Reflecting on Farewell, My Love

Farewell, My Love is ready to rock your world into oblivion and beyond.  Their latest EP of spiraling tunes in entitled Mirror, Mirror and it’s destined to be your next sonic addiction.  Fans of Escape The Fate and Falling In Reverse are destined to greet a new favorite when encountering the wildly infectious compositions of this Phoenix based band.  Musically dramatic and lyrically introspective, Farewell, My Love’s will lift your spirit and tantalize your senses.  Here is a recent interview we conducted with charismatic front man Ryan Howell to find out more about the dynamic collective.  The reflections shall now commence…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Farewell, My Love, and how long the band has been together.
My name is Ryan Howell and I sing for Farewell, My Love. We have been a band for the past year and a half.

Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Our band is based out of Phoenix, AZ. The music scene here is pretty much all pop and metal bands so we never really fit in haha. I would definitely recommend our friends in City In The Sea, Waxy Sugar & Dead City Lights.

Is there any story or concept behind the Mirror, Mirror title?
The concept behind “Mirror, Mirror” is basically the fear of being yourself and facing your own flaws. Kind of like creating an alter ego to mask who you really are.

Select two songs from Mirror, Mirror and what inspired the lyrics.
“Mirror, Mirror” is about someone who is afraid to be themselves & face their flaws. “Skip the Memories” is about losing someone close to you and accepting that you can’t turn back the clock and bring them back.

Who produced Mirror, Mirror and what was it like working with them?
“Mirror, Mirror” was produced by Don Debiase at Studio D Productions in Cleveland, Ohio. It was an amazing experience, he definitely kept us inspired and was very hard working. He’s also an awesome guy to be around.

What could one expect from Farewell, My Love show?
Everything you’d want from a rock n’ roll concert and more. We give every performance our all, as if it’s the last time we’ll ever play. We try to bring our listeners into our world, where they can forget about their problems and just let go for the time that we’re on stage.

Has Farewell, My Love ever played in the Los Angeles area or plan to do so in the future?
Yes, it was an amazing experience and we cannot wait to play there again!

Any strange or unusual happenings while out on the road or at a live show?
Not so much at shows, but while we were recording in Cleveland; Röbby, Chad & I had heard footsteps on the staircase by our room & we had seen shadow figures in our room, all while the studio had no one there. It was pretty creepy stuff. .

Has Farewell, My Love ever played Warped Tour and if so, what was the experience like?
We haven’t yet, but with how much our fans spread the word, I don’t doubt we’ll be playing in the coming years.

What is the strangest thing someone has ever said about your band?
We’re pretty strange guys ourselves so I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anything that is too strange. When we hear from fans that our music saved their lives, that’s definitely one of the most amazing things someone has ever said about our band.

While at a show, some drunk guy offers you $100 cash to play What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction in your set. He is obviously serious and wants to hear the song. What do you do?
If we knew how to, we would play it. It would be the most punk rock version of a One Direction song anyone has ever heard.

If the music of Farewell, My Love was a donut, what kind would it be and why?
Chocolate glazed with filling. There are a lot of different aspects that make up what our band does, much like the mentioned donut haha.

What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
Everything. We put effort into every aspect of our band and try to give the world the ultimate package. Great music, an awesome image and an honest message.

Any final words of wisdom?
You can catch us on the Bryan Stars Tour April – May with Late Nite Reading, Snow White’s Poison Bite, Her Bright Skies, CatchingYourClouds and Joel Faviere. Also, be sure to pick up a copy of our new EP “Mirror, Mirror” on iTunes, MerchNOW or Amazon!

Farewell, My Love is:
Ryan Howell – Vocals
Röbby Creasey – Guitar
Chad Kowal – Drums
Charlee Conley – Bass
Logan Thayer – Guitar

(Interview by Kenneth Morton)

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VANS WARPED TOUR 2012 – CHULA VISTA

VANS WARPED TOUR 2012, Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA, June 27th, 2012

The Vans Warped Tour Party in Sunny Southern California continued with the long running festival’s appearance in Chula Vista. About an hour away from San Diego, the weather once again proved to be utter perfection, and would be a brief reprieve before the scorching hot temperatures they would be encountering at the following Arizona and New Mexico dates. Unlike previous years, the tour would not be coming back through the Golden State, so this would be the last chance this year that SoCal kids would be able to experience all things Warped. The grounds of Cricket Wireless were easy to navigate and all of the stages were in fairly close proximately of each other, so it was easier than ever to explore new music as well as seek out the must see favorites. Here are the bands we reviewed at Warped Tour Chula Vista…

JAMES MORRIS

The Acoustic Basement Stage is the newest addition to the Vans Warped Tour, and judging by its overflow crowds throughout the day, chances are we will be seeing it happening in the future years ahead. Conceived by singer / songwriter Brian Marquis (ex-Therefore I Am), The Acoustic Basement Stage featured unplugged sets from acts such as A Loss For Words, Sleeping With Sirens, and Koji. Opening up the day was local San Diego talent James Morris, promoting his recently released EP entitled Speed Of Dark. Morris definitely has the knack for writing introspective lyrics and catchy melodies, and caught the attention of quite a few early arrivals who stayed on for the entire set. Kicking off with the title cut Speed Of Dark, Morris instantly won over the crowd with his easygoing manner and impressive songs. On The World Will Be Ours, Morris had an interesting message for reviewers, which I am not entirely sure is within the context of the original lyrics. Paper Planes was a song that impressed the audience along with the stunningly reflective Vacant – which clearly showed what a powerful songwriter James Morris is. Definitely a pleasant way to start off a Warped day, even if he isn’t too fond of reviewers. (Editor’s Note: I interviewed him and he’s a cool kid. Should be online soon.)

A SHATTERED HOPE

One of the big winners of the annual Ernie Ball Battle Of The Bands competition was A Shattered Hope, whose home base is in San Diego. The band’s humorously titled See You At The Grammys EP was released through ALF Records last year.  Although they are now a free agent with no apparent record label ties, there is no stopping the intensity and energy of their live set. Champion City was a highlight, a stunner of a tune that they are currently shooting a video for. Not A Damn Thing was another blast to the senses, and the sonic reverberations of Thanks For The Coffin really sent the hometown crowd spinning into the pit. They’ve toured all across the nation, so it was especially exciting to see A Shattered Hope perform on their own turf at an event as prestigious as Warped Tour. When chaos and melody mesh into a form of hardcore musical madness, you will find A Shattered Hope bringing you a live set well worth seeking out! Not sure if they will win ever be presented a Grammy by Kanye West, but expect to hear a lot more from A Shattered Hope in the months ahead.

BALLYHOO!

The most refreshing music of the day was definitely coming from the House Of Marley Stage, where mostly hip-hop, reggae and ska artists converged. Ballyhoo! from Aberdeen, MD performed a wondrous mix of alternative and reggae, enrapturing all who wandered over to check the sweet melodies out.  On tour in support of their recently released Daydream effort on LAW Records (a label owned by members of Warped Tour veterans Pepper), Ballyhoo! brought the fun in the sun with their super infectious songs. Tunes such as Evil Penguin, Last Night, and Walk Away captured the crowd’s attention, and surely gained the band a good deal of converts who may not even normally listen to this style of music. Definitely the party band of the summer or any time of year, be sure to check out Ballyhoo!’s live set when they show up to bring the jams into your town! For fans of 311, Sublime, or anyone who wants to have a good time at a rock show.

CATCHINGYOURCLOUDS

One of the  surprises of Vans Warped Tour 2012 is the booking of unsigned artist Catchingyourclouds to most of the Southern California dates. This was definitely a star making chance of lifetime for front man Drake Christopher and his band, which normally reside within a small town in Arkansas. The songs Drake Christopher presents are enormously heartfelt, performed with a vibrant intimacy that really brings you deep into the material. There are a few random comparisons here and there to Warped troubadours of the past, but one clearly sees a massively talented singer / songwriter who can connect with fans in the same profound way Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes does. Your Very Own Trend was a standout song that really showed just how powerful a songwriter Drake Christopher is. And then there was the closing Lawl, which many in the Chula Vista crowd appeared to know and sang along with. This is music from the heart that will appeal to many. It will be very exciting to see what the future now has in store for Drake and Catchingyourclouds. Stay tuned and Catcharisingstar!

ECHO MOVEMENT

It was back to the House Of Marley stage to check out the groovy reggae vibes of Echo Movement from Asbury Park, NJ. Promoting an agenda of peace and love on this third planet from the Sun, Echo Movement presented an exciting selection of tunes that really made you want to dance and sway blissfully to the beat. Opening with the dynamically ambitious Spaceship Earth, Echo Movement were clearly one of the most compelling acts on the Warped road show. The funky retro keyboard work was a definitive standout, weaving its magic through the dazzling wall of sound. The sax and horn playing gave the tunes a timeless ska feel that was a lot of fun to witness. And especially noteworthy was front man Stephen, making sure the happy people in the crowd were feeling the positive vibes exuding from the stage. Other highlights from the show including the smoky inflections of the carefree Ganja and the wondrously crowd pleasing Red Sunday. Superb musicians all, making Warped an even more memorable experience.  An treasure trove of sonic artistry from true professionals who can deliver the goods!

YELLOWCARD

It very well may have been several years since we’ve seen Yellowcard on the vast stages of Warped, but judging by the admiration of the very sizable crowd, the band was welcomed back with massively open arms. Opening with the familiar yet gorgeous sounds of Breathing, Yellowcard and their audience reconnected in a triumphant way. Performing a set of tunes from all periods of their illustrious career, selections such as For You And Your Denial and 5 Becomes 4 really dazzled the the sun drenched throngs. The band also premiered Always Summer from their upcoming album Southern Air, an instant hit with the audience at hand. Whether it was the technical strains of Light and Sounds or the thoughtful Only One, Yellowcard displayed pure showmanship and versatility that really stood out on the Kia Soul Main Stage. Closing their set with the trademark party song of the summer Ocean Avenue, one could see a band playing with a new found passion and energy, clearly enjoying time spent entertaining their fans. With Almost Summer being their second recording in two years, this is a clearly a new creative renaissance for Yellowcard. It is great to have these wonderful musicians back and in such top-notch form!

NEW FOUND GLORY

The last set this reviewer caught at the Chula Vista date of the Vans Warped Tour was the much-revered New Found Glory. On the tour supporting their superlative new effort Radiosurgery, New Found Glory unleashed a rapturous set of songs clearly demonstrating the now well-known fact that “Pop Punk is Not Dead!” In addition to their own exhilarating tunes, the band launched into a dazzling cover of the Green Day mainstay Welcome To Paradise. The crowd at the Kia Soul Main Stage pretty much exploded with sheer joy at hearing one classic band performing the signature tune of another great pop punk entity. Front man Jordan Pundik spoke of the Warped Tour as a community of people, stating the ultra vivid truth that, “This tour will change your life.” Even after 14 years, the music of New Found Glory sounds as fresh and alive as ever, and their connection with the audience was wondrous to behold.

CONCLUSION & LINKAGE

And thus ended the Southern California dates of the Vans Warped Tour. With several more dates to go until their concluding show in Portland, Oregon on August 5th, there are still many chances to catch up with this legendary punk rock traveling show. As Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman would tweet later on in the evening, “Country club living on the westcoast is over, dog days of warped are on and I love it.” If you see one single tour the entire year, you absolutely must go Warped!

(Review and Photos by Kenneth Morton)

James Morris on Facebook
A Shattered Hope on Facebook
Ballyhoo! on Facebook
Catchingyourclouds on Facebook
Echo Movement on Facebook
Yellowcard on Facebook
New Found Glory on Facebook
Vans Warped Tour Official Home Page

CatchingYourClouds: California Bound

In a recent Vans Warped Tour website update, CatchingYourClouds was announced for a trio of West Coast dates.  Drake Christopher Henning is the talented mastermind behind the solo project, and he’ll be making his way to the Golden State for these special shows on June.   With introspective lyrics and wondrously catchy melodies, CatchingYourClouds is sure to catch on with pop music fans at Warped and well beyond.  Here is a recent interview we conducted with with Drake to find out more about his music as well as his upcoming Warped  dates in California.  Read on…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in CatchingYourClouds, and how long the project has been in existence.
Hi, my name’s Drake Christopher Henning  I’m the singer/songwriter for CatchingYourClouds, which I started back on February 13th, 2011, a little over a year ago.

What city are you based out of and what is your local music scene like there?
Bryant, Arkansas.  The music scene there was mainly metal, with the exception of a couple acoustic/country artists. It was actually really hard finding a show to play a lot of the time.
Most of the booking done around there was for the hardcore bands.

The big news is you were recently announced to play Warped Tour 2012. How many dates will be on and how did you wind up on the tour?
I’ll be playing 3 dates as announced. All 3 will be in California; Ventura, Pomona, and San Diego.  As for how, I’m not really sure.  I had a lot of support from my fans that I assume really helped out.
I’m just thankful to be doing something alongside so many other amazing musicians.

What could one expect from a live CatchingYourClouds show?
I guess I really do my best to let everyone feel like I’m on level ground with them, rather than a couple feet above them on stage.  Whether it be clapping along, or jumping up and down together, I just like to make it fun and energetic. It keeps things realistic, and it allows us to all have that constant connection, rather than feeling like strangers to each other.

Select any two CatchingYourClouds songs and what inspired the lyrics.
Well, “Careless Relation” is one of them. It’s pretty much about me spending my life creating myself as an individual, only to be recognized as someone I’m not. It’s about people who think they know me before they actually take the time to figure out who I really am and what I stand for.  I wrote a long note on my band’s facebook page called “In Careless Relation” that explains it a lot more.

Secondly, is “LAWL“. The song is inspired about a girl I was with for a while that started to change herself in a very negative way.  A lot of the change affected her life, including me, and eventually was the reason we had to part ways. The song itself was my way of reminiscing
on all of the good times we spent together, and how I didn’t want them to end, but I knew they had to for the better. It’s one of those things I wrote for myself in order to connect a lot of things in my head that I didn’t understand at the time. It helped me out a lot, and it allowed me to start living more freely and fully after she was gone, which is what the song stands for.
LAWL – Live A Whole Life

What is the name of the very first song you ever wrote, how old were you, and what was the song about?
“FLave? GetReal” was the name of the first song I ever wrote. I was 17 when I wrote it.
It was about this girl that I didn’t know at first but had heard so much about. She supposedly lived on a street called Florida Avenue,
so I went out to the park by there a lot and played, to see if she’d ever come out and we could meet and be friends or something.
We eventually ended up meeting at school, and even ended up getting together, but when we did, I had figured out she lived on a completely different street called Jersey.
It was really funny to be honest, I had been going out to the wrong place and playing/waiting around to meet this girl for almost a straight month.  The song name itself is an acronym, like a couple of my other songs. “FL(orida)ave(nue)” and then “get real” because it’s not where she really lived.

If there was band or artist living or in history that you’d like to open up for, who would it be and why?
PlayRadioPlay (Analog Rebellion). He’s one of my biggest inspirations for the music I create, and it would be such an honor to play a show with him.

Have you had any label interest yet? Do you want to be on a record label?
It hasn’t really crossed my mind much recently to be honest.  I guess it’d be cool if the idea presented itself, but it’s not necessary, I’m really happy where I am right now.

How easy or difficult has it been to record and release everything on your own so far?
It’s actually been very difficult. I record/release everything from my room alone, so I spend about 12-14 hours a song.  Since it’s from my room, I do my best to make sure it’s at least at a presentable quality to release, I work really hard on mixing and stuff when I’m done too. It’s not the best, but I guess it’s not awful for something I’m just doing alone in an apartment either.

What advice would you give a solo artist or band seeking a spot on the Warped Tour?
Stay ambitious. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t make it the first time.  I’m only 18. I grow more and more every day as an artist, and I still have so much to learn.  That’s how it should be for everyone, remember no matter how far you get, you still have room to go further.
Keep writing and recording and stay true to yourself and that’ll always be way more important than any big booking date or record deal in my opinion.

Any messages for people reading this interview who might want to check your music out?
It’d be super awesome if you took some time to go listen to it.
If you like it let me know, I love hearing from and connecting with all of you.
If it’s not your thing, well hey, thanks for checking it out at least, it means you’re open to give things a chance, and that’s cool.

Dates Playing at Warped Tour 2012:
Jun 22 Pomona, CA
Jun 24 Ventura, CA
Jun 27 San Diego, CA

(Interview by Kenneth Morton)

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