Author: Lauren

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Interviews Music News

Band Interview: PUBLIC

The day after the Band of Brothers Road Show wrapped, we got to sit down and talk with PUBLIC about the tour, their music, and what’s coming next.

CROWDSURFER: First of all, I loved the show last night!

PUBLIC: Thanks! Thanks for coming out!

CS: It was the final show of the tour. Was it a different energy, or was it bittersweet? How were you feeling?

John: I would say both of those things, as some of the things you didn’t know you cared about on the tour hits you on the last show.

Matt: I think bittersweet because you spent so much time with the same people. And at the same time it’s like, this is the moment to really crank and move on to bigger and better things. Exciting things like writing new music.

John: Saying I was ready to move on sounds negative towards the tour, but it’s not at all. That was a great thing to go through, but now I’m ready for the stuff we have coming up ahead. I feel energized and tired at the same time.

CS: What’s it been like being on tour with American Authors and Magic Giant?

John: We felt very taken care of by the AA guys, they just were always asking how were doing and encouraging us. They are also on Island Records as well, so they were always just encouraging us a new band like “We’ve been through it before, you guys are crushing it.”

Matt: They’re very aware of what we’re going through right now so they give advice if they feel like they can.

CS: I love it, so much support. So you recently released a sequel music video for your hit single Make You Mine. It’s got a different vibe from the original, and I absolutely loved it. How did the idea to follow up the first video come about?

John: So our team that put together the first one, we had a great time with them, we just had a great time and it did so well. And they pitched us an idea for a sequel and at first I was like that seems gratuitous and people are gonna hate that. But when they were pitching it, and also with the zombie route, that’s when we were kind of like –

Matt: That actually sounds fun.

John: Because it starts off the way you’d maybe expect with a romantic proposal, but then stuff goes really wrong.

Matt: And John bites a dude in the face…

John: Yeah, I just get that bloodlust you know? [laughter] I think for me in this one, I was more like, let’s just have fun. We had a blast, we love this production team, let’s make a movie.

CS: There are a few different versions of Make You Mine out. Do you have a favorite?

John: I think mine is the Rino Sambo remix. It’s got kind of a beachy vibe to it, it’s got some MIDI horn stuff going on.

Ben: I like the acoustic version. The acoustic version is really nice.

John: Honestly, my favorite is the original.

Ben: Yeah, as it should be. It’s the way we wanted it and originally imagined.

CS: So, as we said, tour is over. What’s next for you?

John: We’re going to be doing some really exciting writing sessions with some people that we’ve looked up to for a while. I think we have some TV stuff coming up…

Matt: [whispers] We can’t talk about it though.

John: We’re gonna do MTV Cribs.

Ben: But it’s of our van. Pimp My Ride.

[laughter]

John: So those are fictional things, we’re gonna write.

Ben: Because there are more songs to be made that aren’t Make You Mine.

CS: On that note, it’s been a few years since Sweet Lemonade–

John: Thank you, nobody talks about that EP!

Matt: It’s so underrated! We think all of those songs are fantastic songs.

John: We play two of those songs live almost every show. They’re great songs. I think that EP is a very good representation of how our music has evolved. It’s more poppy, there’s disco stuff going on in there, too. It’s just good.

CS: How would you say your sound has changed since then?

John: We’ve got some unreleased stuff that’s really interesting, I think.

Matt: Yeah, and I don’t think we’re scared to go outside of what we would be labeled as. We’ve always kind of geared our sound to whatever we found interesting at the time. I think we write music because we love writing music, and it kind of comes out in different shades sometimes. I think recently it’s been a lot more disco funk, pop disco funk, than anything else. A year from now it could be alt rock, but it’s still gonna be PUBLIC.

John: I think it’s more common for bands and artists to be multi-genre right now. I’m hoping that it’s a little more accepted that we do stuff that’s not – like oh they’re a pop rock band but this song is pretty funky. So I think that’s what we do because that’s what we love.

CS: You’ve been friends since grade school. How have you grown as friends throughout all these years of being a band?

Matt: I think being friends has really helped with the growth of the band. I think specifically, on tour, when things kind of get really stressful we’ve always had a mindset of bringing it to the table. It’s always kept us closer than ever rather than pull us apart.

John: I feel like the enemy of, not just band but anyone doing something intensive for a long time, is repressing stuff. It’s like a relationship. If you keep something inside it’s eventually just going to poison you with resenting that person. People hear why certain bands break up, and like, it gets really hard. But we laugh really really hard still, and I think that keeps us together and keeps us fresh. We see a goal and we wanna get there and we believe in each other.

CS: Well thank you for taking the time to talk! Can’t wait to see you at your next concert.

Matt: Make You Mine 3?

CS: Exactly.

Photos by Lauren Hayes.

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Interviews Videos

World Hearing Day with ACS Custom

Today is World Hearing Day! We’ve partnered with ACS Custom to bring you some tips on how to protect your hearing. Watch the video and then go out and get some earplugs! Today, March 3, ACS is offering a 20% discount with the code WHD2020, so click here to browse their website.

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Concert Photography

Magic Giant at Webster Hall

Magic Giant finished their co-headlining tour with American Authors on February 28, 2020 in New York and we were there to capture all of the antics. Magic Giant won the game of Plinko at the start of the show, so they played their set first, but most of the concert was a combination of both bands which was crazy fun! They kept the energy high all night, only bringing it down for a few minutes to wander into the crowd and sing a couple acoustic songs, which left the whole crowd feeling the feels. After that, it was back to jumping, kicking, bouncing, and spinning around the stage! Check out the gallery below for some photos of the final show.

Photos by Lauren Hayes

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Concert Photography Music News

Tove Lo at Brooklyn Steel

Tove Lo headlined two sold out nights at Brooklyn Steel and unfortunately fractured her ankle during the first one. But the show must go on, so she gave us an equally stunning performance on February 13, 2020 with a bedazzled boot from a velvet throne. Tove Lo had us all dancing to some sexy beats and then brought tears to our eyes when she slowed down the show to sing “Moments,” accompanied only by the piano. She brought out ALMA to sing “Bad As The Boys” and Sean Paul to sing their new single “Calling On Me,” and showed us all that rocking a concert from a chair is no problem!

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Concert Photography Music News

ALMA at Brooklyn Steel

ALMA opened at Brooklyn Steel on February 13th for the second sold out night in a row and gave us a taste of her upcoming album. And, of course, she came out to sing “Bad As The Boys” with Tove Lo. Take a look at the gallery below for some images from the concert.

Photos by Lauren Hayes

Categories
Concert Photography

The Jungle Giants at Bowery Ballroom

Australian group The Jungle Giants headlined at the iconic Bowery Ballroom on February 7, 2020. They had the whole crowd moving and dancing and even gave some special attention to a couple of Aussie fans who were singing along to every song! Take a look at some pictures from the night below.

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Music News

Artist Interview: Molly Lovette

I got to sit down with country pop artist Molly Lovette to catch up on how she got here and where she’s going next!

What made you want to get into music?

Music has always been a part of my life since I was little. I remember my parents would tell me I would literally sit in front of our air vents and sing into them so I could hear myself. But it wasn’t until the past couple of years that I really was like this is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life.

What brought on that decision?

So I had written a bunch of songs and I decided that I wanted to record a few of them. My guitar player had a little home studio, so we recorded some of my originals in his house. A few months later we had an album release party and I got to play with a full band, and it was such an adrenaline rush and everything I had hoped and wanted.

I was in college at this point and I remember after the show having to go back to school that week. And I did not want to be there. All I wanted was to play music. So I talked to my parents and mentioned this to them. Surprisingly – and not surprisingly because they’re great – they were like “Okay, if this is what you want let’s do this then.”

Who or what inspires you?

My parents inspire me, especially my dad these last few years. He probably doesn’t even know that I think this. . . But he’s a big basketball guy, he loves it. And he started a basketball club with a few of his friends a few years back that’s doing extremely well now. He started with my team, which was nothing, and created this huge thing. I think that was so cool of him to go do what he wanted and loves and start something like that. So seeing that my dad did that inspires me to go do what I’m passionate about.

You were just in a Nashville recording studio for the first time. What was that like?

Oh my gosh it was so cool, I’m still on cloud nine. I was just shocked by how talented everyone was. We walk in and these musicians listened to my song one time and they were like “Ok, let’s go record it.” It was crazy. It was really cool to get to work with such talented and experienced people in the business.

Were you nervous when you first stepped in?

Yes, but I was also excited. I played basketball my whole life, and my pump up song was Eye of the Tiger because I love the Rocky movies. So I was thinking, this is kind of like a basketball game and I gotta get pumped up! So before I went in I did listen to Eye of the Tiger and got myself ready.

Do you have a song you’re most excited to share with us? Why?

One song we just recorded I’m super, super excited about. I love the music I have out right now but this stuff is taken to a whole ‘nother level, especially this first one I’m going to release. It’s upbeat and mysterious almost. . . I’m super excited and think people are gonna be kind of shocked and think that this is the real deal!

What’s coming up for you next?

Really just a lot of playing shows here in St. Louis, but I’m back in Nashville next week playing my first Writers Round. And then I’ll be releasing a single in the spring! I’m preparing for that, and I want to get a music video going. So a lot is going on in the next few months!

I hear you’re moving to Nashville soon. What’s the first thing you want to do when you get there?

[laughs] Honestly, this is so kind of lame, but I just wanna take a really cool picture and tell the world that I’ve moved to Nashville!

Anything else you’d like to add?

I’m looking forward to getting to write with people this year. Co-writing is a big thing, especially in Nashville, and I haven’t done that yet. So I think it will be really cool, and I’m looking forward to getting to write with other songwriters and have people to bounce ideas off of and make some music with!

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Music News

Super Bowl Halftime: Shakira and J. Lo

I’m going to be honest here, I wasn’t really all that excited for this year’s Super Bowl halftime show. I know and enjoy the couple of songs I know by Shakira and J. Lo, but I thought they were strange picks for this performance. But, of course, when halftime rolled around I sat attentively in front of my TV to watch.

And boy, was I astounded. What. A. Show. I couldn’t comprehend how I thought I was going to be unimpressed by their performance! I personally believe this was the best halftime show in years. While I had been stoked for Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, and Maroon 5, I can’t say I was enthralled by any of them. But these two ladies? My eyes were glued from start to finish, my head bopped along, and my brain started to consider taking belly dance classes.

Let’s cover some of my favorite parts. We were gifted with Shakira playing both the electric guitar and the drums. J. Lo put to use those pole dance skills she worked so hard to aquire for Hustlers. Some guys played the horns and danced at the same time. We had female empowerment. We had Latin pride. We had two confident women dancing and singing together on stage. The energy never died. And my favorite moment? The very end when both Shakira and J. Lo flipped their heads around and had huge smiles on their faces, like they both just had the time of their lives in that performance. The joy radiated from them and made me smile, too.

Check out the show below, and maybe watch it again (like I did). And if you’re unfamiliar with these artists, maybe also go check out their entire discography (like I’m doing). And lastly, let us know what your favorite part of the show was!

(Featured photo by Kevin Winter)

Categories
Music News

2020 GRAMMYs: Music Videos

The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards take place on Sunday, January 26. While I’m most certainly excited for all of the other awards, as a visual artist I’m partial to the music video categories. Let’s go through the videos up for Best Music Video, Short Form.

Glad He’s Gone – Tove Lo

Entertaining the whole way through, Tove Lo takes us on a journey to show us how far she’d go to be there for a friend. Her casual walk and nonchalant expression contrast impeccably with the wild scenes behind her, and every expression on her date’s face at the diner is perfection. With scenes as short as a couple seconds, I’d be worried information would get lost, but the timing keeps everything interesting and brings a few chuckles along the way.

We’ve Got to Try – The Chemical Brothers

Starting off dark and moody, you think you’re in for a serious music video. But then it becomes humorous, then wacky, and then back to serious. And somehow it all works. I don’t know how we went from training the dog to drive a racecar to fly a rocket ship, but I’m ok with it. I loved the edits back and forth between the flight and the video game screen, the ride the story took my emotions through, how they used different people to sing the words, and, of course, that it stars a dog. A big round of applause to the credits at the end, too!

This Land – Gary Clark Jr

I loved the shots at the beginning of this video; the arrangement, lighting, and sound effects reeled me in. The use of children is powerful, made even more so by the matching outfits. The part that lost me a bit, though, is the scene with the window, hands, and the galaxy. I feel that section deterred too far from the style of the rest of the video, and the change in editing pace was much more effective at the end than it was there. But I’m so appreciative to see another video with some end credits!

Cellophane – FKA twigs

Well this video certainly did not feel like it was nearly four and a half minutes long. I highly enjoyed the sound effects of her shoes across the floor, and I give all the respect for anyone who can walk in those heels in the first place. Another bit I loved was the women crawling up in the masks and how that moment went from frightening to loving. But the things I did not appreciate include the sped-up motions while she was dancing and the sequence where she was falling. The too fast body movements threw me off and took away from the beauty of pole dance, and the falling scene was so chaotic that I thought it was slightly overdone. I will say I adored the quick second where you could see she was holding onto someone’s hand!

Old Town Road – Lil Nas X

Ok, what isn’t there to love about this? A country western, dance battle, street race, Bingo, and line dancing? What more can you ask for? A perfect balance of comedy and production quality, and with lovely cuts away from the music, this video was pure enjoyment.

So who is going to win? With each of these songs and videos being so different from each other, It’s hard to make a decision. And while I’m a dog lover and Tove Lo fan, my pick to take home the Grammy is Old Town Road.

What do you think? Vote in the poll below to let us know!