This month we bring you reviews on Silverstein, Jessie J, Damato and more!
Can everyone imagine we are only one magazine away from our one year anniversary issue? What are we going to do to celebrate? Well I can tell you a little secret....one thing we are going to do is be featuring Yellowcard on the cover, as well as having an exclusive interview with them. That's the next issue though! Let's concentrate on this one. My head is spinning from all the talent we are going to be packing in over the next few months and this issue is no exception. On the cover we have Julia Price who we know you are going to absolutely love. Inside we have an interview with her, as well as the UK phenom Ellie Goulding. I got to tell you, I was at her concert in Seattle this month.....WOW! It doesn't end there though everyone! One of Universal Motown's newest additions, Damato had a chat with us and I can honestly say I got those chills that say "dude this guy is going to be on every radio station and every music channel very, very shortly".
Ok, so we've covered the fact that the forecast as well as the future forecast is bright and shiny for Lemonade Magazine, so lets hope that theme carries on for the world. Definitely sending out good wishes to everyone in the Southeast, as well as up the Atlantic Coast who are dealing with severe weather. I have been watching the weather channel all day today and I am totally blown away by the damage that has been created. Stay safe my friends!
I hope everyone had a good spring break and that you all enjoy this issue of Lemonade, tell your friends, tell your girlfriend, tell your boyfriend, tell your wife, tell your husband, tell your kids, tell your grandparents, tell your cousins, tell your aunt and uncle, tell your dog, your cat, your fish, your iguana, ok you get the picture, just spread the word, because nobody should miss out on these next few issues or any for that matter!
Thanks for all your support as always! -B
This issue is dedicated to Brett Perkins
This isn't the first time you have read about Skyler in Lemonade, he seems to keep popping out EPs left and right. Less than a year after the release of Long Gone, Skyler is back with the brand new EP, Take You Away. We caught up with him to talk a little bit about the new music.
LM: Hey! How's it going?
Skyler: It's going good.
LM: Well we know you've been hard at work getting music made lately, what can you tell us about Take You Away that is different from Long Gone?
Skyler: This time we got to rehearse the songs for month's before we went into the studio, so some of the songs recorded were songs we had wrote during the recording of the last EP. Last time I didn't quite have a band yet, was sort of throwing the band together and between the last EP and this one the band came together. The biggest difference is we
got to rehearse and let the songs take form on this one much sooner.
LM: Definitely. Although both EP's are great, I did notice a growth and a cohesiveness on this one for sure. Do you have any plans on a full length album soon?
Skyler: I would love to record a full length album, but right now I really just want to get my name out there, so that people can get their first taste of the music in small doses first and then soon I will give them the big payoff.
LM: Are you doing a lot of touring right now?
Skyler: Yeah, we play all over the North East and this summer I think we are going to be broadening that a little bit.
LM: From when you started to get into music to now, who have been your biggest influences along the way?
Skyler: In the beginning and they will always be an influence on me it was The Beatles, then when I really started crafting songs, Bruce Springsteen became a huge influence on me, but right now, probably the artist that has the most influence on me is Taylor Swift.
LM: I imagine you must relate to her a bit, being that you are both from the Northeast and now have kind of a Nashville sound.
Skyler: Yeah there is definitely a kindered spirit there.
LM: Have you ever had the pleasure of meeting her?
Skyler: Not yet, but let's hope soon.
LM: Well let's hope she reads Lemonade and this might make your chances better!
Skyler: Yeah, that would be great.
LM: Tell us a little more about the title track Take You Away.
Skyler: Yeah, the story behind it was simply I was in an airport and I was looking around at some of the people. One of the things I like to do is people watch and come up with stories for them. I saw this one girl and decided the guy singing (my character) would be in love with this girl and she has no idea who he is, but he's just madly in love with her and he's trying to tell her he can take her away from all the pain and all the hardships she's going through. She just needs to open her eyes and see him.
LM: What has been the standout memory in your young career so far?
Skyler: I remember one time when I was playing in Portland, Maine, I looked out in the audience and I noticed the audience was singing the lyrics to the song louder than I was. That was a really special moment for me, realizing that I had a song that people really latched onto.
LM: So we are headed into the baseball season and both the NHL and NBA are headed to the playoffs, who's got your attention right now?
Skyler: I am crying over the Red Sox right now.
LM: *It has been a bit of a rough start, hasn't it?
Skyler: Yeah, but we still have another 150+ games to go, so....
LM: Exactly. The Mariners over here aren't doing much better, so I feel your pain.
Skyler: ::laughs:: Definitely.
LM: What's your message for soon to be Skyler fans?
Skyler: I create music to try and make people feel better about themselves and feel better about their lives. Whether it's a happy song I write, so that they can feel better when they are sad or an emotional song. I remember when I was younger and I was sad I would listen to sad songs, because it would make me even sadder and that felt good. I write songs that I hope people can connect to.
*At the time of this interview the Red Sox were winless
by Brandon Lemons
Just in time for the Summer, Universal Motown's newest rising star, Damato is rolling out some made for the beach tunes that are all as catchy, catchy, catchy as the hook in his debut Angels. The SoCal native spent some time with Lemonade over the phone just before embarking on his tour supporting Hugo.
LM: Hey how are things?
Damato: Good man good, life has been good, can't complain.
LM: You're just getting ready to open for Hugo now right?
Damato: Yeah the tour starts in a couple days with him in Seattle.
LM: What I loved about your music when I first heard it was that it was so easy to love right away, what lead you to develop that "Surfer Soul" sound?
Damato: Yeah, I think like with any artist who's work is a constant evolution, I grew up in San Diego with a very surfer, soul and gospel background. All these elements, as well as getting inspiration from people like Gavin DeGraw and Jason Mraz and mixing that with John Legend and Sublime, but at the same time keeping a lot of soul. I am a huge fan of Motown and artist like Smokey Robinson too you know?
LM: That's what's kind of cool about this movement lately with guys like yourself and Bruno Mars. You're mixing two worlds that I really love, like the Beach Boys as well as Motown.
Damato: Yeah that's definitely true.
LM: Like a lot of artists, you had a bit of a bumpy road on your path to where you are now. Tell us a little more about it.
Damato: Yeah, I took off from home at a really young age. For lack of a long story, I needed to get away and figure out who I was and what I wanted to become. I'm religiously a fan of music, it's been my saving grace. I moved to L.A. and lived on the streets and couch surfed for a good three and a half years. There we are a lot of trials and tribulations, but I had to stay focused, as we all do when we are aiming for something we want. It's like that mind set of the bird who keeps banging into the window until it finally breaks :: laughs :: and finally gets through to the other side. I met up with my manager at Pepperdine, I wasn't actually going to school there, but was staying on someone's couch and after we met, he
helped me go on from there. I recorded my first EP called Floating Down The River, that was the first recording I had ever done. We let that simmer and got some good feedback. The industry is really hard, especially these days, it takes a lot of dedication and a lot of let down, but we eventually got the greatest oppurtunity ever with Universal Motown. We did a bunch of showcases for different labels, but everyone at Universal Motown believed in my dream and saw my vision.
LM: Universal Motown's lineup is so good right now, it is so nice to see that you got on with them. So many of my favorite artists who are so talented seem to be coming out of Universal Motown.
Damato: Yeah, I am so lucky! I wake up every morning and I have to be humble. There are so many talented artists out there who aren't getting an opportunity like this, they deserve this sort of opportunity, it's not that I deserve it more than anyone else. Just a lot of luck and a lot of hard work.
LM: What was your favorite part of making your debut full length album, Everybody Vs. You and Me?
Damato: Everything! I had never made a full length album before. They flew me out to New York and I got to work with the production team, Espionage who just won a Grammy for Soul Sister (Train). It was great to be part of the process in a traditional way,
you sit down and it's like your building a house, you build it around what you are writing, so I would say the overall process of getting to write with them was my favorite part. The whole album is very inspirational, it's about overcoming failure and getting past all the setbacks. My favorite song on the album, I mean I wrote them all, but we wrote a song called Weight of the World and I really can't wait for everyone to hear that one.
LM: You just got done finishing a video for Angels right?
Damato: Yeah, it was amazing. It's the same as recording, it's so surreal to finally be doing something you shed so much blood, sweat and tears for. It was really exciting and I look forward to doing more videos too.
LM: What was the first thing that made you fall in love with music as a kid?
Damato: You know it's funny you should ask that, there is a really interesting answer. I actually wasn't allowed to listen to much music. My parents were very strict and they wanted to keep us clean from all the media outlets, so I basically only got to listen to Christian music. However I remember getting a casette tape when I was 10 I guess
or even younger, it was a ::laughs:: a karaoke cassette tape somebody had given to me and yeah it was End of the Road by Boys To Men and I just remember listening to that over an over and over again. It was so beautiful and I remember thinking "I want to do this", it was like eating candy for the first time or something.
LM: What's really making you move on your iPod right now?
Damato: I am really into Bon Iver right now, I love Kings of Leon, especially their earlier work. I really have to say though, my favorite song of all time right now is Doubting Thomas by Nickel Creek. It's such an amazing song and he and I have very similar upbringings.
LM: Outside of music who has been the biggest inspiration in your life?
Damato: That's a really good question. There are a few people who come to mind, I have a really close relationship with my band and a really close relationship with my manager. There are so many people, I like to be the kind of person who can be inspired by anyone and I am a true believer in people. I am a firm believer that all together is better than one alone, so I would say people in general are my biggest inspiration.
Stone Darling is a four piece, all woman, all Californian band with an attitude as sweet and strong as their name implies. I managed to catch front-woman Paige for a chat between her full schedule of band practice, yoga, tinkering with her day-old guitar, and walking her dog. She filled me in on their influences, style, and future plans as well as giving me someone awesome to talk to on a mundane Sunday evening.
I was introduced to these ladies by the statement "They sound like a modern day The Mamas and The Papas meets Mazzy Star", and right away I was interested. When I asked how they felt about being described as such, Paige told me she was flattered. Her take on it was that people tend to compare you to what they know and what they like. I wouldn't chose those to describe myself, but I am honored. Their pop-folk sound is warm and charming, something you could listen to while doing anything; taking a shower, cooking dinner, or doing some homework. Her view on the folk genre was not as positive, though. She prefers not to label her band as a genre in which she feels the songs have to be a particular way, with certain chord progressions and harmonies. She was more interested in combining different genres instead of fitting into a specific one.
The goal of becoming a musician started early in Paige's life after her dream of becoming an anesthesiologist died with her first encounter with a cadaver. Since she was a tween she can remember her first few encounters with inspirational bands. The first time she heard Velvet Underground in her neighbor friend's ex-hippy parents' house she just knew that is was deeply cool, even before she knew what cool was. Kurt Cobain also clued her in on the cool radar the first time she heard Nirvana.
This adolescent punk rock phase, which still persists today but minus the adolescence, can be observed in Stone Darlings tunes along with a heavy dose of Young and Dylan.
The band didn't start up complete, though. There were many incarnations, Paige emphasized during the interview. It began with Paige looking for someone to sing harmonies with when she ran into Lindsey in the YMCA parking lot. There was a lot of searching for the right members, calling up connections, and even losing a fiddle player, but they serendipitously found each other at the right time to make a kind of music they all have a passion for. And now Paige, Lindsey, Mikki and Liv are playing shows together in LA, doing Levi's photo shoots, and recording their first EP. They have every intention of making it big, as well as the potential to do so, but Paige ended the evening's conversation by confirming that if they made it no farther than where they were that day she would still be happy with what they had accomplished.
There is nobody out there like Ellie Goulding. She has suddenly blasted her way onto everyone's playlists and into music venues around the world. She has it all, energy, lyrics, melodies and beats so out of this world you get blown away by them every time you hear them. The term "Superstar" was made to be used on Ellie Goulding. I was fortunate enough to be able to speak with Ellie just a few days before she was Coachella bound, and then Royal Wedding bound!
LM: So how is the tour going?
Ellie: It's good! Just in the bus right now waiting for soundcheck.
LM: What has the tour been like for you?
Ellie: It's been good, it's been hectic and busy, but it's been an experience. Everywhere I have gone has brought me a new experience. It's really inspirational, I went to Nike Headquarters yesterday in Portland, OR. I got to meet a Gold Medal runner and it's just so fascinating to meet all these people who have these fascinating jobs. I am ready to start Coachella and I just try to not to look at my schedule, so that I don't freak out, that I can be blissfully ignorant for a while.
LM: What are your expectations from something like Coachella?
Ellie: I have no idea, I am hoping there will be a good crowd. Every festival we've done, we've walked away with a smile on our face and we've been proud that we put on a good show. I used to be kind of scared of festivals, because you have a lot of people who are there, who aren't there to see you.
With Coachella, people have been very enthusiastic and with the shows we've done so far there have been times where I have felt like "oh that may have been a bit weak" but the people have been there the whole way. Even when I lost my voice in Chicago, people were cheering me on and shouting things in a good way, it was just brilliant. Coachella will be the end of my tour, so I feel like it will be a good thing to go home with.
LM: What impressed me was that I knew I loved your CD, but I didn't expect to see you completely kick ass on guitar and just put on such a high energy show. I was blown away.
Ellie: Well thank you!
LM: Now you mentioned Nike earlier, you do something pretty unique to connect with your fans. You actually run with your fans. Tell us a little bit more about that.
Ellie: Yeah, I started doing it, because it was different. I knew nobody else was doing it and I wanted to do something productive, instead of just meeting people and signing things in a room, this way there was more of a connection. Running is a sport that requires attention, focus and team work, if you are running with other people. Running is an important thing to me, I've had a few people tell me it's not very rock and roll, but if they saw me and the band behind the scenes you know drinking and stuff, they would see I'm just like a lot of singers who like to have a good time and party or whatever. I'm lucky enough to have the motivation as well though and do the opposite with running and doing weights. I am stronger than a lot of girls ::laughs::. I just like being strong and fit and I want my fans to be in that same frame of mind, you can go out and get completely fucked sometimes, but you can also be healthy and fit at the same time. You know what I mean?
LM: Yeah I totally understand what you mean and isn't being outside the box the epitome of being rock and roll anyway? Plus your performances are so fast paced, I imagine you have to stay fit.
Ellie: I've got to be! I can't bear the thought of not being fit. Someone told me Beyonce used to sing while on the treadmill or while she was out running to get used to dancing and singing at the same time, because quite simply you can't sing if you're out of breath.....oh wow I am just looking out the window and there is a guy climbing over a high metal fence, how is he gonna? Oh nevermind he has it, he's gone. There's a lot of weird stuff going on here in San Francisco! Across the street someone just said to a friend "oh my God, you did not just fucking rob a liquor store?" and she was like "yeah I sure did", I was like oh my God.
LM: I am sure you ran into your fair share of oddities in Portland as well.
Ellie: :laughs:
LM: Getting back to the being fit on stage. I was in the crowd and still dripping sweat by the end of it, I can't imagine what it's like to be on stage. I remember thinking it reminded me of seeing Chris Martin on stage and how he practically runs a marathon on stage
Ellie: Oh wow amazing!
LM: Now getting to your album which I love (Lights), tell us a little about making it and your favorite parts of it.
Ellie: Well the song Human just came out of nowhere, without even trying it totally captured what I was feeling at the time. Sometimes I feel like I'm a bit stupid and I don't know how to put into words how I feel and also I don't know how to word it into a pop song, but that one for some reason just rolled out,"Human behave yourself, you have burst at the seams, let it all fall out, open your mouth, often I lie wide awake, think of things I can make, but I don't seem to have the parts to build them", in a simple way those words described the fact that I felt there was something there that I couldn't quite make or whatever. It captured the fact I didn't always feel complete and feel like rubbish sometimes. It's like if I have done something I am not proud of or I feel I have been a bad person, I write about it and that's sort of my way of forgiving myself.
LM: You also tackle a Sir Elton John classic on Lights (Your Song, *which she recently sang at the reception for the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge). You pulled it off so well, was there any fear taking on such a big song?
Ellie: Loads of people were like "oh my God, you're doing an Elton John cover" and I was like "why is that such a big deal?". I guess why it wasn't a big deal to me is that I still see myself as that person doing acoustic covers at an open mic night. To some people it's so huge, like "oh Ellie Goulding is doing an Elton cover" or "Ellie Goulding is doing a Rihanna cover", I used to do covers like that all the time, so for me it just wasn't a huge deal. When people were like "well now you've done an official cover" an then it went to number one, I got a little scared, but I heard that he said he really loved it and it was a sigh of relief for me.
LM: So you said Coachella was your last stop on tour, what's next?
Ellie: Well I have a big London show this summer at Somerset House, it sold out in a couple of hours which is amazing. Then I've got two Ireland dates, because I have quite a nice little fan base in Ireland, so I'll be doing a couple shows there. I love going back to Ireland, it's like my favorite place, so if I can keep going back there to do shows it's amazing for me. I could pretty much spend my whole life there, so yeah that's cool and then I really, really need to start writing my second record!
LM: ...and we are definitely looking forward to that!
She's the kind of girl that just screams entertainment, she's pretty, smart and was the kind of kid who bossed around her friends while having them act in musicals she had made with her own music (but they enjoyed it). Don't let that all fool you though, Julia has more than a few tricks up her sleeve, she was after all on the University of Miami diving team. Not only that, but Julia really first got noticed working for Good Morning America. Broadcast journalism was her first idea for a career after all. We can all be thankful that she was recognized for her music instead though, because it is the kind of music that we are sure you will be playing for years to come. With all that said, we introduce to you....Julia Price
LM: Tell us a little about your path from New York to Los Angeles
Julia: I had some friends in L.A. and had been visiting over the years and each time I was there I kept saying I was going to move to L.A., because it's just such a tight knit group of people out there and they all support each other. It's not that I didn't have that in New York, but I mean everyone in L.A. is involved with entertainment somehow and that's just rare to find. I was out there this past November and I said to myself "I really can live here", so I flew back to New York and I was like "yes this is my home", but a week later I woke up and realized I just had to move to L.A. The lease on my apartment in New York ended in November, so I started prepping for my move to L.A.
LM: What was it like interning and then working for Good Morning America?
Julia: Well besides waking up at 4 in the morning, it was good. The internship was good and bad, it was good because I got to work uptown in the office where all the planning happens, so I got to see what it was like to work behind the scenes for network television and I knew that was definitely not what I wanted to do. When I started working as a green room coordinator it was a totally different gig, I was basically the hostess of a really cool party.
I mean I basically got to throw a party for people like Tom Hanks, Jude Law and Mariah Carey. That was kind of cool for me to be around, because celebrities started to lose their celebrity effect on me after a while. I started to see them as regular people and it really made me realize that dreams were tangible.
LM: Which celebrity stood out the most to you while working there?
Julia: Tom Hanks was definitely one of my favorites, but obviously I loved all the anchors. Tom Hanks though was my favorite celebrity guest, he really went out of his way to get to know me and ask me questions. It kind of surprised me, because he's a pretty big deal.
LM: You were recently at South By Southwest, what was the experience like?
Julia: SXSW was one of those moments where I was like "wow I am really doing this!" . The whole week was kind of surreal in general. I was surrounded by people who loved music as much as I do and there were from every avenue of it, licensing people, publishers, artists, managers. I didn't even brush my hair for a few days, because I was running around so much and was just so excited to be there. To top it off, performing there was one of those moments where I was looking around thinking "this is pretty
cool"
LM: You have a new EP coming out at the end of May right?
Julia: Well I am hoping before that, but we will definitely have release parties is New York and L.A. in July.
LM: Who are you getting into right now?
Julia: I hate to sound like I am jumping on the bandwagon, but I am definitely getting into Lykke Li right now. She's just kind of got this thing that sucks people in, I really like her. Otherwise I just kind of put it on Coffee House (Sirius Radio Station) and call it a day, that's where I get to hear all the new artists.
LM:Are you going to be touring soon?
Julia: I have been talking to a few artists about possibly setting something up. Right now I want to get to the release parties and go from there and sort of base it on that. I am definitely looking to tour with someone who is a little more experienced with touring though. I definitely could use a break from all the planning and such, so I will be happy to let someone else do that.
LM: You've been working on some other projects as well, can you give us a little information on those?
Julia: Well I've been developing a TV pilot that focuses on indie music in smaller towns across the United States that will also feature local food and fashion from the place as well, so it's sort of the trifecta.
LM: That really sounds like something that should be on TV!
Julia: Yeah we are just taking it one meeting at a time. The entertainment world is a bit different these days, after someone gets interested in you, they don't just come knocking at your door. They follow you and see how you are received by people, whether it be on twitter, facebook or whatever, you know what I mean? So it's not the same anymore.
LM: It's kind of sad how social networking does that these days, I mean it definitely has it's advantages as well, but there are still a lot of disadvantages, such as being put under a microscope like that. However speaking of those where can people find you at?
Julia: Yeah you can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/juliapricemusic and then you can also check out www.juliapricemusic.com which has links to everything.
Hey there's new music this month! Ok well there always is, but I just get way too excited about mouthing off how I feel about it. I hope you all enjoy my insight and take it into account while deciding between buying a new album or putting the money towards gas....for your lawn mower! I mean who can afford it for their car anymore? Am I right people?
Ok that's why I am not a comedian.
I can't tell you how much this hurts. Let me take a moment away from writing a professional review to let you all know how big of an Augustana fan I am. I was a fan before Boston became a hit, yeah that's right, back when All The Stars and Boulevards was released as a free single on iTunes. I wish I could say I knew about them back when they released Midwest Skies and Sleepless Mondays, but I wasn't one of the 1,000 people who were fortunate enough to get a copy. Between All The Stars an Boulevards and Can't Love, Can't Hurt, my car and it's passengers have probably heard more Augustana then any automobile or human in this world....no joke, so it's with great reluctance I announce how disappointed I am in their newest release Augustana.
The name alone is a bit ironic, because when you hear the first single Steal Your Heart, it is anything, but Augustana. In fact for a moment I though I had accidentally turned on Sam's Town (The Killers) by accident. This theme carries on throughout the CD, one of my favorite voices in the world (frontman Dan Layus) seems suddenly possessed by Brandon Flowers and sounds as bored singing the lyrics as I did listening to them. Even the few moments where I almost hear the old Augustana come through, like in Counting Stars and Hurricane, it only makes it worse, like a ghost of someone you loved that you can't quite communicate with. I can only hope this was forced by their record label, hence the 10 tracks and rushed feeling it carries throughout. More than anything I will always love the old Augustana and hope they come back very soon.
It's been two years since the Canadian boys unleashed their blend of singing and screaming on the world. During that time we saw Silverstein transition from Victory Records to Hopeless Records with whom they have released their brand new full length album Rescue with.
The album is vintage Silverstein from the get go and remains the same throughout the whole thing. For fans that is great right? Well yes, I mean nobody wants to see their band completely change their ways, however I can't help, but feel that some of the lyrics and instrumentals just feel a little recycled at times. I mean you can almost predict you will hear about "demons" at some point on any alternative record these days. I'm just saying, a little originality would have been nice after a couple years off. All that said, the bonus tracks on this CD are amazing, it is great to hear some of the demos, and the acoustic versions of Burning Hearts and Replace You are simply brilliant. Another stand out is Texas Mickey which features Anthony Raneri from Bayside.
This might be the first time you have heard Jessie J's voice, but I can assure you it is not the first time you have heard her words, she has after all been the pen behind artists like Chris Brown and had her biggest song writing success with Miley Cyrus' Party in the U.S.A. If you don't happen to be one of the biggest Miley fans in the world, do not let that turn you away, since Who You Are is definitely a far stretch from Hannah Montana.
Jessie J is another one of the many female artists from the UK who is blowing up the U.S. scene. She comes equipped with ultra witty pop lyrics, blow you away vocals and border line b-b-b-b-beat boxing. The first single to really start making a name for itself over here is Price Tag and if you haven't heard it already, well you are definitely going to. The melody is catchy as ever and made for the summer. I am not always a fan of having a live track in the middle of your album, but Jessie J does it in a very unique way with Big White Room, the vocals are so pure and so spot on, you don't even realize it isn't a studio recording until the crowd finally starts cheering. It took me by surprise and in my opinion was a brilliant move for the album. There isn't one speck of disappointent on Who You Are, she flows in and out of hip hop, acoustic, and reggae influenced tunes like it's nothing and never loses that edge that has gained her fame so far. Definitely a front runner for album of the summer, and who knows? Maybe even album of the year?
Remember those summer days in the 90's? You know when you had Craig David playing or yes even The Backstreet Boys or NsYnc. It was pop, it was summer, it was fun to listen to and to this day those songs will still take you back to those summers for better or for worse. Fast forward to the past few summers, what have we had? Well just a whole lot of "getting down on the dance floor" and well censoring by MTV.
Have no fear though, Damato is here to rescue not only your summer memories, but also help in reviving the pop scene that has been slowly pecked at by those who don't appreciate it (that's right I am talking about you hipsters). Everybody Vs. You and Me is the full length debut from Universal Motown's newest soon to be pop sensation, Damato and what a breath of fresh air it is! The debut single Angels is pure pop bliss that would remind some of a cross between Jason Mraz, Craig David, Bruno Mars and perhaps a twinge of Maroon 5 as well. Other standout tracks for me are Love Yourself and Weight of the World.
Universal Motown and Southern California have a lot to be proud of with this guy. Damato's debut is as close to perfect as you can get for the first time. I know we will be hearing a hell of a lot more from him very soon.
I'll be the first to admit that when it comes to concerts, sporting events, movies etc. I am usually the last one to get there. Why? I hate waiting in line and just hate waiting for that matter, so I would rather risk missing a few minutes of whatever it is I am attending than be their early. However there is a first time for everything and when I heard Ellie Goulding was in town, I didn't think twice about heading out to see the show. I arrived there unusually early...yes thats right everyone, I even waited in line....ok you can all pick your jaws up off the floor, its not attractive at all! Although I got there early I couldn't help, but feel that I was late to the party. Fans of all ages stood outside of Neumos in the cold Seattle sunshine, anxiously anticipating their new favorite star from across the pond. Of course I was one of them, but I had only really been turned onto Ellie a month before the concert, thanks to Brooke Ross who was featured in last month's issue. Many of the fans waiting for Ellie's show had been in love with her for much longer than that.
It was an interesting setup at Neumos, all ages on the floor, but if you were like me.....21+ and not ready to squish in with high schoolers, you could watch from above the stage in the bar. It was one of those special nights, not only for Seattle, but I imagine for Ellie, and for myself as well. She might be tearing up the scene in Europe, but in that Seattle crowd that night, I as well as many others knew we were witnessing something quite special. Completely decked out in rock star garb, Ellie quickly made the whole stage her own. I can only compare her type of energy to the likes of Chris Martin live. She never once seemed to stop and take a breath, yet I am convinced she didn't seem to need one! Even when she slowed down her high pace show to cover the Elton John classic Your Song, she still sang with so much passion and feeling, that the energy never died one bit. Her set list consisted of mostly songs from her brand new release Lights. She managed to mix playing guitar (which she is amazingly good at), doing her own vocal effects, and playing drums she had set up near her mic all show flawlessly and at times it seemed like she was using them all at once. I don't think many would disagree that one of the highest points of the night was her encore Starry Eyed, the crowd (including myself) were sweating and out of breath, yet all of us gave everything we had to keep up through the last song. Other high points included two of my personal favorites off of Lights, The Writer and Guns and Horses, but there were no low points. I have seen many concerts, both big and small and not many can compare to Ellie Goulding on April 11th in Seattle. Be proud England, your girl rocks.
I have never met someone who is not in a band who has more male groupies than band manager, tour manager and club owner Joey G. When I say male groupies I mean people who want to be him, do what he does and travel the world with popular local and national rock n' roll bands like Alien Ant Farm and Drowning Pool.
Personally I have known Joey for about 10 years, but I have never had a personal one on one conversation with him because I don't have the patience to stand in line and wait behind all of his admirers. Finally though we set up a date to meet, so I could find out more about him and see what all the fuss was about (which was not easy by the way) and I got my interview.
Growing up in San Bernadino CA Joey had a strong passion for music. At the tender age of just 15 he decided to do something with it, as in taking an old abandoned church and converting it into a rock n' roll venue. This was in the late 80's so some of the bands who came out to play at Joey's new venue were Ratt, Quiet Riot, Faster Pussycat, and LA Guns.
Three years later Joey received an offer to buy a club in Riverside CA, called Monopoly's. Amongst the acts to perform at Monopoly's were LAPD (Korn), Sublime, No Doubt, and Deftones. This was in the early 90's and before any of the bands were signed. As all of these bands continued to get big Joey began to quickly sell out venues. During that time Joey managed to build relationships with other club owners as well as musicians.
By 1996 Joey was running eight clubs and making a grand a night, but the crime in California began to spiral out of control and Joey, growing tired of trying to escape death,
decided to move to the Seattle area because of the ever expanding music scene. Upon settling in the great Northwest Joey set his sights on a new project. A television show called Squeeze TV, which featured a mix of music and extreme sports and was sponsored by Budweiser. Squeeze TV was on primetime tv and aired in Portland, Spokane, Seattle, and Huntington Beach . During it's five year existence, the show featured acts like Matchbox 20, Deftones, and Korn, however after some time, Joey decided to pull the plug on Squeeze realizing that managing bands was the path he would rather take.
When I finally caught up with Joey he had just returned from the most prestigious music conference in the world, South By Southwest. Anyone who is anyone in the record industry and from a record label shows up to this event looking for new bands to sign. As the six day music festival takes place as many as 125 bands perform and play 5 or 6 showcases, with each of them getting the opportunity to get signed to a major record label. Because of SXSW, three of the bands which Joey manages are now working on record deals. In fact, Justin Black, an artist who Joey manages just got a licensing deal for one of his songs to be featured on the Dicovery Channel hit reality show, Deadliest Catch.
This man truly knows how to get the job done and has plenty of business adventures to come. Currently Joey is working on finishing up record deals with the three bands he took to SXSW and is working on a summer concert series to take place at Enchanted Villages Wild Waves in Federal Way, WA. Joey is working on a few things soon to come to Tacoma's hottest new venue, The Backstage Bar and Grill as well, which includes Tacoma Metal Fest, a 12 hour music festival that will include one of Joeys new bands Cease the Sun on May 14th. .
To add to Joey G's Rock n Roll Gangsta status he has worked with top record labels including Atlantic Records, Universal Records, and Century Media and has worked with some top notch producers. While working with Ozzfest's battle of the bands winners Manntis, Joey got to discuss business with the likes of Sharon Osbourne. Because of all of his accomplishments and up and coming projects Joey will be setting up seminars called "How to Be a Rock n Roll Gangster". This class will be brought to whomever is interested by Joey G and Black Ice Entertainment. It will include a series of workshops on how to shop for a record deal, how to tour properly, as well as budgeting and execution. The class will also include how to get PR for your band, how to get endorsements from instrument companies and if one chooses to be a tour manager, the Rock n Roll Gangster class will touch on how to be successful at it.
28 years later, the now family man and father of two owns two houses and still does what he loves. When I asked him if he would ever quit to do something else he immediately responded with "Why?" Throughout the years I have asked Joey if he is rich doing what he does and he always tells me "No absolutely not", but judging by what I know.....that's all relative.
