Thursday, September 5, 2013

Interview: Quincy Mumford and The Reason Why

>> New Jersey-based singer/songwriter Quincy Mumford has played over 400+ shows and has had 4 award-winning albums in the past 5 years.  Normally I don't focus on stats, but when it comes to Quincy, it matters.  He recently put out his 5th album under Quincy Mumford and The Reason Why, and it features some serious musicianship.  His impressive show count aside, it's clear from listening to the new album, It's Only Change, that this is an act to keep an eye on.  Read an interview I did with Quincy recently below.



Please state your name and your role in the band.
Quincy Mumford, front man, lead singer, and rhythm guitar player for Quincy Mumford and The Reason Why

When did you first get into making music?
I grew up listening to a ton of music around the house because my parents were such music lovers. I listened to everything from Peter Tosh and Bob Marley, to Pink Floyd, to The Talking Heads, to The Misfits! I started playing guitar at the age of 9, and started writing music around 13.

How did you go about forming your live band?

It started with just me, playing solo acoustic at open mic's and small coffee shops. My best friend was playing bass, so it made sense for him to jump on board after I recorded my first album. We played as a trio with a drummer for about a year before expanding the group to a 5 piece. Many members came and went but Karlee Bloomfield (keys) and Brian Gearty (bass) have been there since the beginning. Our current guitar player is from the Jersey shore area and had been sitting in with us for about 2 years before becoming a full time member. Our drummer is actually from Italy, and our bass player met him at the Collective Music School in NYC.

Your album, Its Only Change, came out fairly recently on July 30th.  What was some of the inspiration behind that?
The record is kind of like a story. Every song relates to each other, and has the same constant theme of "change". Change is never an easy thing to go through, but we do it everyday and we must learn to embrace it, and not let it overcome us.

What was the writing and recording process like for this album?
Writing this album came natural, because I, myself was going through a lot of change that caused an abundance if inspiration and writing material. Recording this album in Nashville was amazing. Best dam time of my life. The producer Ken Coomer was a pleasure to work with and super creative. What I liked most, is that he saw my vision and helped me execute it.

How was this different from recording your last album, Live At The Saint?
A live album, you only have one shot to make it sound good. No room for mess ups, or technical problems, it has to be perfect. With this record, although we only had 10 days to record it, there is a lot of time spent mixing and mastering to make it sound just the way you want it. Also, when you are in the studio, you have do take after take after take to get it just right.

You're on tour now.  What are some of your goals for this run?

Build more fans in new markets! We are always trying to expand!

How has it been playing the new songs live?  How has the crowd reaction been?
Its been amazing, we play mostly from the new record, and the reaction has been awesome! People really vibe off of these tunes, especially Under The Covers and Change.

What would you consider your biggest accomplishment so far?

Touring with Slightly Stoopid!

After this tour, what's next for Quincy Mumford and The Reason Why?
Writing new material, more tour dates, and continuing to work on our live show to change it up!

Is there anything else you'd like to say?
Check out our music, feel the good vibes, keep it positive and keep it lifted!



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Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Confessions Under Water Vol. 2: A Compilation from I Am Shark

>> Back to school or end of summer blues got you down?  Here's a free compilation from I AM SHARK to distract you from real life for a bit.  The Confessions Under Water Vol. 2 comp includes tracks from Owen, Braid, Blue of Colors, and more.  Check out the artwork and track listing below.



Track listing:
01. The Story Changes - We Were Numb
02. Owen - Blues To Black
03. Tides Of Man - Young And Courageous
04. Braid - Lux
05. Blue Of Colors - Goodbye Stranger
06. Edhochuli - Sir, I've Been Observing You For More Than Five Minutes And You Have Yet To Say Whoo Once
07. Their / They're / There - Their / They're / Therapy
08. Hospital Ships - If It Speaks
09. Fun Size - End Of The Road
10. Wives - Cheaters
11. Y(our) Fri(end) - Pallet
12. The New Amsterdams - Dear Lover
13. Gates - Like This You Mean
14. One If By Land - Yesterburner
15. Plow United - Cui Bono?
16. Bells & Whistles - Distance

Click here to download the 
Confessions Under Water Vol. 2 Compilation!




Cover photography by Ryan Russell - www.ryanrussell.com

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Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Introducing podSessions!

>> The Music Obsession is proud to announce the addition of a new feature and some new contributors for the blog!  Our new feature, podSessions, will be full of music related nonsense brought to you by JP and Mike.  Read a short intro from JP below, then check out the first episode of podSessions which features Wild Rompit!

Salutations, dear listener!

My name is JP Catalanotto, and I'll be hosting podSessions, a brand new podcast presented by The Music Obsession. Here, we'll talk about new music on the local rock scene and ramble about just about anything, all for your listening pleasure.

I've been a Long Island resident all my life and I've played in a multitude of bands, most recently the Dead Echoes with my dear co-host, Mike Kurczak.

So, stick around and grab our sweaty, Sharpie-marked hands as we lead you knee deep into the depths of rock. Just make sure you wear some boots and protective gear.


>> Check out the first episode of podSessions featuring a review of Wild Rompit's recent show at Spike Hill in Brooklyn, NY!





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Friday, August 30, 2013

Taking Back Sunday Perform New Song at Acoustic Show on LI

>> Last night (8/29/13), Taking Back Sunday performed a semi-secret acoustic set at The Leaky Lifeboat Inn in Seaford, NY.  It was semi-secret because following a day of hinting at a potential show via twitter and instagram, vocalist Adam Lazzara officially announced the show yesterday afternoon.  The band, or at least Adam and bandmate John Nolan, were initially slated to perform for an hour.  Due to the overwhelming demand, a second set was added immediately following the first.  During one of these two "surprise" acoustic sets, the band performed a new song live for some lucky fans.  The track is tentatively called "The Bird You Cannot Change" but based on the video, it looks like that title isn't definite.  Either way, it's worth a watch.  Check out Mike Fishkin's video of the performance below.



 >> Taking Back Sunday recently announced that they have signed with Hopeless Records and are working on a new record set to be released in Spring 2014. 

 >> I posted some fan pictures of the "surprise" acoustic show on Instagram! Check them out here.  If you were there, tag your photos with #themusicobsession!

Source: instagram.com/fishkinyo


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Monday, August 26, 2013

Tour Dates: The Lost Boys Tour feat. A Loss For Words and Handguns

Pop Punk fans rejoice - A Loss For Words will be hitting the road for a co-headlining run with Handguns starting in October.   The Lost Boys Tour will have support from Major League (entire tour), City Lights (10/4 and 10/5, 10/31-11/3), The Sheds (10/7-10/22), Stickup Kid (10/18-10/21) and Light Years (10/23-11/3).  The full list of dates can be seen below.



The Lost Boys Tour Dates:
Oct 04 - West Chester, PA @ The Note
Oct 05
- New York, NY @ Tobacco Road
Oct 07
- Richmond, VA @ Kingdom
Oct 08
- Greensboro, NC @ Greene Street Club
Oct 09
- Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
Oct 10
- Jacksonville, FL @ Roc Bar
Oct 11
- Tampa, FL @ Epic Problem
Oct 13
- Houston, TX @ Fitzzgerald’s
Oct 14
- Dallas, TX @ Sons of Hermann Hall
Oct 15
- San Antonio, TX @ Korova
Oct 17
- Scottsdale, AZ @ Pub Rock Live
Oct 18
- Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
Oct 19
- Canoga Park, CA @ Cobalt Cafe
Oct 20
- San Diego, CA @ Soma Sidestage
Oct 21
- Henderson, NV @ Eagle Aerie Hall
Oct 22
- Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
Oct 23
- Englewood, CO @ Moe’s
Oct 25
- Joliet, IL @ Mojoe’s
Oct 26
- Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s
Oct 27
- Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
Oct 28
- Jeannette, PA @ Gator’s
Oct 29
- Rochester, NY @ Dubland Underground
Oct 30
- Toronto, ON @ Sneaky Dee's
Oct 31
- Montreal, QB @ Underworld
Nov 01
- Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Loft
Nov 02
- Worcester, MA @ The Palladium (Upstairs)
Nov 03
- Hartford, CT @ Webster Underground



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Tour Dates: Real Friends with Mixtapes, Forever Came Calling, Pentimento

>> Real Friends will be heading out on a full US tour this fall.  Mixtapes, Forever Came Calling, and Pentimento will provide support.  The tour kicks off in Grand Rapids, MI on October 4th and comes to an end in Freehold, NJ on November 9th.  Check out the full list of dates below, and click here for ticket info.



Tour Dates:
Oct 4th - Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
Oct 5th - Chicago, IL @ Sub / T
Oct 6th - Minneapolis, MN @ Neither Bar
Oct 8th - Cedar Rapids, IA @ VFW HALL
Oct 9th - St. Louis, MO @ Firebird
Oct 10th - Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Music Hall
Oct 11th - Denver, CO 7th @ Circe Music Collective
Oct 12th - Salt Lake City, UT @ Salt Haus
Oct 13th - Boise, ID @ The Shredder
Oct 15th - Seattle, WA @ Vera Project
Oct 16th - Portland, OR @ Backspace
Oct 17th - Oakland, CA @ Oakland Metro
Oct 18th - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues Side Room
Oct 19th - Anaheim , CA @ Chain Reaction
Oct 20th - Los Angeles, CA @ Cobalt
Oct 22nd - Mesa, AZ @ Nile Underground
Oct 23rd - El Paso, TX @ Ernie’s Live
Oct 24th - Dallas, TX @ Hailey’s Club
Oct 25th - Austin, TX @ Mohawk
Oct 26th - San Antonio, TX @ The Ten Eleven
Oct 28th - Decatur. AL @ Excalibur Vintage Vinyl
Oct 29th - Douglasvile, GA @ Seven Venue
Oct 30th - Orlando, FL @ Backbooth
Oct 31st - Odessa, FL @ Goat House
Nov 1st - Gainsville, FL @ FEST 12
Nov 2nd - Gainsville, FL @ FEST 12
Nov 3rd - West Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
Nov 5th - Richmond, VA @ The Camel
Nov 6th - New York, NY @ Studio at Webster Hall
Nov 7th - Boston, MA @ The Middle East
Nov 8th - Philly, PA @ Barbary
Nov 9th - Freehold NJ @ GameChanger World



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Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Interview: Desmond Zantua of Bellwether

>> Bellwether have been making a name for themselves in the Long Island music scene ever since they released their first song back in 2010.  That first song sparked a different way of thinking, and it paved the way for a lot of what I've seen in the local pop punk scene recently.  The band's line up and style have changed gradually since 2010, but one thing has remained the same - this band won't quit.  Everything they put out is full of raw energy, passion, and has an attitude that is all its own. 


>> I recently spoke with the band's vocalist, Desmond Zantua, after their set at With The Punches' last Long Island show at The Wood Shop.  We talked about wrestling, acoustic stuff, jumping through walls, touring, secrets, the New York Islanders, and some other cool and totally relevant things.



An Interview with Desmond of Bellwether


>> If you haven't seen it yet, check out Bellwether's video for "Compromise" below.  If you like what you hear, download the band's ...but I Have To EP on bandcamp.



>> Also, catch the Bellwether on their upcoming Canadian tour with Seaway:


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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Feature: July

>> I spoke with the band July after their set at The Wood Shop in Copaigue, NY on Saturday 8/17.  We talked about bug bites, maple syrup, and the thrills of touring.  Check out the interview below.



>> After the interview, Andrew and Devin braved the impending mosquito attacks and performed their song "Second Best" acoustically.  Watch July's Acoustic obSession below.





>> Be sure to catch July on the rest of the 2 Player Tour with Giants At Large!  Those tour dates can be seen here.


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