The Piano Retrospective: An Interview with Lissie

Photo courtesy of Reybee inc, by Bill Reynolds

Elizabeth Maurus, more widely known as Lissie, the Americana singer-songwriter from Illinois, first introduced us to her music with her debut ep Why You Running in November of 2009 followed by her first full length Catching A Tiger in the summer of the following year. Since then Lissie has released three more records including the 2016 critically acclaimed My Wild Wild West and has toured globally.

On April 5th 2019, Lissie released When I’m Alone: The Piano Retrospective. The album is a brilliant, re imagined collection of her greatest songs all presented in piano and vocals arrangements and also includes her captivating covers of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and The Dixie Chicks’ “Cowboy Take Me Away.” On Wednesday, May 1st, at The Largo in Los Angeles, Lissie will be begin taking this album on the road to share the raw emotion that it’s stripped down set displays. But before she embarks on this tour, we were lucky enough to catch an intimate set of these new renditions in a private setting and get a few questions on the new the album answered.

The third track on the new record, "Everywhere I Go", which was originally released as part of your debut EP Why You Runnin,' was first introduced to us in November of 2009. What inspired you to release this retrospective now nearly a decade later?

“Everywhere I Go” continues to be one of my favorite songs. I feel like, all these years later, I can still access the emotion from which it was originally created. I hadn’t had a chance to perform it with just a simple, yet beautiful piano arrangement. I feel like it has many lives, one of which was to be presented this way, with a lot of space. This piano retrospective was created almost as a supplement to my existing albums/ songs.. Not a replacement, a continuation. Why not? :)

I know you lived in Southern California for some years before returning to the Midwest in 2015. Where were the majority of these re imaginings written? Has living on a farm had any impact on how they were written?

Creating this album was different from what I consider to be more like my “newly produced” albums. [It’s] a subtler release. All of the songs already existed. My trusted collaborators Martin Craft and Jo Dudderidge composed the new arrangements alongside my voice in a studio in Berlin, far from either SoCal or Iowa. I wouldn’t say that my farm life had much of an impact other than being at a place in my life where I wanted to indulge the itch to reflect on my past decade of songs and to contemplate where I was, all of that came from the events that made the songs and the way my voice has developed.

“…I wanted to indulge the itch to reflect on my past decade of songs and to contemplate where I was…”

Were there any tracks that transitioned to vocal/piano only in a smooth and natural manner? Any that weren't? Did you have a favorite approach or experience in how you touched back on your past work?

Going into making this, I knew what songs I wanted to do. Generally, the bigger, more well known tracks from each of my 4 studio releases along with some other favorites. I loved that, in my opinion, these songs worked well without the other instruments and production. So, I feel like they all went smoothly! Haha, I’ve performed these songs in so many ways for so many years. Band, duo, solo acoustic and now piano, I remember what I wrote them about and where they came from and I get to keep growing with and exploring them. I particularly liked how “sleepwalking” and “in sleep” translated. There’s definitely some different emotional angles being brought out from what they were originally.

Was there a certain narrative you were trying to share with us in these specific tracks and the order they're presented in?

For me, I’m always singing and performing and creating. This was a fun exercise to be considered for those who are interested and now to carry on!

What was it like to return back to your past songs? Were there many take aways in your personal life through the years that brought new life into your songs?

I realized in performing these songs with a piano last month in Norway, how cool it is to see how a painful event in my life could lead to the creation of a song that could create work that would bring so much joy and adventure to my life! I use a gardening metaphor.. how literal shit becomes beautiful food and flowers. It helps lend perspective to how I view my experiences and ups an downs.

In a 2018 interview regarding your album Castles, you mentioned every new release coincides with a chapter in your life. Such as My Wild West accompanying your move to your farm in Iowa, and Castles being a hopeful farewell to someone you love. To quote you from that interview "You have to go into your darkness to find your light sometimes." Have you found that lightness? How has your chapter surrounding Castles transition into that of When I'm Alone?

Castles really allowed me to work through a lot of the romantic relationship baggage I had been carrying. Patterns, an inclination towards drama, poor decision making, and behavior. And it actually has changed my approach since. A lot of toxicity went away after that album came out. Each album has been very healing to make and I find that I quickly move on. This retrospective is similarly a good chance to reflect and reset, while I find balance in my home and work life and consider what is next!

Now that we have this collection of re imaginings of your greatest songs, what comes next for Lissie? I know you had a bit of a digital flavor in Castles, will you be experimenting more moving forward? Is there anything you're excited to tackle next?

I have an idea of a few producers I’d like to work with but I’m hoping to take some time to be at home and start writing about what my present thoughts and feelings are! I’ve got a lot of them! 2019 is jam packed with tours and travels, so I’ll see what 2020 brings. I feel like there’s some kind of reverse hindsight metaphor in there!

Lissie will be kicking off her tour for this record in Los Angeles on May 1st at the Largo with a second date on the 3rd! After that you can catch her on the following dates! Don’t forget to get your tickets!

May 4th - Berkeley, CA - UC theater

May 6th - Washington DC - City Winery

May 9th - New York, NY - City Winery

May 10 - Evanston, IL, Space (2 shows!)

May 15th - Ardmore, PA - The Ardmore Music Hall

Reporting and photos by Hector Vergara unless stated otherwise

S A I N T ∆ J A M E S: Interview

SAINT ∆ JAMES :
artist interview

S A I N T ∆ J A M E S is the brain child of Costa Mesa-based duo Loren Harris and David Denio. The pair come from dramatically diverse musical backgrounds and have come together with the intent of creating genre-proof, California vibes music that invigorates a sense of pride, inspiration, and outright defiance from their listeners.

After a delightfully energetic and soulful set filled with hip hop/R&B vibes in The Foundation Room in Anaheim’s House of Blues (5/6/17), I had the chance to pick the brains of these brand new and emerging artists to get a better grasp on who they are and what they do

Concert Updater: What can you tell us about your origins as artists? When did you begin getting more involved with music?

Loren: When I was 19 I got asked to sing in my first band but I’ve been singing my whole life since my family is from Detroit. My grandpa played in the circuit with BB king and all of them but as far as [David] and I go, we started in October of 2015 and we’ve been grinding ever since.

David: I got started with music when I was 20. A friend of mine had a band and needed a singer and I was like “I’ll do that shit” then I realized my voice is awful [laughs] but I was going more towards the creation side. Not having others make the music. I wanted to create it and that’s kind of where I went from there.

L: - He’s got a great mind for it for sure

CU: How did you guys meet?

L: Through some mutual friends. The guy I was in my first band with had little brothers. Those little brothers made a band and Dave was asked to play guitar for them.

D: Well it was actually a similar situation to our current set up as Saint James. I had a handful of songs written and I shared them with my good friend Adam aka Truth, he took a liking to the songs and asked if he could start writing to them. Next thing I know Adam put together a band and we were playing shows.

L: Then in 2015 they asked me to come out and jam as they were trying to start something new. They invited this cat but he didn’t show. But one of the guys said “If I were ever to start a band, I would get that guy Dave. The stuff he makes is just crazy” and I just needed to meet this cat. We were all the way in Ontario and it turns out that [Dave] lived just around the corner from my house. A match made in heaven. We sat down and had some tacos one night and shared some urban souls and influences and got started

CU: How did you meet your fellow band mates?

L: I was getting myself ready to be singing again so I got into a gospel choir and these gentlemen were playing bass and drums with them. So I made friends with them and let them know I had a project that I was working on and when the time came they dove in head first. They’re good men.

D: Not only good, they’re phenomenal.

CU: You’ve said before that you come from different musical backgrounds. What’s the chemistry there and what do each of you bring to the table?

D: I’m like the super obscure guy and Loren’s a bit more polished but we have a lot of shared influences as well. Growing up in Michigan I was around a lot of soul and Motown and Loren had a lot of family in Michigan too. So we share that.

L: There are a lot of shared connections but mostly, it’s the mentality. His mind just sees music with a different set of lenses. He sees colors and kicks and snares and I see emotions. The emotions I speak with are different than the emotions he creates with so trying to find a home for them is challenging but overcoming those challenges is what gives us our sound. It’s what gives us our identity.

CU: What would you say your biggest influences are?

D: Definitely A Tribe Called Quest on the hip sop side but there’s also all sorts of soul. SmokeeRobinson Is still a staple for me. A more relevant influence would be UMO’s [Unknown Mortal Orchestra] early stuff but there’s too much to list. My library is just ridiculously huge so to sum it up is really difficult.

L: The artists that shaped me when I was young were Rage Against The Machine, James Brown, Sublime and Incubus. They shaped me the most and made me want to create. But then now as I’ve grown up and started becoming a lyricist and a wordsmith it’s Jay Z, Kendrick, J Cole, Lauren Hill. They all touched me but there’s so much

D: I also should admit though that Modest Mouse is one as well. I probably listened to them for like three years straight with no breaks [laughs]

CU: Would you say that you have any influences outside of music? Such as literature, film or anything like that?

D: We can draw inspiration from almost anything really. For me I love colors, light, the way light shapes things, architecture, painting, and even other countries and other cultures.

L: Yeah culture is a huge influencer but there’s also film. Like the way Hanz Zimmer paints a film. There’s also E. E. Cummings and Alan Watts that really help me think outside the box.

CU: Do you have any activities outside of music that help you in your creative process?

L: Yeah, I ride my bicycle a lot and I also play basketball. Those are the two things that help exercise my creative process.

D: I definitely do enjoy exercise like hiking. But also switching up the routine is critical. Just breaking routine and breaking habits but also coming back to it. Keeping life fresh and having no standard approach to anything.

CU: What was your creative process for your latest EP, Rise? How did that all come together?

D: Loren was working with his guitarist from his old band then we got introduced and I just flipped the script a bit.

L: Yeah he did. Originally I had this vision about what I wanted to do and when I met Dave a lot of things changed as far as what was going to be next, where our sound was going to go and how far we could push the limits of creativity and what was going to happen when we started blending our vibes. There was a lot of smashing clay together. We’ll see what happens. For our next release we really want to evolve and shape it a lot more and polish it. It’s going to be wonderful.

D: We’ve had a lot of time to get to know each other a lot better but we still bump heads and it really adds to our creative process. It’s what makes us work harder for it.

CU: What would you say was the biggest challenge in writing Rise?

D: It was crazy because I was laid off from work which allowed me tons of time to build songs but we flip flopped a little bit.

L: For me the biggest challenge was being able to check my ego. Realizing that this is not an “I” thing but it’s actually an “us” thing. Turning “I” into “we” was challenging but as we started to trust each other it stopped being a problem.

D: Mine was kind of the same because I’m such a control freak with my music and we’re trying to do it together. I’ll be making a song and saying “This is exactly what I want” and Loren will come in and say he can’t really work with that. So I started to understand that and we started to flow together better.

CU: What’s your favorite song to play live?

D: I’d say “No Love”. “Lighthouse” is great too but “No Love” just has that bounce and groove. I had no idea that it was going to bring that much life to the room live.

CU: If you could attach one emotion or word to Rise, what would you choose?

D: One word to the record?...Mixtape [Both laugh]

CU: What is the significance of the pyramid in your logo? Where did that come from and what does it mean to you guys?

L: The pyramid is the goal and the legacy. The Pyramids of Giza were commissioned by pharaohs but built by slaves so who really owns them? The guy who decided to have them built or the hands that actually built it?...It’s something that’s monumental, it’s a legacy for those men that sweated their lives away to build that and it still stands today. So it’s a concept that says we want to build something that’s going to last forever and how do you do that? You have to do it with blood, sweat and tears.

D: It also shows the beauty and complete ugliness that’s involved with the building of it. It’s not just a beautiful landscape.

L: We had a choice and we decided that we needed to do something for ourselves and we wanted to make music. We both walked away from music but had an opportunity to come back. I always promised myself that if I ever got another shot, I was going to take it and this gentleman [Dave] helped me do that.

D: And Vice Versa

L: So the pyramid represents our legacy and how committed we are to it building it.

CU: In the track “Pyramid King” there are spoken word segments in the beginning and end of the track. Can you tell us who that is and when it was recorded?

L: That's my old man, my dad. He sent that to me about two months before we went into the studio last summer and it's based on another conversation we had about how he would want to be remembered.

CU: In those segments a student/teacher relationship is mentioned. If you’re the student then who is the teacher?

L: The teacher is always everything else. Since that’s what we ultimately learn from. "The teacher arrives when the student is ready..." ready to see the world as a teacher and start listening to what it's trying to say.

CU: The verses sound like a conversation between two people. Who are these people?

L: Old me and young me. I'm scolding myself for "killing time", making "empty promises" and investing myself into fleeting endeavors that ultimately don't help us out. In life we allow our experiences to either fortify us or decay us, build us up or tear us down. You always have a choice, you just gotta decide.

CU: How do the comments on the future at the end of the track relate to something as timeless as these metaphorical pyramids?

"The goal is ultimately not the pyramid but to build a journey toward the life you've always wanted to live."

L: Pop is telling us to be present. Not to cling to the past that you can't change or be anxious for a future that isn't even here yet. The present is the only point in time in which you can be effective. So live in the now and build as consistently as possible. If the goal was to build a pyramid we may never start for fear of the size of the project. So if I'm being present, I focus instead on laying one brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid and not until it's complete do I move forward. The goal is ultimately not the pyramid but to build a journey toward the life you've always wanted to live. And after all of that is said and done, perhaps it will be a life worth remembering. Perhaps after all those perfect bricks are laid we might just have our pyramid. You gotta take a shot to find out, right? Why the hell not?

CU: Lastly, what can we expect next from you guys?

L: A lot more soul, a lot more funk. We’re trying to push our own envelope and boundaries and settle in to what it is that we created. Imagine building a ship. It’s so hard but you’ll eventually get wind in the sail and let it go. That’s kind of where we are at right now. Our first record was just the foundation to build off of and we’re about to get wind in our sails and take off.

Their first part of their double album Rise is available to stream on iTunes, Tidal, Spotify, Amazon, and you can catch them LIVE in Utah for Alpine Days Festival on August 12th, presented by Steve Young!

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Sleepy Sun: Artist Interview

SLEEPY SUN:
artist interview

Sleepy Sun, image courtesy of Amy Harrity & Tell All Your Friends PR

With a recent single ("Crave") that has premiered on Brooklyn Vegan and a 5th studio album due out June 9th (Private Tales), Sleepy Sun is a band you do not want to miss out on. With their "monk-like melodies" and "riffs that ring out in the distance" this band gives off a psychedelic feel that makes you feel like you're floating on clouds. The band formed in Santa Cruz, CA (now based in San Francisco) is made up of vocalist Bret Constantino, guitarists Matt Holliman and Evan Reiss, and drummer Brian Tice. Lucky for me, I was able to catch up with Evan and Matt for a quick Q & A to ask about their upcoming album, Private Tales, working with awesome female vocals (Kathryn Calder and Hannah Moriah), and their favorite bits and pieces of being amazing artists...

NICOLETTE: Hey guys! Congrats on the upcoming release of your fifth studio album! Let's just jump right into it, shall we? What is your favorite track off of Private Tales?
EVAN REISS: My favorite track off of PT is “Crave.” Visceral guitars, Italian church bells, and a marimba. What more could one ask for?
MATT HOLLIMAN: It’s difficult to choose, but whenever I listen to “When The Morning Comes” I get a distinct visual representation of the song, both connected to Bret’s lyrical content and how the song originated. There’s a few tracks on this album that really paint vivid pictures, and they tend to be hazy enough to allow for multiple interpretations depending on what lens you’re looking through.

N: What was the inspiration for the "thorny hooks and chaotic thunderclaps" that is your newest single, "Crave"? (It is AWESOME by the way!)
E: For me, Crave was the “missing piece of the puzzle” that came to be Private Tales. It’s what we needed to close this chapter. Also, Birthday Party and Bad Seeds.
M: The marimba completely makes this track for me. This is another element immediately conjures up images when I hear them lurking into the track.

N: Any fun before show rituals that get you pumped up for your set?
E: We try to hug it out and intone into each other's faces. Put on a bolo tie and get on the level.

N: Any plans for a longer tour once the LP release? If so, what location are you most excited about visiting?
E: We’ll be touring in the U.S. and Canada during the months of July and August. We are visiting places like Vancouver, BC and Austin, TX. Both cities have become second homes to the band. We’re lucky to have made some very close buds throughout our years of traveling and I’m looking forward to visiting them as well as eating queso and poutine. (Uh, yum and so jealous! -N)

N: Private Tales is your 5th full length album, that’s wildly impressive. What about this album is different than the others?
E: The writing and recording process was different this time around. It spanned over the course of two years whilst members of the band had migrated away from the Bay Area. I’m proud we were able to pull off a cohesive record considering the circumstances.
M: There was quite a bit of distanced writing, whereas in the past we typically worked things out in our rehearsal studio, over and over. We eventually came full circle to hashing things out in our studio once we could get everyone together, but laid the foundation with countless demos, re-demoing, and trying to new approaches over our various locations.

N: Reiss has said that he “likes music that gives [you] an opportunity to breathe,” I can certainly attest that your music gives me a moment to breathe. What’s a band/song that has influenced you and given you an opportunity to breathe?
E: Neil Young - Cortez The Killer
M: Fripp & Eno - (No Pussyfooting)

N: During the recording sessions you worked with Kathryn Calder and Hannah Moriah, what was that like? What did their voices bring to the table for the songs? They both have incredible voices, it added a brilliant dynamic to your sound.
E: We’re very lucky to have worked with those gals on the album. They brought an energy and feel to the songs that cannot be underestimated or ignored. It’s really fun to bring collaborators into the studio - especially when they are good pals with amazing voices and pro songwriting abilities. Hannah is playing in the live band right now and that has been a special treat for me. 4-part harmonies for the win. Kathryn is in New Pornographers. She is Colin’s (our producer/engineer/longtime friend) wife. She rips very hard, as well.

N: What does the rest of 2017 have in store for Sleepy Sun?
E: Support the record as much as we can with live performances. Write the next one.
M: Getting in the van, hitting all the favorite trucker stops, and morning breakfast haunts.

N: I know the recording process was a lengthy course of two years via home recordings, emails, etc., how did you keep the inspiration alive?
E: For better or for worse, the band is something I believe in...deeply. We’ve tried our best to not let life get in the way of making music with each other. At the same time, we respect each other’s personal boundaries and understand that Sleepy Sun isn't everything (i.e. we all need to make a living... and lord knows, it's not from this band.) The work can be tedious and trying, at times. But the final product of being able to record and play music with my friends is well worth it.
M: It wasn’t so much inspiration as just something we had to do. Oftentimes Evan and I would get together to demo tracks that would set off a chain reaction of writing, and we’d just try to keep one-upping ourselves. We’d get a vocal melody from Bret here, some drums from Brian there, and then it would kick things off into another direction, and we’d either try to improve, or scrap things down to the greatest bits, and build them back up again. The limitations we faced forced us to figure out a new way to write together.

N: What inspired the album artwork for “Private Tales”?
E: Koak!!!!! She’s an incredible artist that we’ve known and worked with since our Santa Cruz days. Her stuff is beautiful and ominous - a perfect pairing for the PT collection.

N: Who do you aspire to work with in the future? Any wishful-collabs?
E: There are a crap ton of talented bay-area folks that blow my mind on a daily basis. Once and Future Band, Heron Oblivion, and Matt Baldwin are just a few examples of peeps that I’d like to throw down with.

N: I know that this record in particular was the most difficult to make, how come? It was mentioned it was mainly for logistical reasons, but could you elaborate?
E: We thought we had the record done after the first year of writing and two-week recording session but it turns out we didn’t. At first glance, that was pretty upsetting. So we went back and wrote a bunch of tunes over the course of another year and recorded again. At that point, we had more than enough jams for an LP (too many.) In fact, we had to cut some of my favorite songs from the album just because they didn’t fit into the grand scheme of ‘PT.’ I hope they will surface someday.

N: If you could switch instruments for a day and experiment with a new sound, what would you try?
E: Pedal steel.
M: At the end of the day, a solid drummer is where it’s at. You don’t have to be super flashy or technical by any stretch of the imagination, but you can turn a song on it’s head with some interesting percussion.

N: Concert Updater was created by artists for artists to help everyone get their art into the world, how does it feel knowing your music inspires others?
E: Feels good. Music inspires me. If someone out there picks up a guitar because of something that I played, then I’m a happy camper. Inside an infinite circle of creative stimuli and inspiration is where I want to be.

Well, there ya have it. Not only are they amazing musicians they're pretty dope guys too. Evan said it best; "music inspires...inside an infinite circle of creative stimuli and inspiration is where" we want to be. This world is a weird place, but it keeps on turning because of music, love, and creativity. This band is scoring a 10/10 in all three categories in my book. Don't miss out and look for your city on their upcoming summer tour and check out our incredible Concert Updater photographer Samuel Ware's gallery of Sleepy Sun from the Hi Hat LA on 5/27 here.

Cheers to Sleepy Sun and we cannot wait for Private Tales due out June 9th on Dine Alone Records! Congrats, gents!

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Show photos by Samuel Ware
Promo photos courtesy of Tell All Your Friends PR
Interview by Nicolette Cunningham

The Strive: Interview

If The Strive's debut LP Modern Pace is even a small piece of this band's talent, hold on tight because they're going to sky rocket. The incredible band from Kansas City made up of Brendan Stevens (lead vocals), Greg Dowd (guitar), Michael Zenk (bass), and Nick Stacy (drums) did us the honor of answering some of our pressing questions before their show. The band has recently embarked on a new tour supporting Metro Station and Palaye Royale -- what a rad line up -- and even more recently have released their first LP called 'Modern Pace.' My personal favorite is definitely 'Bottom of the Ocean;' I love the mix of drums and guitars, I'm instantly hooked from the beginning. Now let's see what the guys have to say to a few of our questions...

What is it like opening for such awesome bands like Metro Station and Palaye Royale?
Nick: It’s a lot of fun. Everyone on the tour is a blast to be around and both bands have such killer live shows, It can feel daunting at times
Any fun before show rituals that get you pumped up for your set?
Greg: After load-in, we usually like to explore cool spots near the venue, but no specific rituals, other than just looking at each other and laughing all the time, haha.
How’s this tour different from your time on Warped Tour?
Greg- It's not HOT!
Your recent LP ‘Modern Pace’ just came out and you’ve said that the “album is all about learning to create better lives for ourselves, and learning to adapt to modern society.” Modern society can be a bit insane sometimes, what kind of advice to you have for your fans for this?
Michael: Do what you love to do as much as you possibly can. Do not do what you feel you “have” to do. Don’t let the pressure of society, school, college, cloud your view of being yourself. Be yourself!
Your latest cover of Lady Gaga’s ‘Perfect Illusion’ just went live on Youtube, as a pop-rock band what inspired you to cover such a pop based song?
Nick: We wanted to bring a totally different vibe to the song and use our style to generate new fans and direct them to the new record. Covers can be a very useful tool to connect with people/fans that might have never heard your music otherwise.
From Kansas City to touring around the states, sharing your music with your dedicated fans must be really surreal, what’s it been like having your dreams become realities?
Brendan: It’s very rewarding to do what we do now and see the progress consistently build. Which means we are connecting with more people everyday, making new dedicated friends and fans.
For each of you, what’s the number one album and/or band that’s impacted you as a person and as a musician?
Greg: Green Day - Warning
Brendan: Cartel - Cycles
Michael: Incubus - Morning View
Nick: MuteMath - Self-titled
What does the rest of 2016 have in store for The Strive after this tour?
Nick: Sleep. Spongebob. Spend time with family. But for real, we are releasing a music video for the LP title track “Modern Pace” and we are also playing a show with Lydia November 19, and a show with I See Stars December 10 in Kansas City.
(Editors note: looks like we'll be heading to a few more The Strive shows...)
What’s your favorite tracks off the new record and why?
Michael: Subliminal Friend - (this is unanimous) It is such a groovy and energetic song to play live and is definitely resonating with all of us.
What was the recording process like?
Brendan: LONG and meticulous but well worth all of the hard work. Its the little things in the recording process that really make production value stand out.
I know the tour just started, but are you excited for any specific dates coming up?
Brendan: Cleveland, Chicago, and Milwaukee for sure! The Rave is such a killer venue and we have some good friends in Cleveland and Chicago. And of course the show tomorrow at Voltage Lounge!
Who do you aspire to work with in the future? Any wishful-collabs?
Nick: We would really love to work with producer David Bendeth someday. (Paramore) Hopefully on the next record or two. He would know EXACTLY what to do with us and we would be able to release the best music we could possibly create.
What’s it like being on the same bills as bands like The Used and Taking Back Sunday?
Brendan: The TBS/Used show was amazing. Both such great bands live, and super nice dudes. It’s very humbling to be on the same bill.
What inspired Modern Pace?
Michael: Modern Pace is all about feeling frustrated with your own “status quo” in life and doing anything to break free from that and do what you love. It was written to motivate and inspire any listener, because its a struggle everybody deals with.
You’ve noted that your inspirations are Mayday Parade and Cartel, did you reference their past albums when writing your music? If yes, which albums of theirs are your favorites?
Nick: We’ve all been inspired by MANY artists over the years. While those artists were an inspiration to some of us, The Strive’s writing style and approach is influenced by so many different artists and styles of music.
Concert Updater was created by artists for artists to help everyone get their art into the world, how does it feel knowing your music inspires others?
Brendan: It feels beyond gratifying. Its confirmation that we are doing what we set out to do from day one. We only hope we can continue to grow and grow with our fans everyday.

Aren't these the coolest dudes? Absolutely enjoyed working with them and cannot wait for our photographer, Melissa, to photograph their set tomorrow (10/28) at the Voltage Lounge in Philadelphia! You can still grab some tickets here! Check out all the dates of this tour below and don't miss out on this sick new band! Concert Updater loves The Strive, so should you.

ALSO: Check out their album, Modern Pace,
available on iTunes and Spotify!

Say hi on their Twitter, Instagram, Youtube
and don't forget to like their Facebook too!

Image courtesy of The Strive's Facebook page!

Interview and reporting by Nicolette Cunningham
All images courtesy of The Strive and Michael at Mazur PR.

SAINT ∆ JAMES :artist interview

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SLEEPY SUN:artist interview

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