Interview w/ Less Is More

Presenting to you today an interview with Brian Spencer and Jane Finkel, who both comprise the Michigan folk duo known as Less Is More. I mentioned them here on the site a couple of weeks ago, and they have really proven their talent with exquisite folk based rhythms and harmonic instrumentation that has shown the deep musical bond they have forged together over the time that they've been together. Brian and Jane were nice enough to carve some time out of their schedules to sit down and do an interview as we talk about the early beginnings of the duo and how their romantic relationship has influenced the sound within the duo. Here is the transcript from our chat:

Give us your names and what instruments you regularly play?

Our names are Jane Finkel and Brian Spencer.  Jane is a vocalist and plays the ukulele, piano, and percussion. Brian is a vocalist and plays the guitar, harmonica, ukulele, and percussion. 

How did you both come together to form Less Is More?

We went to Albion College together and met in an a cappella group early in both of our college careers.  We quickly found that we loved the way our voices melded together.  When we started writing music together it easily flowed out, and eventually we had enough music to start a band!

What styles of music and/or artists make up your sound and is it based upon your individual influences?

We collectively love many different music styles, and try to add as many musical influences to our songs as possible.  Bands like Lord Huron, Lowland Hum, Civil Wars, and the Staves are just a few groups we look up to, but we really try to create our own sound.  

How has your romantic relationship grown since you first started and how has it manifested itself within your music?

Well, this is a question.  It started as a friendship, and we didn't date until two years after we met.  I think our sound changed because we were able to more vulnerable.  Writing music with someone else can be a scary endeavor!  We hope to have a very free and intimate feel in our music, because that is how we feel with one another. 

Describe the music scene in michigan where you both originated, what styles and/or genres are most popular?

Brian: Growing up in East Lansing, the music scene was very diverse.  From a young age I was taking from pop, hip hop, country, and indie music.  However, many more genres were very present in my day to day as well.  Also, my mother listened to groups like Doobie Brothers, The Mamas and the Papas, and Earth Wind and Fire.  So it's tough to be able to pin point one specific genre.  I guess I'm a music mutt.  

Jane: I grew up on Mackinac Island in Michigan, where the country music and classical rock runs on an endless loop.  My parents have a pretty funky taste in music, and I think that rubbed off on me as well.  It has also been fun to watch the Michigan music scene grow and evolve.  Michigan is really producing some cool new music, and its fun to try and be a part of that.  

What are some of your favorite songs that you've recorded that best encapsulate your sound?

That's a really tough question, because all of them are important to us in different ways.  Each song was written for a specific reason, and our hope is that they all work together as one piece, as well as individually.  Not to cop out on the answer, because we already did that part, but all of them.  We really try not to be one specific sound, and we hope others will think so as well! 

If you could trade places with any musician, who would it be?

Probably Hillary Duff.

What sorts of things do you like to do in your spare time for leisure when not making music?

We love hanging out outside, and eating.  Lots of eating and cooking.  We are also athletic types, so anything active.  

What can we look forward to from you two musically this year, any upcoming shows or material you'd like to promote?

Less is More will be releasing our first album, Amid the Flowers, our Kickstarter account will be up and running soon, and we will be going on tour with two of our best friends!  Our website, beautifully and graciously created by Alex Essex, has all of our updates, both musical and other. You can find that, and sign up for the newsletter with updates at Lessismoreband.com. 

Lastly, how has music changed each of you individually to this point?

Brian: Incredibly. I grew up playing sports and in fact was going to choose a career where I would be on track to be an athletic director.  After I finished my fourth year of football at Albion College my focus completely changed.  Due to the fact that music is so physically and emotionally powerful, I couldn't stay out of it.  That's when I decided to pursue it full throttle and haven't stopped since.  

Jane: I have been playing music for my entire life, but I have only been doing it publicly for the last four years. Ever since I first took the performances from my room to an audience, I haven't wanted to do anything else.  I think we all have ways in which we best express and understand ourselves, and I feel incredibly lucky to have found mine.  Music changes me in a different way after each experience, and I just find more ways to love the adventure.  

Thanks once again to Brian and Jane of Less Is More for being so awesome in doing this interview. It's a beautiful thing to see two people who are deeply in love create such honest and thought provoking music together that really signifies the emotional bond that develops from either playing or listening to music with someone else. For more info on Less Is More, 'Like' them on Facebook here and give them a follow on Twitter over here.

Interview w/ Jared from Jared & The Mill

Presenting to you today an interview with Jared Kolesar, frontman for the Arizona based folk rock outfit Jared & The Mill. The indie-folk group have been rising slowly and steadily within the past year, releasing their debut album titled "Western Expansion" to a receptive audience, and are currently out on tour right now as we speak opening up for Barry Gibb of Bee Gees fame on his U.S. tour. Jared was nice enough to devote some time out of his busy schedule to do this interview, as we talk about the group's beginnings and how their musical influences have shaped and enrich their current sound that has made them who they are today. Here is the transcript from our chat:

Give us your names and your roles in the band?

Jared Kolesar - Lead Vocals / Rhythm Guitar

Larry Gast III - Lead Guitar

Michael Carter - Banjo / Mandolin

Chuck Morris - Upright Bass / Bass Guitar

Josh Morin - Drums Percussion

Gabe Hall Rodrigues - Accordion / Keyboard

How did you guys all meet and when did the group form?

In the late spring of 2011, I wanted to start a band, and we played a show at The Clubhouse in Tempe, AZ in June of that year.  Mike had been friends since the 7th grade.  Josh and Larry had been friends for just as long.  and Larry and Chuck had been around each other and music since they were kids when their dads would play gigs together.  Gabe was added to the band after I recognized him in a coffee shop and asked him if he wanted to play accordion in a folk-rock outfit.

How would you describe your sound to those who aren't familiar with you?

Our specific genre is southwestern indie-folk-rock.  It's like taking the modern folk music revival and mixing it with American Indie-Rock and just a touch of country music.

What music inspired you while growing up and how has it manifested itself in your music and lyrics?

I know it's cliche, but I listened to a little bit of everything and was impacted by all of it.  My songwriting was very much influenced by Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel, as well as come of the old cowboys like Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and the like.

What themes and/or subject matter typically revolve around your music?

The lyrics I write are pulled from the life I live, my writing started as a way to deal with my social anxieties and my self worth issue.  Once I matured and got over the angst of being young I started to revel in my youth and write about the excitement of becoming a grown up and finding purpose in fellowship, love, family, and life in general.

How does it feel to be opening up for Barry Gibb on tour and how influential has his work been on your group?

To be opening up for Barry Gibb is as exciting as it is daunting.  It's definitely a jump up in crowd size from any show we've ever played for.  I think we're up to the challenge and we all really look forward to playing for so many people who have no experience with our tunes, for a lot of them it will be the first time hearing of us, it's way cool.  Everybody has heard of the Bee Gees and Barry is the 5th highest selling artist of all time or something like that, we're going to learn so much from this tour and I'm certain Barry is going to be a great mentor for us in terms of being a professional working musician.

Take us behind the recording process for "Western Expansion", how that all came together and what the experience was like?

Western Expansion was very much our baby upon it's recording, we were so proud to see where our music had come since starting out and our passions manifested on that record.  It's really inspiring every time we listen to W.E. as a band.  The song list of the record is a collection of songs that we had been playing since forming as a band, as well as songs we had just written a month before going into the studio, it gives the listener a really great idea of who we are as artists.

For fun, what do you guys like to do to unwind away from music and the road?

We all pretty much agree on camping and Star Wars.  But other than that we really enjoy showing each other songs that we've written and taking drives around our beautiful state.  We're all born and bread Zoni's (Arizona natives) and we really love the land we're wrought from.

What's coming up on tap for this year after you finish your tour?

There really is just a whole lot of touring in our near future, we hope to continue growing our fanily (fan-family… I just came up with that so forgive me if it's lame) and we hope to just keep doing what we're doing, our growth has been really natural since we formed and we hope it continues this way.

Lastly, how has performing and making music together shaped you all individually?

We've all grown up as individuals since we started this journey, I personally have really gained my confidence as an entertainer, and as a writer.  I can't wait to showcase this growth on our next album! We hope to hit the studio next year sometime.

Thanks once again to Jared for being so gracious with his time in doing this interview! His band contains some exceptionally talented musicians and their knack for creating such harmonious rhythms upon dynamic instrumentation has made them one of the must see up and coming acts in music today. Don't forget to catch them in concert opening up for Barry Gibb when the tour stops by Boston at the TD Garden on May 15.

Exclusive Interview w/ Sulene

Today, we present to you an exclusive interview with Sulene from Helicopria! You may remember the review I did of her debut solo EP "Holding Words Back" a couple of months ago, and Sulene was gracious enough to devote some time out of her ever hectic schedule to chat with us and discuss a little bit about the genesis of that album. We also talk about what inspired her to step out on her own solo, and how music has changed her outlook on life and what drives her to achieve success each and every day. Here is the transcript from that interview:

Give us your name and what instruments you regularly play?

My name's Sulene and I predominantly play guitar and sing. I also pretend I can play piano, drums and bass.

How did you first become interested in music, what was your earliest recollection?

I grew up with music around me - my mom is a classical pianist. I heard her practicing every day and my father is very musical too. I would spend hours every day just writing chord progressions and little pieces on our piano and eventually I dug up an old acoustic guitar and violin. When I was 14 my parents bought me an electric guitar and drum set and then the basement-jamming bands started and never really ended, I guess. I can't really pinpoint an earliest memory of music - it was as much a part of growing up for me as learning to read and write.

Do you find music to be therapeutic in nature and how has it helped you in the past?

Absolutely. I often joke that if I didn't create art if some way, I'd be a horribly depressed person. I started writing songs and poetry when I went through my awkward teenage years. The songs serve as a journal, I never really wrote in journals, and when I listen back I can hear myself slowly figuring life out, my purpose, how to fit in. Music saves me on a daily basis. I'm a hyperactive person, and I find when I can't direct all my energy bursting out of me towards something positive, I tend to resort to destructive habits. I'm very thankful to have found something I can honestly say is more of a lifestyle than career.

What inspired you to step out on your own with your debut solo EP "Holding Words Back"? Did you think about doing this for awhile?

Before writing Holding Words Back I'd written about 3 or 4 EPs prior which I never put out, I'd even demoed all of them. My priorities lay with the two bands I'd been in for the last 5 years - Helicopria and Super Prime. After putting out 5 records with these groups, as well as several film scores, I took off the summer after graduation and let the EP write itself. I just had to be available and ready. I was surprised by what came out; stylistically, lyrically, and the message. It had all been so pent up for months and months.

What are the primary differences between your music and the stuff you did with Helicopria?

Helicopria's music comes from a very different place from my own. JP, Drew, Sirma (precious vocalist), Allison (previous vocalist), Elijah (precious guitarist) and I were setting out to do something extremely unique. We had the interesting merge of neo soul/groove from our fantastic rhythm section, paired with angst/darkness/real stories from our singers and I pretty much offered the raw, punk element, paired with my ideas about composition, along with Elijah's progressive rock talent. Helicopria was looking to push challenge musical boundaries, whereas my music looks to challenge psychological boundaries. Unique, out-there music is an important part of musical growth for any artist, but my music serves as a vessel for a message, or several messages. I want someone to hear a song like "Lovers Lost" and by the end of it have been challenged with a new concept - maybe when a relationship between two people doesn't work out it's not so much about the failed integration, but the failure to love oneself and stand on your own, alongside someone else. I want people to feel less alone; as I mentioned above, I struggled as a teen and Thom Yorke, Matt Bellamy, Jeff Buckley and Jimi became my therapy. I want people to be able to relate to my music, and I want a direct connection with them on stage. This is why I play a lot of covers, why I don't get tied to guitar effects anymore, and why I decided to put my own music under my own name. Here I am, what you see is what you get.

Take us behind the recording for "Holding Words Back" and what that whole experience was like?

I mentioned the EP sort of wrote itself and this is very similar for the recording process. I was learning production techniques over the summer and was asked to record a song for the producer I was learning from. After that, it turned into three songs and we'd generally do 2-6 am recording sessions. I first did full mock-ups of all my songs and then found the right musicians. We recorded all my guitar parts in a huge room with a Mesa Boogie and Les Paul. Clean guitar parts and some leads were done on my strat. Vocals were done after my move to Brooklyn, New York, on my own in my windowless loft bedroom. I was still too shy to record vocal parts in front of a producer. Emmett Ceglia and Dan Alport killed it on drums and bass. After that all the tracks were sent to my mix engineer CJ Cochran, who did a wonderful job polishing the record.

What is your favorite song off the new effort that you're most proud of?

Purgatory is probably my favorite. It's also super fun to play live.

In your spare time besides music, what do you like to do for fun and to unwind?

Any down time I have I try to spend with my friends or band - I don't see them as much as I'd like. I also like to skate.

Looking ahead this year, what kinds of things will you be doing in support of the new effort?

Over the summer I have some shows lined up on the east coast, and we're almost finished writing our second release. We're hoping to start recording some ideas in the coming months.

Lastly, is this solo career going to be a permanent adjustment or is this just a temporary foray and do you ever intend on returning to Helicopria at some point?

I'm still in Helicopria. We're looking at making a full length produced by our bassist Drew in the next year or so. Our schedules are a bit crazy for the next while. But yes, my solo career is a permanent commitment. I can't think of a better way to spend my life than composing, being on stage and connecting with people.

Thanks once again to Sulene for being ever so amazing in doing this interview. She is an insanely talented and incredibly beautiful woman with a veracious appetite for music and everything associated with it. This is only the beginning of an extraordinary career for Sulene that will transcend boundaries never before crossed. For more info on Sulene, 'Like' her on Facebook here and follow her on Twitter over here.

Interview w/ Andy and Foley from As It Is

Wrapping up the week with an interview with one-half of the Brighton, U.K. based band As It Is. These guys have been a favorite of mine for some time now, and their blend of British pop-punk is some of the most honest and refreshing music that I've heard in quite some time. Andy and Foley were nice enough to devote some time out of their busy schedules to talk about how the group first got started and what they love the most about being in a band together. Here is the transcript from that interview:

Give us your names and what you guys do in the band? 

Ali - Bass, Andy - Guitar, Ben - Guitar, Foley - Drums and Patty - Vocals

How did you all come together to form the group? 

Foley: Andy and Patty met first through joinmyband.com with the intention of starting a pop-punk band. Although nothing materialized, the two still kept in touch and when Patty met Ben (who was also keen on starting a pop-punk band) at university the three came together to start jamming/writing. I (Foley) was then auditioned also through joinmyband.com and as soon we all began to play it just seemed right. Finally, Ali joined most recently through Andy as both were also at university together.

How would you describe your sound to those who aren't familiar with the group?

Foley: Well we’ve been described as a mix between The Wonder Years, Transit and State Champs which I was very happy with. However, I am sure Ben would insist on me mentioning the Early November and Taking BackSunday.  So yeah, maybe a sub genre that encompasses the use of emotional and self deprecating lyrics backed by catchy guitar lines and pop-punk drum beats.

What were some of your earliest memories listening to music growing up and how has it shaped you to this day?

Foley: I was brought up in a household where music was the focal point of almost every occasion, which is why it has always been very important to me. I was always a sucker for anything with a good beat or bass riff. – especially the Big Band genre where the drumming would always blow me away i.e. the legend that is Buddy Rich. However, I remember starting secondary school and borrowing a friends compilation cd and stumbling across Fat Lip by Sum 41 which had me hooked on pop-punk instantly. It was from that day onwards that I knew I wanted to play pop-punk music so I learnt how to play drums and started a band with a friend where all we would do is play songs [pretty badly] by Yellowcard, NFG and Blink.

What is the U.K. music scene like at this very moment, what are some of the positives and challenges facing it?

Andy: I think the UK music scene is really healthy. Maybe a little too healthy in places with so many gigs happening each night in major cities across the UK that it can be a little hard to stand out. However I think this is forcing bands and artists to push themselves to make their voices heard and this can only be a good thing.

Describe the recording process for "This Mind of Mine" and what the whole experience was like for everyone?


Foley: The recording process of ‘This Mind of Mine’ was completely new to each and every one of us as the previous EP was pretty much self engineered in Patty’s loft. We were extremely fortunate to be in a position this time round as, through Kickstarter, we were able to head out to Stakeout Studios to complete the process properly this time; so heart felt thanks goes out to all those who pledged. Whilst recording, I would say that we would all collectively agree that we learnt an awful lot about each other as it can be an extremely high pressured environment. However, we all seemed to compliment and support each other, which is why we all survived the process.

What is your favorite song off "This Mind of Mine" that you're especially proud of? 


Foley: We are all so proud of ‘This Mind of Mine’ and even more grateful for the response it has had amongst people. However, if I were to pick a particular song off of the EP I would have to say ‘Bitter, Broken, Me’. The reason being is that its fast, punchy and upbeat so great fun to play live.

A few of you guys appeared shirtless for Critical Wave's "In The Tub" series, can you describe what that whole experience was like? 

Andy: Haha yeah it was great fun! We’d seen other bands do those interviews and thought it was an awesome idea. I’d say the experience was actually relatively normal. Living together on the road for long periods of time you inevitably end up seeing, accidentally (or sometimes purposely for more outgoing members of the band) more of each other than you’d care too.

What's on tap for you guys for the rest of the year, planning any shows in the U.S. sometime in the near future? 

Andy: The plans for the rest of this year is writing and touring. And lots of it! No plans to visit the US just yet. But we’re really hoping that it might happen sooner rather than later.

Lastly, what does being in this band mean to you personally?

Andy:  Personally being in this band means getting the chance to go to new places, see new things and meet new people with my friends while playing the music that I love. It’s really as simple as that.

Thanks once again to Foley and Andy for taking some time out to do this interview! I truly love the depth and quality of talent that is constantly emanating from the U.K., and it's great to hear directly from those acts and get a feel for what the scene is like over there in the London area and draw comparisons to our own music scene here in the States. For more info on As It Is, 'Like' them on Facebook here and follow them on Twitter here. 

Interview w/ Calan Mai

Have another entry in my ongoing artist interview series ready for you today! We're going to head down to Queensland, Australia and upon the folk infused sounds of Calan Mai. You may remember the post I did on him a couple of weeks back promoting his debut single, "We've Got Love" and I praised him for his authenticity and hauntingly beautiful lyricism that shows how immensely talented he is and how passionate he is about his craft as well. Calan was nice enough to carve some time out of his busy schedule to do an interview for us to get to know him a little better personally, and understand where his interest in music is rooted from. Here is the transcript from that interview:

Give us your name and where you're originally from?

My name is Jordan Lawrence and I’m from the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. I perform under the pseudonym Calan Mai.

What is your earliest recollection of listening to music at a young age?

My earliest recollection of listening to an album was probably around eight or nine years old when Mum bought me a copy of ‘Americana’ by The Offspring. That was the first time I got a sense that different genres of music had completely different attitudes and ideas behind them. 

Otherwise, the first song I remember really loving was ‘Heal the World’ by Michael Jackson. I was six.

When did you begin to realize that you wanted to become a musician?

I think there’s a difference between realising you want to learn how to play music and realising you want to be a ‘musician’, that is – realising you want to pursue music as your primary vocation. I realised I wanted to play music when I was 13 years old. At the time, my mate J.B. lived in a house that was going to be torn down to make way for one of those pristine, grey, gated housing estates that are all over the coast now. We were drawing pictures of dicks and waves on the walls of his bedroom and listening to Led Zeppelin when, out of the blue, I just decided I was going to learn guitar. Must have been Jimmy’s sweet licks.

I realised I wanted to be a musician when I met my managers, Adam and Nathan Lyons. That was less than two years ago.

What was the first song you've ever been personally affected by and how does it resonate with you to this date?

That’s a difficult question! I think the first song I remember really hitting hard was ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright’ by Bob Dylan. That song knocked me sideways. Dylan has a way of being aloof and romantic at the same time. I still haven’t figured out how he does that.

Describe the recording process of "We've Got Love" and what inspired the lyrics and is it based on real-life events?

"We’ve Got Love" was the first song we recorded from my upcoming EP ‘Days on the Rock Face’. We recorded it in a weekend and the process was a massive learning curve for me. The lyrics are about my friends and family. It’s 100% based on real-life events.

Who were some of your favorite artists while growing up and how have they helped shape the man you are today?

Obviously Dylan. He’s a big one. Counting Crows were another band that really affected my songwriting process. Adam Duritz’ lyrics seem pre-written to me – like he’s written them on their own without music in mind. The songs are poems. The melodies, while wonderful, seem like a bonus. I would happily just read what he has to say – that’s how good a lyricist he is. For a long time I wrote lyrics in a vacuum - away from the guitar, away from singing. In the last year or so that’s changed. 

What is the music scene like in Australia and what genres are most popular down there?

To be honest, I’m not as aware of the Australian music scene as I’d like to be. It seems like this ‘folk resurgence’ (which is really more of a ‘banjos and suspenders resurgence’) is still going strong. So I’ll ride that wave as long as I can, I guess. But I don’t think I’ll be donning an accordion and waistcoat any time soon. 

The indie and electro scenes are probably at the forefront though. Who knows? I’m not going to pretend I know what I’m talking about.

For fun in your spare time, what do you like to do for fun and leisure, any sports you enjoy playing?

I grew up surfing all over the Gold Coast. I don’t do that much anymore. In my spare time I like to read or watch movies, go for long drives and spend time with friends.

What can we expect from you this year in terms of music, any new recordings or performances coming up down the road?

This year I’ll be releasing two more singles and my EP ‘Days on the Rock Face’. The EP will be released around July.

Lastly, what do you enjoy about playing and making music?

I enjoy getting to be a part of something new. ‘Making’ anything original, whether it’s a song, a painting, a dance – however crudely or clumsily you go about it – is, in my opinion, the best reason to be alive. I hope to do it for as long as I can. 

Thanks once again to Calan for being so gracious with his time in doing this interview. I can honestly say that his music is some of the most honest and beautiful music I've heard in quite some time, and I have high hopes for his career moving forward. For more information on Calan Mai, 'Like' him on Facebook here and follow him on Twitter over here. Check out "We've Got Love" on his Soundcloud page right here.

Interview w/ Benjamin Christensen, Writer for Hats and Tats & Oakland A's Enthusiast

With baseball season rearing its head and just around the corner, we have another interview primed and ready for the masses! Today, we sit down with Benjamin Christensen, founder and writer for his own blog Hats and Tats and a devoted Oakland Athletics supporter. Ben was kind and gracious enough to devote some time out of his increasingly busy schedule to touch up on a few baseball and music related topics as we talk about what the A's need to do this year to go deeper in the playoffs, and what inspired him to write his own blog Hats and Tats, a site devoted to his ever growing baseball hat collection. Here is my interview with the majestically bearded and heavily tattooed individual:

Can you give us your name and what site you write for?

Benjamin Christensen. I write for eDraft Sports, Fantasy Trade 411 and I have my own blog at: hatsandtats.blogspot.com

How did you first become interested in journalism and writing?

I first got into writing when I was 13-years-old. My teachers were impressed with not only my ability to spell, but that I knew the definitions of and how to use $10-words in a complete sentence. From there my general curiosity and desire to learn combined with my writing talent around the time I was 16, which also happened to be the time I discovered Hunter S. Thompson. I had never felt so connected to a journalist, even a Gonzo journalist, at any other point in my life, and it's then that I understood that journalism goes beyond the newspaper and network news broadcasts. It's about hitting the streets, interacting with everyone around you and developing relatable stories.

What is your earliest recollection of seeing baseball either in person or on TV?

My earliest recollection of baseball came in the form of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. I have yet to view a more intense, heartbreaking game since.

What do the Oakland A's mean to you personally and how have they helped shape the person you are today?

The Oakland A's, much like the Boston Red Sox, are more than a team, they're the life-blood of the city and its people. I found myself drawn to them because they were a bit flashier than the Giants. Seeing Canseco and McGwire hitting bombs and then finishing it up with the “bash” warped my mind for life, in all the best ways possible.

What are your hopes for the A's going into this season, do you think they can duplicate the success they had last year?

I don’t have any doubt that we can win the American League West title for a third straight year, but my concern is whether or not we’ll have to face the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS. If there was a way I could sell an organ to keep that from happening, I totally would. They’ve been the bane of our existence since 2006 as well have lost EVERY series we’ve played against them since then.

Talk about your site Hats and Tats and the concept surrounding it?

The blog actually started out as a tool to put in a better habit of writing every single day. Due to the fact that I collect New Era Caps and had so many of them, I felt that it was perfect subject material because I could write about something new, but keep consistent every single day. The first month-and-a-half I focused all of the attention on: where and when I got the hat, a history of when the hat was used by the particular team and then finally a story which pertained to the numbers I wrote on each cap. The numbers stood as my personal tribute to the players/fans/teams that each hat represents and the particular time period in which it was used. Once I got into February (2013) I noticed that my stores became a bit more longwinded as I had been keeping all of these great stories from my love affair with baseball locked up. As I started adding more depth and personal twang to each story I noticed that they were getting better, as was the public response.

If you were up at bat for the Athletics, what would your personal walk up song be?

I’ve actually thought about this question for the last decade or so and finally came up with a solid answer: “Don’t Speak (I Came to Make a Bang)” by Eagles of Death Metal.

What kind of music do you listen to regularly in your spare time? Any favorite artists and/or genres?

I will listen to almost everything, but my biggest influences fall in the punk, classic rock categories. If I could see ANY band perform live with all of its best/original members it would definitely be The Ramones. Even though I’m a huge Rolling Stones, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, etc. fan. No band has influenced and made me love life as much as The Ramones have.

How can people read your site and contact you via social media?

I tend to use the name Shakabrodie for everything these days, so that would be the best way to get ahold of me on Twitter and Instagram. As far as my blog is concerned, it's at: hatsandtats.blogspot.com

Lastly, what is one thing you would like people to know about you? 

Contrary to how much of a madman I look like on TV and in photos, I’m probably one of the most grounded people I know. For some weird reason looking like a member of the Manson Family has served my goal of bringing fans back to baseball. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Thanks once again to my friend Ben Christensen for taking some time out to do this interview! When I first saw him on the MLB Fan Cave about two years ago, I was impressed with his knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm for the game of baseball ( and also his amazing beard), and I made it my mission to become friends with him and I'm so glad we bonded together over our observations of baseball over Twitter. And mark my words, me and Ben will attend an Oakland A's game at Fenway this year! Follow Ben on Twitter up at the link above, and get to know him as well as I have and you'll find an extremely vibrant and dedicated individual who loves life and baseball as much as I do.

Interview w/ Emmett and Kat from Sugar Bomb

Have another interview to add to my ever growing collection of past Artist Spotlight alumni! Today, we sit down with Emmett Ceglia and Kat Hamilton, drummer and frontwoman respectively for the Boston based band called Sugar Bomb. The band is currently living in Brooklyn right now, but the members all attended Berklee College of Music where they got their schooling in how to properly master the musical art and properly articulate their musical message to the crowd, which has so far being received quite well. The two were nice enough to sit down and chat on how the band first got started, where they plan on going forward, and why Emmett loves taking off his shirt so much while up on stage. Here is the transcript from our little chat:

Give us your names and your positions in the band?

My name is Emmett Ceglia, and I am the drummer and co-founder of Sugar Bomb!. Moreover, I am equally Kat's right hand man and devil's advocate, constantly challenging what the band is and pushing the envelope. We're not really similar at all but that constant compromise between us makes us a tremendous duo; if Kat's the Sugar, then I am the Bomb!, exclamation point and all.

My name is Kat Hamilton, and I am the co-founder and front woman of Sugar Bomb! I also write the songs, although we have been co-writing a lot lately.  Since the first album is about my life, I guess I would say I am also the center of the band. I am the pink pants behind the operation ;)

How did you guys meet and when did the band form?

Emmett: This band's history is insane. It has enough characters to cast its own broadway production, and so being Kat and I debate the exact timeline all the time, I won't involve too many precise dates.

She and I met at Berklee's Slam Poetry Club, and I truly found her annoying. Holy hell. However, after getting to know each other through the crucible that is Slam, we found we both had at least one common interest, Pop-Punk, and after that, Kat invited me to rehearse with a band she was apparently putting together. I was skeptical, but I bleed Pop-Punk so that reason alone was enough for me to give it a shot.

It was a bit of a train wreck. There were 6 people in that room, including a violin, and that day ended up being the only time we'd get together at all. And with that, I figured Sugar Bomb! was just another extinct experiment, a fun one with possibilities, but really not anything more.

An entire year went by until Kat approached me again about restarting this band. Thankfully, whatever we threw at the wall started sticking, and we had Sugar Bomb! 2.0 on our hands. We paired things down to just four members, and strung it together just tightly enough to put together an EP. Things started to wash out on us again pretty much right after I'd recorded my drum tracks, but at least we had something to shop around. The two of us were pretty lukewarm on the whole thing, but people actually liked it! Finally, we had some ground to run on and a direction to run in, and with that behind us, Sugar Bomb! was actually given the chance to grow into what we have now.

Kat: So, I approached him about being my drummer because, to be honest, he seemed like the first person who took me seriously. All I had were a couple of poorly drawn out lead sheets for Meteor Shower and Under Your Spell (which are both on our upcoming album) Also, at that time I had also had a reputation at Berklee for being a bit of a joke. I don’t think people thought I would end up actually graduating, so when I started recruiting people for the “Kat Hamilton Band”, I think they assumed it would be a massive fail. Funny enough, the first ever “Sugar Bomb! Rehearsal” was for all intensive purposes, a massive fail! We played with any person who said they would do it and I spend the majority of that rehearsal underprepared, frazzled with no direction. We stopped for a while until the beginning of 2012 or so when I asked Emmett to revisit the project. We recorded the E.P, which made me force myself book our first show in our school cafeteria. For as much as Emmett and I bicker like an old married couple, I will always respect him for jumping on board this crazy train. After the E.P it only became more apparent that this was not just the “Kat Hamilton Band”, but that Emmett and I were a team. Since, we have had endless lineup changes, but we consider Marshall Biever as well as Tom Shani, to be our core lineup. We still chat with those two all the time!

What is the origin of the name 'Sugar Bomb!' for your band?

Emmett: I don't know where it came from originally, somewhere deep in the sticky pink mess of Kat's brain I suppose. We debated the name for quite some time; however, it does sum up what we are the best without giving it all away or having some part of the female anatomy involved.

Kat: As I recall, I was having dinner with my mentor, Caroline, and our friends James and Sarah with the name first came up. Someone at the dinner called me a Sugar Bomb, referencing my intense and often abrasive, but sweet personality, and the name just lodged itself in the back of my mind.

At first the name, to me, represented the music. Sweet and sour, dark and positive, a Sugar Bomb! is the juxtaposition of opposing ideas. Just like Emmett and I, LOL. After he came in the picture, our dynamic was the Sugar Bomb.

Describe your sound to those who may not be too familiar with you guys?

Emmett: It's like the 80's, Nirvana, and Green Day all got together in a blender and had a chopped-up-body-fluids pool party.

Kat: I’d say it’s a little No Doubt, A little bit Runaways, and The Distillers “Coral Fang” had a huge impact on how I wanted the record to sound. Lots of girl power!

Who are some of your musical inspirations from a young age?

Emmett: It depends on how young we're talking, because that can of worms could include Kindergarten, and I'm not about to reveal Backstreet Boys in public...oh wait... My general approach to drumming comes from always wanting to be like my favorite drummer, Tre Cool of Green Day, who is also my favorite band. From there though, things get strange seeing as I'm really not a fan of radio-Pop music at all. Although, I did always dream of crashing the party and fucking shit up, so I guess that's what I'm doing here.

Kat: Stevie Nicks, was a big one. I used to put on a silk robe and twirl around my room to dreams. I also loved Bikini Kill, Green Day, The Ramones and the Sex Pistols. Nirvana also had a huge impact on me, especially Nevermind. I can be very old school!

How do your individual personalities contribute to the success of the band?

Emmett: Like I mentioned earlier, it's the fairly stark contrast between Kat and I that drives things along. In a musical sense, she's trying to make things more welcoming for the audience, and not that they don't matter, but I say fuck the audience, let's get as crazy as we can. The music benefits by being both listenable on surface level as well as a more detailed one: the audience gets to engage how they wish and we get to go ham and engage ourselves as musicians. Bottom line with Sugar Bomb!, everyone gets the chance to win.

Kat: Emmett and I are the definition of polar opposites, but it makes the band dynamic very intriguing. He’s Blunt, Opinionated, and very Hardcore. I’m sort of Dreamy, Hyper and I can be a bit of an airhead in a good way!

The music is a marriage of those qualities. I actually joke all the time about how Emmett is my platonic husband, since I don't really swing that way.

Many of our previous band members personalities color the music as well. Marshall is this kind, optimistic and jolly, ray of light. Tom was the master of funky and laid back. Joe, resembled a kid on a candy bender on stage. I'm really excited to see what how the new kids influence the music. 

I also bring a lot of my pop influence to the table. The songs are all essentially pop songs, that we then fuck up with a sledgehammer.

Now Emmett, you have a reputation for being the shirtless one, how did that all start and how does performing without a shirt make you feel?

It's a reputation I enjoy! I do it because drumming, at the least the way I'm doing it, is an athletic event, and so I sweat quite a bit, usually until glistening. I've been taking it off since high school, so the better part of my career actually. A wet shirt is restricting, so I take it off and bam!, problem solved - I get to be the free flailing maniac I always imagine I am. Any other positive outcomes are purely icing on the cake, but I love them all the same because let's be honest with ourselves, cake without icing sucks, hard.

For fun, what do you guys like to do away from the stage, any fun activities/adventures?

Emmett: I enjoy fantasizing about changing the country as a future president, cooking, watching educational YouTube and anime, fantasizing about owing a hedgehog, kayaking, hugging, stand-up comedying, and supporting women's emotional needs.

Kat: My answer will probably sound like dating profile. I love to cook and drink beer, my brother and sister are both chefs so I hold little iron chef competitions, with myself. I’m obsessed with the television show, My so called life. I also love to exercise: Running, Dancing, Jumping, Prancing, Competitive Chatting. Otherwise I spend a lot of time panicking about the future, for fun.

What's coming up next for the band, any shows coming in the near future to the Boston area?

Emmett: Up next is our first show in six months, finally! We'll be playing at Arlene's Grocery onMarch 4th. We also have a new guitarist and bassist finally!! You'll all get to meet them very soon. They're adorable. Then our second single "Kiss Me" and it's subsequent music video will be arriving, so stay tuned for a four minute make out session. In April we're finally playing with our fellow Brooklyn Pop-Punk/Emo companions in Sulene.
Lastly, our debut album, "Sugar Bomb!," is due out before the summer FINALLY!!! There's quite a bit of "finally" with this band. That puppy's been on quite a journey, so we're excited (relieved really) to get it out into the world.

As far as Boston goes, I have no idea when we'll be back there. Hopefully before the year's out. It's where it all began, and we have so many friends still living there so what better excuse to go see them?

Kat: I’m hoping we will hold a CD release there. But we are trying to find a venue that will let us bring pie ;)

Lastly, what is the one thing you'd like everyone to know about your band?

Emmett: Trigger Warning: we've got a lot of feelings to share. We hope we can have mutually beneficial and consensual feelings intercourse with all of you.

Kat: That we love what we do, each other and you. And that you should come to our show at Arlenes Grocery. March 4^th!


Thanks once again to Emmett and Kat for being so awesome and gracious with their time in doing this interview! They both have a clear artistic vision of where they want their music to go, and I could tell from first listen that they have the necessary components to make it, they just need to catch their big break which is not too far away. For more on their music, 'Like' them on Facebook here and follow them on Twitter here, and don't forget to catch their performance at Arlene's Grocery in NYC on March 4th if you live there or plan to make a road trip there.

Interview w/ Jared Carrabis of SoxSpace

With baseball season creeping up just around the corner, I'll be doing some interviews over the next couple of weeks with some sports insiders as the beginning of the season come closer. Today, we do an interview with Jared Carrabis, founder and editor in chief of SoxSpace. If you're not familiar with SoxSpace, it's the most indepth source of information about the World Champion Boston Red Sox on the planet, with Jared's immense likability and humor injected into every single article that portrays stories better than they do on the afternoon sports talk radio shows. Jared took some time out of his increasingly busy schedule as SoxSpace returned after a brief hiatus to talk about the site's beginnings, his thoughts about the Red Sox going into this year, and a few music related questions thrown in for good measure. Here is the transcript from our chat:

Give us your name and your role at Soxspace?

My name is Jared Carrabis, and I am the founder and Editor-in-Chief at SoxSpace. I’m in charge of all of the content that goes on the site, and I manage the staff of writers.

When was your earliest recollection of becoming interested in baseball?

I’ve loved baseball for as long as I can remember. It was the only sport I played my whole life. I played from tee-ball, all the way until I was in my early 20’s. It was all I cared about when I was little and obviously that hasn’t changed much.

How old were you when you attended your first Sox game and what kind of impression did that leave on you?

It was July of 1997 against the Florida Marlins. They went on to win the World Series that year, so not a bad first opponent to see, either. I was eight years old, and I just remember being in awe of how huge the Green Monster was in real life. I had seen it on TV a million times, but you don’t really realize how big it is until you see it in person. And when you’re a little kid, everything seems ten times bigger than it actually is. I became addicted to the atmosphere and I’ve been going back for my fix ever since.

What inspired you to start Soxspace and how did it evolve over time?

It all happened by chance. I had a MySpace decked out in Red Sox pictures, and I got a message from a guy who had a MySpace page with a couple thousand “friends” and they were all Red Sox fans. He said he didn’t have the time to do anything with it and that he thought I would do a better job with it. I changed the name of the page to SoxSpace, applied my makeshift HTML skills to decorate it a little bit and started writing original blogs, and it took off. We went from around 2,000 friends when I took it over to over 100,000 in two years.

When MySpace started going downhill, I didn’t want the ride to be over, so I made a deal with Sully’s Brand that if they designed me a website that I would give them free advertising. That’s how the first site came to be. Then a few years later, I got picked up by the New England Baseball Journal, but I hated that. I can be Jared and write for print or another online media outlet with no issues, but I didn’t like being SoxSpace and having to answer to someone. If I don’t have complete creative control over SoxSpace then it’s not SoxSpace. After a year of hosting SoxSpace with Sports Reel Boston in 2013, I decided to launch SoxSpace independently again, and I launched SoxSpaceBoston.com in February.

Describe the experience attending the Sox World Series clinching game and the roller coaster surrounding the team from the year prior?

It was one of the most emotional nights of my life. I honestly felt like I was living in a movie that night. It’s one of those things that you always hope and dream that you’ll get to be a part of, but you never actually think it will happen. I obviously put my experience that night into greater detail on SoxSpace later that night, but it was just a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget and always appreciate.

Talk about the relaunch of Soxspace and why you took a break from it for awhile?

The relaunch of SoxSpace has been a dream come true for me. A lot of fan blogs that started out on MySpace went down with the ship, so to still be doing this in 2014 is an accomplishment in its own right. But I am extremely proud of what we’ve come up with for a new website this time around. And this is also the first time that SoxSpace will be operating with a full staff of writers. I must admit, it is a little weird for me right now to see someone other than me be saying, “Check out my post on SoxSpace,” but it is a welcomed change.

I walked away from the whole writing thing for a little bit because I had to reprioritize things. When I started SoxSpace at the age of 16, I kind of put all of my eggs into one basket. I was going to write for a living, and there was no Plan B. But around the time that I turned 24, I realized that it wasn’t a lifestyle that I wanted to live. A lot of these big-name writers are on the road and away from their families for significant periods of time and living in and out of hotels, living off of airport food, and that’s just not the life I wanted to live. I was also extremely bitter because of the way that I was treated by several people within the industry and thought it would be best to step away for a little while and finish college.

What kinds of music (artists & genres) do you listen to on a regular basis?

I was actually just talking about this today, how ridiculously random my taste in music is. I am a huge, huge, huge Pink Floyd and Beatles fan. I’ve seen Roger Waters twice, and I’ve seen both Australian Pink Floyd and Brit Floyd in concert. I love John Mayer, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, Johnny Cash, Metallica, Oasis, and Yellowcard. As far as the local music scene goes, I love Mojo Kick, and the Red Star Super Giant EP has been in my car’s CD player for months.

If you were up at bat in a Sox game, what would your walk up song be?

This is a great question, and the answer changes all the time. As of right this second, I would have to say that my walk-up song would be “Special Op” by Jim Johnston. I’m a huge WWE fan, and that’s the entrance team for a faction by the name of The Shield. Gets me amped up.

Where can everyone check out your articles and contact you via social media?

All of my articles can be found at SoxSpaceBoston.com, and I’m on Twitter @Jared_Carrabis and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SoxSpace

Lastly, how big of a role has music and/or sports had in your development as a person today?  

I’d be nothing without both of those things. Depending on what you like, music is just one of those things that make you feel so alive. There is absolutely nothing like going to see your favorite band play your favorite album live. Now, for me, there is nothing like seeing your favorite artist play your favorite song in your favorite place in the world, and that’s what I got to experience when I saw Paul McCartney at Fenway Park. So I guess there’s your cross between the two. As far as sports goes, that was how you made friends. Your friends were your teammates. Beyond that, sports have given me something to be passionate about. I think everyone needs something to be passionate about, and sports and music are it for me.

Thanks once again to my friend Jared Carrabis for taking some time out of his busy schedule to do this interview. I've had the opportunity and pleasure of meeting him in person at a couple of Red Star Super Giant shows, and he is probably the most driven, dedicated, and passionate individual I've ever met. His relentless pursuit of maintaining his writing career and transforming it into something that goes way beyond the confines of anything he's ever imagined has inspired me and countless others. Definitely take the time to check out Jared's site and his social media links as they were mentioned above.