Interview

Interview

INTERVIEW: Ariana and the Rose takes you on a synth pop musical journey with her new EP Constellations

July 26, 2019

Vans Warped Tour has been the summer staple event for music lovers for the past 25 years. Warped Tour came to a close with its final show at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. Last weekend, we had the opportunity to catch the rising synth pop star Ariana and The Rose at the final Vans Warped Tour.  Ariana put out a great set that had new fans flocking to her stage and soon to become long time fans. We had the chance to chat with Ariana about her recent performance and the release of her new EP Constellations. Check out our interview below: * * * * * * * * * * MJP: It was a great set you put on at Warped Tour.  You got the crowd going and it was an incredible set from start to finish. Great energy from you and the crowd. Ariana: Thank you so much. Thank you for taking the time out to see it. I mean they didn’t know us and at the beginning I was like, “Oh God, [Read More]

Interview

Interview with Buckcherry’s guitarist Stevie D as they are out on their WARPAINT tour!

March 9, 2019

    We recently brought you coverage of Buckcherry’s show in Sacramento as they kicked off the US leg of their Warpaint tour.  The tour is in support of their new album, Warpaint which was released on March 8th.  The highly anticipated album had them reuniting in the studio with legendary producer Mike Plotnikoff (Chris Cornell, Nita Strauss & Halestorm), who previously produced the band’s platinum certified album 15. You can check out the review of the show here. Our colleague Ben Mitchell was able to chat with guitarist Stevie D prior to the show and you can check out the interview here: You can check out photos from their Sacramento show below:   The tour includes another rock favorite, new band to watch,  Joyous Wolf. Joyous Wolf is from Southern California and was formed in 2014 by vocalist Nick Reese, guitarist Blake Allard, bassist Greg Braccio, and drummer Robert Sodaro.   Check out some pix of their set: Make sure to check the dates below and get yourself to a show! WARPAINT TOUR DATES: Mar 13 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theater [Read More]

Interview

A conversation with Nurit Siegel Smith, new Executive Director of the Music Forward Foundation of the House of Blues

October 18, 2018

  Patrick O’Heffernan (Los Angeles) Nurit Siegel Smith is the new Executive Director of the Music Forward Foundation of the House of Blues, which contributes over a million dollars year to music industry education.  Smith assumes leadership as Music Forward embarks on its 25th year. She is stepping into some pretty big shoes — over the past quarter century, Music Forward – formerly known as the House of Blues Foundation —  has impacted the lives of a million young people with hundreds of partners, thousands of mentors, tens of thousands of hours of volunteer time. She generously let us interrupt her very busy day to learn about her vision for the Foundation.   Patrick.  Congratulations. This has got to be the coolest job ever!   Nurit. It is exciting.  I am 6 months into it and I have been in awe of my staff here, the youth  I have been in contact with, all the support around the country and the engagement with our partners.  It is exciting. Patrick.  Tell us your vision- what do [Read More]

Interview

Lisa Sniderman, AKA Aoede the Muse, talks about her memoirs.

October 16, 2018

  (Los Angeles). One of the strongest women I know, and one who is renowned throughout the indie music community as “Aoede The Muse,”  is Lisa Sniderman.  She is an award-winning pop-folk singer, songwriter, artist, playwright, and author. Lisa has just released a memoir, A Light in the Darkness,  about a decade of creating music, plays, and performances in face of a debilitating disease. She calls her illness the “Gift in the Curse”;  the Curse is the disease  the Gift is her ability to share connect with others and inspire those with life challenges.  As long as I have known her she has been a source of joy, creativity, and strength, so I was very happy to get a few minutes with her this week.   Patrick. Aoede, you write, you sing, you produce incredible musical stories and albums like What Are Dreams Made Of,  you  do voices, you have won  tons of awards for your music and now you have released this book  A Light in the Darkness. Why did you decide to write a [Read More]

Interview

A conversation with Dream Pop star Whitney Tai. By Patrick O’Heffernan

October 16, 2018

  Patrick O’Heffernan (Los Angeles) Whitney Tai is a singer-songwriter who creates dream pop by walking on the razor edge of pop and indie, staying aloft with talent,  honesty and integrity.  She is otherworldly but also totally authentic – what you hear is what she is. Tai lost her mother to cancer when she was 10 years old, surfacing health issues including severe anxiety and depression. But her mother’s memory inspired her to channel her feelings into songs and poems and performances that helped lead her out of the darkness inside.  Singles led to albums like her debut Metamorphosis, then the EP Forever, followed by a series of singles after an extended trip to Europe, ranging from the jazz flavored ‘Good At Being Bad’, the emotionally devastating ”How Was I Supposed To Know” plus breathtaking videos.  I have been fortunate enough to see her live and caught up with her a day before her show at the Hudson Theater in Los Angles.   Patrick. You have been performing pretty relentlessly – Hotel Café, Bar20 in [Read More]

Concerts

Interview with Drake Bell as he delivers eclectic fun night of music on his Uncovered Tour

September 16, 2018

This week we headed down to one of our go-to music spots, the Mystic Theatre in Petaluma, CA for a great night of music. Nickelodeon’s favorite teen heartthrob Drake Bell made a stop out on his Uncovered Tour at the historic intimate venue.  Many know Drake for his comedic role on Nickelodeon’s highly popular Drake & Josh show, but if you haven’t listened to his music, you are missing out. Drake is a successful actor, musician, comedian and so much more. We couldn’t wait to catch his set and for our Drake Bell Interview. Interview We had a chance to chat with Drake a little before he took the stage, check out that interview here: The night kicked off with a great set by Petaluma locals Willow & Hound. They are fun indie rock band that captured the audience’s attention and started the night off with a killer set. Here are some photos by Rockin Ryan: His tour features just him and his guitar, playing some special songs and great covers.  The intimate venues are [Read More]

Interview

NEW RELEASE: Livia Blanc channels her love for retro with release of infectious debut EP Amour Amour

July 20, 2018

Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Livia Blanc is ready to set the music scene ablaze with the release of her debut EP Amour Amour. Livia brings to life the nostalgic passion and beauty of 1960’s cinema art with her music. It is captivating and infectious.  Get ready for Livia to take you on a retro ride with her new EP. Take a listen below: Take a listen to the new EP here:   We had the chance to chat with Livia and are pleased to bring you a bit of that here:   MJP: All we can say is “WOW!” It is a beautiful EP with these great songs that bring to life the nostalgia of so many strong beautiful women from the 1960’s cinema era.  Where did your love for that era come from? Merci!! I think growing up they were just women I looked up to and admired. Strong, beautiful and revolutionary. I have always had a thing for everything retro. My favorite movies are in black and white and I almost only listen to music [Read More]