A year after signing with major label Warner Bros. and gaining popularity with the single “I Wanna Dance (But I Don’t Know How), SKATERS released their debut album, Manhattan, on February 25.
The members of the New York based band started out as bartenders in New York City with big dreams of forming a band and selling out shows. Once Michael Ian Cummings formed the band with Josh Hubbard and Noah Rubin, they became unstoppable.
SKATERS are currently on tour promoting their new album and will be making a stop at the Rock and Roll Hotel in DC on Thursday, April 3, and we’re giving away a pair of tickets—and the debut LP—to one winner!
When Kip Berman formed The Pains of Being Pure at Heart back in 2007 with friends Alex Neidus and Peggy Wang, he never expected the band to reach such a level of success. It’s been seven years since their self-titled first album came out, and although Alex and Peggy are no longer part of the band, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s fanbase keeps growing.
Despite recently selling out a show in New York at Rough Trade, Kip Berman remains as humble as he was when The Pains of Being Pure at Heart started out. He’s still the guy who spent hours writing songs about his personal experiences and feelings in his bedroom.
What makes The Pains of Being Pure at Heart so easy to listen and love is the authenticity of the lyrics, despite it being a dance-pop band. It’s not often that pop songs are deep and meaningful to the artists, but every song that The Pains of Being Pure at Heart perform has a different story. They might be one of the most relatable pop artists out there.
The band is currently starting their tour to promote their new album, Days of Abandon. Before their first tour stop at the Baltimore PopFest at the Ottobar on March 7, we had a chance to chat on the phone with Kip about the band’s new album and their upcoming tour. In this TVD interview, Kip tells us about the inspirations for his new album, the reason behind the band member changes, and his love for vinyl.
You recently released “Simple and Sure,” the first single off your new album, Days of Abandon. It’s a bit more joyful than the sound used in Belong. Is this what we can expect from Days of Abandon?
Oh, I hope so. I think ideally this record will capture a fuller range of feeling and emotion, and part of that is joy. There’s songs that are maybe a bit more melancholic, but I’m really excited about finishing this record and just sharing it.
What inspired this new material for Days of Abandon?
Oh, I mean, I don’t know anything other than the life we live, really, just to make music. I think this song is a song of secrets and a song of love and recognizing that sometimes the most difficult things to do in life are the most straightforward and the most seemingly simple. It’s the idea that at the beginning of the song, some guy’s acting like he’s complicated, which is masked by the fact that he’s insincere. This song is one about sincerity and devotion, and I guess that’s just drawn from real life.
Three talented, unstoppable bands from Portland in the same venue. It’s a show you wouldn’t want to miss at DC’s 9:30 Club on March 19, and lucky for you, we’re giving away a pair of tickets.
First in the lineup is the indie band Typhoon. They are a 12-piece orchestral band that combines typical rock instruments, such as guitars and drums, with violins, percussion, hand claps, xylophones, horns, and beautiful vocals, creating dream-like harmony while singing about dark topics such as death and fading youth.
When their first album, Hunger and Thirst, came out in 2010, Typhoon was voted number two on Willamette Week‘s annual list of the top ten best new bands in Portland.
While their last album, White Lighter, has gotten rave reviews, lead singer Kyle Morton thought making this album would not be possible, due to health complications caused by Lyme disease. Instead of letting this stop the band from releasing White Lighter, he decided to write entrancing, hauntingly beautiful songs for their album, inspired by his near-fatal experiences.
PHOTOS: CARLY SUSMAN| On Saturday and Sunday night, Vivian Girls played their last two farewell shows. Although Vivian Girls originally planned to only have one last show in New York, they added a second and official last show after the first one quickly sold out.
The second-to-last show on Saturday was at Death by Audio with opening acts Juan Wauters and Waxahatchee. The official last show on Sunday was at Baby’s All Right with opening acts Potty Mouth and Shellshag.
Vivian Girls Katy, Ali, and Cassie chose small venues for their last two shows to give a proper, warm goodbye to their fans. They began the show on Saturday by running to the stage through the crowd and played some of their most popular songs, such as “I Have No Fun” and “The End.” Fans were able to sing along to “Before I Start to Cry” as teary-eyed Vivian Girls played it for their last time.
