Browsing: Interviews

Racquel Jones is one fierce woman. Rapper, artist, and model. The woman can do it all. Known for her work with duo Thievery Corporation, Jones is branching out onto a territory all on her own. She released her own solo music project entitled IgnoRANT and it embraces not only all genres of music but the glaring issues of our time–racism, misogyny, and religion are a few of the tough topics covered in the album. I caught up with Jones for a quick Q&A and this is what she had to say: What prompted you to do your own solo project…

Electro pop duo Paragon Cause dug deep in their influence catalog especially from the 1980s to prep their new LP Autopilot. Their third album finds them with dabbling in fresh and melodic arrangements thanks to help from three very important producers in the music industry: Sune Rose Wagner (The Raveonettes), Liam Howe (Sneaker Pimps), and Eric Avery (Jane’s Addiction). The end result is a moody ambience of lyrical and musical agglomeration that illustrates the duo’s growth in the ever changing musical landscape. I talked to Michelle Opthof and Jamie Bonaparte about the themes of the new project, the remixes, and they’re…

NYC blues rock band Lizzie and the Makers are ready to get out there and show them what they got. Following a stint last week at Bowery Electric here in NYC, they have charm, wit, and an ensemble that will make your jaw drop to the floor. The five piece, who resumes boast some great talent from previous bands (Singer/songwriter Lizzie Edwards, guitarist Greg McMullen, bassist Brett Bass (Gregg Allman, Bernie Worrell); drummer Steve Williams (Sadé, Digable Planets); and keyboard player Rob Clores (Black Crowes, John Popper Band) plus two back up singers and a guest appearance from Reeves Gabrels…

At first listen to the Forms old material, it reminded me of something the National would release. Now the band has turned a corner with more synth upbeat sounds with their new single “Southern Ocean”. The duo, Alex Tween and Matt Walsh, are based in Queens and are ready to explore new sounds. “We’ve never really fit in anywhere, which is fine, but at the same time there’s a lot more effort involved when there isn’t an established path to follow.” Modern Frequency interviewed Alex Tween by email and here’s what he had to say about the new music, the…

Don’t get them confused with the next great American novel, but TNGAN is a Brooklyn folk band bringing the California vibes with them. Thanks to Sean Cahill, who was born on the west coast, is still trying to nail down the band’s sound but successfully incorporates a range of melodies and instruments on the new album, Careless Moon, out now. “I think we got pretty close to seeing this vision all the way through. Going from a primarily acoustic act especially,” says Cahill. The founding members are Sean Cahill and fellow band mate Jason Cummings. It was not until that…

Wild Yaks have been partying it up at Rippers on Rockaway Beach for most of their career. Now, the indie punk-folk rockers are ready to branch out and be heard. The band was formed in the fall of 2007 in Brooklyn, New York by singer/guitarist Rob Bryn and drummer/vocalist Martin Cartagena. While many players have come and gone through the Yaks’ over the years, today’s lineup is Jose Aybar (bass), Patsy Carroll (guitar), Giovanni Kincade (Farfisa), Matt Walsh (guitar), plus Cartagena and Bryn. The Yaks’ discography also includes the EP 10 Ships (Don’t die yet, 2009), and full-length albums Million Years(2012),…

Rising indie band Sexy Pigeon met by chance. Robin Cause, a hitchhiker from Amsterdam, and Darrel Dier, an enthusiastic skydiver met in 2017. Cause was exploring America, specifically California, when he was dropped off next to an airport and met Dier. Their friendship blossomed into the collaboration of the indie band called Sexy Pigeon. Their love for music and art made for an enduring friendship. Their Pastel Summer EP, based on relationships and love, is out May 28. We tackled the origin of the band’s name, their new single “Hold My Hand Sunshine”, and their Sexy Pigeon Challenge on Instagram…

Newcomers alt rock act Hello Mary (drummer/backup vocalist Stella Branstool, bassist Mikaela Oppenheimer, vocalist, guitarist Helena Straight) are a blessing in disguise as they are bringing back good ol’ fashioned rock music. The Brooklyn threesome’s aesthetic is drawing a ton of praise from Sunflower Bean’s Julia Cumming and the Breeders’ Tanya Donelly. Their gritty rock tunes make you want to mosh like it’s 1992 in a basement somewhere in Brooklyn, right at the helm of Grunge itself. I talked with the ladies about their aesthetic, growing up in the social media age, and not being able to play this past…

NYC artist Tigerlily, originally from Seattle, has been singing since she was a child and noticed she first had the pipes when the Wii Rock Band came out “I remember the first song I attempted was Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” and I got 100% and I was like huh, well looks like I’m a singer!” The Asian American grew up on a healthy dose of grunge, alternative, and indie rock music growing up in Seattle area, but her love for pop music never left her. Modern Frequency sat down with the budding pop star to talk her roots, growing up in Seattle,…

Electro/pop artist SLOANE has been running along the Los Angeles circuit for quite some time now. You just didn’t realize it. He is rubbing shoulders with his friends with Phantogram’s Josh Carter, rapper Mykki Blanco, and choreographer and actor Derek Hough. The artist, who wears a mysterious pixelated mask, wants his listeners to delve deep in his music, as her poured out his emotions into his upcoming EP, Too Young To Be Lonely, due out this October. Modern Frequency sat down with SLOANE to talk about his music history, his electro-pop sounding EP, and how it is okay to be…