Browsing: Interviews

The New York City DIY scene from the early 00s are rubbing on everyone these days including up comer rockers Monobloc. The band comprised of Timothy Waldron on vocals, Michael ‘Mop’ Silverglade on bass, Ben Scofield and Nina Lüders on guitars, and Zack Pockrose on drums are influenced heavily by the Strokes. The quintet is holding their stake in the New York’s LES to create carry on the rock spirit from the early 2000s. I talked to founding member and fierce female guitarist of the band Nina Lüders about the beginnings of Monobloc, their new song “Where Is My Garden”,…

The Greeting Committee are exploring new themes with their new batch of pop rock songs. I appreciate their sound as the band consists of guitar, drums, and bass. The Greeting Committee has been together for ten years and the stakes are high now as two original members recently departed, but it was mutual at the end of the day. Nonetheless, the remaining two members evolved and faced many growing pains in the process. Vocalist Addie Sartino and bassist Pierce Turcotte eventually split from their manager as well. The two forged ahead though to make an incredible gorgeous album entitled Everyone’s…

Nate Amos is on a musical journey. As one member of from indie pop rock Brooklyn band Water From Your Eyes, he has entered the realm of solo work a bit ago under the moniker This Is Lorelei. He created one of the best and honest albums of the year entitled Box For Buddy, Box For Star, which is out now. The project captivates as Amos stepped away from indie rock act Water From Your Eyes to make an album rich in Americana themes with a touch of light electronic (see “Perfect Hand”) and acoustic guitar sounds (see “Angel’s Eye”).…

Emphatic duo Little Stranger performed this past weekend at Governors Ball here in New York City. Dubbed the hip hop Simon and Garfunkel, the duo (Kevin Shields and John Shields) brought their folk hip hop amalgamation to the festival. Although I didn’t make it out to this year’s festival but there were a lot of up and coming new artists and bands that cropped up. I talked to John Shields, one half of the duo, post Gov Ball. Your ecstatic song “God At A Festival” is fitting with Gov Ball this past weekend. Where did you get the inspiration for…

The early part of the 90s just while grunge was going mainstream and before the Oasis revolution there was another brit pop movement with EMF, Jesus Jones, Londonbeat. One of those bands are making their way to the States following a reunion show in the UK and that’s EMF. You might remember them for the songs “Unbelievable” and “Lies”. They may have had a helping hand in paving the way for today’s modern EDM scene as well. They are back with a new single, album, and three date tour here in the United States. The new album Beauty and the…

Mallow Hill is a fierce blues rock quintet made up of Mikayla Joseph on lead vocals, Danny Gwinn on guitar, Mac Dignam on keyboard, John Menefee on drums, and Chris Reynolds on bass, harmonica, and vocals. This Baltimore clan takes a unique twist on the blues and rock and roll. Mikayla’s blues drenched vocals might make Elle King a bit jealous. If their new single “Thinking Bout My Baby” has the Baltimore scene all riled up, imagine what kind of damage their debut LP will make when it comes out later this year. Mallow Hill steeps itself in today’s rich…

I was lucky enough to get invited to the Grand Opening of Close Up, a new jazz and music club that has opened in the Lower East Side of New York City. Owned by Daniel Gaynor and Solomon Gottfried, the club came to fruition out of the pandemic. As Solomon Gottfried puts it: “This is the first time the younger generation has a Jazz club to go to, run by people their age who understand them.” He went on to say that many places like Close Up have closed up in the past twenty to thirty years. The place is…

Education Through Music is a  nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing music education to underserved students in New York City. ETM held its 2024 fundraising gala on Thursday evening. The Gala – “Making Music, Changing Lives” – brought together supporters, advocates, and community leaders in celebration of the transformative power of music in education. Emceed by Hip-Hop icon and music journalist, Sway Calloway, the event opened with a choir performances of “New York, New York” and “Seasons of Love” by the students from PS 103 in the Bronx. The students were then joined by honorees Emmy Award-Winning Talk Show Host Adrienne…

Singer/songwriter Mia Day grew up in Capitol Hill outside of Seattle, Washington. Even though she looked to Taylor Swift for musical inspiration, she wanted her sound to be a bit grittier. Her parents loved the 90s Grunge era that she followed their amazing tastes in music. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden to name a few bands that helped create her sound. I recently chatted it up with Mia about coming to terms with songwriting, her love for 90s grunge, and where she is headed next. What made you pick up guitar and follow the grunge aesthetic? The first artist that made…

I talk to folk rock singer Brian Mackey about the death of his son, about his mental health, and how the birth of his daughter is leaning him into brighter days. He helped channel his sadness with his single “Dust On The Wall” off his gorgeous album Good Morning Ireland, which drops June 21. Brian, who is very active in the realm of supporting mental health partnered with MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s charity, to donate 100% of the proceeds from the track, “Saturday Night Sleeping.” Check out our interview below. https://youtu.be/o-G5PW_FSl0