There isn’t a fan in the scene who hasn’t heard of Such Gold—and that’s quite an achievement considering they only formed back in 2009. Working tirelessly, the band have already released the critically acclaimed full length Misadventures, as well as 4 split 7”s and two EPs, and now they’re back with their sophomore effort, The New Sidewalk. During their current tour with Transit, Seaway, and Four Year Strong, we caught up with the band to talk the new album, favorite records, and more!

What can fans expect from the new album?

12 songs. 38 minutes. Guitars. Drums. Flugelhorn. Mongolian throat singing.

What song from The New Sidewalk are you most excited for fans to hear live?

We've been playing a rotation of about 6 songs from the record for the last five months or so.  "No Cab Fare" is a really tough one to nail - so we are definitely looking forward to ripping that one live!

What were your favorite records growing up?

My "favorites" definitely changed from year to year pretty significantly. When I was 12 or so my main rotation was "Punk O Rama 4", Everytime I Die "Last Night In Town" and Dillinger Escape Plan's EP with "Mike Patton". A couple years later and it was probably something closer to black metal like Old Man's Child. Then strictly Pinback for a couple of years. I was just listening to Miley Cyrus this morning on purpose so things change.

How have the roles adjusted in the band since the recent lineup changes?

Ben was always writing a lot of the guitar parts for Such Gold since it's inception so that transition was pretty seamless. Matt adds whole knew musical dimension to the band and with any member shift like that - the whole vibe gets a good reset. We're definitely having a great time writing and touring together. It feels really fresh.

What was it like recording with Bill Stevenson?

It was an incredible experience. Most of the punk and hardcore records we all enjoy together have been records that Bill has worked on in some capacity - being it as a drummer, producer, or engineer. The other engineers at the Blasting Room - Jason Livermore, Andrew Berlin, and Chris Beeble, were equally important to the experience. We got on very well and were just always striving together to do the best job on the album we could. Everyone trusted each other to do their part.

What were your biggest influences when writing this record?

That feeling you get when every part is working together in a musically exciting way. We definitely have musical colors, styles, and tones in mind as we write but it really just comes down that feeling where several musical voices are working together.

What’s been the highlight of your tour with Transit and Driver Friendly?

Getting to vibe with all the guys in the bands has been a treat. There are a lot of different personalities on this run. It's a great thing. All the guys in Driver Friendly are also hardcore magic card players. They taught our guitarist Nate and our tour manager Charlie how to play and had a draft and everything. They infected them. I've watched a few games in full and no more of an understanding. SHIT IS CRAZY.

Do you have any advice for new bands starting out?

Write lots of music and push yourself to find musical ground stretches your ears, not just whats comfortable.

What’s next for Such Gold?

Well this tour goes right into a run with Four Year Strong, Transit, Us and Seaway. Tthen of course the release of "The New Sidewalk" on 11/10. Then in mid December we have a short Canadian run with The Flatliners and PUP.We've already written 3 or 4 songs on the road. I imagine we'll want to get into the studio as soon as possible and are looking forward to wherever we go next year.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

The only record that is worth listening to, other then The New Sidewalk (RAZOR AND TIE - 11/10) is: grandbeach.bandcamp.com.

Interview & Bio; Alex Bear

A quick listen to indie pop rock band PandaCorn is all you'll need to provide yourself with an undeniably certainty that this is a band doing something different. Born into the abundant indie scene in 2012, they've been continously changing the game ever since. Boredom is a feeling that strays far from your headphones while listening to any one of the band's shimmering tracks. With this much creativity pumped into such a young career, it's thrilling to ponder what we'll hear from 'em next. If you haven't been introduced to the band yet, take this as your chance to get aquainted with their stellar sound, and learn a little more about who they are, where they're coming from, and where the journey is taking them next.

With a sound as unique as yours, we have to ask: What is your headspace usually like when writing?

I think most bands are shooting for a unique sound that defines them, so thanks for saying that, it means a lot. As a three piece were kind of limited sonically, but we definitely try to be as colorful as possible with what we've got to work with. Utilizing electronics and synth tones are a big part of our approach, but still keeping a raw overtone to the arrangements. Some songs are inspired by events, like "Forgotten Machines", we were driving down the highway noticing the abandoned threshers and tractors in the ditch. Some are inspired by a riff or melody or even a children's book like Velveteen Daddy (The Velveteen Rabbit). We do split up the lyrics to add some different perspective. Megan and I (Brodie) are in a lot of ways completely different people and we wanted that to be expressed in the songs too.

What are your favorite aspects of the indie music scene? Least favorite?

The people! Fans, band members and administrators all give you a sense of community if you're open to it. It makes Canada feel really tightly knit when you start traveling and seeing a lot of familiar faces.

Sometimes the road life in Canada is tough. Long drives can be exhausting and cost is always an issue, but it's not unbearable.

Where did the idea to start this band originate?

I used to accompany Megan with her solo project. I had just went on hiatus from a group called Brain Sauce and we were both looking for something new to express some ideas that didn't quite fit those projects. The costumes came out at a Halloween party, mine a panda onesie and Megan's a unicorn top and thus PandaCorn was born!

What are your favorite circumstances for playing? Which types of shows suit you best?

Any show where people wanna hear original music. It feels so good to see people letting go and enjoying themselves while you're playing, whether it's two people or 200.

Tell us about your favorite memory from band life so far.

Hmmm thats always tough to narrow down. In recent memory opening up for Library Voices at MosoFest in Saskatoon was surreal. Projected explosions behind us and a great crowd. That city has always made us feel at home. Pretty much any show there is a favorite!

What’s next for PandaCorn?

We're releasing videos for songs on our current album, Synthesis of Opposites. Watch for "Midnight Move" to come out in January!

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

PandaCorn has nothing to do with corn on the cobb.

Straight out of Rhode Island, Scare Don’t Fear is ready to rock with one of the most innovative sounds on the market today. Inking a deal with Ben Bruce and Kyle Borman’s KBB Records, then hitting the road with the Vans Warped Tour, gave the band’s career a massive kickstart. Since then, they’ve kept up with the whiplash inducing speed, while looking towards the future. We chatted with one of the band’s vocalists, Frankie Screamz, about what’s on their calendar, fan funded projects, and how their deal with KBB Records came to be. If you’re as eager to see what’s in store for the band as we are, you can help make it happen by donating to their PledgeMusic campaign here.

So you’re headed to the first show of this tour with Eyes Set To Kill, right?

Yeah, we’ve got an off day first. It’s just us headlining in Ohio, and then we’re gonna start the next day with Eyes Set To Kill.

Awesome! So you’ll be on the road for a few weeks then?

Yeah, I think it’s like three, three and a half weeks.

How do you prepare for being on the road for that long?

You know, this is only our second tour, so we’re still learning things as we go. We tried to pack less for this tour. Warped Tour we like overpacked, way too much. So we tried to be a little bit more neat about the way we packed. Like, the trailer’s a lot more organized. When we were leaving for Warped, we didn’t know what to expect, now we kind of know what to expect.

That’s always good, learn from your mistakes. Would you say organization’s the biggest lesson you learned from going out on Warped?

Maybe not that. I think one of the biggest things that we learned from Warped Tour is just how powerful touring actually is for a young band. We knew it was a big tool, we knew it was the most important, but now we know why. We’ve seen it first hand, how it works. So I think that would be the biggest thing we took from Warped Tour.

What was the best date of Warped Tour? What’s your best memory from it?

Oh, that’s a good question, because there was a couple really, really fun shows. I remember Minnesota, for some reason, stood out to us. We opened that day, but where they put the stage was like right next to the entrance. We started our set pretty much like ten minutes after the doors opened, so everyone just flooded to our stage. We caught their attention, and they couldn’t leave until we were done. It was like 600 kids [who had] never heard of us before like going crazy, treating us like rockstars. Other than Minnesota, we had a great time in Dallas… Cincinnati, Ohio was really good. Salt Lake City was good, Nashville was good.

I heard the Midwest was really good for the whole tour.

Yeah, you heard right, because the Midwest treated us so well.

And you have the PledgeMusic campaign going right now?

Yeah, we have the PledgeMusic thing we just started, because we’re still a young band. We put a lot of weight on our shoulders when we went of Warped, spent tons of money and if we want to keep doing this, we’ve gotta do something like this. Gotta be a little bit more creative and think outside of the box a little bit. So we put this together, and we’re hoping that fans really like what we put up there for them. We tried to be as creative and original as possible.

You hear a lot with the PledgeMusic and the Kickstarter, a lot of people are trying to go against it. Where do you think they’re coming from? What do you think people who are against fan funded projects should realize?

Well you know, I wasn’t really that into the those type of things before we had to do it, so I can see where those type of people are coming from. But if you really break it down for the people and you show them—especially PledgeMusic, you can see that they really are supporting musicians, and they really are trying to send a positive message out there, they’re not just trying to steal everybody’s money or something like that. And on top of it, these are things that we sell anyways. If you go to our regular merch store that we have now, you will see all of these things there already. We already sell signed CDs, drumsticks, drumheads, cymbols. We’re just teaming up with PledgeMusic now to make it a little bit more official and pretty much have a partner. They’ve done this before, they know the right way to go about this.

You’re on the new label, KBB Records. Tell us about how you ended up signed to them.

Pretty much a long story short is over the last year, in 2013, we got the same attorney that Asking Alexandria had. And when Ben Bruce started his label with Kyle, he used that same attorney, and that attorney was like “Yo, I already have a band that you guys should check out. You would love them, they’re really original. They’re really unique.” So our attorney sent Ben our music, and Ben heard it and called us two hours later and was like “Dudes, we’ve gotta do this. You guys are so unique, I see your vision, I don’t want to change anything about you guys. Come on board… Let’s do this.” And that’s pretty much how it went down. It’s still really new to us, like we just signed [in] like March. That wasn’t that long ago at all, so it’s still very new to us. We’re still in our hard working mood, we’re ready to dominate.

What’s next for the band?

Our biggest thing that the whole band wants to focus on is our visuals for online and pretty much everywhere. TV, wherever we can get. We already have three music videos filmed, none of them have dropped yet. So hopefully soon we’ll start dropping those. And then we want to work on more stuff, like blogs. We’re teaming up with DigitalTourBus.com, and we’re doing vlogs with them for this tour. We’re working on that, hopefully we can upgrade our cameras over the next couple of months. So yeah, you can expect more visuals from us. And we’re always working on music.

Some people are born with the flavor of rock and roll running through their blood. Others cultivate it through years of experience and boundless passion. But Thousand Foot Krutch? They fall under both catergories. Fueled by their love of music from the moment of their 1995 formation, the band spend every year creating another chapter in their legendary story. The latest edition of their remarkable tale is Oxygen: Inhale, which could also be referred to as the one of the best rock albums you've ever heard. When they rolled into Grand Rapids on the Born This Way tour, we caught up with vocalist Trevor McNevan and chatted about his passion for music, reactions to their new album, and the coolest moments of band life.

It’s been awesome. We’re about a week in right now, and shows have been great. The bands are awesome, good people. Yeah, it’s been a blast. Kind of like a family vibe out here.

How’s it been like playing the new songs from the album? I reviewed it last week, it’s really good.

Thank you so much for your review by the way, it was awesome!

It’s been awesome. It’s always a lot of fun playing new stuff, just kind of getting to throw some new stuff in the set. The response has been really good. It’s exciting to kind of see that connection.

Which one do you think’s been clicking the best with the audience?

Probably “Born This Way” just because you know, people have heard it from the single. It’s on the radio. But the other stuff’s been going over really well considering they’re brand new songs for people.

With the album, what’s your best memory from recording it?

So many. I wrote it between the back of the bus and my studio at home, then me and the guys got together after that. It’s hard to name one, to be honest. We record our own stuff, you know, and produce it and do all that ourselves, so it’s hard to pick one thing. Well, I had a good friend of mine who plays slide guitar for Carrie Underwood play on “Born This Way”, actually. So that was kind of a fun highlight, something different for our record.

Added another element.

Yeah.

Are there any other elements, like certain styles of music or something, you’d like to experiment with in the future?

I think wherever inspiration kind of takes us, you know? I feel like a good song’s a good song. Like whether it’s country or rock or pop, or whatever. I think all that, in different ways, that stuff just sneaks into your music if you’re inspired by it. We’re not scared to do that. I think with “Born This Way” and a couple songs off the new record, it was like, it’s still this band and it’s still sides of this band that have been there, but I feel like we kind of committed to a few things that are a little bit more outside of our box. And some people dig that. Change is hard you know, sometimes it’s a maybe too far left for some people, but [you] can’t please everyone.

I think that too. It’s hard to listen to just one genre of music. People are like “Oh, I only listen to the hardest rocking rock and roll!”

Yeah. With the new record too, we have kind of a softer—well just more of the lighter side, I think, of this band than we have in the past. It just felt right for this record, to be honest.

Do you think you’ll continue with that at all on the next one, or are you even thinking about that yet?

I am, actually. Started working on it in the last couple weeks. Exhale, I can’t tell you too much about it yet, but it’s gonna be interesting and exciting. I’m really stoked about it. It’s gonna be a different thing, for sure.

So I have a bit of a deep question to ask you… There are a lot of bands right now, coming out saying that music can’t save your life, don’t tell me my band saved your life. And then there are also those who are saying it’s wrong to say that. Where do you stand on it?

We feel blessed to just be able to — Music is something that spoke to us, you know, communicated to us growing up. And so to be able to take that passion and flip it around, and be able to communicate with other people that way is such a blessing. Music’s a powerful thing, man, it always has been. It can be a time machine and take us back to that moment, it can get us through a hard day. To me, our faith is our lifestyle, that’s who we are, so it bleeds into everything we do. So for me, when I look at that, I would give the glory to God on that. I see him move through music all the time, and just communicate with us and heal us and help us. We all go through different stuff in our life, and have been through different things. So my stance I guess would be absolutely, man. Is it music itself that saved a life? It’s a tool that speaks to us.

You guys have a pretty busy tour schedule. You’re always on the road.

Yeah, it’s good. This one goes until November 10th, I think?

Have you found anything that makes life on the road a little easier? A little more convenient?

For years we went through three or four different vans and RVs and everything. We’ve been in a bus maybe eight or nine years now, and it’s such a blessing in itself. You can actually sleep and have a little of your own space, a little privacy. We have a studio, a portable studio in the back of the bus that we’re always working in, and then movies or hockey’s always on our TVs. You know, just different things to pass time, to kind of make life feel a little bit more normal when you’re traveling everyday.

And then you have an off day tomorrow, right?

We do.

Tell me about your greatest off day story.

I don’t know if I have a particular… We try to catch shows on our off days, so we went to see Metallica a few years ago. Our tour manager’s a big Metallica fan. That was a highlight for sure, man. Yeah, I don’t know. That’s a really good question, because I don’t even know how to answer. I don’t really have like a specific one, but I usually try to shut up on an off day. So I’ll go see a movie. Do something that’s entertaining where I don’t have to talk.

Unwind a little?

Yeah, exactly. Just chill. Everybody tries to catch up on sleep and do laundry, stuff like that.

You said how you toured in a van for a long time. What’s your craziest van story?

I don’t know, it’s definitely not crazy, but it’s one of those things... I wouldn’t trade that time for anything, it was so awesome... I remember standing on the side of the road—we actually all got out to go to the restroom on the side of the road. So all four guys standing there, and we just kind of looked up in the middle of the night and there was northern lights and it was just awesome you know? It was one of those moments where you’re like “You know what? There’s a lot of crazy about this, but not everyone gets to see that right now.” It’s the little things, man. So, crazy stories? I don’t know, man. Probably have hundreds of those. But to me, it’s more like those cool moments like that.

When you started this band… did you ever imagine that all these years later, you would still be here? You’d still be doing this, you’d still be putting out incredible music?

I think it’s one of those things that we’ve always believed in, and I certainly can’t see the end. We feel like we’re just getting started. Our hearts have always really been in it, so there was never really a plan B.

No?

I think from like ten years old, eight years old, music just grabbed me, man. It almost felt like it chose you.

Yeah, definitely!

It’s always been that real… I feel fortunate for that, because I have a lot of friends that aren’t quite sure what they wanna do. I guess that’s a blessing. From a young age, I just kind of had that. It’s never been anything else, you know what I mean? It’s such a blessing. We don’t take a day of it for granted. We love it.

Did you grow up around a lot of music?

Around music? Yes. My family’s not musical at all, they’re very like athletic, I don’t even think they can clap on beat. So I was like “that kid” in our family. That’s how I came up.

What was the first album you listened to and were like “That’s what I want to sound like!”?

It was Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Like, the vinyl. I think my mom brought it home from the grocery store or something. You used to actually be able to buy vinyl at like grocery stores. And I remember memorizing every word to that record. My parents had one of those big wooden, weighed like one ton stereos that had a turntable and an eight-track player… I remember standing there and just diving into this record for like, years. That was my first one, for sure.

Did you memorize the moves to “Thriller”?

[Laughs] I tried.

Have you ever broke ‘em out on stage before? That’s the real question.

We did as a tour prank on this one tour, we had about three or four of us bands, we all went out during another band’s set and did the “Thriller” dance. So it actually has happened on stage.

That’s gotta be on Youtube right?

Probably, actually. Never looked.

So what’s next? Besides this new album you’ve just started working on.

Yeah, we’ll be working on that for a little while. This tour, obviously, and then when we finish this we have a short break, and then we go to Russia. This’ll be our third trip over there. And then we actually, this is a huge honor, we got asked by Alice Cooper to go and play his big Christmas bash in Arizona. Pretty excited about that. So yeah, that’s on the horizon right now. Then we’re trying to plan a spring tour right now, figuring out who and what that’s gonna look like.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I guess a huge thanks, man. To you guys, thanks for having me. And to everybody, just for your support on the new record. You can check out thousandfootkrutch.com for videos, music, tour dates and we have a free app in the appstore, as well. Come hang at a show, we’d love to see you!

Our buds in Friends of Foes last chatted with us in September of 2013, only a few months before the release of their expectation-shattering Chronophobic. Since then, the intrepid quartet have hit the music industry hard, with extensive touring, remarkable music videos and a sound that cannot be replicated. Now, with a brand new single titled "Winter" on the books for October 24th, the band are showing no signs of slowing down. With this much passion, charisma and hard work in their arsenal, the path the band is on can only lead to great things. We caught up with the band, and chatted the new single, the past year of their career and much more. Check it out below!

“Winter” is your first release since your debut album, Chronophobic. How has your band progressed in the past few months?

KEEGAN: We’ve become more mature in our writing process. This time around we've taken longer to make better decisions about where a song should go.

Tell us about the filming experience for the “Winter” music video. What are some standout moments?

TONY: Filming “Winter” was an incredible experience. We had a lot of fun with Morgan throughout the entire process. She has a great sense of humour which is important with us, because we like to goof around. I honestly enjoyed every aspect of filming this video and I think that the footage, and gag reel shows this.

When should we expect your sophomore album? What direction are you looking to head with it?

KEEGAN: I know we’d like to get out new material as soon as possible. We haven’t set any recording dates or anything but possibly next summer if we can muster up enough tracks for an album. Some songs are a bit heavier, and with a bit more drive at times. Other songs are still as playful and light hearted as Chronophobic. We’ve tried plenty of new interesting ways to spice up a song.

Take us through a typical show day for Friends Of Foes.

TONY: If we are on tour, one of us will get the others up and we will slowly gather out gear together, eat some breakfast (or lunch, depending on what time we need to be in the next city) and try to get on the road. There may be a clothing/pillow fight in the process; it really depends on who wakes the group up. Matt or I will usually do the driving to the next city. Once we get there, we like to get food right away and I like to have a beer. We make a point of getting to know some locals and having some fun before the show. Sometimes, we will walk around the city or take some photos. A few tours back, we made a point of heading to every mall we could; not sure why, we didn’t buy very much.

Over the past year, what’s the most valuable thing you learned in the music industry?

KEEGAN: Eat healthy when you play shows on the road. It sounds dumb, but when you’re constantly travelling your body just can’t handle anything else unhealthy accompanied with lack of sleep.

TONY: The most valuable thing that I have learned is always try. Even if you are playing to a venue with literally 10 people in it; play as if there are 1,000 people there. You never know who is watching. Even if no one is watching, you still have a good night so why not?

What does the rest of the year look like for Friends Of Foes?

TONY: For the rest of this year, we have another tour lined up. We are heading to Alberta once again which I am very excited for because we have been consistently playing in Alberta for a while now and we are starting to build a fan base. I don’t believe we have any intentions to record for the next little while, but I am very excited for the work we have been putting into new material as well as continue touring.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

KEEGAN: Be prepared to hear some new material in the upcoming months! We’ve been struggling to keep new songs a secret!

TONY: I would just like to say thank you to my mother and father, my family, my friends, and all my fans for the dedicated support and love. I am very proud of this band and I am proud of the song and video that we made. I am profoundly grateful for the experience.

This is a bittersweet into to write. As stoked as we are to introduce you to the kickass Philly duo John & Brittany, we're equally disappointed to have to break the news that the two will no longer be making music together. With the release of Stories To Be Told this week, and their final show on the books for October 17th, the group have officially called it quits. Luckily, their self-described "nicotine rock and roll" will live on forever in their latest EP, and in the hearts of all those who appreciate rebellious, gritty music with the utmost integrity. When we spoke with John & Brittany, we chatted the EP, the release show and the Philadelphia music scene. Check it out below.

You already have a release show scheduled for the October premiere of Stories To Be Told. What should attendees expect out of the concert? Do you have anything planned yet?

We're trying to make the show a very special experience. Because the EP is called "Stories To Be Told," and each song is kind of like a short story, we're going to have a couple of documentarians going around the audience taking cell phone and flip cam videos and asking them to tell little stories about themselves and we're going to compile a video of everyone's "stories to be told." We also got these custom made candy hearts for our "St. Valentine" single, which will be given away along with a copy of our EP on CD and/or blue vinyl with every ticket sold. We always want each show to be more than just the performance.

What was the biggest lesson you learned while working on the EP?

That's a tough one. It was a fairly contentious atmosphere in the studio, but the takeaway was to give every idea a chance, because some of the craziest thoughts ended up being some of the coolest moments on the EP. Prime example is the outro of the song "Hank The Hound Dog." We wanted it to exemplify the main characters "descent into madness" so we had all kinds of cacophonous sounds, especially a completely atonal piano part.

What are the greatest contrasts between Stories To Be Told and your debut full length, Start Sinning?

Where "Start Sinning" was the starting point of us really discovering our sound, the new EP is a development of that sound. The full length was deliberately primitive, and I think we became much more comfortable with adding new sonic elements for "Stories" while still keeping it raw sounding.

The Philadelphia music scene is one of the boldest in the nation. How has its influence impacted you as a musician?

It's impacted us tremendously. Not only the music history in the city, dating back to some of the earliest rock 'n roll records, but we feel like we are a part of a very tightknit and diverse music community. Not many of the bands in Philadelphia are doing quite what we do, yet we've been accepted and been given so much support. The scene is not dictated by a specific sound but by the spirit of the musicians that happen to be inhabiting Philly at this point in time. It's a very good time to be a musician here.

Tell us about your fondest music memory.

Fondest music memory would definitely have to be our experience volunteering for Musicians On Call, which is a nonprofit organization that brings live music to the bedsides of seriously ill patients in hospitals all over the country. Many of these patients are terminal. We had the opportunity to perform for so many people whose spirit in the face of adversity was so inspiring. The title track of the EP comes from this experience.

What’s next for your career?

Absolutely no idea. We've never been "five-year plan" people. We'll just have to see.

John Samaras is forthwith known as alternative’s loveliest son. Take one listen to his music and you’ll feel that shining through in every beautiful acoustic-led note. Straight off the back of his introspective sophomore effort, The Bell Jar, he’s already looking onto a third album—if that doesn’t prove his sheer passion for what he does, we don’t know what will. Here is a man who wants to make music purely because he is in love with it, a rare and refreshing trait which will see his melodic blend of folk and indie becoming the soundtrack to keep you warm at night. We caught up with Samaras over the summer to talk The Bell Jar, influences, and more!

So you mentioned you have a new album coming out soon.

Yeah, it’s completed. I just have to get the artwork all finished and worked out.

What should fans expect from it?

More experimentation, different sounds. There’ll be fifteen songs, so it’ll have some variety I guess.

So why did you get into music in the first place? Was there like a certain moment?

When I was a junior in high school, I started a band. Played with them for about three years, then that band broke up. After that, I wanted to keep playing music but it was hard to get a band together, so I just decided to do solo.

What’s your favorite song you’ve ever written?

Good question. Thinking it’s “Grand Mal.”

Alright, why’s that?

I just liked how it turned out in the end. The style, all the parts and everything.

What album has had the most influence on you as a person?

I guess any of The Beatles’ albums. The White Album is big. Revolver.

I think that definitely shows through in your music too, you can hear that influence.

Yeah, hopefully it’s not too much, but I definitely don’t mind the similarities. It just comes out because that’s the stuff that I like.

What’s next? What do you got coming up?

I started recording another EP, just like a small... like abandoned songs that never really went anywhere. Also, I have a band in the works right now. I have a singer and a bassist, now we’re just looking for a drummer. And then hopefully start playing shows and stuff regularly.

What’s the sound gonna be for [this new band]?

Kind of Nirvana-y, a little bit of Beatles, a little bit of your Elliot Smith. Stuff like that.

Bio; Alex Bear

Interview; Emillie Marvel

Are you ready for The Funeral Portrait? The Atlanta, GA rock band are storming the music industry with a fresh perspective and fearless demeanor. Theatrical rock is their young expertise, and they're making a go at bringing it to the masses by means of tours with the industries leading acts, and a kickass debut EP titled For The Dearly Departed. The sky's truly the limit for a band with this much audacity, and we'll be watching to see where they go from here. Until then, you can get to know the five guys that compose the band below!

Tell us about For The Dearly Departed. What new ideas and sounds should we be listening for?

Juergie Landstrom: For The Dearly Departed is a short concept album revolving around a single character who endures the five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. The first song is the event that triggers the process, and the following songs represent each of the five stages. I'm not going to tell anyone how to listen to our music, but it helps to keep this concept in mind to understand the product as a whole. As far as new sounds or ideas to listen for, we enjoyed writing more "call and response" vocal parts to utilize the dual vocalist dynamic. We also worked very hard to organize the momentum of each song and the EP as a whole, so that the songs accurately represented the emotions that coincide with the five stages of grief.

What’s your favorite lyric from the album?

Lee Jennings: I'd rather bury you alive

Than bear the burden that you keep

'Cause you're a poison in my veins

I'll never say surrender.

Chris King: My iron heart has turned to rust and in the end it has one home between these crooked broken bones.

Steve Danzey: I've been through hell, and now I'm waiting on high water, to help me choose, to sink or swim, to beg for air just like you once did.

Landstrom: I'm feeling better I swear.

AJ Pekarek: Tangerine walls and Celestion halls scream like hell and the neighbors can tell.

When and how did your life in the music industry start?

Jennings: I started running sound at a local venue when I was 14 years old. I didn't care much about school. All I wanted to do was play in my band and run shows for the rest of my life.

Landstrom: What sparked my love for punk music was my first show, when my dad took me to see Gang Of Four in a packed out bar.

King: Started doing music when I was 14 in a local band.

Pekarek: I still don't understand the music industry, I guess it finally hit me when we were at Dave and Busters and I was signing my contract on an air hockey table.

What album has been the most influential on your life?

Jennings: For me it would have to be My Chemical Romance's Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. I remember going to MediaPlay the day it was released, and then rushing home to blast it from my bedroom for the next 10 years straight! The crazy amount of teenage angst and sass on that record changed the way I see music forever.

Landstrom: Tubelord - Our First American Friends. This record got me through some of the hardest times in my life, and greatly influenced the way I write music.

Danzey: Opeth - Watershed. For me this album not only changed the way I thought of music, but my approach to writing itself. When I heard it at first, I was like "Wow, they can write songs that might start with sheer intensity, but then seamlessly transition into moments of emotion and beauty." To me that's what music is all about.

Pekarek: When I first heard Introducing by Foxy Shazam, it changed my entire outlook on music, and opened me up to a whole world of exciting music and genuine, interesting people.

King: Doppelgänger by The Fall of Troy is the most influential album on my life.

Tell us about the most surreal moment of your career thus far.

I think it would have to be when the guys at Revival took us out for pizza on the last day of tracking out new EP in Raleigh. Right after we were finished eating they said, "So we want to sign your band." The way they told us was so nonchalantly and we all just looked at each other and freaked out!

Vinyl, CD or digital?

We all love having physical copies of CD's! When we have some downtime (and a few extra bucks) we always try and go to a used CD store to get some new jams for the van ride.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

We want to thank everyone that's given us all of this amazing support so far in this new adventure! We are truly grateful.

Canadian pop punks Gob are a band every pop punk band you can think of will name as an inspiration. Bouncing their way around the scene since 1993 with a total of seven albums, they’ve earned JUNO nominations, had huge hits with the likes of “I Hear You Calling” and “Give Up The Grudge,” and drawn a huge following by touring relentlessly worldwide. Their first full release since 2007, Apt 13 takes Gob’s trademark kickass punk rock to a whole new level of awesome upbeat anthems. What more could you want from a band? Check out our interview where we talked the new record, growing up on the Vancouver music scene, DIY spirit, and more!

Apt. 13 is your first full length release in seven years. What’s changed in the band since then? What new elements/ideas are being brought to the table?

Not much has changed in the band really, aside from a new bass player but he's been in the band for 5 years already. There are a lot of new elements brought to the songs on this record, its a pretty eclectic mix of songs. I just wrote whatever I felt and brought a bunch of songs to the band then we picked our favorites. i had been playing piano a lot so there wound up being piano on a bunch of songs, not like ballads, more like 70's punk, kinda like Bowie, Ziggy Stardust era.

What did you learn about yourself and/or the band while creating this album?

We made a semi-conscious decision to make this record less metal than our previous record- Muertos Vivos. We still love Muertos but we wanted to get back to the punk/rock sound of our older records.

If you were to guess which song from Apt. 13 will become the fan favorite, which would you think it’d be?

Hard to say which song would be the fan favorite, depends on your taste but I would put my money on Walking Alone- for hardcore punk fans, New York- for the pop punkers, Radio Hell- for rockers, Standing there for the indie fans.

Tell us about the music scene you grew up in.

We had a pretty tight knit scene in Vancouver when we started gob. The main players were us, dbs, Sparkmarker, BNU and an all girl band called Ten Days Late. We all played together a lot and put on our own all ages shows, the scene was awesome while it lasted and spawned a ton of other bands but eventually everyone scattered, all the other bands broke up and we wound up with BNU's drummer.

We survived because we toured like maniacs and built up an international following.

How has it changed in the twenty one years Gob has existed?

The music industry is completely different when we first started. We've done it all really, from releasing our own records to being on major labels. It doesn't really affect us though, we run our band how we want to.

What is the most important thing a band just entering the industry should know?

I think every band starting should embrace a DIY spirit. No one is going to give you anything, you have to go out and get it. Plus, the rewards are sweeter if you've worked hard for them.

Aside from Apt. 13, what does the future hold for Gob?

We have a cross Canada tour coming up this fall, after that international tours and much more will follow. Check out www.gobband.com for tour dates and details. Thanks!

Bio; Alex Bear

Interview; Emillie Marvel

Ryan Colt Levy : I like to think it all comes from a place of positivity, even if lyrically something comes off "dark" or frustrated. It's such a cathartic experience being able to put your honest feelings, however clear or abstract into motion. Our song ideas always cater to moods more than a definitive, predisposed design. More often than not, it will come from a scene in my head, or state of mind that we'll try to frame and set a tone of feeling. Lyrically, it's similar in that I can have lines come to me at random that link together later on to create an overall image or vibe instead of telling a direct story. I like the idea that things can shape-shift over time.

The latest member added to ranks of BRAEVES is Nick LaFalce. How did this come about?

Nick LaFalce: I had been playing around the city in various bands and in various capacities when I finally decided I wanted to start my own group. Not expecting much, I took out an ad on Craigslist, which was a trip in itself. So after a nice "range" of responses, I came upon Derek's. His note immediately stood out, as it was in English, relevant to my post, and didn't direct me to any overly-animated MySpace pages. Most importantly, he cited a lot of similar influences (Local Natives, The Beatles, Deathcab), sent me a track the three of them had recorded, ending the email with "What the worst that can happen?"...In hindsight, this was Craigslist so there were a lot of bad things that could have happened, but against my better judgment I met up with them anyway, and here I am.

Your debut EP, Drifting by Design, is set to be released on September 9th. With such an important milestone in sight, let’s get retrospective. Thinking back on the past few years, what are the most monumental moments that brought you to this accomplishment?

Levy: In the days of Myspace, as another band, we completely assembled a national tour on our own. From booking shows and bands out of state, to creating every flyer and sending them out while we were in our living room in NY. We lined up dates from NY to California and back for a two month stretch without any plan of sleeping arrangement. It was the most surreal, chaotic, beautiful, insanely incredible experience, and it proved that this was the life for us.

Derek Tramont: In late 2012 myself, Ryan and Tim (Tommy) decided to record a something together. We didn’t really know how many songs we wanted to record or what kind of record we wanted to put out, but we did know we had to do figure something out, quickly. So after tons of sushi talks and The Wire marathons we decided to tackle a song we’ve been kicking around entitled “Moon Island.” The thing of it was, the song is over seven and half minutes long and we had a even crazier idea to record this monster live to tape. So we called up our friend Mike Kirsch who had a makeshift studio in his basement and even though it was cold and smelled like most concrete basements do…we nailed the final version in a couple of takes and mixed it on the analog board while the song was playing. It was definitely a cathartic and memorable experience to say the least, and essentially kick started what we’re doing today.

Tell us about the very first BRAEVES show.

Tramont: Ryan and I have been playing together for many years and have played hundreds of shows together, but we only became BRAEVES about a 2 years ago. The first show that we played together was at The Rock Shop in Brooklyn and it went over incredibly well. We got an amazing response from the crowd and the venue itself has awesome acoustics, so it sounded great. We even played our first cover, a somewhat edgier version of the The Beatles “Come Together” and all of our friends and fans seemed to love it - it couldn’t have went over any better. All in all it proved to be the perfect stepping stone for us as a band to figure out where we needed to go and what we needed to change.

Where does the band go from here?

Tramont: We are just about ready to release our Debut EP 'Drifting by Design’ set for September 9th and we have a ton of shows planned in the Brooklyn/NYC area. We will be at Cameo Gallery on Sept. 13th for our Release show and Baby’s all Right with Snowmine on Oct. 12th. We’re looking forward to playing at various clubs around here for the coming months before we take to the road for some regional touring. It’s important we play for our fans in our hometown first and create something here, something that people will hold on to.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you for taking the time to have us on here, we deeply appreciate it. Be sure to check out our newly launched website at www.braeves.com.