One time Chet from The Real World: Brooklyn interviewed Punchline for Friends Or Enemies—awkwardly.
Australia’s own Kill Your Scene interviewed Will Smith from Barely Blind and asked about the band’s beginning, present, and future. I wish there was an audio version with those accents! Read the full article here.
StarPulse.com interviewed Steve Soboslai from Punchline and talked about a few topics including their new EP, So Nice To Meet You, and why they started their own record label.
Pure Volume posted a Q&A with Punchline and discussed their new EP, So Nice To Meet You, and ask where they get their inspiration from after being a band for 15 years. Read the article here and download “Universe” for free on their artist profile page!
I did an interview with That Girl Interviews awhile back and talk about starting TDR Records and more. Read it below!
Name: Michael Hollins
Age: 26
Organization Name: TDR Records, LLC
Age/Date you started TDR Records: I officially started TDR in June of 2005 when I was 20 years old.
Where did you get the idea for TDR Records? One of the first reasons I started TDR was to release my band’s music. I had also been following Drive-Thru Records and Fueled By Ramen Records for a few years and was so intrigued by how they began, promoted, and released music—I wanted in the music industry!
What about a band makes you want to sign them? I have to like their music, obviously. If I don’t believe in every song, lyric, or message, it’s not going to happen. I also want to make sure I get along with everyone in the group and if possible, they get along with my other bands. It’s a cliché, but TDR is definitely a family of musicians. They’ve all toured together, helped write and produced some of each other’s songs, and also hang out outside of the music industry. I want to have a healthy mix of a personal and business relationship with each band.
Did you ever want to give up when times were tough? There’s never been a point where I just wanted to quit, that’s not how I do things. When things are going well, and especially during tough times, I put in 100% to make the best of each situation.
What is your musical guilty pleasure? Anyone who knows me understands I will be a pop/punk music lover for life. I had to look on my iTunes for this, but I do have albums by Ashley Parker Angel, Cheyenne Kimball, and John Mayer.
Do you play any instruments? I’ve been playing drums since I was 13. Not so much recently though. But I did fill in for Set It Off last summer on the “Friends Or Enemies” tour with Barely Blind and With The Punches. My first show in five years was in Canada—crazy!
If you could sign any band/group which one would it be? That’s easy. New Found Glory or The Starting Line. Aside from Green Day, they are two of my favorite bands for so many reasons and have never released a bad song. I was interested in signing Treaty Of Paris, New Years Day, and Move Out West at one time though.
What do you most like to do on a day off? A day off? I’m not sure what that is exactly. I’m always brainstorming ideas and promoting my bands in some form. It doesn’t feel like work to me at all. I’m very lucky to be in the position I’m in and hope to do it for a long, long time.
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be an astronaut, FBI agent (like Fox Mulder), and in the shipping/receiving industry.
What are 3 words your friends would us to describe you? Hollins. Robot. Hard-working.
Do you have any words of wisdom to pass on to those that want to follow in your footsteps? Whether it’s in the music industry or somewhere completely different, don’t be afraid to follow your dreams. I don’t ever want to say later in life, “I wish I had done that.” Do it!
Barely Blind are one of our featured unsigned bands of 2011 and a band on the cusp of greater things. We recently had the chance to ask Reid Guidry (bass) a couple questions on the band’s relationship with TDR Records, their recent move to California, and their new album, Wilder Child Of A Thousand Suns which can be downloaded for free here. Check out what he had to say below!
For the record, will you state your name & role in the band?
Reid Guidry - Formerly guitarist, but recently switched to bass.
You guys choose to release “Wilder Child Of A Thousand Suns” on your own and for free. How did that work out for you and would you recommend that to other bands?
In the state that the music industry is in today we felt like paying for our own album and releasing it on our website for free was a much better option for us. Rather than seek a label to put out the material and sale to our fan base, we decided to give the music to the people who enjoy what we do and let them spread it around and encourage people to get into it.
The album (which is amazing) definitely takes on a more carefully constructed tone compared to “My Life As A Giant” which was packed with energy from start to finish. What’s the main difference between how you went into creating the album compared to earlier releases?
When we wrote “Wilder Child of a Thousand Suns” we definitely were trying to put ourselves outside the box. We wanted to capture a unique sound and I think we did that. It’s a wild ride if you listen to the new album from front to back. We definitely put a good solid year writing parts and ideas for our new album. Some songs like “The Great White Buffalo” we spent years working on. I remember playing that song on tour over a year before we recorded it. Another difference is we spent a total of 9 days straight recording WCOATS, only stopping to sleep and eat, which consists of 10 songs, whereas with “My Life With a Giant” we spent over 2 weeks recording 7 songs.
Which song off the new album means the most to your personally?
My personal favorite is track 5 “Wilder Child”
How would you describe your relationship with TDR Records?
Our relationship with TDR Records and owner Mike Hollins is and will always be very amicable. Mike loves music just as much as we do and he was one of the first people to not only believe in us, but invest in us. We’ve spent many days in the van with him, sleeping on floors, and eating his mom’s famous mostacholi. He will always be respected and viewed as a true friend.
You guys made a pretty big decision as a band and moved from Texas to Los Angeles, CA. What prompted you to take that leap and how has it been working out for you so far?
After touring for about 3 years and putting out a few EP’s we knew we were approaching the next chapter of Barely Blind. We wanted to record a new album, but we also wanted to try something completely new and fresh. In December of 2010 we were in Los Angeles, performing at NACA West, and while we were in the city we all decided that we wanted to live here. As we trekked back to Texas after the convention, we began planning how we would make this dream come true. 9 months later we released our album for free and moved out here.
What are your goals and aspirations for the rest of this year and 2012?
As for the rest of the year we plan to announce a project that will lead us in to 2012. It too is also something we’ve never done before, so i’m excited to see how it will pan out. We can’t wait to use some of the resources that we are now surrounded in. Living in a city like this with all the ideas we have floating around makes the band feel so new and fresh. It’s a great feeling.
What has been your favorite album of 2011 so far?
Honestly i’d be lying if I told you I had a favorite, but i’d say the ones that got my attention where: Foo Fighters - Wasting Light, Yuck - self titled, Jay-Z and Kanye West - Watch The Throne, Lil Wayne - Carter IV
Thanks for your time! Any exciting news for fans to watch out for?
Like I said earlier, we’re going to be announcing our next project very soon. Big thanks to everyone who has supported us over the years!
-Interviewed By Briana
Will Smith from Barely Blind wrote an article for Naked Magazine called “When The Seasons Change” and discusses being on tour during the holidays. Read it here.
Northeast Ohio Rock Scene recently spoke with Bobby from The Promise Hero and asked about what’s next for him and the band. Read the full interview below.
The Promise Heroo is one of the Cleveland area’s known pop/punk acts. You may run into frontman, Bobby Vaughn, at a lot of shows in the Cleveland/Akron area. When The Promise Hero is not playing a show, Bobby is out promoting The Promise Hero as much as he can. I had a chance to catch up with Bobby and ask him a few questions.
When and how did The Promise Hero come together?
“Daniel Weiss and I were in bands together throughout high school and finally formed The Promise Hero in 2005, my senior year.”
What bands/artists would you consider some of your influences?
“I would say Blink 182, Saves The Day and the Beatles have always been an influence from the start.”
What is your favorite venue in the Cleveland/Akron area to play at and why?
“I really enjoy playing at The Grog Shop for it’s good location, friendly staff and a lot of my favorite shows have been put on there.”
Who are some of your favorite local bands from the Cleveland/Akron area?
“Smokescreen, My Mouth Is The Speaker, Yelloh, Call It Fiction, Into The Crowd, Runaway Brother and anything Daniel Weiss and Jeff Dilorenzo record.”
What does The Promise Hero have planned for the rest of 2011? What about 2012?
“I’ve been recording demos for a new album over the past couple years. I just plan to keep working on songs and finding some friends to help write and record it!”
Click here to check out The Promise Hero on Facebook.
Did you miss Barely Blind’s interview on SURadio? Will talks about the release of their new album Wilder Child of a Thousand Suns, moving to Los Angeles, and more! Listen to it here.
Download their new record for free at barelyblind.com and pre-order the limited edition vinyl in our store.
Chris Fafalios from Punchline was recently interviewed by Geekscape.net and talks about recording their new album and the music industry in general. Watch it here.
