Interview: Nico Vega
You just finished a tour in March… How’d that go?
We love the road. Performing live in front of people and spreading
the Nico Vega message is an enormous opportunity. The van has become our home and we’ve made friends around the country now. We have alot of fun.
How’s touring with Soundtrack of Our Lives and Metric?
Such great bands and people. I could seriously watch both bands
every night for another 6 months. Both tours were too short.
What venues did you find the most interesting? The most unorthodox?
We played in a cubicle once at a corporate event. We figured no one
had ever done that before. I wish we had video on that.
You’re just kicking off a tour with Semi-Precious Weapons and Chevelle, right? What stop/city are you looking forward to the most?
We’re doing 8 shows in Texas… crazy. Every city has it’s own
charm. I can’t wait to hook up w both bands. Both are inspiring to watch.
Regarding the self-titled album, you can really hear the range of songs you guys can handle? Did you ultimately sit down and decide to make this type of music or did it sort of just fall into your laps?
We try to do as little thinking as possible. The creative process
in this band is very organic and spontaneous. Most songs are generally written within a single rehersal.
A handful of words you’d use to describe your music?
Intensity, Conviction, Spirituality, Love
How was shooting Gravity and working with Marcus Dunstan?
He is a good friend of the band and when we came up with the
concept I couldn’t think of anyone more qualified to beat the crap out of us. The process was a pleasure and I look forward to doing more together.
I’m sure Aja’s been getting a lot more Grace Slick comparisons… The band as a whole seems to be constantly compared to something else. What sorts of comparisons do you get and how does that make you feel? If you had to… how would YOU compare yourselves?
It’s human nature to put things in categories. It’s how we make
sense of things that are new. I’ve heard Aja compared to every female front-woman in the history of music. I generally think it’s an honor. We never get compared to crappy bands or artists we don’t like.
You probably get this all the time but ever consider getting a fourth?
Absolutely. Would love to eventually build out the band’s live
sound. Our chemistry is so good though as it is.
Each of you have a favorite song to perform live?
Whichever is newest.
Do any of you have a personal connection with a certain song?
With every song. If you don’t connect with a song you have no
business playing it. The audience can tell if you’re faking it.
Any words of wisdom for aspiring musicians?
Be relentless.
Thanks so much! Good luck on the tour!
Thanks you
Motion City Soundtrack – Irving Plaza – 2/3/2010
Balanced would be a choice word for Motion City Soundtracks February 3rd performance at Irving Plaza. Balanced and phantasmagoric! I was a bit hesitant at first with the recent release of their new album, My Dinosaur Life, worrying that the set would overflow with songs too new to comfortably scream out loud from the crowd… thankfully that wasn’t the case.
These Minneapolis men opened with “Worker Bee,” the first track off the new album, before exploding with energy as frontman Justin Pierre began the band’s big break, “The Future Freaks Me Out,” off their first album I Am the Movie (well, to be technical, it was released about 5 times before Epitaph picked them up).
“We’re just going to play one old song, one new song, one old song, one new, old, new, old new!!!!!” explained Pierre while anxious fans shouted out their requests.
They created the perfect recipe for a scrumptious show: 3 parts old (“Broken Heart,” “This Is For Real” and “When You’re Around”) mixed with 3 parts new (“Delirium,” “@!#?@!,” and my personal favorite of the newbie, “Pulp Fiction”) …profusely stirred under bright lights, garnished with some jokes and small talk and served with a kazoo. Yes. We all had kazoos.
Fast-forward to a baker’s dozen young boys taking the stage clad in prep school sweaters to perform “Fell In Love Without You” ….A capella. Apparently the band came across The Williams Octet’s YouTube video and invited them to share the stage and do the honors. Nice guys, right? Ask anyone who was there and he or she would most likely call it the highlight of the evening – It was absolutely beautiful.
Overall? Brilliant show. Motion City Soundtrack’s high energy, well-balanced set and love and appreciation for their fans makes them one hell of a show to see live.
Check them out at:
www.motioncitysoundtrack.com
motioncitysoundtrack.tumblr.com
And be sure to look for them at this year’s Bamboozle!
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Review: Angel Taylor – Love Travels
Semi-precious is exactly how I would describe the 21-yr old singer/songwriter Angel Taylor on her debut album “Love Travels.” This SoCal native is a definite must for Colbie Caillat fans, as she layers lyrics about love’s past and future hopes and promises with beautiful harmonies, in result, creating a delectable mix of heartstring-tugging thoughts and feelings that everyone can agree they have felt at least once in their lifetime.
Personally, I don’t usually dig these sort of sappy love-struck tunes, but there is something pure about Angel (maybe it’s the name?) that makes her stick out a bit from the rest of the young and promising musicians racking up today’s radio play.
Her first (very catchy) single off the album, “Like You Do,” incorporates that perfect pop/commercial sound while iTunes chose “Make Me Believe” for their Single of the Week.
The lyrics to “Chai Tea Latte,” the first track off the album, at first seemed elementary but the second you hear her voice float effortlessly over that orchestra… It’s refreshing.
Hands down, “Spinning Wheels” and “Not Even Human” win. “Spinning Wheels” is so incredibly feel good while lyrics like “’cause love keeps on traveling/makes me feel like no matter how far I’m still with you,” incorporate that natural feeling of longing. It’s undeniable – we’ve all felt it before. The vocal rounds at the end suck you into the song and you feel yourself spinning deeper and deeper into whatever memories it invokes.
If you’re searching for the perfect post-relationship song, “Not Even Human” is it. Angel has a way of portraying exactly how bittersweet someone feels after the end of of something good. It’s so simple that everyone can relate to “the girl on the piano bench singing all of her tears away.” I would love to know the history of this song.
I’m not going to lie, at first I wasn’t sold. But after a second listen… her euphoric voice and natural, almost earthy, lyrics got under my skin and tugged at my heartstrings. On her website, www.angeltayloronline.com, she explains how “your heart speaks much faster than you might imagine.” I really feel like it shows through her music. She sings exactly how it is and she sings it very, very well.
The Ting Tings and Hottub Live at Terminal 5 (3/16/09)
One of the most powerful creatures on this earth is a woman. Don’t believe me? Three fierce ones took the stage Monday night and absolutely splattered my brains on the wall. They go by the names of Co-Co Machete, Loli Pop and Ambr33zy but use the alias Hottub to define the entirety of the group – along with DJs Jay-Sonic and Funky Finger who keep the beats spinning. They were dirty, boisterous, sexy, intimidating and more importantly… their hip-hop-daft-punk sound was phenomenal. Their outfits consisted of an old prom dress, dirty t-shirts, cheetah print tights, massive glasses and an overall un-showered demeanor that fit incredibly well with their fresh, bold sound. Hesitation did not exist in Hottub’s vocabulary – they were in the faces of those in the crowd, flashing breasts with electrical tape pasties, climbing on barricades, crowd surfing and finally climbing into the crowd to initiate a mini dance party. Everyone seemed willing to take part in their antics – they were either impressed or absolutely terrified to protest. I would not classify these three gems as “rappers” because what is rap these days anyway? These girls have perfected the art of spitting sweet rhymes over contagious beats and I hope to see these California natives return to the East coast in the near future. They definitely got the ball rolling for what was next.
Jules De Martino soon took the stage, stood at the keyboard in a hypnotic trance and began looping the first chords of “We Walk,” before subtly taking his seat behind the drums. Out came the second half of The Ting Tings, darling Katie White, and the room combusted. I couldn’t fathom the amount of energy two people were capable of producing and keeping at such a high level throughout the entirety of the show. The Ting Tings could have powered half of Manhattan with the amount of voltage radiating out of them and into the dancing crowd. White’s fist proudly pumped in the air during the catchy melody in “Keep Your Head” and the duo slowed things down with “Traffic Light,” showing the multi-musical talents of De Martino as he simultaneously played guitar and drums while backing White’s vocals. “Be The One” brought out a vibrantly-wigged four-piece brass section – standing like store window mannequins when not playing while posing differently with their horns. As the horns left the stage, White took a seat as De Martino raised a hand silencing the screaming crowd. Within seconds the the anticipated “Shut Up And Let Me Go” took Terminal 5 by storm and the final “Hey,” left for the fans to scream, could have woken the dead… or at least the neighbors. Considering the popular duo has yet to release a sophomore album, the show seemed to fly by, but wasn’t the least bit boring – They even teased us with a snippet of the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer.”
“You’re all fucking amazing… and now you gotta dance,” screamed De Martino as he reentered the stage for a two-song encore. He started off with beats from Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” and even the Ghostbusters theme song before looping a steady beat for “Impacilla Carpisung.” The show concluded with their electrifying tour de force, “That’s Not My Name,” and before exiting the stage De Martino and White confidently stood and applauded all those who came out to enjoy one enormously mind-blowing show.