5 Questions With:: Valise [CMJ Edition]

We caught up with Dallas indie-rockers, Valise, about their experience at CMJ, their upcoming tour with Macy Gray and what fans can expect to see next from the band! Check out our interview below!

Since CMJ is filled with tons of incredible acts, were you excited to catch any artists in particular? Did you stumble across any new artists that you are now a fan of?

I think we were absolutely charmed by the Diet Cig punk duo and blown away by our buddies in The Kickback. Great bands, for sure.

You guys are about to hit the road with Macy Gray – that’s huge, congrats! How excited are you about that experience?

So excited! It definitely seems like an interesting match-up – but we all love it.  A lot of times you go to shows and watch the same 3 bands perform, and by the time the band you came to see starts, you’re pretty desensitized to the whole experience. This will be anything but that. We’re incredibly lucky to share the stage with a talented Grammy-winning artist like Macy.

Speaking of hitting the road, it seems like all you guys do is tour, which is definitely not a bad thing! But we have to ask, what keeps you guys so driven to constantly be on the road?

When you’re on tour, all the typical daily worries just go out the window. I get massively discontent when I do too much  repetitive stuff, and even though touring can be really repetitive, each day has a million experiences just waiting to be had. I often reach stimulation overload, haha. Don’t get me wrong, I need my time at home with my family and Netflix, but I think we do a good job of striking a balance between the two.

This past summer, fans heard your songs “Charlie Gray” and “Dialogue” in episodes of Chasing Life on ABC Family. If you could place one of your songs in any movie, which movie, scene, and song would it be?

I think if instead of the famous Star Wars theme song you heard a Valise song when the opening space-text crawl begins, that would be most ideal. it would do well with millennials, I think.

You guys released your latest album, Young Bloomer, earlier this year. What can fans expect to see next from you guys?

We plan to release a deluxe version of Young Bloomer in the new year on vinyl, which we’ve never done before. I’m thrilled!

New Music: “Everything Is Lost” | Ruelle

This track is the latest from electronic-pop artist, Ruelle, who released “Everything Is Lost” exclusively for ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars. For those of you who may be fans of the show, you may agree with us in saying that this song is damn near perfect.

5 Questions With: The Vantage [SXSW Edition]

We sat down with indie-pop band, The Vantage, to discuss their upcoming music video, their experience at playing South By Southwest, and what the guys will be up to next! Check out our interview with the band below!

This
wasn’t your first time performing at South By Southwest. Was there any
difference in preparing for your performance, since you have played the
same festival before?


Yes, most definitely! The first time we played Southby was our first
performance as a band. It was a bit of a mad dash and we were all a little
nervous. We’ve grown a ton as a band in the past year and with that I think a
lot of confidence has come. Now the focus is more on creating a show and
engaging with the audience.

You guys will be releasing your new music video for “Place in the Water”
soon. Can you tell us a little about the concept for the video and where the
idea came from?
I crafted the idea after a brainstorm session I had with James and my roommate.
We had been throwing around a ton of ideas for the video. I put a few down and
tried to create some sort of ambiguous story that touches on the message of the
song, but also includes visually stimulating elements. It was kind of an
ambitious treatment given our budget, but we somehow made it work! The concept
involves water, color, and searching for “that place.”

Being that South By Southwest is filled with tons of incredible acts, were
you excited to catch any artists in particular? Did you stumble across any new
artists that you are now a fan of?

Yeah of course! Southby is a melting pot. You have to sift through a lot of
noise, but once you do there’s a ton of great acts. We were pretty busy this
year so unfortunately i wasn’t able to wander as much as previous
years. Future Islands, Big Data and Joywave all killed it. Same with our Austin
buddies, SPEAK. Too many acts to name.


You guys have landed placements with ABC Family, MTV Networks and LinkedIn –
all of which is very impressive. Everyone has a different way of defining how
and when they make it, whether it’s a radio single or playing sold-out shows.
How do you measure your success?

I’d like to think success comes when you’re working so hard, and pushing
yourself further that you don’t even see it coming. It just sneaks up and taps
you on the shoulder. You acknowledge it briefly with a wave and then get back
to work. Ultimately for me, I think success is measured by happiness and the
ability to evolve, create, and grow.

“Place in the Water” is the newest single you guys have released. Is there
any other new music in the works? Possibly another EP/album? 

Yes! We aren’t quite sure as of now how the material will be packaged or
released, but fans can expect some new music coming out in the next few months.
We’re constantly writing and working on new things, and have a slew of material
we’ve been sitting on. It’s all about the presentation though, so that’s where
we’re focusing our energy.

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