The Lionheads

Catch up with The Lionheads' Rudi Leo J. Johansen and Oistein Christoffersen and listen to singles "Exit" and "City On Fire" from their forthcoming album, Human Walk.

What brought the band together?

Rudi: Oistein and me, we started the band back in 2010. We just met randomly and we both liked the same type of music. We started off making some demos at my place and had six or seven, and then we brought together a band. We tried some different members and suddenly it was just me and Oistein left.

Oistein: Rudi was primarily a guitarist and we had different vocalists in the group at that point. So when all the other guys quit, we decided that Rudi should try singing. That's how he started singing actually, he didn't sing before that.

Rudi: We met Nicolai and Knut Magnus in late 2011, so that was when we became the full band.

Why call yourselves The Lionheads?

Rudi: It's actually from a book I read when I was around fourteen  or fifteen. It was about a stormer troop with parachutes from the United States during the Second World War. I don't think we named ourselves Lions before this whole process of changing members. At the end, when it was just Oistein and me left, we changed the name to The Lionheads. The book was about just constantly trying, not giving up, so we felt that suited our situation at the point when we went from five to two band members. So we decided to name ourself The Lionheads.

How is your sound different now than it was with the previous members?

Rudi: The sound is different. I just think it's better. I think we've gotten better during the years and we've developed on our instruments and our sound. It was kind of pop rock back then too, so it's difficult to describe, but it's better.

Which artists have influenced your sound?

Rudi: We're from Norway, so a great part of my youth was a-ha. I like pop rock bands, Oasis and Radiohead.

Oistein: I listen to American bands like The Killers. I listen to many current types of music and different genres. Actually, I listen to a lot of hip hop as well! I tend to get inspiration from a lot of different genres, and I think that's quite the same for all the main members in the band.

What words would you use to describe your sound?

Rudi: It's pop/rock music. The instrument parts often tend to be a bit more on the rock side and the vocals are more pop. A lot of guitar hooks, big synth and hooky melodies.

What's the best response you've received since releasing the album in Norway?

Oistein: We started out just releasing singles and we ended up in Norway with four of the songs off the album listed on Norwegian radio. They played constantly for quite a while.

Rudi: We released the first single, "City On Fire", in Autumn 2013 and the latest single from the album we just released with the entire album in September. We almost had a year of radio play with four different singles, so that's been really good.

How would you describe the album?

Rudi: The album is called Human Walk, so it's really an album about different stories from life to death, to love to being lonely. It's a part of the wheel of life that's turning around. It's taken from different experiences and different people, so it's put together like different situations from your life, from our life.

Do you guys have a favorite track from the album?

Oistein: I remember when we made the song "Exit" - the one we just released in the US now - and we were working in the studio playing for hours a day and when I came home and I played it on my stereo, I felt really proud. That was the first song we made and recorded, so that song is quite special to me. But there's many; I think all of the songs on the album have something special. Each and every one of them is special in a way and have different qualities, so it's quite hard to choose.

Rudi: Same for me, "Exit" was special. "Human Walk" might be my favorite because the lyrics kind of sum up the whole album.

What do you want to say about your music?

Rudi: We have big dreams with our music, and releasing it in the US is a part of that dream. It's our goal to get as many as we can into our music. 

Oistein: We make the kind of music that we like. In the writing process we do what we feel is best for the songs.

Rudi: We're really excited for the US release and we're looking forward to getting over to the US to play for you guys. 

Oistein: Yeah, absolutely. We're coming!

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Jaclyn Rose

Catch up with Jaclyn Rose and look for her new EP, Invasion: A New Potion, to be released March 24th.

What got you interested in music?

Jaclyn Rose: I always knew that music was my calling and my passion in life. Since I was young, I knew I wanted to make a difference through music and be a voice of positivity so I really felt like music was part of my mission in life. 

Were there artists whose sound inspired yours?

Well, I've always been inspired by a lot of jazz artists, like Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and Miles Davis; a lot of the pioneers of music that have inspired and influenced a lot of music today.

Do you remember the first album you bought?

I think it was probably an old Sarah Vaughan record on vinyl. Just listening to her tunes and just really hearing that kind of soul, you know, that's kind of what I remember, as far as what the first record I bought was.

What words would you use to describe your sound?

I would say that it stands on its own; it's eclectic; it has unlimited possibilities. It's inspired by a lot of different time periods and different cultures and my music always has kind of positive, uplifting messages to it, so I think that's how my music stands out, and being backed by The Rose Movement as well, which is my campaign; all of that tied together I think would describe my music best.

Could you explain more about The Rose Movement?

Yeah! The Rose Movement is just this movement based on the spirit of giving and it's a campaign where we give daily inspiration on my Facebook page and we've also contributed to a lot of different charitable causes, such as breast cancer awareness and a mentoring one, and it's just a movement that continues to give more positivity and inspiration to the world.

Are the singles you've released so far, "Circle" and "Dance With You", indicative of the style we can expect to hear on the forthcoming EP, Invasion: A New Potion?

Yeah, you know, it's showing a lot of different ranges in music. Like I said, I think my music has just unlimited possibilities and that's how I like to stretch myself as an artist. Being able to produce this record by myself gives me a lot of creative freedom and a lot of opportunities to explore with different genres of music and to really expand my limitations as an artist, as well. 

How would you sum up the EP in one sentence?

Just like the title of the EP, it's just an invasion of sound and music and good, positive vibes.

Is there a track you're most excited for people to hear?

I think each track has such a life and a spirit of its own and I'm looking forward for everyone to hear it just because there's something different about every single track and I think that a lot of people are going to be very excited about that.

What do you want to do with your music?

I just hope that they feel really good about themselves and I hope that it inspires them and motivates them to continue to work on their goals. Each song has such a different meaning, there's a different message to it and I hope, through each message, it continues to touch and inspire people and to bring more light and joy into their day. 

Thank you for checking out my interview and I look forward to creating more and more music for you guys!

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Autumn In June

Catch an interview with Autumn In June and look for more new music to come soon.

What got you interested in music?

Autumn In June: I was actually just making music since I was little but I wasn't too into it, just kind of messing around 'cause my father used to play music, but I've been making music ever since I can remember. I was in high school when I started making music more seriously.

Were there any artists whose sound inspired you?

I grew up listening to Dr. Dre and 2Pac 'cause I live in the hood so that's pretty much what everybody used to bump, but later I discovered Pink Floyd and ELO and I remember I was listening to ELO and this song "Yours Truly, 2095" and I was like 'yo, this is like hella dope' so I started trying to discover more bands and more different types of styles and that's when I was like, I want to experiment with my music and that's what made me go way left and just try to figure out something for myself.

How would you describe your sound to someone who had never heard it?

It's like the ultimate songs to vibe to, I say. I like to choose sounds that have a lot of emotion in them and I use a lot of analog synthesizers and I just kind of like to find some really cool sounds that trigger emotions - you know how certain sounds are like 'oh damn, I feel that' - and I kind of just use that to make a song and then put it together. So, all of my songs have emotion in them and I feel like my instrumentals always have that certain element to them so it's like it has its own emotion.

What's been most influential to your sound?

I listen to a lot of '80s disco and stuff like that and '90s hip hop too, like G Funk era and all that funky stuff that like Dr. Dre used to produce and, ultimately, I was like, I want my stuff to always  have like a feeling to it.

Is the forthcoming EP going to have the same sort of sound as your current singles?

Yes, I'm definitely staying with that route. I feel really comfortable in that route but I'm trying to take it to a whole new level with production and songwriting 'cause I usually just freestyle my music and I felt like it just gives the song a better feeling, the vocals and all that. but actually going through the whole song, I just want to keep updating my whole production and try to take it to a whole new level, but it is going to be like dance-y kind of synth-y and stuff, but I'm also making more slowed down and super chill and vibe-y type of songs too.

Is there a new track you're most excited for people to hear?

Yeah, there's a song called "Headline", it's one of my favorites that I'm wrapping up right now. I've been working on it for the past two weeks nonstop just because it's just been like a really fun song, so that's pretty much what I'm really, really excited to have.

It's the sound, the lyrics are really dope too, and it has like a really cool vibe. I feel like I really stepped it up with this one. I usually try to not use too many layers of sounds so it's just a whole drowning type of thing that kind of makes the vocals just sink into that. So, definitely I kind of put a lot more depth into the instrumental and just have the vocals really pop out and it was just fun to experiment with. It has a really cool sound to it, it's kind of similar to "Hey Arnold!" but it's a whole different vibe, instead of the happy, it's a more chill, emotional type of song, but it's really cool.

What do you want to say about your music?

Well, my music is pretty much, I like to be able to express myself truthfully and just have everything genuine and pure. For me, as a person I try to live without the fear of judgment, like I try to just completely be myself and just accept myself and if people dig it then they dig it and if they don't then whatever, you know, so that's pretty much what I incorporate in my music. I just go with what I truly like and I just take it there and I don't try to settle with anything else for anyone within my music, so that's pretty much what my whole style is.

Why choose the name 'Autumn In June'?

When I was growing up, since there's pretty much nothing but hip hop in the hood, I kind of got into making hip hop too when I was in high school and then, when I started discovering this new type of music, I just kind of completely took that route and just started focusing my whole time into that type of music. I remember I was producing for DJ Quik's nephew for awhile and I used to be around all these other artists, like the hip hop West Coast OGs and stuff, and I started taking my music to a whole different type of sound and I just remember them saying 'yo man, you're in the wrong place at the wrong time with this type of music'. Every time I used to show them like 'I got this new song, check it out' they kind of just told me you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, like Autumn in June, and I just kind of went with that; I thought it sounded cool.

I'm working on a new video right now so I'm releasing it in early April and it's going to be with the new single, so it's going to be pretty cool; be on the lookout for that.

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John Stratton

Catch up with singer/songwriter John Stratton, listen to new single "All For You" and look for We've Only Just Begun to be released in April. 

What got you interested in music?

John Stratton: Like a lot people, I'm sure, I grew up in a home where music was played and I was encouraged to play music and I think what got me interested in writing music was people's stories and just feeling how music can really connect with people's hearts and help people go through the things they face in life. So, for me, being a songwriter is, in a lot of ways, connected to my love for people and wanting to connect with different people throughout the world. 

Do you remember what inspired your first song?

Yeah, my first song was inspired by me being grounded [laughs]. I got grounded and I was stuck upstairs and had just a guitar to entertain me and I ended up writing my first song in that situation.

Which artists influenced your sound?

I think that my primary influences, one of them would definitely be John Mayer - ever since I was fifteen I've been inspired by him. From artists these days, Ed Sheeran would be a big influence, people like Glen Hansard or Damien Rice, but I'm also influenced by a variety of genres. I like to listen to different genres and just find what makes those genres awesome and try to learn from them. 

What tracks are you listening to now?

I've been listening to The 1975 a lot, I really dig how he sings and how he uses his voice; also been listening to the new Damien Rice; been listening to this guy, James Vincent McMorrow - he's awesome, I love his voice.

How would you describe We've Only Just Begun?

This album is like a bag of jellybeans where you have every kind of flavor, every kind of taste, because it represents the last five years of my growth as an artist and I've been going through a ton of transitions, from going to college, leaving college, moving to a new city; so the record, really what makes it have continuity is that it's about a journey and you can see from song to song I'm purposefully making it feel like the listener's growing with me. But, stylistically, there's alternative rock on there, there's blues, there's influences of acoustic folk, there's Mumford & Sons style stuff on there, there's even like an electronic influence on one of the songs that actually no one's heard off the record yet called "It's You" and it's more of like a 1975 influence. For me, what makes it kind of a record rather than a bunch of random songs is that you can sense the journey - and it's the same writer, I write all my own music - you can sense the journey and the continuity and the growth of the artist.

Is there a favorite track of yours off the forthcoming record?

Yeah, I think my favorite off the record will be the very last one called "To The Desert" and it's a song that just talks about the last step of this album's journey, which is just me coming out to a new valley called the Antelope Valley. I'm living in the desert now and it's just the most raw - I just finished recording it - it's just the most raw song on there, probably the most honest song on there, and it just talks about believing in holding on to what you believe you're supposed to do and are passionate about.

What's the best response you've heard since releasing "All For You"?

Since releasing "All For You" I think the coolest thing I've just heard is that people have told me they're going to use it in their weddings; I mean, it's a love song, so I'm not ashamed of that at all. It's just about having passion for somebody and saying nothing's going to separate me from them and it's been cool to have people contact me and say 'hey, just wanted to let you know we're going to use that song at our wedding' and it blows my mind. 

What can you tell us about the nonprofit you hope to start?

When I was in college I really felt moved to just think more deeply about why is it that I'm even here on this Earth and what is it that we're all wanting, what is it that we're all longing for, and I really felt moved to begin to try and love people better and understand people. The word 'love' gets used a lot and we all talk about it, almost like what does it mean these days, but to me, in college, I felt that starting a movement called You Are Loved would represent valuing people, making the time to show them that they matter, that they have worth, and my passion is to one day begin an official nonprofit called You Are Loved. It could be cross cultural, cross anything; anybody could be involved with it and it would just be all about valuing people and reminding the world that they are loved, that they're worth knowing, they're worth valuing, worth investing in their life. 

Have you been able to put it into practice?

I put it in practice, I made stickers in college and things you could put on your laptop and even car bumper stickers but, for me, it's more of, I guess, a lifestyle of what I want to live where just, when I encounter people, no matter where or how, that that would be the first thing they would know, from how we treat each other, is that they're valuable, they're loved. It is something that anybody who knows me closely knows is something I'm passionate about and there are people that are part of the You Are Loved movement, but it's not an official nonprofit yet and I'm waiting for the right moment to really launch it. I'm hoping that music artists and people in the industry would get on board with it so it could be something - kind of like To Write Love On Her Arms - something where people could incorporate this value, this truth if they believe it, into what they do and it would almost just be something they could add on to what they're already passionate about, which would be cool.

What do you want to say about your music?

My music is for people, for anybody that wants to listen. I want the songs I release to be songs that people can listen to that would just help them in life, be there for them through different moments. There's happy songs, there's sad songs, there's songs about hard stuff, songs about just loving people, and my hope is that I wouldn't be the artist everyone goes 'oh my gosh, what did he do this time' and all the shock value or the artist where everyone's like 'man, he's just so sexy,' I'd be the artist that people say 'this guy gets me, I feel like I can relate to him and when I just need something I know that I can throw his stuff on and it helps me'. That's my greatest hope, is that it's real, it's authentic, and that people can sense there's love in the music too.

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