The Resistance - Muse does Depeche Mode, Queen, and Muse

Its always great to hear that a long standing band has put out their fourth or fifth album. Everyone loves to hear what the band is up to, and fingers crossed, that its good.

I had a sad experience today. I finally got my hands on Muse's latest album "The Resistance". I had a blast listening to "Blackholes and Revelations", their fourth full length release. Not to mention all their previous work, namely "Absolution". Its grand and weighty guitar work, and catchy and wailing melodies kept me in the net. For "The Resistance" I've slipped out.

Starting with the opening track, and first single "Uprising" I'm quickly reminded of Muse's trademark overdriven-fuzz bass, and throbbing drums. With another second or two, I'm quickly reminded that front man Matthew Bellamy is also a massive Doctor Who fan. The synth work is strikingly similar to the Doctor Who theme song, and leaves me a with a sinking feeling that he didn't go much farther than Doctor Who: Season 4 for inspiration. I must say though, that this song is, in my opinion, one of the best tracks on the album and definitely worth a listen.

The Lyrical content isn't much of a progression either. Still lamenting the political climate of America, a country the man isn't even a residing citizen of, is interspersed with calls to arms. If Matthew Bellamy had his way, we would all be storming the Bastille. Or is it the Oval Office? He also doesn't spare us with "MK Ultra", a reference to the nefarious CIA program to perfect a mind control process using LSD. I think by now, we can all agree that in this day and age, rock songs do little to cause kids to log off Facebook and race the streets carrying the flag of Anarchy. His line "Its time the Fat Cats had a heart attack" only reminds me that they are on Warner Brothers Music, one of the largest music conglomerates on the face of the earth.

With Depeche Mode sound alike "Undisclosed Desires", and blatant Queen rip off "United States of Eurasia", and "Guiding Light", Muse has proven, that for all their musical skill and chops, they have quickly run out of creative juice half way through the album. As John Lennon said "Its all in how you rip".

The one very funky surprise, was the gospel piano sing-along-esque "I Belong To You" which broke the production mold for this album with a strange energy, thus giving the piano a chance to lead the mostly bass or guitar driven tracks. Also another sure fire listen.

The best tracks on the album are ironically the tracks that sound the most like Muse. Don't be fooled though, with some listening, the melodies and riffs are very much recycled material from past albums.

Lastly, is Muse's aspiration to be inducted into the Prog-Rock hall of fame. The last three tracks are a symphony of sorts entitled "Exogenesis". Consisting of three parts, it is far from memorable. Part three is endearing, and has a better feel out of the three, but still reminds me why I don't listen to modern classical music.

Having been a big Muse fan, who has followed their progression and definitely been ok with their changes over the years, I have to say this album is a massive disappointment to me. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this album a 4, or on a day when Matthew Bellamy gave me the eye, a 5. If you are a music buyer, skip this album, and if you torrent, skip the download. I would easily replace this album on my iPod for Queen and Depeche Mode any day. At least I'd be getting the real thing.

Tracks to Listen to:
"Uprising", "Resistance","Unnatural Selection", "MK Ultra", "I Belong To You"

The Power of One - PK

Some might say, that along with Punk, and Disco, that Rock is dead. I beg to differ. Hailing from San Luis Obispo, California, the Rock outfit PK is strikingly original. Taking influence from garage Rock, to the Gipsy Kings, PK is a local favorite of mine, and definitely not something to miss out on. With driving, well thought melodies, and punchy rock guitar, PK strikes a home run every time. Where as most music labeled "Rock" comes of Cheesy and tacky, PK is leagues away from such a musical catastrophe.Intelligent and energetic are the words of choice.Here is a delightful conversation I was so lucky to have with them.

B:Just so people can get to know you a little bit, explain in one word (or three) what best describes the band to you!
Nick:Rocktastic!

B:This new music is somewhat a departure from your last EP. Simply: Why?
Travis:I think that we have grown as writers as well as people and it shines through in the new stuff. I feel that our songs have become more cohesive and have a better sense of 'flow' than on our EP. We wanted to write songs that felt better as a whole and could tell a story, whereas our older stuff felt a bit more rambly and unfocused. In general I think the new stuff rocks more and feels better but still keeps its tinge of uniqueness that is PK.

B:Is your band more of a collaborative effort when it comes to music, or do you all put pieces of your songs together as individuals?
Nick:We are definitely a collaborative band. Usually someone will come to practice with an idea or Travis will sit down with a vocal idea or general melody; from there the five of us try to smash our big heads together into one whole pie of a song. A PK song wouldn't be what it is without us all of having some sort of influence on the writing.

B:I hear a lot of Strokes and more garage rock bands in your sound. I also hear your own unique style nestled in there, which is so important for bands. Do you think that's a safe assumption to make?
Nick:Yes! That is actually a huge compliment to us. We have been striving to have a little more raw rock feel to our music as opposed to a lot of bands out there right now. The records that are coming out now a days seem to have this same sort of plastic feel to them. We are trying to get a more rough sound, while still being able to appeal to people and keep a unique sound. We love that assumption!

B:Today's music world is extremely vast, especially with all the media outlets we have. Where do you imagine yourself fitting into this?
Travis:Yeah, that is tough. It seems hard now a days for a band to stand out in the huge sea of music out there. A lot of the time I feel like we don't really 'fit in' with much of whats going on as far as the trends that litter the mainstream outlets. We really just want to be ourselves and bring back some rock and manliness to music and maybe that will help us stand out!

B:I've always loved "Innocence" very much. Is there a story there in the song, or is it a concept song?
Travis:Yes, there's definitely a straightforward story in there... but as a whole the song alludes to a deeper concept. When I was younger I had this misconception that lyrics that I personally found convoluted and confusing must have been really deep and poetic...otherwise why wouldn't I understand them? As I got older I started reading books by authors like Hemingway, Bradbury and Steinback and would be so blown away by how they could convey so much on so many levels in such a simple and direct way. I've realized that it's pretty easy to throw nonsense into a song and call it poetic but the songs that really hit home are the ones that are perfectly direct. I've got a long way to go but it's at least when I'm striving for... it's a perfectionist's game.

B:You guys come from a very interesting place for music: The San Luis Obispo Area. Can you explain what it was like growing up in the music scene? I also understand you guys moved to Santa Cruz at one point too.
Nick:The SLO area has been really awesome for us growing up even though it's a pretty rural area. We all grew up together playing and going to local shows and the scene has always been awesome to us here. We've always been sort of the underdog in the scene so I think kids see what we are all about and are really supportive here. Santa Cruz was a bit different but we were still able to find that niche of people who appreciated it. Lately it seems like the entire music scene is at a sort of lull. Its hard to get kids to come out to shows, venues are shutting down like crazy and it's really, really sad. We want to spark it all back up and bring this Frankenstein of a scene back to life!

B:For Travis: What influences do you have for your voice? You have an extremely unique style and tone to your voice.
Travis:I wish that I could say that I had enough control over the timbre of my voice to tell you why it is the way it is... I listen to some mainstream music but feel kind of dumb because my favorite group is the Gipsy Kings... but don't think they've completely influenced me just yet. I've had people tell me that I have a very different way of delivering but it's not something I've ever really paid attention to or focused on... I just let it do what it does. The only possible answer I have is that I lived in England until I was five so when I came to the US I had to go this scary speech doctor at school who had no legs and he'd make me say "snake" and "car" a bunch of times ... I don't know if he ever fixed anything but I sometimes wonder if it translated into my singing... I definitely don't have an English accent when I speak normally though.

B:You guys have an interesting name. If I'm not mistaken, the name is from the movie "The Power of One" . Can you explain how you got the name for the band?
Travis:Hot damn, you're a good researcher! Actually... It was the book by Bryce Courtenay that inspired the band name... When I was younger I used to spend my summers out on the east coast and sometimes when we were tired of stomping around the woods or getting eaten by bugs we'd go down to this old library and grab books to pass the time. I'm not sure how that one got in our pile but I remember going back to the house and starting this novel i'd never heard of and just not being able to put it down... I felt like that kid from the Neverending story. Anyway, when Matt and I started jamming together when we were like 14 or 15 we needed a band name and weren't really taking ourselves to seriously and we just decided PK would be cool... even though in the novel his name is "Peekay"... Most people actually don't know that story though because it's rather anti climactic to tell so we generally just make up acronyms depending on the person or place or situation... It's a fun game we play.

B:Any upcoming events and shows you'd like the readers to know about?
Nick:Lots and Lots of awesome stuff happening right now. We're releasing our first full length around the middle of November and will be playing as many shows around California as possible to support it and build our base.We're going to be featured in the November issue of AP Magazine, under the 'Hometown Heroes' section and it hits stands the beginning of October. It's issue 256 I think.

B:Any Final words?
Nick and Travis:Thank you for letting us do this interview! Thanks to anyone who actually read this far or anyone that read this and has supported us, we can't do it without you! Look forward to new music and new fun from us soon! If you don't know who we are talk to us, we will convince you to like us I promise! Um, always look both ways before you cross and I think that's about it! Oh and these were great questions by the way!! Woohoo!

You can listen to PK at myspace.com/pk

The Horrors -"Whole New Way"

Hello all,

Something cool, I thought I would post up.
The Horrors just released a new single set for November, and they are promoting it by posting code onto their site, so people can stream the song for free. Sounds pretty neat-o to me.

Take a listen

What a Photographic Eye

With enough thought, one can guess there is much more going into the bands and music we listen to. One aspect of that is pictures. I sat down with photographer Emily Ibarra of EDIphotoeye. Emily has worked closely with some very established musical acts, chiefly among those, Portugal the Man, Saves the Day, and RX Bandits. Here is the charming explanation of her work:

What Was your first experience with photography?
I think about it a couple different ways. I was the oldest grandchild. My grandfather was really into photography. He followed me around with a camera. When I was five he passed away and I ended up getting his camera.
As well, In Junior High, when we were bored, we would dress up and take photos of our friends. Some kids watched movies and played games, but we did photo shoots. I didn't take it seriously, I just enjoyed doing it.

When did you know you wanted to do Photography?
Its so hard to say, cause I kind of always knew. You just get this feeling like you are getting better and better. Even when you're sucking you know.

Then How old were you when you started really getting serious?
It wasn't till I was 21, that I started taking it seriously, but I knew I wanted to do photography when I was 18.

Can you remember your first band shoot?
My first shoot was with Brea, but only because they were my friends. I Took photos of them before the band, and I was just basically applying what I was learning to my friends, and they happened to be in a band.

Did you go in with the intention of shooting bands?
I just happened to be surrounded by musicians, and they had an outlet for my photos through myspace, which was just getting big.
I just happened to always love music, and was always surrounded by musicians.

How did your first bigger shoots compare to what you are doing now on a daily basis?
The only thing that changed is...Its really not that different. Its really funny, cause for example, right after that Brea photo shoot, this band called Ashes Ashes called me for photos. I didn't even know who they were, I just started shooting bands. the bands I shot for AP magazine really just wanted to be in a magazine, so I was the road to that. Its nicer to get bigger referals though, from managers or promoters, but really all these bands I shoot became my friends, so I'm in essence shooting my friends. And, Whats different now, is that now my photos are being put into media, such as videos, fliers, posters, and album covers. Instead of putting them on myspace, which is awesome, they are getting use. And blogs.

Do you feel like you go through phases and styles with your photography?
I definitely go through phases, of liking a certain style, or filter or tone. It changes. I go through it from time to time. I'm also not as excited about things I've done in the past, since I've done it before. I try to stay away from that formula since its so easy to fall into that.

You've said that photography is really competitive. Do you still run into that now?
Photography is competive to the point of being scary. LIke a scared kid who dosn't look under his bed, I just try not to notice. I limit myself on how much I see of other photographers, because I start to phsych myself out. You start to say "Oh man, why didn't I do that! why didn't I think of that?" When you do it enough, its a scary mindset to be in, but I'm so happy with the way things are going, that I don't really notice as much. Everyone has their different Niche, and people will want certain photographers for specifics things. I don't take it personal either. The benefit of shooting your friends is they make you feel good about it*laughs*

A lot of photographers are very much into using Photoshop to get rid of any blemish or mistake, and they come out with this extremely photoshopped, almost fake looking photo. How do you feel about that, and do you deal with this at all?
It is a certain style, and sometimes I find myself doing it, not because its best for the photo, but because its what the client wants. You do have to pay attention to your employer and what they want, since they pay you. We're so exposed to perfect looking celebrities in magazines, so in a way, I don't think its fair to send a photo out there thats raw. I don't want anyone to look different, or fake, but I don't want them to look bad . If it looks like it shouldn't be there, I take it out.

Cliche Question: What was your craziest shoot?
I shot a guy in just a sumbrero on Cinco Demayo.

You spend a lot of time with pretty successful bands, on tour, and backstage. How does that make you feel about the music industry now?
I think that it actually makes me appreciate certain people more. I shot a band recently, and I was astounded to learn that they knew each other since 7th grade, and they are in their late 20s. They were so kind to each other, and so patient. I've seen bands that spend years together, and its like having a sister or brother. But sometimes you meet people that get along so well. Its inspiring to me. It doesn't make it worse, it just makes it very beautiful. Its so hard to live with someone day in and day out. You affect the lives of 5, 6, who knows how many people. Its really just made me appreciate it.

You also did a lot of work with the WFPF (World Freerunning and Parkour Federation), and did all the photos for the MTV show they were filming. Tell us about the experience you had with them?
I've met some amazing people, and got to go some very cool places. They're amazing athelets, and it makes for interesting photos. Its more challenging, but also so new and refreshing. I was going out with them individually lately, for action and personality portraits, that I would then send to MTV, so that MTV knew what was up. Then I spent a week with 8 of them shooting a pilot in LA. Kind of how you can't take an instrument out of a musicians hand, its kind of the same thing, except they are flipping and climbing, and balancing where ever they go. They are like little kids. Its very beautiful. they see the world as their playground, which is, again so refreshing.

What do you have coming up that people should keep an eye out for?
I'm still shooting bands pretty consistently, how ever I have two projects. One is working with The WFPF (World Freerunning and Parkour Federation) . A calendar is coming out for that. I'm doing an exhibit right now too, with top athletes. I've been shooting Acro-yogis as well, which will have its exhibit too.

Check out Emily Ibarra's work at : www.ediphotoeye.tumblr.com and www.ediphotoeye.com

You're Telling Me Sister!

I'm proud to present, with another interview, an amazing band out of Sacramento CA. I cannot stress that these cats are wicked cool, and not to mention very nice people as well. This quartet is known as Sister Crayon. Enjoy.

B-Sides: Tell me a little about Sister Crayon.
Terra:Sister Crayon originally started out as a solo project of mine a few years ago. It was really quiet stuff, just me and a guitar. I always wanted a bigger sound, so when I met Dani Fernandez I was incredibly happy because she I both connected on the hip-hop level. She was also really amazing on the MPC, so we just clicked. We started playing shows for about a year and then added Genaro Ulloa, who added a lot of texture on the songs that we previously had. All three of us clicked and we were all into the epic, ambient sound that we were starting to create. Our last member, Nicholas Suhr was added in the beginning of summer and the full band sound is amazing. I feel blessed to have not only amazing musicians in the band, but also friends. We all connect on a level I've never had before (with band-mates) so it's a pretty amazing experience to get to create and play music with good people.

B:I must ask, how did you get the name Sister Crayon?
Terra:The name for Sister Crayon came randomly, to be honest. I was a bit intoxicated and was sitting in my friend's loft in S.F. and I was writing Bianca Cassady from Cocorosie a letter. I signed the letter "sister crayon" and 2 weeks later, I started going by that as a solo act. I don't really know where it came from.

B:Every band goes through phases with their music; do you feel like what you are doing now is a continuation of what you have always done, or do you feel like you are pushing into new territory with your band?
Terra:I feel that with this band, we are all definitely pushing and challenging ourselves creatively. I know, that we are always trying to push ourselves in the way that we write. I feel that as a band, every time we play a show, we grow a bit more. It's exciting to see what we can create (being that we are all still so new to this band). I feel that we push each other, we are also inspired by so many different bands and genres of music, so that helps us bring new elements to practice.

B:I see a lot of very positive buzz going on around you all, and in a short time of this most recent release. How do you feel about the attention you receive?
Terra:I think we are all a little taken aback by all of the attention that this new EP has been receiving, to be honest. It's a bit overwhelming but at the same time, we are so grateful for the support. We hope that people continue to support us and keep on coming out to the shows. We are very excited for the Spain tour and for Borne Recordings! to be putting out the album. Their support is amazing. We just feel very grateful. Everyone has been so supportive so far.

B:If I may say, you guys have a very engulfing presence on stage. Its very captivating. A lot of bands are very much into the whole "rocking out" thing on stage, to be more entertaining.On the opposite end, You guys seem to be very much comfortable and calm on stage.Are you aware of the crowd when you play? or do you try to stay focused on the music and your own thoughts when you play?
Terra:I don't know if I can really answer for everyone else in the band but I think we are all pretty calm on stage for the most part. One thing I love about all everyone in the band is that no one is trying to be the center of attention, the main one, you know? We all just love the music that we are playing, so we just go out and play shows and if people come, that's amazing, you know? So far, Sacramento has been really supportive and the shows are really fun.

B:I'm very curious what the song "Here We Never Die" is about. It definitely has a very haunting feel to it. Can you, if you wouldn't mind, explain what the song is about to you?
Terra:Um...the song "Here We Never die" was written about a year ago, last summer. It's basically about that moment or span when you are infatuated with someone and you kind of want to just shut the world out and be solely with them, just you and that person...with nothing to get in the way, with nothing to distract you from that attention of that one person.
I was pretty heavily infatuated with someone at the time (still am, luckily) and so that song was pretty much me telling her, in a semi-discreet way. It's also about death and the way that I saw it and still do, at the time. I think about death a lot, i read about death a lot...it was just a way of talking about it , making that subject less painful. To be completely in love with someone, so that finally, for once, death doesn't seem so scary nor finite.

B:There is so much music going on these days, and about a million movements of music going on all over the world. Do you see yourself inside a scene or movement, or do you think of yourself as an outlier to a lot of what is happening around you?
Terra:I think that with there being so many scenes/movements in music worldwide, it would be really hard to try to tell whether or not we fit into one, if any. I think that because we are into so many different kinds of music, it helps us not fit into exactly one kind of genre or scene. I'm not really sure what we are doing really, but I like it. I think that we would never want to be classified as one type of genre, to be honest. We are all into so many different things. When I started as a solo project, it was more "folky/wierd" type of stuff, more personal quiet songs. Then when Dani and I started playing, hip hop was a definite influence and the songs were still a bit simple, still a bit bare but had a heavy hip-hop/trip hop influence.
When Genaro joined, we all focused on more ambient, textured styles. Nick just pulls the whole sound together.

B:What are you plans currently for the band, musical or otherwise?

Terra:Our plans for the band are to just tour as much as possible.
We just came back from a 2 week North West tour in August and are planning a Europe tour for about 2 months with Borne Recordings! as well as possibly a UC California college tour. We just want to get out as much as possible and keep playing for new people. Three members of the band are in school right now, so that is also a priority this semester, so it's been a bit exhausting balancing the two but next year is going to be full band mode.

B:Any interesting tour stories? I'm sure you guys must have seen some interesting things on the road.
Terra:Oh my god. Our last tour was insane. We had some pretty amazing times and met some really cool people, but our last 2 nights of the tour were the most bizarre. So, we ended up playing a random show in Pomona, CA (which happened to be the best place on tour! we love the kids in Pomona!).


Anyways, we end up meeting these beautiful people who let us stay at their house. There ends up being a house party there and we end up meeting this guy named Chris who owns a mansion 5 doors down from Snoop Dogg. No lie. We end up staying up til 5 am and so, when we wake up, we can't find our keys. We eventually find out that Chris accidentally took our keys, so we end up driving and hunting him down for nearly an hour. Chris owns a liquor store, so when we find him he tells us to grab anything we want in the store for the trouble.


So, here we are (all broke...the tour was called Broke Bitches Tour 2009) and we just start grabbing food, alcohol, candy, etc. etc. So, he takes us to his mansion (where our keys are) and it is the most beautiful house we've ever seen. It was incredible. So, we go from hanging out at a mansion next to Snoop Dogg to staying at a farm house the next night. The farm house was extremely bizarre, with all of us (Agent Ribbons toured with us too) either sleeping outside with goats or in the backseats of our vehicles.People were singing out in the fields until 4 in the morning. It was weird. Those two nights were crazy.

B:On the topic of Tour, can you tell me about the Europe dates that I see as "TBA" on your site? will those be solo or with other bands?
Terra:Our Europe tour is still in the works but it is being booked by Borne Recordings who will also be putting the album out in January 2010. We will be playing for 2 months in different places in Spain, Italy, France, Switzerland, and Germany. It's pretty crazy and still hard to fathom. We will be touring with Chelsea Wolfe and her band as well.

B:What is the Next show that everyone should check you out at?

Terra:We have 2 pretty cool shows this month. Our friends from Los Angeles, Voices Voices will be coming to Sacramento to play 2 shows with us in September. The first show is September 18th at The Hub, it's going to be all ages. I love the Hub because it's a pretty small and intimate space, really chill. The other show will be Sept. 21st at The Press Club. That night will be really fun because we are sharing the bill with a regular dance night that they have every month.

B:Any last words for the readers?
Terra:Um...sorry guys if this interview sounds very matter of fact. I'm at work right now and I work at a hotel, so all I hear is elevator music.

With that said, I leave you to ponder and listen to the dreamy and rhythmic music of Sister Crayon!

My Awaited Return - Interview with Picture Atlantic

Well hello everyone!
I'm back and writing again. It has been quite some time, but work and a number of other things have taken up my time. I thought it fitting to return with an interview. Even more fitting, is to do it with Bay Area Indie-Pop act Picture Atlantic. I sat down with lead vocalist Nik Bartunek and had a great talk about everything from A-Z:

B-Sides: Well thank you for sitting down with me!
Nik:No problem. I'm happy to do it.

B-Sides: Just to get a general feel for the band, what have you been up to recently?
Nik: I wish I could say that we've been doing new an interesting things, but the reality is that we're, uh, how to say it...doing the broken record thing.

B-Sides: What would the entail?
Nik: Well, we've been basically playing the Westcoast over and over, and as much as possible. Broken record. Around and round kind of stuff. I'm not complaining by the way, if it sounded implied. Its totally necessary, and we have a blast doing it. Its just not very fresh when you explain it to someone.

B: I'm sure you get a lot done though
N:Oh for sure! We do.

B:So, I know everyone asks this probably, but what does 'Kleos' mean?
N:You're totally right. I do get that a lot *laughs*. Well, to try and put it in a nutshell, its basically 'Glory' or 'Fame'. In Greek mythology, warriors strove for 'Kleos'. Achilles in particular. He wanted to be remembered. It could also hold connotations to having a legacy as well. It just struck me that all bands want so badly to be remembered, and have this grand legacy. It was fitting I think.

B:Rightly so! I can see a lot of bands doing that with the whole online presence thing. More video blogs and pictures.
N:Its all pretty egotistical don't you think? But I'm just as guilty of it. Its kind of something you have to do. Have pictures and stuff like that. Maybe not the video blogs for me *laughs* I'm horrible with that stuff.

B: I always love to know what other bands are listening to. Anything new you're getting into?
N:That's hard...because oddly enough I don't listen to that much music. Or I should rephrase that and say that I don't find new bands to listen to very often. Lately though, I've been listening a lot of The National's album "Boxer", the new Horrors album, and Grant, our live guitarist turned me onto this band Republic Tigers. Damon Albarn too. His "Mali Music" album.

B: Would it be safe to say that you have a more British music slant?
N:Yeah, I would say that is fair. I'm not sure what it is. I do enjoy American bands most definitely, but I think if I really thought about it, the majority of the bands I like are British.

B:You seem to write about some very personal things in your songs. Maybe I'm wrong, but I get that impression immensely from songs like 'Thats Just Me..' and 'The Softest Picture'.
N: I'm transparent aren't I *laughs* Yes, you're right. I do write about personal things. It just happens. I've tried sometimes, to sit down and write about a specific topic. I guess, maybe trying to pull a Bob Dylan or something and write about some horrible injustice in the world, but then when I just kind of jam on the song, and free style lyrics just to have something to sing, I find myself saying really deep stuff.It actually kind of shocks me what I say sometimes. I can only assume that its subconscious stuff floating up.

B:Any examples?
N:Not ones I want my mother reading.

B:Fair enough. You guys are really getting a lot of attention, and from what I've heard so far, lots of respect from people. Do you find that to be true?
N:Hrm. Not at all. I mean that in the sense that I am IN the band, and rarely hear or see what people say about us. I can only assume there are people out there loving, and not to exclude, hating us a lot. Just recently we went out of town, and played some shows with this band up north. We played about two dates on their headlining, CD Release tour. I didn't think anything of the bands. I knew they were bigger than us, but the shows didn't strike me as anything out of the ordinary. We just played, and had a great time, and they were really nice guys. But when I got back, a friend had left a comment on our facebook saying "I can't believe you played with them! you guys are like famous now!" or something like that. I honestly had no idea that some people saw that as big. Obviously they knew the band previously, and liked them, and that translates different to them. I mean this in utmost respect, but I don't know much about up and coming bands, and know even less about local music scenes, so to me it doesn't surprise me..I think out of just being out of the loop.

B:Can I ask which bands those were?
N: Sure. It was Falling Up, Ruth, and Archeology.

B:What goals do you have right now?
N:Well now that I think about it, I guess we are doing much more than I made it seem like. Much more means writing *laughs*. We just did a bunch of demos, and are working on writing. I guess you could say one of our goals is just to keep writing, and to keep playing.

B:Do you feel there is a new sound emerging with your demos?
N:Hrm...I suppose. It all sounds like Picture Atlantic to me. I'm sure in production, it will take on a much more defined sound..or new sound. But then again, who can say. We could just write 'Kleos 2'and not know it.

B:And last question so I can let you go, what upcoming plans or shows do you have?
N: Actually, we have a lot of cool free shows coming up. We're going to be playing two Urban Outfitters, and also a hot topic. Kind of the 'Hipster vs. Scene Kid' segment of shows *laughs*.

B:Sounds great! Thank you so much!
N:Thank you! Be blessed.

There we have it. Please check out Picture Atlantic on their URL at www.pictureatlantic.com.

Keep rocking out!

-Bsides