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Mike Hranica - Self Help 2015

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The Rise Records Tour is over and Eduardo is back home to us on staff, be sure to check his personal work out. 2015 here we come! thanks for being part of the The Collective, we hope you’re having some very happy holidays. 

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Check out some photographs our photographer has been capturing on the Rise Records Tour!  -Ben

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Haitus - Thank you!

We will be taking a brief “hiatus” but we will all be working super hard in order to get The Collective running extra smoothly in the coming months. Thank you guys for all the support thus far, we love hearing and seeing you guys enjoy the content we have been providing. Our head photographer has an upcoming tour with SECRETS (Rise Records Tour) in the winter and once he’s back at the end of the year, we’ll work alongside him more so. In 2015, we will be back in full action! Thanks for sticking around and get ready for the new changes and more new staff. We’ll start implementing them slowly as the year starts. Ars Gratia Artis. 

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SECRETS - Welcome To The Resistance Tour  Photos by: Eduardo Ponce 

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Stick To Your Guns video shoot for "Nobody".

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Interview with Manantial De Fuego

Sunday, August 17th, 2014

We met up with upcoming ska band, Manantial De Fuego at the popular Yost Theater on Sunday evening. Having a chance to headline for the night was an honor for the band. Here's what they had to say. Interview is shortened to the Qs & As only. Q: So what would you guys describe your style as?

A: "We have a lot of fusion. Rock and roll mixed with like, salsa, cumbias, ska, you know, a lot of, um, love songs in a way [the band laughs], love hate relationships. A lot of those two things are found in our lyrics. So yeah, we're a Latin band that plays rock."

Q: You guys mix those styles, I have to say that it's a very unique combination. What made you guys choose those specific styles and blend them? How exactly did you guys manage to blend them, a few of those genres are quite different from each other. I'm assuming it could have been a bit difficult to get those styles to flow together well.

A: "I think that that is exactly it, that um, 'We need something new, we gotta push forward' idea. We just decided to try different combinations of things until we found something that worked for us."

Q: So you're saying that you guys have had a different sound before with different genres. Does this mean that the band went through a trial and error phase to get where you are today?

A: "You know what, yes! We have because sometimes when we write the song and we play it a certain way the first time, afterwards we like 'No, we gotta make it different. This isn't good enough.' So, that's when we decide we gotta make some adjustments. Also, it's the audience and the crowd that we pay attention to. How they react to certain songs. So it is the crowd that has been guiding us to our sound, to what Manantial De Fuego is now. It's the feedback that we get from the audience."

Q: Besides the audience, what else has helped shape the sound of the band? Knowing that the LA music scene is what helped bring you guys up, are there any local bands that you guys look up to in particular?

A: "Unfortunately, we did not have a great experience with other local artists. We had a bad experience, which is why we decided to focus on this kind of music. We had a confrontation with a ska band, that, well, they were not good at what they were doing. So we decided that we were gonna show them how to do it."

Q: Payback, then?

A: "Yes, kind of like that. [chuckles] But we respect them, we respect them. We had some difficulties in a show a couple years ago. Which is why we decided to go on the path we are on today."

Q: So you guys had your first album out in 2011. Was this a long time coming, or how long before had MDF formed?

A: "It's kind of funny, you see, we started with metal, we were a metal band! We started with different styles and then we broke up around '07, we had some problems, you know, like everybody, but maybe around 2009 is when we all united and that's when we each brought more styles in."

Q: What brought you guys back together?

A: "What it is, I think, is that need that we all have to play music. And you know what, I think it's also that we can't see the band with other members, you know? We have to see each other in that same band."

Q: Do you think that the sound is unique to the people in the band? For example, if you replaced a member, do you feel like it would change completely?

A: "Yeah most definitely. Everyone here has their own style to add to the band. We put our differences aside to make the music for the people who love the sound."

Q: So have you guys actually had to change people in the past?

A: "Yeah uh, we actually had a guitarist [everyone looks at their guitarist] leave us several times. [they laugh] What it really came down to was this family & brotherhood."

Q: How did you guys all meet?

A: "Man, this was back in '04, I would see this guy walking around high school with his glasses and long hair and I'd be like 'Ay, John Lennon!' Then later I went up to him and told him that I am serious playing music. Then he introduced me to Marco and we just started jamming!"

Check out their music, follow the link below.

http://www.reverbnation.com/manantialdefuego

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The Written Years: Self-Titled Debut Album

The first track, "It's Not Your Fault", resonates the band's unique sound so well, it's no surprise why the band chose to put this first. Wade Ouellet's (lyricist, vocals, guitar, keyboard) voice gives the entire album an off-kilter-like sound. His lyrics, combined with that voice, produce a nostalgic feeling.

"The Station" is another track off the album. It stands out from the rest of the songs because of the simple acoustic arpeggios, done by Kodie Krogh, plus Ouellet's voice in the intro. It's a smooth and soft combination, however also a slow build (which begins with the kick-drum's steady hits, done by Kane Enders). This is the entire song, no electric guitar & no protruding bass line. It's the perfect outro to the album because of it's slow decline.

The Written Years have a unique style, drum beats that are never too overpowering. Their strength is the harmony between the slightly-distorted guitar and the vocals. It's like a rainy London night, ominous yet in perfect sense.

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Moura: Leaving EP

Almost a year later after the first EP, Moura has released the Leaving EP. A change from the more common hardcore edge here, this four-song EP gives off a bittersweet, summer feeling.

The first track, also the released single, "You" begins with the perfect set of lyrics to an EP like this, "When I wake up in the morning, You'll be state lines away..." The smooth lines that follow harmonize with the acoustic guitar played through the whole song. "You" does justice in setting up the mood for the rest of the EP.

"Stay Awake" follows, opening with a distorted sound on the guitar. This song is the only one that really uses that kind of sound throughout the entire track. It's a slight change from the slow and easy rhythm of "You", but still retains that same vibe.

The third track, "(One Too Many) Second Chances", takes the EP into a somewhat-melancholic tone. Don't get me wrong, it's not something you want to bawl over, it's something you may listen to when thinking of hard times with that significant other.

"Runaway" was the best choice to put at the end. It's a song that has Evan Donaldson's sincere thoughts put into brilliant lyrics. Symbolic language is the highlight of this song; because of this, any listener could relate to the lyrics. "Runaway" seems to really capture the essence of why Evan Donaldson (Moura) titled this Leaving.

Moura's single "You" is available for a free download here.

A couple Q&A's with Moura:

Q: Since the first EP, how do you feel Moura has changed?

"A lot of things had changed from when I wrote Sink. Lyrically speaking, the songs on Leaving are about/inspired by completely different things. As far as the music goes, the songs on the Leaving EP were all written from an acoustic guitar to begin with so the end product turned out much more 'acoustic-rock' than Sink."

Q: Now with Leaving released, in what direction do you plan to take Moura?

"The beauty of it being a solo project is it is really up to what I want to write and what is natural. Currently, I am working on some new songs that I hope to record in the near future that maintain that familiar Moura sound while still striving to push myself to not write the same songs."

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Third Vision: Focus EP

Music can easily evoke past moments, memories, and feelings. Third Vision has found a way to awaken and capture all of those feelings involved in their debut EP Focus. Upon hearing about these guys I watched THIS  video to get a feel of what they were about. Here Valley Taylor (vocals) says, in regards to their music, that "when people listen to it their just going to be like yeah I can really identify with what this song is telling me. I can identify with this loss. I can identify with this heartbreak. I can identify with moving on, letting go and really just...general life, the daily struggle we go through every day." You can immediately see the truth to these words throughout the entire 6-track EP. 

Both of the opening tracks, Pieces and Trust Me along with the last track Timeless, are more of the alternative indie rock songs featured on this EP. The rest of the tracks Invincible Until, Lighthouse Ave, and Believe in Me have more pop influences. From the first time I listened to Focus I was hooked right away. The guitar and drums are on point and with the addition of catchy lyrics sung by Valley, who has a pretty unique voice, draw you in and keep you wanting to listening. You'll be able to connect with many of the tracks and identify with what Third Vision is telling you. Focus has something for everyone to enjoy and relate to.

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Dance Gavin Dance: Acceptance Speech

Jesus H. Macy - The Start of the album, guitar intro going into the famous Jon Mess and his signature screams. We can tell this is going to be great… Tillian comes in to do his thing with a great tonal range as we have come to learn from his previous work as a solo artist and Ex Tides Of Man work. His sound in this song almost has an R&B feel to the song; let’s see how this plays throughout the album. Great song, good expectations.

The Robot with Human Hair Pt. 4 - This was the first single released off the album, it has had some time to sink in with Tillian as their clean vocalist. Because it has been a while since it was released, we were accustomed to it and yet again would back up the opinion that Tillian was a great choice for Dance Gavin Dance. Clean vocals are spot on and flow freely and very catchy. Mess’ screams are also spot on as well with that raspy yet intense scream of his. Dance Gavin Dance is back with this album.

Acceptance Speech -  This was the second single released for Acceptance Speech, and is the self titled song. The song is pretty much evenly split in the vocals area, half and half screams and cleans. Faster paced along with the clean vocals. We can see why it was a single; catchy melodies, great screams, great cleans (as expected) nicely paced. Great song.

Carve - One of their more intense songs off this album as Mess comes in from the start. Tillian comes in and soothes the soul a small bit before Mess comes yet again to pump the listener up. Catchy at points, good overall.

Doom & Gloom -  Drum intro set right off into Mess’ screams, a little more effects into this song was put that’s a certain. You notice that right off the bat when Tillian comes into the song. The song itself seems to be a hit at the current music scene in the hardcore and post-hardcore genres. Very very well in that aspect.

Strawberry Swisher Pt. 3 - The brand new installment to the Strawberry swisher songs we have hard in the past album “Happiness” this song definitely follows the previous two tracks called strawberry swisher… style wise. Upbeat and happy in a sense, though although a little bit more serious this time around.  Tillian plays a bigger role in this song and Mess comes in with an awesome and very catchy “Got a box of lies. Gonna get you high, With the words of wisdom that you need to hear” Perfect mix between the two, in other words…if you’ve like the previous two installments of the song you’ll like this one as well.

Honey Revenge - Tillian starts this one off, sweet melody from the new but great vocalist. If you haven’t noticed yet…we here do see Tillian to fit DGD just fine.  Honey Revenge has some effects added into Tillians voice we did notice that. Something that’s a little different for sure on this album, though it does not take away from tillians almost angelic voice. The effects are done with taste and only add to it.

Demo Team - Demo team has an old DGD feel to it for sure right off the start. Mess definitely playing a good role in this. Good song overall, not the best off the album thus far but nonetheless good.

Death of the Robot with Human Hair -  Very familiar sounds and style wise as their previous songs with a little bit of rap incorporated into the song. This has got to be the most unique song off the album, we can see this one being a hit or miss with some folks out there, this song also happens to be the end of their Robot with human hair titled tracks assuming the name follows the timeline. Great song, give it a listen. Let us know what you think!

The Jiggler – The jiggler start jiggling with a cool/trippy feeling guitar intro followed by some sweet Jon Mess  that we’ve come to know and love followed by a cool little melody from Tillian almost giving a tropical feel in a way.  It goes onto calming down a little after mess goes in and screams some parts then goes right next to Tillian building up with another melody while guitars go in for the kill.

Turn off the Lights, I’m watching Back to the Future Pt. II – Somewhat of a longer song for the group, a little different again but every Dance Gavin Dance has a bit of pizzazz in each and sets itself apart from itself.  Towards the end of the song it gives Tillian a sweet spot to showcase his talents more so by giving him.

Overall Opinion:

As stated right before, every Dance Gavin Dance album has its own unique sound to it while still incorporating Mess and the guitar, bass, and drums we love. Though dance gavin dance is known to have different vocalists with almost each album that comes out they stay true to their sounds and add little quirks and spots that we don’t expect each time. This album was the first to feature Tillian Pearson as a fully fledged member. Tillian has been with the band for some time now after their previous and infamous Jonny Craig was out of the band. Tillian filled in a lot of the times with the band and now is part of it completely. Tillian has his own skill set and vocal range that he brings to the group, we feel he fits just fine the them. We hope to see far more coming in the future. The album has a great range of diversity and sounds throughout. Melodies and chorus’ mix quite well and the lyrics are catchy and fun. Done very well.

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Mac Demarco // Burgerama III

photographs by: Eduardo Ponce

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Mystic Braves // Burgerama photographs by: Eduardo Ponce

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Interview: The Raveonettes

Last week, The Raveonettes took some time to answer some questions we had for them. These are Sune Rose Wagner's answers. Q: Being musicians, is the lifestyle what you wanted? Anything you would change?

A:

"It's everything we wanted except maybe more time to actually write music. We've cut way back on our touring though, it gets a little stale ofter 10 years..."

Q: Which album/EP do you feel stands out the most between the rest?

A:

"I don't have a particular one. They're all special to me and symbolizes a certain time in my life, it's almost like a journal."

Q: Many dark themes can be found in the lyrics, where does this come from?

A:

"It comes from a dark mind. The songs are reflections of real life. I wish everything was nice and easy but I'm afraid it isn't so. I celebrate darkness [smiles]"

Q: Is there a specific message that you are trying to send out with your music, if so, what is it? A:

"No message only stories some people will relate to and feel a certain kinship with the music."

Q: Any new work or concert days?

A:

"Recording new album right now will be out a little later this year. Noisyand furious and at times soothing. No tour dates yet."

Q: Is there an artist you would completely love to tour with? Who and why?

A:

"I would love to tour with Dolly Parton. I cried 5 times during her performance at Radio City Hall in NYC, she's an amazing storyteller and a genius individual. I adore her so much."

Q: Have you ever toured with an artist that you thought you never would get a chance with? Who and why?

A:

"Depeche Mode. We did a US and European tour with them. We had no idea Martin Gore was a huge Raveonettes fan. He knew the words to more of our songs than we did. Crazy! We adore Depeche Mode and never in a million years did we expect to play with them and be friends with them. Sometimes life deals youa lucky hand I guess."

Q: Since the first studio album in 2003, how do you feel you have changed? Musically and as people.

A:

"Oh, we still kinda do the same as we did back then but obviously you grow as a writer and your perspective on things changes with the years but all inall we're still the same."

Q: Of all your albums and EPs, which one was you favorite to record? Why?

A:

"I loved recording Pretty In Black cause we did it in a residential studio in Upstate New York and it was so beautiful. We recorded in an old wooden church and at night we would drink wine and record songs in the so called sunset room. Floor to ceiling windows with a breathtaking view of the stormclouds moving in, very inspiring time."

Q: Do you feel a different vibe when touring in Denmark than when you tour in the US?

A:

"The venues in Denmark are very state-of-the-art. Amazing sounds systems, great catering and a joyous crowd. It's very clean. I can't really say thesame of the US venues [chuckles]."

Q: Where does the band's sound originate from? Any influences that transcend greatly into the music?

A:

"It's an amalgam of The Everly Brothers, Suicide, Jody Reynolds and Sonic Youth. You can also throw Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Ronettes and TheVelvet Underground in there."

The Raveonettes will be playing at Desert Daze Festival on April 26th. Get your tickets here.

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Hundredth // SOMA: San Diego, CA Fuck The Message Tour Gallery. photographs by Eduardo Ponce

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After the first part of the interview, the conversation took a slight turn. Have a listen to the raw audio file from that night.