Category: FEATURES

Feature stories and artist interviews

JOSEPH GIANT SINGLE “ON THE RUN”

Joseph Giant is a Rock & Roll band from Seattle Wa. Formed in 2010 by Joe Syverson, the band quickly shared stages with some of the best bands in town and from around the country. Joseph Giant has played shows with War On Drugs, AA Bondy, Fruit Bats, The Moondoggies , Quiet Life, The Maldives,…

SCIENCE AND THE BEAT “MEAN STREAK”

Multi-instrumentalists Tasha Katrine and Rob Zilla have been carving out their creative vision since being introduced in their teens. The approach has been dexterous, mixing live shows with elaborate video and lighting installations – most notably as More Machine Than Man. As a fixture in the Goth Industrial scene, the pair was conscious of the…

A GREAT BIG WORLD PREMIERE THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR “HOLD EACH OTHER”

Grammy Award®-winning New York pop pair A Great Big World debut the music video for their latest single “Hold Each Other” featuring Futuristic on VEVO. Watch it HERE. Helmed by iconic director Marc Klasfeld [Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jay-Z, Katy Perry], the clip depicts band members Ian Axel and Chad King strolling through the city.…

INJURED AT A CONCERT? 5 IMPORTANT STEPS YOU NEED TO TAKE NEXT

Concert accidents can be catastrophic. In 1979, the British rock band, The Who, performed in Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum without assigning seats or standing room. As the crowd pushed into the massive, first-come first-serve arena, eleven people fell, got trampled, and died. Though this may seem like a macabre story, it reveals the concert accidents’ worst-case…

THE WET DARLINGS “USED TO BE BETTER”

On October 23, 2015, Columbus, Ohio-based quartet The Wet Darlings will celebrate the national release of their album, Beautiful Things, with a vinyl version; digital and CD versions will also be available. With music that straddles saccharine and grit, they’ll stick to the roof of your mouth, and perhaps make you want to brush your…

LIXO “NOT THE ANSWER”

‘Gloomer’ is the debut EP from GETME!’s head honcho Alex Hislop (AKA LIXO). Having put out releases by the likes of Slime, Becoming Real and Dam Mantle, the London label and party crew has built up it’s reputation as key underground tastemakers for interesting electronic music. On LIXO’s debut EP he plays with house, techno…

MONTAIGNE DELIVERS ‘CLIP MY WINGS’

A few weeks out from kicking off her extensive national tour, Sydney avant-pop heroine, Montaigne has delivered a fittingly spectacular video for new single, Clip My Wings. Directed by Guy Franklin and John Gavin, the video was filmed by Edward Goldner and produced by Haley Polacik and Saskia Vaneveld at Pixel Melbourne, the team responsible…

MARIANAS TRENCH “ONE LOVE”

Multi-Platinum selling Canadian pop-rockers Marianas Trench are gearing up to release their studio album Astoria October 23rd on Cherrytree / 604 Records/ Interscope. Fans can get an early taste with first single “One Love” which is available now for digital download and streaming via digital subscription services. Marianas Trench have also announced they will head…

RHETT MAY TACKLES THE NATIONS ICE EPIDEMIC

Australian based Rock Singer-songwriter, Rhett May, is tackling his home country’s (and the rest of the world’s) Ice Epidemic head on, with the release of his visually haunting and dark (but true) new music video: “The Violence Of Ice.” Rhett May uses his influential platform as a musician to spread a much needed message over…

THE HUMBLE GRAPES NEXT SINGLE “YOUNG AND ALIVE”

The dynamic duo making waves in the NYC indie circuit are The Humble Grapes consisting of producer David Kaufman and vocalist Brie Capone. Set to release their brand new highly anticipated single “Young and Alive” at the end of the month, the talented musicians will also be prepping for the rollout of their forthcoming EP…

THE EVOLUTION OF STREAMING

Evolution of Streaming: Lala.com Rise and Fall (history, business model, Apple buyout), Streaming Media History & Progression, Music Industry Evolution (new revenue streams post Napster), Current Music Services. http://hipsdontlie.ca/streaming/

ALISON WONDERLAND VIDEO “GAMES”

Today, Alison Wonderland reveals the video for ‘Games’, the fourth single from her debut album ‘Run’ which has just been released in the UK via Virgin EMI. Directed by Prad Sen, the same force behind Alison’s earlier videos for I Want U, Cold & U Don’t Know, the video for ‘Games’ shows Alison flexing her…

SHADOWS & MIRRORS “IN THE DARK”

Shadows & Mirrors is the brainchild of Illinois electronic artist Brian Diamond. After fronting local rock/grunge bands from the age of 15, Brian decided to go it alone in 2015 – introducing a more electronic darkwave sound as Shadows & Mirrors. The new material has been likened to Depeche Mode/Nine Inch Nails/Marilyn Manson although Brian…

JENNIFER BUDD RELEASES VIDEO “DON’T EVEN”

“Today I release my first single/video called “Don’t Even”. The video represents a disconnect within a relationship, an unfolding and refolding of events. The tension is peircing as the couple acts out their frustration. Pieces brake and get put back together just to fall apart again. My time spent in University, in Nashville and with…

JORDAN BRATTON “FRANK”

As Jordan Bratton readies his fall North American tour, the New York singer releases a brand new emotional track, entitled “Frank.” The piano driven tune is a personal, introspective offering. “Frank” was written and produced by Jordan himself. Artwork by Casey Weldon

RAISING A HAND TO CURE RETT SYNDROME

The issue is personal for Kevin Black, brother of country music star Clint Black. His daughter, Cortney, died when she was 16 of complications from Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects girls almost exclusively. It is characterized by normal early growth and development that, beginning about age 12 to 18 months, is followed by…

THE SHERLOCKS “HEART OF GOLD”

Four-piece rockers, The Sherlocks, were formed in Sheffield when brothers Josh (guitar) and Andy (bass) Davidson moved in next door to brothers Kiaran (vocals/guitar) and Brandon (drums) Crook’s grandparents. Bonding over their love of football and music, the two pairs of brothers were inspired by their favourite artists including Arctic Monkeys, The Beatles, Libertines, Oasis…

FRANK TURNER SHARES VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE “JOSEPHINE”

Frank Turner has today revealed the starkly affecting video for his new single “Josephine.” “Josephine” is the second single to be taken from the singer-songwriter’s critically-acclaimed sixth album Positive Songs For Negative People. A barnstorming rock anthem, it was recorded with his long-standing backing band The Sleeping Souls. “It’s a song about the search of…

AURORA UNVEILS “MURDER SONG (5,4,3,2,1)”

AURORA made her North American debut this past October at the CMJ Music Marathon. Garnering critical acclaim from The New York Times, NPR, PASTE Magazine, Pigeons and Planes and more, AURORA has quickly made a name for herself as an exciting rising star to watch. Her Running in the Wolves EP, out now, solidifies the…

EVER SO ANDROID SINGLE “ALREADY GONE”

Ever So Android’s is based on the long-running energy between its principal members vocalist Hope Simpson and multi-instrumentalist Drew Murray. Their new album Disconnect is the band’s first full-length and is produced by industry journeyman and sonic alchemist Bill Rieflin (Swans, Ministry, REM). Each track is its own self-contained burst of energy, reflecting the band’s…

P’ARIS VIDEO “CONFIDENCE”

A quote from P’ARIS: “Confidence is a song about being completely unprepared for monumental life changes, and calling bullshit on people who won’t admit they’re afraid of the future. For the video, we illustrated that by putting the singer in a clean, modern home setting, juxtaposed by a strangely ominous dancing panda dude. If we’d…

CHE-VAL “LOVE STILL WAITING”

It’s not disco… and it’s not Madonna… Che-Val is beautifully crafted modern alternative pop emerging from urban depths with crashing melodies and pulsating bass lines that will make your heart hurt! A husband and wife team, Che-Val was launched initially from infatuation, but quickly evolved into the realization that both partners have an explosive passion…

AVICII MAKES HIS DIRECTORIAL DEBUT

2X Grammy nominated and AMA-winning producer/DJ Avicii is making his directorial debut today with the with the worldwide premier of videos for “For A Better Day” and “Pure Grinding,” the new double single from his upcoming album STORIES, out October 2 on PRMD/Island Records. “All the songs have a story I wanted to tell,” says…

MACHEL MONTANO X SEAN PAUL “ONE WINE” FT. MAJOR LAZER

Trinidadian singer Machel Montano teams up with iconic dancehall artist Sean Paul on their new single “One Wine” featuring Major Lazer out today via Mad Decent. The track embodies the island spirit and features reggae rhythms perfectly blended with Major Lazer’s Caribbean inspired dance style. Check out the track below and share.

JANET JACKSON ANNOUNCES ‘UNBREAKABLE’

Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation record label and its distribution partner BMG have set an October 2, 2015 date for the wide release of the superstar’s first studio album in seven years, Unbreakable. The album is now available for pre-order on iTunes with instant downloads of the new title track and the first single off the…

BABAGANOUJ RELEASE ‘HIT SONG’

In 2014 Babaganouj garnered serious radio attention with their releases “Too Late For Love” and “Bluff” – leading them to tour nationally twice, play each leg of The Blurst of Times tour as well as support a slew of notable acts such as The Preatures, Smudge, Veruca Salt, The Lemonheads, Northeast Party House and The…

ATLAS GENIUS UNVEILS OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR “MOLECULES”

Atlas Genius’ new album, Inanimate Objects – the follow-up to the band’s breakthrough debut, When It Was Now – is out now and available HERE. The band has unveiled the official video for the first single, “Molecules.” Directed by longtime collaborator Claire Marie Vogel, it can be viewed HERE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTR9-_8ML38

SAMSON THE TRUEST “SIDEWINDER” SINGLE

Samson The Truest is the project of the Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Sam Geller, who seeks to balance the power and the vulnerability embodied by the biblical hero Samson in his music, delving into topics of self-destruction and transcendence as they appear in daily life. His new album Come Back Shane features over a dozen guest musicians…

STOLI SAYS GOODBYE TO SUMMER 2015 WITH THE TUNES OF AIRY JEANINE

So here we are a few days away from Labor Day weekend, that is unreal how fast summer went. Overall I must say it was a great, music filled couple months. In music news today, a new Parks Associates report on streaming media devices reports four brands — Amazon, Apple, Google, and Roku — accounted…

HOW TO ENJOY A CONCERT WITHOUT BEING A CHUMP

You remember your first concert. You went on a road trip to see the auditory object of your affections just to fulfill your childhood fantasy. The stage filled with lights and colors, the band nailed their high-pitched solos—but the crowd was awful. You couldn’t even enjoy the concert because the person next to you was…

ZANDER SINGLE “JUST RIGHT”

Zander is a Floridian singer and songwriter who plays guitar with passion and purpose, discovering tropical pop through an easy rhythm and surf guitar. Inspired by surfing the Florida coast and enjoying fiery sunsets, Zander’s music brings intense beats and rad sounds that shares his love for “retro music and the ocean”. His latest songs…

ANTONIQUE SMITH RELEASES SOARING NEW SINGLE “HIGHER”

Grammy nominated singer / songwriter Antonique Smith released her epic new single “Higher” on iTunes & Apple Music Friday, August 28th. The soaring pop-r&b track will be featured on her highly anticipated debut EP Love Is Everything, arriving this Fall on independent label 9:23 Music Group. “Higher,” produced by the platinum selling duo The Midi…

VERILUN NEW VIDEO

After more than 1 year of continuous search for approrpiate members the line-up of the band has been fixed at the very end of 2010. Members came from other well-known bands: Zoltan Schonberger (drums) ex-Sear Bliss, Krisztian Varga (guitar) ex-Monastery / Hayseed, Gyorgy Varga (bass / vocal) ex-Dalriada, and last but not least Gabor Bodnar…

SWERVE SINGLE “AW HELL”

After listening to “Aw Hell”, the new single from Swerve’s upcoming yet-to-be-titled EP coming out this fall, you may be forgiven for not thinking this band hails from Los Angeles or even the United States for that matter. Steeped in Brit Rock like Oasis, The Libertines, and Stone Roses, “Aw Hell” pulls you in with…

PHANTOMS SIGN TO CASABLANCA RECORDS + “ALL IN”

Los Angeles dark pop duo Phantoms have announced their signing to Casablanca / Republic Records and have revealed their debut EP on the label, Broken Halo, out September 25th. The EP features 4 original songs including “Broken Halo” and “Voyeur” with vocals from Nicholas Braun, and new singles “All In” featuring Little Know and “Colors.”…

DEAD PROFESSIONAL SHARES NEW TRACK “YOU HEARD WHAT YOU WANTED”

Washington, DC-based rockers Dead Professional are proud to announce their new EP Young Hardware, which will see a release on September 24. To ring in the announcement, the newly-expanded group has released the new track “You Heard What You Wanted” from the EP, which is available to stream. Young Hardware follows on the heels of…

FREE DOWNLOAD KASKADE FEAT. ILSEY “DISARM YOU” (ILLENIUM REMIX)

Rising force in electronic music Illenium has put his midas touch on Kaskade’s “Disarm You” featuring Ilsey. An official entry in Kaskade’s remix contest for the track, Illenium mixes melodic dub with future bass for a chilled out version that will have you voting for the Colorado-based producer before the first minute is up. Vote…