Driven Far Off

The latest on the indie, alternative, and rock music scene including news, music, contest, interviews, and more. Best described as your favorite place to find new bands.

Madina Lake Interview- May 7, 2009

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madina_lake013Can you please introduce yourself and your role in Madina Lake?

Matthew and me plays bass.

How did the band come together?

We met in Chicago where we had previous bands who were competing for the attention of our then manager. Neither of us were satisfied musically so when we met, we bonded instantly over this and other ideas of what a musical situation could be. we decided to break up the old bands and make ML under these guiding principles.

Your new album is coming on May 5, 2009. How is this album different from your previous work?

This record is devoid of genre.  It’s more of who we are.  The last record was a little too pop-punk, this one is more alternative, and each song manages to be cohesive, while being completely different from one another.

How do you feel about the new album?

What are you most proud of and why?  We feel more satisfied and fulfilled with this record than we could have ever imagined.  We played at the edge of our abilities and we were fearless with every decision.  we tuned out the outside world and dove deep into whatever direction we felt like going, which even found us using a trumpet on one song lol.

How is the current tour going?

What other touring plans do you have for this year?  We are in the UK doing a headlining run with our friends the “audition”  it is dangerously fun and we are loving life.  after this we will do a run of USA dates, some festivals including Rockam Ring Rockam Park in germany and then spend all summer on warped.

What are some of your musical influences and why?

we were big fans of fleetwood mac, paul simon, NIN, smashing pumpkins.  we like the idea of big pop choruses and electronic verses with thick grooves and lots of space.

How did you guys get started playing music?

nathan and i went to see a show at the metro in chicago when we were kids.  it was a band called Hum and Silverchair  The second we walked in the outside world melted away and we were absorbed into this imaginary universe of like minded people.  we thought immediately, we have to do this.

So, do you have any interesting and/or funny stories to share from the road?

I was beyond thirsty the other night in the van around 3am and this beautiful bottle of evian water bumbed up against my foot.  i reached down unscrewed the cap and even squeezed the bottle as to get more of this delicious stuff into my mouth…only to discover seconds later that it was not so refreshing, it was nathan’s urine.

What direction would you like to see Madina Lake pursue?

I would love to go the way of Muse or Kings of Leon…bands that have nice long healthy careers while retaining their artistic vision and integrity and dodging the flash in the pan scenerio that some trendsters fall into.

Any last words for our readers at For The Sound?

Thanks for the opportunity,  we hope you enjoy us, but if not, godspeed and best of luck in your personal musical pursuit.

Make Music With John Nolan

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John Nolan (Straylight Run, Ex-Taking Back Sunday) is looking for people to make some music with.

Recently I’ve been trying to think of ways to bridge the gap between myself and the people who listen to my music. I’ve had a few ideas of how to do this, but there’s one that just occurred to me that I’d like to present to you: Let’s try to make some music together. Currently I’m in the process of preparing my solo album for release. While I’m doing that I’m not really spending much time actually making music, so I thought it might be cool for any of you who write and play music to send me some mp3s of instrumental pieces that I could put lyrics, melodies and maybe additional instrumentation to. I thought this could be an interesting and fun experiment for all of us. Even if you just have one part or an idea for a song, send it along. If any of you are into this idea send mp3s to [email protected]. I’ll see what strikes me as inspiring and I’ll choose a few songs to work on and see what happens. Any thing that comes from this will just be put up on my myspace for people to listen to and I’ll credit anyone who’s music I use however they’d like to be credited. I won’t be trying to sell this or make it a business venture of any kind. This will purely be an experiment in what kind of music we can put together. Let’s see what happens!

Emery Post New Song; Album Pre-Order

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Emery have put up a new song called “Piggy Back Lies” on their MySpace page! The song is off their upcoming album …In Shallow Seas We Sail which is currently available for pre-order at the Tooth & Nail Store bundled with a T-shirt, Interpunk with a limited edition 7″ vinyl picture disc, and Smartpunk with an autographed booklet. ...In Shallow Seas We Sail will be in stores and online June 2nd!

Emery

Mandy K – Mandy K

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300

Artist: Mandy K
Album: Mandy K 
Label: Unsigned
Purchase: Mandy K Webstore
Release Date: April 14th, 2009

Overall: 8.0
Music: 8.5
Lyrics: 8.0
Production: 8.0

“I’ve got my mind set/and i’ve been preparing” are the first lines to ring out on Mandy K’s latest self-titled EP, and no lines are more appropriate for the rest of the EP to be influenced by. With an album already under their belt, Mandy K have a lot to work with already in the way of re-working old songs, as well as introducing new ones for fans of the band. Their self-titled EP is a good mix of both that will introduce new fans to Mandy K and have them hooked at first listen.

The opening track “Plans” is bursting at the seams with hope and promise for the rest of the EP, as hints of bands like Motion City Soundtrack are ever present in the form of synths (most notably in the intro). Coupled with hook-filled lyrics and an enjoyable melody, “Plans” is a great start to this EP.

A common trend amongst most EP’s being released is the token “acoustic song” that showcases the heartwarming sentiments of said band, and how well they can wield an acoustic guitar. Mandy K does not escape this generalization with the song “Sunflower”. While on their previous album, they re-created it with higher production value for this EP, and the result is nothing short of charming and heart-warming (The chorus of “I Love You’s” helps a great deal). This song proves to be a step above most other acoustic songs as it retains a youthful and summery vibe that makes it an enjoyable listen (the full band ending helps boost the energy and sing-a-long quality of the song).

The rest of the EP showcases Mandy K’s ability to create all different kinds of definitions for the word “catchy”. The piano intro to “Come Back To Bed” adds a classic feel to it that is necessary to allow the track to stand on its own. “Are You From Tennessee? Cause You’re the Only Ten I See” shows the bands ability to let loose a little more and “rock out”. Another dimension to the EP is the “singer-scorned” effect of “Save Your Excuses”, which shows their ability to take their lyricism a bit more cynically to get back at someone, while still making it as catchy as possible.

Mandy K are obviously a band that have accomplished a fair amount in their time together, and as this EP as evidence shall remain on people’s radars as a band about ready to break through to people in a big way.