Q & A with Broadside

Oliver & Dom of Broadside 

Q & A with Broadside

Me: "Can you introduce yourselves?” 

Oliver: “Yes. My name is Oliver and I sing in broadside.”

Domenic: “My name is Domenic and I play guitar in Broadside” 

O: “And we are the Broadside boys”

M: “Where did you get your band name from?” 

O: “This is a boring answer but, we liked one word names and we put a bunch in a hat and pulled that one and said ‘lets just go with it’, we had no idea the internet was going to like us or have a small amount of fame and here we are, stuck with the name Broadside.” 

M: “What are your favorite songs to play live?”

D: “I love playing ‘Laps Around a Picture Frame’ but most recently ‘King of Nothing’ hits hard and I love playing that.”

O: “I love playing King of Nothing and Laps as well but also ‘Summer Stained’ I like playing a lot” 

D: “‘Old Bones’ actually, we started playing ‘Old Bones’ last year and that has been a lot of fun. And people seem to really like that we’re playing it too.”

M: “What’s your favorite song you’ve written”

O: “I don’t know if I’ve written that song yet.” 

D: “That’s a good answer, I don’t think we have either.” 

M: “What inspired ‘King of Nothing’ and ‘Empty’” 

O: “‘King of Nothing’ is about being a band at our level where we want to reach the next level but it feels impossible because we’re ripping at straws basically and wanting to be the best band we can be but don’t want to pretend like we’re something we’re not even though we know it would get a lot of internet attention. And then ‘Empty’ is just about heartache and being in love with somebody and them just not loving you as much as you care for them, it’s very difficult to be in love with someone.”

M: “What is your favorite album that has come out so far this year?”

D: “ I haven’t listened to the whole thing and I can’t even tell you the name, but there's this band ‘Band of Skulls’ who I love and they just put a record out and I that it’s probably the best. Or, for safe the new ‘Bring me the Horizon’ album is awesome.” 

O: “Yeah, I like the new ‘Bring me the Horizon’ album too, but I don’t know any other bands.”

M: “What’s the best show you’ve ever been to?”

O: “My favorite show I’ve ever attended was this tour called ‘The Curiosa tour’ so this band called ‘The Cure’ headlined and then ‘Thursday’ and you know the band ‘Muse’? It was their first show ever and that was on a tiny stage and now they’re playing arenas.” 

D: “Way back in 2006 I went to see this australian band called ‘Wolf Mother’ which you probably know their songs from like guitar hero and they blew me away I couldn’t believe how good it was.”

M: “What’s your favorite show you’ve ever played” 

O: “So in indy there’s this venue called the Hoosier Dome and everytime we play there is just goes apeshit, like kids are climbing on top of stuff and just going wild and it’s kind of a DIY venue so there kind of like ‘we’ll let it slide’ and it just a great time. But we also played a house show one time after Warped Tour 2016 and we thought we could still play house shows but we had gained so much attention it was crazy, there were kids right in front of us, I thought I was gonna die that night. 

D: “I feel like I have two answers, the first one was last year we played in Cologne, Germany for the first time and there was like 1000 kids there screaming our words back at us and I couldn’t believe it because the band had never played in Germany before, and then we did a co-headlining tour last year and we headlined in Worcester, Massachusetts and that was really awesome because it was the biggest headlining show that we have ever played.” 
~Q & A by Trenton~

This was one of our favorite interviews! The guys were down to earth and funny. We were nervous because this was one band that we have been
wanting to interview for a long time & we were thrilled to get this opportunity. They made us feel welcome and they talked to us like we were old friends just catching up.
Their performance was amazing from their set list to Ollie's dance moves. They performed their 2 new songs "King of nothing and Empty" which are my 2 favorite song by them at the moment and
they killed it with those 2 songs.
♡Debbie♡

Awaken I am: Secrets 10 Year Anniversary Tour

    We have been a huge fan of Awaken I Am for a while and had the honor of covering these young men on their 2018 U.S tour. When we got the offer to cover them on this tour with Secrets we did not hesitate to jump on the opportunity to meet up with our friends again.     Unfortunately we did not get to catch up with guitarist Connor due to a tragic accident that claimed his life at the age of 22.  Although he was not there physically, you could still feel his presence in the room with his brothers.

  Now let's get to their set! these guys just released their EP "The Beauty In Tragedy" a few weeks ago and although it was their way of greiving, it did not disappoint at all. It had everything from hurt, anger, confusion, questioning to why it happened ect. Their performance showed the exact emotions that you hear on their EP. It was emotional for us as the fans to see these amazing artist going through something so horrible and yet they found a way to perform it with respect, grace and pride because they poured their heart and soul into this in honor of their brother Connor. 

  
  The way Jimmy sang with such passion followed by Ryan playing his heart out on bass, Luke was tearing it up on drums and Jay was nailing it on guitar was mind blowing to me and every song showed how much this EP meant to them and to the world. Not only were they able to perform with such tremendous passion, it definitely showed all emotions to the point everyone was singing and crying. These young men put on a show that everyone in some way could relate to and then they also pulled out some of the old tracks to have fun with.

    Awaken I Am is definitely ones to keep your eye on because there is a lot more great things to come from these guys and their shows are only going to get better with time however their passion for the music will stay the same because their passion is something that can not be faked and their love and respect they have for their fans is priceless and they are going to keep taking the music scene and the world by storm.

                                                                           ~Debbie~
    

Awaken I am: Beauty In Tragedy

                          

    This is a hard one for me to write because I have gotten to know these guys in Pittsburgh Pa while covering their show and my heart breaks for them and what they are going through. Awaken I am is a post hardcore band from Australia and is signed with Victory records. This band is so good and toured the US a few of times and is hitting the US for a 3rd time. When their tour came to an end Spring of 2018 they lost their brother, bandmate, friend & family Connor Verner-Oakley. He was killed do to a selfish driver that was trying to end her life but instead took the life of Connor. 

     Now that you have the back story this is how "The Beauty In Tragedy" came to life. This is the bands way of coping with the tremendous impact that losing Connor had on their lives.     Luckily Connor did get the chance to leave his mark on this EP when they recorded and made the video for the single "Dissolution" and his talent and passion for the guitar shines in the song and his presence is definitely shining in the video.

   Jimmy(vocals), Ned(guitar), Ryan(bass), Luke(drums) have taken their grief and all of their emotions and let it out on their new EP and let's face it anyone that has lost someone close to them knows those stages of grief. They released a badass EP and oh wow did they let out all of their emotions and I honestly am very proud of them for letting their emotions out and sharing it with us (even though it couldn't have been easy for them) instead of holding it in.

  I  admire their courage and strength also I respect them for keeping Connor's memory Alive. He will always be apart of them even though he is not here on earth, he will always be in the hearts of everyone who knows him or has seen him perform with this awesome band and I know that these guys will continue to keep Connor smiling down on them and making him proud. 

  If you have not already done so please head  over to whatever music streaming service you have and listen to this very personal EP that the guys of Awaken I Am have poured their hearts and souls into.  On the "The Beauty In Tragedy" EP you will find the tracks "Kin, Indifference, By Your Side, Stages Of Grief and of course Dissolution which is the last song that Connor got the chance to grace his presence on. R.I.P Connor, to his bandmates, family, friends & fans keep your head up and continue to honor Connor and keep making him proud.

                            ♡Debbie♡

  

Carousel Kings Acoustic Show 9/9/18

  Have you ever wondered what artists sound like without all of the music behind them? Well that's what you get when you see an acoustic show. If you ever get the chance to see your favorite band/artist at an acoustic show, go for it! When it's just the singer and between 1-3 guitars(acoustic & electric) it gives you a deeper look into the talent, love & passion that these artists have for the music that they have worked so hard on. 
  I recently went to Lancaster, Pa to cover the Carousel Kings, I See Stars, GutterLife and Heart For Hire play an acoustic show at the Chameleon Club and I was completely blown away by all of the bands performances. As all bands did amazing and blew me away my main focus was on Carousel Kings and once again they came with their A game and they did not disappoint and it was completely worth the 6 1/2hr drive.

  David, Will and Cody's vocals were on point and the guitars added just enough to make their voices shine and I can honestly say that their acoustic set is my favorite performance from these guys. With an acoustic show you can not hide if there is any mess ups, slips or cracks in your voice because everyone is going to hear it. Any artist/band that takes the chance of doing an acoustic show knowing that the fans attention is going to be directly on the singer and the guitarist at all times during an acoustic show is a huge deal for me because that tells you that these guys have the confidence in what they do and that these guys are the real deal. It also gives you the true sound of their voices and vocal range, their stage presence was still in demand as soon as they took the stage everyone stopped and paid attention to them. I have to say with Carousel Kings nothing changes with their vocals weather it be on their album, at a live show or an acoustic show. 

  I will continue to say it and I will continue to support these guys because come on let's face it these guys are so talented, amazing performers with awesome personalities, they are down to earth, they always show their appreciation for their fans and most importantly they always stop to talk to you and make you feel welcomed at their shows. I will forever be a fan and I will continue to support and catch every concert possible because it's always a blast with these guys. 

  Thank you Carousel Kings(David, Cody, Will, Clint and Danny) for another great night to add to my concert list! 

                ♡Debbie

2018 Van's Warped Tour: The final cross country run

                     

      Have you ever gone to a music festival and wondered how do they manage to get all of these great artist in one place? How do they choose the right artist to perform? or even choosing where to hold the event(State, City, Venue)? Well we have and now when it comes to Van's Warped Tour we just let it go because every year the line up, the production, the staff, the security blows us away. With this year being the LAST cross country run we decided to attend both Ohio dates(Cleveland and Cincy) and I am so glad we did. 
  The staff did an amazing job they kept everything nice and friendly and all around had an amazing time themselves by joining in on the fun. I grew up on warped tour and I'm so glad that my kids had the chance to experience this amazing music festival because this is one event where everyone feels like family because we are all there for the same reason and that is to support the artist and have a great time weather you are a vet or new to Warped there is always a friendly face. 

  After giving that run down I do want to shine some light on these very talented artist that I was completely blown away by. OK here we go! there are people that will pay hundreds of dollars just to see their favorite artist for a quick hi, take a picture and get an already signed poster and that is totally OK because the artist is busy with putting on the shows and making the music that makes us love them and they have a lot of fans to meet. 

Untold Story

  Over the 2 days we spent at warped tour I observed artist running their own merch table, walking around with the fans and watching other bands sets, and doing their own meet and greets. The ONLY thing they asked for in return was your support.

In Loving Memory

State Champs

  The bands we had the pleasure and honor of speaking with showed the fans so much respect and treated us more like family/friends instead of fans. They also did not come off as they were better then the fans and they genuinely thanked the fans for their support during their set, at their merch table and even at the meet and greets.

 This is something that the bands wanted to do for their fans. They did not have to spend their FREE time with us but they did out of pure kindness and appreciation and we respect them for that.

   With so many bands you do not get to see a full set HOWEVER the 25-30 minutes that they do have they put on the best shows. We have seen a lot of these bands like Broadside, Sleep On It, State Champs, Waterparks, We The Kings, Falling In Reverse and many more multiple times because let's face it they are amazing and fun to watch. Then you have the staples of warped tour who has been there since the beginning like Bowling For Soup, All Time Low, Simple Plan and Reel Big Fish. This is a music festival that we will look back and reflect on for many years to come. 

   Thank you to the artist for rocking out with the fans during the last cross country run of Warped Tour and for making all of the fans feel very welcome. We will be forever grateful for all that you do for your fans and for the great causes that Van's Warped Tour shines light on every year.

We Were Sharks at the Donatos Basement 5/6/2018

On May 6th We Were Sharks played at the donatos basement on tour with Boys Of Fall, however Boys Of Fall could not make it.

"Waiting For Satalites"

Waiting For Satalites: 
The first band to play was Waiting For Satalites, they are a band from Columbus who I have never heard of before the show but I thought they were good live and very entertaining.

We Are The Movies 

We Are The Movies: 
The second band was We Are The Movies, I really like We Are The Movies, this was my second time seeing them and I really enjoyed them both times. They are another band from Columbus and if you get the chance to I suggest seeing them.

Bilmuri 

Bilmuri:
After We Are The Movies was a band called Bilmuri, I heard about Bilmuri a long time ago and I used listend to them all the time and I don't really know why I stopped. I was really exicited to see them when I found out they were going to be playing. One thing I noticed was they seemed a lot more calm live than they sound on their albums and spotify which was cool but I think for a show like that they shouldn't have changed anything.


We Were Sharks: 
I love We Were Sharks. They were one of those bands who had a song I really like but I didn't know who it was by and when I saw them in December I realized it was them and then started listening to them all the time. Their new album "Lost Touch" is one of my favorites albums that has come out this year. Live, they are reallly good, they played most of the songs I really wanted to hear and I thought they were really entertaing and I can't wait to see them again.

We Were Sharks 

We Were Sharks

Written by
~Trenton~

Carousel Kings: The Launch Tour

          Carousel Kings

   Have you ever wonder what happens when a band experiences technical difficulties? What's the band feeling? what is their process in these situations? Well Carousel Kings had a little technical difficulties when they came to Columbus, Ohio on April 8th, 2018 however they overcame that like the champs that they are. They took that opportunity to lighten up the mood and threw in some Blink 182's "What's My Age Again". Now I know that every time we covered these guys the post are always good and that is because these guy's know how to make it a night you won't forget. We have seen these guy's 5 times and we have not been disappointed at all. 

    With Dave's vocals, Cody's skilled bass playing, Will and Clint on their amazing guitar riffs and of course Daniel's amazing drumming is the perfect recipe for the best cup of coffee that you continue to crave. As I have said before and will continue to point out these guy's never put on the same show twice. Every performance, set list ect is always different and that is what really sets these guy's apart from other national bands. 

   These guy's are down to earth, fun and overall great guy's that continue to show their love and appreciation for every fan big and SMALL. Even when they have been driving for hours and they are extremely tired they still continue to kill it with amazing performances and down to earth personalities. 

Thank you Carousel Kings for another amazing performance and making a little girl's dream become a reality.

Selfies with C.K

Curtsey Of C.K

          


               ~Debbie~