Kendra: We’ve all heard of and are used to singles being released before an album, but you all went with… chapters? New, interesting, and made me wonder – are you a band made up of big readers, or did you just want to try something completely out of left field for this record?

Rob Vicars: A lot of our music is inspired by certain books, or ideas we’ve found in books. But ‘A Hundred Shivers’ being split into chapters felt like a new way for us to write and release music with specific themes, to play more shows, to do merch closely aligned with those themes – ultimately it felt like we wanted to pack so much in it would warrant its own space – it’s own chapter – within the record. Obviously the shows and merch didn’t happen due to the pandemic but it was still an exciting way for us to get to talk about what we were creating more often.

Kendra: Do you each feel particularly close to one chapter over another?

Rob Vicars: Actually releasing throughout the pandemic I think brought us closer to each chapter as we had to spend so long with it. I know “Only Monsters” takes me right back to the start of everything, before the pandemic – “Murmurs” and the colours we used in Chapter Two sends me to summer 2020. It’s weird how music latches on to certain times in our lives, right.

Kendra: Was it decided early on which songs would make up each chapter?

Rob Vicars: We had an idea of how we wanted the whole thing to play out – and which songs were going to fit the themes of each chapter. But it meant we could keep it fluid, and if we found we had something else to do or say under the banner of one chapter or another, we could do that. It gave us that extra fire and buzz when it came to releasing something new.

Kendra: Chapter Four was the final one of the bunch with the last single being “A Fragile Thing.” This song reminded me of being in the midst of a local show at a familiar venue, sweating through every layer of clothes I had on, and feeling carefree. Are there any songs from any bands you like that make you feel that way?

Rob Vicars: Toward the end of 2019 I went to see A Day To Remember at House of Vans in Waterloo. It was rammed, and it’s an incredible venue. When they played “All Signs Point to Lauderdale”, it felt to me like the place erupted. It was SO hot, and I love that song so much, it just felt like a massive moment. It’d been a little while since I’d been to a show like that one.

Kendra: On the flip side, this song is about the fragile state of the mind…which, after the past couple of years we’ve had as a whole, has never been more apparent. Do you think our collective mental health can recover from the continuous chaos of this pandemic?

Rob Vicars: I imagine recovering entirely probably isn’t on the cards – not that we won’t overcome it and move on, but that the effects that that chaos has had on us will leave a lasting mark. I feel like it’s all been a stark reminder of just how important music and our community is, how little our government cares about us, and how fragile our world has become. Some good can come from it though – where we go next can be a positive thing if we can learn.

Kendra: Things aren’t perfect right now, but we’re in a somewhat better place today than we were a year ago. With that, live music is back and you’re taking advantage of that with some dates in November. Did you think touring was going to be obsolete even longer than it was?

Rob Vicars: It felt pretty often like we may never be allowed all in a room together again. Live music gets in your blood, and it’s a real thing to work through suddenly not being able to have that – not even being able to go to a show. There’s few things I can remember being as excited about as I think we all are about these November shows with Area 11.

Kendra: New album out at the end of November, dates before that – but what else can fans be on the lookout for from you all as we say goodbye to 2021 and hello to 2022?

Rob Vicars: We’ll be hitting the road as hard as we can next year – knocking on doors and causing chaos in the local car park if we have to! And we have plans for where we’ll go with releasing music after ‘A Hundred Shivers’, but we’re not quite ready to share that yet – for now we just can’t wait to put this record in peoples hands at last and play a rock show or ten.

The post Time to Bookmark Wars appeared first on ZO Magazine.

“I like every part of a gig and each moment can bring you the opportunity to take a great shot.” – Gorka Urraburu

Anyone who’s ever been to a concert is familiar with the gaggle of people strapped with cameras standing right against the stage. Photographers looking to be the one to capture the shot of the night within the confines of 15 or so minutes. Photographers like Gorka Urraburu. An electronics engineer by day, Gorka took his love of music and being behind the lens to create Blame Photography. We started with how the fusion of his passions came to be and ended with the exciting news of what’s to come.

Kendra: Before Blame Photography came to be, were you a photographer trying to figure out their favorite subject to shoot or were you a music fan trying to find footing in that realm?

Gorka: On the one hand, I’ve loved music since I can remember. When I was a child I had a half an hour trip to school by bus, and I was listening to music on most days during the whole trip, from cassettes on my Walkman (yes, I am that old), to CDs on my Discman, even Minidisk for some time, and later mp3. On the other hand, with time, I also started to like photography to keep and treasure the moments I enjoy when I travel when I spend time with my family or friends or even in my day to day.

So if you put both things together, it is easy to figure out how Blame Photography came to be. When I had the money and time, I started going to gigs and festivals and enjoying them a lot, so it wasn’t long before I brought my compact camera and started taking pictures of my favourite bands. More recently I began sharing my pictures and they were well received, so I started to be accredited for some festivals, which allows me to bring a better camera and to be closer to the bands.

Kendra: Now that you’re all in with music photography, what do you prefer…the intimacy of a small gig or the overwhelming chaos of a festival?

Gorka: That is a hard question. At a small gig, you can focus on fewer bands (the supporting and the main) and the main one usually brings a bigger setlist which gives you a little more time to find the perfect shot. But when it’s done it’s done, you go back home and that’s all.

The festivals are all frenzy. There is more than one stage and the bands usually overlap, so you have to plan it all wisely. I use to take a look at the schedule days before, choose the bands I wanted to see, the stage they are playing, and make my schedule for each day. You have to take into account that if you have to share content during the festival, then you also have to leave some time for it. And then you even have to eat and drink! As you can see, festivals mean a lot of work! But it also gives you more variety of content and the chance to know new bands, which as a fan is great.

That being said, answering your question, I would go with the festival unless the small gig is from one of my top bands. There are some more, but the first three that come to my mind are Kasabian, Franz Ferdinand, and Arctic Monkeys.

Photo Credit: Blame Photography; Kasabian, Warm UP Festival

Kendra: Does Spain have the same rule that photographers are only allowed out during the first three songs of the set? If so, do you ever get peeved if an artist pulls something out later in their set that would’ve made an amazing shot that you just couldn’t catch because your time out front was done?

Gorka: Yes, we have the same rule here in Spain, except for a few festivals which have their own photographers and they are more permissive with them. But normally yes, we are only allowed to take pictures during the first three songs or the first 10 minutes for DJ sets.

I have read it started in the ‘80s in New York, as a way to avoid bothering the band during the whole show and to make them look “perfect,” and it rapidly extended around the world. At the beginning of a show, the band comes from the backstage well dressed, hair done, wearing their sunglasses…then after the first songs, it all starts. They start to get all sweaty, lose some clothing, some of them jump to the crowd, and by that time you are normally out of the pit and far away from the first row, so yes, sometimes you get peeved. But that’s just how it is.

If I have the time between one band to another, when the three songs are done, I always try to get as close as possible through the crowd to try to get some more pictures. Sometimes the lighting on the stage looks great from afar, or you can keep taking nice shots if you bring a telephoto lens or even an ultrazoom camera.

You have to remember there are more photographers like you, so if you only take pictures for the first three songs from similar angles like everyone else and leave, you will end up with similar pictures to everyone’s else’s.

Kendra: Being a music photographer has to be one of the most dynamic aside from nature because you’re always in a new environment. Each concert is its entity. Yes, most crowds are similar but you just never know what they’ll do, how the stage will be. How do you prepare for the unexpected when you head out to shoot a show?

Gorka: It totally depends on the country, the area, and the season. I use to carry my “essentials” in a small backpack, but then you always have to add some extras. Summer festivals and gigs in Spain can be so exhausting, the weather is so hot so sunscreen is a must, and you have to constantly drink water to stay hydrated.

Another example, I recently went to Glasgow Summer Sessions, where the weather is different and the rain was expected, so instead of the sunscreen I added a cape, plastic for my camera and also a sweater, and I am so glad I did it! But then I knew nothing about how muddy can the ground turn with just a few rains. They added hay across the site, but by the time the festival finished, you could not see any of it and there were like three or four inches of mud. I almost lost a trainer!

And of course you have to prepare your photography equipment depending on how big is the place if it is open-air or not, and what your plans are. You cannot carry everything with you, and sometimes you have to make some decisions which you can regret later.

Photo Credit: Blame Photography; The Vaccines, Razzmatazz

Kendra: Are there any backdrops, stage setups, lighting designs you wish artists would drop because they don’t photograph well?

Gorka: Well, definitely the lighting can be your best ally but also your worst enemy as a music photographer. You have to always be ready to change rapidly the camera parameters or to have a couple of presets prepared because the lighting can change really quick. The blue and red lights are also quite tricky, but can also bring you a good opportunity to take a silhouette shot.

Normally the smoke is also a hassle, but again, you can take advantage of it and manage to take good shots. So no, I wouldn’t say I wish they drop this or that, it is all a matter of adapting to what you have.

Kendra: How do you feel Instagram has enhanced the world of photography from say a mere five years ago?

Gorka: As a social media based on pictures, it took photography to a whole new level. It doesn’t matter if you have the best equipment, a five-digit number of followers, or an amazing website with thousands of daily visits. You can make an account, share your work and reach a large number of people from all parts of the world. You can also be in touch with other photographers, share experiences and learn a lot from them. If not a game-changer, Instagram at least added some interesting features to it.

Kendra: Can you let us know what you have going on as we head deeper into 2019 and soon into 2020?

Gorka: I have some interesting news. I will be launching my website by the end of September. It will be of course a photography site showing my work, mostly pictures from festivals and gigs, but also my trips around the world. You will be able to visit it at blamephotography.com.

And even though the summer is almost over, there are a few more festivals to come. I will give you just a taste…I will be going to DCODE Festival in Madrid, and also to Granada Sound as an accredited photographer. There will be some more before 2020, and I am crossing my fingers that at least one will be in the UK, also accredited, but I cannot say more.

And about 2020, I am sure it will be a very exciting year!

Photo Credit: Blame Photography; Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes, Glasgow Summer Sessions

The post Blame Photography: The Adaptive Lens appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Kendra: What you said about watercolors is beautiful. How it taught you to embrace mistakes and go with the flow. Was that something you learned early on when you first got introduced to that medium?

Barbara: When you start to use watercolors you have to embrace the fact that the margin of corrections is very limited. Through the practice and study of this medium, I started to become more skilled and confident with the result that mistakes happen less often. It is a learning process. Let’s say that I do not get frustrated like before; I just think that of it as a learned lesson. But when I happened to pour a full bottle of acrylic ink over a painting, well, my reaction was a little less zen.

Kendra: When you think back to your childhood in the countryside, is there any memory in particular that stands out that you still draw from today when you paint?

Barbara: In the place where I was raised the nature is quite wild. The greens are very bright and the high hills are full of thick trees. Spring is an explosion of colors and smells from flowers. I was so lucky because it was a strong presence in my life. We were playing in fields and walking up the hills. I learned how to recognize trees, plants, and flowers because it was just part of our lives. What I celebrate in my paintings is this spiritual connection with nature that I had and continue to have.

Kendra: You deal a lot with flowers and beautiful, surreal floral pieces. If your style had to be compared to one flower, which would it be and why?

Barbara: I would think more of the hidden aspect of it. It would be closer to the soul of a flower, the energy that pushes it to grow. It would be a flower that can exist even if it does not exist, an imaginary one because everything is possible. For sure it would be a colorful one.

Kendra: There are also a number of mermaids swimming around your work. Do you have a longtime fascination with the mythical creature?

Barbara: It’s true, I love to paint mermaids! Most of the men from my maternal family worked on boats or a fisherman, and I ended up myself living on many small islands even though I was not born in one. So I always thought that sea and mermaid fascination came from a family maritime tradition.

I am also fascinated by the feminine nature of mermaids. My paintings have a strong feminine predominance and mermaids are part of it. They give me a sense of independence, power, and freedom. I like their elegance and their strong presence. It gives me joy to paint them and I am never tired to do so.

Kendra: Do you approach your regular pieces the same as when you take to rocks?

Barbara: The stones want to be more decorative while most of my paintings want to tell a story or transmit a feeling. To paint stones I use acrylic inks and acrylic paint, mainly white and blue and the subject is detailed but still simple. I paint stones when I finish a painting as it gives me a break from the overflow of emotions. It gives me time to prepare for the next one.

Kendra: What’s next for you and your art as we head deeper into 2019?

Barbara: With my kid growing older I’m starting to have more time to myself and this gives me the chance to get more inspiration, to create more, and start new projects. I definitely sit too much to paint or work on the computer, so I really need to walk more in nature and include my yoga practice daily. This is much needed to clear my mind and take the stress out and helps me to “feel” which is vital for me in order to find the inspiration. Also, I started a collaboration of a project that has to do with pregnancy and spirituality I am very excited about and hope it will be ready by the end of the year. I am also constantly working to expand my portfolio and offer more prints and cards of my original painting in my Etsy shop.

The post LovRichArtwork: Nature on Canvas appeared first on ZO Magazine.

If recent times have proved anything, it’s that you should never disregard a young person and what they’re capable of doing. Nuria Graham didn’t even know what life had planned for her when she was 16 and started making music that people twice her age wouldn’t be able to produce. Now she’s 21 and showcasing even more pristine abilities than before on her upcoming album, Does It Ring A Bell. Out March 30, we talked about Does It Ring A Bell, Joni Mitchell, commands and more.

Kendra: Processed pop is usually what happens when a 16-year-old drops an album. When you did, it was with style, grace, and maturity. What inspired you to elevate your sound so much so that it didn’t reflect something expected of a teen?

Nuria Graham: The funny thing is that when I started making music (and even now) I had nothing specific that inspired me but everything inspired me at the same time. I had no referents, and never thought I wanted to do this for a living. Now it seems so natural to me. I was into jazz, into soul, discovered John Martyn, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Kurt Vile, Karen Dalton, Caetano Veloso, all kinds of different and new music when I started making music as a living. It was a very big explosion in my head!

http://soundcloud.com/el-segell-del-primavera/smile-on-the-grass-nuria-graham-mixed-by-ruban-nielson

Kendra: Although you started out strong, did you notice any growth within yourself from a musical standpoint when it came to recording your upcoming release, Does It Ring a Bell?

Nuria Graham: Yes, as the years have passed I have gotten to know myself a bit more. My music’s completely connected to my personal life, so I think that it’s all about searching and trying to understand myself. That’s why I will never stop learning and searching.

Kendra: The new album starts with “It’s time to grow up, girl!” Is that more a demand to others or to yourself?

Nuria Graham: More than a demand to anyone, it’s more like a sarcastic comment to myself, after being so obsessed about age and about expectations and always being surrounded by older people. It’s also because I am very connected to the past, I feel like when I make songs it’s like a conversation between me from the past, the present, and the future me.

Kendra: When you find yourself penning songs like “Smile on the Grass” where are you typically, physically? Do you write whenever the idea comes or do you like to head off somewhere and have sessions?

Nuria Graham: I really don’t know how it happens. I had all these melodies inside my head since I was a kid. They just appear in unexpected moments. I remember well when the melody of “Smile a Grass” appeared into my head (because I have the sensation that I do not only create a melody, I think that it appears too, somehow). It was a summer day and I had to use my phone voice recorder to record the melody. I made the song in a few minutes when I had the guitar in my hands. By that time I was listening to Kate Bush a lot.

Kendra: You’re touring a lot between now and this summer. You have this very chill demeanor. Was there any performer that inspired how you take the stage?

Nuria Graham: Not really, but lately I’ve been very obsessed with Joni Mitchell. She has this unexplainable magic on stage. This presence. It’s natural and it’s magic. This is what I like about my favourite performers and writers. That when you see or hear or read them, you can know that it’s their nature, to be up on a stage performing or making sons. And Joni is one of them.

Kendra: Other than the new album and all that touring, is there anything else we can look forward to from you in the coming months?

Nuria Graham: I am already making new music. I don’t think I am going to be able to wait a lot to record. With that, we might have so new stuff recorded pretty soon. The thing I am really looking forward to now is playing a lot and doing as many gigs as possible with my band.

The post Nuria Graham Rings All The Bells appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Kendra: You’re not only inspired by musicians but other creatives like Dali and Woody Allen. How do these non-musicians inspire your sound?

Jon Tessier: As a creator, I find it important to seek inspiration in other artistic fields. Dali and Woody Allen are masters in their disciplines. Even though I’m in music, they are an enormous inspiration in regards to artistic process and work ethic. Sonically, I would say they influence my research (how to look for things, like which sounds to use and which vibe I’m going for), my musical inspiration essentially comes from my musical influences and personal experiences. I will say this, most of the time non-musicians inspire the songwriting, when I see a Dali painting or watch a Woody Allen movie, they ignite personal emotions that trigger themes and images for my songwriting. I quoted Dali and Woody Allen just as examples, there are other creatives outside of music that inspire me as well.

Kendra: Born in Brazil, but living in Spain…When you think of your day to day, your way of life where do you feel like you fit in better?

Jon: Even though I was born in Brazil, I left the country when I was two years old to live in Malaysia, a country I called home for 16 years. I’ve also lived in France and Canada. Now I live in Spain where I feel like I fit in better. I think feelings of “belonging” and “fitting in” usually have a deadline, I’m certain I will end up someplace else in a few years. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the countries I’ve lived in, I just like to change it up when I can.

Kendra: What made you want to go solo after being in bands for years?

Jon: I was always in bands growing up, going solo was simply an opportunity to try something different.

Jon Tessier’s Favorite Place in Spain: Es Vedra, Ibiza52 weeks of wanderlust, alternative rock, jon tessier, pop rock

Kendra: What’s the story behind your debut single?

Jon: The name of my debut single is called “Like The Sun”, it’s a pop rock ballad with an uplifting chorus, when I tracked it I got inspired by the idea of creating a “musical response” to the bossa nova song “Girl from Ipanema,” because when I was growing up it’s a song that I loved and was always around me.

Kendra: Lastly, what’s to come from you this year?

Jon: “Like The Sun” official video is in the works and I’m going to release more songs throughout the year.

The post Jon Tessier Shines “Like The Sun” appeared first on ZO Magazine.

“Unchain Me”

A self-proclaimed “kaleidoscope,” it’s hard for Paz to pinpoint where the influence from her sound and style exactly comes from. From listening to her mother’s vinyl collection that spanned from Glen Miller to Elvis, to “stealing” her sisters’ Beatles and Rolling Stones albums. All of their music played a part in developing her growth. As she got older and the ‘80s rolled around, she started to find herself emerged in movie soundtracks composed by John Barry, John Williams and Ennio Morricone. While she isn’t so big on the mainstream today, it was the concrete for her musical foundation back in the day. Then of course are her classical favorites — “I identify more with the music of Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms, Neoclassical, before 19th century, the depth, consistency and use of harmony, characteristic of them. But also I identify with Bach.” She notes that her teachers, like Rosa Maria Kucharski played a significant part in the artist she is today, as well as notable places in Madrid that breathe inspiration like the Royal Palace and Puerta de Alcala.

“Swinging with The Trees”

Music is Paz’s life, and she’s lucky enough and proud to say that it’s her day job; but she did have a moment in life when she picked up a law book. Like a lot of musicians, she recalls that no one wanted to hear about her goal to be an artist, but she took it upon herself to go after that dream and made it a reality after spending nights playing in bars and cafes, and saving up. Now her friends would call her a bit of a workaholic, but that’s not so bad when you love what you do, right? Not bad for the little girl who wanted to be a carpenter once upon a time. “The one thing I’ve always loved about music, is that it is truly universal – especially music that’s void of lyrics. The emotion stems from the fingertips of the artist and until I took music appreciation in college, I did not really grasp that.” On the universality of her music, Paz thinks, “No matter if the person who hears it is European, American or Asian, an elder or a child – They will be felt in this way, each one in their own way, with more or less intensity.”

Now the thing to love about Paz is that she’s a woman who works as hard as she can to get where she wants to be in life and if music wasn’t what she wanted to do anymore – well, she’d work just as hard at being a gardener or a vet, but for now it’s music and she’s spending 2016 promoting her latest album, NOW on the radio and live. Get tabs on Paz del Castillo to see where she’ll be playing next.

The post Paz del Castillo: Following the Ivory Brick Road appeared first on ZO Magazine.