MY FIRST TIME: youbloom | HEADROOM #12 with Featured Artists from the youbloomLA 2015 Music Festival

08-Dec-2015 By Shannon Duvall

The last installment of HEADROOM for the youbloomLA 2015 Music Festival goes live tomorrow. The very next day, we clean the rust off our dancing shoes (and dance moves) and make tracks for northeast Los Angeles, where three of Pasadena’s finest bars will host over fifty of the choicest independent bands and solo artists in the world.

They’re coming from Chile. Ireland. Haiti. Hell, there’s even a Canuck in the mix, along with homegrown sounds from states far and wide.

Here at youbloomHQ, it’s regrettable to see the end of what has turned out to be a lively, illuminating outing on a kind of heavy metal hay wagon with bockety wheels and a passed out driver. HEADROOM is a unique space where artists who will be sharing stages also get to share stories about the one thing bringing you all together: sweet, sweet tacos.

Wait, what?

It’s not tacos??

Well, what on earth could possibly…can somebody get our source on the line?

I swear, one of these days…OH. Right. Riiight. It’s music. I knew that, think I was just hungry. Can somebody get a taco delivery on the line?

On the reals, though, it’s been dope. Much obliged to all the artists who participated in this digital confession box. (I mean, if you hadn’t, we’d have bugged your phones and gossiped about you anyway, but high five! You saved us an absolute fortune and raised eyebrows from the guy at the electronics store. So it’s win-win!)

This batch of performers have some pretty insightful things to say about the first time music made an impression on their tiny spongey minds – including one guy getting smothered in the name of soul (hint: it’s about boobies). Way to take one for the team, brother.

We’ll leave you to your reading, friends, and thank you once again for making HEADROOM LA ’15 the most fun yet.

Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow for the final goss, give us the thumb of approval on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and/or Soundcloud, and, of course, get on down to the fest. It starts Thursday. Don’t miss it or you’ll be eating your sweet sweet tacos alone. Take it from someone who knows.

Kevin Proctor (songwriter/keys/guitar, Direct Divide), MY FIRST TIME: “I grew up in a sports dominated family that loved football. Every Sunday, football would be on and when the afternoon games were over, my family would blast some classic rock and alt rock as we wound down the day. Although I didn’t begin playing an instrument until after high school, hard rock and alternative 90s rock were always a part of me.”

Razz: (songwriter/vox/violin, Direct Divide), MY FIRST TIME: “My parents sang to my brother and I every night from the time we were born until we were teenagers! My dad still laughs at the fact that “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” by the Beatles was one of my favorite songs.”

It’s a curious thing, the electric violin. At once impossible to ignore and signature (what would The Who’s “Baba O’Reilly” be without it?), it’s a rarity in rock and pop music; it’s full range of sounds as yet uncharted in the more well-known genres. Putting it front and center are what Direct Divide do, which is both brave and intriguing, their unique sound complemented by tight rhythms, searing vocals, and intelligently placed guitar melodies. For fans of: Lourds, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Andrew Bird’s darker stuff

Julian Schonscheck (guitar/keys, DENMANTAU), MY FIRST TIME: “I remember (doing) a tennis exchange with families in France. My family and I lived with a French family for a week. In the evenings when we finished playing tennis a few of our hosts took out their acoustic guitars and played wonderful cover songs; I was very fascinated by it. It was the first time I experienced live music and it was like magic for me. I immediately knew that I wanted to play guitar too, but my hands were still way too small at just six years old or so. It took me around three more years to really start playing the guitar and I’ve never stopped.”

They arrived in Los Angeles on a mission: to be the biggest band in the world. German born and bred, they’ve honed their chops and are stopping at nothing to share their tight, bohemian, insanely danceable music with every pair of ears from here to the moon. Set to be a highlight show at youbloom LA, you really need to see these guys. For fans of: the good Pearl Jam stuff, Jack Penate, Paolo Nutini

Anwar (guitar, Feli and the LemonShakers) MY FIRST TIME: “I remember going on fishing trips with my dad when I was about four or five years old. He would always be playing some Jimi Hendrix and old school R&B. It wasn’t until around 14 that I actually began playing guitar. After seeing one of my friends’ cousins play, I was hooked.”

They sound like sunshine and cocktails, and have no shortage of musical chops, with caressing vocals, dreamy pop guitar melodies, and infectious, hip shaking rhythms. Even the empty spaces have style. One to watch. For fans of: Goodbye Chanel, Bombay Bicycle Club, Blondie

Robert Blue Moon (poet/emcee/other vox, Crvscxnt Moon), MY FIRST TIME: “When I was young I heard The Fugees “Ready or Not”. (It) made a huge impression on me; by far it’s the song that drove me towards music the most. It had such a groove to it; I couldn’t help but try and learn the words so I could sing and rap along with it. A few years later two songs hit it out of the park for me: Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” and Nas’ “I Can”. These two hip-hop artists showed the world that they were here to stay.”

Whip smart and acerbic, yet feel-good and uplifting, this is a group with cunning musical abilities and a tangible desire to venture beyond the well-tread environs of intellectual hip-hop. Crvscxnt Moon blend soul and gospel into a refreshing helping of music with something to discuss. For fans of: J. Cole, Blackalicious, Mr. Lif

BJ Smith (singer, composer, soul man), MY FIRST TIME: “When I was about four years old I went to a private school. I had a preschool teacher who used to play the piano and sing to us. She was a red-haired, well-built woman (I wasn’t aware of that kind of thing at the time, but I do recall every time she would hug me after I sang while she was seated at the piano, her large breasts darn near smothered me!) She used take me to convalescent hospitals, churches and other functions to sing. I remember (the) first big song she taught me: “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”. I remember how happy these elderly people were to be entertained by a cute little boy with a voice and a big smile.”

Cool, clever, and impassioned, the masterly BJ Smith has the kind of industry chops you hear whispered about across the bartop when he walks into the room. He produces. He sings and plays. He writes songs. He tours with top brass; picks his own band members; slides an R&B song your way like passing a love note. He’s impeccable. Don’t miss him. For fans of: Luther Vandross, Freddie Jackson, your own heartbeat

MY FIRST TIME: youbloom | HEADROOM #11 with Featured Artists from the youbloomLA 2015 Music Festival

07-Dec-2015 By Shannon Duvall

“These are the songs…
these are my heart songs
they never feel wrong

and when I wake for goodness sake…
these are the songs I keep singing.”

– Heart Songs by Weezer

Milan Carl (drums, DENMANTAU), MY FIRST TIME: “I had my first experience with music when I was able to think. I listened to a lot of music with my parents and a guy who lived in the neighborhood. My older sister started with the piano and my little sister and I followed. I was six and couldn’t resist. Just one year earlier I had joined my sister’s piano teacher’s classical choir in a church. At 10 I got my first drum kit and lessons. After that I stopped playing piano and became obsessed with drums and rhythm. I loved drums but I was missing melody so I bought myself a saxophone at 23.”

Maddie (vocals, Polaris Rose), MY FIRST TIME: “(My) first memory of music is sitting in the backseat while my dad drove across Japan. He passionately introduced me to Meatloaf’s Bat out of Hell II. Soon (we) were singing the duets together. (Peter: “She still has bad taste in music to this day.”)”

Instantly friendly and infectious, with precise vocal harmonies, and an uncanny understanding of what makes a hook do its best work. (Seriously, how did you write those??) At times epic, other times unexpected, the group have alt-pop sensibility coming out of their ears, and they gel so well it’s hard to imagine they’ve only been on the scene two years. For fans of: 90’s stuff, Elvis Costello, The Black Keys

Rob Nakai (guitar/kick drum/vox, Quietly Kept), MY FIRST TIME: “The first real time I remember music moving me and getting me excited was listening to Richie Valens and Chuck Berry. Rock ‘n’ roll! I was probably seven or eight and a cardboard tube was my guitar as I jumped around playing along to the soundtrack of 1950s youth movement. It was about six years before I felt that feeling again when I got into punk rock.”

Calah Mae (vox/tambourine, Quietly Kept), MY FIRST TIME: “I actually grew up on a small farm in Wisconsin listening to only country!! Crazy, I know, but I used to be in the barn, mucking stalls and I would just be singing my heart out. My dad used to take me to karaoke nights at bars so that I could sing; I guess maybe I always knew that music would find me…some way.”

It must be that independent New Mexican streak running through the music like an unidentifiable fascination that keeps you hooked. Managing somehow to blend punk stylings with introspective acoustic americana and the clear, sweet vocals of pop, the duo behind Quietly Kept aren’t about to be put into a box and labeled; instead, they’re turning heads and winning fans everywhere they go. We can’t wait to have them in LA. For fans of: Blackbird Raum, Brook Pridemore, Lynched

Matthew Irwin (rhythm guitar/lead vox, Foreign Affairs NI), MY FIRST TIME: “I’ve always grown up with music. It’s hard to pinpoint an exact moment where I thought, ‘this is the most amazing thing’. My mum and dad always listened to music and I partook in that, too, but the big turning point was when I came home from a scuba diving lesson and Green Day American Idiot was there waiting for me. It changed my life; it’s the first album that made me want to be a musician. I got my first guitar that Christmas and it all went from there!”

An ardent, sincere take on a well-loved genre. Sounds are clean and tight. There’s energy and storytelling in spades. Foreign Affairs NI show up with their hearts on their sleeves, ready to sleep on your kitchen floor if you’ll let them play a gig. This is how the best pop punk should be. For fans of: The Ataris, You Know The Drill, The Get Up Kids

The second annual youbloomLA Music Festival & Conference is happening this weekend in northeast Los Angeles THU-FRI-SAT 10.11.12. We’ve got over 50 independent acts and a host of top drawer industry insight. Shall we make it a date?

#youbloomLA2015

BEFORE I DIE: youbloom | HEADROOM # 10 with Featured Artists from the youbloomLA Music Festival

30-Nov-2015 By Shannon Duvall

“Before I die, I need to make sure I properly load the dishwasher, choose a stable career in something like insurance, and be in bed by 10pm every night.” SAID NO MUSICIAN EVER.

Goals like these, while perhaps completely acceptable for Arnold Accountant over there, lack a certain…je ne sais rah! for the discerning musician. I mean, sure, you’ve got aims. They’re just less…traditional. Writing hit songs and playing Wembley? Now you’re talking.

Whatever instrument you play – whatever your genre as an artist – you’ve invested a lot of time and energy already to get where you are. So the things that make your list are real-deal, life-is-short kinda things. Unless you’re writing the blues, there’s no time for regrets, and only one way to go, which is, of course, up.

Jim Priest (singer/songwriter):

1| Perform my musical adaptation of the Upanishads on a mellotron. (I haven’t read the Upanishads and I can’t play the mellotron, but this is about “before I die” so I think I still have time.

2| Make the bartender at The Viper Room cry with my music. Any bartender at the Viper Room. If I can wrench a tear from one of those heartless bastards, I’ll know I’m an artist of the highest calibre.

3| Busk on the streets of Hollywood. Oh wait, I’ve done that. Nothing says “musical integrity” like getting chased across Sunset Blvd. by a rent-a-cop. Before I die I’d like to busk somewhere less repressive – like Riyadh, maybe…

Hypnotic acoustic guitar meets wrong side of the tracks storytelling, leading us down a dark alley of spoken-word intrigue; it’s tangible, like a newspaper headline – we wonder where it all went wrong. Jagged harmonicas tear in, reminding us that we’re only listeners, but we’re involved, guilty by association. Jim Priest is not to be missed. For fans of: Tom Waits, Loudoun Wainwright III, Sage Francis

BJ Smith (singer, composer, soul man):

1| Motivate, encourage, and unite people across the world, on some level, through my music. You can be at a festival, a concert, a club, or just riding in your car, and whether you’re familiar with the material or not, masses of people will come together and unite, party, or groove to music. Music has been used throughout the history of mankind to bring us together. Whether it’s been to signal ancient tribes for war, a feast, or a celebration, music is a universal language second only to love! Our heart produces a musical beat as we live and breath; it’s within all of us.

2| I want people to reflect and give love a chance through our worldly camaraderie within music.

3| Hopefully I can become an “influencer” to future generations and gain acknowledgement and respect from my musical peers. Being able to inspire people to want to sing, make music, or at least respect and love each other a little more, can hopefully touch the mind, body, heart, and soul of others with my voice, my lyrics, and my message. To inspire something positive, or help someone get through a moment, or remember a unique moment creates infinite emotional connections. Any other rewards bestowed upon me and additional financial security are just extra blessings!

Victoria Scott (lead vox, The Blue Dolphins):

1| I want to play Glastonbury with The Blue Dolphins.

2| I also want to play some mega venues around the world, including Mexico City.

3| I’d like to be a part of a history or humanity-changing concert, like Live Aid in the 80’s. I would like to write a sweet and sensitive song that connects with a lot of people all around the world.

The once acoustic-driven sound of The Blue Dolphins has evolved, blending clear, pretty vocals with south-of-the-border, surfy sentiments, and something altogether harder to pigeonhole. Unabashedly succinct, feel-good tunes from a duo who, from the sounds of it, are just getting started seeing what they can do. For fans of: The Sleepovers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a sweeter, less fuzzy Mika Miko

Anthony Greene aka. Prada Gino (fresh rhymes):

1| I have always told myself that before I can even begin to look at success, I need at least three Grammys.

2| I need to have at least five platinum singles as well.

3| Major sponsorship from a leading company (like Nike, Adidas or Prada)

4| Perform at a major awards show and also host one as well!

5| Breakthrough artist of the year at least twice.

6| Be inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame!

Yes, I have lots of career goals, but they are all possible.

Sincere prose is woven through thoughtfully chosen samples and surprisingly sultry and classy beats. Belongs on a list of the top intellectual rappers in the game. Hometown Chicago oughtta be proud. For fans of: Kid Cudi, Illogic, Eyedea & Abilities

Matthew Irwin (rhythm guitar/lead vox, Foreign Affairs NI): My biggest musical goals are quite simple! I want to do this forever! I don’t care on how large of a scale! I want to wake up in the morning and the only thing I have to worry about is music. I won’t be happy until I’m at a place in my life where I can make enough to survive off (of) music alone!

That said, some nice things I’d like to happen:

1| I’d love to support an amazing band on a tour.

2| I’d like to play even more amazing festivals like SXSW and Reading and Leeds.

3| Finally, I’d like to record an album with a musical inspiration of mine, like Billie Joe Armstrong or Justin Pierre.
An ardent, sincere take on a well-loved genre. Sounds are clean and tight. There’s energy and storytelling in spades. Foreign Affairs NI show up with their hearts on their sleeves, ready to sleep on your kitchen floor if you’ll let them play a gig. This is how the best pop punk should be. For fans of: The Ataris, You Know The Drill, The Get Up Kids

Featured Artists from the youbloomLA 2015 Music Festival, hitting Northeast Los Angeles this Dec 10.11.12. Click the link for full lineup and ticket info.

BEFORE I DIE: youbloom | HEADROOM #9 with Featured Artists from the Los Angeles 2015 Music Festival

26-Nov-2015 By Shannon Duvall

Hit snooze twelve times. Check.

Drag self from bed. Check.

Shower. Coffee. Brush teeth (unless you’re one of those weirdos who does that in reverse). Check. Check. No, I am not one of those weirdos.

Dress self in some semblance of acceptable clothing. Take self out into world to accomplish goals. Does an “Eat the Rich” hoodie count? Look out world, here comes me!

Many of you have #goals. But how many of those goals are ride-or-die? When you’ve got a burning passion, those aims of yours become something more. They become your Before I Die.

Five of the youbloom Los Angeles 2015 Music Festival‘s heavy-hitters share what’s most important to them in this musical life.

Quinn Archer (singer/songwriter): “I am so excited to be playing the youbloom Festival, as I’ve been dying to get on the festival circuit.”

1| To play Coachella or SXSW would be a dream.

2| Go on tour with a band that I love.

3| If I could spend my life writing songs, performing them, and collaborating with other artists then I certainly wouldn’t be mad about it!

A singer with undeniable vocal power, seeming to combine elements of Adele with the dark tonality of Lana del Rey, and power production song composition. These are really well-written songs that have an air of introspection and a knack for communicating dark moods without being morbid or cheesy. As an artist, she’s already done loads, and it’s this undistracted reach to be better and better that will see her to the top. For fans of: Paloma Faith, Adele, Florence and the Machine

Huxley Rittman (singer/songwriter):

1| Induct an artist I love into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

2| Perform with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

3| Get my own star on Hollywood Boulevard. Somewhere between Cher and James Dean is fine for me. 😉

An act who brings fresh footfall to the well-hiked trails of acoustic storytelling; making it more about the listener than about himself, which is dignified and refreshing. Voice and guitar are respected for their rightful instrumental capacities, and Rittman delivers like a relaxed, neofolk Dylan, with an exceptional transportative timbre to his voice that’s instantly persuasive and warmly addictive. For fans of: Nick Drake, Hudson Taylor, Mark Kozelek

BEFORE I DIE — photo by Paige Lacombe Photography.

Kivi (vocals, cowbell, donut pusher, Kittenhead):

1| Tour Europe with Kittenhead. We love to tour! We love to play shows! We love Europe (and Europe plays Kittenhead on the radio)!

2| Play a show with Paramour, because VJJ (strings, sourpatch kids, random TLC references, occasional rapping/backing vocals) would be insanely excited and might just set world records for jumping.

3| Record an album with no time or financial constraints so we could actually spend time mixing and mastering our music and allow for all the creativity that happens in Kittenhead when we spend time together.

Combining growling vocals and that unmistakeable horror/surf rock hybrid which distinguishes some of the most fun bands in punk, Kittenhead are in no way confused about who they are. Their shows have been described as “high energy” and “exciting”. You won’t see another band like them at youbloomLA, so don’t miss it! For fans of: The Runaways, The Misfits, The Independents

Aristor Oberson & Edouarin Enide (Ded Kra-Z & Princess Eud):

1| Collaborate with some of the biggest names in world music.

2| Get a record deal from a major label

3| Build a foundation to help unfortunate kids back home and around the world

While the music scene in Haiti is primarily dominated by mellow steel drum rhythms and the shameless use of autotune, Ded Kra-Z & Princess Eud are busy making funky beats and writing edgy, socio-political lyrics with the sting of some of hip hop’s finest. Musically nodding to their roots and cultural influences, while refusing to bow to stereotype, they represent a new wave of awareness from the small island. For fans of: William Onyeabor, M.I.A, Afrika Bambaataa

Julian Shah-Tayler aka The Singularity:

1| I want to headline Glastonbury, Coachella, Austin City Limits and The Hollywood Bowl.

2| Meet David Bowie for a collaboration.

3| Change lives for the better. (Not too much to ask for.)

The perfectionist talents of The Singularity allow listeners a voluptuous electro experience that almost quite literally gets right under the skin. With influences as lusty and powerful as Kate Bush and the like, it’s no wonder, and frontman Julian Shah Taylor has the vision to see it through. There’s nothing else quite like it. It’s smart, relentless, and endlessly catchy. And you need to see it for yourself. For fans of: deep space, David Bowie, Electric Six

What’s on your list? Let us know in the comments!

BEFORE I DIE: youbloom | HEADROOM #6: with Featured Artists from the Los Angeles 2015 Music Festival

16-Nov-2015 By Shannon Duvall

So you’ve gotten this unweildy aircraft of a music career off the ground, and you’re – stably enough – coasting on the thermal currents. You’ve dealt with turbulence, and maybe even a storm or two. Respect.

It take serious cojones to launch yourself into the puzzling, seductive atmosphere of rock ‘n’ roll. But the point is you’re here. Each time you step on stage, upload a new track, or even just show up to practice…you’re flying, man.

But have you ever stopped to ask yourself where to? Who’s in the cockpit of this thing, anyway? You went to all this trouble to get aloft, so pencil your destination into the logbook there and set your course.

Cooper (bass & vox, Ultra Violent Rays): Before I die I need to:

1| Tour Europe.

2| Record with Brian Eno and Chris Coady.

3| Hang out with David Bowie.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall: who’s the noirest of them all? The Ultra Violent Rays aren’t exactly violent, but they do craft a masterful, cold sultry sound that promises something hot-blooded despite being surrounded by a kind of endless chill. Lovingly produced, carefully communicated electro-class for the space rogue in all of us. For fans of: Joy Division, Gary Numan, Patti Smith

Kevin Proctor (songwriter/keys/guitar, Direct Divide):

1| Play a HUGE European music festival with my own music.

2| Learn as many different instruments as I can. It really is the best way to appreciate the people around you.

3| Release an EP or album every year of my own music for 20+ years.

Razz: (songwriter/vox/violin, Direct Divide): “I only have one musical goal: to make people recognize that electric violins belong in rock music.”

It’s a curious thing, the electric violin. At once impossible to ignore and signature (what would The Who’s “Baba O’Reilly” be without it?), it’s a rarity in rock and pop music; its full range of sounds as yet uncharted in the more well-known genres. Putting it front and center are what Direct Divide do, which is both brave and intriguing, their unique sound complemented by tight rhythms, searing vocals, and intelligently placed guitar melodies. For fans of: Lourds, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Andrew Bird’s darker stuff

Stefan Pomplun (bass, DENMANTAU):

1| I definitely want to explore more musical genres with and without the band. A different formation like a big band or a solo project are things I want to be part of one day. I would love to be able to play genres like jazz, electro, or even classical music!

2| I would love to be part of forming a festival. It’s a thing friends of ours have talked about for years and it would be great if our musical contacts could make it possible to form our very own festival!

3| My band set the goal to be the first band on the moon. (The Cardigans don’t seem ambitious enough to pull through on that one, so we’re taking over!)

They arrived in Los Angeles on a mission: to be the biggest band in the world. German born and bred, they’ve honed their chops and are stopping at nothing to share their tightly-woven, bohemian, insanely danceable music with every pair of ears from here to the moon. Set to be a highlight show at youbloom LA, you really need to see these guys. For fans of: the good Pearl Jam stuff, Jack Penate, Paolo Nutini

Robert Blue Moon(poet/emcee/other vox, Crvscxnt Moon): This is a tough question, but I think from now on until I carry out these goals they will always be at the top of my list.

1| Some of my biggest musical goals would have to start off with becoming a master in all things music; I will not leave this world happy if I am unable to master the piano, guitar, saxophone, as well as producing, singing, writing – the whole nine yards. I want to reach such a high level of skill that I will be remembered when it is all said and done as the one who did it all. I feel that if I set the bar pretty high with my first one, I will do my best to follow up.

2| A close second would be to use my musical platform to attack the “norms” of this world. We have been lead to believe it is okay for so many things that frankly shouldn’t be at all, such as a mother (living) on the street with her children; families where the father or mother have to starve themselves so their children are able to eat…I want to use my musical platform to fix things to show people the dark side of the world and be the person who begins a movement for real change. So much music out there these days may uplift people, but if the artists themselves do not get in on the ground floor with the people who they are uplifting, then how can we as musicians expect to make true change?

3| This leads me into my next goal: music is about feelings and I want the people who listen to my music to feel as if they belong somewhere. We all want to feel loved and know that we matter, but above all, I believe people primarily want someone who understands them. If I can do that, well, by the end of my career I will be the happiest man alive.

MY FIRST TIME: youbloom | HEADROOM #12 with Featured Artists from the youbloomLA 2015 Music Festival

MY FIRST TIME: youbloom | HEADROOM #11 with Featured Artists from the youbloomLA 2015 Music Festival

BEFORE I DIE: youbloom | HEADROOM # 10 with Featured Artists from the youbloomLA Music Festival

BEFORE I DIE: youbloom | HEADROOM #9 with Featured Artists from the Los Angeles 2015 Music Festival

BEFORE I DIE: youbloom | HEADROOM #6: with Featured Artists from the Los Angeles 2015 Music Festival

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