Justin, Author at ReverbNation Blog

After releasing his highly anticipated album Cities & Schools and getting praised by the likes of Paste Magazine and The Big Takeover, singer-songwriter Jon Lindsay is hitting the road for a U.S. summer tour and European fall tour. Read on to get the inside scoop and find a tour date near you.

Following the release of his album Cities & Schools, Jon Lindsay has been releasing a slew of music videos that we can’t get enough of. “Little Queen Drum Machine” just premiered on Paste and its captivating visuals is Lindsay at his best. Paste was also the first to share Cities & Schools and describe the LP as, “a powerful collection of finely crafted pop that has garnered considerable praise for Lindsay.” We couldn’t agree more.

Justin July 18, 2016 Artists General

Life on the Road: The Bergamot

Brooklyn-based indie rock duo The Bergamot have been driving around the U.S. in their Volvo on their 48-state “Unity Tour.” The husband and wife band took a break from their amazing journey to share their top touring tips, update us on the tour so far, and more.

What are your tips for touring musicians?

Touring… The final frontier. The only frontier. You know how you can turn the lights off in a room and for the first couple seconds of walking around you can remember where everything is and how to navigate. Then, after about 60 seconds, you slowly start to loose orientation and your memory becomes a little foggy. Then you just put your hands out and move your feet slow as to find your way. Finally, you hit into something and then it triggers your memory into where you might be. You just keep going and slowly the room reveals itself to you. That is the closest comparison I have ever had to life on the road. You can loose your sense of center and you completely become submersed in the moment and that is the guiding direction. It can be scary, but after a while you can get the hang of it. It can be frustrating when you are working hard to develop you career and others want to know how you are doing. But the truth is if you are still touring and performing you are still making it all work for you. It is just that simple.

Justin July 14, 2016 Career Management

How fast will you fall for OTON’s “Slow?”

What's the last song you obsessed over? Our guest blogger Olivia, the powerhouse behind Wolvereen and who is spending the summer discovering new music with us, can't get enough of newcomers OTON. With a trip-hop sound of the late-90's paired with hip-hop beats and airy vocals, you're going to have them on repeat.

So many amazing things come out of Belgium; waffles, chocolate, and slightly less cliche but equally as awesome, OTON. This Brussels-based duo is known for their modern day take on the classic late 90’s jazzy trip-hop. It’s a decadent mix of smooth synths aided by lead singer Sasha Vovk and her rhythmic riffs on guitar.

Justin July 11, 2016 Artists

Artist You Should Know: Secret Weapons

After gaining attention from the likes of Billboard and PopMatters with their anthemic single “Something New,” pop duo Secret Weapons just released their debut EP ‘SW.’ With an infectious sound and feel-good vibe, you’ll have Secret Weapons on repeat in no time.

Hey guys, thanks for taking time out your busy schedule to chat with us! Let’s start with a little introduction. Who is Secret Weapons?
Secret Weapons is Gerry Lange and Danny Rocco from Brooklyn, New York.

We’re kind of obsessed with your recently released debut EP ‘SW’ — tell us about the making. What is it that you want your listeners to get from it.
The EP was a crazy experience. We spent two months recording in a warehouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn. We were totally isolated from the rest of the city, out on a pier jutting into the harbor. We recorded a ton of music, and had a hard time pairing it all down to a single EP. I think in the few days before we turned it in we were still adding new songs that were only a few days old.

Justin July 7, 2016 Artists General

Gear Talk: We Are Temporary

Fresh off a tour in Germany, Mark Roberts of the electronic-goth project We Are Temporary, chatted with us about his new record deal with Trisol, the equipment he can’t live without, sound-pairing, and more.

How did you first get involved as a producer and what elements drew you in?
My mom was an opera singer and my dad a classically trained organist, so I fell into music pretty early. My first attempts at production probably occurred around the time I was 14. By then, I had been playing guitar for a few years, got my first synth around 12, and had fallen head over heals in love with computers—Amiga 500, early 386 PCs, amber screens, MS DOS, etc.

Around 1992, my world was turned upside down when Steinberg’s Cubase came out on Windows 3.0 and I discovered the world of MIDI. Computers, of course, still couldn’t record audio back then, and so, after pestering my Mom for months on end, she finally got me a 4-track Tascam Portastudio for Christmas, with me combining elementary midi-programed drums and synths with some very rudimentary guitar power chords and pubescent vocals. The results were almost certainly awful, haha, but the damage was done and I was having the time of my life! 23 years and a handful of technology innovations later, I’m basically still doing the same thing, still having the time of my life 🙂

Justin July 6, 2016 Career Management Gear Talk

Artist Session: The Eiffels

The Eiffels recently finished recording their sophomore EP and they shared their first single, “You Got Me,” on Free Bike Valet. We chatted with singer Sean Ulbs about the band's signature '80s synth pop sound, what it’s like to land a synch placement, and more.

Hey, guy’s what’s good?! Tell us a little bit about The Eifflels. How did you guys meet?
Sean: Hey RN! We started The Eiffels early 2015. Lee and I met while out in Silver Lake and started playing music together soon after. Jade and I had mutual friends and he joined the band just before we left for tour.

You recently landed a synch placement on UK reality show The Only Way Is Essex through CONNECT Songs. What was it like to hear your song “City All Night” on the show?
Sean: It was a thrill. It’s exciting to see our music get that kind of recognition. We really appreciate the support from CONNECT Songs, and The Only Way Is Essex.

Justin July 5, 2016 General

Artist You Should Know: Henry Hall

If Henry Hall isn’t on your radar, he will be after you read this interview. We’ve been obsessing over his captivating vocal style for quite some time, and this week he dropped his much-anticipated “Introduction EP.” Read on to get to know Henry, learn about what it was like to collaborate with Ellis on his new EP, and more.

Henry, what up? Stoked to chat with you! Let’s start with a little introduction to Henry Hall.
Hey! Not much! Stoked to chat with you too! I had a turkey sandwich for lunch!

Your music has been featured in a few of Casey Neistat’s short films, which have garnered millions on millions of views. How did you get involved with the filmmaker and social media guru?
A good friend of mine and co-director of my new music video for my song “Frenemy (Just Be Nice)”, Jack Coyne, has been working for Casey for years and showed him some of my music way back. I went to Casey’s studio and we hit it off– we high-fived and everything. Pretty soon thereafter, I wrote the song “Talk” for his video “A Love Story 8 Years in the Making” and from then on, we’ve just been collaborating as much as possible! Casey is the best.

Justin June 30, 2016 Artists General

Meet the Artists Playing Summerfest Vol. 4

Summerfest, “The World’s Largest Music Festival,” is taking over Milwaukee, WI June 29 - July 10, and as the official submission platform we’re excited to share over 30 ReverbNation artists are on the bill. Get to know the artists below!

Celeste Buckingham

My Gold Mask
Electro-pop duo My Gold Mask are bringing their daring jams to Summerfest this year. The duo has been featured in Paste Magazine, NYLON, and Wild Magazine.
Set Time: 7/5 @ 4:15 PM, Johnson Control World Soundstage

Thaddeus Anna Greene
The soulful rockers of Thaddeus Anna Greene are some of our favorite live performers. The FADER-approved band will be closing out the Emerging Artists Series on July 9th.
Set Time: 7/9 @ 6:45 PM, Johnson Control World Soundstage

AJ Smith
AJ Smith is an award-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He gave TEDx talk a few years back, and it’s pretty neat.
Set Time: 7/8 @ 4:15 PM, Johnson Controls World Soundstage

Charles Love
Smooth jazz instrumentalist Charles Love will kick off the show on July 8th at the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard, where Phil Vassar will be headlining.
Set Time: 7/8 @ 12:00 PM, Briggs and Stratton Big Backyard

Stolen Rhodes
Americana rock band Stolen Rhodes hits the road often to play shows all over the country. They count Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jackyl, and Blackberry Smoke amongst the acts with whom they’ve shared the stage.
Set Time: 7/7 @ 5:00 PM, Uline Warehouse with Miller Lite

The Brevet

Chip Greene
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Chip Greene weaves wistful tales of love and loss in his music. His poppy music can be heard on MTV, and in ads for Sprite, Delta Airlines, Eddie Bauer and more.
Set Time: 7/7 @ 3:00 PM,

The Brevet
The men of The Brevet combine Americana rock, emotional lyrics and sweeping melodies, and the final product is epic. Their live show won’t disappoint.
Set Time: 7/8 @ 3:00 PM, Johnson Controls World Soundstage

Celeste Buckingham
Soulful pop songstress Celeste Buckingham has impressed the likes of Billboard and Cosmo. Her dramatic, bouncy anthems have garnered huge success on Europe’s pop charts, and now she’s poised to take America by storm.
Set Time: 7/7 @ 5:30 PM, Johnson Controls World Soundstage

Shah Jahan
Psych-pop band Shah Jahan has been featured in The Deli Magazine, Chicago Mixtape, and No Country For New Nashville. This gaggle of gentlemen draw their influences from Indian sitar and cymbal music, which makes for seriously dreamy music.
Set Time: 7/8 @ 1:45 PM, Johnson Controls World Soundstage

Midnight Mob
These powerhouse rockers have staked their claim at the intersection of punk, metal, blues, and soul. New Noise Magazine, Music Junkie Press and many more have sung their praises, and they’re sure to impress at the Harley Davidson Stage next week.
Set Time: 7/9 @ 6:30 PM, Harley Davidson Roadhouse

Circleswitch
This band of dudes are masters of melody-driven hard rock. Circleswitch’s music is equal parts old school and cutting edge.
Set Time: 7/9 @ 4:00 PM, Harley Davidson Roadhouse

Eagle Trace
This Milwaukee-based band of brothers combine nostalgic rock vibes with bold bouncy beats. They’ve shared the stage with Kopecky and Wildcat! Wildcat!, to name a few.
Set Time: 7/5 @1:45PM, Johnson Controls World Soundstage

Hank & Cupcakes
This indie-pop outfit has gotten the stamp of approval on funky fresh vibes from Paste Magazine, MTV and more. They’re no strangers to the festival circuit — they’ve played Summerfest, Voodoo Fest and Backwoods, to name a few.
Set Time: 7/9 @ 6:30 PM, Uline Warehouse with Miller Lite

Justin June 29, 2016 Opportunities

Kevin

On Tour: Jon Lindsay