing the music they do, so will other people out there.
Mikey:I don’t really agree that there is that pressure for young musicians, there’s a culture now of creativity and being original and doing your own thing which is really cool. My advice though, would be to just play what comes naturally and don’t give a shit what anyone says about it. If you like playing what you’re playing then keep playing it, cause if you don’t enjoy it then what’s the point?
Ed: I’d say play the types of music that you enjoy playing! If you don’t enjoy the music that you’re playing then you can’t put any proper passion into it! But then again don’t be afraid to compromise!
Alex: Don’t bow to pressure, just play what you want to play and enjoy yourself, ‘popularity’ isn’t everything!
Music Junkie Press:A Waste of Dreaming is an awesome track, can you tell us more about that song?
Mikey:Thank you! A lot of the lyrics for that song were inspired by George Orwell’s ‘1984’, and the film ‘The Road’. I’m making headway into the book for 1984, but I saw a stage production of it that hit me like a train and I walked out of it with all these ideas, and they turned into A Waste Of Dreaming. It’s the last song that got written for the record – we announced the album release with all the tracklistings etc before we even finished recording that song. The story in it just seemed to fit perfectly with all the other stuff that was going on on the record, and it added another dose of aggression which was cool.
Ed:That was actually the last song that we put on the album. The album was practically finished then A Waste of Dreaming got written and we all loved it!
Music Junkie Press:Do you currently have any upcoming shows you can tell us about and will you be making it out to the US soon?
Mikey: This Friday we’re playing at the Leeds Wardrobe as part of the Futuresound Competition 2014 to win slots at Leeds + Reading! After that we’re on a bit of a down low period, due to people going away over summer and stuff. We’ll be keeping active and doing acoustic stuff where we can, check our website for show announcements here: http://www.ninevoltheart.co.uk/shows I don’t know about the US, we’re barely big enough for our own shoes in West Yorkshire. Let alone the rest of England. We’d love to get over there someday though.
Music Junkie Press:If someone was going to be seeing you in concert for the first time, what could you tell them they could expect at Nine Volt Heart show?
Alex: Lots and lots of energy! And noise.
Paul: I think at our shows you can expect alot of energy and catchy songs varying from pop punk to heavier punk rock. I think our shows have something everyone can enjoy and have a good time
Ed: A lot of energy, a heck of a lot of jumping and the occasional mosh pit!
Mikey: Energy’s a running theme here, so yeah that.
Music Junkie Press: Another song from the EP that really shines is breathe?, it has such emotionally driven lyrics. Can you tell us more about that song?
Mikey: That song is a sort of drop in on the story that runs from A Waste Of Dreaming. It’s written from the point of view of someone trying to force himself to believe and appreciate a government and leadership that he can’t help but know is corrupt and lying to him. He’s trying to make the choice between living comfortably and believing in this false leadership, or attempting to live the life that he wants to live and learning as much as he can about the world.
Music Junkie Press: If Nine Volt Heart could be a comic book, what would each of your superhero names and super powers be?
Mikey: I just finished my Gold DofE expedition and came back all sunburnt, so I think my superpower would be to be able to sweat suncream (sunscreen). I’d be Factor 50 Man.
Ed:I’d be procrastination man and my power would just be to pause time so I could chill and do important stuff later.
Alex: Gingerman, I’d give everyone Ginger hair. Sounds more like a villain to be fair though.
Music Junkie Press: We saw the great video for The 45_Slow, love it! Will you be working on any music videos and if so, can you tell us for which song?
Mikey: I think we wanna make something for The Miracle Kids, and there’s loads of ideas getting thrown about at the moment for it – hopefully that’ll happen this summer.
Music Junkie Press: If you could take a song from a completely different genre and turn it into a Nine Volt Heart style what might that be?
Ed: I’d love to do duality by slipknot! It was the first properly heavy song I learnt on bass and I fell in love with the speed and the technicality of the bass line, so I reckon we could do that!
Paul: I’d love to play a James Taylor song, i’m a big fan. I’d probably choose to do Carolina in my mind, I love that song.
Mikey: Fairytale Of New York would be insane. We’d probably absolutely kill the song but it would be fun.
Alex: I think ‘Trouble’ by Taylor Swift would be a laugh to do.
Music Junkie Press: If we could peak into your Ipod, what artist or song might we be most surprised at finding in there?
Ed: For me that would probably be Eminem! I love Eminem, his lyrics are so powerful yet still relatable, and I always feel Eminem isn’t your standard rapper, there just seems to be something that sets him above other rappers in my opinion.
Paul:I have the latest album, same trailer different park, by the Texan country singer Kacey Musgraves, and it’s a fantastic album
Mikey: I have a lot of Brian Eno on my phone. I really dig him.
Alex: Probably the large amount of classical stuff on there, it’s calming stuff y’know.
Music Junkie Press: Lastly, what would you like to share with your fans and audience?
Nine Volt Heart currently has their new album, The Miracle Kids out now. You can pick up the 12 track album on their bandcamp page here. You will love it since it features a variety of tracks from the amped up pop punk anthem of the title track, The Miracle Kids to the emotionally driven song of breathe? to the kick ass track of Teenage Fantasy and everything in between. They really remind me of another young pop punk band that I fell in love with many,many years ago; Material Issue. Check out a cool video for one of my favorite songs from Nine Volt Heart, The 45_Slow here:
Make sure to check them out on their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news.
Music Junkie Press 