Artist Insider Tag

Since hearing the single “I Won’t Let You Walk Away” feat. Madison Beer this past Winter, I’ve been a huge supporter of DJ duo Mako. I saw part of their set at EDC, but had to miss a lot of it due to an unfortunate overlap with Avicii. So, when I heard that they were going to be at Global Dance Festival at Red Rocks, I knew I had to go. A week or so before, I, or should I say, my rave alter-ego “Afrocat,” tweeted: “Who is everyone mostRead More

The Hi-Dive in Denver, Colorado is quiet as the opening band packs up their own equipment and exits the stage. A quiet electricity hangs in the air; the sounds of clanking classes and friendly conversation replacing the music that was just being played. In the small, standing-room-only venue, you won’t find any top-40 artists or teenaged fanboys and girls waiting around to meet their idols.The Hi-Dive is a bar, and half of the patrons are just there to drink a few beers and check out whatever artists happen to be performingRead More

There’s a very good chance that a little indie outfit from Ithaca, NY is one of your favorite bands and you don’t even know it. X Ambassadors have been making waves on the underground for quite some time. From the snowballing success of their EPS to the World Cup virality of their single “Jungle” and a score of featured collaborations including both Eminem’s “Wicked Ways” and Zedd’s “Transmission” released earlier this week, it seems almost impossible to turn one’s head without catching wind of their urgent blend of indie rock andRead More

In the early days of Writtalin–which admittedly isn’t that long ago since we’ve only been going strong for about a year and a half–I had the distinct pleasure of meeting one of alternative rock’s rising stars. On the idyllic tract of downtown Fullerton, Ryan Daly, Anthony Improgo and the rest of electoropop quartet Parade of Lights shook KROQ’s Locals Only Show like a firestorm. They were poised to take the alt nation by storm, owning the stage like a post-apocalyptic Walk the Moon or a sweeter pop answer to AWOLNATION.Read More

When you buy tickets for a show at Red Rocks in Denver, they clearly say in bold print, “RAIN OR SHINE.” I’ve been to many a concert at Red Rocks, but have yet to put that rain or shine thing to the test. But today, it’s torrentially down pouring and has been for the last 48 hours in Denver. All the same, I head to my interview with DJ ETC!ETC!, hoping for the best. ETC!ETC!, or Jose Guerrero, has been producing for years, but has really hit his stride inRead More

While Taking Back Sunday finishes up their VIP acoustic set and meet-and-greet at the Summit Music Hall in Denver, Colorado, Greg Barnett, wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, hangs around by the merchandise table. The twentysomethings who have come to relive their high school years and the eyeliner-clad tweens who have come to meet their idols gather around John Nolan and Adam Lazzara. Meanwhile, Greg and the rest of the Menzingers, a four-piece punk band from Pennsylvania, chat and laugh, fairly anonymous figures to the fawning group that has gathered. But whatRead More

Joachim Garraud has been making electronic music for decades. The DJ and producer first began his foray into dance music in the late 1980s and has been going full steam ahead since then. Known both for his unique sound as well as  for his one of a kind video shows, Garraud has seen the ebb and flow of the dance music scene and taken it in stride. As a producer, Garraud has been behind some of the biggest dance anthems of the 2000s (“Love is Gone” and “Love Don’t Let MeRead More

It’s day two at the Sunset Strip Music Festival in the blistering heat of late September West Hollywood and the festivities are already in full swing.  Four blocks of the infamous strip have been cordoned off and filled with stages, stands, beer gardens and food trucks – a cross-section of the LA lifestyle in a walkabout.  The businesses that line the street are still open and flaunting festival discounts as well as water bottles at lower-than-festival prices (imagine that!).  And if you’ve had too much of the merciless California sun,Read More

For every band living the rock and roll lifestyle – smashing guitars and raiding the mini bar a la Iggy Azalea – there is another that’s traded in the high life for an adult one.  And that philosophy doesn’t only apply to tucking in their shirts and adopting 401Ks.  Some have created an entire identity for themselves, completely autonomous as both artists and people.  It’s rare that an indie group is truly independent by these standards, but every once in a while one will peek through the rows of label-puppets.Read More

Note: I write these events as they happened from my vantage point. My friend Johna can validate the Boulder part of my story as she was there to witness it all. I write this with no judgment of any parties involved and leave the facts up to reader interpretation.   It has taken me almost four months to figure out how to tell the story of my almost interview with the now somewhat infamous DJ duo, The Chainsmokers… I fought with myself about how to best relate the tale. But after allRead More

I arrive at the Hotel Teatro around 8 p.m. and the sun is just setting. Colorado’s elusive summertime is finally here, so it’s still incredibly hot. I’m a bit flustered and flushed, but it isn’t due to the temperature. This will be my fourth DJ interview, and yet, I’m anxious, knowing that I’m about to chat with one of the biggest up and coming DJ duos in the industry right now. GTA or “Good Times Ahead,” is made up of Miami natives Julio Mejia and Matt Toth. Funnily enough, MejiaRead More

As an artist, when people ask me about my influence and I say “Radiohead” they’ll either leave it at that – for fear of ensuing snobbery – or launch into a full on debate over the use of row boats in “Pyramid Song.” Appreciation surrounding the band is complex, but Radiohead’s my favorite band simply because no other group has made me appreciate music in such a meaningful way. It’s peculiar being a Radiohead fan, because we’re a marginal step away from a cult, and love to bicker at one anotherRead More

I decided months ago that it was appropriate and ethical to be in my underwear during a phone interview for a potential job. But here I was faced with a new question of ethical dilemmatude: Is it acceptable to conduct a phone interview in my underwear? In the name of all things great and pantless, I decided Yes.  Always and of course.  Basically, it is encouraged. Camila Grey, lead singer and guitarist of Uh Huh Her had a smokey, easy voice that probably would have gotten me out of myRead More

The Hold Steady is arguably the most critically-acclaimed rock n’ roll band of our generation. Having just released their sixth studio album, Teeth Dreams, on March 25th of this year, the band holds an otherworldly 80/100 average score on Metacritic, spanning the body of work they have produced over a decade of making music (find another contemporary group that comes close to that score – you can’t). Yet, mention the Hold Steady to your average music fan today, and you will more than likely be met with a blank stare.Read More

I start to panic when my friend and I walk up to Beta Nightclub in Denver. My interview with EDM veteran Fedde Le Grand is supposed to start in seven minutes and I still have to get through a long line of eager ravers. It takes some time and I get some questioning looks when I tell door people and bouncers that I’m here to do an interview with the headlining DJ, but we finally get inside and get let into the Green Room. It’s empty. So here we are, sitting,Read More