Skyler

Catch up with teen pop singer-songwriter Skyler and catch the music video for her latest single, "I Just Wanna Dance", off her forthcoming album, set for release later this year.

What first got you interested in music?

I have always loved music from a very young age, in fact my parents tell me the only thing I would watch when I was a child was shows with music in them. When most of my friends were out at the mall or the movies, I would often be sitting in my bedroom writing lyrics and melodies. My apartment complex in LA looks over the whole city and Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards and I get a lot of my inspiration from people and places and everyday life.

Which musicians have you been influenced by?

I listen to all genres of music, but Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Blink-182, The 185 and All Time Low are just a few of the musicians/bands I love and have influenced me.

If you were to make a playlist to share with your fans, which three songs - from other artists - would you have to include?

“I Miss You” by Blink-182, “Somewhere in Neverland” by All Time Low, and “Check Yes Juliet” by We The Kings.

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

I like to say upbeat and something that everyone can relate to. My debut single "FIRE" featuring Snoop Dogg is an urban dance mix to which Snoop Dogg added his own lyrics and brought a great energy and feeling to the song. It was amazing to have him sing and write lyrics for my debut track, not many people are lucky enough to work with such a living legend as him, and he gave me some great tips on the industry while we were filming the music video for "FIRE". My follow up track "I Just Wanna Dance" is a really fun upbeat pop/dance song which is about having fun and just being yourself.

What were your inspirations for your single and the video for "I Just Wanna Dance"?

Basically I just wanted to get the message out that you don't need money or to look a certain way or be someone other than yourself to make people like you. The lyrics and video are about a sleepover with a bunch of friends just having fun being themselves, not having to be perfect or dressed up, but just eating pizza and enjoying each other’s company with good old fashioned pillow fights and movies. I also co-produced the video which was a great learning experience to see how it works behind the camera.

Can you tell us more about your upcoming album and what we can expect to hear on it?

I just finished recording 6 more original songs and two covers in the studio which are now in the production stage, so an album is definitely in the works! We don't have a title yet but the album will be a mixture of pop songs, a duet and a few love ballads and I am really excited to see and hear what people think. The album should be out toward the end of this year. I just recently opened at "Cinco 4" an amazing concert here in LA at the famous Avalon Hotel, where I performed with great acts such as The Janowskians and Sammy Wilk so a little behind but working hard to have it out soon.

What do you hope listeners are able to take away from your music?

I think songs remind people of where they are going, where they have been and a lot of emotions along the way. I hope people can relate to my music and remember that time of their life when they hear my songs. I just recorded a beautiful love ballad which is a duet and I think a lot of teenage boys and girls will relate to this song and know that they are not alone on this crazy teenage journey. I also want people to just be able to dance and have fun and go wild and let their hair down, which is what I hope my new track "I Just Wanna Dance" will make them want to do, just forget about peer pressure and just be themselves, at least for the night.

You were recently invited to LA's East Valley Animal Shelter, what was that experience like and what ignited your love of animal care?

Amazing, the people who work at this shelter, and all animal shelters, are simply wonderful, caring people who give up a large part of their life to help animals in need. The things these people see and have to deal with every day, cruelty and neglect, and animals being abandoned are heartbreaking, but they hide their emotions with a smile and a ton of passion and provide love and food and warmth a hopeful promise of a loving forever home. My love of animals started at a really young age, my mom actually manages an animal shelter and I volunteer all the time. Please, if you have a pet make sure he or she is spayed and neutered as too many animals are euthanized simply due to a lack of homes and remember your pet relies on you and loves you and is an important part of your family so treat them that way. If you are thinking about a new addition to your family please adopt and never buy an animal.

How can people find out more information on what you are up to in the future?

For more information on my music and upcoming album and possible tour dates, you can check out my website and other social media pages.

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Soldiers Of A Wrong War

Catch up with Italian alt-rockers Soldiers Of A Wrong War and watch the video for their new single, "We Will Never Fall", from the band's forthcoming album.

What brought you all together?

There's one key word for this question and that key word is: Music. We were lucky to find each other and start this project cause it's 9 years now that we’ve played together; we love what we do and the sound that we developed through these years. It's never easy to find the right people when you have a specific project in mind in terms of sound and songwriting and we had the fortune to immediately feel a connection between us in terms of ideas, type of music that we listen to and willing to work hard in order to follow our vision. We see our band as a company, everybody has his role and we're working together to reach a common goal. We're not the kind of band who records a song and then waits for people to do stuff for them, we believe that if you really want to succeed, you have to stand up, plan everything and do the best that you can to get what you deserve. We think that hard work pays and we're working harder than ever.

Which musicians would you say you've been influenced by?

There are so many musicians that we could name and it'd become a never ending list of great artists. I think that if each of us could pick one name, we'd go with Metallica, Linkin Park, Foo Fighters and Deftones.

If you were to make a playlist to share with your fans, which three songs - from other artists - would you have to include?

This is a challenging question, cause there are so many songs that we'd like to recommend to all of you so now we have to find the top 3 and it's not gonna be easy cause this world is full of beautiful tracks that everyone should know. If we had to choose three, it'd be "Everlong" by Foo Fighters, "Every Breath You Take" by The Police and "D'You Know What I Mean?" by Oasis.

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

If you're looking for some fresh and sharp rock music that will jump into your ears to conquer your brain, freeze it in a moment of pure pleasure and give it back to you safely refreshed, then Soldiers Of A Wrong War is exactly what you need!

What were your inspirations behind your single and the video for "We Will Never Fall”?

We wrote this song thinking about how the world in which we live in is full of contradictions and no one seems to care about it, it seems that everyone is ok with the concept of truth that has been designed for us and most of us don't care to dig deeper, to inform themselves about what the real truth is because 99% of the time you never know the truth, you know 'a' truth. Don't be told what can or can't be done, question everything and always try to listen with the intent to understand, not with just the intent to replay.

Could you tell us more about your forthcoming album and how it will compare to your previous releases?

We finished the recordings of our new album some weeks ago and we're really satisfied with the outcome. This new LP is definitely gonna sound more mature but you'll always recognize the Soldiers Of A Wrong War imprint. Right now we are looking for a good label that could be interested in our project. We wanna have the chance to bring this album to as many people as possible so we're looking for a great label team that will be able to develop the release of this album with us. We really hope we'll have the chance to share all the new songs and this new album with the whole world as soon as possible.

What do you hope listeners and your fans are able to take away from your music?

We like to create a connection with our fans when it comes to writing our songs and most of all we like to write songs which can help people to feel better. Music isn't just a simple passion or a hobby for us, it is devotion and commitment, it's the chance to help people by giving them that one moment in which they feel free and safe by listening to one of our songs.

Is there anything you want to add?

Thanks for giving us some space on The Music Rag, really appreciate that. If anyone wants to know more about the band, just get in touch with us on our Facebook page. And don't forget to check out our brand new single and video "We Will Never Fall".

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Danielle Prou

Catch up with singer-songwriter Danielle Prou and watch the video for her new single, "The Healer", off her forthcoming EP.

What first got you interested in music and in songwriting?

Danielle Prou: I used to be an actress and I would do musical camps when I was a really little kid, maybe 6 or 7. At first I did plays and then I started to do musicals, so I had to get into singing - I was kind of forced because I didn't want to - but then that's how I got into thinking, 'oh, maybe I can actually sing,' and then it kind of took off from there.

Do you remember the very first song you ever wrote?

I used to have a best friend and she was my neighbor. When we were kids, we had big dreams of being pop stars like Hilary Duff or JoJo and those were the kind of people we were listening to together, so we started writing songs ourselves because, hey, maybe we could do it too! So we just wrote the worst, most disgusting songs you've ever heard. They were absolutely ridiculous but they did get me started in writing.

Which other musicians would you say you've been influenced by?

Well, on the other side - completely the other side - my dad was raising me on classic rock so I've always listened to that sort of stuff with him, and then I'd go to my friend's house and we'd listen to those very, [laughs] very Disney pop stars so I kind of had a taste of both worlds.  And, obviously, the musicianship and inspiration to write meaningful songs came from the classic rock side - not that Hilary Duff or JoJo and people like that weren't meaningful - but I definitely took a lot more inspiration from classic rock, it's just that we started writing songs because of those pop idols.

Which two songs would be at the top of your playlist now?

This band called Catfish and the Bottlemen that I just recently found have this song called "Soundcheck" and I really love that song; they're kind of an alternative band and I've been getting into alternative lately, so that one for sure. And then [laughs] I really like K-Pop, which surprised me but I really do, and there's a song called "Save Me" by a group called BTS; I think it's pretty recent and I kind of like it.. No, I do really like it [laughs].

Could you describe your own sound and how your current sound compares to your previous sound?

I think I'm still trying to figure out my sound. I listen to so many different genres of music and I pull different things from each genre because I'm not trying to label myself as anything - people want me to but I have no idea. If I'm listening to country recently, maybe my songs will sound more country; if I'm listening to rock, maybe my songs will sound more rock: it really depends on what I'm into at the moment and then I'll pull things from that kind of music and then that's what my music will sound like. I think that's different from when I started out because, when I started out, I was still in the pop princess mode, so for my first performance, I bought a really pretty party dress and inappropriately tall heels and I just was so ready to be 'pop star' and now I've sort of come into my own style; now when I go onstage, I have to beg my manager to let me wear my dirty, ugly sneakers, and my jeans, and my big, ugly T-shirts, because that's what I like. That's definitely changed, my style, specifically, in myself and in the songs that I choose. I actually used to let my coach and my dad be the ones who were picking my songs, and now I have a lot more freedom in picking the songs I wanna play, so I play a lot more songs that I really like and I think they embody my personally, so it's definitely changed, a lot.

What were your inspirations behind your new single and the video for "The Healer"?

I've been touring quite a few times and, as an introvert, I'm kind of strange because I don't mind performing - in fact, I love performing - and so I don't have stage fright, but those off the stage interactions with fans and the audience and other artists had me having heart attacks constantly and I was just a nervous wreck all the time and I was no fun to be around. I was in a heavy mood because I was just never happy and the music was being, not ruined, but the peace of music was being disturbed by the fact that I was having all this anxiety and that song came from that, this idea of "The Healer". It came after the fact, 'cause I was feeling better and I thought, maybe I could - not capitalize on my suffering - but maybe some good will come out of that curious time where I just wasn't feeling great, so I wrote that song and it's just about someone who's really struggling and they're trying to find someone else who will understand, but the only person who will understand is someone who's also struggling, so that's what "The Healer" is about. The video, I feel, is almost a direct embodiment of what the song is about.

Could you tell us more about your upcoming EP?

Yeah, definitely! So, so far for the EP, it's going to be five songs and I have three songs recorded; I have "The Healer", which came out as a single before but it's also going to be on the album; I recorded a cover of "You Make My Dreams Come True" by Hall & Oates but it's very dark, very slow, and I really like it; and then, the last one that I have so far is another original called "Humerus", spelled like the arm bone instead of the other word - I thought it was kind of dumb to do that and I kind of love it. That one's about being shy and how a shy person navigates their love life, which is, basically, they don't navigate it at all because they tend to get obsessed with people - this isn't me personally speaking - but they tend to like people and then they can never express those feelings, so you just sort of sit back on the sidelines feeling a love that you'll never ever have because you won't say anything, so that's called "Humerus".

Is there a track from that EP you're most excited to share with your fans?

I played "Humerus" for a couple of my friends and, actually, they really, really like it. They complained about the melodies - because there's a certain part that has a catchy melody - and they had it stuck in their heads all day for a couple days. I think that one people will really like and hopefully really relate to and it's not as dark as "The Healer"; it's sort of sarcastic, but it's still fun, so I think that will be a different kind of mood but still relatable and I hope people like it.

How would you sum up this EP in one sentence?

I'm still figuring it out. [Laughs] That would be the sentence that describes it, because none of the sounds are the same because, like I said, I'm taking different influences from different genres so, right now, I'm listening to lots of alternative, so this next original that I have to write - 'cause I need to write two more - this could sound completely different from the other two and people might be surprised but, you know, I'm still figuring it out so I'm not sure. I haven't quite landed on one sound that I consistently like and would want to keep repeating [laughs] so I'm still kind of exploring.

What do you hope your listeners are able to take away from your music?

I hope they're able to take away who I am. I guess it might sound cliché, but all the music that I make, even the covers that I do, they have a personal meaning to me; I don't just put out songs that are inane or empty, I put out songs with feelings and I put out my personal experiences - "The Healer" is from when I was really depressed, "Humerus" is about, basically, [laughs] the bachelor years and being unable to express romantic feelings - and it's just all parts of me, different sides of me, but still me, nonetheless. So, I hope people can understand, oh, this is a person putting their life into songs and sharing them.

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Olive Tiger

Catch up with folk-tronic trio Olive Tiger's lead vocalist/cellist/guitarist Olive and listen to their new single, "Dark", off their forthcoming debut album, Until My Body Breaks, due out later this Summer.

What brought you all together?

Olive: I had been writing songs for a while and I had a band previously when I was living in Tallahassee and then, when I moved back to Connecticut, I met the guys. Dane actually came to the first Olive Tiger show and our first drummer didn't work out [laughs] so he wound up becoming our drummer. Then, I met Jesse at an open mic night up here and, in the beginning, we had a whole bunch of people and I really wanted to operate my band like a jazz band; [laughs] I wanted to be able to just call people for gigs and have a variety of people jump on a show and just do a couple rehearsals leading up to each show, but it wound up being way more time than I anticipated. And, also, the music was getting more complicated and we were moving away from the whole folk/jazz sound and more into whatever it is we're doing now. Around that same time too, I wanted to start incorporating my cello and my loop pedal, so I really needed the detailed attention of a smaller group, which is when our band went down to being just me and Dane and Jesse.

Do you remember the first song you wrote that you were really happy with?

Yeah! There was this tune I wrote called "Atmosphere" that I remember finishing writing it and I was really frustrated with it for a really long time and then it finally came together and I remember just thinking, 'I think I would be okay with other people hearing this song. That's cool,' [laughs]. Yeah, then I just went from there. I got really excited, in general with writing music, just with the idea of being able to create something where something didn't exist before and to be able to create something beautiful and something that would bring people transcendence in a way is really what motivates me as a songwriter.

Which musicians would you say you've been influenced by?

There's a bunch of people I really admire. I think tUnE-yArDs is one of my most favorites [laughs] I love tUnE-yArDs. Radiohead also is a big influence for me. Joanna Newsom, I love her songwriting style and her harping and her combination of classical and folk has been really motivating to me. Andrew Bird's been a big influence, too. He did a record called, I Want To See Pulaski At Night, and it's mainly violin and loop pedal, but it's in a song format; I feel like a lot of musicians will use the loop pedal and it's really easy to get lost in the loop pedal [laughs] and I love when people use loop pedals in a structured song format and I love the way Bird does that with his violin. And, St. Vincent I think is also a huge influence for me, she's just incredible in every way [laughs].

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

A lot of times we like to use the phrase, electronically tinged indie orchestral folk rock something or other [laughs]. It's kind of orchestral and sometimes it's easier to talk about the instrumentation to describe what the sound is, so we have cello, guitar, violin, electronics and drums, and I'm hoping that we'll get a bass player soon. I think, overall and genre-wise, we combine folk, rock, electronic music.

What were your inspirations behind your new single, "Dark"?

"Dark" is about the, I like to call it, twinkly serendipity of the hours between 1 AM and 5 AM. I feel like there's something very special about those hours of the day when the whole world is just dark and quiet. Literally nothing is expected of you and nobody is expecting you to do anything between 1 and 5 AM [laughs] so it's a time when it's almost like an alternate reality and at those times I feel like my mind is in this state of a quiet riot where it's kind of subdued, but also just going a million miles a minute, and I feel like I'm able to create during those hours in a way that is kind of difficult to access during the day. But, it's also about what happens during those hours and the connections that you make and different serendipitous things that happen and I think people's minds are a little more open when we're up at those hours, whether it be from just very tired or just from the general state of it - I think people's minds expand to new possibilities and people are a little more open and there's a little more something that happens there. So, that song is about experiencing all of that and my deep love and appreciation for that frame of time each day. I'm not really awake for it [laughs], but when I can, it's very precious. It's also about that juxtaposition when you wake up in the morning and you have to resume your "normal life" and get done whatever it is you have to do to be an adult and that juxtaposition is really jarring and just creates that sense of 'eugh'. That duality is what created the song, essentially.

Could you tell us more about your upcoming debut album?

So the record is called Until My Body Breaks and it will be released in August at some point - the exact date is TBD - but probably mid-August. It has a lot of folk and rock origins as a baseline but then I do a lot of experimentation with new ways to use the cello and new ways to use my voice and vocal layering. There were a lot of influences for the record, definitely, again, a lot from tUnE-yArDs and St. Vincent, Andrew Bird, Joanna Newsom, Radiohead - those five are probably my biggest influences as far as sound goes for this record. I don't necessarily have any particular other band in mind while I'm writing but all of my experimentation so far as a songwriter has culminated in this record. I love how it was recorded and produced; we worked with a wonderful engineer/mixer/producer Eric Tate who now lives in Denver - he moved like a week after we finished recording so I'm kind of upset I can't use him for my next record - and he was just absolutely fantastic. I'm so happy with how the record came out and I just can't wait for everybody to hear it. It's kind of like this big amorphous thing.

The record's title, Until My Body Breaks, has multiple meanings, of course [laughs]. "Until My Body Breaks" is the title track and it was inspired by my grandparents' 60+ year relationship and my own struggle with whether or not I want that and the modern landscape of love these days is so complicated and so difficult to navigate, so it's sort of that struggle with searching for that and trying to reconcile these expectations of what's always been thought to be the best or most successful relationships, traditionally, those that last for 60 years versus all of the movement nowadays that's available to us; a lot of older people that have been in a relationship for ten years and are just as devoted as the people who've been together for 50 and I don't know that their lives are any worse for the wear; it's kind of hard to say but, that particular song was inspired by that. Also, just that phrase, until my body breaks; as a first record for me, it's kind of like a mission statement, that this is my purpose in life, this is what I love to do, and I will continue making music until my body gives out and I literally cannot physically do any more [laughs]. It's sort of like a mission statement for myself, as well.

Do you have a favorite song from this album?

I think my favorite song on the record might be the last one. I don't know if that's going to come out as a single or not; I doubt it will but, obviously, if the record keeps getting pushed back [laughs] maybe that's how we'll end up releasing it. The last song is this song called "Beyond The Gate", which is about an escapist fantasy of leaving everything behind and pursuing your dreams. In the song, it tells a story of people that are running away together and, specifically also, for me, in my mind, it's representative of the queer struggle and being able to be true to oneself and pursuing the people and the love that you really can have and not caving to pressures to be heteronormative and that whole journey, for me, is a big inspiration of that song; of being true to myself and, hopefully, other people can do the same. It's sort of this slightly sprawling, orchestral song and that one came out as my true favorite.

If you had to sum up the album in one sentence, how would you do that?

Oh man, you're asking a lot [laughs]. I might call it a quiet riot of sound. You could call it a quiet riot of strings and voices and drums.

What do you hope listeners are able to take away from your music?

I think my goal for all of my music is that, one of the reasons that I'm motivated to make music is because there's this sacred space that I feel when I'm listening to my favorite music and I think that space is so healing: when you're just so keyed into music that you really love, it gives you emotional strength to deal with whatever it is that's going on in your life. A lot of the record is meant to be - and it's hard because I write the songs for myself, so it's interesting to think about what I'm hoping for other people but ultimately, through that - that hope that the record and the music will bring people increased emotional energy for their life. I hope that people will be refreshed and will have a new energy after listening to it, ideally.

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