Interview with "Dark Beauty"

How and when did you decide on a career in music?

I think in my 20’s as I started to really develop my voice, I knew it would be great fun to turn this my favorite pastime in to a career.


Who are some of your major influences?

I have so many.  As far as vocals I absolutely love Opera Singers like Natalie Dessay, Inva Mulla, and the dramatic style of Anna Netrebko just to name a few. 
I also love melodic heavy metal like Metallica, Disturbed, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Epica, Tarja, and Evanescence.  I enjoy mixing genres in my music, and aim to create a true epic feel with the Dark Beauty concept album through these different styles.

Where do you draw your inspiration to perform music from?

I am really inspired by my entire family who continues to believe in me! I have a tremendous support system and they are such a strong force in my life.  I always loved watching great actors, comedians and singers, and went to Broadway shows as a young adult. As a young child I was always on stage even when there was no stage, trying to make people laugh. I think I was performing even before I knew what performing was.


Care to take us through your song writing process?

Well, sometimes the lyrics come first and sometimes it’s about the melody for me.  This can be difficult when writing a concept album, because the story doesn’t always come to me in the right order…so what happens is I have to figure out where an idea fits into the story and work around that.  The most important thing is for it to fit and make sense for the storyline.  If I have an idea that doesn’t fit than…I’ll change it until I find what works best.


Are you planning to release more music in the near future?

Yes right now we are working on the Dark Beauty concept album which is currently in production and we are planning on releasing the full album by the end of 2012.


What is some advice you would give artists who are just starting out?

I would really advise anyone starting out to work hard at being the best at your skills whether taking voice, or playing an instrument in order to become the best musician you can be.  Try to develop whatever is unique about yourself as an artist and work on enhancing those skills. Learn the market, talk to people, and never stop believing in your dreams!


Anyone you would like to give a shout out to?

I would love to give a shout-out to my family, my fans, and the incredible musicians on this project.  I also would like to give a special shout-out to Coral Rose Radio for believing in my style and for her constant support towards my music! Thank you all for believing in the Dark Beauty project!


Finally, where can fans buy your music?

Dark Beauty selections can be heard on the following sites:

http://www.darkbeautymusic.com
http://www.reverbnation.com/liztapia
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/liztapia
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dark-beauty-single/id514491469

Interview with "Plastic Smiles"

Plastic Smiles is a pop/punk band from Chicago. A great bunch of guys! Here is our interview with them:

How did the band members meet?

   Dave: I met Dominic through a mutual friend. We made plans to see Nick Swardson's movie "Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star" and Dom tagged along. Turns out that he was looking to be in a band so I asked him to be a part of Plastic Smiles. At that time I had already wrote and recorded an EP on my own using the name and he liked the songs so we just built from there. I started talking to Colin on twitter, Officially met him at a Freshmen 15 show we started practicing a few weeks later.  


 Any story behind the band name?

   Dave: I'm a huge fan of the band Alkaline Trio and I took the name from a song of theirs called "San Francisco". It doesn't mean anything I just though it fit with the music I wanted to write.


Who are some of your major influences?

   Dave: Collectively I think its mainly a lot of bands from the late 90's -early 00's: Blink-182, Alkaline Trio, New Found Glory etc.


What inspires you to  write music?

   Dave: I don't really know. I guess it's a bit of a calling. I'm not very good at anything else haha   


What is your favourite song that you have written?

   Dave: Probably "I Hope You Find What You're Looking For" or "Rise & Shine." I'm proud of them all for different reasons.


What do you hope listeners take away from your songs?

   Dave: Since we're a fairly new band and we don't have many expectations I never really thought about it. With the songs I wrote in the past I kinda just wrote them to vent and create something that I would want to listen to. I just want to write catchy pop-punk songs and I hope people can connect with them. Simple as that.


How can people get a hold of your music?

  Dave: You can download our EP "deadlines." for free at http://plasticsmiles.bandcamp.com/. We're also gonna be releasing a cover of The Cure's "Boy's Don't Cry" sometime at the end of April. That'll be on itunes.


Is there anyone you would like to give a shout out to?

 Dave: Sure! I'd like to give a shout out to everyone that's supported Plastic Smiles up until this point! I know its been a long time since new music has been released and it feels good to finally have a solid lineup to play shows with. We'd love to meet all of you! -Dave

*Find the band on Twitter: @PlasticSmilesIL

"Forgetting Something Unforgettable"- A Story Left Untold (A Review)

After listening to the debut album, “Forgetting Something Unforgettable”, by A Story Left Untold, it became clear that they are primed and ready to be successful in the music industry. The maturity level of the band is certainly rare these days. In addition, many of their lyrics are written quite well which is another thing you do not see very often these days. Kudos to A Story Left Untold for creating a solid debut album.

Through the instrumentals in “Forgetting Something Unforgettable”, the band conveys several different emotions. There are many upbeat songs such as “Hallows”, “Getting Out Of Vegas” and “Ten Years”. To compliment these songs, A Story Left Untold includes several softer songs such as “Life Points” which, if nothing else, add diversity to the album. There is a great mix on the album which holds your attention to the very end.

Dissecting the lyrics we can see that, there to, is a mix of both serious, heartfelt lyrics and some that can be rather fun and silly. However, everyone interprats lyrics differently so to judge for yourself, I would give the album a listen. Songs such as “Life Points” and “Runaways” are perfect examples of the more emotional songs on the album. Many of the songs are very easy to sing along to and are very catchy which only adds to the solidity of this album.

A Story Left Untold is a very talented band, there is no doubt about that. From lyrics to instrumentals to vocals, they are a very solid group. Often times on a debut album, bands tend to make errors which they then learn from in the future. However, with this group, you can tell that they put so much passion and effort into their music that, when compared to many other young musicians, they are quite advanced. “Forgetting Something Unforgettable” is a solid first step for the band and I look forward to where they decide to go next. A Story Left Untold will most certainly be around for many years to come, something you could tell by giving their debut album “Forgetting Something Unforgettable” a listen.

Links:

Twitter: @OfficialASLU (Band)
@ElleLeftUntold
@AlexLeftUntold
@JoLeftUntold
@SeanLeftUntold
@NickLeftUntold

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/astoryleftuntold

A.O.T.M. April- Run On The Sun

“Run On The Sun”
Cos Cob/ Greenwich, Connecticut

The Members

Brett- Vocals/Piano
Alessandro- Bass
Ethan- Drums
Itamar- Guitar

The Sound

Run On The Sun is labelled as a piano pop/rock band, however they are much more then that. They combine several different genres to create a truly unique listening experience. Combine that with meaningful lyrics and you have an amazing band.

The Background

Brett and Ethan met in a theatre class and later met Alessandro and Itamar. They started jamming and playing a few shows. It was then that they decided to take a short break. Eventually they got back together and found they really clicked and the rest is history.

Run On The Sun has already shared the stage with huge acts such as Bruno Mars, The Black Keys and Mayday Parade. In addition, they have played at countless venues and have proved that they are not going away anytime soon.

The Review

When I first listened to their EP “New Empire”, I was instantly hooked. You can see the passion that they pour into their music through their lyrics. They are very heartfelt and you can easily relate to them. I believe that it is the bands lyrics that make them so successful and enables them to stand out in the crowd.

Now by no means do I try to take away from the bands musicianship. They are all amazing musicians and, especially considering how young the members are, very professional in their work. The way that the instruments blend together creates the perfect blend to compliment their lyrics.

For $4.95 on iTunes, “New Empire” is a steal of a deal. The songs never seem to get old and I find myself singing them throughout the day. From the title track to the last, “Disappear”, this EP is very solid. Considering how long the members have been playing, Run On The Sun creates music that is very mature and I look forward to hearing where they go next.

Oh, and props to Alessandro for creating the amazing album artwork!

The Contact Information

Twitter: @RunOnTheSunBand

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/runonthesun

Website: http://www.runonthesunmusic.com/

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/RunOnTheSunMusic