Interview with Laptop Rapper MC Lars

Pic @ Vans Warped Kickoff Party (MC Lars w/Andrea Blunt)

I'm a little late getting this up, but I was happy to catch up with my buddy MC Lars who makes some of the best "laptop rap" in the game, at the Vans Warped Tour Kickoff Party! I was introduced to his music many years ago, during a very monumental time of my life, and I was very influenced by this genre, which he's well known in. (If you don't know of him, get acquainted now!) I genuinely appreciate all the amazing work he puts into his music and the sweet, sweet poetry (literally and figuratively) that comes as a result. He also is inspired by one of my favorite poets, Edgar Allen Poe! To top it off, he's such a genuine sweetheart and for me, that makes everything in the music game better.

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What influenced you to start making music?

I was passionate about punk rock, hip hop, and I just really loved doing it myself. When I was sixteen I started writing hop hop songs.

What is your writing process like?

I start with a beat, need the cadences, the beat informs the rap. I look for a beat that matches, like a paper - the chorus is the thesis, the verses are the defending paragraphs. [I just have to say I love this, as a writer myself!]

Do you consider yourself a nerdcore artist? That's definitely how I was introduced to you.

No, I definitely don't consider myself a nerdcore artist.

What has been your favorite moment or show or specific tour?

Warped Tour 2011. The Less Than Jake main stage and performing with them.

What drives you and keeps you going?

It's a miraculous thing to make a living doing what you love. I feel very lucky.

Have there been any bumps in the road that you've had to overcome, and then grown from?

Being "DIY" you do it all. You have to find the fun and momentum. People are so generous. And Kickstarter helps.

Courtesy of mc_lars Instagram

Who did you grow up listening to that has influenced you?

I grew up on Weird Al and the Beastie Boys, but got more into punk and indie rap as I got older.

If you could have a collaboration with one person, who would it be?

Dr. Dre. He's awesome, a great song writer, and great with beats.

***

Check out MC Lars online to check out his music and what he's up to, and check him out on Warped Tour!

Twitter, Facebook, and his website!

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Red Jumpsuit Apparatus & The Material @ The Roxy Theater

Show reviews are much like album reviews in the struggle that involves morphing a beautiful live experience into the proper words. I started listening to The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus when I was probably 10 years old and they were part of my regularly listened to playlist over my early teenage years. Their first album Don't You Fake It, was a popular one that I couldn't stop listening to and sharing with everyone.

Not having seen them live for years, I was really excited when I found out my buddies in The Material were going to be on a leg of their tour! Stepping into The Roxy near the beginning of the night, I was so excited to see how many people were there. Not just for the main act, but in support of local music and for The Material, who over the years have gotten themselves quite the following as well.


The Material took the stage, and I glanced around to see how many fans pushed their way to the front, as well as how full the venue was. Often when you go to see a show, many people are standing outside or haven't even arrived until the headliner takes the stage. If you didn't know better, you'd have thought The Material was headlining the show. As vocalist Colleen started to belt out her strong, mesmerizing vocals, the crowd sang and clapped along with songs they were clearly familiar with. Something that's always caught my attention with their music is not only the quality of the vocals, but the power behind them. Impressive is the length at which she sings without taking a breath. Add to the mix two skilled guitarists and a kick-ass bassist, a drummer who seems he could go on for hours, and you've got yourself a band that's a real team. Safe to say besides being able to draw a crowd and put on a great show, The Material has truly grown into themselves and has so much to offer in terms of a real live experience.


When Red Jumpsuit took the stage, it was apparent that many didn't quite know what to expect. If you're like most modern Americans, you listen to so many different genres and bands, which means it's hard to keep up with every band. Many, like myself, are most familiar with RJA's first album, despite having listened to their newer albums over the years. Ronnie, after so many years in the band, still almost has a shyness about the way he performs, which seems to endear fans to him even more. Playing a mixture of songs from the beginning straight through to their latest album, the band made it clear why they're still around after so many years. With solid harmonies and passionate vocals, the guys still love what they're doing for the sake of the music.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Red Jumpsuit show without two of their most famous songs, "Your Guardian Angel" and the last song, their most popular, "Face Down." Any fan who wasn't singing for the entirety of the set was definitely singing and moving for the last few minutes of the show.

THE MATERIAL
(All live show photos shot by Molly Calvo)





RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS

Rebel Revive - XI (Eleven) Album Review

It's often really strange when your musician friends (or acquaintances) ask you to review their album or ask if you want to interview them, because when you have a lot of friends who are pursuing careers in music, they all have their different styles. And I do mean that, it's not code for anything. They all have different sounds and levels of experience and talent. My favorite thing is when a musician or band (friend or not) gives you the chance to listen to their music with no pressure, and if you're into it, to write something about it. That way it comes from the heart! Anyway, that's what happened this time and I'm really happy to be able to write something genuine about this album.

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XI is an album in which you can hear the passion Matthew Lindblad (yep, another one man band!) has for his music. Something I value, and I think many others do too, is meaningful lyrics and sounds that grab your soul and drag you in. It's very rare that I like every track on an album and have little to no complaints, but that's the magic that was just produced in this 6-track masterpiece. 

Ambient rock with just enough tasteful aggressive vocals (don't get this confused with "screamo") placed discreetly just where it belongs, it seems that these tracks could be just about anyone's jam. Matt's sweet side is easily visible within the lyrics of these songs, making it obvious how much he cares about the music and what he's written, as does the letter included in the album, which made even me feel emotional! 

Although each track has its own sound, the album flows so easily that when it ends, it's almost as though all of the songs are each a part of one long, beautiful song. From the first time I listened to it, I couldn't stop. I soon had the whole album on repeat, and each time it ended, I felt like it was too soon! I definitely couldn't pick an absolute favorite out of the six songs, but I'll tell you that none of them were my least favorite either! 

It's hard to compare such beautiful, standalone music to other bands' sound, but I might relate it in slight to Cartel and New Found Glory. Matt definitely brings back some worth to the words "one-man band," which seemed to have lost their reputation as a valid form of talent. Produced by Colby Wedgeworth (who has produced albums for Lydia, The Maine, This Century, and others) it's obvious that they make a good team in the studio (and out).

If you don't know much about Matthew, he's been around the music industry for quite a while, in various different projects, including having been one of the guitarists for New Years Day (who I actually just interviewed at the end of March!) and has started this new project more recently. I'm glad he decided to go on his own path, so that he had the full creative decision making to create this gem of a record.

You can find Rebel Revive on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!

Here's the promo video below, in case my review didn't get you excited enough about the album.



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Interview with Greeley Estates' Vocalist Ryan Zimmerman

I've been listening to Greeley Estates since, get this, back in the Myspace days, when half of the bands I was (or still am) into were just starting out and I was discovering (as many others were) the music I liked from adds and messages they used to promote themselves with on Myspace. I remember when I first messaged them in 2009 after they sent me a request and I was totally blown away by their music. They messaged me back and we had a conversation, which for me at the time, was totally mind-blowing. (A "popular" band was messaging "little ol' me"!?!) Getting to interview vocalist Ryan Zimmerman was my ultimate pleasure. I hope you enjoy reading what he had to say as much as I did!

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Up Late Reviews: How did you first get started as a band? From that time, do you feel like the constant change of band members has affected your sound? 

Ryan Zimmerman: We started back in 2002 as just a couple guys messing around trying to figure out how to play music. In a lot of ways it was kind of a joke. We starting playing local shows and decided to pursue it seriously in 2003-2004. We have had quite a few member changes but we have also been a band for a decade now and have 8 records out so its to be expected I guess. As far as our sound, we always try to switch things up with each release. We have had our current lineup for the last 4 years so we feel pretty good about it.

ULR: Do you feel like your newer songs are "way heavier" as many people claim? Or do you feel like your fans perceptions of you may have changed? 

RZ: Both. I think our records like NRNR and The Narrow Road are definitely heavier than our earlier material, but we still keep it Greeley. Our new release Devil Son has many of the musical elements that our early material had back when we started this band.

ULR: What is your favorite album and why?

RZ: I am honestly pretty connected to most of our records. I feel that Go West Young Man… seems to be the record we will be remembered by because i think it was a little before its time. I personally love both of our new EPs and I definitely have a strong connection to our first record Outside of This.

ULR: Who writes most of the lyrics and the music and if it's not a total collaboration, how do you come to agreements? 

RZ: I (Ryan) have always written the lyrics and for the most part Brandon has written the music until recently David has gotten involved and helped with writing music.

ULR: Please explain your writing process and how your process changed between albums, if it has.

We usually go into each record with a clean slate and just see how the direction and vibe of the music pans out. When we started as a band I would write a lot of my lyrics before I had heard the music. Now I write lyrics after feeling out the music and letting it speak to me. Many of our records have been written on the road which is tough, but this last 2 part album The Narrow Road/Devil Son was all written in AZ. We had the chance to live together and write and it was a good experience.

Do you find writing songs therapeutic, if you use real life experiences to influence them? 

RZ: Yeah, I love the writing process its one of the best parts of the job. Some songs are very personal to me and others are written in more a storybook format. I love watching movies and at times movies influence my writing.

ULR: What, if anything, have you run into as a band (or throughout the years with the member changes) that was difficult to over come? 

RZ: Touring 10 months out of the year is difficult on anyone. When you’re in a band on the road the members are your family. Its always tough losing members or letting members go it changes the dynamic of things. You just learn to work through this and hope that the changes are for the better.

ULR: Do you feel like those things brought you closer and made the current band even stronger? 

Yeah, I think difficult situations always make you appreciate life and make you stronger.

ULR: Do you guys have any plans for a tour in the near future, whether local or US? (Or even International!) 

RZ: Yeah, we plan to head to Japan again here soon. As for the U.S and other countries we are stilling working on figuring that out. Just trying to get the word out about The Narrow Road and Devil Son right now.

ULR: What can fans expect from you in 2013? 

Hopefully we will see them on the road soon and we hope to start writing again towards the end of the year.

ULR: I'm curious as to how you guys personally feel about the way music sales have changed, including illegal downloading, iTunes, Amazon, and other online music retailers. Does this totally ruin music or do you think this improves how easily and rapidly music reaches your fan's ears?

RZ: In our situation doing this independently right now, it definitely affects us. Album sales directly help us and illegal downloading directly hurts us.

ULR: Do you think that online sales will eventually completely replace CD and vinyl sales? 

RZ: Yeah for the most part I think physical copies will be collectors items in the future.

ULR: If you got the chance to collaborate with any band or artist, who would it be? 

RZ: Wow that is tough. Probably Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins.

ULR: Anything else you'd like to add? 

RZ: Check out our new records The Narrow Road and Devil Son

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Check out what Greeley Estates is up to on Facebook or Twitter, and definitely catch up on their new tunes!

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Valaska's "Natural Habitat" Album Review

I have to preface this post with a short statement. When you're doing music journalism, you get a lot of opportunities to review different albums and shows. Not all of them are quite your style or things you would necessarily listen to or tell your friends excitedly about. So far I've tried to keep my personal website (though I do other work) limited to things I can sincerely talk up, because this isn't to make money or gain recognition for things I don't believe in. Besides getting my style of writing out there, I love helping bands and musicians who I really feel deserve it.

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And on that note, Valaska blew me away. When I first checked out the songs that were available online, before I heard the album, I was pretty impressed. I liked their sound; it was very soft and melodic, and definitely the type of music I often listen to. When I got the album, I started playing it and I couldn't stop. I literally could not stop playing it on repeat, for days. DAYS! I couldn't believe what a gem this album was and that I hadn't heard about this amazing band sooner.

When I found out that it was one guy, I became even more impressed. Multi-talented Dave Valdez definitely gives one-man bands a run for their money on this incredible album that he created with the producing and engineering help of Copeland's Aaron Marsh. I can only imagine the levels his music would rise on a live stage with a full band.

I've recently gone through a couple of hardships and I'm constantly looking for music which helps me get through painful experiences. The actual quality of the songs aside (which is stellar), each one hit home with me. From the first song, On the Surface, which reminds me a little bit of old DCFC and a little bit of City and Colour, to Golden Age, which made me reminisce Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips. In Voids and Natural Habitat took my heart with their profound lyrics and especially soulful vocals.

Every song had something to offer, and while a couple of them reminded me in part of other bands' music, Valaska has its own sound which is distinct and memorable. This alone stood out to me, after listening to so many bands and artists over the years that blend together in a fairly acceptable, but forgettable manner. I'm always looking for bands that not only have a great sound, but who sound different and aren't afraid to make the music they want to make, and seem to have a passion and love for doing so. I personally think that you can feel that love for music in a musician or band's songs, and that makes the listening experience so enjoyable. While Valaska certainly deserves recognition in the indie world, I would be surprised if it was long before they get signed.

Natural Habitat Cover Art

I smiled, I swooned, and I cried. (YES, music makes me cry, okay?!) I have never fallen in love with a band so quickly. It's safe to say that this is my favorite album of 2013, if not in the past year altogether. So right now I put my reputation on the line (as I do with these reviews) and genuinely tell you that you're missing out if you don't have this album. If you know what's good for you, buy it as soon as you possibly can. Time is ticking. You are losing valuable listening time. Seriously, if I haven't sold you yet, check out the adorable album art. How could you possibly say "no" to that cute face?

If you want to check Valaska out, you can do so on Facebook, their website, Bandcamp, and Twitter.


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Good Morning Orbit, OC's Hidden Treasure

Music journalism has been one of my writing passions for a few years, but I never quite knew how to break into it. I started this website a long time ago and wasn't sure what to do with it. When I started reviewing albums and reaching out to bands for interviews, I never imagined that it would take off like it has.

The reason I bring all of this up, is because Good Morning Orbit is the first band who reached out to me on their own volition after seeing my post of another band on my site. The feeling I got when I : A) received the message and B) listened to their music and found out what a great band they were was indescribable.

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Good Morning Orbit is from Orange County and has played with many local OC and LA bands, including Back Pocket Memory and Lucky & Wild, and even opened for Everclear! The first time I talked to Matthew (lead singer) and listened to their album, Shooting Stars & Satellites, I realized just how underrated this band is.

I'm known for having eclectic taste, but I still search high and wide for the bands in the genres I listen to, that will pique my interest and hold onto it, which isn't the easiest thing to do.

Good Morning Orbit reminds me a little of a mixture of Circa Survive, +44, and Blink-182's self-titled album (which is pretty funny, because I found out after writing this that they've been compared to Angels & Airwaves). Catchy like Top-40 music, but filled with interesting and meaningful lyrics that will stick in your head without you cursing the "earworm." They weren't lying when they boasted that you'd have their album on repeat.

With so many bands trying to make it, especially living in LA, it can be hard to tell them apart. Some people say that having your own sound is the only thing that sets you apart, but I like to think that following in the footsteps (sound-wise) of popular bands and breaking off from there is just as effective. Besides all the ways they may sound like other bands, Good Morning Orbit definitely has a memorable sound that you can recognize through each song.

I've never been good at choosing favorites, but if I had to recommend a few tracks to check out first, they would be Shooting Stars & Satellites, Paranoid, and Shiver. These were three of my favorites right off the bat; I definitely found myself listening to them more than a few times.

All in all, Shooting Stars & Satellites was a strong album that did not leave me disappointed even once - something I find to be rare in a 10+ track CD. I think Good Morning Orbit will go far - you'd be smart to check them out so you can say you knew them before they were "super famous."

Find them on their website, Facebook, Reverbnation, and on Twitter!

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Whaddya know about Captives? An Interview with Jeffery & Trevor.

The story of how this interview came about is an odd one, and one I'm excited to share. I found Captives when they followed me on Tumblr, of all places. I didn't realize that bands were starting to use Tumblr as a means to get their music out and expand their fan bases  but it worked, so they may be onto something! After listening to the band's tunes and finding the music to be really interesting and diverse, I got in touch with the guys, compliments were exchanged, and here we are. I hope you enjoy the answers from Jeffery and Trevor (vocals & guitar).

Up Late Reviews: How did you first get together as a band? Since then, how have any band member changes or personal ups and downs affected your music?

Trevor Bookout: Well Jeff and myself shared a passion for music ever since we became friends in high school. We wanted to pursue music seriously our senior year. We eventually started a band with some friends, but we jumped into it too fast and ended up with some really confusing music. We knew what we wanted to sound like, but had no idea how to get there. A few years went by, and after going through some tough times in our life we found ourselves writing music again.

Jeffery Mudgett: Like Trevor said, he and I had been friends since high school, and we both shared a love for music. We've been jamming together since '09. It took us several years and a couple bands to find our sound, but we stuck it out and founded Captives in early 2012. In the beginning we went through a lot of different drummers and bassists, but eventually we ended up with Jake Evans and Tyler Colburn, who we couldn't be more happy with. And as for the ups and downs, we all have had them, but those are the things and times we express in our music.

ULR: Do you feel like starting in Utah made things harder for you to break into the music scene?

TB: Trying to play music in Utah is definitely a frustrating place to try to break into a scene. We feel like were actually trying to start a scene here, much less break into one.

JM: There really isn't much of a scene around here for our kind of music sadly, especially in Utah County. The Ogden and Salt Lake scenes are better, but still lacking in diversity. The style of music that thrives here are hardcore and indie folk. I feel like our music is more of an east coast sound, hence why we want to tour so badly.

ULR: Do you guys think that you've grown as a band and your sound has changed accordingly?

TB: I would say that our sound is maturing the more we play and the more we learn about ourselves and our writing abilities. Jeff and I have been attempting to write music since the day we started playing guitar, around four years ago. Jake was a guitarist before he joined the band, not a drummer. He specifically learned drums to jam with us. So all of us, from a musicians standpoint, are still fairly new to writing. So yes, we are growing for sure, and we are very excited about our new material coming.

JM: As musicians, we are always growing. 

ULR: Do you have one specific member who works on writing a majority of lyrics and/or music or do you feel that it's an equal collaboration?

TB: Jeff and myself are mostly the song writers. Jake and Tyler will write their parts after we present the song to them, but we lay down the foundation for the song. Jeff is mostly our instrumental guy. He has been playing Guitar for a year less then I have and I have nothing to show for it besides complete confusion to whatever chords and/or leads he's showing me ha. I will occasionally add a guitar riff or hum a note progression I want him to find for me haha. He is 100% the reason why our music in our EP is as good as it is. I do a good portion of the melody writing and lyrics. I've always had a knack for poetry and I just converted that over into a lyric form. Jeff usually thinks of his own melodies for his parts and helps out with lyrics as well.

JM: The original plan was that we would both write our own lyrics and create our own melodies for our vocal parts. We stayed true to that for Forsaken and Abandon, but Trevor basically took over all lyrics and melodies for Ugly and Grace. 

ULR: Tell me about your lyric writing process and how you end up with the final product? Has your process changed at all since you started?

TB: Writing lyrics comes easy for me. I would say that once I find a melody, I concentrate on how that melody makes me feel, what emotion or memories or random segments of thought pops in my head and I run with it. Sometimes, when I write a song, I have no Idea what I initially mean behind what I'm saying. Afterwards, I find that connection that lets me apply it to my own life, literally or metaphorically. I will then change it to fit me more and be more personal, or leave it, because that's exactly what I wanted it to say. That method usually works for bits and parts of songs, but not the song as a whole. I seem to always have something that is on my mind that I feel the need to express through music and that's what I go off of. For example, some people have mistaken "Grace" for a romantic song. It's not about a girl really at all. Rather, it's about a time in my life when I truly felt lost, and those are the experiences and emotions and trials I went through during that time in my life.

JM: A lot of times we don't have an initial theme or idea behind a song to start off with. Most of the time I'll have an instrumental foundation written before we even start lyrics or melodies. Usually Trevor will write the first few lyrics and then I'll add my parts accordingly. It really depends on the song though. Our process is always changing.

ULR: Do you feel like it's difficult for you to continue making a name for yourself as a band, while other bands and musicians often seem to meld together under the pressure of the industry to make "popular" music?

TB: Being in a band is always gonna be difficult. I don't think anyone gets themselves into a serious band with the thought that it's gonna be an easy ride or that it's gonna be one big party. Especially if you are outside of the top 40 sound. I don't think that the level of difficulty has, or ever will, put pressure on us to change our music or the way we write. We are strong believers in writing music for the right reasons. I can honestly say that I wouldn't be the person I am if it wasn't for a handful of bands who I shaped my life around. We would love to be one of those bands for someone. We write music we love, and that is all that matters.

JM: We just make music we love, and will continue doing so for however long we can. Popularity doesn't affect our writing. 

ULR: Have you experienced any issues or fallbacks while recording?

TB: We have only recorded professionally once. All I have to say, is if you do it with the right producer, you know your parts, and you can hear the finished product in your head how it's supposed to sound, it should go as smooth as butta. It was a breeze for us. We recorded all four tracks to our EP in five days.

JM: We've had some bad experiences recording locally, so we decided to go a more professional route with our EP and chose to record at a legitimate studio out of state. And it turned out amazing.

ULR: Do you guys have any plans for a tour in the near future, whether local or US?

TB: We would absolutely love to go on tour. We really want to get onto a tour with a band who has a similar sound to us so we can actually play in front of people who enjoy our style of music, rather than playing shows with bands who's fans couldn't care less about us haha. Right now it's all a matter of time and money, which hopefully will not be an issue in the near future.

JM: TOUR WOOOO!

I'm curious as to how you guys personally feel about the way music sales have changed, including illegal downloading, iTunes, Amazon, and other online music retailers. Does this totally ruin music or do you think this improves how easily and rapidly music reaches your fan's ears?

TB: Illegal downloading is like a bitter-sweetness for sure. Mainly because it's awesome how music can spread like wildfires and tons of listeners can hear it which could lead to more support. However, "can" is the key word in that sentence. I am a very strong believer that if you love a band you should support them. Go to their shows, buy some merch. Just help keep them in a financial position to continue making the music you love. Right now, we just want people to listen to our stuff and experience our music. So it's on our bandcamp for free 90% of the time until we run out of free downloads for the month. But if that happens you can just download it off a torrent website instead haha.

JM: Music has turned into a service now days, so I say go download anything you want, but if you like it enough, go support the band and buy some merch. 

Do you think that online sales will eventually completely replace CD and vinyl sales?

TB: I don't think online sales will ever replace vinyl. Maybe CD's, but not vinyl. Once you have the love for records it never stops. They are just so cool, and so much fun to have and admire. I love seeing the artwork and reading the lyric sheets along with the music. Plus, it's always nice to have something tangible of the band you love so much.

JM: I've spent way too much money on vinyl records and CD's. They are more collectibles in this day and age. I feel for listening purposes digital music has already replaced physical. But I think Cd's and records will always be around.

If each of you had to choose one musician, dead or alive, to add to the band, who would it be?

TB: I would probably want Chris Freeman from Manchester Orchestra, not only because the guy rocks out on the keys like no one before him, but he brings such a cool environmental sound to Manchester and I think if we were missing a piece of the puzzle to some of our songs, some raining down, powerful keys would do the trick.

JM: Ian Mackaye.

And if Jake were here he'd choose Justin Beiber.

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If you're interested in finding out more about Captives and seeing what they're up to, check them out on Facebook, Bandcamp, Twitter, and Tumblr!

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