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INTERVIEW // THE CANVAS FOUNDATION

Every summer, the Vans Warped Tour takes off across the country, bringing fan-favorite and up-and-coming musicians to fans everywhere. The festival also attracts vendors and non-profit organizations that aim to share their messages with teens in the scene. The Canvas Foundation has been traveling with Warped Tour for multiple summers sharing their message and working to provide funding for art programs in schools around the nation. ATB sat down with Lydia Tavera to talk about the Canvas Foundation, its goals for the summer, and how you can get involved

At the Barricade: How long have you been with the Canvas Foundation?

Lydia Tavera: I started working with canvas just this summer. Connor, my partner who’s out here with me, has been with them for five or six years. I think they’ve been on Warped Tour for ten years or so. The majority of what Canvas does is with Warped Tour and sometimes they’ll do High School Nation or other events. 

ATB: Can you explain your mission and what exactly the Canvas Foundation does?

LT: The Canvas Foundation is a non-profit that helps fund art programs in schools that have lost funding. Through donations, we’re able to give back to these schools that have lost funding. We go through and see what each school needs. Kids can submit their schools for funding, too, which is really cool. We also have shirts that we sell and all of the shirts have designs on them that have been submitted by student artists, which is great. Mainly we want people to have a good time and we want people to realize that art is so important and keeping it alive is what really matters.

ATB: What differentiates the Canvas Foundation from other organizations?

LT: On Warped Tour at least, a lot of the organizations are about suicide prevention or anti-depression or animal activism. We’re really the only ones out here at least this summer that are really pushing to keep art in schools. Art is our main thing. I know there are other organizations that are doing similar things, but there’s not a lot of them that are well known, and if there was a bigger one we could get a lot more done. Also, just given the current political climate, a lot of funding is being cut for art and people aren’t talking about it, so we’re trying to make people discuss it. We’re trying to get the message out there more than anything.

ATB: What is an average day like for you?

LT: We wake up and go to load in. Something I didn’t realize before going on Warped was that the trucks parked in the middle of the field is where everyone’s stuff is, so you have to wait there in the morning with your dolly, haul everything in, wait to get placed, take it to your site, set up, and then we’re out there from the minute doors open to around 6:30 or 7:30 selling paint and calling people in. We’ve been trying to do a lot more work with bands, too. I just kind of wave at them until they come over and then we talk to them about what we’re doing and see if they want to get involved. We’re going to start doing a lot of canvases that the bands will paint. We have Movements doing one. I think The Gospel Youth is going to hop in. We’re trying to get Atilla. We’re going to have them sign the canvases and then sell them at the tent. It’s a lot of “Here’s what we’re doing. You should come and help us.” It’s also really fun seeing the kind of people that want to paint themselves because you never know who it is. 

ATB: What can people expect from your booth this summer?

LT: Stained clothes, but in the most fun way possible. I’m going to be out there doing a lot of the social media stuff, so I’m taking a lot of pictures. I’m going to be doing weekly roundups where any pictures I take get posted on Facebook. Instagram will be going all summer. It’s a lot of fun. It’s crazy and it’s madness, especially if you get unlimited paint because you can come back all day. You’ll get free shade and unconditional love. We’re just out here trying to get kids involved and it’s a lot of fun. You can expect to leave covered in paint and really happy. You’ll expect to leave covered in paint and really happy. You’ll probably see some band members stop by because we’re trying to make that a thing, but who knows? Also, bring $20 and buy a t-shirt. It comes with a free bag, a wristband or sunglasses, and unlimited paint all day. 

ATB: What are your biggest goals for the summer?

LT: For Canvas, we really just want to raise as much money as possible. I’m working very hard to not rebrand Canvas because it’s goals are already very specific. We know what we’re doing. We know who we are. We’re keeping art alive and we’re all going to have fun doing it together. For me, I just want to make sure people know who we are. When someone walks up to the To Write Love on Her Arms tent, they don’t ask what’s going on. They know what’s going on. They’ll buy a shirt and be stoked about it. I want Canvas to be that but for art, so I’m trying to really build our social media following. I’m trying to keep content flowing and really engage people, more so in a “This is what we’re doing” way and not just a “Hey! Get some paint!” way. So far, it’s been awesome. We’ve had a lot of people come up and say “Oh, I work at a school” or “My school lost funding” and it’s really important for me to communicate with these people and have those talks. I know it’s easier if you’re [an organization] like Can You Hear Me?. With them, you can sit down and have a conversation about “This happened to me and this is why I feel this way.” For Canvas, it’s a little more interesting because you can say “How did art affect your life?” You really have to spark these conversations and I think that’s what’s going to make us memorable and that’s what’s going to make us stand out. 

Personally, I want to watch a full Neck Deep set. I have yet to do that. I’m really trying to make friends with as many people as I can on this tour because so many of us are doing such amazing things. It’s like, yeah, we’re not the lead singer of this band, but they’re working to save the oceans or he sets up this entire stage every day and it’s awesome. The coolest people in the world are out here and I’m so blessed to be a part of it. This is my first summer out here and I just want to make the most of it. It’s exhausting and messy and dirty. We have a shower on our bus, thank God, but I just want to have the best summer of my life. I’m out here with my best friend, too, and he makes it very easy.

ATB: What are some of the biggest obstacles you encounter while on the road?

LT: Trying to fit everything in your bunk is a lot harder than you’d think it would be. Luckily, I have the coolest bus mates in the world. I think it’s just learning how to adjust to this new lifestyle. Being the new person on tour is kind of difficult because you have to work your ass off to prove yourself. It is incredible what you can left when someone asks you if you need help. Like, I could not lift an easy-up tent by myself unless someone was like “Do you need help?” and it’s like “No. I can do this. I’m here.” Proving yourself is a big thing. You have to work your ass off to get here and you have to work your ass of to stay. As Canvas, I think our biggest obstacle is just making people stop and listen to what we’re about. The second you say it’s donation based they kind of leave, but once you explain what it’s for, people get excited and they get so happy about it. I think it’s also hard trying to avoid stains on our clothes and trying to avoid stains on other people’s tents so they don’t hate us. 

ATB: How do you attract people to your tent?

LT: Sometimes it’s like “Hey! Want some body paint?” I’ll just wave at people until they come over. That’s how I’ve been getting a lot of the bands to come interact with us. Our volunteers are such a big part of it, too. We’re also giving out free bags all summer if you follow us on Instagram. A lot of it is just bothering people until they come over and if every two out of ten people you ask comes in then you’re still having a good day.

ATB: You guys are doing a screen printing class with The Entertainment Institute this summer. What is that like and how did it come about?

LT: My boss Austin Phillips and Chad Long, who runs Choonimals, run a screen printing company called Tour Print in Portland, so this summer they partnered with TEI to do a screen printing class. They’ll screen print things in front of you, too. There’s bandanas, hats, and shirts. It’s really cool because we have this entire collective out here with Canvas, Choonimals, and TEI/Tour Print. We’re all out here busting ass together. Today I went and covered for the Choonimals tent. We’ll go help Chad and we’ll break down together. It’s just really awesome having a collective that stretches across so many things.

ATB: What made you want to get involved with The Canvas Foundation?

LT: It’s an awesome message. Like I said, there’s a lot of similar organizations going on at Warped, which is cool, but for me art is so important. I interned with a non-profit dance company last semester doing photography and stuff. Watching the way non-profits organize themselves and start doing things and get their mission across is so incredible. I kind of knew that was the route I wanted to take. It’s a lot of hard work, but Canvas is so busy and so fun. It’s maybe one of the hardest tents to run all summer because people don’t want to give you money to paint. It’s also really difficult if it’s just you setting up. We have fifteen huge boxes, two dollies, three tents. It’s crazy. But at the end of the day you can sit down in your paint-stained clothes and just think that you had the coolest day in the world and it’s awesome. I love my job. I’m also working with my best friend in the world, Connor Amsden. He is the absolute best and I could not be on this tour without him.

ATB: What kind of things do you do during the rest of the year?

LT: Canvas does different pop up events. We do a lot of stuff in Portland because that’s where we’re based. We did Chain Fest down in Santa Ana last year. I know we’re thinking about setting up at some other festivals. If anyone has any festivals they’d like us to get involved in, please let us know. Personally, I go to school at Northeastern [University] in Boston. I absolutely love it. I study Music Industry. I’m there during the week and on weekends I travel a lot and do merch at different festivals, which is absolutely amazing.

ATB: How can people get involved with you during the summer and throughout the rest of the year? 

LT: We actually have volunteers every date of Warped Tour. Spots may or may not be filled for upcoming dates this year, but we still have openings for a lot of them. You can send us an email or we have a link up on Facebook. You can also get involved throughout the year if you send us an email. Austin, the CEO of Canvas, organizes everything and we take volunteers from everywhere.

Originally published on At the Barricade (July 2017). 

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SOCIAL MEDIA JOURNALISM WORK

In the spring of 2017, I took a Social Media Journalism class in which I focused on how journalism can be positively benefited by social media, specifically Twitter and Snapchat. Here you can view collections of my personal tweets, tweets from the class news network, and my Snapchat stories for the class account through Storify and YouTube. 

Personal Tweets

Utah Social News Network:

Twitter Part One, Part Two

Snapchat Part One, Part Two

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CONCERT RECAP // KENNY HOLLAND - PROVO, UTAH

Kenny Holland for Aspects Magazine. Video by Rachel Leonard Photo.

Originally used to advertise issue three of Aspects Magazine. 

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INTERVIEW // PAIGE BACKSTAGE

Meet Toronto-based music blogger and YouTuber Paige Williams, a.k.a. Paige Backstage. With over 11,000 followers on her social media pages, Paige is breaking barriers in the online music world and is becoming an exciting woman to watch in the industry. She’s taking the industry into her own hands and creating an incredible online space where people can come together to love and share the music that means the most to them. We sat down with Paige to discuss her experiences in the music industry, her inspirations, and what she’s most excited about for the upcoming year. 

Aspects Magazine: What inspired you to start your blog?

Paige Williams: I spent a few years working at the biggest record label in Canada, so I got an opportunity to see the music industry on a pretty large scale. One of the things that bothered me a lot was that I felt like a lot of smaller bands weren’t getting the attention they deserved. There were all these artists that signed on thinking they were going to be supported and then were essentially being forgotten. I wanted to create a space where I could sort of showcase the bands that I thought deserved more attention or just bands that I really enjoyed. I also felt like I didn’t have a voice in such a big company. It was very much like “small fish, big pond” where as if I made my own pond then I’m the only fish. It was something that I’ve always loved doing and I’ve had multiple blogs before, but it’s been really fun and fulfilling in some way.

AM: What inspired you to add a YouTube channel into the mix?

PW: I found there was some stuff that was easier to talk about. It’s easier to have a conversation with people or show something off that maybe doesn’t require a full post. I actually used to have a YouTube channel, so I had already been associated with YouTube and I knew it very well. I actually went to school previously for acting for film and television, so I’m very comfortable with a camera and that was just something that I missed doing. Honestly, all the things I’m doing right now are things that I’ve wanted to be doing for the last ten years but I had to keep shutting them down or I didn’t have the platform or I didn’t have the confidence to do it, so I’ve kind of taken the time now to kind of get back in to everything. YouTube has ended up kind of being my favorite, but I’m trying to focus more on my blog now this month.

Part of the problem is that you want to write blog posts and have that good content, but the attention comes much faster on YouTube. Most of the people on my YouTube don’t even know I have a blog. Attention on YouTube is so much easier because there’s people already there that are fans of YouTube itself, so they’ll find anything on YouTube and they’ll look through different videos whereas if you look on my blog and read a post it’s not going to say “Here’s four other bloggers you might like. Read their posts on similar topics.” I think everybody kind of gets swayed toward YouTube because it’s easier to find your audience. But your blog is your own personal space that you can control. YouTube is having issues lately where they’re not putting videos in subscription boxes and randomly canceling people’s subscriptions to channels. There’s all these weird things happening and you have no control over that because it’s not your platform, whereas your blog is your platform so really we should all be focusing on them more because we actually have control over them. I’m trying to split my time between both this year. That’s my goal for 2017.

AM: You’re participating in Blogmas and Vlogmas this year. What made you decide to do thirty-one days of posting on both of your sites?

PW: Last year I did Blogmas, but it only lasted until December 24th because I lost internet after that. But it was fun doing that because I had just started my blog so my plan was mostly to stockpile content.

I didn’t really focus it on music, though, because at the time I just thought “I’ll do music and everything else.” I didn’t really have a focus for a while, but not long after I realized I should just try to make everything tie in to music. But then I kind of accidentally didn’t post on my blog for, like, four months which wasn’t good. I didn’t realize so much time had passed and then I was like “Oh. My last post was in May. That’s fine.” So I said “You know what, it’s time to just buckle down and get all this stuff going so that in 2017 I have a base to jump off and so that I have music content written and published somewhere.” So I decided to give Blogmas a try again. A lot of people do Vlogmas, too, but I don’t really vlog, so I thought “What if I just make a video every single day?” I didn’t want to neglect my YouTube just because I was doing my blog, so instead I decided to completely overwhelm myself and do everything. Honestly, if I thought it through better, I should have done alternating days - one Blogmas, one Vlogmas - but I didn’t think it through. It’s too late now. [laughs]

AM: Is there something specific you’re looking forward to getting out of Blogmas/Vlogmas?

PW: I’m really excited to see how this helps with all the changes with YouTube right now because so many people are having issues getting people onto their channels. I figure if I’m posting more content I can see how YouTube is doing things and I can kind of test it that way. So far so good. I’m also trying to kind of wean my audience off the vinyl videos because there’s only so many videos I can make without bankrupting myself just buying more records to talk about, but when I post other content they don’t watch it as much or as fervently as they watch my vinyl videos, so I’m trying to show that I have more interests than just my record collection and then I can see what content they would prefer me to add or what they completely don’t care about. I’m willing to adjust my content to what they want, but I also want to talk about some other stuff that I think is cool or important. I’m excited to branch out and I’m excited to get some new viewers in, because I have goals for 2016 that I want to reach by the end of the year.

AM: You’re obviously a huge vinyl collector. Do you have any tips for people who want to start collecting but are maybe worried about the cost or just feel so overwhelmed they don’t really know where to start? 

PW: One of the things I think people ask me about is “What are the records that you have to have in your collection” or “What are the records that every vinyl collection needs?” I feel like that comes from this mentality that’s been handed to us by middle-aged men that have made up the vinyl community for so long that act like if you don’t own every Rolling Stones and Beatles record then you’re a fake vinyl collector and you’re garbage. I feel like we need to get over the mentality that you need to have these records or your collection is not real. Your collection is your collection. Why would you spend money on stuff you don’t care about? I don’t own any Rolling Stones records. I’m sure there are a lot of bands whose records I should own that I don’t, but it’s my collection and it shows who I am so I feel like that’s what’s important. Don’t spend money on records you don’t actually want just because you think it’s necessary. 

And don’t let people at flea markets trick you in to paying more for your records because you’ll overspend and you’ll regret it forever. I prefer stores anyway. I go to [HMV or major retailers] because I know I can find stuff and I know it’s going to be at the right price. I shop there. I don’t care. And I’ll shop at Urban Outfitters. It’s fine because I find what I want. There’s this mentality that vinyl collecting has to be this hipster thing where you’re digging through somebody’s garbage in a basement and it doesn’t have to be like that. We need to get over the whole superiority complex. 

Also, never store your records like pancakes. Stand them up or you’re going to wreck them. That’s my advice. [laughs]

AM: This magazine is all about getting people started in the music industry. How did you get your start? What made you decide this was what you wanted to do and what kind of steps did you take to get there?

PW: I’ve been playing piano since I was three-years-old and I’ve always been super connected to music. It’s been the main part of my life since I was born. I think it was always a given that I was going to do something with music and when I went to school for something else I think my parents were really surprised, but I just didn’t really see how I could make a career out of music. I never really realized there were options out there for me. My mom ended up sitting me down one night and just said “I just don’t really know why you’re going to school for anything other than music.” So I dropped out of school and found another school for entertainment management. I don’t know what they’re like in the States, but in Toronto there’s a whole handful of [specialty schools]. So I went to school for that and there you learn about every part of the industry. You learn about working at labels, about management, being an agent, graphic design, website design. They literally teach you everything. It’s nine months of school and a three-month internship. When it was time for me to get an internship, I contacted the biggest labels in the country and actually interviewed with and got internships at both and then I had to pick. 

What I learned from working [at the label] is that a lot of interns come in and kind of do the bare minimum just because they want it on their resume, but you have to put in work. Make yourself indispensable so they can’t imagine life after your internship is done. They extended my internship twice because they said, “We can’t hire right now, but we don’t want you to leave.” They just kept extending my internship until a spot opened up and then they hired me right away. You just have to make sure that you’re putting in work and that you’re not just taking advantage of the situation. You have to really do what you can to make sure you give yourself the opportunities you deserve. And do not undervalue yourself, because I did that a lot and spent way too many hours at the office and didn’t get paid for things that I should have gotten paid for. I thought, “If I don’t do this for free or if I don’t put in ten extra hours today then they’ll find somebody else who will.” That’s not necessarily true. You should definitely stick to your guns. The industry can be hard to get into, but if you look for opportunities you’ll find them. Everybody’s looking for people who are willing to come in and help and it’s always a good way to get your foot in the door for something more long-term or paid.

AM: Obviously you’ve done a lot since you started in the industry. Is there any memorable project or moment, whether it was with your work or on your own?

PW: When I worked at the label, I was just an assistant so I wasn’t actually supposed to have my own projects. I was just supposed to help everybody else do menial tasks so they could focus on their projects. But in July of I think 2014, I saw that Halsey had just signed to Astralwerks and Capitol so I ran into my boss’s office and said, “There’s this artist I know of that you guys definitely don’t know yet and she just signed. Can I have this project?” and he was like, “She signed an hour ago. Nobody here is doing anything yet.” So I kept coming back to him and saying, “Hey. I really want to do this” and he said, “We’re not doing anything here yet. She doesn’t have music yet. She just got signed.” By the end of the year I said, “If I write out a business proposal on why I should be her marketing manager, will you let me do it?” and he said, “Yes. If you bring me a good enough plan, sure.” I wrote out this whole marketing plan over my Christmas break and brought it back in the new year and my boss said, “Fine. You can have this project.”

Up until that point I was kind of already doing everything anyway. Everybody at the office kept saying, “Nobody cares. She’s just another indie-pop artist. There’s other priorities. You need to calm down. You’re just a fan.” I got that every day of my life there. “You’re just excited. You’re just a fan.” I was like, “I’m an employee just like everybody else. I’m allowed to be excited about music. That’s why we’re all here.” But I kept pitching it and kept trying my best to get it out there. I would sneak it into Spotify playlists and into other stuff and by the end of the year, she was the top-priority artist. I ended up leaving the company a little bit after her album was released, but then this year the album went gold so I got an award! I got [a plaque] and it was the most important moment of my whole life, just being able to see that it went from me being the most annoying person that anybody at this company had ever met to one year later when I could say I was right! So many times people ride-off my music tasted because I like boybands or pop music. But then I could say, “No. This time I was right and now I have a huge plaque to show for it.” That was my big work moment, even though it happened after I left.

There have actually been a lot of things with my blog that were important moments for me. I think probably the most important one was the first time I went to my PO box and had something from one of my followers. Companies will send you stuff sometimes. I don’t get that much from companies, but there are vinyl subscription services that will ask me to review them. But actually having somebody say, “Hey. I saw this record and thought of you so I just sent it to you.” Or people will send me letters. It’s really cool because it feels like you’ve actually connected with or helped somebody. Or sometimes I’ll get these really nice DMs on Instagram that just say, “Hey. I’ve been having a really bad day, but I just watched one of your videos and it helped my anxiety so much.” It just feels good to know that it did something other than just join this massive internet hysteria of people wanting to gain followers. It’s a good feeling.

AM: If you had to pick a top moment of 2016, what would it be?

PW: I think the best part of 2016 was the first time I got a check from YouTube. They only pay out at $100 and the most I’d ever made with a YouTube account before was, like, $2.03. The first time I hit $100 it was like, “Holy smokes. This could actually start into something. It put me into this new mindset and I feel like that was the moment I kind of flipped. Also, I met my boyfriend, Aaron. I feel like maybe I should say that. He may be offended if I don’t. That was a big moment. He’s really good and supportive. He’s pretty great.

AM: Since we’re approaching the end of the year, what do you think were the top three albums of 2016?

PW: Number three is PUP’s “The Dream is Not Over.” Number two is “Down in the Dark” by Safe to Say, and number one is “I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it” by The 1975. 100 percent best album.

AM: Any last words to the readers?

PW: Yes. The plural of “vinyl” is “vinyl” or “vinyls.” Everyone needs to get over it because both are grammatically correct as proven by many articles by many people, so stop thinking you’re better than people because you say “vinyl.” [laughs]

Photo courtesy of Paige Backstage. 

Originally published in issue four of Aspects Magazine.

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ALBUM REVIEW // JON BELLION - “THE HUMAN CONDITION”

After releasing a string of singles over the past year, Jon Bellion finally released his official debut album “The Human Condition” on June 10th via Capitol Records. With influences ranging from R&B to indie-pop. “The Human Condition” manages to create the perfect summer soundtrack. The record starts of strong with the track “He is the Same” and continues on to the perfect windows-down, driving-with-your-friends jam “80′s Films.” Like any album, the high-tempo dance tunes are contrasted with slower jams. Songs like “Fashion” and “Weight of the World” (featuring Blaque Keyz) add the perfect amount of mellow vibes to the album that is overall very upbeat and exciting. Lyrically, the stand-out track for me is “Maybe IDK.” Bellion’s lyrics “Maybe I don’t know, but maybe that’s okay” make the track relatable to anyone who feels a bit lost in life. With his combination of hip-hop, indie-pop, and killer songwriting skills, Jon Bellion has created an album that you definitely won’t want to sleep on.

Originally published in issue one of Aspects Magazine. 

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SHOW REVIEW // LANY & TRANSVIOLET - THE KINDA TOUR

Three-piece indie-pop band LANY are no strangers to Salt Lake City. After only a couple of shows, they became a popular name around town with concerts that were known to sell out quickly. After seeing them grow from a 200-capacity garage to a 1,200-capacity venue in less than a year, I was excited to witness what all of the talk was about when the band stopped at Salt Lake’s The Depot on their “kinda tour” this fall.

Opening bands can often be hit-or-miss, but LANY’s opener Transviolet made an obvious impact on the crowd. Vocalist Sarah McTaggart kept the audience’s attention, despite the technical difficulties with the microphone at the beginning of the band’s set. McTaggart, along with band members Judah McCarthy, Michael Panek, and Jon Carciao, drew the crowd in with their alternative indie-electronic style that’s a bit hard to pin-point. Songs like “Bloodstream” and the band’s new single “Future” stood out amongst some of their other, more well-known songs like “New Bohemia” and “Girls Your Age.”

During the break between sets, the audience began to get restless waiting for the lights to dim. When they finally did, the crowd viewed a video of Whitney Houston singing the national anthem. After the audience participated in a quick “USA!” chant, LANY stepped onstage and broke into “4EVER!,” the first song off their “I Loved You.” EP followed by “yeah, babe, no way,” all of which was sung word for word by the crowd in front of them. Their fifteen-song set covered the majority of their discography and kept the audience intrigued by mixing upbeat dance jams with slower, piano-led ballads like “Someone Else.”

Lead singer Paul Klein was all smiles throughout the night as the ecstatic, sold-out crowd sang along with every word. His clear vocals sounded very similar to the recordings. Drummer Jake Goss sat on a drum riser near the front of the state allowing the audience to watch his phenomenal skills up close and Les Priest worked his magic on the keys and guitar. I found it was incredibly difficult to take my mind off the band’s performance. After it was over, I found myself seriously missing the environment. This show definitely took me from casual listener to long-term fan.

Photo by Rachel Leonard Photo. 

Originally published in issue three of Aspects Magazine.

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SINGLE REVIEW // BETTY WHO - “I LOVE YOU ALWAYS FOREVER”

While working relentlessly on her sophomore LP, Betty Who took a short break to work on a special release for her fans just in time for summer - and it’s killer. Betty Who and producer Peter Thomas took the song, originally released by Donna Lewis in 1996, and completely made it their own all while honoring the original. The signature vibe shown in the original is apparent but is presented with a fresh twist and an obvious Betty Who touch. With a fresh blend of light-hearted synths, hard-hitting drums, and chilling harmonies, Betty Who’s rendition of “I Love You Always Forever” is bound to be on repeat the entire summer.

Originally published in issue one of Aspects Magazine. 

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INTERVIEW // FOREIGN FIGURES

Foreign Figures, a four-piece pop-rock band from Orem, Utah, has begun to make a name for themselves around the nation after opening for bands like American Authors and X Ambassadors. We sat down with guitarist Johnny Tanner and bassist Seth Dunshee at their rehearsal space in Orem to discuss their upcoming music video and live performances around the country.

Aspects Magazine: You guys have a great sound that translates really well to your live performance. Do you have different live arrangements that you play?

Johnny Tanner: We’re all about creating moments for people and that comes from a variety of different things. I think those musical additions we have create some special feelings for people that they don’t get from the recording. Obviously you’re going to have a different feeling listening to someone’s recorded music versus hearing it live, so we just try to make it more of an experience for somebody. Especially when you have social media nowadays, people kind of lose that human contact and when they come out to the live event we want it to be a full-blown experience for them. That’s kind of why we add on different musical elements and things like that.

Seth Dunshee: We just want people to see a show versus just hear it. That’s why you come to see a band, hopefully. We figure that playing live is one of our favorite things to do, so we want to make sure that we can have some fun, interactive moments. It takes a lot of planning. A lot of bands don’t really think about that. They think, “Let’s go out there and have fun!” I think if we did that we’d still probably be pretty good, but you do have to plan certain aspects if you want your live show to be as good as it can be. We try to strategize a little bit, but of course not so much that we’re taking away that in-the-moment energy that’s so cool about live shows. 

AM: Do you guys have a favorite song that you like to perform live?

JT: I enjoy playing our song called “Paradigm” a lot. We’ve added a little drum ensemble, for lack of a better term, that we only perform live. It’s fun to play just because it’s something entirely different for us. We all bail on our main instruments and start drumming. It’s tough to pick out a favorite part because the entire night just the connection with the crowd is what it’s all about for me.

SD: I like our first song, because it’s the first song we get to play. [laughs] It’s always fun seeing whether or not people will care when you go onstage. We play a lot of events and gigs since this is our full-time job and not every show that we chose can be a big, awesome, heavily promoted show in a venue. Sometimes we’ll play a festival or something where no one really cares, or assumingly so, and I kind of see it as a challenge. “Can I get someone to like my music by playing it?” Sometimes it doesn’t work and sometimes it does. I just like the feeling of playing the first song because you want that first impression to hopefully impress somebody visually and sonically. 

AM: Your music videos, for the most part, take place outside in nature. Is that a conscious decision you guys have made or are you just taking advantage of the Utah landscape?

JT: It is conscious. We feel like our music speaks to that. Hopefully that kind of comes through our recorded music. It’s kind of tough sometimes to get that big, spacious, open feeling on a recording, but it’s always a special feeling to play outdoors. Those are my favorite concerts, when we can just enjoy the landscape and be outside together and enjoy the music.

SD: Besides, it’s easier to go outside in a beautiful, naturally lit place than to bring all the stuff into a building. I’m sure one day we’ll do an inside one. We’re doing a concert on the eighteenth of November in Orem [Utah] in a warehouse and we’re going to be professionally filming the whole thing. That should be fun. It will have more of a live aesthetic since we’ll be recording it all live, too. This next video, “Force of Nature,” is shot in Utah still, but it will be a break from what we’ve normally done in music videos.

AM: How does your next video differ from what you’ve done in the past?

SD: We’ve always wanted to do a story video version just cool performance shots. It’s easy to be impressive visually, but not because of us per say. I don’t think I can explain it as well as Lance Lowry, the creative mind behind it, but it’s kind of a spin-off where if the kid from “Where the Wild Things Are” was an adult. We get older and we have to lose that childishness and adventure, so we made a big suit for the guy to wear while going about his job, riding public transportation, and being around the house. Lance put it all together and we just trust him to make it happen. I think it should be cool. It will be a good break from what we’ve done, but I for sure want to continue using landscapes because there’s so much magic in shooting a video in a cool, beautiful place, as crappy as it is to get a bunch of equipment out there. 

AM: You guys have a three-week tour coming up. You play a lot in the Salt Lake and Provo areas already, so you have a pretty solid following here. Are you playing to any new markets or have you been to these places before? 

JT: Some old, some new. That’s what we’re excited about, lacing familiar places with non-familiar places.

AM: You guys do a little bit of experimenting. Your song “Come Alive” has various kinds of drums and “Outlier” is all a’cappella. When you’re writing songs like these, do you plan for them to be a bit different or does it just come naturally? 

SD: We’re kind of divided in that regard. Sometimes we want to define a song before we write it. When Johnny mixed the album, we wrote down three adjectives for each song. We just wanted to describe what the song and the mix should sound like, whereas Eric likes it to just come from his brain and let it be born, so I think it’s a good mix of both. I like having a bit of a vision for it once the original idea has been presented.

JT: We don’t ever want to write the same song and become a one-trick pony, because I think bands like that are a one-hit-wonder and everyone forgets about them. That’s not something we want to do. We revere Coldplay and Imagine Dragons because they can pump out a ton of different songs that many people connect with. They’ve had such long and successful careers and they’ll continue to do so and that’s kind of what we strive to do with our music. We compare it to an evergreen tree. It’s something that takes a while to cultivate and grow, but once it’s there it’s strong, deep-rooted, and it’s not going away.

AM: We’re all about giving people a place to start with whatever they want to do in the music journalism world. How did you guys start and how did you go about finding your way into the music industry?

JT: I think we’re still trying to figure that out. There’s no paved route in this industry and that’s something that appeals to us, but it’s also quite scary. We’re all natural entrepreneurs and businessmen and this is a chance for us to prove to ourselves that we’re able to grow a successful brand and a successful career in a very unstable and unreliable industry. People are sharks and we recognize that. We’ve had experiences with that. But, that being said, our eyes are open and we’ll continue to press forward and make allies instead of enemies. 

SD: We’re just figuring out what we want to do. For us, it was “We’re not bad. We won a few Battle of the Bands. Let’s keep playing shows.” Then we started getting booked for weddings and corporate events and started making a little money and investing it back in our own gear. We ended up buying a trailer and a van. It’s been bit by bit. It surged a ton when we decided to make this our job. And it was really hard. At first we had to work other jobs while we did this full-time. We kept thinking “We’ll get discovered someday. Someone will pick us up. When that happens, I can quit my job.” That’s not how it happens anymore. It’s 2016. People use Spotify. No one downloads on iTunes. Even if they do, we only get thirty cents or less per song download. The music industry isn’t going to come with these lucrative offers. But there’s also YouTube and the Internet. Anyone can be in a band and have a hit song. There’s way more competition than there used to be. So, since we’re independent, we thought let’s just act as though we’re our own label and do everything a label would do for us until something comes along that makes sense for us. I know a lot of musicians don’t like the business side of things. Eric, our singer, is 100 percent musician. He doesn’t like emailing or finances, but between the four of us we divide up the aspects of the business. We have a couple other team members now, but I think that’s been a part of it, too. A lot of musicians don’t want to “sell out.” How are you going to make music still? You have sustainability like any business. It’s funny sometimes when artists say, “You’re all about the money.” Of course we are, because that’s the way we can continue doing what we love and keep connecting with people through music. Sometimes that means sitting down and thinking, “How are we going to brand this album?” Just little things that are a bit more complicated and aren’t music related, but in the end help us grow the music out, like licensing deals. Sometimes they come from great songs, but sometimes they come from great relationships and marketing well. I think a lot of local bands don’t think that way, and we certainly didn’t until we started to do this full-time. We had to think as though we were our own label. We had to think as though we were our own label. Not because we want to be independent for our whole careers. When we get a record deal, we want to see it as the right thing to do and that it’s the right deal for us. Until then, it’s going to be a lot of what we’re doing now. 

AM: Do you guys have any upcoming goals or plans for 2017?

JT: We have our 2016 resolution chart here on the wall. We haven’t made our 2017 list yet, but I’m sure we will. We always have goals. We’re talking about doing an EP release next year, for a variety of reasons. Not simply to put out new content, but because we feel that with “Paradigm’s” release, which only happened in April, in terms of songwriting and our connection with each other, we’ve almost outgrown it. Maybe that’s just because we’ve heard the songs so many times, but we feel like we can write better songs from an objective point of view - songs that will connect with people better. That’s what we’re going to do. Hopefully 2017 will see that release and, if all goes well, it will be closer to the beginning of the year rather than the end. But we kind of learned our lesson this year with not setting unrealistic deadlines, otherwise you’ll keep creating forever and things will never be perfect enough. So I think we’ll continue working on our craft. We rehearse every day. We write songs every day just continue to polish ourselves, both individually and collectively. I want to be the best guitarist there ever was. Seth wants to be the best bassist there ever was. And if it never comes to that point, then so be it. At least we know we worked every day to make it happen. And everybody in the band feels that way. We want to be the best in what we do so that we can connect with people, and that’s the name of the game for us.

SD: We’re focusing a lot on the Mountain West region: Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington. Just the states that are closer with good music scenes. That will be an opportunity for us to make a lot more national ties and network. And at the ned of next year be considered not just a local band from Utah, but a contending national act. We know that if we write the right songs and work hard enough, then it will happen.

AM: Is there anything else you want our readers to know?

JT: November 18th is our biggest and also our last show of the year locally. We’ve got a warehouse here in Orem that holds about 600-800 people. We’re going to stuff the place full with people and we’re going to do it for a few reasons. First, because we want to give back to the people that have given so much to us, but also because with the next wave of songs we’re going to be writing, we’re going to be restructuring and doing different things as well and we want to have a very professional night in the sense that we’re going to get professional video and audio recorded so we can release some amazing content out to the world after the night has occurred. We want to start marketing ourselves more effectively as a live band, because that’s what we’re about - that live event. Wherever we are, come see us live because that’s what we work so hard on. As much as we work on our songwriting and recording, that’s less important to us than connecting with people in real life. So anybody that’s available on November 18th, that’s going to be the show to come to. 

Photo courtesy of Foreign Figures.

Originally published in issue three of Aspects Magazine. 

[rachelleonardwriting-blog]

ALBUM REVIEW // STREETS OF LAREDO - “WILD”

Brooklyn-based group Streets of Laredo released their newest album, “Wild,” on October 21. The indie-folk band caught the attention of listeners everywhere with their debut album “Volume I & II” and their follow-up LP doesn’t fall short on expectations. “Wild” contains a song for any kind of mood, with slower songs like “Laying Low” and “Gold” mixed in with catchy jams like “Silly Bones.” With a sound that is bound to stick with you, Streets of Laredo is a group to keep your eye on.

Originally published in issue three of Aspects Magazine. 

[rachelleonardwriting-blog]

INTERVIEW // SMOKE SEASON

Co-written with Marisa Neil

Gabrielle Wortman and Jason Rosen met in 2013 after moving to California from the east coast. Since then, they’ve made a name for themselves as Smoke Season. This up-and-coming duo has spent the last few years touring and bringing their sound to the stages of South by South West and CMJ. With their selection of music videos and three EPs (most recently “Ouroboros” released on April 15th of this year), they’ve attracted quite a bit of attention. We sat down with Smoke Season to discuss their process and what they’re working on for their first full-length album. 

Aspects Magazine: What made you decide to form Smoke Season?

Smoke Season: This band was a happy accident. We decided to casually play music together and then realized we had accidentally written our first song. Some bands create really organically together and that’s what happened for us - no Craig’s List ads - no intention of forming a band. 

AM: What is your songwriting process like?

SS: For us, music is really a sonic response to an emotion. So, we usually start with a really palpable emotional concept or plot - if you will - and build out the song from there. We tend to write our beats early on so all our guitar, keys and vocal lines are based off that beat concept. It helps us to keep our songs really rhythmic by nature. Oh, and lyrically, Gabrielle usually sings complete gibberish until they evolve into comprehensive words and phrases. We like to say watching her write lyrics is like watching someone pluck invisible threads out of the air.

AM: How does your “Ouroboros” EP demonstrate how you’ve grown from your previous work?

SS: Our music has often been described as ethereal or cinematic, with the release of “Ouroboros,” we decided to take that to full fruition and concept the album as a film release. We worked with VMA-winning production team, APLUSFILMZ, and created the film. Each music video from the EP is a different installment in the short film. It’s definitely our proudest creative moment.

AM: What can fans expect from one of your live shows?

SS: We always want our live shows to be a multi-sensory experience. We often tour with complete light installations and projections so that our performances take on a multimedia direction. We also have a tendency to evolve our songs in live settings. We never just play what is on the record. 

AM: What kind of visual elements would you like to incorporate into future shows or releases? 

SS: We been working on a lot of video and cinematic elements to incorporate into our shows - shooting HD footage of landscapes around the country that often inspire our music. We can’t wait to roll that out. Also, Gabrielle continues to be our lighting mad scientist. She designs light shows for every tour and is always cooking up something new. 

AM: What is your favorite type of venue to play?

SS: Our favorite type of venue to play is a place full of human beings who are intensely feeling our music.

AM: Are there any bands you would love to tour or collaborate with? Who?

SS: Too many to count! We’re huge fans of Glass Animals, Alt J, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, The Weeknd, and more that we’d love to tour with. In terms of a writing/recording collaboration, we’ve been saying for a while that we’d love to write with Ennio Morricone and put some spaghetti western soul into some of our electro-Americana vibes.

AM: What are some things fans can expect from you over the next year?

SS: Honestly, we can’t stop writing. Since we’ve been back from our summer tour, we’ve been going through the most prolific writing period that we’ve had to date as a band. All of a sudden, we’re sitting on ten new songs that we feel are the strongest we’ve ever written. Also, we have parts two and three of our “Ouroboros” EP music video series that are still yet to be released n the remaining 2016 months and we’ll be rolling out the official “Ouroboros” short film in early 2017. Saying we’re excited would be the understatement of the century.

AM: Where can readers find you and your music online?

SS: A better question would be where can’t they find it! Our official website serves as a great conduit for getting anywhere else on the internet you may want to find us. We’re on Spotify, iTunes, Vevo, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and on the tip of your tongue. 

Photo courtesy of Smoke Season. 

Originally published in issue two of Aspects Magazine. 

[rachelleonardwriting-blog]

UPCOMING // BASTILLE - “WILD WORLD”

English alternative-rock band Bastille will release their highly-anticipated sophomore album “Wild World” on September 9th via Virgin Records. Following their cinematic-themed album “Bad Blood” (2013), “Wild World” is set to feature the catchy and exciting singles “Good Grief” and “Fake It.” The album will contain 14 songs and the deluxe edition will have 19. Bastille will be doing an arena tour throughout Europe in October and November to support the album in addition to a few dates in the U.S.

Originally published in issue two of Aspects Magazine. 

[rachelleonardwriting-blog]

SHOW REVIEW // YELLOWCARD - THE FINAL WORLD TOUR

This summer, Yellowcard made the announcement that they would be ending their twenty-year music career after releasing their tenth studio album and finishing one last farewell tour around the world. On their final night in Salt Lake City, Yellowcard gave everything they had so the audience could have the best night of their lives. 

Yellowcard returned to Salt Lake venue the Complex and played a 2,500-capacity room that was filled to the brim with fans to celebrate the career of one of their favorite bands. The night started with “Believe” and shuffled through their twenty-year discography. Their twenty-plus song set kept the audience entertained and excited throughout the night and demonstrated the incredible journey the band has had. 

Yellowcard has always had an exciting live show, and this night was no different. They were constantly jumping, spinning, and running all around the stage. Even the light design was put together brilliantly and added an amazing new element to the band’s live show.

The night was pretty long; Yellowcard’s set alone was just over two hours. That two hours, however, was filled with repeated thanks for the band’s career. None of the members for one moment let the sold-out crowd forget how thankful they were for all of the opportunities they had been provided. The music scene will never be quite the same without Yellowcard in it, but I’m excited to see what each member will do next.

Photo by Rachel Leonard Photo.

Originally published in issue three of Aspects Magazine. 

[rachelleonardwriting-blog]

INTERVIEW // KENNY HOLLAND

Twenty-one-year-old Kenny Holland has taken the Internet by storm over the last few years. With his six-second videos on Vine and creative mash-ups on Facebook, his music has become well-known around the world. We sat down with Kenny on his most recent tour to discuss his upcoming EP “Begin Again” and his short and long-term goals. 

Aspects Magazine: You have a new EP coming out soon!

Kenny Holland: I do! November 25th.

AM: What was the inspiration behind it? 

KH: The EP is called “Begin Again” and that’s exactly the theme of it. I went through quite a rocky time for ra while within the industry and I was kind of trying to figure out who I am and who I want to be as an artist and as a human and I kind of found myself on some different paths. This is all about coming back to my roots and what got me started on day one, which is my love for music and my love for people. It’s all about starting fresh and getting back to my roots. 

AM: This EP is a bit different from your past work. You’ve already played the first show on this EP preview tour where you played your new music. Had you played any of it before then? How have fans reacted to it? 

KH: The tour started two days ago in Arizona. We played the new music there and it got an awesome response. But this is the first time out on the road that we’re able to perform the new music so it’s really exciting. Like I said, it’s having a great response so far and I really think that it’s going to keep getting a good response because it’s really sick. The new music is really sick. 

AM: You seem really stoked about it!

KH: Yeah, yeah! I’m really stoked about it.

AM: That’s how it should be! Is there a specific song that you’re most excited for fans to hear?

KH: The first single is called “Matter to You” and that’s a cool song. I really love all the songs, honestly. There are three songs on the EP and they’re all special and different and were written specially and differently in their own ways, but I really like the first single. It’s got a cool vibe. It’s a little bit of a different vibe than I’ve played with, but it’s about the dark side of love and is definitely really relatable from the boy’s and girl’s perspectives in relationships.

AM: Aside from this EP, is there a specific song that you’re most proud of writing, whether it’s from this EP or an older one?

KH: I’m sort of biased. I enjoy my music and I put a lot of heart and soul into it. It’s a tough question to answer because they all mean so much to me in different ways, but I’m really proud of a couple of them. This whole EP is something I’m really proud of, but I’m really proud of “Lifeline” from “BOATS.” There’s also a song called “Shabby Shoe Chandler” that I released on “BOATS,” as well, that means a lot to me. I really put everything into those songs.

AM: You’ve done some acting work, like in “Saturday’s Warrior.” Has that influenced how you’ve gone about creating music or how you’ve gone about performing in any way?

KH: Definitely! Yes! I had never really gotten into the whole acting experience before that and it has definitely kind of opened me up even more as a performer. I mean, I’ve been doing this since I was sixteen, so about five years now, and with all that experience I feel comfortable and everything on stage now. But that took me to the next level of performance as an actor, so that was great. Musically it was set in the 70′s, so I learned a ton about old rock bands and all that kind of stuff so it definitely influenced my music. It influenced me a ton as a person in general. I’m really grateful for acting in “Saturday’s Warrior.”

AM: You’ve also been doing a lot of covers on Facebook recently. With all of the songs out there, what attracts you to a song to cover? 

KH: I’ve kind of been focusing on these mash-ups and putting a bunch of songs into one. I mean, I love to write music and create. It’s kind of a whole thing. Performing a cover is doing that for sure, but then to figure out how to work three songs into one is just a whole new realm of fun and creativity. I make it easy on myself by putting a lot of songs into one, too. It just depends. I have a lot of different musical tastes. I will use whatever makes sense with the song. 

AM: If you had to write or experiment in another genre, what would you go about doing?

KH: I’ve done some experimenting up until now, honestly. I’ve done kind of like a talk-sing-Twenty-One-Pilots kind of thing. I’ve done a little bit more pop-rock and stuff like that, so I’ve definitely experimented and I plan to continue to do that. But I fantasize over being a rock star. That’s kind of a childhood dream of mine, like all the old classic rock bands and everything, so I would love to dive right into a classic rock project or something like that. Or even pop-punk kind of stuff. I don’t know. I just love rock. It’s super cool. It’s got a lot of emotion and stuff. 

AM: You’ve been doing this, like you said, for about five years now. Is there anything you’ve had to sacrifice or that you had to miss out on in order to keep doing music? 

KH: Well I went to a year of college after I graduated high school and it was kind of through that year that stuff started to really take off and become a bit more serious. I loved that year of college and I haven’t been able to really experience the real side of college since that. I’ve also moved away from my family since then, so that’s pretty tough for me. I have a really good relationship with my family, so that’s probably the biggest sacrifice, family stuff and not being able to be with them. Like, all the time and everything. 

AM: And you just moved to your new studio.

KH: I did!

AM: How’s that going?

KH: It’s good! I’m planning to spend more time with my family at home in Arizona; that’s where I’m from. I’ve lived in California in LA for the last year and a half or so trying to keep chasing music and everything. I’m planning to kind of spend time in both places and just stay very balanced.

AM: Is there any specific song you wish you wrote?

KH: Let’s see... I wish I wrote the song “Drops of Jupiter” by Train. That’s my favorite.

AM: Good call! When you first started music, how did you go about finding your footing and getting into the industry?

KH: When I was fourteen, I started playing music with my keyboard at frozen yogurt shops in Arizona and I did that for a couple years, playing for tips. Then I kind of lucked out and started working with a really good group of people in the local music scene in Arizona and they kind of took me on as a project and helped guide me as an artist and songwriter and musician. So luckily I had their guidance to be able to navigate my way through the industry. If I was going to give any advice to anyone who’s trying to start, I would say to do everything you can and do not stop. Those are my two pieces of advice.

AM: Is there anything you want your fans and the readers to know about you, your music, or anything?

KH: Just simply thank you so much to anyone supporting this crazy, wild dream I’m trying to chase because, like I said, I’ve seen some ups and downs and lights and darks through my days of chasing this dream and anyone who’s still around supporting me and on the train with me on this crazy ride. It is so powerful and I’m so grateful for it so I just want to let everyone know how grateful I am for their support. 

Photo by Rachel Leonard Photo.

Originally published in issue three of Aspects Magazine.