by Haylee Nighbert
Their brand new CD is due out in the New Year, but why wait to get to know them?
This month we bring you reviews on Good Charlotte's new CD, as well as Windy City Gentleman, EPs from Arrica Rose, States, and much much more!
It's hard to believe we are already at the end of the year. It has been a crazy year that is for sure. In the world of entertainment, people still haven't let go of the Lady GaGa and Justin Bieber craze, the AMA's reassured us of that.
It all amazes me, these artists have fans that really would take a bullet for them. It makes me wonder about the human brain sometimes. I grew up listening to so many different kinds of artists and sure I had my favorites, but to put so much energy behind one artist blows my mind. It seems like just yesterday Alanis was kicking ass with Jagged Little Pill and Creed was cool.....ok maybe not cool, but you remember that time. It seems like things have changed so much, which I know is a good thing in some ways, but to be completely honest I will risk sounding like a grouchy old man here and say I do miss those days. It was a time when genius really was genius, stick Jagged Little Pill into your CD player, then stick GaGa in.......I understand to each his own, but there is a HUGE difference in talent, walking around with a bird cage on your head doesn't make you a singer. That said they are all making more money than me, so I take my hat off to all of them, they obviously have something figured out.
I just want to keep this magazine to more of the music side of things and less the craziness. It's not just mainstream that's to blame, you have plenty of crazy performers in indie as well, so don't think you're all innocent either. This year we've done articles on bright young stars like Amber Leigh, Automatic Loveletter, Chloe Leighton, and Hey Monday as well as established or legendary bands like Dropkick Murphies and Everclear. Plus we have covered reviews on everyone from Damon Jones to Jack Johnson, from Eclecticity to Maroon 5. I don't like to shut out any artists, but I am proud that we have featured a hell of a lot of talented musicians/singers who don't rely on Halloween costumes for fame.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and survived Black Friday! Enjoy your Holiday season and remember if you are in need of gift ideas? Nothing beats good music!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
-Brandon
Short and simple desribes their name, but doesn't even come close to describing the beautiful, dreamy world that States creates on their EP Line Em' Up, that is just now available for everyone's enjoyment.
Front girl Mindy White took some time to answer some questions with us, so you could get to know them a little better.
Since you guys are pretty new to the world, give us a little bit on how you guys all met?
Mindy: I played in Lydia and we toured with Copeland in the Fall of 2008. We all became really great friends on that tour and Stephen actually moved to Nashville right after that. He and I have pretty much best friends ever since. So when Copeland ended and I had quit Lydia, I was pursuing some solo music and Stephen wanted to help out. He and Bryan had some music together as well. So we basically combined the two, and it turned into States!
Your name is very short and unique, what is the story behind the name States?
Mindy: It was just kind of one of those things where we knew what we wanted, we just had to think of the perfect name for it. To me, States has a ton of meanings. One being the tour aspect. By touring the last 5 years, I've learned that home isn't just one city or one state. Most of the people that I love and adore the most live in far away states and mostly all separate ones. Two, the guys in the band are like my family. Ive never been surrounded by such fun, talented, and caring people before. It was instant! So to me, States is like home.
Y ou seem to have caught the twitter bug and your tweets are probably some of the most entertaining out there, a personal favorite of mine was "Never judge a book by it's cover unless the book is wearing an Insane Clown Posse T-shirt" How do you feel about your new twitter fame?
Mindy: haha, Twitter is fun. It's like they officially made a site just for me to put all these random thoughts that storm into my head. And I was totally joking (...when am I not) when I said that about the ICP shirt-wearers. You should never judge a book by it's cover, because under it all, it could be covered in all kinds of tribal, flamed, Ke$ha tattoos. Then you really have a confusing problem.
You are also a fellow vegetarian. What made you decide to become one? Are there any animal rights foundations you are working with that we can check out and help out with?
Mindy: I went vegetarian in high school on a bet from a friend. They said I wouldn't last 3 weeks, so I said game on. By the end of it, my body felt so much better, and I literally looked healthier. I just decided to keep going as long as I could. Now it's around 6 years without it and I've never missed it once. I'm also lactose intolerant, so I eat mostly vegan. I'm always open to help out with animal rights organizations and things. I just don't believe in badgering people or being too pushy about it. Some groups can be. I also feel like some people have wrong idea about vegetarians and vegans. For some reason, we have the stereotype of being really snobby and rude to non-veggies, and I don't get that. I guess just some really eccentric pms-ing vegan got snappy with a non-vegan once, stuff went public, and it's never been the same since. haha
From the songs that I have heard so far, your lyrics and music have a lot of feeling to them, almost a Coldplay meets Florence + the Machine meets Straylight Run feel...do you guys write collectively or are most of the songs individual?
Mindy: Wow that's a great compliment! Coldplay is literally my favorite band, and Florence's voice (and red hair) is something I'd probably trade my left leg for. Stephen, Bryan, and I all write together. They do a lot of instrumental track ideas, and I'll add melodies and lyrics, and I have finished acoustic or piano songs they can take and make full band.
You guys all seem to have fun and easy going personalities, what are some of the things you enjoy doing outside of making music?
Mindy: I'm obsessed with cooking and good food. Stephen and I joke about it a lot, but I think we seriously go to the grocery store more than anyone we know... like 5-6 times a week. I know we all separately have little hobbies outside of music. I love making anything, jewelry, art, treats, clothes, scrapbooks, room decor. I'll literally bedazzle anything.
Who is getting the heaviest play on your iPod(s) right now?
Mindy: I'm really bad, I'll fall in love with a record or song and play it out. Right now it's Julian Casablancas "Phrazes for the Young", Metric's "Fantasies", and Circa Survive's "On Letting Go" and I always have some Justin Timberlake bumpin'.
When can we expect more music from States? I know I for one am really excited to hear more stuff
Mindy: We're going to use the time off right after this tour to finish writing more songs so that we can jump right into the studio as soon as possible. Then after we finish recording, we're going to be back out on tour. Hopefully overseas first!
Check out www.statesmusic.com and also go to www.amazon.com to buy their new EP Line Em' Up
What, or who, inspired your sound?
We all have very different tastes in music. No one thing or person/band inspires our sound. It's a combination of a lot of things. Collectively we try to write songs that are aggressive, catchy, and different. Each person's influences shine through. We try to just let it happen.
Do you consider yourselves predominately pop-punk?
Over a year ago we recorded three songs on a whim at Cordova Sound without our full lineup. Those songs were predominantly pop-punk. Since then our style has changed completely. We'd like to think our music now is heavier, smarter, and better overall.
What's your favorite performance style - festival, battle-of-the-bands, club venue, or all-ages show?
As a smaller band, we have no preference in performance style. It's all awesome to us. We love playing live in general.
Book us for venue shows, all-aged shows, festivals, birthdays, block parties, bar mitzvahs, tea parties. Carson does not discriminate.
How did you guys get your start with music?
All of us come from relatively musical families so we've grown up with it. Beatles, Bob Dylan, Stevie Ray Vaughan, N'SYNC, Diddy, Taylor Swift. Love em'.
Why'd you decide to play together?
We all moved to North Carolina at different times but met through mutual friends in high school. Ben and Peter were in a band together. That band broke up. They started Carson with Taisha. Shaun messaged the three on the Myspace and jammed a few times. Everything clicked awesome. Spencer joined soon after from another local band to fill it out.
Any future recording plans?
We are set to record our first EP with producer Jamie King (He is legend, Between the Buried and Me) in January 2011.
What shows have you played recently?
A few weeks back we opened for Automatic Loveletter at Tremont Music Hall. They were awesome live and really nice people. Juliet Simms can belt. On November 30th we're playing a free show at UNC Charlotte. Preparation for recording has been our main focus.
Anything coming up that the band is excited or hopeful about?
We're really excited about recording our EP with Jamie King and releasing music that we're mutually proud of and stoked on. The tunes on our Myspace are outdated and we don't feel like they represent us anymore. We're antsy to tour and win fans over after our the release of our EP (probably in May).
What was the one favorite show that Carson has played?
Our favorite show has probably been a thing called Jortsfest. It was in a dude's country field last summer. They built a big stage out of wood. A lot of people came to see all the bands. Dirty southern heat. Complaints from neighbors. Grilling happened. It was awesome.
Other than music, what do you all like to do? Any hobbies?
We do have hobbies outside of music and all of us have part-time jobs. Taisha drinks Starbucks and gets on Facebook. Spencer shoots guns and pushes weight. Shaun golfs and shreds mountain bike trails. Ben cooks and does a lot of puzzles. Pete just watches E News religiously. Nothing too serious. Add us on Facebook.
Lately it seems like things are on a roll for Me Talk Pretty. After some shows with Civil Twilight and Neon Trees, then a few stops on Vans Warped Tour, they released their first EP We Are Strangers. Since the release they have been starting to receive good radio play and their loyal following only gets bigger and bigger.
Along with all that, they also seem to have become a part of the Lemonade family and we are glad to have them with us! The power house lead singer of the band, Uliana Preotu took some time to answer some questions for Lemonade, so we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
What was it like growing up in Romania?
Growing up in an east European country is much different than anybody can really envision. Romania is an ex-comunist country; my childhood years were oppression.
After the Berlin wall went down, I grew up in very unstable economy, seeing my parents struggle everyday to keep up with rent and food.That kind of put a huge mark on my personality, which is a reason why I'm probably interested in subjects and music that has more of a message and substance.
What music did you first listen to that made you really want to become a singer?
Wow, i remember as soon as I saw Gwen Stefani on TV, I was mesmerized. The band that really nailed it in the wall for me and motivated me to start a band was System Of A Down. I also love The Doors and The Cure.
What music inspires you right now?
Im really into bands that bring a fresh sound to the table. I love creativity. I like hearing diversity and originality. For this reason I loved every band that we've been touring with this past summer; Neon Trees, Paper Tongues and Civil Twilight. I'm also a huge supporter of women in rock so I tend to like almost all female fronted band. To pick some, Florence and the Machine, Paramore and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are just some of my favorites.
If you hadn't become a singer, what line of work would you have wanted to be in?
It's funny because I wondered that myself many times. I went to school for visual arts and so I have a major in monumental sculpture. That might not mean too much to you but it involves some architecture stuff too. The jobs that I had before pursuing music full time, always had to do something to do with arts, visuals or music. I love staying creative.
What has been your favorite moment with Me Talk Pretty so far?
My favorite moment was when Me Talk Pretty won a MTV VMA for the Best NYC Breakout Artist last year. It was an immense recognition and tears of joy came out. I thought I was dreaming. Our fans made that possible! Their love and their voices were heard.
If you could have dinner with anyone in the world right now who would it be?
Angelina Jolie
Who is your favorite band/artist to see live?
I still have yet to see Lady Gaga. That is a must see on my list.
Tell us something about yourself and your band mates we might not know?
We all moved in together three months after we met and still lived together up until this year.
What do you like to do when you're not touring or recording?
I love designing my own clothes for the stage and sculpting of course *rolling eyes*. I dream of opening my own fashion line one day. I also love talking to fans and friends I make on facebook, or keeping in touch with friends we make at the shows. People mean a lot to me. Some of their stories are simply amazing and I feel lucky to have them open up to me and make me part of their lives. It's inspiring.
You may remember the name Chris Heim from the July issue of Lemonade Magazine. He did the shoot for Chloe Leighton, which is one of my favorite shoots so far. I have been wanting to do a quick piece on Chris here, but got backed up with stuff, so here it finally is!
Chris was born and raised in California and loves all the things you would expect from that upbringing, the sun, the water, living life freely.
It's hard to mistaken Chris' work for anyone elses, his portrait style is unique and he brings youth, spontaneity and an overall refreshing vibe to all of his work.
Look for Chris to hopefully be shooting soon again with Lemonade in the future and also go check out his work and how you can get in touch with him at his website www.chrisheimphotography.com
EPs are everywhere this month! Which means if you are holiday shopping on a budget (a very small budget) you will want to pay close attention to the reviews this month on EPs by States, Christina Perri, and Arrica Rose. For those of you with a larger shopping budget, you will enjoy the reviews on new material from Good Charlotte, He Is We and Windy City Gentleman.
So this holiday shopping season when you go to your favorite music store and the employee asks you if you've been helped yet? Just respond with "yes I have....I have been helped by Lemonade."
Before we get to the reviews....
You might have noticed there is no artist on artist review this month. Lemonade's contributor of all kinds, Sally Jaye is getting ready to have a baby here soon, Congratulations Sally!
In lieu of that we would like to tell you about a recent project Sally has started up with fellow singer/songwriter Sarah Roberts called Ladies Gun Club. The two go together like cranberries and miracle whip...ok that might not mean anything to most of you, but it's one of my favorite sandwiches ever. Their brand new self titled EP is exactly what you'd expect from Sally Jaye and friends. Ladies Gun Club captures the nostalgia of the true singer/songwriter days in country music perfectly. The duo is perfect for each other and their music is perfect for the tradionalist at heart.
The first track on the CD, Loaded Gun, was written by the extremely talented Brian Wright from Brian Wright and the Wacco Tragedies, while the rest were penned by either Sarah or Sally. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we did! To find out more about Ladies Gun Club, check out www.ladiesgunclub.com
Where did Rachel Taylor come from? I mean you have the soft pop wonders like Sara Bareilles and A Fine Frenzy and than you have the punk pop rockers like Hayley Williams and Cassadee Pope. Now suddenly you have Rachel Taylor, the voice of He Is We and she just happens to fit right in the middle.
He Is We's brand new album My Forever is the kind of album you'd expect a band from the Pacific NW to make. It's almost like each song was written during another drastic change in the weather. You know party sunny with showers, partly cloudy with sun, drought, floods, Indian summer, blizzard etc. Many of the songs have a drastic change in mood, yet they all remain cohesive and solid. The album covers everything from a man avenging the love of his life's murder in Kiss it Better , to the hopeful realization of love being there all along in Forever and Ever .
Personally I am not as crazy about Aaron Gillespie's part in the one duet on the album All About Us . Rachel's voice could have carried the song without Aaron's part, but the song seems to be generating a lot of plays, so I guess that's just a personal opinion. Otherwise between Rachel's voice and lyrics and Trevor Kelly's guitar, My Forever is an excellent album that is a must have for any music lover out there.
-Brandon Lemons
It's been a while since Benji and Joel released a new CD, but it still seems like only yesterday they went from bashing the rich and the famous to courting them.
Sue me for being nostalgic to the early 2000's, but I got a little excited when I heard they were recording a new album. Was it going to be Lifestyle's of the Rich and Famous Good Charlotte? or was it going to be Dance Floor Anthem Good Charlotte? I was of course hoping for the former, but instead got more of the later. I still really enjoyed the CD, what can I say, I am a sucker for these bands and I think many of us who are now nearing our late 20s and 30s all feel that way.
Let The Music Play , Like It's Her Birthday , and Sex On the Radio are very catchy, while 1979 is a really nice change of pace for them. I am kind of getting tired of the gimmicky albums with intros and stuff, just because Green Day and Muse have mastered that feeling on a CD doesn't mean every band and their dog has to do it to. Yeah I am talking to you My Chemical Romance as well, but that's just a small pick. When all is said and done, if you enjoyed Good Charlotte at some point in your life, do yourself a favor and pick this one up, it's worth it!
When you read the story on Windy City Gentleman, you can't help, but wonder what you're in for. As the story goes Windy City Gentlemen is a descendant of America's first serial killer, Herman Webster Mudgett who terrorized the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.
I didn't know if I was in for...some gimmick CD? or an under talented want-to-be who was trying to draw people in with a crazy story? More than anything, I was wondering....serial killer? Really? I mean is that something to be proud of? Regardless, it did it's job, because I was eager to see what the CD sounded like and I was actually quite surprised. Windy City Gentleman's sound is very much a combination of grunge and dream rock, influenced by artists like David Bowie. His voice is unique and the CD is all around a very enjoyable effort. Probably one of the most enjoyable tracks is Good Old Friend , which is the most stripped down song on China White .
Windy City Gentleman has enough potential in his lyrics and sound that he really doesn't need the whole borderline creepy, serial killer story to help bring people in, but I suppose artists can be that way if it's who they are. Overall I look forward to hearing more from Windy City Gentleman in the future.
Mindy White and company make up one of the most brand new bands out there right now called States. These guys are way too under the radar to me, why aren't more people talking about States? Line Em Up is a flat out amazing EP the whole way through. It is so beautifully dream like without being boring, the combination of instrumental beauty and Mindy's voice are something that I haven't come across in quite some time. After listening to this EP, I really hope the masses are going to start hearing more from States, because in my opinion they should be huge.
It's hard to list a favorite song, since all of them are so good, but it seems the ones that stick in my head the most are Time To Begin , Falling For and Anxious . I don't care which genre you side with, unless you are a strict metal head or only listen to polka, it would shock me to think anyone couldn't absolutely love this EP.
I can't wait for a full studio album from them, but until then I guess this will have to do. If you are looking to greet the music fan on your list with some brand new sounds in their stocking this holiday season....this would be my pick!
When I first heard Jar of Hearts on So You Think You Can Dance, I had no clue who was singing it, but knew I loved the song. You never know on shows like that, sometimes it's an old song that resurfaced or whatever, so I didn't even look it up until I realized everybody else had! Shortly after she was asked to sing on the show and it seems like things have only taken off from there.
I was so anxious to hear more music out of her, when you searched for her on myspace and such all you seemed to hear was Jar of Hearts , so I didn't know what to expect at all. To be honest I had low expectations, I figured she wrote one good song, spent a lot of time on making it brilliant and would have a rough time entering the crazy world of music. Boy was I wrong, each song on Ocean Way Sessions is done live and is just as good, if not better than Jar of Hearts . Bang Bang Bang shows the more upbeat side of her, Daydream has this beautiful retro sound to it and Tragedy proves she has many dimensions to her deep lyrics.
This was a brilliant way for Christina to get fans even more excited about her full length debut. Trust me, you will play it over and over again, it's well worth the money.
Arrica Rose and the ...'s recently released a 3 song preview to her upcoming album. Since it's only three songs, I couldn't give it an actual rating, hence the A+ for what I now expect on the full album.
The thing that is so great about Arrica is that she keeps re-inventing herself, whether it was new South American instruments in Pretend I'm Fur or now adding a little more of a traditional electric sound to Antebellum . She always stays true to herself though, her voice is an aquired taste perhaps, but one I am very fond of and I always seem to enjoy both her take on music and writing.
Definitely go download this preview and I am sure you will also be excited for what's coming in the future for Arrica Rose and the ...'s
Shame on Casey Affleck for agreeing to direct and film the documentary I'm Still Here for his brother-in-law Joaquin Phoenix. The documentary is about Joaquin Phoenix trying to retire from acting and become a Rap Star. If you are a fan of the talented, Academy Award winning actor and choose to view this movie, DON'T! You will find yourself heartbroken. The docudrama starts in Los Angeles in September 2008 and ends in Panama in March 2009. During this 6 month period a string of unfortunate events take place. You see him in the beginning of filming start out looking handsome and before you know it he transform into looking frightening and smelly.
Throughout the film Joaquin Phoenix is clearly in a cocaine induced state of mania. Lost and in need of guidance he claims that he is tired of being a puppet and wants to find a purpose. This is why he decides to quit acting and start a rap career. This does not come easy to him. He decides to try to get Diddy to produce him and he spends most of the film trying to track him down.
He continues to party on the way to "rapdom". On one of the party nights he has a little get together that involves prostitutes he found online. Before they get there he does plenty of coke. Joaquin and his friend sing a pretty song on the piano and he mentions, more than once, how excited he is to smell butt hole. This is followed by a couple penis shots and more coke. The rest of the night just continues to get more and more disturbing.
It appears as though he thought it would be easy to make the transition from acting and into the world of hip hop. It did not. When he finally gets his second sit down meeting with Diddy, Diddy listens to the actors material then turns him down, explaining that J.P. is not ready to work with him. Joaquin looks very upset, much like an six year old child does when they find out that Santa Claus isnt real.
In the meantime J.P. is being verbally abusive, paranoid, and acting like a brat to his friends and assistants. One person in particular is Anton, who has been his friend and assistant for 15 years. Throughout filming Phoenix is constantly yelling at him and accusing him of selling stories to the media. By the end of filming Anton decides hes had enough and literally deficates on the Academy Award winning actor.
This documentary shot by fellow actor and brother-in-law Casey Affleck is just a clusterfuck of unfortunate events which the public and Joaquin Phoenix fans should not see. Not forgetting to mention the devastating David Letterman interview which is followed by what appears to be a mental breakdown shortly after. Hoax or not it is clear that Joaquin Phoenix is a deeply troubled and tortured soul and in serious need of love and therapy . In the meantime his fans will await a positive comeback. Perhaps a documentary about his road to recovery and trying to get himself back on top. Shoot that Asslick! -Nicole Figueroa
Lemonade Magazine want's to thank everyone for all their support this year. It's been a crazy year, not always a smooth ride, but sometimes you have to absorb the bumps and fix whatever they break at least.
We hope you all have a great holiday season and hopes everyone gets along and if they can't then mind their own business! Everyone should be happy and celebrate, that's what the season is all about.
Here at Lemonade we are gearing up for the Lemonade Awards which will be in the issue that comes out late December/early January. We are pretty excited, since they are going to feature all our favorite bands from this year, as well as the solo artists who have been dominating the play on our iPods and car stereos. It will be like one of the holidays right?
Again, we can't say it enough to all the artists and readers, or just anyone who has been involved with Lemonade....THANK YOU! You have stuck with us, even through the rough times and we look foward to hopefully an even more successful New Year of music and entertainment.
Happy Holidays to everyone!
