Category Archives: Interviews

Top 13 of 2013: The Henry Millers

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Have you heard of The Henry Millers? If you haven’t, get to know them, and do it fast. They are about to blow up.

The NYC literary-psych-rock band released their debut album, Daisies, at the end of 2012 and man, this album is a breath of fresh air. After playing Daisies in full, I recognized this was the best songwriting I’d heard in a long time.

Daisies is the sort of album that would be used as a film’s soundtrack à la The Graduate. The Henry Miller’s songs are charmingly campy without being too saccharine and ultimately embody the emotions, psyches, and sounds of our generation.

Y&P is more than stoked to include The Henry Millers on our Top 13 of 2013 list!

[Y&P] When and where did you two meet? Do you live together?
[The Henry Millers' Katie Schecter & John MacCallum] Neither of us knows exactly when, where or how we met, but it basically happened through mutual friends at some point growing up in New York. I can say for certain that we became best friends in a single day when we skipped school to go sledding in Central Park during the blizzard of 2006. We do not live together in a technical sense, but Katie will almost more often than not sleep over.

John, what do you admire about Katie musically?
Her flawless pitch, her ability to effortlessly create magical harmonies, and her drumming.

Katie, why do you like singing with John?
Because he is HOT HOT HOT!!!!!

What is your hobby outside of music?
Katie: Keeping a journal & practicing yoga.
John: Reading history.

Pre-show rituals?
John: Smoke a cigarette and try to keep calm.
Katie: Same. And usually a whiskey or two. I also sing the highest note I hit during our set about 20 times to myself like a total weirdo.

Where is your favorite place to wander around in NYC?
John: Upper Central Park.
Katie: I don’t really like to wander around. I prefer having a set destination.

What has been the biggest step you’ve taken as a band this past
year?
Signing with our amazing label Ropeadope Records.

How do you stay focused? What gets you out of bed in the morning?
John: Coffee and the thought of being able to make more music.
Katie: Same here, and yoga definitely helps, deep breathing. I keep telling John he needs to get into it …

Recommend a book that has changed your perspective.
John: All Quiet on the Western Front.
Katie: The Old Man and The Sea. Hemingway.

Besides indoor plumbing and electricity…what do you consider be a wonderful invention?
John: The synthesizer and medicine.
Katie: Wait a second … We have electricity??!

Where is your favorite place to travel in America?
John: The South.
Katie: I agree, great vibes there.

Are you able to point out constellations in the night sky? If so,
which one(s) can you identify?

John: Yes, tons… Big Dipper, Littler Dipper, Ursa Major and Minor, Scorpio, Andromeda, Cancer, Libra, Orion, Cassiopeia, Virgo, Taurus.
Katie: What a show-off…

What talent do you wish you had?
John: The spinning basketball thing…
Katie: To be able to do a front hand-spring at any given moment.

Best advice you’ve received, or best advice you’ve proffered?
John: Patience is a virtue.
Katie: You are not in competition with anyone,including yourself.

What is your current state of mind?
John: Anxious.
Katie: Same. I guess that’s why we’re best friends.

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Download The Henry Miller’s Predator for free here!

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Enter the Punderdome

It’s New York fashion week. It’s Snowtorious B.I.G. It’s “Nemo.” But the biggest fish in town? Her name is Jo. While you’re all hunkered in your bunkers wondering if it’s Kingdom Come all over again, I’d like to introduce you to one of the funniest, greatest, most talented people I know.

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The lovely, the talented!

Ms. Joanna Firestone is the brilliant comic mind behind the Brooklyn sensation Punderdome 3000 and NYC performing arts production company GoHorses. I’ve been lucky enough to know her since our Girl Scout days – and I want you to know her too. Without further ado: ladies and gentlemen, meet Jo!

Y&P: So where are you now and what are you doing?
Jo Firestone: I am in Brooklyn. I hope that question was asking where I am physically. If you were asking where I am mentally or emotionally, I think I’m somewhere around a 6 or a 7. I put on live comedy shows in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and when I’m not doing that, I work as a cook or I’m looking at small dogs on petfinder.com.

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Glad you’re not still in that dryer, Jo.

Punderdome… it sounds dirty. Tell me more.
Punderdome is a monthly pun competition I put on with my dad. He flies in once a month from St. Louis to live out his dream as a self-proclaimed Rodney Dangerfield impersonator/game show host. We started Punderdome in the summer of 2011, and since then, it’s become surprisingly popular. It’s a show where anyone can sign up to participate in this competitive pun making game.

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Just another night at Punderdome…

The audience “gets to” sit through maybe a gazillion terrible, groan-inducing puns and then they get decide who they like the best. It’s gathered this very strange loyal following. The audience gets very passionate about who they like and who they don’t like. I’ve seen them hiss, boo, yell at people, throw things. It gets vicious. They booed me. They booed my own brother off the stage. One time they screamed so loud in support of someone, my ears hurt. We started it thinking it would be a fun, carefree event. Now we know: New York City feels very strongly about their puns.

 
Is your New York more “Sex and the City” or “Girls?”
Oh, I really really hope neither. That’d be way too expensive. And also way too much talking about boys. Is there a show that takes place in New York where there are a lot of tired people on trains and sometimes they go into stores and ask where the bathroom is? Maybe they eat a lot of pizza standing up, too? That might be more in the right direction.

What’s your medium? What do you love about it?
I do mostly live comedy, mostly at night. I love it because you never know what to expect. Even if you have a set planned out, even if you remember all the stuff you’re supposed to remember, things can still go awry. And there’s an awe and beauty in knowing how to handle the unexpected with grace and humor. And while that kind of skill doesn’t come to you on your first day, eventually you get a sense of how to own almost everything that comes your way, whether you expect it or not.

Best experience you’ve ever had performing.
I host a weekly bingo night at this tiny bar in Brooklyn, and one time I convinced everybody playing to form a human pyramid.

Name your influences.
I love Ellen DeGeneres more than words can say. If I send her one more batch of brownies, I think I may have to re-evaluate some things.

How many times a day do you laugh?
I laugh at lot most days. It’s a crazy place here — there are a lot of things that can make you laugh.

Best advice ever received?
“You look like an idiot, but nobody cares, it’s fine.”

What’s your vice?
I get so angry at people who wake me up from naps.

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Let sleeping Jos lie.

What do you dream about?
I have the same dream almost every night. I’m with this big Indian family, in their house, and we have to play video games together.

Tell me a story.
Last week my co-worker walked in on me in the bathroom. Yesterday, he asked me to the movies. I don’t really know what to make of that.

Best of luck with that co-worker Jo. By the way, we’re totally with you on the eating pizza standing up thing.

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Y&P asks: What’s the best advice you’ve received?

This year, we asked a bunch of bands, “What’s the best advice you’ve received?” We’ve put together a list of our favorite answers for all of us to remember as we head into 2013.

Y&P asks: What’s the best advice you’ve received?

“The future is no place to put your better days.” Jesca Hoop

“Love, friendship and trust are lusciously arranged down tempo beats that are always playing in the background of our blown out lifestyle and you just gotta turn shit down for a minute, and tune in.”  Emil and Friends

“Grab the bull by the balls and swing it around like a crazed cowgirl.  Also hydrate regularly.” Sarah Bohling of Icky Blossoms

“Make it happen”  Father Dude of Smokey Robotic

“Go easy.” The Guru

“‘Learn from the best, leave the rest.’ I got that from my Dad [Joe Perry].” Adrian Perry of TAB THE BAND

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Interview with Ohio band The Lighthouse and the Whaler

Indie-folk group, Lighthouse and the Whaler, come from Cleveland, Ohio and their latest album titled “This Is An Adventure” is a solid pop-y album that can be played any place, any time. The band is comprised of four guys who are totally going to be the next indie heart-throbs. Move over Grouplove, here comes the Lighthouse and the Whaler.
Check out our interview with the band below, and if you are in the Chapel Hill area, catch their show tonight at Local 506.

[Y&P] What are your hobbies?
[Lighthouse and the Whaler's Michael LoPresti] Hiking, Exploring, Soccer, Being awesome at RISK the board-game.

Do you surround yourself with objects or do you live a minimalist lifestyle?
I think I’m a bit of a mix of the two. I don’t have a lot but I’m not living bare bones either. Although I once lived out of a small backpack for a month in Spain and I enjoyed that immensely. 

Have you ever written a song for somebody…then wished you had never written it?
I have written songs about people I know before but I have never regretted it. Although I have decided not to tell some people that a certain song I have written was about them.

Where was the last place you traveled? 
Personally the last place I traveled was to Spain and yes it was that one time I lived out of a backpack for a month.

Best part about Cleveland? The worst? 
The best part about Cleveland is the people by far. The worst part  is that people think the city doesn’t have anything to offer. Lies.

How do you travel on tour?
We travel in a 15 passenger van named “Serena”

Who packs the most?
Judging by the size of our bags it’s either myself or Mark, but sometimes I bring two bags, so it’s usually me.

 Sibling fights?
Not really, it takes a lot for us to get into a fight.

In high school you were the “________” kid.
In high school I would have been labeled the “quietist kid on earth”, somehow in college my roommates brought the crazy side out of me. 

 

What about “Moby Dick” inspires you?
Moby Dick is quite possibly the greatest book about whales ever written. We’re quite fond of whales. The frailty and the beauty of life described in the book is definitely been an inspiration on this album.  

Do you guys have girlfriends? Do they go on tour with you?

My brother (Matthew) and I are married and Steve has a girlfriend but at this point they haven’t traveled with us on tour. 

Do the rest of you guys exercise?
We have random pushup contests at gas stations and rest stops. Jumping jacks can sometimes also be seen. It depends on the day really.

If you are what you eat then you are….
Humus and pita, from a place called Aladdin’s in Cleveland. It runs in my veins. 

Do you guys dream in color?
Always, although Matt sleeps with his eyes open from time to time so I think he dreams what’s actually happening in front of him. Inception?

Where do you draw inspiration for your lyrics?
My experiences in life and the things that have influenced me like my faith, love, adventure, and friendship.

LoPresti’s…what do your parents do?
Our parents are pastors of a church in Cleveland.

Pick one: The power to fly or the power to be invisible. 

The power to fly, preferably in space.

2012 Tour Dates:

Thursday 10.18.12 – Chapel Hill, NC // Local 506 // TICKETS*
Friday 10.19.12 – Atlanta, GA // The Drunken Unicorn // TICKETS*
Saturday 10.20.12 – Nashville, TN // The End // TICKETS*
Monday 10.22.12 – Toronto, ON // The Garrison // TICKETS*
Wednesday 10.24.12 – Cambridge, MA // The Middle East – Upstairs // TICKETS*
Thursday 10.25.12 – Philadelphia, PA // MilkBoy // TICKETS*
Friday 10.26.12 – New York, NY // Mercury Lounge // TICKETS*
* Co-headlining tour with Ewert and the Two Dragons
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Celebrating James Bond

In celebration of James Bond’s 50th anniversary, October 5th   has been declared, “World Bond Day,” and what a day it is. In addition to a charity auction of props at Christies, EPIX will not only be holding a 27 movie marathon, but debuting the documentary Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007. But for two of the documentaries participants, Hilary Saltzman (daughter of Bond Producer Harry Saltzman) and Barbara Broccoli (daughter of legendary Bond producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli), James Bond is more than a pop culture icon, he’s family.

 

Barbara and Hilary have James Bond in their blood. He’s been a part of their lives since before they were born. “From Russia with Love has my mother and grandmother in it,” Hilary Saltzman told reporters during a roundtable yesterday about her unknown cameo in the classic film. “She was pregnant with me during the train scene.” Hilary said she didn’t think Bond was “anything extraordinary” other then her father’s job. “These were my parent’s friends and co-workers. We were a big family.” It was during her eleventh birthday when she “saw how extraordinary my life was because I saw the reactions of the other girls in the class.” Of their father’s, Barbara Broccoli said, “Both men had known hardship and for both of them this was the biggest thing in their lives along with their families,” and that they ate, slept, and drank James Bond.

When asked why James Bond has such longevity Barbara said, “He is a classical hero. He is conflicted. He is an interesting, dynamic, character.”

“It is a formula,” according to Hilary. “There’s something for everybody. You’ve got the cars, the thrill, the beautiful women, and the very handsome man, there’s always something for somebody to see on that screen. And it’s exciting and new every time.”

When asked about the franchise’s change in direction both agreed 9/11 was a major factor. “We didn’t feel we could have Bond out there in a frivolous, fun, way in a world where something as serious as 9/11 had changed the course of things,” Barbara Broccoli said.  “At that point we decided we wanted to go toward a more realistic depiction of Bond and his world.” When asked why they kept Judi Dench as M in the current incarnation, Barbara said, “She’s the lynchpin between the past and present” and reinvented the role.  “We couldn’t bear the thought of recasting her.”

In terms of their favorite Bond movies, Hilary said, “Goldfinger is a great film. I always loved Thunderball because of the underwater scenes… But From Russia with Love is a personal favorite because a lot of us were in it.”

“It’s really hard for me to answer that,” Barbara said in regards to her favorite. “The way I do it is I say I have a favorite film for each actor. For Sean: From Russia with Love.  For George: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.  Roger: The Spy Who Loved Me. For Tim: The Living Daylights. Pierce: Golden Eye. As for Daniel I kind of think Sky Fall but I also really love Casino Royale.

Questions about Sky Fall were asked but both women remained coy but praised Adele’s performance of the theme song, saying she wanted to read the film’s script so she could perfect the song.

Finally, when asked about casting James Bond, Barbara said, “It’s like choosing a husband. Very difficult because you’re making a decision that you’re going to have to live with for a long time. It’s your wish list you have to tick all the boxes. He has to be all things to all people. As Pierce says in the documentary, ‘more people have walked on the moon then have played James Bond.’”

“An actor is an actor,” Hilary said. “The color of the hair doesn’t matter. It’s the image of the character they’re bringing across that matters.”

Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 will debut at 8:00 PM tomorrow night on EPIX.

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Interview with French Horn Rebellion!

“What are you looking forward to this fall?” we asked brothers and band-mates, Robert and David of NYC band, French Horn Rebellion. “We are extremely excited to be unveiling some new tunes. We’re finally coming out of hibernation after about a year of making music in our studios/closets.  It’s been a long time coming, the French horn will be out in the open ready to rock!”

These brothers are just like any siblings...They fight about once a week (but work it out) and they love to dance; however, they never practice their moves in front of a mirror claiming their dance moves “do not look good in the mirror.”  French Horn Rebellion has just wrapped up touring their favorite country, Brazil, and will be back to play shows in NYC this October.

 

[Y&P] Do you guys live together?

[French Horn Rebellion] NO.  David is married, he lives with his lovely lady. Robert lives in his sexy R&B beat dungeon.

What’s your favorite part of making music videos?

I like dressing up and giving love to the camera.

Who packs the most on tour?

DAVID.  He has rituals every morning that include 5 acne creams, and has to try on at least 3 different t-shirts before he leaves the bathroom.

If you were invisible, where would you go?

North Korea.

What’s one thing you always wanted as a kid but never got?

A dog.

Cougars or MILFs?

David: Neither.

Robert: Both, please.

Did you ever runaway from home?

David:  Yes, I did when I was in 8th grade.  One of my best friends had distant relatives in New York City, so one day, I decided to walk to the bus stop and take a Greyhound straight to the Big Apple (from Milwaukee).  My parents found me about a half mile from home and picked me up, I didn’t get very far.

Best piece of advice you’ve received?

Don’t change your band name because it’s cooler to be a new band.

If you could swim in a big tub filled with the filling of your choice, what would that filling be?

Rhubarb, always!

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Interview: Angel Haze

 

I came across Angel Haze earlier this summer on WeAreHunted and was instantly curious about this young, female rapper whose tracks “New York” and “Werkin’ Girls” blew up over-night, promptly followed by offers from record labels. Recently Angel Haze told the Guardian that she doesn’t want to be a rapper she wants to be a rock star because “rock stars get to do whatever they want.”

Angel Haze hasn’t always gotten her way: raised under the beliefs of The Greater Apostolic Faith, which Angel Haze has frequently described as “cult-like”, it wasn’t until she turned sixteen when her mother allowed her to do what she wanted with her life. Now Angel Haze is doing just that, and The Greater Apostolic Faith would probably be appalled by her “secular music” yet alone, her cursing.

[Y&P] What are you pissed off about today?

[Angel Haze] Nothing.

I read that you dropped out of high school…is this true? If so, what are you doing to continue your education?

Not true at all. I actually finished high school early, by way of home schooling. Considered starting college at Penn State University but instead chose to chase the dream of being a musician. But I do, however, want to go back to school and attain a degree in psychology or medicine. I’ve not yet decided.

What do your parents think about your music? What about your YouTube videos?

My mom, because my father is deceased, enjoys both my music and YouTube videos but always pressures me to stop cursing.

Back to music: Your song “New York”…where were you when you wrote it? What influenced you to write it?

I was literally on a roof top in Brooklyn on Covert Street. Haha, the only influence I had was my desire to convey the fact that I can do what everyone was saying I couldn’t, make good songs.

Who are your music influences?

I don’t have many. Amongst the few are Jason Mraz, Lauryn Hill, Justin Nozuka, Train, New Radicals, Adele, and others I cannot remember right now.

What is your best feature?

My smile.

What is your bad habit?

Being a colossal bitchy brat when things don’t go my way.

What is your favorite part about NYC?

The view.

If not yourself, who would you be?

Someone dead.

How would you describe your fashion?

Very ambiguous and androgynous but still very feminine and capable of being sexy.

It’s 12am on a Friday…where are you? What are you doing?

Probably being interviewed somewhere.

What do you want people to know about Angel Haze?

Nothing. I do, however, want them to enjoy my music.