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Interview with Emma Lou & The Agenda: Featured Artist from youbloomDublin 2017

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Like many girls born in the 90s, Emma Lou grew up aspiring to become one of the Spice Girls. With one recently released EP and another on the way, Emma Lou & The Agenda prepare to perform at youbloomDublin 2017.
In this interview, Emma Lou talks about how Britney Spears indirectly helped her start her music career, her Disney addiction, and how she met The Agenda.
How long have you been playing music as a band? 

Emma Lou: I started putting ads out for the band around mid 2015 and it all came together pretty quickly. So I guess we were all together and settled by around this time last year so it’s been just about a year playing together as a band.

How long have you each been playing your instruments for?

Emma Lou: Well I’m gonna give the quintessential answer to this question and say that I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember..it’s true, I swear!

What does your writing process look like when making new music?

Emma Lou: Usually it starts with me getting some idea. I’ll be singing away when something comes into my head that I like so I work on a melody and lyrics with my incredibly limited amount of musical knowledge, then whatever I have I bring to guys so we can make something of it and we take it from there.

For someone who has never heard you before how would you describe your sound?

Emma Lou: Amazing…duh

Can you describe what your song “One Good Reason” is about? What does the music video mean?

Emma Lou: One Good Reason is about being treated like crap by somebody in a relationship, c’mon we’ve all been there, and then some time after it all thankfully falls apart, the person who walked all over you comes crawling back looking for a second chance and you’re like ‘hell no…time for a taste of your own medicine pal’. Yeah that’s what it’s about…

What type of musical background do you and your band come from?

Emma Lou: Well the extent of musical background is pretty much singing Britney Spears songs into a karaoke machine in my bedroom all throughout my childhood, then I decided I’d like to give songwriting a go and here we are. Oh, I did write this one song when I was around 8..so I guess it all started from there.

How has social media helped you reach out to more fans?

Emma Lou: Social media is thee best thing for reaching a new audience. I mean the live performances are obviously important but social media is amazing because people can hear your music anywhere at any time online from anybody who feels that they wanna share it. Honestly, if it was the 90’s the only person who would have heard our music by now would be my mam and my nana.

What is the last song you listened to before this interview?

Emma Lou: Emmm…I’m a Disney freak and I always need the Princess soundtrack to start my day so I just listened to ‘A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes’ from Cinderella..and I’m not even sorry.

Do you have any new material you plan on releasing in the near future?

Emma Lou: Oh yes we sure do. We have a new EP on the way due for release March/April ish so keep your eyes peeled!

 

Watch Emma Lou & The Agenda’s music video for “One Good Reason” and don’t forget to see them perform live at youbloomDublin 2017.

New Album Wednesday with Dan M | Leftover Crack – Constructs Of The State (2015)

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Leftover Crack – Constructs Of The State (2015)

Leftover Crack rose from the ashes of the mighty band Choking Victim, and mainly consists of ex-Choking Victim guitarist and vocalist Scott “Stza” Sturgeon and friends. Of the curious band name, Stza once said that, since they were leftover C.V. tunes, they were essentially, well, leftover crack. Currently signed to the FatWreckChords label, this is their third release. 

BACKGROUND | LOC are a band who have never shied away from controversy; most of their songs involve combating political and societal injustice with a dash of comedy thrown in for good measure to lighten the mood. LOC was part of the late 90s punk era when the genre as we knew it was evolving in many different directions: pop punk was dying and the emo/post hardcore scene was on the rise. Back in a time when the Warped Tour was predominantly 90s punk bands I remember hearing LOC among many others.

They stood out because they were experimental, pushing the boundaries of punk music.

 

BREAKDOWN | Leftover Crack’s first album in 11 years leaps out of the gates with “Archaic Subjugation”, a full metal assault of a song that is over as soon as it starts.

Track “Don’t Shoot” has a very familiar sounding riff for fans of this band. It’s a good example of their sound that is not extremely hard or soft.

The aptly titled “Love and Heartache” is as close as you will get to a 90s pop punk number. I didn’t like it at first, but it’s grown on me.

“Slaves to the Throne” is another short but fierce metallic bullet that has Stza spitting venom about how the world slaves away for the benefit of a few. “Corrupt Vision” has more of a ska element to it, but quickly turns into a blazing fast metal song in between the ska parts. This one is a good example of the Crack Rock Steady Ska sound that was more prominent in their earlier material.

leftover crack

 

“Last Legs” is one of my favorites. It’s probably their softest song and starts out like a folksy ballad. The thing I really like about it is how it starts off slow and takes its time building up. It never gets super crazy, but the lyrics go with the mood and shifts of the song perfectly.

“Poliamor Fiesta Crack” is a really fun song combating sexism and is the third and final ska-tinged one. This song also has one of the best features from an unnamed female vocalist who appear on songs throughout the album. The opening of this song almost has a Mariachi feel to it which I dig.

“Amanecer De Los Muertos” takes a break from serious political commentary and talks about their life on tour, squats, and playing weird venues. It’s pretty upbeat and nice.

leftover crack

They finish the album with all guns blazing on “The War At Home” which is a call to arms to end all wars and take the world back through revolution before it’s too late. Even though the song is fast and upbeat they choose to tone down the guitars a bit as far as heaviness goes and to add keyboards. While I don’t know if I would like it if they made an entire album in this style, it works well for this song, because the lyrics are front and center and I am pretty sure that’s what they wanted to showcase in this song. It’s a great one; another of my favorites.

The official close of this third installment of the LOC series is a song called “Untitled instrumental”. It’s mostly a folksy sound outro that really doesn’t add or take anything away from the album. It’s oddly calming, if we’re being honest.

leftover crack

FINAL THOUGHTS | As a fan who has listened to all three albums in their body of work I feel like their debut album was more ska-heavy and their sophomore album was more punk/folk-oriented while still keeping their experimentation and edge. To me, this latest album mixes a lot of what I liked from their first two and keeps it really fresh. There’s enough diversity here to keep you interested. Run time on this baby stays  under an hour so you get maximum bang for your buck with little-to-no filler. If you like this band or this type of music in general, you will definitely like Constructs Of The State. BONUS: They are really fun to see live and have spawned many side projects worth checking out, including but not limited to Morning Glory and F-Minus.

I give this album m/ m/ m/ m/ out of 5 horns.

youbloom artist spotlight: Trevor Lyon

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Introducing Trevor Lyon:

I had the pleasure of hearing Trevor Lyon’s performance last year at Griffin’s of Kinsale in South Pasadena, CA for youbloomLA 2014 and recently reconnected with him to find out more about him as an artist and what has been going on since the festival.

Both a solo artist and a band contributor, Trevor considers his music a “robust blend of Reggae infused with elements of Rock, Blues, Hip Hop and Jazz.” A Napa California native, Trevor can be found performing locally with his hometown band, The One Little Story Band—a collection of musicians he has met over his years of playing in Napa. It consists of a guitarist, a keyboard and flute player, a drummer, and Trevor contributes bass and vocals. But, because his band can generally not travel far or stay on the road for any length of time, Trevor often performs solo acoustic or even track shows (shows with a DJ instead of a band) when he is not in the Napa area. This freedom allows him to collaborate with other bands when he is on the road. This is how he first met Mendo Dope in 2012 when they approached him after a solo show in Ukiah, CA. They began performing together, which exposed the Mendocino County area to Trevor’s music and grew his fanbase there.

In 2013, Trevor joined the band, Mystic Roots as a backup bassist and special guest artist. He toured with them for about 8 months, traveling around Oregon and California and even opening up for Ziggy Marley at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. During this same time, Trevor played bass for a world fusion band called Cosmos Percussion Orchestra, playing many festivals including Bottlerock (Napa Valley, CA), Earth Day (San Francisco, CA), and Ashkenaz (Berkley, CA).

In the Spring of 2014, Trevor joined up with Irie Fuse from Marin County, playing bass for about 4 months in a ton of different shows in the area. But, Trevor began feeling the pull to focus on his own music again. He slowed down the rest of the year, playing with his own band and attending a few festivals (including ours!). After the festival, Trevor took some time off to enjoy some family time for the holidays. Nevertheless, he was able to push his holiday single (“Happy Holidays”) by Christmas (which you can find here).

In February of this year, things kicked back up for him and he played some acoustic gigs around the San Francisco Bay area. The momentum continued into Spring when Trevor played with his full band in venues including the Legendary Ashkenaz in Berkeley, CA. This summer, Trevor’s gigs ranged from playing solo acoustic shows to playing festivals with his whole band. The venues ranged from The Shrine World Music Venue in Harlem, NY to the Napa Porchfest in California. Now that the summer season is ending, Trevor has returned home and is focusing his attention on the studio.

One of Trevor’s studio projects began on September 7th in Mendocino County and took place (get this…) in the world’s first Ganja Tree recording booth. This is not the first time he has collaborated with cannabis culture Hip Hoppers, Mendo Dope. Trevor will be contributing guitar, bass and vocals on their album. This will be the first ever hip hop album that’s recorded inside a marijuana tree. We can’t wait to hear this one…

Additionally, Trevor is excited to begin recording his next EP entitled, “One Little Story.” This album will be a collection of reggae songs that Trevor has been playing live for quite a while, but has yet to lay down in the studio. He also has a second project in the works which is slightly more acoustic and has less reggae overtones. Though this project (tentatively called “When It’s Good) is currently an EP, Trevor explains that he is writing songs at such a rate, it may end up being an album. Besides recording and performing, Trevor is also working on branching out from his own merchandise items into building his own clothing line. And (as if that’s not enough), Trevor is working on building his own studio. “My main focus at first will be to have my own space to record anytime I wish, but I also want to write for and produce other artists.” Trevor knows it will take some time, but he is happy to begin the process and use the industry resources he has gathered over the years to make it happen.

You can stay informed of upcoming shows, albums, and other news here:

And you can find Trevor’s music on Itunes or Amazon

Hey Lana Del Ray, there’s a new girl in town.

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This year over sixty bands played at our youbloom Dublin music festival. You name it, we had it. Indie rock ‘n rollers, heavy metal moshers, earnest singer songwriters, feisty folksters and electro pop synth wizards. Hidden in amongst this treasure trove of unsigned talent was a wee lassy from Cavan. She arrived unassumingly at the youbloom tv pop up studio in Musicmaker. Herself and the inimitable Paul Cox, he of Cavan TV fame were ready to shock and awe us.

aine-cahill

Aine Cahill stunned the room into silence as soon as the first note of Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang” hit.
She’s twenty and writes all her own songs. She’s a shimmering little songbird with powerful polished vocals and a penchant for writing tales of glossy melodrama.
Believe it or not, this is the girl who couldn’t get into the school choir. At Loreto College, Cavan they was told her she wasn’t good enough. She never sang at all till she was sixteen. Her pivotal moment happened when two pupils sitting at the school piano were struggling to hit the high notes of an Adele song. Aine walked over and started singing. She hasn’t stopped since. She did a music course in Cavan five years ago, just as she started writing her own material. She gets inspiration from artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Melody Gardot, Lana Del Ray, Marina And The Diamonds and Lady Gaga.

We discovered Aine in June. Since then she has been chosen by 2FM to play at Ireland’s biggest festival Electric Picnic. She’s playing three stages over three days. She’s performed her new single “Black Dahlia” live for Ian Dempsey on national commercial Irish radio station Today FM. She wowed crowds at the boutique Ballinamore Fringe Festival. She’s turned up at secret gigs and is set to headline her own gig at Whelan’s in Dublin on September 27th.
Here’s a link to her new song “Black Dahlia”. A tale of Hollywood murder mystery from the 1950’s. If chocolate was sonic, it would sound like this… (but that’s just my opinion).

youbloom artist spotlight: Cousin Kate

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Cousin Kate

Isabelle Cott shared with us The Cousin Kate Fairytale:

“Once upon a time there were 2 girls in a womb. With both their parents singing, they, too sang before they spoke. And they kept singing growing up. But then the twins went separate ways as one of them, Corinna, was meant to meet Brian at the other side of the world. Brian taught himself to play the guitar when he was 14 years old. Corinna partnered up with Brian to write Cousin Kate’s music. Corinna’s twin, Isabelle, reunited with her sister after a few years; following her to the other side of the world. The voice of Cousin Kate was redefined.

Haim, who became a drummer as a child, has been with the 3 of them since the beginning. Suzanne, on bass, grew up first playing the oboe and drums, until one day a band member left his bass at her house, making her realize that this instrument was her destiny. Tracie first played the piano before starting to play the Cello at 12. With extensive experience as composer and orchestrator, she beautifully harmonizes her Cello with the twins’ voices.” But, the story does not end there!

youbloom became part of their story when they joined us for youbloom@LA last year for both the festival and the conference. Up until this point, they were a band of four and would hire additional musicians when they were invited to play live. It wasn’t until our festival that Isabelle Cott, Corinna Cott, Brian Florian and Haim Russi decided they needed to complete the band. So, as fairytales go, they met their perfect complements in Suzanne Birrell and Tracie Turnball.

Aside from the musical talent of the group, what gives Cousin Kate such a magical quality is the meaning and the motivation behind the music. “The way we see the world is that our word and thoughts create our reality. Therefore, what we think about and hear (consciously and unconsciously) affect our experience,” explains Isabelle. Cousin Kate’s music is about connections, appreciation, and love. They incorporate positive messages into their lyrics and have even created a new genre called MAP—Melodic Alternative Pop with positive lyrics.

The majority of the band’s 100+ song repertoire was created by Brian forming a melody, Corinna creating the vocal melodies and lyrics, and Isabelle adding in the harmonies. Their sound has been likened to Sixpence None the Richer, The Cranberries, and The Beatles. Take a listen to their song “The Thinker” here.

Since youbloomLA, Cousin Kate has been working on their new album which is scheduled to release in November. What is most exciting for them about this album is that this will be the first album that will include Suzanne and Tracie. As with their last album, “Life Without Fear,” the songs will be placed in an order as to tell a story. In addition to the studio recording they are doing, the band plans to release some of their live music as well, either incorporating it into the album or releasing a live album.

Cousin Kate is also very enthusiastic about their first cover song. We tried to get it out of them, but they are being very secretive… However, they did say that it is a well-known song that coincidences with the messages portrayed in their own music. They will also be inviting a couple guest performers on the track (they aren’t giving any hints!).

If you would like to continue following this fairytale that is Cousin Kate, sign up for their newsletter on their website, friend them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter.