A Day in the Life of…
A Day in the Life of…Uffie & Miss Madeline
What happens when two pop stars get together? “I was geeked af. Everyone who knows me knows how obsessed I am with Uffie,” Miss Madeline says of their fall face-to-face at Uffie’s house. “She texted me asking for my drink of choice…I will save this screenshot forever.” They bonded over Moscow Mules, chatting about all things music and even shared some unreleased tracks. And yes, they talked about boys. “A perfect evening if you ask me,” Miss Madeline adds. “I really loved her nonchalance and don’t-give-a-fuck confidence, and had fun chatting about being women in the industry and past lovers,” Uffie says. Miss Madeline’s first EP Polo Perkswas released on December 7. “It’s been really exciting creating a cohesive collection/body of work….and rewarding!” she says, describing her sound as “pr...
A Day in the Life of…Josh Scogin of ’68
Commonly categorized as noise rock, ’68 founder Josh Scogin resists labeling the band’s style. “But we do have a bumper sticker that says it’s ‘Rock and Roll with a kick in the pants,’” he tells me. By “we” he means himself and drummer Nikko Yamada. Though they are small, they are mighty: loud and intense, with a definite confluence of influences—punk, blues, surfer rock—that give ’68 their signature style. Named for his late father’s ’68 Camaro — “that car brought a lot of joy to him and also to me…”—the band is proudly influenced by its Atlanta, Georgia roots. “Our environment has a huge impact on our music,” Scogin says. “Atlanta is such a musically busy city, I was able to go to shows every single weekend when I was in middle school and high school. I got to see every band I ever wante...
A Day in the Life of…Katelyn Tarver
“Growing up, I put on countless shows in the living room for my family, I did dance recitals, I sang solos at church and at our small-town festivals…” LA-based, Georgia-raised Katelyn Tarver tells us. “I was a shy kid but something would click in me when I got on a stage. I was always drawn to it. Even to this day I almost always tear up at the beginning of a concert. That moment when the lights go down, the crowd cheers, there’s this collective excitement for what we’re all about to experience…so magical to me, and the idea that I get to be a part of that in any way as my career makes me feel like the luckiest person alive.” Her new album Subject To Change, released in November, is an exquisite showcase of her pull-at-your-heartstrings lyrical and vocal prowess. “It usually starts with a ...
A Day in the Life of…Spencer Morphy of The Velveteins
“At the time I was really into ‘60s bands, and thought ‘Velveteins’ kinda sounded like one,” explains lead singer/guitarist Spencer Morphy. He and drummer Addison Hiller met around six years ago “most likely at the venue Wunderbar” in their native Edmonton, Canada. True to their name, they create easy, groovy which Spencer classifies as “very chill indie rock”. It’s earned them millions of streams and an ever-growing global fan base. Inspired by touring, and feeling “kinda crazy and overtired”, Spencer created a home studio in his bedroom, flipping the bed against the wall to accommodate Addison’s drum kit. “I had this old 4 track TEAC tape machine with a matching board from an old friend and went into experimentation mode,” he says. “Addison would then come over and we’d sift throug...
A Day in the Life of…Casper Skulls
Once upon a time, over a decade ago, guitarist Neil Bednisand singer Melanie St-Pierre met in their hometown of Sudbury, Ontario. Years went by and they wanted to start a band, so they put out an ad, and formed Casper Skulls in 2015. Melanie explains how they got their name: “The name is a reference from Richard Hell’s book I Dreamed I Was A Very Clean Tramp, in which Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell would sign their poems Caspar Skull.” After moving to Toronto, they drew inspiration from the city’s diverse musical landscape. “Being around people doing so many different things inevitably influences the music we all make,” Melanie says. With bassist Fraser McClean and drummer Aurora Bangarth, they all make beautiful alternative music. Their newest album Knows No Kindness is a continuation of t...
A Day in the Life of…Ariana and the Rose
“Songs you can dance, sweat and cry to,” is how Ariana and the Rose describes her music. We’d like to add: bold, brave and heartfelt. And, fair warning, be ready to dance, because her music will make you move. “I create music with a lot of synths and electronic beats, but a lot of music originates at the piano, so the melodies and lyrics come from a more singer/songwriter place,” she says, noting synth-pop influences Robyn and Goldfrapp. “I’m a sucker for a lush synth and really good storytelling, so I always aim to have both happening in my own music.” With such hits as “You Were Never My Boyfriend,” “Love You Lately,” and the LOGO-approved pride anthem “True Love”, she’s become known for bringing the party wherever she goes, including an intergalactic immersive art party in Brooklyn, whe...
A Day in the Life of…Rony Seikaly
Rony Seikaly credits his teen years in Greece for his lifelong love of house music. “Greece is where I acquired a taste for house music as the evolution of disco,” he says. Though he’d been DJing since he was 14, he didn’t consider it a career back then. After a celebrated college career playing basketball at Syracuse University, he was drafted by the NBA at 23, first playing for the Miami Heat and then for the Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic, New Jersey Nets, and FC Barcelona, before retiring to focus on music. “It’s been a very interesting transition,” he says, of leaving professional basketball for music, noting their exact opposite lifestyles. “Definitely not easy.” Rony channeled his rock-solid work ethic and passion for music into a reputation as one of the most sought-after DJs...
A Day in the Life of…Wrabel
“It was pretty immediate for me…” says singer-songwriter Wrabel, of when he knew he wanted a career in music, having started playing piano and writing songs in his late teens. “Once I started writing, I knew this is what I wanted to do forever.” Along with Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, he notes his Great Uncle Carl as one of his earliest influences: “My Great Uncle Carl had an incredible voice. He truly could’ve been up there with them, but never followed singing as a career path. He recorded songs as a hobby and shared them with friends and family, so I still to this day have hundreds of his songs on a hard drive. We’d listen to him every morning on the way to school.” With a long collaborative resume that includes Kesha, P!nk, Marshmello, and Backstreet Boys, Wrabel released his long-a...
A Day in the Life of…Neal Francis
Neal Francis has been playing the piano for as long as he can remember and always dreamed of becoming a musician. “Our first piano was in the dining room. I loved to perform for my family or anyone who would stand and watch,” he says. “My mom and dad had a huge influence on my taste. They both love music and it was playing in our house at all times.” His long-awaited sophomore album, In Plain Sight, proves to be one of the year’s best releases, with the singer/songwriter’s unique musical genre-blend inarguably addictive. In his own words, his sound is eclectic: “Soul, R&B, funk, rock, disco, psychedelia, classical: All of those in a mix. I usually tell people it’s rock ‘n roll. Glide funk.” A mesmerizing performer, he’s having such a good time, you almost overlook he’s a virtuoso on th...
Day in the Life of…TRISHES
“I grew up in Trinidad around my whole extended family, lots of aunts and uncles and cousins,” says singer-songwriter TRISHES. “I was always singing, always performing. There was a period from about seven to 12, after moving to the United States, that I didn’t think I could be a musician, because none of the artists I saw on television looked like me! Around middle school, after I performed at the talent show, I realized it actually was something I could do. People were just so affected by the performance that I started to understand that I could move people, I could make them feel things.” Her newly-released, first full-length album, The Id, showcases, in her own words, her “experimental minimalist beat-driven pop” style, as well as her powerful voice and thought-driven lyrics. “The Idis ...
A Day in the Life of…David Keenan
“In the incubator, I suppose,” is David Keenan’s response, when asked when he knew he wanted a life in music. “I’ve always made music and it’s always made me.” Discovered at 15 after running away from his Irish to home to play guitar on the streets of Liverpool, the Dundalk bred musician and poet found inspiration in the world around him: “The people around me growing up, the border town where we lived. Characters were numerous, the place was a language all by itself, and watching people become illuminated in the telling of a story was something I became engrossed by. An artist from my hometown called Jinx Lennon was a major discovery when I was a teenager. Him and Arthur Rimbaud [the poet who wrote A Season in Hell].” His second album What Then? (October 15) is a stunning follow-up to his...
A Day in the Life of…Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez
“I recently found footage of me as a two-year-old dancing in my childhood kitchen with my brother Jake while our parents played music around us. We loved it.” Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez recalls, of growing up in a family of musicians. “I was always singing and improvising with my family. It always felt like the path ahead of me.” Raised outside NYC, Raina’s parents encouraged imagination, creativity and community. “That paired with artist parents, made for a lot of creative energy all around,” she says. Her debut If They’re Mine(released in May) is a passionate, poetic and evocative showcase of her jazz/R&B style and stunningly soulful voice. “It’s honest, crafted, emotional, and feels good,” she says. And we agree. “If They’re Mine is in many ways a breakup album,” she explains. “Wit...
