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Fireworks Interview

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Continuing with our Hassle Records week we sent a few questions through to Fireworks, and guitarist Chris Mojan was the man that was kind enough to get back to us with his responses.

Massive thanks to Chris Mojan for providing us with this interview, and I’m sure you’ll join us in wishing Fireworks good luck for the show at the Islington Academy with Four Year Strong and The Wonder Years this evening:

Alt-UK: You recently toured the U.S. with New Found Glory, Hellogoodbye, and Saves the Day, over the weekend you played the Relentless Stage at the Slam Dunk Festival, and you’re now about to head off for a few dates in Germany/France with Four Year Strong and The Wonder Years; it’s been a pretty special year for you so far, what’s it been like to have played such high profile shows?

Chris Mojan: I’d definitely say this last year or so has taken a bit of adjusting. It took us awhile to get used to playing shows in these settings as opposed to the smaller diy shows we’d play on our own. With that said though, it’s been incredible. It feels great to be playing to so many more people and sharing the stage with so many great friends, new and old.

Alt-UK: Did you get to see many other bands at Slam Dunk, and if so, which bands particularly stood out for you at the festival?

CM: With all of the running around and general insanity regarding festivals it was really hard to catch a lot of bands. The ones that stood out for me though were Moneen, Alkaline Trio, Crime In Stereo and The Wonder Years. Great bands.

Alt-UK: What would you say has been your favourite show to date since forming, and are there any bands that you particularly enjoy touring with?

CM: Hmm. Picking one show is difficult. I’d say the release show for AIHTOIMOC would be a good bet. It was a home show which meant all of our friends and families could be there, so many people came out and every band that played was incredible. Although playing shows in places like Sydney and Moscow is hard to top.

Alt-UK: If you could tour with any bands in the world, which would you most like to play alongside?

CM: I think I’d like to tour with She And Him so I can become friends with Zooey and her husband. Or perhaps Grinder, Darren McCarty of the Detroit Red Wings band…

Alt-UK: It was only in December that you came to the UK for the first time, how have you found that your music has been received in the UK and how does playing here compare to playing in America?

CM: Everything is so different here. I can honestly say kids seem to be way more into having a good time at shows here. It’s also strange to go to clubs here and hear us and our friends bands being played. Way different culture. I wouldn’t step foot in a club in the states.

Alt-UK: Having toured the UK a few times now as a support band, do you think that in the next year or so we’ll be seeing you come back over here as the headline band?

CM: That’s the plan

Alt-UK: Growing up in Detroit you were obviously fans of pop punk, what other genres would you say appeal to you most though, and which bands would you say have had the greatest influence on you?

CM: Indie rock, hardcore, punk rock whatever really. We tend to listen to it all. When we started we were really influenced by bands from the Toronto area like Boys Night Out and The Fullblast . Then of course obvious ones like Descendents and Jawbreaker. We never really set out to sound like any of them though.

Alt-UK: What albums have you been listening to on the tour bus lately, and are there any in particular that you’d like to recommend to our readers?

CM: Records I’ve been listening to lately.. The National-High Violet, Good Old War, Harms Way-No Gods, No Masters, there’s a lot more, but I can’t remember right now. I’d recommend all of them really.

Alt-UK: Not only have you toured with New Found Glory, but Chad Gilbert actually produced your ‘All I Have to Offer is My Own Confusion’ debut; what was it like working with him on the record?

CM: It was great. He is a great friend of ours, and had a lot to offer to the record.

Alt-UK: It must have been pretty cool releasing your debut through Triple Crown Records in the U.S., the label that Brand New released ‘Your Favourite Weapon’ and ‘Deja Entendu’ through, will you be sticking with them for album number two and when can we expect the follow-up to ‘All I Have to Offer is My Own Confusion’ to be released?

CM: Yes, they will be releasing the next full length, which will hopefully be out around the same time as AIHTO was released last time. So this March/April?

Alt-UK: You recorded your first promo video last year for ‘Detroit’, how did it feel to get your first video recorded and what did you think of the way that it turned out?

CM: It was probably the most exhausting, yet fun two days of my life. Our good friend Matt did the video as a big favor basically, we’ve grown up with him and he’s went so far doing what he’s doing, so we were most excited to work with him.

Alt-UK: Do you currently have any plans to get another promotional video recorded, and if you could record a video for any track from your album, which do you feel that you’d have the most fun with?

CM: We have no plans, but if we did another video I think we’d do 2923 Monroe St.

Alt-UK: 2010 has obviously been a pretty great year for you so far, what are your plans for the rest of the year though once you’ve finished the show in Stuttgart next week?

CM: We will be home writing for two months, then doing a two month headliner with some great bands in the States.

Alt-UK: Best of luck for the show at the Islington Academy this evening; is there anything else that you’d like to mention to our readers that we haven’t already covered?

CM: Nope. You have covered it all. Thanks friend.

Introducing Fireworks

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Fireworks is a pop punk band from Metro Detroit, Michigan that has been around now since 2006. To date the band has released a total of three different EPs, and in 2009 the band released its debut full length studio album through Triple Crown Records. ‘All I Have to Offer is My Own Confusion’ is the title of the band’s debut, and the album was produced by New Found Glory’s Chad Gilbert.

2010 has been a great year for Fireworks as the band has toured in support of the likes of New Found Glory, Hellogoodbye, Four Year Strong, and Saves the Day, and in the last year the band also put to film its very first promo video for the track ‘Detroit’ (the video can be found here at YouTube). All in all the band has been making some absolutely massive steps, and heading into the future Fireworks is a band that is bound to make many more as it progresses and matures.

Although the band is signed to Triple Crown Records in the U.S. (the label that gave us Brand New’s ‘Your Favourite Weapon’ and ‘Deja Entendu’ albums), here in the UK the band’s music is released through Hassle Records, and on the weekend of May 29th-May 30th the band played the Slam Dunk Festival in Hatfield/Leeds along with fellow Hassle Records artists Alkaline Trio, We Are The Ocean, Rolo Tomassi, and FACT.

Having had a busy start to 2010, Fireworks will be spending the next couple of months writing with a view to getting an album out there in March/April 2011, and will then spend a few months headlining shows in the States as the band looks to add to its already incredibly impressive gigging history.

We Are The Ocean Interview

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As a part of our Hassle Records Week we sent a few questions over to We Are The Ocean and the band was kind enough to get back to us within a few hours with their responses. We’d just like to say a massive thanks to We Are The Ocean, and without further ado here the interview is for you:

Alt-UK: You recently played the Slam Dunk Festival in Hatfield/Leeds, complete with Dan climbing a tree and hitting the pit (at the Hatfield show at least); what did you make of Slam Dunk this year and how did you feel that the shows went playing the festival for a third year running?

WATO: Slam Dunk was and always is awesome for us! We have such a great time because so many of our friends play so we always have great weekend hanging out and partying, and the shows themselves are always incredible because the kids that go are so into it and enthusiastic, they’re a really nice crowd to play to!

This year was definitely no different, we had a blast. Hopefully we can make it 4 years running and play next year!

Alt-UK: In 2010 you’ve already toured with the likes of Underoath, Thrice, and Madina Lake; you’ve already played alongside some pretty big names but if you could tour with any band/s in the world, which would you most like to hit the road with?

WATO: I’d love to tour with Rise Against or Thursday. They’re big influences for us and i think we’d be recieved really well amongst their crowd. And obviously they both play very big rooms which is also a massive bonus!

Thrice and Underoath both would have been in the answer to this question if you’d asked us 6 months ago. We feel so lucky to have tourwed with those 2 bands.

Alt-UK: Continuing on the subject of touring, what has been your favourite gig to date?

WATO: I can’t really pin point one stand out gig but definitely ones of note are Download Festival last year, Bamboozle in the States last year, all 3 years at Slam Dunk, and probably every show on our headline tour last year.

Alt-UK: Which bands would you say have most influenced the We Are The Ocean sound?

WATO: Rise Against, Thrice, Underoath, Foo Fighters, Refused, Hot Water Music

Alt-UK: You released your debut album ‘Cutting Out Teeth’ back in February; how pleased were you with the way that the album turned out and is there anything that you feel you’ll be doing differently for album number two?

WATO: We feel extremely positive with the turn out of Cutting Our Teeth, its been recieved really well and the feedback has been amazing. We’re all super proud of it. The second album is going to be very different though! We’ve already demoed some tracks for it and it sounds a different band!

Alt-UK: Hassle Records is the label that released your ‘Look Alive’ EP last year and also your debut album this year; what was it that made you feel Hassle was the right label for you?

WATO: All the guys are so down to earth and you can tell that they really love the bands that they work with, its not just a business and quick ways to make money, they really believe in the bands that they sign and want a long term relationship with those bands and we really admired that.

Alt-UK: You’ve already released two singles from the album (‘Look Alive’ and ‘These Days, I Have Nothing’), and last week you posted a preview of the new ‘All Of This Has To End’ video on your YouTube page; when can we expect that one to be released and are you looking forward to getting the video out there?

WATO: Yeah ‘All Of This Has To End’ is the 3rd single, its out in July. The video will be out very very soon, it was done by Sitcom Soldiers, who we worked with on the videos for ‘These Days, I Have Nothing’ and ‘God Damn Good’

Alt-UK: If you could record a video for any of the remaining seven tracks from the album, which one would you most like to put to film?

WATO: I think ‘This Is Called My Home’ wold be pretty cool, we wrote that about being in a band and playing on stage so the film would just be a really good feel good story about how much we love what we’re doing.

Alt-UK: You’ve got a UK tour coming up in October, what’s next for you as a band though and can we expect another album in 2011?

WATO: Yes definitely, as i said, we’ve already begun writing and demoing for the next release, we’re looking at recording it at the end of 2010 so it will definitely be out some time in 2011.

Alt-UK: Heading into the future we at Alt-UK would like to wish you all the very best of success as a band; is there anything else that you’d like to mention to our readers that we haven’t already covered?

WATO: Thanks to everyone who bought our album and is supporting our band, and thanks to sites like yours who give bands a great platform and a way of reaching out to new fans, thanks!

Introducing We Are The Ocean

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We’ve now reached Wednesday and we’re therefore at the very heart of our Hassle Records week; what better way to celebrate then than with the hugely passionate We Are The Ocean.

Forming in 2007 from the ashes of Dead But Still Dreaming (of which Dan Brown was an original member with the others all joining later), the band decided that a change of name was in order after going through so many line-up changes, and We Are The Ocean was ultimately born. Fast forward to 2008 and the band was able to self-release its first EP, selling out of all 1000 copies of the limited run EP within one day. Two of the seven tracks from this EP (‘Nothing Good Has Happened Yet‘ and ‘God Damn Good‘) received promotional videos, and the release also received a positive 3/5 review from Kerrang.

Having self-released the ‘We Are The Ocean’ EP in August 2008, the band set to work on the writing process for its debut album in December 2008, an album which would not see its release for another 14 months. With work having begun on the album, the band had a busy year in 2009 as it got to play such festivals as Download and The Bamboozle, and in the November the band also released its second EP as ‘Look Alive’ was granted its release through Hassle Records.

In 2010 We Are The Ocean has continued to play some extremely high profile shows, and already this year the band has been able to support the likes of Thrice, Underoath, and Madina Lake, as well as playing the Slam Dunk Festival for a fantastic third year running. Debut album ‘Cutting Our Teeth’ was released in February 2010, and with two singles already having been released from the album, We Are The Ocean now has plans to release a third as ‘All Of This Has To End‘ is granted its release in July.

We Are The Ocean will no doubt be playing plenty more high profile shows in the future, and with a 21 date UK tour coming up later this year; if you’ve not already seen this band live then you’ll have no excuse not to have done come the end of October.

The following is the official video for ‘These Days, I Have Nothing’, the second released single from the band’s ‘Cutting Our Teeth’ debut:

Introducing Rolo Tomassi

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Having kicked off our Hassle Records week with FACT yesterday, today we’re focussing on the female-fronted Sheffield mathcore band Rolo Tomassi.

Taking their name from a character in the Curtis Hanson directed film L.A. Confidential, Rolo Tomassi formed in 2005 and quickly began recording material as they looked to establish themselves. The band released its first EP, the ‘Rolo Tomassi EP’ through Holy Roar Records in 2006, having already at this stage released a couple of demos as well as a split CD with Mirror! Mirror!. Further releases came for the band in 2007, and by 2008 it was time for the band to get things properly moving as it released its debut album ‘Hysterics’ through Hassle Records in the September of that year. 2008 was a big year for the band as they also played the Download Festival, and with further festivals following in 2009 the band was really able to grow and strengthen its fan base by putting on some utterly explosive live performances for the masses.

With a dual vocal attack of James and Eva Spence, the band is able to hit hard with its powerful sound, with the two vocalists bouncing off one another incredibly well as the male/female vocal combination comes across superbly. James Spence’s synth is a strong component of the music, and really does add something rather special to the Rolo Tomassi sound.

2010 has seen Rolo Tomassi release its second studio album, again through Hassle Records, and with ‘Cosmology’ receiving extremely positive reviews from the likes of NME, Rock Sound, and Drowned in Sound, it is clear that Rolo Tomassi is a band very capable of impressing with its recorded material, as well as being able to please with its live performances.

‘Party Wounds’ is the latest single to have been released by Rolo Tomassi, taken from the band’s 2010 ‘Cosmology’ album. The following is the video for the single:

Introducing FACT

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Kicking off our Hassle Records week is Japanese post-hardcore/metal band FACT.

Each day of this week we will be featuring a different Hassle Records artist, and with FACT having only joined the label in March (along with 65daysofstatic and fun., the latter of which we’ll be featuring later on in the week), we therefore decided that FACT would provide as good a starting point as any for our fantastic week of featuring quality Hassle artists.

FACT started out its life in Tokyo back in 1999, and the band then began to start touring locally before starting to gig further afield. From forming it took the band five years until the release of the ‘The Fine Day Never Last’ EP in 2004, with debut album ‘Never Turn Out The Light To Keep Myself’ then gaining its release the following year through Japanese label Bullion Records. 2009 was a big year for FACT as the band released its second studio album through Vagrant Records, a self-titled release, the band’s major label debut and first album to reach a worldwide audience. In 2010 the band has followed it up with ‘In the Blink of an Eye’, and now stands strong as a very impressive Japanese post-hardcore band with a great wealth of material.

To date the band has officially released three singles; one from each album that has been released thus far.

The following is the official video for the FACT single ‘Slip of the Lip‘, taken from 2010’s ‘In the Blink of an Eye‘ studio album:

Jaguar Love ‘Polaroids and Red Wine’ Remix Competition

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Over at TracksAndFields.com there is currently a competition running, looking for the best Jaguar Love ‘Polaroids and Red Wine‘ remix possible. The winning remix will be considered for digital release, so if you feel that you have a strong ear for remixes then this could be an absolutely fantastic opportunity for you to show off your skills and potentially get your remix out there to the masses.

You’ve got until June 10th to get your remix sorted, so with a whole month to spend on it you’ve therefore got plenty of time to perfect that mix and make sure that it’s the very best you can possibly offer.

Exact details of the competition are as follows:

Contest Rules:

1. You can either download stems and remix using your own software or work online with the Tracks & Fields sequencer….the choice is yours! And don’t forget you can form discussion groups with your fellow remixers to share inspiration, tech talk or anything else!

2. Publish your remix here. You are not allowed to publish/post your remix or the stems from this contest on any other site – you may only use Tracks& Fields widgets for this purpose. Any user found to be doing so will be disqualified from this contest.

3. Do not infringe anyone’s copyright: only use your own or royalty free/creative commons licensed material! Fat Possum / Jaguar Love remain the sole copyright owner of the song ‘Polaroids and Red Wine’ and all audio stems from this contest.

4. Jaguar Love/Fat Possum will choose the best remix – the entrant with the most votes will not necessarily win this contest.

PRIZE:
CONSIDERATION FOR DIGITAL RELEASE!

Deadline:
10.06.2010

BRIT Awards 2010 Competition: 3 BRITs CDs Up for Grabs

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The BRIT Awards with MasterCard 2010 show is to be aired on February 16th 2010, and in celebration of this Rhino Records is to release a 3CD album compilation on February 8th.

Not only does this compilation include 40 of the year’s biggest hits on the first two CDs, but as the BRITs hit 30 this year, a third disc of 20 tracks is also included featuring some of the best BRIT award nominees/winners of the last 30 years.

With the BRIT Awards fast approaching we are offering three lucky winners the chance to win a copy of the BRIT Awards 2010 Compilation album.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is answer the following BRITs related question.

Which Welsh recording artist walked away with three awards at the 2009 BRIT Awards?

A. Duffy
B. Tom Jones
C. Bonnie Tyler

*COMPETITION NOW CLOSED*

    The following is a full tracklisting for the BRIT Awards 2010 compilation album:

    CD 1

    1. Lady GaGa ft Colby O’Donis Just Dance
    2. Cheryl Cole Fight For This Love
    3. Robbie Williams Bodies
    4. Lily Allen The Fear
    5. Michael Buble Haven’t Met You Yet
    6. James Morrison ft Nelly Furtado Broken Strings
    7. Paolo Nutini Candy
    8. Katherine Jenkins Bring Me To Life
    9. Daniel Merriweather Red
    10. Jason Mraz I’m Yours
    11. Noisettes Don’t Upset The Rhythm (Go Baby Go)
    12. Ellie Goulding Under The Sheets
    13. MIKA We Are Golden
    14. P!nk Please Don’t Leave
    15. Taylor Swift Love Story
    16. Whitney Houston Million Dollar Bill(Frankie Knuckles Radio Mix)
    17. Alesha Dixon Breathe Slow
    18. Kelly Clarkson My Life Would Suck Without You
    19. Shakira She Wolf
    20. Pixie Lott Mama Do (uh oh, uh oh)

    CD 2

    1. JLS Beat Again
    2. Black Eyed Peas I Gotta Feeling
    3. Dizzee Rascal & Armand Van Helden Bonkers
    4. N-Dubz Strong Again
    5. Tinchy Stryder ft. N-Dubz Number 1
    6. Calvin Harris I’m Not Alone
    7. David Guetta Ft AKon- – Sexy Chick
    8. Chipmunk Oopsy Daisy
    9. La Roux In For The Kill
    10. Little Boots Remedy
    11. The Prodigy Omen
    12. Jason Derulo Whatcha Say
    13. Iyaz Replay
    14. Florence & The Machine Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
    15. Ladyhawke Paris is Burning
    16. Biffy Clyro The Captain
    17. Friendly Fires Jump In The Pool
    18. Seasick Steve Never Go West
    19. Kasabian Fire
    20. U2 Magnificent

    CD 3

    1. Queen & 5ive We Will Rock You (Live BRIT Awards 2000)
    2. Seal & Adamski Killer (Live BRIT Awards 1991)
    3. Bee Gees Medley Live BRIT Awards 1997)
    4. Take That Patience
    5. Duffy Warwick Avenue
    6. Amy Winehouse Rehab
    7. Girls Aloud The Promise
    8. Spice Girls Wannabe
    9. Paul McCartney Live & Let Die
    10. Simply Red Holding Back The Years
    11. Bros I Owe You Nothing
    12. Kaiser Chiefs Ruby
    13. Oasis Don’t Look Back In Anger
    14. Coldplay Clocks
    15. The Cure Never Enough
    16. The Killers When You Were Young
    17. The Darkness I Believe In A Thing Called Love
    18. Prince Purple Rain
    19. Keane Somewhere Only We Know
    20. U2 Beautiful Day

    Black Soul Strangers Interview (Video)

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    An interview with the London based Irish four-piece Black Soul Strangers. The band is all set to release its debut album ‘Animate’ in 2010, and can here be heard talking about subjects such as gigging, crowd response, and battling with nerves.

    This video was shot in May 2009 as the band prepared for a show at Camden Proud Galleries.
    Black Soul Strangers

    The Guilty Hands Interview

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    We recently sent over a few questions to Martin Allan Grey of The Guilty Hands, and he was kind enough to get them answered for us. Massive thanks to Martin for the interview, and below you’ll find the questions that we asked and the answers that Martin provided us with.

    Alt-UK: How did the band first come to be, and has there been any major sort of shift in style since The Guilty Hands first began?

    Like a reformed wifebeater might say at his church group, I prefer not to dwell on the past. It’s all about the now!

    Alt-UK: Do you feel that being based in London has been a positive thing for the band, and if you could relocate to anywhere in the world, would you want to move, and if so, where?

    Well part of me would like to relocate to some backwater town where they’re so woefully short of good music, particularly live bands, that anyone half decent should get an ecstatic reception. Possibly Liverpool. But London is too much fun to leave behind permanently.

    Alt-UK: Have you got any idea in mind about what your next single may be?

    We’re currently in the process of writing an album, and we don’t want to set out to make a single, we just want to make a great record and pick the most singly track once we’re done.

    Alt-UK: You recently raised £15,000 on Slicethepie to record a new album; how did it feel when you found out that you were up for finance, let alone when you actually achieved it?

    To be honest, when I heard we were up for finance, I thought “about time”. I was more surprised when the money really started rising, I think a couple of investors put in big amounts, and I’m particularly grateful to them – as that really got the ball rolling and encouraged other people to contribute.

    Alt-UK: Have you had any ideas yet about exactly how you’ll be using the £15,000?

    Well as part of the deal we produce a detailed budget for slicethepie to approve – we don’t just get a cheque! We’ll be obviously spending money on recording, but keeping costs down where possible. We also need to fund rehearsals, equipment purchases, repair, and hire, PR and marketing, van hire for touring – all sorts.

    Alt-UK: As well as receiving the £15,000 for the album, you also won a Gibson Les Paul for being the first band to achieve financing, that must have been a pretty cool added bonus.

    I don’t think anyone’s going to say no to a guitar worth about a grand, put it that way.

    Alt-UK: Are there any plans to tour extensively once the new album is released, or are you just taking things as they come right now, without any major plans for the future?

    Touring depends on the response to the album and the amount of press and industry interest it generates. We don’t want to spend money travelling to far-off towns unless we’re supporting a high profile act, or if our own profile has risen significantly. However we do have plans for a short tour of mainland Europe, where both promoters and audiences are renowned for being more generous than on our little island. Sorry, UK. Time to join the single currency, perhaps.

    Alt-UK: If you could play alongside any artist in the world, who would you choose?

    I’ll be democratic here and think of a band we all like. I’ll say 10CC.

    Alt-UK: Is there any gig from the past that particularly sticks in your mind for any reason?

    I would say the gig we played in Ypres, Belgium was especially memorable. The friendliness of the venues, the organisers, the audience, and their generosity in feeding and homing us (and buying our tshirts) will stick in my mind for a long time.

    Alt-UK: If you were just starting The Guilty Hands now, with the benefit of hindsight, is there anything that you’d do differently?

    Probably wouldn’t have spent so much money on recording. Our producer did a great job, but it didn’t really generate any more interest than our home recorded demos had. Even now we’ve got £15,000 to spend, we’re being as thrifty as we can without sacrificing quality.