Interview with band Run On The Sun

Run On The Sun is a Connecticut-based band made up of Brett Steinberg, Alessandro Chillé, Ethan Armstrong and Itamar Gov-Ari. This band got a following quickly after performing various shows in New England, as well as playing at The Bamboozle and Virgin Mobile FreeFest.


With their brand new EP New Empire out tomorrow, here is your chance to get to know the band when the guys took some time to talk about their band, their music and the inspiration behind their music.

How did the name Run On The Sun originate?
Our drummer's sister, Kim Armstrong, actually came up with the name back before the band got started. It fit our sound and message perfectly - to shoot for the stars, follow our dreams and do the impossible.

How would you describe your music style?
Piano Rock in the vein of The Script, The Fray, or One Republic, with soaring guitar melodies leaping over rich, powerful vocals.

What makes you different from other bands?
We advocate young love and the constant pursuit of happiness. Too many bands out there today focus on the anguish of the world. It's our mission to move people to do good because of our music.

How did you all meet?
We all went to high school together in Greenwich, CT and ran into each other while performing and in classes there.

When did you decide this was something you all wanted to pursue?
The second we finished writing our first song together as Run On The Sun, something clicked and there was no doubt that we were on the right path with this band. We wrote the song "Hold On" in honor and memory of all of those affected by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. All of the proceeds from its sale on iTunes goes to the Japanese Red Cross Society. That was our first step in trying to do our part, and something that has influenced our opinions on what our music can do for the world ever since.

What would you say has been your biggest lucky break?
It's hard to say. Playing the Bamboozle this year was really a ton of fun and our first, great band experience. Brett just appeared on the Howard Stern show the other day and they want to bring the band on to do a half hour segment. Hopefully that pans out, and if it does, that just might be the biggest break yet.

I like the idea of positive music, considering a lot of artists don't usually make that their main focus. How did that idea come about?
We identify with positive music because that's who we are as people. We write from our hearts, and don't get me wrong, we do write a sad song here and there. Ultimately, we try to be the change we want to see in the world. Music is such a fantastic medium for moving people, we have to make the most of it.

What inspires you to write a song?
Our feelings and experiences, what we see happening around us, anything relevant that resonates with us personally eventually works its way into our music. People inspire that. Events inspire that. Heck, this interview might just inspire a song. We'll see.

What does it feel like to be up on stage performing?
Imagine that dream that you never want to wake up from. It's a bit sweatier, but feels just as good.

Name some artists on your ipods.
The Script, Coldplay, Skrillex, Jack's Mannequin, One Republic, Fiona Apple.

Finish this sentence: Ten years from now I will be…
Doing what we love and doing the best we can with it. We will never give up on our dreams.

12. Where can people keep up with you? Website, Facebook, Twitter?
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/runonthesun
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/runonthesunband
Website - http://www.runonthesunmusic.com
Mailing list - http://runonthesun.fanbridge.com

13. What message do you have for all your fans and supporters?
This is a quote from a Broken Bells song: "Remember what they say, There's no shortcut to a dream, It's all blood and sweat and life is what you manage in between." Live by that saying and you will be sure to leave your mark on the world.

Thanks to Run On The Sun for the awesome interview, and be sure to get their new EP New Empire, out tomorrow! Also be sure to check back here soon for my review of the album!

Band Review: Almost Normal

Upon hearing about Las Vegas-bound band Almost Normal, I was urged to give their music a listen. It became very clear right away that this is a very intense, hard rock band with music that I'm not particularly into. Between the veracious "Vague Us" about Sin City and the techno rock "Nancy Nancy" about a troubled girl, this band is obviously extreme with their music. Though one song did spark my interest. The band literally goes down a bit in "We're Going Down," as it's a slower rock ballad (eh, more my thing). This song starts out with the soft, fun beat of a drum, then goes into an enjoyable melody as lead singer Ashley Lampman sings these intriguing and emotional lyrics about a relationship falling apart and 'going down'. This soft rock song definitely won't disappoint.

Almost Normal's music is fast and a bit disturbing, so if you're into that sort of thing, you'll love it (totally serious here). They have a We Are The Fallen feel with their rock songs and the excessive amount of male band members compared to female. If you like intense, gutsy rock music, this is the band for you. Though other than the song "We're Going Down," they're not really my cup of tea. Although I've heard this band wants to expand their music, I think they're perfect right where they are in Vegas, as this is the music that is popular over there and where they'll be most successful, in my opinion. Though I'm not fond of this kind of music, I do wish the best of luck to this band, as their music IS good if you're into this genre.

Interview with band Montë Mar

Montë Mar is a LA based band that just took off this year when frontman Brian Green decided to completely quit other gigs and work on his own band. With friends Bill, Capital, Kyle and Dylan by his side, the alternative pop band released their first EP Different Place and went on a West Coast tour last summer. The first time I interviewed Brian, Montë Mar seemed like a side project. Now just a few months later and this band is getting ready to make their first full length album. I got the chance to talk to all five of the guys about their music, how the band was created and each of their 'must haves' while on tour.

Where did you come up with the name Monte Mar?
Brian: Montë Mar is actually the name of the street that I grew up on. We spent a lot of time rehearsing there in our early days, so when it was time to come up with a name, it was a natural fit.

How did you all meet?
Dylan: Crane and I have mutual friends at USC and I happened to sub on a couple gigs that he was on. We would talk and found that we had very similar taste in music from jazz, rock or whatever. He was working with Brian and Bill on the beginnings of Monte Mar at the time. I was in a place where I wanted to be involved in an original project where I could express my individual creativity. Out of nowhere Crane texted me after months of not talking and asks if I want to come by and play sometime. I checked out the 1 song they had which was Time and loved it. I showed up one day, met Brian and Bill, played and have been in the band ever since.

When was the first time the five of you played in front of an audience? How did it feel?
Bill: If I remember correctly, the first time was at a warehouse/art/music party near downtown LA. It was a huge 2-story warehouse full of visual and live art. I do remember not having monitors in the sound system and we had a hard time hearing each other/our vocals especially. Regardless, we had a fun time, and it felt great to play with Crane, Capital, Dylan, and Brian, as they are all really good musicians!

How was the process of creating your EP Different Place?
Brian: It was interesting in that I feel it took recording these songs for them to truly develop into arrangements we were all happy with. Playing live is a very different experience than recording and I focus on different elements depending on which one I'm involved in. For me, it takes listening under a microscope to make the subtle changes that can really shape an arrangement and recording gives you that luxury. I think we all realized this while recording the EP and are way more focused on making demos of our new songs so that we can pick apart all of the details before recording the record.

Will we be getting a full length Monte Mar record in the future?
Brian: Absolutely. We are working on a lot of new material at the moment and will probably start recording the record in the summer.

This past summer you did a West Coast tour, where would you like to tour next?
Kyle: I would love to make it out to Hawaii soon and play on all the islands. Our friend Garrett McNamara lives out there. He's a world famous surfer that we've done some film scoring for. He's been trying to get us out there to play one of the big surf events they have. The surf community seems to be very receptive to our music and I feel like it would be a fun trip!

What’s your favorite song to play off of your Different Place EP?
Capital: Of course I love playing all our songs, but my personal favorite to perform off the EP is "Complicated Number."  For me this song really captures everything I like about our music, from all-out rock energy to shimmering arpeggios, lots of vocal harmonies and cool guitar & keyboard melodies. Plus it's usually the first song of our set, and I love that fired-up feeling of anticipation I get when I hear Crane start the beat.

What was it like being named one of Myspace Music’s featured artists this past summer?
Capital: It was so awesome we got picked for this. I think we all felt like rock stars for a day. I mean, our picture was featured on the front page just as big as The Strokes! We're always working at trying to make our music better and reach more people, moving forward in baby steps and loving the process, but the MySpace feature felt like a big leap ahead.

What sets you apart from other bands?
Dylan: Its hard for me to justify what sets us apart or makes us different because there is so much music out there. So many creative musicians out there that we love and inspire us as well as numerous ones that we will soon discover. I can tell you that we strive to make the best music we can together, that is honest to us, and share that with as many people as possible.

What’s the best part about performing shows together?
Kyle: The best part of performing with Montë Mar is seeing Capital do hi-kicks!

Do you have a message to all of your fans?
Bill: Check out the new EP on facebook or bandcamp, and share it with all your friends!! Also, come see us at our free Silverlake Lounge Residency, every Monday night in March! Feel free to dance and get a little crazy at our shows!! We do!!

And one final question for all five of you, what’s a ‘must have’ while on tour?
Brian: A sleeping bag... It's a mystery what your sleeping conditions will be like and a good backup plan is always necessary.
Bill: Hmmm...I would say a few things. ipod and ear plugs, so that you can zone out in the bus if you want. A neck pillow...again for the bus ride. Also, willingness to explore the places you're in, and an openness to meet new people along the way!
Capital: Hiking shoes. Some of the most fun we had during down time was hiking on the California coast and the Columbia Gorge up in Oregon.
Kyle: I have learned through the years that every tour comes with it's own level of comfort depending on the budget. Some tours you have to crash on floors and eat oatmeal the whole time, some of them you get your own room in a nice hotel every night. I am cool with either. My only requirement is that everybody respects each others and keeps their cool. Touring can really push people's patience. I was on a tour with another band once where band members got kicked off and were on a plane the next day back to their respective cities. Touring with Montë Mar actually seemed to bring us closer together, which was refreshing!
Dylan: Haha I would say a shower for me. Luckily we are pretty good about that because five guys in a van, driving for hours, loading and unloading, after playing a long gig in a bar gets to be pretty gross.

Thanks again to Montë Mar for the awesome interview and I wish them luck on their future endeavors! 

Westlife is breaking up!?

The UK band Westlife have just announced that they're breaking up through a message on their facebook page:

We wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone for their kind words and support since making our announcement. Our fans continue to be the best support system we could ever hope for and we thank each and every one of you.

The support we have felt over the last couple of days gives us all strength as we look forward to our new individual paths in life and we all feel excited about the next chapters that we are embarking on. We know it doesn't make for a good story but regardless of what you might read in the papers this was wholeheartedly a united decision. Obviously there is already a huge amount of speculation as to what exactly is next for us all, but until you hear it from us it remains just that; speculation.

We are planning a fan Q+A and some interviews in the coming weeks so that we can speak directly to you all and so that you can hear our plans, straight from us. Until then, we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts - we really do have the best fans in the world.

- Shane, Nicky, Mark and Kian x

How do you feel about Westlife breaking up? It's kind of sad, I was a fan. Check out this awesome performance of Westlife singing "The Easy Way":

Interview with band Imagine Dragons

Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Daniel Platzman, Theresa Flaminio and Ben McKee together make up the Indie rock band Imagine Dragons. After releasing two EPs in 2010, the Las Vegas-based band took off, performing at various shows and was even named "Most Requested Band of 2010" on Las Vegas radio station LOCAL 107.9FM. Now as they promote their latest EP It's Time and prepare to go for a full album, the band took the time to answers some questions about how they got their name, they best part about touring and what they think was their "lucky break".


Where did the name Imagine Dragons come from?
Dan Reynolds: Imagine Dragons is actually an anagram. That means that if you rearrange the letters it makes up a phrase that we initially came up with that had meaning to us. We are sworn to secrecy though about what it is. Our own mothers don't even get to know :)

How would you describe your music?
Dan Reynolds: Our music is probably best described and percussion-driven anthemic electro-indie rock. If we were forced to categorize it more broadly, perhaps indie/rock/pop is a good description.

Which one of your songs represents your band the most?
Dan Reynolds: That's a tough question. They all represent us in one form or another... if we had to choose one today that speaks for the band and our vision, we would probably go with "It's Time". It's a song that really encapsulates our sound and ideology.

What’s your favorite song to perform?
Ben McKee: I really like the way it feels when we perform "It's Time."  The stomps and claps just draw me into the performance right from the beginning, and the a capella vocal break really feels amazing, especially when the crowd joins in. When everyone is really on the same page, it makes you feel bigger somehow. It's awesome.

What’s the best part of touring?
Ben McKee: The best part of touring is being locked in a short bus with the band on seemingly endless journeys over the horizon to the next gig. There's something about it that makes us all ridiculous and childish. We tell riddles, play "name that song" with our ipods, or have contests to see who can stand up the longest in the middle of the bus without using their hands. Some of the freakishly tall members of the group occasionally try to cheat by using their head to balance against the roof, but we try not to make too big of a deal about it.

Favorite moment during or after a performance?
Ben McKee: My favorite part of every performance is when Wayne lets loose with his solo at the end of "Clouds". I just step back and watch him go. I'd love to be able to watch it from the audience. He's my guitar hero.

What sets you apart from other bands?
Ben McKee: I think that what sets us apart from other bands is our fans. They're crazy, and it's amazing. Every time we play a show, there are more people singing along with every song. It makes us go even more crazy on stage and there's this energy that builds until you don't know if you can take it anymore. I don't think that we could create that powerful of an experience by ourselves. It comes from everyone being willing to let go and just give in to the music without worrying about judgement or anything else. It makes it so much easier to perform, and we are all incredibly grateful for everybody that comes out to see us.

What would you say was your first lucky break?
Wayne Sermon: We were playing the local stage at the annual "Bite of Las Vegas." Our set was in the early afternoon, to a smallish but enthusiastic crowd. We played, it was fun, and thought that was that. The whole band and our manager left to grab some lunch, and our manager gets a phone call telling us to hustle back because Train had to drop out last minute, and needed a replacement. Needless to say we ordered our food to go and rushed over. We ended up playing for over 20,000 people on the mainstage. It was a huge rush and by far the biggest crowd we ever played for.

What’s in the works for the future?
Wayne Sermon: Our sights are definitely on a full length album. We're writing writing writing, narrowing in on an overall theme for the album, finding out which songs go together and what directions we want to explore. We want a cohesive message and feel to our record - we want to set a high standard for ourselves with our next release. But yeah, we have lots of new material we are super stoked about.

Message to all of your supporters?
Wayne Sermon: We just couldn't do any of this without you. Plain and simple. Thank you.


Thanks to Imagine Dragons for doing this interview, and I look forward to hearing lots of new music from them! Below you can check out the song that introduced me to Imagine Dragons, "It's Time":

Album Review: Port Chuck - Debut album

Whether you're a daily fanatic or a once-in-a-while watcher, you must know a few characters on General Hospital. Steve Burton as mobster Jason, Bradford Anderson as his cyber sidekick Spinelli, Brandon Barash as their enemy Johnny, and Scott Reeves as Steve, the chief of staff at General Hospital. You may know them as their contrasting characters, but what you might not know is, when filming is finished for the day, the four team up as the band Port Chuck.

Started back in 2010, the GH hotties formed the band Port Chuck, named after the fictional city of Port Charles on their soap. If this is news to you, don't be so shocked, as Bradford, Brandon and Scott have all sung on GH before. As for Steve, considering he plays the tough and "stone cold" mobster, it might be a shocker to know he's also a talented singer.

Today, the band has released their self-titled debut album, featuring numerous Bon Jovi and Guns and Roses covers. Mostly a rock album, with a few slower beats, including Scott's "Hallelujah", performed on GH just a few months ago. The songs "Devil Went Down To Georgia" and "In The End" introduce you to Steve's singing and even slight rapping! Others like "Feel Like Making Love" and "Feels Like The First Time" show off Bradford's musical theater background and his sweet and superb vocals.

While other songs show Brandon's excellent vocal ability and Scott's endearing rough sound, the new album is a great listen for any General Hospital, or even rock music fan. So is there any chance of the band performing on GH? Don't count on it! Can you imagine two rival mobsters, a cyber geek and a doctor singing together? They'd have to get pretty drunk at Jake's for that to happen!

Now what's next for these guys? They're currently rehearsing for their upcoming end of summer tour! Be sure to follow @PortChuckBand on twitter for all your Port Chuck deets and catch the guys weekdays on General Hospital!