Anticipating the End Interview by Paul Marino

Anticipating the End, you’re a band from New Jersey. I’m from New York, how would you describe your sound to someone who doesn’t locally know you?
I would describe our sound as something never heard before. We basically put our heads together with all of our influences and put them into this band. We are definitely alternative with some electronica and a mash of other genres because we have a lot of variety in our music. That's what makes our music and sound so unique esspecially at our age.

Your band is composed of six different members; is it difficult to maintain or does everyone play their own unique part?
Definitely; all I can say to anyone out there who's starting or is a starter in a band that it isn't easy. You can't just pick up an instrument and call yourself a musician, you gotta work your heart out and put your mind to the music. Getting everyone to practice is sometimes crazy because we're only 16 and well transportation is limited until we get our license. My message out to everyone is if you're gonna start a band with 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 guys just know you can't mess around, you gotta be serious and dedicated and you may end up like us, making a difference in the industry

Your song “Bravery” focuses very much on fighting against any hate or negativity. Was there a specific event that led to the composing of this song?
This song came together by one word, "3/4," meaning the time signature of the song. It's actually 6/8 but it's basically the same thing. The true meaning of the song was about bullying and how we all witnessed it infront of us. We just wanted to make a song people can relate to and be able to say "hey im not afraid to stand up for myself!" The lyrics say it all in the song, every word is true.

You recently got booked to play at Six Flags Great Adventure, how has that impacted you all as a band?
It has definitely pushed us to the point where we know we're on the verge to enter the music industry. Six Flags is a really big venue for us and only a few bands ever get to stand on that stage. We're honored to be one of those bands. we were always made fun of and told we wouldnt be anything so this is a big in your face to the people who said we werent good enough.

Is there a plan for an album release in the future?
Yes! The name will be announced very very soon, but we are anticipating for it to be released in the fall. Expect songs just as good as the ones we have up. We made sure they were all high caliber songs and that we add variety so people who like different sounds will have something of ours to enjoy.

Who are your main influences?
 Linkin Park, Muse, Pendulum, and Three Days Grace.

What’s the relationship with your fans like?
We love our fans so much. We are always open to more and having more activity on our facebook if it was possible. At this point in time I believe more will come and more gifts will be given to the really loyal ones.

Anthony, this is more of a personal question, rather than one for the band, but the song “Gone” is about a significant loss in your life. I don’t mean to ask a question that has probably been asked a thousand times but how did this event lead to the writing of the song and how has it affected your music career?
When I was 14 I loved to hangout with my neighbor, Adam. He was a drummer and he always loved jamming. So one day, I learned a song and we jammed. His friends and him showed me Linkin Park, and I was IN LOVE after I heard "Faint."

Two months later my dad passed away and I was crushed. It was such a bad time for me, but Adam was there. Then a month later he was gone, and I was all alone. Then I made ATE and added the members that are here today. We officialy started in January of 2012, but we were around in June of 2011. My dad was the real reason I came into music. I put passion and commitment into everything. I studied my butt off for two years and bam, I became who I am today. I wouldn't be anything without my dad, and thats why I wrote "Gone."



If there was a movie about Anticipating the End, which actors, if any, would portray each member of the band?
Anthony - John Travolta (young)
Russell - Matt Timmons
Tom - Michael Cera
Evan - Woody Harrelson (with glasses)
Danny - Ido Mosseri (from Zohan)
Kyle - Adam Sandler (maybe)

What are some bands that you guys would like to headline a tour or show with?
I mean, professionally I'd say Muse, Linkin Park, or Three Days Grace. Locally, I'd say Alter The Ending, 287, The First Law, Standby, and Forever Broken.

Is the band looking to get signed onto a record label or are you looking to produce your own music?
We're looking to get signed. We're actually on the hunt thanks to our promoters working hard on finding labels that fit us and also that will support us so we can make more music and be able to do more things. Right now we're in talks with some big labels but we aren't sure if we will choose them or the other one we find so you'll just have to wait and find out

Where does the song writing process usually start?
A melody or even simply someone presenting a new idea. We work off that,  dissect it, then rebuild it and add little things into it to give it that pop and ATE feel. We work with an underrated producer who reads our minds all the time and just makes magic happen.

In my interviews I like to randomly pit two pop culture and/or media figures against each other and find out the bands opinion on the outcome. So here it goes, in a bare knuckle brawl, who would win The Terminator or Iron Man?
I'd have to say the Terminator. That guy is crazy! He'll be back so.....



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Verbatim Album Review on 'What We're Made For'

Verbatim is a Staten Island band that I have had the pleasure of working with and playing shows with. They are a fantastic hardcore/metalcore band that blew me away the first time I saw them live. Comprised of vocalists, Keenan WIlliams and Peter Martingano, guitarists, Joe Bushman and David Lefcort, bassist, Marcin Hamielec, and drummer, Mike Giglia; these guys are doing exactly what they said they were on their Tumblr: "…We're here to take the world by storm."

Last week they released their first EP, What We're Made For, and as expected, it did not disappoint. 

The opening track of the EP, "Desire & I" is a strong foray into everything Verbatim has. It alternates between soft melodic parts with echoing vocals into transitions of heavy guitars and drum driven breakdowns through deep growls. The song is a plea to a girl name "Desire," before we learn of unfaithfulness and letdown spiraling the song into a frantic thrash breakdown with the singer whispering under the screams matching the themes perfectly.

"The Untamed Animoid Pt. 2" opens up much punkier than the rest of the album. However, the term punky is used loosely here as the song quickly changes into their metal core roots for the chorus. Throughout the track the dynamic of the vocals switch back and fourth nicely between the clean vocals and screams.

While this first track was almost seven minutes long, this song takes the listener further on a musical journey in shorter time making for one of the most unique musical experiences I've heard. Three minutes and on in this song is one of my favorite parts of a song ever.

Just when the song starts picking up, it cuts into a small dub step part, which then jumps into a quick breakdown followed by a slower one. Clean vocals come back in spoken word style while the music thrashes in the background. A bluesy interlude leads the song into perfect chaos, as it closes out melodically. 

The EP closes out with, "Deliverance." A monologue fits nicely over good guitar and bass work in the intro before erupting into screaming over wailing guitars. 

Toward the middle of the song, everything drops out and the song seems to end. Then a softer musical part enters in almost like a hidden track. At the end of this little interlude we are introduced to vocals going back and fourth along with a pulsing breakdown ending the song aggressively.

Overall this EP is a great dive into the local music scene and a great contribution to the metalcore genre. The production and quality is great as well as the skill and talent from the band. 

I've seen the band live before and they put on a great show, as well as show off their knack for dabbling into other styles of music. Live, I've seen them play some hip-hop/jazz instrumentals for Kenan to rap on, and they also used to have synth in their music which added so much to the sound. Overall my biggest complaint is that it was only three songs, but averaging around six minutes a song will have to do for now. So look out for Verbatim, and support them as they try to get on Warped Tour! 

http://warped.battleofthebands.com/u/Verbatim

Listen to the album on Soundcloud - http://soundcloud.com/verbatimtheband

https://www.facebook.com/Verbatimproject

https://twitter.com/#!/VerbatimBand

http://verbatimproject.tumblr.com/

Mikey Wax Interview by Paul Marino

How and where did you get your start? 

Well, if we're gonna be specific, I was eight. My dad was a piano player and taught me how to play my first piece of classical music. I started writing songs that were really bad, but I loved playing. Fast forward ten years or so, I released my first album in late 08' that spread pretty well on Facebook and Youtube. I got featured on the YouTube homepage and my album made the top-40 on the iTunes pop charts. I started touring based on that initial online fan base. 

At what point did you feel that what you're doing now became a full-time career? Providing that's how you feel about your music. 

After I released my first album I was working a day job and kind of sitting around in my apartment waiting for something to happen. I soon realized that I had to be touring and growing my fan base outside the online world to really have a future in music. I was able to support a few bigger artists on some east-coast tours due to the support I had from fans online. I started building it one fan at a time. What really made it full-time was when I put the word out about my first house concert tour two summers ago. I couldn't believe the response. I did around 60 house concerts in the span of two months, often doing two shows a day on Saturday's and Sundays. I started selling out of CD's and merch at these shows, and I was traveling solo so expenses were low. It turned into a full-time thing. 

You've been playing annual house tours; what were some experiences you'd like to share about them? How do they differ from other types of shows and tours you've done?

House shows are different in that there are no rules. They can be as basic as no amp, totally acoustic,  just 25 people squeezing together in a living room.. or it can be 200 people in a backyard. I leave it up to the fans who book me how they want the evening to be. It's usually very loose, and you can connect with your fans on an even more personal level. Whenever I'm back in their town playing a venue show, I find that the fans I made from the house concerts are always in the front seats. 

Your music has been used in shows like Ghost Whisperer and The Real World. Those honestly seem very different from each other in terms of genre and the audience they're reaching out to. How did you and your music get involved in these shows? 

Most of these placements are the work of 3rd party licensing companies that work directly with these shows and provide music. If the music happens to fit a specific scene, you might get lucky and get a placement. 

Your relationship with your fans, whats it like? Do they influence your music to some effect or is your sound coming solely from you? 

I'm very thankful to have the support of my fans and have been able to put out a couple records now. Through outlets like Twitter and Facebook posts, my fans play along well and are very responsive. I'm always excited to hear feedback or read tweets from them, and hopefully they are happy to hear from me too on a daily basis. Influences for songs can come from all over, but I just want to write good music that moves me and hopefully will move a few other people too. 

What would you say to someone who has never heard you before? How would you get them to listen? 

I would kidnap them in a cop car, lock them in the back seat, and play my record over and over. 

If you wouldn't mind, what has been one of your embarrassing on-stage moments? And in contrast, have you had any "Super Star" stage moments that you'd like to share? 

I'm lucky I've never had any really terrible embarrassing on-stage moments yet. I think the worse was a big show in New York City at an up-scale venue called City Winery. It was a sold-out crowd opening for Howie Day, I walked on stage, and of course, the battery in my guitar felt like giving up.  I had to entertain the crowd with jokes while we looked for a 2nd guitar. However, I cracked some kind of joke like "I like to start every show like this…it's all good." I find if you're real with the audience, they will most likely forgive you and cheer you on. A recent super-star moment was a 100 or so fans in Corpus Christi, TX singing along to the chorus of my single "Counting On You." I was so surprised they all knew the words and sang out loud. 

I keep asking two part questions, my apologies, here's a single one. Whats next up for you and your music? 

That's like one and half questions. I'm currently writing a lot of new music, and I'm touring pretty often through the Summer. The song I mentioned earlier "Counting On You" is right now #41 on the Hot AC charts. I'm hopeful that song and my new album Constant Motion will continue to grow so I can tell you more super-star moments next interview. 

How would you say you've evolved as an artist from your first entry into the music industry to now? 

I think whatever career you pursue, you just naturally get better at what you do on a daily basis. I think I've improved in all areas of music, from the songwriting process, to recording, performing, and the business side. 

How has your most recent album Constant Motion been doing; Has it met your expectations? 

I think it was the right album for me at this point in my career. My first album, Change Again, was a slower-paced, moody album, and Constant Motion is a bit more of an up-tempo pop album. My fans have been reacting really well to it, and radio has been playing the first single, so I'm happy with the response so far. 

On whichever mp3 player you may own, who do you find yourself listening to the most? Are they an inspiration to you? 

I usually do Pandora cause I like to go for runs and not have to create my own playlist. Lately I've been putting on Fitz and the Tantrums. Great songs and I love the throw-back 70's vibe. 

Are you spontaneous in song-writing or is it something you work on slowly until you approve? 

I think it's a combo of both. If there is something I come upon and it's "wow this can be all mine," I'll probably go with it and finish it on the spot. Due to all the touring I've been doing though, that isn't as easy now as say when I used to sit in my college dorm room avoiding doing a paper. 

In the time between touring and composing, what do you usually find yourself doing for fun? 

I was joking with my friends the other day that I've become pretty boring. It's always nice to see my friends and family back in NY, but even if I have a weekend off and I'm home, I won't really party too hard with my buddies, cause right now I'm so focused on my career and I don't want to risk losing my voice on an off-night for a show the following Wednesday. So for fun I like seeing movies, running, drinking coffee and reading the paper. Real rockstar-ish. 

Since we've already talked about your fans and their support, what would you say to anyone who speaks negatively of you? 

Thanks for taking time out of your day to talk about me. 

Final question, who do you think would win in a fight, Cordell Walker aka Texas Ranger or Bruce Lee? 

Texas Ranger, every time.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/mikey-...
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http://www.mikeywax.com

http://www.facebook.com/mikeywax
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Interview with The Gallery by Paul Marino

How did you guys get your start as a band?

Ryan, Brendan, and I (Dave), met in 2004 and have played together ever since. We got the opportunity to go on a national tour pretty early on that really pushed us out of the nest in terms of touring. It was an awesome experience and we learned a lot. We put out Come Alive in Feb. 2011 and then Ben joined the band this past fall (2011), while he was attending Berklee in Boston.

I understand that a few months ago your guitarist Shea took a leave from the band, if you don't mind me asking how has this effected you and how has your new guitarist Ben been holding up?

It was tough to lose Shea who we had been playing with since 2007. He is our friend and a great guitarist, and he just felt he needed to leave this past summer, so there's no hard feelings at all.

We had played with Ben only a few times when he decided to move/tour with us to LA. He's been a welcome addition to the group. With a new member comes new influences and tendencies. Ben's are all right in the direction we've wanted to go for a while. He's bluesy and rocky, so we're having a blast writing and playing together.

Has everyone in the band wanted a career in music from their youth or were their other plans in store?

We've all played music since we were young, and if you keep at that sort of thing, it tends to become something you want to do. We realized it was possible to make a career out of music right before we embarked on, and during, that first national tour. Although we were hardly out of the red. We were attending college right up until that tour, creating a "safety net" for ourselves, but once we got a taste of touring and recording full-time, we haven't looked back.

You've worked with Warren Huart in the past; was this a learning experience for the band?

We learned a ton working with Warren on Come Alive. He had great insights that taught us a lot in the process. The entire recording experience was different than any we had had in the past, so it took us to a new step as a band.

If you search "The Gallery" on any search engine of choice you will receive a variety of "Galleries" other than your group. How would you guys make sure that your "The Gallery" is the one that everyone is looking for? 

In hindsight, maybe we could have been more specific [laughs]. No, we like it. We hope our songs speak louder than we do. Just remember: Google a song name, along with our band name, for best results.

Building on the topic of your name, how did everyone agree on "The Gallery"? Is there a meaning behind it?

There were several things that influenced what became our band name, but none were terribly personal reasons or connections. We eventually came to "The Gallery" from some other ideas, and everyone agreed, so we kept it.

You have a Facebook, Twitter, your own page, etc. How else do you interact with your fans and what would you like to say to them right now?

Other than coming to a show, those are the most readily available places to connect with us. We hope one day to actually play for all the people we've connected with on various social networks, but in the meantime, hit us up on any of them, we'll respond.

In your travels have you met any bands or artists that you would like to collaborate and/or tour with? Give them a shout out.

We've met so many awesome bands since we started this thing, made great friends that we'd love to tour with. We were recently at SXSW in Austin, TX, and we met up with some friends from home that now have a band:

Mercies (https://www.facebook.com/merciesmusic). They're awesome guys. We'd love to tour with them and many others. Just to name a few: 

Our amazing friends in Asper Kourt (https://www.facebook.com/asper.kourt). 

We saw States (https://www.facebook.com/statesmusic) played SXSW this year too, and thought it would be a lot of fun to tour with them as well. 

We also played with a great band a few years ago, The Canvas Waiting (https://www.facebook.com/thecanvaswaiting) who are great guys.

In terms of collaborating, we haven't given that much thought to be honest. It would be a lot of fun to do some collab projects with the bands I just mentioned as a matter of fact. 

Now, say each member of The Gallery were to switch instruments and vocals with the other members of the band, how do you think would work out musically?

Funny you ask that. We were practicing the other week, took a quick water break, and as we individually walked back into the practice room, Ry (drummer) had picked up Bren's guitar, so our friend Zack hopped on the drums, and Bren stood out front just to sing. Not a full mixup, but it actually worked out alright, and proved to be helpful, in a way, to hear the song from a different perspective like that.

To date, what would you say your greatest accomplishments as band has been? 

I would say each song is an accomplishment in itself. We can't do anything without the songs.

Does song-writing come naturally to you guys? 

Songwriting is definitely a learned and honed skill. Everyone has tendencies as well, so it's the combination of what's already inside, as well as what you choose to practice and learn.

Would The Gallery like to share any plans they may have for future tours, albums, or anything of the sort?

We're writing songs right now to be recorded in a few months. We plan on releasing those couple songs for free and making a few west coast tour loops to promote them. We're playing in the LA area as much as we can as well in the meantime (4/6 - On The Rox, 5/10 - Viper Room).

Who do you think would win in a fight, Batman or James Bond? If there's any disagreement,well, what's your reasoning?

Batman has a lot of cool gear, a "suit of armor," and a mask, but James has a gun. There's an old saying about this sort of thing...

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Interview with Tooth and Nail Records' Director of A and R Conor Farley

Give us a brief description of what your background is and why you feel qualified to do this job?
I have been working in music now for about 10 years at the label level and also as a music publisher.  I feel like I have had the opportunity to gain a variety of experience that I hope helps me do this job effectively. I for sure do not think that I have the magic ear or anything, but through my experience have gained a perspective on how business intersects with ministry in this unique industry we are in.


How do you distinguish which artist will be a hit, and which artist to let be?
I wish I knew the exact answer I really try to listen to the music as a fan first. Does it move me emotionally?  Does it make me ask new questions about my faith? Does the live show inspire me?  I then will go through a broad mental checklist of the commercial viability of the artist, the market conditions, songwriting capability of the artist, what our current roster looks like, the time required to invest, as well as the work ethic of the band. This process gets more and more involved the further down the road we may walk with a band.


When approached by Tooth&Nail what was your initial reaction and what did this opportunity mean to you?
I was so excited and flattered.  I have been a fan of the brand for a long time and have been greatly impacted by a lot of the records from their past and current artist roster.


What artist's are you most looking forward to working with?
Well I work with a the majority of our roster, so that is a tough question, I would not want to leave any one out  As a fan I have loved everything Aaron Sprinkle has been a part of. Underoath's, They're Only Chasing Safety impacted me a ton so I am loving working with Aaron Gillespie on The Almost stuff.  I also get to work with one of the most influential core CCM acts in Jeremy Camp which is a total honor.  Those two statements sum up to me what I love the most about my job. There is a great breadth and diversity of incredible artists that I get to serve. Also, super excited about some of our newer bands like Icon For Hire and The Museum.


Are there any artist's you wish to try and bring back?
Poor Old Lu and Mae


Can we get a sneak peak as to who is up and coming or developing?
We will have a bunch of great new music this year–can't say too much at this point, but most of our biggest acts on on the BEC and Tooth and Nail side will be releasing or working on new projects.


Where do you hope to take Tooth&Nail while you're there?
I just hope I can be a good steward with the time I have here. I recognize the great responsibility we have as believers to make excellent music that is honoring of the God who saves us. I do not take that lightly and my expectations for our artists is to steward their incredible gifts as well. I think we will be successful if we do that.


Who's your favorite band or group of all time and why?
Impossible question...but the shortlist would probably include Wilco, The Beach Boys, U2, Nirvana, and Daft Punk. These were all so impact-ful to me in that they crafted songs with incredible melody that had broad appeal.  Also their songs connected me with emotionally at different stages of my development and faith.


http://www.toothandnail.com/
     

Interview with Curious Volume Guitarist/Vocalist Andrew Paladino

What does the name Curious Volume mean, and how does it symbolize the band?

The name Curious Volume doesn't mean anything. It's from Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven." It doesn't have any symbolic meaning other than that with a meaningless name, we can take our music any direction we want to and our name will still make the same amount of sense (or lack thereof). 

How did the band get together and what do you guys bring to each other that make the music work?

Trotta and I started the band in 2003 when we were in 7th grade. Since then we've had a few lineup changes. Our current lineup was formed in January of 2011. Brian and I were in bands together at school and would jam after school all the time. He was always helping us out, playing keyboards for our bigger shows and being my go-to "ear" to bounce my ideas off of. He was an unofficial member for a long time until we decided that he belonged in the band forrealz. Zach had been filling in on drums for us for a few months and the fit was just too good to deny. His old band had just broken up, so we stole him and now he's never allowed to escape. Both Brian and Zach have contributed so much within the past year and a half or so, it's really impossible to imagine where we'd be without them. Trotta and I would just be yelling at each other.

Describe your style of music? What is skate punk?

We've never been able to put a genre-label on our music. We've gone through phases where we were rock n' roll, punk, ska-punk, etc. I'm very uncomfortable with catering to one genre when I write. We all listen to so much different music that it usually comes out sounding like a conflagration of all of that stuff. When people ask me what genre we are, I usually just say, "punk," because I like to think that no matter how weird our music gets, we're always keeping things as raw as possible and thus maintaining that "punk" vibe.

Skate punk is I guess one of the genres that could fit our music. When I think "skate-punk" I think of Suicide Machines, NOFX, The Offspring. We're definitely hugely influenced by that type of music.

To people who say, "real punk" is dead, how do you respond?

It depends how you define "punk." I think if you're looking for every band that falls into the category of punk to sound like The Casualties or The Ramones or something, that's a very unfortunate way to look at it. Punk's sound has evolved over the years, as has the appearances and the mannerisms and activities. But at the root of it, the DIY rebellious attitude could be found all over the place in music and shouldn't be taken for granted. You can't go to a local show with 14 year old kids running around beating each other up, having the time of their lives and tell me punk is dead. Also, one could say I'm an anarchist. I'm not an anarchist for the punk cred, but obviously that's been a relevant facet of a lot of punk movements over the years.

What is a Curious Volume performance like?

We usually have a loose idea of the songs we're gonna play. I myself usually do a lot of running around and hurting myself. Everyone else plays with a lot of life and energy as well. Usually kids know the words to our songs so they help sing along and stuff. Nothing fancy, just heartfelt performances. We also prefer to have Biggie or Wu-Tang blasting before we start playing.

Any crazy band, show or fan stories?

It's difficult to choose just one! This past January, we went on tour with No Such Noise! from South Jersey. The whole tour was wild and we became best buds with them. The highlight of craziness was definitely, believe it or not, North Carolina. We played at this venue that used to be a movie theater, and found out during the show that our sets would be followed by a dubstep rave. Needless to say, we fully embraced this and went all out. Danced to dustup music the whole night, some of us got pretty drunk, and we made some friends with the locals. The whole night was a sensory overload. The details of the craziness should probably stay within the bands, but yeah. Gotta go with the North Carolina dustep rave. 

Biggest rock star moment as a band?

I can't think of any. I consider any time that I get free booze a "rock star" moment, but that definitely doesn't speak for the whole band. Whenever Trotta walks away from the rest of the band and does his own thing (when we're at the merch table or watching another band play, for instance), I send him a text that says "rock star." He does the same thing to me. He actually deserves credit for starting that. I hate giving him credit though, so forget I said that.

Biggest failure as a band?

We have lost two battle of the bands. But we won one. Battles of the bands are stupid, and usually aren't taken very seriously, for good reason. But yeah, we've failed at those.

Tell us about Mumbles & Whispers.

Mumbles & Whispers is the album that I wrote from 2006-2009. We first released it in 2010 with our old lineup. Recently we recorded it again, to do it justice with the new and improved lineup. We took our time and Brian did an awesome job of engineering it. We improved the songs and re-pressed the CDs with new art. We give it away for free online. The lyrics range from ridiculously depressed to deliriously optimistic. 

What are the main differences between the first recording and now?

The main differences between the old and new versions are the recording quality, a generally more daring and tasteful take on a lot of the music, and the fact that I know how to sing now. Listening back to the old versions, it's embarrassing that I allowed my horrible squawking to be released for people to listen to. This new version is like the "grown-up" take. We think it's the way that these songs were intended to be heard. Also, we made the transitions between songs cooler and totally redid the track Fifteen Minutes.

Any plans of touring in the near future? New album?

We will be announcing two tours very soon. We can't say who we're going with just yet, but we can say that we'll be venturing out further than we ever have. Also, we're currently recording a new single that will be released on a 7" split record. Again, we're not at liberty to say who's putting that out or who the other band on the split will be, but we are extremely excited to be making these announcements in the near future. As for the next full length, I'm done writing all 11 songs. We've pieced about 3/4 of the record together as a band so far, and the writing process has been both challenging and rewarding. We have no idea when that's coming out, but definitely not until we get these next couple of tours under our belts so that we could release it to as many people as possible.

Anything else to add?

Please go ahead and download our music for free at CuriousVolume.com. Share it with your friends, come see us on tour, follow us on twitter, like us on Facebook, come over to meet my parents, etc. Thanks so much for the great questions, and thanks to the readers for either reading through all of my rambling answers or just skipping ahead to the last question to find out what a badass note I ended this interview on. I did it all for the Nookie.

Check out Curious Volume at these sites:

http://curiousvolume.com/

http://www.facebook.com/curiousvolume

https://twitter.com/#!/curiousvolume

http://www.myspace.com/curiousvolume

http://soundcloud.com/curiousvolume

http://www.last.fm/music/Curious+Volume

http://www.youtube.com/curiousvolume

CuriousVolume@gmail.com

Behind the Scenes of The Bamboozle Break Contest

Bamboozle Break Contest Article   
By Paul Marino       

Videos filmed by Lauren Parks and Brittany Peters

The Bamboozle Festival; an annual three day long music event that showcases some of the most recognized and established names in the music industry, is celebrating its tenth anniversary since their inception and thus will be returning to its roots in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

With the likes of Blink-182, Bon Jovi, and, Skrillex headlining, on top of more potential bands and artists not yet announced for the show, the hype for the 18th through the 20th of May comes as no surprise. Ticket sales are racking up, with both excitement and disgust being discussed as a hot topic among us concert goers. But, while we all complain about a favorite artist not being on that list, or take days off from work and school to go see our favorite band play the main stage, and even start booking hotel rooms close by the venue, why haven’t we really heard about some of the up and coming bands playing their way for a shot to perform at one of the biggest festivals in the nation?

Since January these young bands have been in competition with each other, playing weekend shows, selling tickets with little profit other than getting their name out to the public. From solo artists to diverse bands fusing different styles and genres into one package, theirs has been a fight for chance to play alongside idols and a chance to make it in an industry few even consider possible to break through. For some, this contest is their first shot at glory, for others this is a retry from previous years of not making it, and for a select few who have won in the past, it is another chance to play at the Bamboozle.

Saturday, March 3rd I travelled to New Jersey to support the bands in the semi-finals of The Break contest. While pacing the rooms of the Stone Pony (where the first ever Bamboozle in 2003 took place) I met and spoke with a handful of artists; all easy-going and friendly, showing no signs of diva attitude or exaggeration. Even after the interview/intro videos my crew and I found ourselves conversing with almost all the artists about our favorite music and stories, among other things. It is apparent that this group is just as down-to-earth bunch really striving for their goals. It was a pleasure speaking with all of them and I wish them nothing but the best for their future in music; good luck to all.

The Finalists for The Stone Pony are: 

    Fixed At Zero

    Political Party Crashers

    Kid Felix

    Rachel Miller

    Xero Gravity

    Until Holy

    Halogens

    The Perfect Gentlemen

    A Balance Between

    Money Green Gang

Halogens  

Four piece from Wall, New Jersey Funky Punk Jam 

Bandmates Zach Henry and Charlie Throckmorton had recorded acoustic tracks well before becoming the band Halogens. After some time they came across drummer George Saives, who recorded some beats for them. After seeing how well George worked out they finalized the band by recruiting Tim Wuestneck on bass. They are influenced by bands like Umphrey's McGee, Blink-182, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the Front Bottoms. Be on the look out for their first album, coming soon. Halogens will be advancing to the finals of the Break Contest.

Facebook.com/halogens 

www.reverbnation.com/halogens 

youtube.com/halogensmusic

Process of Fusion 

Five Piece Rock/Rap Experimental from Staten Island, New York 

Process of Fusion has successfully brought together Coheed & Cambria-like vocals with Linkin Park-esque rapping. Singer Justin Sarachik along with singer/bassist Patrick Wakie mix both rock and rap vocals with the guitars of Rose Couchon and Dylan Klein. Though unable to make it to the finals they have not slowed down on their music careers. Showcasing their newest song “Closer Then I Thought,” and performing a fantastic cover of the Incubus song “Pardon Me” were the first in many new things they have planned for themselves and their fans. Process of Fusion has been planning tours and shows in the coming months including one for The Broken Records Collective that occurred on March 10th at 9pm in the Lizard Lounge of Staten Island. The bands Facebook is also telling everyone to “keep June 22nd on your calendars!” Could this be a possible show, tour, album, or something entirely different? Visit their page for more updates and a look at where the band is heading in the future.

Facebook.com/ProcessOfFusion 

Twitter.com/POF_Band

www.myspace.com/processoffusion

processoffusion.bandcamp.com/ 

Rachel Miller
Solo Artist from Lodi, New Jersey Rock

Beginning her career at three years of age, she has been involved in music before she even started school. Being the only solo artist I saw, I must commend her bravery in tackling the stage alone. This is her first time playing in the Break Contest and has made it to the Regional Finals. She is an avid Green Day and My Chemical Romance fan and draws inspiration for her music from them as well as other artists. As an interesting fact, her original song “Johnny” was written about one of the Joker’s henchman from The Dark Knight movie’s opening scene. She is also in the process of recording a demo and says that she will be releasing a single soon so check out her Facebook to stay updated.

    

www.facebook.com/rachelmillermusic 

www.reverbnation.com/rachelmiller 

Silent Perfection 

Four piece from Hazlet, New Jersey Rock/Alternative/Acoustic 

Another band hailing from New Jersey, Silent Perfection uses every members vocal chops on top of their instrumental talent. Upon meeting them they allowed me to sample their music by giving me a demo and I must point out their astounding vocal range during their songs harmonies. Guitar is played and Main Vocals are sung by Jim Long, while Lead guitar is played by Robert Engel. Jordan Bowen is on the drums and Carmine Flumano rounds it up on bass. The band came together early 2011 and has not stopped performing since. Aside from the Break Contest they plan on playing more shows leading up to Bamboozle. Check out their facebook page for details. Silent Perfection has advanced to the Finals of The Break Contest.

 


Facebook.com/silentperfectionmusic 

www.reverbnation.com/silentperfectionmusic 

Suburbia 
Four piece from Fort Lee, New Jersey Alternative/Rock 

Suburbia hails from New Jersey like many of the other Semi-finalists from the Break Contest. Playing lead guitar and singing for the band is Zen Thomas, followed by Marco Rojas on Rhythm Guitar, Luis Pimental on Bass and Max Samouhos on Drums. Bassist Luis also plays the keyboard for the band. The band is influenced by Guns ‘N Roses, Aerosmith, and Muse, among others. The band unfortunately did not make it to the finals but check out their Facebook page to see where the band stands on moving forward.


Facebook.com/SuburbiaMusic

Until Holy 
Five piece from Marlboro, New Jersey Metal

Until Holy was the last band I saw perform before I had to part ways with the Stone Pony. From their first song to their phenomenal cover of "Chop Suey" by System of a Down, Until Holy won over the crowd and the judges and moved on through to the finals of the Break contest. Going from a “regular” singing voice to gritty screaming howls is one of lead vocalists Mike Drake’s specialties as shown in the songs performed. The band is completed by Matt Herman on Bass, Artie Lee and Joe Capalbo both on Guitar, and Anthony Tritto on Drums. Until Holy also has a few tracks on iTunes, so if you like what you hear from Facebook or Reverbnation, go check it out.   





Facebook.com/UntilHoly
www.reverbnation.com/untilholynj 

Twitter.com/untilholy 

Kid Felix  

Six piece from Laurel Springs, New Jersey Rock

    

Kid Felix, which had its start in 2011, is composed of Singer Jake Falana, Guitarists John Ambrutis and Brett Hagen,  Keys Player Ken Baxter, Julian Ungerer on Bass, and John Szachewicz drumming it out. The band has made a stamp in Philly and hope, with the help of their first official EP, that they’ll be able to tour around reaching out to new fans. They will be advancing to the Break Contest Finals at the Stone Pony.

Facebook.com/kidfelix 

www.reverbnation.com/kidfelix 

X-Phaze 
Six piece from New Jersey Hip-Hop/Hard Rock/Reggae


Forming toward the end of Vocalist AJ Mahyar’s freshman year of high school, X-Phaze consists of Blake Szostak on Guitar, Tim Henshaw on Bass, Alex Herbert on Drums, Austin Riddoux playing both the bongos and keyboard, and Denzil Chambers playing the Keytar. Though they are from the same high school the band is a mixed bag from different parts of New Jersey; Aj, Alex, Blake, and Tim are from Mendham, while Denzil and Austin are from Parsippany and Sea Girt, respectively. The band plays around with many genres including pop and reggae but mainly stick to a hip-hop/rock fusion. Though they did not make it to the finals in the Break Contest, they were chosen by Yuuzoo to perform at the Yuuzoo VIP tent at Bamboozle. They currently have a video for their song “Enemies” up on their Youtube channel. For more info on the band, check out their multitude of social media websites.

www.facebook.com/XPhaze 

www.reverbnation.com/xphaze 

Twitter.com/x_phaze 

Yuuzoo.com/XPhaze 
iTunes.com/X-Phaze 

Youtube.com/XPhazeTV

Xero Gravity 

Three piece from Marlboro, New Jersey Hard Rock/Metal 


Xero Gravity is made up of Guitarist Alex Peragine, Bassist/Vocalist Jack Rose, and Drummer Steven Rago, Fifteen, Fourteen, and Twelve years old respectively. During the Stone Pony Semi’s they pulled out all the stops and covered Seasons in the Abyss by Slayer, not an easy task. This fantastic cover, along with their natural talent and loyal fans, is what has brought them into the Finals of the Bamboozle Break Contest. Steven has played drums for four years, Jack has slapped bass for five, and Alex has played guitar for around six years. Collectively they have been a band for a half a year.

www.facebook.com/ZeroGravityRD  

www.reverbnation.com/xerogravity