Halestorm with New Medicine and The Dead Deads

After scoring two top 10 singles (“I Get Off” and “It’s Not You”) from their self-titled debut and touring steadily for two years with acts as diverse as Shinedown, Stone Sour, Disturbed, Megadeth, Papa Roach, Godsmack and countless others, Pennsylvania quartet Halestorm are back with their second full-length, The Strange Case of…. Musically diverse and emotionally revealing, the album resonates with a newfound poignancy that takes Halestorm to a new level of creative achievement.

“I was extremely proud of Halestorm when we released it, and I still love it, but I think I was using mostly one musical technique throughout,” explains frontwoman Lzzy Hale. “We were on ‘ten,’ and we blew through the songs in a safe way – or as safe as something that goes, ‘I get off on you getting off on me’ can be. This new record demonstrates more depth and heart. It’s a lot more expressive and really lets down the barriers.”

Halestorm started writing for the new record while they were on the road in 2010.  Then when the band finished the Uproar Tour in May 2011, they entered the studio with producer Howard Benson (3 Doors Down, Seether, Three Days Grace) and tracked one of the heaviest songs of their career, “Love Bites (So Do I).”

“At that time, I decided, ‘I’m going to scream my head off and make really gritty songs,’” Hale says. “When we finished ‘Love Bites,’ the engineer at Howard’s studio, Bay Seven, said, ‘I’m pretty sure that’s the fastest song we’ve ever done here.’”

Excited by the escalated tempos and raw energy, Hale returned to writing mode and bashed out more anthemic rockers filled with uncompromising rhythms, soaring vocals and searing leads. Then one night at 4 a.m., after enduring a personal setback, she wrote a bare, vulnerable sounding song and recorded it on her cell phone. Flooded by emotion and maybe a glass of wine too many, she immediately emailed the unpolished song to Benson and the band’s A&R man.

“The next morning I regretted having sent it because I didn’t hear back from them,” she says. “And then a day later they got back to me and went, ‘Oh, my God, we didn’t know you had this in you. Please write more songs like that.’”

Encouraged by the support and inspired by the urge to purge, Hale wrote more intimate numbers, including the sensitive piano ballad “Break In,” the sparse and melancholy “In Your Room” and the  mid-paced ode “Beautiful With You.” She and her band mates also crafted heavier numbers, including “I Miss The Misery,” with its start-stop chorus rhythm and confrontational lyrics and “Rock Show,” which blazes with euphoric vocals and motivational riffs.  That was when Halestorm realized the new collection of songs was somewhat schizophrenic. At first Hale was unsettled by the polarization, then she penned the song “Mz. Hyde” specifically about the two disparate sides of her personality and the album immediately swam into focus.

“When they heard that, the guys went, ‘Oh my God, you are Mz. Hyde!’” Hale says. “So suddenly this predicament with having this record that had a split personality was about having a split personality. Sometimes I need a shoulder to cry on, sometimes I need to wear a pair of jeans instead of fishnets. But I also like being powerful and being a leader and yelling, ‘Hello, Cleveland.’”

Halestorm recorded The Strange Case of… in three sessions with Benson.  By the time they entered the studio for the last time, they had written 56 songs, which they narrowed down to the 17 they tracked. The first single “Love Bites (So Do I)” is a storming rocker that illustrates Hale’s individuality, sense of humor, and willingness to represent young women in today’s fast-paced society.

“I was talking to this little girl over Twitter who was going through her first breakup, and she was asking me for advice,” recalls Hale, who regularly interacts with her fans online. “She typed ‘Love Bites,’ and I replied, ‘Well, so do you, darling. You can still bite back.’ It was meant to be an empowering song for people when love goes down the tubes, and I think it’s a very realistic way of looking at relationships. Nobody talks about all the crap you have to do to keep something alive or just deal with your boyfriend or girlfriend. They always talk about falling in love or having your heart broken. So this is a way of saying, yes, everything can end, but it’s rejuvenating to stand up and go, ‘This sucks right now, but it’s not going to take me down with it.’”

Other tracks, such as “You Call Me a Bitch Like it’s a Bad Thing” and “Freak Like Me” turn epithets into proud slogans, while “Daughters of Darkness” is an admission that women, like men, have their dark side. “Even with the sweetest woman in the world, you click a switch somewhere, and she’s a little bit crazy or she has her secrets,” Hale says. “And a lot of times you see these girls let all that stuff out at our concerts, which is really gratifying.”

One of the most meaningful songs on The Strange Case Of… to Halestorm is “Here’s To Us,” a declarative mission statement which starts with a delicate arpeggio and builds to a rousing pop/rock refrain. As much as it represents the band, “Here’s to Us” was actually an afterthought. “It came together after we already thought the album was complete,” Hale says. “It’s our ‘bottom of the ninth, bases are loaded… home run!’ The song is about celebrating the ups and downs of your journey as you go along because even the bad times can be reasons to crack open the champagne.”

One reason Halestorm has developed the ability to sound completely self-assured and cohesive whether they’re tearing down the rafters or gently massaging a bruised psyche is because they’ve had plenty of time to hone their craft and celebrate their exceptional chemistry. Hale and her brother and drummer Arejay started the group more than a decade ago when she was 13 and he was just 10. From the very beginning they were in it to win it even though they paid their dues along the way. Back in the day, the members lost a talent show to a tap-dancing cowgirl, played Friendly’s for free ice cream, piled the stage with homemade explosives that sometimes went off right in front of their faces, and even played at a funeral.

Halestorm’s determination paid off. Before long, they were playing local bars even though they were underage.  They secured guitarist Joe Hottinger in 2003 and bassist Josh Smith in 2004, and in 2005, Halestorm signed a deal with Atlantic Records and released the live EP One and Done, which included an early version of fan favorite “It’s Not You.” The band continued to write, tour and record and in 2009 released their self-titled full-length album. Inspired by Halestorm’s exuberance and spirit, the band’s loyal legions rapidly grew. They became favorites at rock radio, highlights of music festivals and friends of the multitudes of groups they opened for or headlined with.  Halestorm went on to sell more than 300,000 copies.

Backing their monster riffs and euphoric choruses with pure rock and roll attitude, Halestorm followed up their eponymous release with the covers EP ReAniMate. In addition to including aggressive fist-pounders by Skid Row, Guns N’ Roses and Temple of the Dog, Halestorm demonstrated their sonic scope with versions of tracks by The Beatles and Lady Gaga. The boundary-stretching was just a prelude to the muscle and sensitivity of The Strange Case Of… 

“We’ve taken everything we can do and stretched it in both directions,” Hale says. “This record goes from one song that’s just vocal and piano and the lowest and softest I’ve ever sung all the way up to the highest notes and craziest screaming I’ve ever done.”

As musically advanced as The Strange Case Of… is compared to Halestorm’s debut, the band still has plenty of growth left in them and continue to write songs at an alarming rate. “I create all the time,” Hale says. “And the four of us are working together more now, so we’re really gelling better than ever. We’re really excited with how far we’ve gotten with this album, and we can’t wait to see where we can go in the future. It feels like there are no rules or boundaries, and that’s the ultimate freedom.”

Attila with Crown the Empire, Like Moths to Flames, Sworn In

Party metal rockers Attila formed in their hometown of Atlanta in 2005, meeting each other at their high school and through mutual friends. Their mutual love of music (and partying) brought the guys together to form what would eventually become the fourth imprint on the Artery Foundation/Razor & Tie joint venture, Artery Recordings.

When the guys set out to name their newly formed band, they knew they were looking for a simple, one word name that didn’t imply the typical death metal cliché terms such as “blood, dying, and darkness.” One day they found themselves in a bookstore passing around a book about Attila the Hun, and so Attila was born.

Over the years Attila has gone through a few lineup changes, but founding members Fronz and Sean have remained a constant staple. For the past two years, the band has consisted of Fronz (vocals), Nate (guitar), Chris (guitar), Sean (drums) and Chris (bass). This lineup really brought together Attila’s sound and image that they are known for today. The band began touring full time and as of summer 2010, has been on the road almost non-stop for two years.

Attila released two prior albums, Fallacy and Soundtrack To A Party, on Statik Factory Records, and have previously toured with Arsonists Get All The Girls, See You Next Tuesday, Chelsea Grin, American Me, and We Are The End. RAGE, Attila’s Artery Recording/Razor & Tie debut was released on May 11, 2010, and is a unique mix of heavy music infused with elements that make each song fun to listen to and put the listener in the mood to party. “The title can be perceived in many ways, one obviously being a state of extreme anger, and the other being the slang meaning – to party! I have always been a fan of play-on-words and double meanings, and that’s what drew me to this title more than anything,” Fronz commented.

While Attila certainly evokes thoughts of partying, the band is trying to expand the public’s immediate thoughts about party metalcore through RAGE. They describe the album and their overall take on music as a way of letting loose and having fun, and allowing the listener to take away that message in whatever context they find fitting. As Fronz said, “All we want is for the listener to have a fun experience, and that is the main message behind RAGE.”

The Molly Ringwalds

The Molly Ringwalds are not just another “cover” band.

They are The World’s Greatest 80’s Experience. Hailing from Sheffield, England, this legendary quintet has been able to combine their individual and very formidable talents to create the true essence of the most radical decade to ever be called “The 80’s.” The Molly Ringwalds create an 80’s Experience by honing their abilities to apply make-up and tease their hair while showcasing all the musical genres of the decade. From their days of building a following at a pub located in a large portion of a big city near a small village located south of a place you’ve never heard of, to selling out large venues in the United States, The Molly Ringwalds are an indescribable act. Luck and circumstance brought these young lads together. The rest is the history of the 80’s.

Nonpoint with Gemini Syndrome, Islander, 3 Years Hollow, Silenmara

It’s one thing to be prolific. It’s another thing to not only kick maximum ass with every album, but constantly challenge yourself and your audience in the process. In a modern rock landscape littered with lowest common denominator garbage, South Florida’s own Nonpoint has risen above the pack with grace and thunder time and time again. Nonpoint is an alternative metal/rap-metal foursome dropping ferocious leads at will to offset hammering rhythms and complement frontman Elias Soriano’s distinctive narrative voice. Nonpoint has released seven full-length albums and one live album selling over 800,000 albums in North America.  In late 2013, Nonpoint closed out a year of touring behind 2012’s self-titled record, which yielded the Active Rock radio hit “Left For You.” They will release their new studio album, The Return on September 30th.  The album was produced by Grammy nominated producer Johnny K (Disturbed, Staind, Megadeth) and Daniel Salcidoto.  Their eighth full-length album The Return remains as raw, ripping, and real as Nonpoint itself.  Soriano explains, “Last record we stepped in a direction we’ve wanted to for years and our fans revered us for it.  This record we have gotten up to speed and dropped the pedal to the floor.  I think our fans will embrace this record in a way no other Nonpoint record has been viewed or loved.  We left no room for question of what we are trying to accomplish with our music or who we are. We haven’t gone back to old school.  We didn’t reflect on our past.  We didn’t discuss what works. The Return is Nonpoint right the fuck now.”

G-Eazy with IAMSU! and Jay Ant

The “From the Bay to the Universe Tour” comes off a stellar summer for G-Eazy, from the release of These Things Happen, his first European tour, dates on the “Drake vs.Wayne Tour” and his late night TV debut on Late Night With Seth Meyers. After MTV dubbed “Far Alone” their 2014 “summer jam” and G-Eazy as their “Artist to Watch”, the Oakland Tribune’s declaration that G-Eazy’s buzz is “deafening” has become an understatement. G-Eazy’s album These Things Happen has surpassed 100,000 copies sold and 35 million Spotify streams after debuting on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop and Top Rap Albums Charts at #1, while garnering the #3 position on both the Billboard 200 and Top Digital Albums Chart. G-Eazy’s accomplishments have not gone unnoticed, earning praise from The New York Times, Pitchfork and VIBE, who noted G-Eazy’s method for success in their review of These Things Happen, stating: “Sans radio single, sans famous rapper cosign, sans beats from super producers, the Bay Area-native has leveraged blog exposure, social media reach and a relentless touring schedule into a sizeable fan base.”

Beats Antique presents Creature Carnival with Shpongle (Simon Posford DJ Set), Emancipator, Lafa Taylor

For the first time ever, world renowned dancetronica trio Beats Antique have called upon a select group of likeminded artists to create the Creature Carnival. This tour will be their most ambitious live event yet and a spectacle for the ages. Enlisting fellow sonic visionaries Simon Posford (Shpongle), Emancipator, and singer/emcee Lafa Taylor – the Creature Carnival promises to bring breathtaking performances, improvisational serendipity, audience participation, and tons more surprises to come. The tour embarks this Fall 2014 in select North American cities.

Constantly pushing the boundaries of live performance, Beats Antique have created the Creature Carnival after returning home from their most recent A Thousand Faces Tour – a projection mapped visual tour spanning the course of their double concept album A Thousand Faces inspired by the musings of the late Joseph Campbell. While the A Thousand Faces Tour involved breathtaking new technology combined with a fully choreographed live performance, the Creature Carnival strives to be a collaborative event with spectators and performers alike. “We want to take our fans on a journey,” notes David Satori of Beats Antique. “Now with the Creature Carnival, we plan to get the audience in a more dynamic, psychedelic, and participatory role than ever before, while hand picking our most innovative musical peers to come along for the ride.”

The night begins with a set from Lafa Taylor – who then morphs into the Carnival’s enigmatic ring leader for the evening of musical departures and split second surprises with each night containing its own twists and turns. “Every night will be completely unique,” says Zoe Jakes, “The Creature Carnival will be a collective performance, a gathering of like-minded people and a true spectacle for the senses.”

An Intro to Beats Antique

Growing like wildfire under the canopy of live electronica and experimental world fusion music, the acclaimed musical trio Beats Antique consists of David Satori – production, live instrumentation, Tommy Cappel – production, percussion, and Zoe Jakes – dance, choreography. Forming in (year), the group now headlines various music festivals across the country including Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Electric Forest. With a stage performance containing more sensory indulgences than the most lavish genie’s lair, Beats Antique will indulge their fans to a raw, animalistic musical event that blurs the lines between the provocative, the spiritual, and the artistic while still maintaining allegiance to the muses of class and beauty. Their ability to blur the line between artist and audience even before the curtain rises creates a total escape both through live performance and the album experience that leaves critics and fans reeling alike.

An Intro to Shpongle

Simon Posford (aka Hallucinogen) has long had a reputation as the, ‘Hallucinogenius’ a imitable pioneer in sound experimentation, from his seminal first album, ‘Twisted’ which reached No.28 in the French charts selling over 50,000 copies worldwide, up to his recent Millennium hit, ‘Mi-Loony-Um’ with its up-to-the minute modem melodies. His international fan base has flowered from country-wide to world-wide in the last ten years, since his humble beginnings at Youth’s Butterfly Studios in Brixton, this year alone he has played over 16 sell out gigs around the world, each with a capacity of over 1500 people, in Australia, Israel, New York, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Moscow, Geneva, Montreal, Tokyo to name just a few. In Tokyo he has received a lot of TV and press coverage for their ambient project, ‘Shpongle’ which has intrigued the Japanese audience with its international blend of traditional world music and modern musical mastery

An Intro to Emancipator

Known for its etheric melodies, immaculately smooth samples, and addictive drum beats, Emancipator’s music has captivated a diverse audience across the globe. One might struggle to place a finger on what makes the music so addictive, but would undoubtedly return to the underlying feeling of balance and connection. Now accompanied regularly by the harmonious swells of live violin played by Ilya Goldberg, Emancipator’s live performances have developed into an all-encompassing musical experience. With the release of his newest album, Dusk to Dawn, the music promises listeners a nostalgic return to the soulful integration of organic hip hop and symphonic layers that first captivated his audience. Trusting his roots yet simultaneously evolving, Emancipator’s fresh new cultivation is nothing short of a renaissance.

An Intro to Lafa Taylor

A world traveler based in Oakland, CA Lafa Taylor is an achieved singer/emcee/producer. His music carries a message of inspiration and activation, while staying gritty, bassy, and most importantly danceable. Lafa’s live show is energetic, dynamic and unique. He has a great talent for connecting with his audience and working with the energy of the crowd. His collage of infectiously harmonic, bass heavy, multi tempo music quickly heats up the dance floor. His vocal style ranges from sweet melodic choruses to tongue twisting rhymes. He is also known for his intricate beat boxing, and often incorporates live looping.

Dumpstaphunk with Juke

Dumpstaphunk stands out among New Orleans’ best as one of the funkiest bands to ever arise from the Crescent City. Born on the Jazz & Heritage Festival stage, and descended from Neville family bloodlines, these soldiers of funk ignite a deep, gritty groove that dares listeners not to move. Their performances combine ingenious musicianship and complex funk and jazz arrangements with soulful melodies that are simple enough for anyone to enjoy. In Big Easy tradition, dueling baselines from Tony Hall and Nick Daniels III set off one of the dirtiest rhythm sections on the planet, while Ivan Neville lights up the Hammond B3 keys and cousin Ian Neville’s funky guitar riffs send the groove into overdrive. They toss around lead vocals and four-part harmonies the way Sly & the Family Stone did, but with three studio albums under their belt, Dumpstaphunk stands on the merit of their own material. Songs like “Dancin’ To The Truth” off their latest record, Dirty Word (July 30, 2013, Louisiana Red Hot Records), offer an escape into the funky sublime, sharing the true spirit of New Orleans with every note.

Jeezy

Young Jeezy has been through it all, the worse and the worst, before taking the limelight of life with his niche in rapping. He was born Jay Jenkins on October 12, 1977 and was a native to Columbia, South Carolina. Together with his family, he relocated to Duncan Block of Georgia and soon lived in juggled custody. His parents decided to end their marriage and shared the custody of him with their relatives. Frequently being in his aunts’ house, Jeezy developed a close bond to his cousins who later introduced him to the dark world of drug dealing. By 12, he was already making money through selling the illegal substance and got arrested several times for it. At one point he even had to serve 9 months in a boot camp as a result of being busted by the police.

Under the layer of the sad childhood, Jeezy became a strong person who had a thing with words. He was apt in shooting verses and had a talent in melody that led him wanting to jump in the music business. He was a CEO for Corporate Thugz Entertainment and was determined to sit behind the desk before the urge to …

step up to the spotlight as a performer took over. “Before music I was just trying to survive out this motherfucker. I had other artists, some local cats off the street, but it didn’t work out,” he recalled. “So I just decided to do it myself. Ain’t nobody gonna go as hard as you gonna go. I saw the bigger picture at the time. I have a way with words and I know how to hustle.” At the age of 24, he released an indie album called “Thuggin’ Under Influence” with Lil J as his moniker. The following years, he spawned more mixtapes that impressively sold averagely around 100,000 copies within a year.

Soon his name traveled to P. Diddy‘s label, Bad Boy Records that signed him in 2004 as one part of rap group Boyz N Da Hood. With the boys, he released a self-titled album in 2005 that peaked at #5 on Billboard Hot 200 chart. Despite the success, he left the group and the label to go under Def Jam as a solo artist. Spanning only a month apart from the Boyz N Da Hood album, he released a debut solo album “Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101” under the new label. It went on platinum at the end of 2005 and propelled him as a capable olo artist. Like many other rap artists, Jeezy was a vocal one in what was happening in the society. When the Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, he criticized the way government handled the crisis and opened his house to provide shelters for the victims. However, being a true street artist, he was also never off from controversy and rivalries. In March 2006, he was arrested following a shooting in Miami Beach, Florida and charged with illegal firearm possession.

Back on his track, Jeezy released a second studio album called “The Inspiration” in December 2006 and the effort, too, received a huge success by selling over a million copies since its release. Jeezy then took time to concentrate on his other project, United Streets Dopeboyz of America (U.S.D.A.). He established the rap group in 2005 and was ready to launch their career in May 2007 with the release of a debut album titled “Young Jeezy Presents USDA: Cold Summer”. It reached number 4 on the Hot 200 chart and was certified gold. He also became a favorite collaborator in the …

Hip-Hop realm with his name attached to many of popular singles such as Christina Milian‘s “Say I” and Usher‘s “Love in This Club”. All the while, Jeezy still thrives on his solo career, working on a third studio album that he called “The Recession“. The effort is slated to be released on September 2, featuring Kanye WestNasTrey Songz and a couple more hip-hop heavyweights.

New Politics with Bad Suns, SomeKindaWonderful

Rambunctious Danish indie rockers New Politics formed in the late 2000s around the talents of vocalist David Boyd, guitarist/vocalist/keyboard player Søren H and drummer Poul Amaliel. The band’s high-energy, guitar-driven blend of punk, pop, and electronically induced dance rock (Boyd specializes in wildly unpredictable stage posturing) eventually caught the ears (and eyes) of RCA, who signed the group in 2009. Fearing American anonymity, the band relocated to New York City, or more specifically, the indie rock center of the universe, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Their self-titled debut full-length was released in July of 2010, followed by a sophomore effort, A Bad Girl in Harlem, in 2013. They are currently on the Monument Tour with Fall Out Boy and Paramore.

Figure presents: Terrorvision

Small-town producer Josh Gard has had a long history in music, but lately he has been rapidly rising up the ranks of all things bass. Just a few short years ago he donned the name of Figure and began making electro house, and he has since become a regular name in the realms of dubstep and drumstep. Scoring positions in Beatport’s top ten charts may have gotten him recognition, but a fantastic amount of praise has been raining down on him lately as some of the leading artists in electronic music have valued his live performance skills as some of the best in the business. It’s those kind of endorsements that load up Figure’s tour calendar and make him a moving target that’s hard to put crosshairs on…