Interview: Clinton from Chase Atlantic

From left to right: Christian (17), Mitchel (18), Clinton (21)

It's come as no surprise that music today is becoming ever more manufactured by industry experts, some of whom envisage and run with good intentions for their artists, others to solely dominate whatever said artist produces. I'm sure you'll agree with me that music needs revitalising, not in change of a more prospective form of management, but rather to go back to the roots of music itself: soulful and characteristic. Chase Atlantic acts, with commendable artistry, as a testament to what we value most about music. As a band, it's not just their coordinated harmonies and rippling tunes that makes them successful but the fact that as an independent band, they can put everything they've got into directing themselves. It's important that artists are able to show their dedication to what they do and what they produce; Chase Atlantic is certainly a band to demonstrate this. If you're looking for great music which overwhelms the senses then this is the band for you. Although your first assumption would be to guess this band is focused on an indie sound, you'd be wrong. Combining dulcet tones, strong beats and even a jazz element, it's hard to define their sound to one type, so there's no excuse not to be in one way or another, enraptured by their music. It's hard to believe that these 3 guys have been able to show such drive at such a young age so as to commit themselves to managing their sound and the band itself, despite the commitments that I have to manage well just as much as they do.

I was fortunate enough to get an interview with Clinton where he spoke everything music from different styles, to playing shows.

I assume you all originate from Sydney?
Mitchel and myself grew up in Cairns, Far North Queensland and now currently live together in Brisbane. Christian has lived in Sydney for most/ all of his life and currently still lives there.

Do you have an idol? If so, who is it?
I don’t think we have one particular idol but rather multiple influences who all influence us in a certain way. Whether it be music, fashion, branding, personality or other finesse skills.

What's your favourite music genre?
We all love many different types of music and do not have one in particular that stands out above all. We listen to anything from rock, pop, EDM, Hip Hop, RnB, Jazz, Funk, Classical and even music from the 50’s all the way to now.

How did you come up with the name?
We spent months searching for a name that we were happy with collectively. The sad truth is we actually came up with quite a few but nearly every single name us taken and currently or previously been used. Mitchel and myself sat down one night after months of searching and made a list of words we really liked. I randomly put together Chase and Atlantic and we thought it would be a cool name if we were a complete indie band and dismissed it at first. An hour later we came back to the name and thought it may actually work. We realised that the two words together didn’t really represent anything in our current world and would allow for people to visualise our music and band when they heard it rather than imagining something else. Like Coldplay for instance, what does that even mean? There may be an answer but when you hear it you instantly think of the band rather than anything else.

I read that Mitchel and Christian got into the top 10 of X Factor in 2012 and this inspired you to become a band. How so? Can you describe how you decided to form the band?
They were in a boy band that was put together prior to the show and made it into the top 12 for that season. The band broke up a year later but Mitchel and Christian remained close friends. Mitchel had always produced and recorded music with myself and several months later we decided to use our abilities and create a band where we could make the music we wanted to make.

Are there any artists you aspire to?
Like I mentioned earlier, we have many influences we are inspired by and the same goes for artists. We pick out intricate details from the artists we like and I guess that is portrayed in our music and actions, not necessarily intentionally though, I guess it just happens naturally.

How have your shows been so far?
Both shows so far have been really successful with an amazing response from the audience. The stage presence as well as the music has all played out successfully in an almost natural way, as if we were destined to jam out together on stage haha! Our first two shows were both completely sold out prior to the performance date so we were really happy with that.

What do you think's the best thing about performing?
The best part about performing would have to be being able to share your music and creative abilities with the audience in a positive and energetic atmosphere. Also, performing alongside our brothers/ best friends is an awesome shared experience.

Is there anything you don't like about working with music?
There are many negative aspects when working with music, but these usually don’t relate to the actual music itself. Being a successful band or artists requires lots of business work where there’s always the chance of running into problems or negative situations that you cannot avoid, like most other types of business’ I guess.

On your website it says you all play a variety of instruments and each serve as producers for the band. It's difficult to come across any artists who can uphold all these roles. Do you think it's important that music artists take a leading, active role in their own management?
Having almost full creative control over your own music is probably one of the best ways to be able to make and perform the music you truly appreciate. If you are an artist or band who cannot produce or more importantly write your own music, you will normally have a lot less say in your work and will be shaped into an act that your management group or label wants you to be.

Your EP is out already so are you on track for creating another EP or can you say an album's in the works?
We have been working on writing and producing a whole bunch of new music for the last four months. The reason for this is so we can develop our sound as much as possible before releasing out next work. I believe we will be releasing a second EP within the next few months and hope to release a possible single before then just to tie us over between releases.

Finally, is there any chance you'll be taking your shows further afield, in places other than Australia?
There is a good chance we will be touring Australia as well as internationally over the next two years as plans are already in the works. Travelling and touring is always hard whilst being independent, and school and uni commitments make it even harder again. We can’t wait to start performing again though, which will hopefully be very soon.

You can buy the band's EP, 'Dalliance' from iTunes now.

Gig Review: Amber Run

Yesterday my friend and I made our way to the Art Bar in Oxford where we were immediately struck by the unique and relaxing ambience of a bar maintaining control,with the dulcet beats of tunes in the background and comforting décor. Old vinyls plastered the ceiling, and wooden kegs were erected in different places around the room to create an authentic environment. First act up was Pixel Fix.

Pixel Fix performed with vivacity and fervour so much so it was difficult not to feel enraptured by the lyrical beat of their mixed acoustic voice and electronic sound. It's a successful combination of styles bound to get artists following in their footsteps. I was actually quite disappointed to find that, at least from where I stood, people afforded little attention and clear enjoyment of the adroitness of this growing band and it just made me think how underappreciated support acts can be. If anything was to be said about this band, ignoring them would be a massive mistake. Yes, at times, it was very difficult to distinguish what they were singing but did that matter? No. What was highlighted during the gig was how well the band was able to use the variety of instruments and sound to still captivate me as a music enthusiast. For music to be good, it has to have more meaning than simply just to look deeper into the lyrics. You have to think more about what's being said through how they are being sung, how the instruments are being played and how the band interacts and works together to pull off a momentous performance. Pixel Fix definitely demonstrated this.


Next up was Kimberly Anne. I'd already seen a cover she'd once performed with Lewis Watson so I was aware of her insane skills as a singer and musician. Her performance reeled me closer into admiration of her addictive tunes. Packing in harmonising vocals, drums and the especial addition of an xylophone (all the way from Arica-exotic much). I really liked the moments when she would break into the song by smashing the drums with finger-clicking speed. But then even on the most mellifluous songs, it was great to have that juxtaposition between elation and euphoric repose. She epitomises what you want in a singer, a good voice, with artistry and a amicable personality which was nicely witty, and it's not easy to do that, which is why I think that her stage presence and talent makes her a born performer. 

Fyfe was the final support act bringing forth mellow vocals. Out of all the support acts he clearly received the most attention from girls who fell for his almost cathartic and soulful rhythms. He has by far a talent which comes to match the other acts I witnessed that night but my only problem was that I felt his interaction with the audience was quite stifled. Other than that it's definitely right to say that his performance was intense and gripping but then again maybe this is why I still felt grounded to the world when I listened to his music, rather than feeling myself become detached and sent to another world of ecstasy, which is what I enjoy most about music.

When it came to Amber Run, the lead up had been slow and yet patience was certainly not my virtue that night! Luckily the gig kicked off right from the moment they set foot on stage and already the atmosphere in the venue had changed. I knew as the melody began to fade in that what was to begin was one of my favourite songs from the band's 'Pilot EP', I Found. It didn't help the fact that I could see Joe, back to the audience, preparing for a dramatic build up before slowly turning and belting out rich vocals. I love this song for a number of reasons. The control in how the band adds intensity in varying ways, just with their instruments, is one. For another their symphonious harmonies, dare I say it, are enough to melt butter (such a cliché but my God do I believe that!). One of my favourite things about the band is also about being able to watch them perform and see how the beats and melodies makes them feel; it's easy to see them physically engage with the songs which clearly shows how passionate they are about music. Really, it's artists like this band who can clearly demonstrate ardour for music who inspire me to want to delve into the industry further, no matter what issues that lurk in the darkest corners of the industry.

Even in the most energetic songs like Spark and Noah, I felt exuberant and care-free.  Heaven was definitely one of the most uplifting songs which had the venue easily moving to the quick drum beats and guitar strums. You could lose yourself to their music, it's that beautiful. At the end of it all, isn't the main aim of music to provide an escape from reality? It's hard for me to find artists who truly and deeply do this yet this band defies that. Admittedly I was a little disappointed by the fact the performance was over so soon, but with an album on the horizon I'm looking forward to a longer performance the moment their next tour comes around.

Interview: Marcus from Pixel Fix

If you're looking for new talent, immersing itself in the music scene and winding it's way into the vulnerable pleasures of our subconscious, then look no further. The Oxford-based indie, electronic band, Pixel fix is made up of a group of talented artists, who came together to do what they love most: perform the music they're fervent about,  and have a deep-rooted impact on people, just as some of the most successful artists to date have been able to conquer with masterful artistry. Marcus (vocals & guitar), Jarred (bass), Clem (lead guitar) and Rob (drums) use their passion and skill to create music that overwhelms the listener with a blanket of sound from a variety of instruments, synth sounds and vocals which are sure to leave any listener feeling both pumped and relaxed when listening to the lyrical and yet up beat style of their songs.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to sit down with lead vocalist, Marcus for a quick interview where we discussed all things music. After greetings, the interview commenced.

How's the tour been so far?

Really good. We did the new faces tour-we started that on Monday and it's been really great, really good crowds and stuff and it's good to be touring with three other great artists as well. So it's been really good, really enjoyed it so far.

How did the band meet? Where did it all start?

Well me and Clem, the guitarist, we've been friends from when we were really young, and we were starting to make electronic music and as that side started to progress, we started to incorporate more guitars and stuff like that. Kind of sounded like it needed to be a band. We've been in bands with the other boys before so we rang them up. We seemed to be on the same wave-length and we all started making music together, and then the rest is history, as they say.

You originate from the Oxford-area so do you think the area has had an influence on your music?

In a way, I mean, Oxford's kind of our musical home, our first proper gigs and stuff like that were here and I think it got us start playing live so I think that in that sense is kind of a big influence , I  mean we're quite a way out of Oxford so the music scene hasn't affected us that much, but we've been lucky. Some bands have taken us under their wing a bit and the early doors of it so yeah, it's been really good. Oxford definitely has been good to us.

How was it that you actually came to choose the genre? I read The Guardian and they were saying that it was quite an indie/ R&B sound.

Yeah, I don't know, a lot of people seem to say that. It kind of happened naturally, I think when you start to think about it too much it starts to be too much about the genre and less about the songs. I mean for us it was kind of just a natural progression of making electronic music and then started making band music and a lot of us, a lot of people started to say it was kind of this R&B thing we never really thought about but it's interesting to hear; I think yeah, just naturally kind of happened, definitely. I think that's the best way.

Many artists have different influences on their music, whether it's a personal experience or inspiration from fellow music artists. Is that the same case for you?

Yeah well lyrically I'm kinda, I know it sounds a bit cliché, more of like in the moment kind of person. I think something has to influence me emotionally for me to write lyrically something about it. I've always admired people who can do it about things that are not necessarily linked to them. But something has to specifically happen to me for me to write lyrics about something.

So with your sound writing process, is that just thinking of lyrics first and then going into the chords?

Yeah it varies. Sometimes I can write lyrics first and it can kind of be just written down things that I like and other times we've been inspired by a certain sample or a certain chord progression you start musically and then write a melody and then lyrics. It kinda varies.

Are there any artists that you aspire to?

Loads! Guitar music's probably the reason we started making music in the first place and kind of wanted to even, you can think about even playing or making music but I think over the recent times electronic music has been the biggest kind of influence for us in the sense of production and everything like that. There's so many I can't really name one but no we're definitely fans of loads, loads of different things

I know your style sounds a little bit , I think some people have said as well, it sounds a little bit on the verge of the 1975, do you like them?

Yeah we get that, they're cool. We were lucky enough to play with them a few times, so yeah I've heard that before

What made you think that, yes, this is what I want to do with my life?

I don't know, I mean we've been doing it now for so long I can't really see my self doing anything else if you know what I mean. I know it sounds a bit weird, but it's what you enjoy the most and you gotta do something that makes you happy. When we started to get more recognition and started to get radio play, and real people are actually coming to our shows I think that was the point when we were like, okay it's actually kind of happening. So I'd like to take this as far as we possibly can.

Social media is a massive platform for musicians such as you and your band. Have you found it easy to use the sites to your advantage or do you think there's been more negatives to it?

No, I think in this day and age you're social presence is your band, so anything you show to people is because before, the only way you could show yourself as a band is live; but now it's your presence online, that's how people perceive you and that's how people recognise you as well as coming to see you live. I think it plays a massive part. Facebook have changed now and you have to pay for advertising and things like that, so we put a status up and like only 600 people see it and we've got 6000 likes on Facebook, so kind of annoying. That's kind of a negative but definitely it's kind of the key now; you have to do it, in this day and age.

Finally, what advice would you give to artists that want to get in the music scene?

I would just concentrate on writing songs and just make music if you love it, and then keep doing it and if it's good you'll start to be able to get opportunities like we did. Just don't think about it otherwise you''ll drive yourself crazy ; just write music, that's probably the best way.

I highly recommend you listen to this band and if you like what you hear, their Running Thin EP is now available on iTunes.

Book Review: Sick by Tom Leveen

I recently made a few points, reviewing the apocalyptic horror, Sick by author Tom Leveen, for Maximum Pop which you can check out here!

The book that builds suspense and is full of action. MP!er Wilhelmina reviews @tomleveen's #Sicknovel @ACBYA http://t.co/BLc0ZpgeeE
— Maximum Pop! (@maximumpop) November 1, 2014