During our chat with Bryan Sammis, drummer of The Neighbourhood, he gave us his playlist picks. Fun Fact: “Started From The Bottom” by Drake is the track that the band came out to before their set at the Biltmore Cabaret.
Check back tomorrow for an exclusive The Neighbourhood contest you won’t want to miss!
Posted in Playlists
Tagged bryan sammis, interview, Playlist Thursday, the neighbourhood
The Script is a band with no boundaries. Musically speaking, that is.
The band’s debut single “We Cry” back in 2008 showcased R&B and hip-hop influences, and four years and three albums later, The Script continue to blend elements of these genres together. As guitarist Mark Sheehan explains: “A lot of people think we’re trying to be this rock band, but we’re not a rock band at all – we’re a R&B/hip-hop/pop band. We don’t really prescribe to the rock genre at all.” He has a point. Lead singer Danny O’Donoghue previously referred to it as ‘celtic hip-hop’. There may be difficulty in narrowing down a category to place The Script in, but one thing is certain – the heart and soul of their music is written on their sleeves for the world to see.
Case in point, the track “If You Could See Me Now” on their latest album #3 was noted by the band as a difficult song get through in terms of the writing and recording process. The track is a touching dedication towards Danny’s father and both of Mark’s parents, and steers towards the emotional rapport that the band creates for the listener at such a personal level. Along with drummer Glen Power and the band on tour, this connection is made stronger through their live shows. It is obvious that the fans are every bit as enthused and emotionally attached to the songs as the band is.
I had the opportunity to chat with Mark on the phone just before The Script played at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis on October 26th, and he spoke about life on the road, the touring band, and writing from a personal level.
Happy Halloween! Trick or treat you say? Look no further…
Can you figure out what Jesse Labelle has drawn on the card?
We loved chatting with him a couple of weeks ago, and we were pretty impressed with his creativity, and his taste in music. There are two ways to enter for the chance to win this lovely card:
1) Follow us on Twitter @asapmusicblog and RT this message:
RT @asapmusicblog: Win a card designed by Jesse Labelle! – http://tinyurl.com/jesselabelleasap – RT to win! #jlasap
2) Like us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/asapmusicblog – find the designated Jesse Labelle contest status and “Like” it.
Feel free to enter both ways, but keep in mind that you will only be eligible to win one of the two pictures! We will be choosing one winner, per social networking platform. Fans from all over the world are welcome to enter! 
Rules & Regulations: Contest will begin on October 31, 2012 and will end on November 10, 2012 – 11:59 PM (PST). There is one (1) card designed and signed by Jesse Labelle to win. One (1) winner will be chosen from Twitter and/or Facebook, and will be contacted within 24 hours after contest closes. We reserve the right to void any entries we deem as duplicates, or if we are unable to contact the winner within 72 hours after the contest closes. One entry per account, per platform.
Ah, the art of the sophomore record. In Jesse Labelle’s case, “Two” was the result of rewriting an entire album, and finding that it was a blessing in disguise. In the process of the rewrite, there was the realization of a concept, a challenge, and a chance to showcase a different side of his music and storytelling. The result can be heard in the dynamics of the first single off the record, ‘Heartbreak Coverup’, which heated up charts earlier this year.
We had the opportunity to chat with Jesse in Vancouver this past weekend before he opened for Jordan Knight, and divulged on the process of making “Two”, his writing inspirations, and what he has planned for the rest of the year. Stay tuned later this week for Jesse’s playlist contribution, and a contest you don’t want to miss.
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asapmusicblog.ca: You’re approaching the end of your tour with Jordan Knight. Is there anything you’ve learned on this tour that you’ll carry with you for the rest of your life?
Jesse Labelle: Jordan connects with his fans really, really well. He develops a rapport with them, and that’s something I’ve been watching him do – I’m trying to learn from it. This is also the first tour that I’ve played any of the new songs off of my record, and there’s a lot of piano playing on it. I’m going to spend some more time practicing on the piano; it’s new for me to step away from the guitar for this long – I really like it and I just want to get better at it.
Posted in Interviews
Tagged interview, jesse labelle, jordan knight, live and unfinished, two, vancouver
There is something about Andrew Allen. The music, the positivity, and the dedication to his craft that makes his live performances stand out. After a busy summer of playing solo shows and opening for the likes of Lights and Nick Carter, he has released a new single – “Satellite”, from his upcoming album.
He took some time out of his schedule to chat with us about fans, one of his most memorable shows, his playlist, and… the weather? Happy reading, and keep posted for an exclusive Andrew Allen contest coming up this week!
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asapmusicblog.ca: Our blog focuses primarily on Canadian artists, and we were wondering, which Canadian artists inspire you?
Andrew Allen: There’s a ton of Canadian artists that I really respect. One I really like, his name is Colin Bullock. I don’t know if he’s considered a Canadian artist though, he’s from Australia but he lives in Vancouver now. He inspires me – he’s very creative. Bryan Adams. I know he played in a bunch of bands before he got famous, and he’s stayed true to who he is, so I think that’s a really big thing to stay focused on. Michael Bublé – I think he’s really cool too. He stuck to what he does instead of deviating from it and conforming to be something that he’s not and I appreciate that.
It’s no secret that we love our share of Canadian artists here at asapmusicblog.ca. The first time we heard Kay’s debut single, “My Name Is Kay”, it was no doubt love at first listen – and we didn’t forget her name. How could we with her catchy hooks and spunky personality? We had the opportunity to chat with Kay about her music, her favourite Canadian artists, and how she stays positive.
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asapmusicblog.ca: Where were you the first time you heard ‘My Name is Kay’ on the radio?
Kay: Ooh, that’s a good question. The first time I heard it on the radio, actually, was after I shot my second video. I was out with all my friends and I was shooting a video for ‘Diddy Dum’ and the first and second video have been complete labours of love. Just me and all my friends, no one getting paid, super low budget, I just really wanted to do it and of course I’m a bit delusional so I’m like, “I can do this, looks easy… let me direct my own video!”
It was after a really long day, after 12 hours of shooting ‘Diddy Dum’, I got in the car with all my girlfriends, we were so exhausted and I turned the keys in the ignition and ‘My Name is Kay’ was on. It was the first time I’ve ever heard and it was just kind of like – I felt like it was a sign from God being like you know what, keep going, you’re on the right path. You just had a really long day, you’re really tired, but look how lucky you are. Your song is playing on the radio, you’re with six of your best girlfriends and you just did another video shoot – life is good. It was so nice.
Whether or not you are a fan of Hot Chelle Rae, there is one thing you can’t deny – their songs are unbelievably catchy. The first single from their sophomore album Whatever, ‘Tonight Tonight’, hit double platinum, while the second single, ‘I Like It Like That’, recently hit platinum. Numbers certainly don’t lie.
The band consists of lead singer Ryan Follesé, guitarist Nash Overstreet, bassist Ian Keaggy, and drummer Jamie Follesé. The four-piece band has been paving their way up the charts since their formation in 2005, in addition to their rapidly growing fan base. Hot Chelle Rae doesn’t seem to be slowing down, as they already have a busy year lined up for them.
They are currently on their first headlining tour in support of their sophomore release, and we had the opportunity to chat with Nash Overstreet during their tour stop in Vancouver about the band’s direction, performing live, and hockey.
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asapmusicblog.ca: The first question is inspired by lead singer Ryan Follesé’s Twitter profile, since he wrote that he sings in the shower. What is your go-to song in the shower?
Nash Overstreet: If I was to shower at this moment, I would either ask all you guys to leave, or at least have to put the curtain up… but I am singing… a new T-Pain song that just came out off of his record. I think T-Pain is always fun to sing because you can fake the auto-tune thing, do a little warble thing. In a second, that would be my choice.
A: Getting more serious about things, Hot Chelle Rae’s debut album Lovesick Electric was released in 2009, and the new album, Whatever, was released last year. What would you say is the growth that you guys have had as band between those two years?
NO: I think there’s a lot of confidence, there’s a lot of comfort that we’ve gotten from really going out and touring all over the place, and kind of having bad shows and good shows. Lovesick Electric was very much us really trying to carrel ourselves into something and find a sound, and we were still searching for it and figuring out who we were as people and learning to really write songs almost.
Posted in Interviews
Tagged hockey, hot chelle rae, interview, nash overstreet, nashville predators, touring, vancouver
Though their name may not register in your direct knowledge, if you’ve been exposed to Top 40 radio or music, there’s a pretty good chance you have heard a Hot Chelle Rae song. Their latest two singles, ‘Tonight, Tonight’ and ‘I Like It Like That’ off of their new album Whatever have hit double platinum and platinum, respectively. They made a stop in Vancouver last night on their “Beautiful Freaks” tour in support of Whatever.
Opening for the band was newcomer Cady Groves, who showed off her big voice, despite her short set. Alongside songs from her latest EP such as ‘This Little Girl’, Groves also did an impressive cover of Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ – which showed off her vocal abilities quite splendidly.
The last time I saw Hot Chelle Rae live, it was back in September as the opener of The Script’s show in Seattle. Between lead singer Ryan Follese, guitar player Nash Overstreet, bassist Ian Keaggy, and drummer Jamie Follese – I was impressed by the cohesiveness of the band as musicians, as well as the high levels of energy that they had onstage. Both of those aspects were present at the show last night – and Hot Chelle Rae is as consistent as consistency gets.
The band started off their set list with the title track of the tour, ‘Beautiful Freaks’. It was a relatively balanced mixed of songs from their debut and sophomore albums, and even a track called ‘Emo’ which their most dedicated of fans would know from Ryan Follese and Overstreet’s pre-HCR band, Miracle Drug. The set was rounded out by a few cover songs, and a lot of crowd interaction.
Setlist:
- Beautiful Freaks
- Tonight Tonight
- Downtown Girl
- I Like To Dance
- Keep You With Me
- Honestly
- Since U Been Gone (Kelly Clarkson cover)
- The Only One
- Why Don’t You Love Me
- If You’re Wondering If I Want You To (Weezer cover)
- Emo
- Bleed
- I Like It Like That
- Never Have I Ever
- Radio
- Forever Unstopabble
- Whatever
- Tonight Tonight (Reprise)
By the end of the show, one thing was clear – Hot Chelle Rae knows how to put on a fun show, and the crowd soaked in every minute of it.
We had the pleasure of chatting with Nash Overstreet before the show. Keep posted for the interview, his playlist contribution, and a HCR-related contest!
Posted in Concert Reviews
Tagged beautiful freaks tour, contest, hot chelle rae, interview, nash overstreet, setlist, vancouver, venue
It was less than two years ago when I met with and interviewed Carly Rae Jepsen at a Starbucks on Robson Street. At the time, Jepsen was wrapping up a busy year touring and writing songs for her sophomore album. One of the things we discussed was the touring she did in Japan, where she happened to mention the surprise of sharing magazine pages with none other than Justin Bieber.
Fast forward to present day – just yesterday, Jepsen announced alongside Justin Bieber and Scooter Braun on Muchmusic’s New.Music.Live that she signed with Braun’s record label, Schoolboy Records. Her new EP, Curiosity, is available now in stores and on iTunes.
Congratulations Carly! It is so great to see the levels of success you are continuing to achieve, and it is well-deserved. Looking forward to seeing what your next chapter consists of.
Posted in SOTD
Tagged call me maybe, carly rae jepsen, curiosity, interview, justin bieber
