Tag: "Singer-Songwriter"

After several years of crafting his punk-influenced solo acoustic songs to perfection, Evan Weiss finally took his Into It. Over It. project on the road with a full band this fall. The result was a raw, fully-imagined version of the electric songs off of PROPER, his last full-length album. We caught up with Evan to chat about his experience playing his songs with a full band, writing about the people around him, and his 52 Weeks project of writing a song a week for a year.

OS: What was the experience like to finally play your songs with a full band in front of an audience for the first time?

Evan Weiss: It was something else. The very first show was in Cleveland. The room had to be 780 degrees. It was rough. The stage lights kept cutting out. It seemed like everything was going wrong, but it didn’t matter. Everyone was just so happy that it was happening. After the first show, all of the jitters and technical problems were gone and the rest of the tour went off without a hitch. There was something really special about that first one though.

OS: In the mini–documentary for the full band tour announcement, all of the other band members have jobs. How did you make the tour work around their other commitments?

EW: They were all able to take off two weeks. None of them had really used any of their vacation time. Tour became their vacation. Going on a two week trip wasn’t a burden. They all had a blast. I think going back to work afterwards was kinda tough for all of them. Continue reading ‘Exclusive Q and A: Into It. Over It. Talks Full-Band Tour, Songwriting, Growing Up’

Earlier this year, singer-songwriter Brian Marquis, former guitarist and vocalist for Therefore I Am, came up with a plan for an acoustic stage at the 2012 Vans Warped Tour. With the approval of the tour’s founder and manager Kevin Lyman, Marquis went on to produce, manage, and perform on the stage all summer. He called it the Acoustic Basement, and despite being thrown into a loud boisterous punk rock festival, the stage was a huge success, attracting more and more fans and artists every day.

Now, before returning to next year’s Warped Tour, the Acoustic Basement will be taking flight on it’s own tour in February 2013. Artists performing on the tour will include Brian Marquis, Koji, A Loss For Words, Geoff Rickly (Thursday), and Vinnie Caruana (I Am The Avalanche).
More info and dates soon to follow.

In the meantime,click here to learn more about the Acoustic Basement and what it takes to run a stage on the toughest tour in America.

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Watch The Full Premiere Of “Warped Roadies”
Therefore I Am To Play End Of The World Reunion Show

Bathing suit? Check. Suntan lotion? Check. Sunglasses and an iPod filled with your favorite artists? Check, check. If you’re wondering what we’re preparing you for, it’s the “Rock Boat Lucky 13 Competition” grand prize for fans!

This February, The Rock Boat will set sail for Great Stirrup Cay, packed with some major talent from the likes of Sister Hazel, NEEDTOBREATHE, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers and OurStage’s own, Bronze Radio Return. And that’s just the start.

By simply judging your favorite artist in the “Rock Boat Lucky 13 Competition” by Dec. 14, you’ll be entered to win a five-day cruise for you and a friend aboard the Rock Boat, headed from beautiful Miami to sunny Great Stirrup Cay.

So what are you waiting for? Get judging, and don’t forget those summer items. You just may need them.

OurStage artist Delta Rae will be heading out on a co-headlining tour with ZZ Ward this winter, featuring support from Martin Harley. After capturing audiences on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno and Conan, and making appearances in Rolling Stone and on VH1, they’re ready to hit the road and show fans where they really excel: live. Check out all their tour dates after the jump.

Continue reading ‘Delta Rae, ZZ Ward Announce Tour’

All you City And Colour fans out there, get ready for Dallas Green’s next installment of folksy sorrow through soulful singing. According to the Canadian singer-songwriter’s Instagram, recording for the new album is finally done “right before the final #alexisonfire tour!” For those of you who don’t know, Green’s former post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, who broke up last year, are about to embark on a long overdue farewell tour starting on December 2nd in London, UK. While it is sad to see them go, the world has a lot to look forward to with City And Colour’s newest release.

If you like City And Colour, then you might also like OurStage’s own Justin Branam.

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Moneen To Support Alexisonfire For 7 Farewell Tour Dates
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Listen up, fans! This is your chance to make one talented female singer-songwriter extremely happy, incredibly lucky and not to mention, well equipped. We need your vote to help determine who will take home the Grand Prize title and win a year’s supply of guitar strings and accessories. Head over to the Singer-Songwriter (female) channel right now to cast your vote, and make your voice heard!

Ok, first of all, who knew that the Occupy movement had its own record label?  For a faction that boasts its lack of hierarchical leadership, it must be pretty tough to coordinate the distinct delegation of responsibilities that owning a record label entails. All indistinct leadership structures notwithstanding, Occupation Records has managed to officially release a new track from canonical graphic novel author Alan Moore in support of Occupy and Anonymous, the decentralized hacktivist group. Moore’s track coincides with the commemoration of Guy Fawkes’ Day, the November 5 anniversary of would-be British assassin Guy Fawkes’ attempt to blow up the House of Lords in 1605. Fawkes’ anti-establishment scheming was immortalized for contemporary audiences in Moore’s V For Vendetta and its subsequent film adaptation, whose final scene will be reenacted by hundreds of protesters around the world today. The book’s vigilante anti-hero V and his fight against a fascist, dystopian British government spiritually echo the struggle of the Occupy movement against the entrenched forces of capitalism in the modern-day West. At least, that’s how Moore sees it.

“The Decline of English Murder,” Moore’s collaboration with Joe Brown, can be heard over at NME. While the verbose and kind of creepy tune might only make it onto playlists of dedicated Anonymous and Occupy members, it’s worth a listen. Remember, remember the fifth of November, people.

More like this:

• Stick It To The Man: ‘Occupy This Album’
• Soundcheck: Who Will Occupy Hip-Hop?

Having suffered a bizarre hit and run accident that has left her with a bigger deductible than she can handle, OurStage’s own Jenna Bryson has taken to social media with her most persuasive tool: her own music. Bryson recently posted a song and video that detail the accident, in which a woman drove in reverse through an intersection, hit Bryson’s Nissan Cube, and sped away from the scene. Progressive Insurance was unable to find the woman who hit the car, and supposedly could not find a record of Bryson’s insurance record either. Now, she needs $1,000 to help dig her out of the insurance hole, and in exchange is offering her music for free as well as personalized songs about anyone who donates money. Judging by the cute song that she whipped up to advertise her current financial situation, the personalized songs are probably pretty awesome too.

Continue reading ‘Jenna Bryson Writes “Hit And Run Song,” Asks For Help In Hit & Run’

Katie Ekin

Katie Ekin has always had a heart for music, but she didn’t always have the heart to play for an audience. Although she grew up watching her father perform in a band, it wasn’t until she was 15 that Ekin finally picked up the guitar. Since then, she hasn’t put it down much. To date, she’s got nearly 200 songs under her belt and no desire to slow down any time soon. Her indie folk pop is sparely arranged and lightly glazed. “Falling Out Of Your Arms” tells the story of slipping out of love through rippling guitars, soft percussion, and Ekin’s lilting, multi-tracked vocals. Minus the appearance of an improbable guitar solo in the middle, it’s a song meant for chilling out. With the holidays just around the corner, we recommend putting “Underneath the Christmas Tree” on rotation. Retro-styled in the same vein as “Santa Baby,” the track is sonic hot apple cider—sweet, warm, and something you’ll want seconds of.

This month OurStage is hosting a competition that will send some lucky, talented winners off to sea. Artists will compete for a chance to perform on the 13th annual Rock Boat, a cruise packed with all sorts of crazy antics as it heads off to Great Stirrup Cay in February 2013, with performances by Sister Hazel, NEEDTOBREATHE, Rusted Root, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, Will Hoge, Tony Lucca, OurStage artist Bronze Radio Return, and many more. Help us decide who will be the Grand Prize Winner of two 60-minute performances on the boat, along with a travel stipend, accommodations, meals, and more! Click here to start judging now.