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Small Band Saturday

GARRETT PAKNIS

12/19/2020

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Check out Tidal Wave here!
What is the bands favorite song to play live?
FIRE has been my favorite to play live because people actually sing the chorus with me!  FIRE, FIRE, NOBODY COULD TAKE ME HIGHER, HIGHER!  It’s so fun and I’ve even had multiple shows where the fans have asked for it twice and that always feels good.

New Releases?
I just came out with TIDAL WAVE - a super club friendly but very meaningful track I wrote about an ex that changed my life. It was about how I feel the love wash over me like a TIDAL WAVE... but am saying goodbye. Added to a big beat and premiered by Wonderland, I think it’s my best track yet! Though I’m looking forward to what’s next too...

What is one cause that the band is passionate about?
I want to spread awareness about mental health. Long term, I’d love to be sharing my experience of depression and how I cured myself of social anxieties and also what doctors labeled as “bi polar” in my early 20s. I’ve been off medication for over 10 years with no adverse side effects due to meditation and yoga and I want people to know that there are natural ways to heal yourself and you don’t need to self medicate (though I am a believer in therapy and whatever does truly work for the individual at the time). I guess you can say that I just don’t want people to feel alone in their struggles... and that’s also embedded in a lot of the stories I tell in my music (especially my album HOLY HEAT coming out in April).

Anything you would like our followers to know?
The one thing I want to sign off saying is... first of all, thank you... but also... with everything going on in the world, it’s okay to feel your feelings. And if you need some help through the challenging times... find inspiration. Watch YouTube videos. Turn up some music on full blast and dance it out. Ask a friend for help. Know you’re not alone and that we’re all going through this thing called life together. Figuring it out one step at a time and it doesn’t need to be perfect... cause that’s actually where the deepest beauty is found.
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Royal Hearts

12/12/2020

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CHECK OUT THE BANDS MUSIC HERE!
How did the band meet?
Luis (guitar) & Mike (drums) actually met first from some classifieds and just bounced ideas off of each other while they met with bassists and singers to try and out a group together. They met me (Ryan/Vocals) in late 2018 off of a classifieds listing and after one or two get togethers, the three of us clicked and wrote a couple of songs while searching for our 4th members. Around February 2019 we met Nelson (who Luis had known from previous groups) and we started working on rounding out a set of songs to begin playing shows and record. 

What is the bands favorite song to play live?
This would probably depend on each of us but I’m gonna go ahead and say Fairweather is our favorite song to play live, it’s upbeat, engaging and just has everything in it that really captures what we are trying to do. 

New Releases?
Our first EP “Within Reach,” just released August 2020 but we have already finished recording a new single and are in the process of filming a video for an early 2021 release. It’s heavier, more aggressive and one of the best songs we’ve created so far.

What is one cause that the band is passionate about?
Honestly, being ourselves. We aren’t trying to put up a front or façade to get likes and clicks online. We want our songs to be transparent and honest and the same with our personality as a group. I believe that being open with an audience is more important than putting together style over substance content and really want anyone that hears us, sees us or interacts with us to know that we are being genuine all of the time. 

Anything you would like our followers to know?
These past couple years for us have not been without help from our friends and we would love to give them a shout out. We want to thank Gregg Greenberg (@greggygreens) for working on our EP, Andy Oceans (@andyoceans) for absolutely being amazing with our video shoot and more recently Javi Melo (@jmelorecordings) for being clutch on producing our next single. Everyone we have had the pleasure to work with has been a consummate professional and they deserve some recognition as well. 

Regarding news for us. We’ll be releasing a new single sometime early 2021 and we know that it’s going to be worth the wait. 

Photo By: ​Bob Summers
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Catharsis Theory

11/21/2020

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CHECK OUT THE BAND ON SPOTIFY HERE!
How did the band meet?
Andrew (myself, guitar), Nick H (guitar), Bastian (vocals), and Macey (bass) all went to high school together, and we were the only kids to like metal and hardcore. Nick O (drums) actually worked at a Wawa with Nick H, and he became friends with all of us over time.

What is the bands favorite song to play live?
Our favorite song to play live is either Gravemind or Skin Like Glass, since both have an insane crowd reaction. If we had to pick one, probably Gravemind.

New Releases?
We're currently re-recording our first 2 EP's, and our latest release is our "Gravemind" EP.

What is one cause that the band is passionate about?
We are extremely passionate about bringing together everyone from every walk of life. We try our hardest to include everybody, even those that don't typically listen to metal. We thrive on bringing everyone together.

Anything you would like our followers to know?
It doesn't matter whether you've been to no metal shows or a thousand, you're always welcome to vibe with us. Nick O and I both stream on Twitch (@marathonman and @glueboyXVIII respectively,) don't be afraid to come around and say what's up!

Photo By: @allysonkov
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Founders

9/5/2020

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CHECK OUT THEIR MUSIC HERE!
How did the band meet?
Spencer (singer and guitar) and Pat (drums) Met in eighth grade (2012) through a mutual friend and have been best friends and bandmates ever since. We started Founders in 2019. We met John (Bass) though the Indianapolis music scene and saw play in a band we were on a bill with. We asked him to jam and he’s been with us ever since.

What is the band's favorite song to play live?
I think overall “All the Wrong Reasons” is our favorite to play live just because of the energy it brings and it seems to be a crowd favorite. A close second would be Breakdown just because of the emotional side of it. 

New Releases?
Our EP “Hello and Welcome” came out in February. You can find it basically anywhere you can stream!! We also released a Lyric video on our YouTube for “All the Wrong Reasons”.

What is one cause that the band is passionate about?
We stand by Transgender and LGBT community Equality. We have A lot of friends in the community who we love and would go to bat for any day!

Anything you would like our followers to know?
The EP is about some personal experiences. And we want our listeners to know that whatever they are going though they aren’t alone.

Photo By: Riley Childers

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Stromstress

8/15/2020

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CHECK OUT THEIR MUSIC HERE!
How did the band meet?
The three of us made up the rhythm section (guitar, bass and drums) of our previous rock band, Flight of Fire. The twins (Tanya Venom and Tia Mayhem) were a part of the band since its inception and Maddie May Scott joined the group in the last two years of its existence. We found Maddie through the international Hit Like a Girl competition and loved her playing ability, her musical style, and her personality so much that we hired her after just one audition. After Flight of Fire burned to ashes for personal reasons, the three of us kept in touch. We loved performing and touring together so much that our connection couldn’t be broken. Our shared love for heavier music, our powerfully linked ambitious spirits, and our shared dream of achieving great things while sharing our message of self empowerment to the world, made starting a brand new band together a no brainer! The twins, having primarily been instrumentalists and backing vocalists in the past, summoned the courage and confidence to sing leads so that the three of them could work together exclusively and form a power trio. There was a tropical storm the weekend in October that the three met to officially start the group and that sparked the idea for the band name, Stormstress. The rest is history! 
           
What is the band's favorite song to play live?
We honestly have way too much fun playing all of our songs live, but if we had to pick just one, we would say, “You Can’t Hurt Me Now,” because it is fast, energetic, heavy and filled with riffs that we never want to stop playing! 
           
New Releases?
As a brand new band that just formed this past October, we consider ourselves super lucky that we were able to release our debut single, “Paint The Mask,” and have our debut live show before the virus kicked into full gear and proceeded to postpone the rest of our upcoming gigs and plans. About a month later, we posted a live video from our show of us performing  “Corpses Don’t Cry,” which is likely to be our next studio single release! We are excited to announce that we have a full album in the works that we are very much looking forward to getting back to work on as soon as the studio opens back up. 
          
What is one cause that the band is passionate about?
One umbrella term that covers several causes that we are passionate about is Human Rights. We are all strong believers in the fact human rights should be just that, human rights, not a political issue with opposing positions. Some groups we actively stand behind include the LGBTQ community, Women’s Rights, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
          
 Anything you would like our followers to know?
As we walk forward into the unknown at this unprecedented time, we want everyone to know that we love you and we are in this together! You can keep posted with us anywhere on social media with the handle @stormstressband. If you’re looking for a more exclusive and expansive relationship with the band, you can become a “Storm Chaser” by joining our VIP fan community via our Patreon page (patreon.com/stormstress) for all kinds of cool and behind-the-scenes content to keep you entertained during these dark times. ​

​Photo By: 
Fuel Heart Productions
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Something Came Up

8/8/2020

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CHECK OUT THEIR MUSIC HERE!
​How did the band meet? 
It started with cousins; Francis Larena, Reeve Mirabueno and former SCU drummer Mike Miguel. They were previously playing around Metro Manila, Philippines with the band called “Cassie Natalie”. In year 2012-2013, they all had to migrate in the US. They continued in playing music in LA and eventually got the chance to meet Prince Geronimo where they started writing their original songs. They would meet in coffee shops-Starbucks to be specific and would jam all day long where “Decision” first SCU song was made. 
 
“Caught in the Act” was their first option for a band name but when they checked online they found out that the name was already taken. They eventually continued in thinking names for the band with the plan of having a 3-worded band name, Reeve Mirabueno thought of “Something Came Up”. The idea came from Patrick, Reeve’s friend in Manila.  It was on August 2015, the night that they watched Kamikazee’s show in the Philippines when his friend Patrick told him that he was planning on not going to work the next day so he told his boss “Something came up”. 
 
Reeve then told this story to Prince and Francis where they both agreed on the name knowing that each one of themselves does the same thing, except for them, they call-in sick for work just to be able to play shows with SCU. 
 
While they continued to play, posting music on social medias and writing songs. Their friends from LA-based bands, Lemona and From The Valley invited them to play at a gig in Kalye Hits LA. “Rakrakan sa Kalye 2016” was their first ever gig with the line-up of Prince Geronimo, Francis Larena, Reeve Mirabueno, and Mike Miguel. They played along with some of LA’s finest band Blend 45, From The Valley, Calrats, Lemona and Sfunkwire. 
 
Francis gave the idea of adding another guitarist in the band. Winston Lagera, a friend of Prince was then recruited to the band. They got invited to another gig which was held again at Kalye Hits LA. 
 
Personal priorities has led former SCU drummer Mike Miguel into leaving the band. With a band full of aspiring musicians, they continued and found Meryl Melquiades, a friend of Prince and had her joined the band as their drummer. They continued to write more songs, play more music and eventually got invited to perform in various places in California and even in an out of state show where they got invited by Texas-based band Soilborn to play in Houston, Texas.
 
After playing several shows with Something Came Up, Winston Lagera had to leave the band as due to his family priorities. Phao Sanchez has been friends with the band for some time and has been playing almost in the same shows with SCU while he was still with his previous band. Phao Sanchez eventually got invited into the band to play guitars which is where he agreed and joined.
 
What is the band's favorite song to play live?
Prince (vocalist) - Two Weeks Notice
Reeve (bassist) - Texas Time
Maynard (guitatirst) - Texas Time
Phao (guitarist) - Texas Time
Meryl (drummer) - Texas Time

New Releases? 
Our live recording of Texas Time on Spotify

What is one cause that the band is passionate about? 
The band is passionate about spreading the Filipino music. We are very proud Filipinos and are hoping to be able to spread Filipino music on the international scene as well. 

Anything you would like our followers to know? 
Please check us out on our social medias for so much more music to come!
INSTAGRAM: @somethingcameupofficial
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/somethingcameup/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/SomethingCameUp
TWITTER: @SCU_official
SPOTIFY:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/61E7EV89mtxgyWxzILCxXN?si=I5CFmh3SRBqiNXwSstia2Q
BANDSINTOWN:
https://www.bandsintown.com/a/15200344?came_from=206

Photo By: ​ Leonard Zipagan
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The Safest Ledge

8/1/2020

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CHECK OUT THEIR MUSIC HERE!
​.How did the band meet?
It’s funny cause I(Mason) have known Kennedy since we were 15. We talked about forming some sort of metalcore band back in 2012, and then lost touch for a while. Joey and Ken have been best friends for years, and Mike and I have been close for just as long. One day Ken made an Instagram post looking for members for a ‘Dark Ballroom Jazz’ project lmao. It’s hilarious because that idea lasted maybe 4 weeks tops till we were like hey maybe screaming would be fun. I hit him up, we reconnected, and I met Joey after walking by him at school a dozen times complimenting each other on our The Story So Far gear lol. We started out and the first song we wrote was with another guitar player; and he was really good but he was a classic rock guy. So we wrote this first song and when we went to record it we said to ourselves, “this sounds like the eagles?” And then he never showed up to record so it’s just been the core 4 of us since. (Plus Reese hes our new guitar player, now it’s 5).

What is the band's favorite song to play live?
Our favorite song to play live is Runaway no doubt. No matter what ‘vibe’ our band fits, that song is just always the one that creates the best energy. That song is so dynamic it’s just a ton of fun. It’s total cold water to hot water. I think fans might like Lockwood the most. That song has always been the fan favorite. It always invokes the most emotion. So maybe that, because we really feed off the vibe of the crowd a lot, but who doesn’t yanno? I’ve seen some bands that can just do the same thing no matter what the energy is, and I give those  bands credit. That’s not us, we’re like sponges. We feed off of everybody else.

New Releases?
The Space Between Words comes out August 14th. It’ll be our 2nd release. I can’t think of much to say about it honestly at this point, because we’re just so jacked over it. It just feels great to be able to put out something you’re this confident in yanno?

What is one cause that the band is passionate about?
The NCAAP Legal Defense Fund is a cause we’ve really had our eyes on as of late. We and our fans encourage everyone to look in to this organization and the work they do to fight racial inequality through the legal system. We’ve always been rewarded the ability to ignore these things, because we’ve come from privilege. It’s time us and others like us with platforms no matter how big or small recognize this, and use this privilege for productivity to build a more sensitive, fair society.

Anything you would like our followers to know?
To be honest, it’s been really hard at times to have our all focus on music, for various reasons since March. Especially not being able to tour/play shows, it’s just a lost slice of what makes us so passionate about this stuff. Sometimes it can be so damn hard to keep up with stuff, because we feel like our industry is crumbling around us. With that being said, our fans have made all of this trouble feel worth it. All the stress, sadness, and tears is worth it when you get to talk to people that care so much about our weird band. I can’t stress this enough, the people that have been graceful and kind enough to give their time and energy into this band, you make EVERYTHING worth it. You’re what drives us. When I’m overcome with sadness, talking to people about this music is instantly what turns it around. It’s hard to say this without sounding cliche. We’re corny as hell, and we’re owning up to it lol. The Space Between Words, August 14th. This record goes out to all of you.

Photo By: IG: ​@alexzarek
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Daniel Keane

7/25/2020

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Check out their music here!
How did the band meet?
Considering it's a one-man-band, I met myself when I was born! Nah but live, it's usually me and my loop pedal along with my girlfriend Charlotte. We met at a wine and cheese night a couple of years back and watched black mirror- it was a pretty cute night I can't lie 

What is the band's favorite song to play live?
For me, it is difficult- it's probably Sainsburys Girl. It is super easy to loop up and I love the energy behind that one, very punk. It's the closest I've come to actual deep lyrics as well- so I love playing it live, it feels very full.

New Releases?
Check out Lose U on Spotify! Any stream really helps! At the moment, I'm working on an exciting coronavirus collaboration which will be out very soon. My follow up single ICANTCHANGE will be out in July/August- trying to keep up a once a month thing!

What is one cause that the band is passionate about?
This is a difficult challenge. Me and Charlotte are feminists and are very passionate about climate change. From my perspective, there is a lot I could do for race or sexual relations as well. It is very difficult to sum up what cause we care about so I'll use one thats personal for me: anxiety. I have struggled with anxiety my entire teenage-adult life and it is present in all of my music, so if you're an anxious person give it a listen and we will see what happens!

Anything you would like our followers to know?
I guess my ig handle Danielkeane_uk - I do a lot of interactive cover videos and self-help guides - follow me there and I'll make it worth your while!

Photo By: 
Valentine Goesel
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Medium Build

7/18/2020

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How did the band meet?
People take music too seriously, and I wanted to create a home for my messy stuff that would allow me to fuck up. So, I started Medium Build in an apartment in Murfreesboro, TN and it's now moved to Anchorage, AK. 

What is the band's favorite song to play live?
Movie Stars is definitely my favorite to play live. It's a sad one, but still a fast and fun tune or ANY SONG BY THE CANADIAN ROCK TRIO RUSH

New Releases?
Releasing new songs in August! I also put out a power jam called Pink/Blue with James Glaves and Ed Washington on Bandcamp at the beginning of COVID to raise money, and it just got put up on Spotify a couple of weeks ago. 

What is one cause that the band is passionate about?  
Medium Build is passionate for human equity through intersectional means. Indigenous and first nations rights, justice for black and brown humans, justice for transhumans. The work is never done.

Anything you would like our followers to know? 
Drink water and be honest. 

Photo By: Ash Adams
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TREY

7/11/2020

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CHECK OUT THEIR MUSIC HERE!
How did the band meet?
My college roommate and I started TREY right at the beginning of our senior year, with myself fronting the band and him on drums. We had a handful of songs written, and he and I would tag team the recording and production on the first few records. I hated the idea of naming the band after myself, but he pointed out that it made sense to cast the identity of the band around the songwriter as other players swap in and out of our touring band, so I guess it worked out!


What is the band’s favorite song to play live?
I can’t speak 100% for everyone, but there’s a change in the energy of the room every time we play ‘Oxygen’ from our second record. It rests in this super slick groove until the end, when the whole thing kind of explodes. The entire production is pretty intense when we’re on the road, actually. The end of that song is the only time in our set that all the lights stay completely off. 


New Releases?
We just put out an EP, ‘OFFDAY.’ It’s definitely the most socially aware songwriting I’ve done, and the response has been really nice. We’re pretty much always working on new stuff, so there should be another little record here soon…


What is one cause that the band is passionate about?
Black Lives Matter. With COVID-19 shutting down the touring world, our connectedness to our audience is pretty much Twitter and Instagram. But all of us individually, not just collectively on the TREY pages, have pretty much canceled any other agenda we had as far as social media goes. The gift of our platform is that it will be used for good, for as long as people are listening. We’ve all been at protests and we’re being incredibly conscious moving forward with our personal and band finances, making sure that we’re consistently contributing to the fight for social and racial equity worldwide. 


Anything you would like our followers to know?
We’re putting out a SUPER exclusive run of merchandise on June 26, with 10% of our net profits going to BLM and transgender protection efforts. Hit our social accounts @allcapstrey for more info!


Photos By: Anna Brannon 
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