This month we bring you reviews on The Script, Tommy Simms, The Young International,
Diana Pops and more!
It's 2011, not to mention it is also Award Show season. In fact I would like to think that the Lemonade Awards kind of kicked off Award Show season and what a kick off it was! Am I right people? Really though it was pretty awesome, it was cool to see the winners post excited tweets on twitter about their wins and such. When it all comes down to it, it's the readers feedback and opinions during the year that played a huge part in our decisions, so all in all, it was so much fun.
To kick off our first official 2011 issue we bring to you one of our favorite artists here at Lemonade Magazine, the amazingly talented, Meiko. If you haven't seen this girl live or listened to her music, you are REALLY missing out, she's awesome and I couldn't be happier to have interviewed her, as well as have her on the cover.
I don't know about everyone else, but I am really getting excited for the spring and summer. After seeing the video clips on the news of the east coast I imagine they are all in full agreement with me as well. I keep seeing facebook and twitter updates from my friends in L.A. who are enjoying 70-80 degree weather and all I can say is that I am so jealous. What I would give for some sunny beach time right now!
Anyway I hope everyone is having a great start to the new year and I hope you enjoy this issue as well. We have a lot of great stuff coming soon as well so stay tuned! Don't forget to check out Lemonade TV (click on the button above the magazine) we have some awesome videos from Lemonade's favorite bands. Take care and remember to send us your letters and/or questions if you have any!
-Brandon
Bellingham, Washington
Ever Get Tired of all the Rain? is a column dedicated to artists from Washington
state. This month a brand new band by the name of Truth Under Attack answers some questions that only Washingtonians could. -Brandon Lemons
You just had your first show at El Corazon in Seattle. You guys are practically brand new to the world, so tell us a little more about yourselves...
In May 2010, Chelsy and Keegan met up through the one and only craigslist. They both had the same ideas and goals in music, so the search went on for other band members. First recruited was drummer Andrew Hansen (although originally recruited for guitar). The 3 of us practiced and wrote over the summer. While writing we held auditions for guitarist, which took longer than expected to find the right people that had the talent, same goals, and time for the band. We finally found Stephen over craigslist, and a month later, in October, Adrian over the Western Washington University forums. From not knowing who we all were 8 months ago we get along very well. We like to party it up and go to shows together in addition to just hanging out with one another. We got the chemistry, we got the talent, now we are going to give it a shot.
What music did you guys grow up listening to?
Keegan- Blink 182, Green Day, and Backstreet Boys
Chelsy- Britney Spears, Green Day, and Fall Out Boy
Stephen- Linkin Park, Sum 41, and Blink 182
Andrew- Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles
Adrian- Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, and Thrice
What music is really inspiring you now?
Keegan- Dubstep, A Day to Remember, and August Burns Red
Chelsy- A Day to Remember, Of Mice & Men, and The Classic Crime
Stephen- Silverstein, The Devil Wears Prada, and A Day to Remember
Andrew- A Day to Remember, Woe Is Me, and Pierce The Veil
Adrian- August Burns Red, The Devil Wears Prada, and Silversun Pickups
What can we expect from you guys in 2011?
An EP and a tour.
When you guys aren't playing music, what do you all do for fun?
Some of us go to school and have jobs. We have band dinners, play video games, and Andrew BMXs.
If you were to dream up the perfect day at a music festival (you guys included) who would you want playing that day as well?
A Day to Remember, Of Mice & Men, Set Your Goals, August Burns Red, The Word Alive, and Emery
Ever get tired of all the rain?
Not really.
For more on Truth Under Attack visit www.facebook.com/truthunderattack where you will find links to other sites featuring their music as well.
by Brandon Lemons
It seems as though we have come to a day in age where we are finding it hard to come up with original ideas. Everywhere you look, there is another UK remake show...oh and its not just us! The UK has had their fair share of copycat shows from the US as well, whether it be Law and Order UK, Queer Eye For The Straight Guy UK, Beauty and the Geek or who could possibly forget Win Beadle's Money (Win Ben Stein's Money in the US)? The Brighton Belles (Golden Girls)? Or Blankety Blank (Match Game)!?....Ok so maybe they havent quite taken it to the extreme the US has, but they're certainly not innocent either.
Two of the latest high profile shows us Yankees have tried our hands at duplicating are Shameless (Showtime) featuring an all star cast including Emmy Rossum and William H. Macy, and then Skins (MTV) featuring uhhh a mixture of Canadian and American teens that appear to be rejected auditions from high school plays.....or at least that's what it seemed like after the pilot.
The difference between the two shows couldn't be more drastic. Shameless is near perfection and really if they couldn't make it that way with the cast they have, then their writers should have no business in TV at all. Skins on the other hand was flat out terrible. The pilot followed the UK version to a tee, only with awful acting and watered down nude scenes. Sure, the cast looks good, but you could turn on any CW show if you just wanted to watch nice looking 18-25 year olds and at least most of them can act.
The question is why do we keep doing this? Sure you have your successful remake shows, Shameless being one of them. In the past we have also had gems like Little Britain, Queer As Folk and even Life On Mars (which may have been short lived, but that was due partially to the fact the writers strike messed many new shows up, it still featured a cast with great chemistry as well as being well written and well directed). Of course there have also been reality hits here in the US that were originally from the UK, Dancing With The Stars, American Idol, Wife Swap, and Hells Kitchen just to name a few, but when it all comes down to it, most of the time it's usually the American fans of UK television who shoot down remakes long before they ever watch the first episode. When the American version of Skins was announced, fans of the UK version were already calling for it to be cancelled and you don't even dare mention a possible American version of Doctor Who unless you want to get an ear full from loyal fans of the BBC and BBC America hit.
What may be the craziest thing with many of these remakes is how they seem to not only copy plot lines, but in some cases (especially with pilots) copy the script almost word for word. In both Skins and another recent remake (Being Human), their pilots followed their UK counterparts scripts to a tee practically.
So where is the creativity anymore? Are there no longer creative writing classes in school? Is everyone getting lazy? What is happening to entertainment as we know it!? Even most movies lately seem to be remakes of older versions anymore, either that or exaggerated versions of very current events and hell even those can win Golden Globes from the looks of it. ::cough:: The Social Network ::cough::.
The battle of the UK/US remakes may not be so much a war after all, but more a de-evolution of creativity and the arts. It seems like many are falling victim to the machine and would rather bank on something being a hit or moneymaker based on statistics from another land or another time rather than have some guts and create something entirely different on their own. We can only hope that one day we will get out of this trend that seems to slowly be gathering steam over the last decade or so, and until that day lets hope the truly creative minds only have a better shot at standing out right now.
If you enjoy shows that involve blood sucking teens, you might already know of St. Leonards. Their song Now That We've Grown was featured on the CW hit Vampire Diaries after all.
The band who is named after a suburb of Sydney in Australia has been rapidly gaining notoriety here in the states as of late. It helps as well that industry legend, John Wooler was one of those people who noticed them. The five time Grammy winning producer took St. Leonards under his wing a short time after the band formed around lead singer Shane Fritschs solo project back in early 2009. Drummer, Jeff Doukakis and Fritsch had played together for a while and then guitarist Daniel Romeo joined later on.
Fritsch says that American bands like Smashing Pumpkins are one of the biggest influences on him as an artist. It may come a bit as a surprise, since St. Leonards sound is a little more Bono or Chris Martin than it is Billy Corgin, however Fritsch does say their newer material is definitely heavily influenced by Smashing Pumpkins as well as a touch of Deftones.
Their self titled album has been available on iTunes for a while, but it will be officially released in the UK in February 2011 and then in the US shortly after. The band also hopes to be touring the USA sometime soon in 2011. To keep posted on all things St. Leonards check out www.stleonardsmusic.com
She’'s not one of those artists that slowly grows on you, you fall in love with her music immediately. In fact I haven'’t come across one person who has listened to her music and not liked it or been apathetic towards it…...everyone who listens to Meiko seems to love Meiko. How couldn’'t you really?
Meiko took some time out of her busy schedule to talk to Lemonade recently, so here it is, our interview with the one and only…....Meiko
-Brandon Lemons
LM: So how are things going down in L.A.?
Meiko: Things are going good, can't wait for my new record to be out, so I can start touring again. I am getting cabin fever, Ive been in L.A. so long.
LM: I could imagine! It seemed like back when you released your first album you were touring non stop, playing bars, cafés, casinos, even some churches.
Meiko: Yeah! I played everything.
LM: Looking back on that first album, has a lot changed for this album?
Meiko: I wanna say yes, because its been two years since I put my last record out. I would like to think my writing has matured, plus this album features a few songs that I wrote with other people. My friend Tony Reyes and I wrote this really awesome song called Between The Sheets.
LM: I remember seeing you perform a few songs live like Good Looking Loser and Real Sweet. Are we going to see those on the new album?
Meiko: Yes, definitely, I haven't recorded those yet, but they are definitely on the list.
LM: You also have a funny song you play live called Gotta Fucking Tip, any chance that it's going to be a hidden or bonus track?
Meiko: Probably not, since I have it as a free download on my Facebook page.
LM: Oh ok sweet. Well as you know your sister has been on my show via telephone a few times, so I had her give me a few hard hitting questions to ask you.
Meiko: That asshole ::laughs::
LM: ::laughs:: Well in her defense I did ask her.
Meiko: ::laughs again:: What did she have to say?
LM: Well she said to ask you about her hair, you are supposedly thinking of cutting your hair? So yeah that was her first hard hitting question.
Meiko: Oh wow. Yeah I really noticed I need a haircut lately. I've seen a few pictures of myself and it looks pretty ridiculous and way too long, so I'm going to chop it off tomorrow. I think that's what's going to happen. When you're recording, you are kind of in hiding, so nobody really sees you much.
LM: Well I am sure you look fine regardless. She also mentioned you make really good curry.
Meiko: Yeah I used to work at an Indian restaurant in L.A. and they make really, really awesome curry. My goal in 2011 was to get really good at making curry, so while I was in London a friend of a friend taught me and I made sure to write down the notes. When I got home I made this amazing vegetable curry, I was so proud.
LM: Speaking of your sister (fashion designer, Kelly Nishimoto), what was it like growing up in Georgia with her?
Meiko: I dunno, it was cool, I mean I was bored a lot, but being bored a lot in small town means you either go out and get in some trouble, or you stay in your room and write songs about boys that have broke your heart and I kind of did a fine balance of both of those things. It was very safe and you know it felt like there was nothing bad in the world. That's what growing up in such a tiny town where everyone knows each other is like.
LM: Yeah I can totally relate to that, I grew up in a small town as well. Anyway, between these two albums you worked with the Crystal Method on a song for their album, they are sort of legends in their genre. What was it like working with them?
Meiko: It was awesome, they're two really cool guys. I met them quickly and they played me a few songs and there was one that I really liked, obviously it didn't have any lyrics yet. I took it home with me and I woke up one morning and it just hit me, I wrote the song (Falling Hard) in like 30-45 minutes. It turned into a really beautiful song that I am really proud of.
LM: You've gone on tour with some big names, Jewel being one of them. Has there been a moment that's really stood out for you so far or an artist who's made a big impact on you?
Meiko: Every artist I have toured with has had some impact on me, because you're on the bus with them and you get to know them. You're playing shows with them almost every night, so you really get to bond with them. Jewel was definitely a great tour, Brett Dennen as well, the first tour I ever went on was with him.
Mat Kearney, Ingrid Michaelson, they're all so cool. Every tour has been great, I can't say that I have been on a shitty tour.
LM: I know when you were at KMTT's Mountain Music Festival a couple years ago near Seattle, WA. There was a Seattle band performing there as well by the name of Barcelona. I talked to them afterward and they loved your show, so you seem to make impact on other artists too.
Meiko: I remember that show and I love Seattle so much. I want to move there one day I think.
LM: Balls seem to be a reoccurring theme on your twitter and facebook. How long have you been such a fan of balls?
Meiko: Probably since I found out they existed, they were really intriguing. I don't know, they're so interesting, so cute ::laughs::.
LM: Well I think you're a trend setter, I noticed everyone is using it in different ways, like amazeballs
Meiko: ...shitballs....
LM: ...golden balls....
Meiko: I don't know if I coined that one, but yeah I like that one.
LM: I can imagine you must be pretty excited about the new album. Any word on when we will hear the first single?
Meiko: I'm still thinking about it. I might post some video blogs from the studio and put out some tid-bits of what I am working on. As for actually releasing a song though, that probably won't be until May-ish.
LM: Anything else you want to let us know about?
Meiko: Yeah I am just really excited about the making of the new record, I am working with some great people. One of them is this guy from Belgium, his stage name is "Styrofoam", he is really electronic-y. Another guy I am working with is in Venice Beach, his name is Jimmy Messer. It's so great to have different points of view, one is a little more electronic and the other is a more analog and you know I am trying to mesh those thing together and see what happens!
You know what's awesome about having a magazine? Being able to give your opinion without someone stopping you in mid-sentence and saying "did anyone ask you?". Anyway, this month we bring to you some great new music...and some not as great new music.
We start off with the artist on artist review from fellow Washingtonian Jenna Freeman, she gives us her opinion on the newest CD from Portland, Oregon's, Thermals. Be sure to check out Jenna's music as well at http://jennafreeman.bandcamp.com/
I can remember unwrapping my first Thermals album, The Body, the Blood, the Machine, on my 14th birthday. My brother had given it to me knowing full well of my love for the indie-punk scene. I quickly grew attached to the Portland-based band, making their songs the soundtrack to those angsty junior high years. I recall sitting on my bedroom floor with my brand new bass trying to memorize catchy bass lines thinking that, somehow, I could be as cool as Kathy Foster.
The band soon became forgettable as I slipped off into the acoustic-folk scene. Their tracks managed to be left unplayed on my iPod for quite some time. That is until I ran into their new album, The Personal Life when I'd been paraoozing around a music store in downtown Bellingham.
Sliding on the headphones to give the album a test listen, I'm Gonna Change Your Life starts up. 30 seconds in, I was surely sold by the steady guitar riff, the smoky feedback and Hutch Harris' heavy lyrics, "...I'm gonna change your life, I'm gonna steal your soul, I'll keep you warm at night, I'll leave you in the dark...." It forced me into contemplation of some bitter past relationships something this band had yet to do. Their writing style seemed unfamiliar to me but the content was scarily relatable. I couldn't help but sit down on the floor of the music shop, and soak in every word as I held the bulky headphones against my ears.
It seems as if the wild trio is making a step toward a new sound by slowing down their signature chaotic beats but never betraying their commitment to their introspective lyrics. The band's maturation and growth in their sound is undoubtedly noticeable with their spacious chord progressions that allow you to really absorb each track and create an understanding for what's being brought across. I've developed a new faith in The Thermals and can't wait to see what they do next. In the meantime, this album is sticking close to me, never straying off my Top Rated playlist. It will probably take some time for the diehard fans to get used to the style shift, but I think this new source of inspiration is brilliant. Yeah, they've still got it.
Seems like its been a while since we've had an alternative pop girl out of the great white north. Sure we've had Lights with her up beat electro pop, but besides her it seems like the days of Sarah Mclachlan and Alanis Morisette are long gone.
Maybe I was wrong though? Not only does Diana Pops hail from Canada, she grew up in the middle of it all, Winnipeg, Manitoba to be exact. You know that place that makes the cold winter rain here in Washington seem like a tropical rainforest.
However we aren't here to discuss weather, we are here to discuss Dianas brand new EP, For Bright Minds In Dark Corners. The EP starts off with Light My Cigarette, the song definitely takes you back to the early days of Sarah Mclachlan, but also has a bit of a newer Snow Patrol-esque vibe. In fact her writing also reminds me a bit of Gary Lightbody's (Snow Patrol, Tired Pony, etc.). Her voice is one of those effortless types. Not that she ever pushes it very far, but it's not like she has to, why push it if you dont have to? All four tracks are very pretty and Diana definitely knows how to paint a picture with words. I am very eager to hear a full length album soon and maybe even see her branch out just a tad, but over all a very impressive release. -Brandon Lemons
There was so much to love about The Script's debut, self titled album. I remember back in 2008 seeing the video for Man Who Can't Be Moved as a "You Oughta' Know" video on VH1. I bought the CD shortly after hearing them for the first time and it became and still is a main staple in my assortment of CD's that have to be in my car.
It's hard separating being professional from being a fan sometimes. In my head I think, "what if this artist who I love dearly reads this not so glowing review? How disappointed will they be? Don't they know I still love them!?"... however when it all comes down to it, it's my job to tell it like it is.
I had such high expectations for Science & Faith and I am sad to say I was a little let down. Overall it just sounded so much like their debut. I respect staying true to who you are, but there's a point where if you don't branch out a little, it just gets boring. There is no real change in momentum on Science & Faith like they had with songs like Anybody There and Breakeven on their first album. In fact one of the saddest things may be that I couldn't find one stand out song on the album.
All that said, it's not a horrendous album by any standards, but the beats get flat, and the lyrics start to sound like The Police trying out hip-hop. Overall just a very mediocre sophomore effort. -Brandon Lemons
This youngster from Maine may be the male answer to artists like Taylor Swift. He has no problem with attracting a female fan base, yet he's not out on stage worrying as much about his dance routine as his singing either, so male music fans shouldn't have a problem with him either.
To me Skyler kind of has the John Mellencamp vibe, he's not quite country, but kind of on the verge of it, yet still rocking enough to keep mainstream listeners happy. His writing is very honest and relatable and his voice is clean, but with a bit of an edge to it. The EP is a very nice preview of what's to come soon from Skyler.
Imagine if you jumped in a time machine that took you to the 90's and you listened to a mix of every current artist at that time. Everything from Weezer to the Beastie Boys to Rage and Nirvana. That is what you get when you listen to New Politics.
Based in Brooklyn, but hailing from Denmark, these guys will touch on every quintessential moment you ever remembered from the 90's, with a ton of teen angst and even some angry war songs thrown in for good measure. When I started listening to this CD I immediately fell in love with it, because of how much it reminds me of everything I used to listen to, for some people, that might not be what they are looking for, but I know I enjoyed every minute of it and think a lot of people will. My favorite songs include Dignity, which will probably be my anthem for the rest of the year, and Love Is a Drug which has such an awesome beat, no questions for me here 5 out of 5.
-Brody T.
The Young International aren't just musicians, they are also businessmen. Each individual in the band plays a part both on stage and behind the scenes as well. I suppose coming from Nashville they take the moniker "Music City" very seriously.
Their self titled EP starts off a bit generic with Ruckus. It's catchy, but kind of sounds like it's on the verge of a dance floor anthem, when really the rest of the EP is so much better and so much more than that. Their sound is kind of similar to bands like Civil Twilight, but really when it all comes down to it they are pretty unique. Not unique as in "oh we are going to bore you to death with our uniqueness" but unique in a very good way. The strongest song on the EP is Shadow Boxing, it's a little more stripped down and is a very strong song, one that in my opinion should be their next single. It's one of those EP's where you enjoy the album on a whole. There isn't necessarily one song you repeat over and over, its just all around good, so it will be interesting to see if in the future they can put out a single that will really catch people's ears and draw them all in. I very much look forward to a full length album soon. -Brandon Lemons
Our readers are probably going to start thinking we have some contract to only give members of the Simms family good reviews, but the truth is that they are just that good and that talented. I have little doubt most of you would disagree either.
Tommy Simms' solo debut is no different, in fact this album is downright epic. Not at one point do you expect what is coming next on the album and the sudden changes in tempo and melody are shockingly well done. Listening to the album brought a lot of thoughts into my head, I could see guys living and dead like Pete Townsend, Johnny Van Zant and Jim Morrison listening to it and saying "Yes! This is what we wanted to inspire!".
For our younger readers imagine Bon Iver deciding to kick some ass, or The Shins growing beards and drinking whiskey high up on a mountain top in the Rocky Mountains. Those are images that came into my mind while listening to Then The Archers Bowed and Broke Their Bows.
My favorite song is the very sweet ending to the album called Someone Like Me which sounds like a true love story and I would guess it probably is. The only problem I have with the album is the fact I have to type out the lengthy name everytime I talk about it, but damn the name is cool too! To me this album was such a pleasant surprise, it seems like it came out of nowhere and I am so glad it did. -Brandon Lemons
Out of Mom's garage and onto the main stage in the big city of Seattle. The crowd really got moving as new rock band, Truth under Attack from Lynden, WA held their own Saturday night at El Corazon. Playing after such acts as Dead Panic, Out like Pluto and mainstream sounding band Shoreline Drive, one would never guess it was their first show.
With her proud Mom and husband in the audience, sweetheart lead singer Chelsea Secules displayed tons of energy and confidence with a tiny side of nerves, while mentioning to the audience a few times that it was their first show. This is a young original band that has enormous amounts of energy and talent I predict this band will be very successful rock stars given the band plays more shows and keeps writing good songs. -Nicole Figueroa
We hear of lots of artists who grew up in L.A., Nashville, Austin, New York, or Seattle. It's kind of rare to hear about someone from Maine, what was the music scene like growing up there?
There wasn't much of a music scene in Maine that I was aware of. It wasn't until late in my musical development that I discovered that there were a bunch of famous and "almost famous" artists from Maine. Howie Day, Ray LaMontagne, Rustic Overtones (Arista), Jeremiah Freed (Universal Republic), As Fast As (Octone), etc. In fact, members of Rustic Overtones, Jeremiah Freed, and As Fast As all graduated from York High School (my Alma Mater).
Your sound is kind of reminiscent of the '90s. Did bands in the '90s have a lot of influence on you?
I was born in 1991, so my earliest years of listening to the radio were the '90s. There's no doubt it had a subconscious impact on me.
Is This Dream (Nashville) a true story?
To a certain extent, yes.
Since you are a multi instrumentalist, how many instruments do you actually play?
I sing, play guitar, bass, drums, and piano. Those are the only ones I play well. Everything else I just mess around on.
Who's getting heavy play on your iPod right now?
The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Petty are always getting heavy play on my iPod. On top of that, I'm listening to a lot of Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, and the soundtrack from Country Strong. I never used to listen to Country music, but it seems like that is where all of the great songwriting is now.
www.skylertunes.com
