kailynn west, the interview:

When you've found yourself on the internet lately, hopefully you've come across indie musician Kailynn West, out of sunny Los Angeles, CA - if you haven't, be sure to keep your eyes open as the opportunities are there. You're able to listen to both original songs and unique covers (girl can rap the HECK out of Macklemore's "Thrift Shop") on YouTube or maybe even find her Kickstarter campaign, where she's already released videos for the first two singles off her upcoming debut full length. Much to her surprise, the campaign was fully funded within twelve hours, and West expresses gratitude to those who have helped her reach the initial goal, but as she shares there's still a long way to go and is excited to see what the last week of donations can possibly bring her way. 

Even though she thought she was ready to give up on music altogether, things changed and music ended up becoming a major part of West's life instead. "I had just quit music for good in sixth grade. I had decided I was done because my saxophone teacher was terrible. I thought I would never understand what eighth notes were because this music teacher was truly the music teacher from hell," shared West. The following year West's sister gifted her an acoustic guitar. "It was a birthday gift that she had received from an ex-boyfriend. There's still tape on the back of it that says, 'Happy Birthday, Yvonne, '89.'"

Being a do-it-yourself artist is something that West has been working at since she can remember. After many years of playing in countless bands spanning multiple genres (bluegrass, pop-rock, etc.), West is taking a chance and getting her music out into the world for the first time as a solo artist. "I feel like I've had a lot of time to explore what I wanted [musically] under the guise of a group, so now that I feel like I've gone down this path a couple of times I have a better idea of what I'm looking for in terms of goals. This feels like a great direction, and I'm happy and proud to be releasing these songs under my name."

I hear you steer clear of places we've been

you bear these crosses since we called it quits

and our friends think I'm the bad guy

they think that I'm so mean

but they forget that it was you w

ho hurt me

And now I just don't care how we just didn't work out

With this Kickstarter, West is working to put out her debut album as a solo artist. As stated, she's put out two fantastically catchy singles already, and the above lyrics are from the second entitled "You Drive Me Crazy." Are we sure that West is up for the challenge of creating enough songs for a full length? Absolutely! All of the songs for the album have already been written or are currently in the process of being written. You can look forward to ten songs where a lot of them are mostly happy sounding which tends to be a bit angry and very honest. "What I've been working on currently are my favorite things I've written so far. I've got a ton of songs, and I do that because everyone always says that you spend your whole life writing your first album, and that's true. I have a few I've started I think are going to be like the real standouts on the CD that I've started very recently I feel are very promising which I haven't finished just yet. The narrowing down of the songs will be the hardest part."

West has already received great response on these singles, so the sky's the limit for what's next for the album, but in the meantime she's posting weekly videos over on her YouTube page. All of the decisions have been made thanks to polls over at her Facebook artist page, which is how her covers range from Hall and Oates' "Rich Girl" to Justin Timberlake's "Suit and Tie" to Oasis' "Wonderwall." With every cover West comes up with an arrangement off of one primary instrument, for example the banjo used for "Rich Girl," and proves with all of the hours she puts into arranging, recording, and filming that she's up for the challenge of whatever song you choose.

One of my favorite moments during our conversation was when I was leading up to my Inside the Actor's Studio-esque question thanks to Metric: "Who would you rather be - The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?" I could hear West buzzing with excitement, and while asking she shot back, "I love that you do this, and I was unprepared, even though I knew that you did this!" After a few heavy sighs West responded with full conviction, "I want to say The Beatles; I'm going to say The Rolling Stones. They've had their shit together longer than anyone, ever, and they probably have the most fun doing it. The Rolling Stones because they're ancient and lovely -- because I want to be saggy and rocking, that's what I want." There was no better way to end our time talking.

Kailynn West has proven with heartfelt lyrics and songs that get stuck in your head for days at a time that she's able to leave her own mark as a solo artist. Believe me, the time to jump on the bandwagon is now - before the train leaves the station. You do not want to be left behind without West's music.

If you’d like to listen to or find out more about Kailynn West, please follow the links below:

kailynnwest.com

kailynnwest.bandcamp.com

twitter.com/kailynnwest

facebook.com/kailynnwestmusic

To donate or to find more about to West's Kickstarter, click right HERE.

Photo credit: Taylor Allen.

but at your house the weather's pleasant, nothing more.

According to my clock, ladies and gents, it's still Monday.

03.25.13 - Mixtape Monday

Matter of Time - Qwill

Stupid Mouth Shut - HEM

Traveling Alone - Tift Merritt

Natural Disasters - City and Colour

I Am Mine - Brooke Waggoner

It Goes On - Destry

Yr Damned Ol' Dad - Kevin Devine

Another Travelin' Song - Bright Eyes

The City Comes Alive - Number One Fan

The One With The Wurlitzer - American Football

You can purchase the lovely mixtape necklace here.

TONIGHT - heartbeat: a modern dance rock concert

“I don’t ever wanna be without your love, so marry me, baby. Smile while I drive you crazy.”

As the house lights go down, and the band queues up, the chills of excitement have already starting coursing through your body. When the lights slowly come back up, you're welcomed into a different world, a pleasant break from your own - a world dreamt up by George Woods and narrated by songs from his band’s latest album "Heartbeat."

The concept of "Heartbeat: A Modern Dance Rock Concert" started about two years ago as a dream of Woods - literally from a dream: “That’s actually music that was transcribed out of a dream. I woke up wide awake at 5 in the morning. I had it written and demoed and mixed by 9am. I woke up to a dream of a woman dancing in a dark room with a spotlight on her, and she was dancing to the music that’s now track six,” Woods shared.

The whole event is a labor of love, from the six members of the band performing the music, to the twelve dancers performing the stories, to all the behind the scenes hands, which is a true testament to the caliber of the evening. An interactive experience from start to finish, you'll be kept on your toes with not only the narrative but also everything happening around you, as the dancing takes place throughout the theatre itself. Normally when listening to an album, you're relating your world to the songs that you're listening to, but in this case you're living and experiencing the stories behind the songs that deal with human emotions, especially those romantic emotions and relations, that we all struggle to cope with. Landon Chapman, a creative contributor and lighting operator, spoke highly of Woods’ music, “‘Heartbeat’ is a narrative driven concept album that pulls you in with various textures of music, evoking jazz, folk, and a contemporary sound that is hard to cleanly categorize.”

Those who have seen The George Woods band before should not think of this as an opportunity to pass because they’ve “been there, done that,” as it’s definitely the first time that Woods and company have worked to put something like this together. The story is with no dialogue between characters, but all through the songs and movement. It’s different from your normal concert, as you can not only feel the moments of tension, but see them as well -- “it’s an experience of the human experience,” as Woods puts it.

When it came time for Woods to look for a choreographer and a creative partner to help in this project, he felt as though the stars aligned. After posting one flyer in Crema Cafe which plainly stated, “The George Woods Band is seeking an experienced choreographer to work collaboratively with on a project that involves live band and dance,” within twenty-four hours he received his first response from Jen Kuhnberg, and after sitting down with her he realized that there was a connection - not only about the project itself, but when he stories of the songs and of his life, she admitted to the narrative being the story of how she met her fiance. Getting the chance to talk to a few other members of the project, it sounds like that that was the consensus overall; we’ve all gone through this, and there’s nothing more than we’d all appreciate than having the opportunity to pass along these feelings and emotions told in such a magnificent way with others.

“The thing that’s great about working with Jen on it is that she gets her own personal artistic satisfaction out of it separate from whatever I get, which is awesome. She came into the project and she had a method to tell her own story within the one I had already shared,” Woods commented on the collaborative efforts between himself and Kuhnberg. As lucky as he was with finding Kuhnberg, Woods shared that the whole evening came together as if it all ‘fell from the sky.' Getting the chance to speak with Blain Crawford, the bassist of The George Woods Band, he, again, commented that the narrative is very universal and resonated with him. “Everyone has a lot of things that have happened to them in their lives, it’s just that not everybody so eloquently puts it into a form of expression as what George has done here, and that’s really what I enjoy about it. It’s very well stated. It’s a great album, and I can tell you for a fact that everyone who is a part of it loves every aspect of it, and that’s the reason that I know it’s going to be successful and a great thing - that’s the making of every great undertaking.”

Be sure to get yourself out and to The Oberon tonight at 8pm, as this is an once in a lifetime event you don't want to find yourself having missed out on. To find out more and to purchase tickets go to George Woods' website.



Poster design: Amy Kucharik.
Album art: Erica Leigh.

tyrone wells, the interview:

If you're looking for a hot spot in Boston to hang out at this Friday night, my obvious answer for you is Brighton Music Hall for Tyrone Wells. One of my favorite venues is lucky enough to be hosting Tyrone while he's out on the road for his national tour in support of his latest album "This Love." Whether an avid fan of Tyrone or if you're just hearing his name for the first time, there's something for everyone to enjoy from his catalogue and his live performances as he'll be playing not just songs from "This Love." While busy being on the road, Tyrone was kind enough to answer some questions for NeverBeenHeard and talk about his excitement for coming back up to Boston, so to help prepare you for Friday's festivities --

Congratulations on charting #1 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter chart with your independent EP 'Metal & Wood' and also with 'Remain' making waves on the US Billboard charts. What other moments have been highlights of your career?

Tyrone Wells: Thanks Emily! There are a lot of highlights.. but probably what I am most pleased with, is the fan base around the nation that has continued to grow, with very little to no radio play in most markets.

How did you first get into music and what made you decide to pursue this full-time?

TW: I've really loved music from childhood.  I grew up in a very musical family.  I have four older sisters that are very talented.. a couple of them are also great songwriters.  I started getting serious about music in college and it turned into a full time career shortly after graduation college.

Who are your biggest influences as a musician? And on a different note, what are you top three played albums you're currently listening to?

TW: Stevie Wonder.  Patty Griffin.  John Foreman.

Top three albums right now would probably be:

1.  Early in the Morning - James Vincent McMorrow

2.  To the Pine Roots - Iain Archer (plays guitar for Snow Patrol, great singer songwriter)

3.  Fulfillingness' First Finale - Stevie Wonder

The older albums feel a bit more full-band, even if not, but with this album it seems you've chosen to go a more organic route. How was this decision made, and how do you feel with the finished product?

TW: I've always loved albums that are a bit more sparse in production, so I set out to make the type of record that I like to hear.

With that, were any of the songs more produced once in the studio and maybe even finalized before you and the producer decided to go back to square one with the final product?

TW: As a matter of fact, yes.  I recorded one song 3 times for this record.  The first two times, I felt like it was growing into a bigger production than I wanted it to.  The song is called "For Who I Am".  I've been playing it for a couple years live, and I always have the band leave the stage while I play the song. I'm used to hearing only my acoustic guitar and voice in the song.  So we scaled it way back, production-wise, and tried to give the starring roles to the guitar and voice.

With as much material as you've created, do you find it hard to pick nightly setlists? Obviously, the main focus is to tour and promote "This Love," but do you play a little something from everything?

TW: Yes.. it's very hard.. I always take forever to write setlists.  I'm only playing 3 or 4 songs from the new record.. and then for the rest of the set list, I try to play the songs that people came to hear.

Since you're embarking on a national headlining tour, does this mean you'll be going on the road with a full backing band, and if so, who does the band include - does it cover all or most of the instruments that are played on the album?

TW: My current tour has a 4 piece band.  I sometimes also tour as a duo or 3 piece.  For the current "This Love" tour, I play acoustic guitar, ukulele and sing lead.  Eric Nelson plays electric guitar, keys and lap steel guitar.  Bryan Taylor plays drums and percussion.  Aaron Bishop plays bass.  We do a pretty good job of recreating the albums when playing live.

Where are you going on this tour that you haven't played in awhile?

TW: I think it's been about a year since I've played the Southern States and the upper East Coast, so I'm excited to be back in all of those markets.  Of course I always love playing in Boston.

As Metric poses in one of their songs, "Who would you rather be - The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?"

TW: Musically speaking, I’d rather be the Beatles.  For life span and ability to rock until I’m absolutely geriatric, I'd be the Stones.

If you’d like to listen to or find out more about Tyrone Wells, please follow the links below:

tyronewells.com

twitter.com/tyronewells

facebook.com/tyronewellsmusic

To buy tickets to Friday night's show at Brighton Music Hall, you can click here.

Photo credit: Danny Vasquez.

heartbeat: a modern dance rock concert

Something exciting is going down this week,

something truly unique.

To share a bit of the press release with you:

"The George Woods Band and Boston choreographer Jen Kuhnberg have teamed up and raised more than $6000 via Kickstarter to turn "Heartbeat" into a full fledged Modern Dance Ballet/Rock Concert. The performance uses the 13-song cycle of the record and tells a life-long love story. Accompanied by the full band, a troupe of 12 dancers will depict the characters and stories of heartbeat in the Oberon's "Nightclub Theatre" setting. The audience will experience 360 degrees of action and be immersed in the show.

"Watching Jen's choreography bring to life the storytelling in George's emotionally rich songs is like having a camera into someone's beautiful dream. As a whole, the production is full of surprises and payoffs of the things you hope (and fear) will happen. This is collaboration at its best." - Amy Kucharik, Boston Singer-Songwriter/Performer

I'll be getting the chance to sit down and talk more with George on this project and view a dress rehearsal this Wednesday, so there's more to come on this, but for now find out more here.

you burn so brightly in the dark.

Over here at NeverBeenHeard, well, we've done something a little exciting for this week's Mixtape Monday - a SPECIAL edition for y'all, a mixtape created for you by the one and only Kailynn West. This lovely lady will be featured later on this week, as I got the chance to chat with her about being a solo artist for the first time and her upcoming album (currently being Kickstarted thanks to YOU, be sure to go take a gander if you haven't).

In the meantime, listen up to these songs that she loves and finds herself putting on repeat quite frequently...

03.18.13 - Kailynn West's Mixtape Monday

Take A Walk - Passion Pit

Get Burned - Sleeper Agent

Hangin - Free Energy

Honk + Wave - Limbeck

Do Better - Say Anything

Concrete Wall - RAC Remix - Zee Avi

Your Apartment - Jenny Owen Youngs

Somebody - Jukebox The Ghost

Little Plastic Castle - Ani DiFranco

Heretics - Andrew Bird

Be sure to keep an eye here,

there's going to be a lot of good stuff popping up on NeverBeenHeard this week.

Photo credit: Taylor Allen.

I do the same things over and over again, expecting something different.

For today's commute.

03.11.13 - Mixtape Monday

Standing Tall - Bess Rogers

Jesus, etc. - Wilco

Only Hope - Switchfoot

Geraldine - The Avett Brothers

These Old Shoes - Deer Tick

White Table - Delta Spirit

Last Mistake - Augustana

Closer To You - Brandi Carlile

If You Let Me Be Your Anchor - Dawes

Let It Go - Allie Moss

Image from here.

yellowbirddd, the interview:

The music community is a tight-knit one where people are constantly helping each other to get music made on stage or in a studio and out to those who chose to listen. Lucky for me, when I found myself at an Allison Weiss show this past Fall, I was introduced to her bass player, Liam McCormack. After a short conversation about the pop-punk bands onstage and how the feel of the evening and the other bands playing were very reminiscent, a group of us got to talking about music we once listened to and what we were into now. This became my introduction to McCormack’s solo project: yellowbirddd.

yellowbirddd came from transitional time in McCormack’s life that many of us find ourselves going through - up and moving from an area that you’ve grown-up in and called home for so long to find yourself in a new place, sometimes a new city, in search of different adventures. During this transition and while making these changes, yellowbirddd was given a real chance to become more of a priority and presence in McCormack's life. Though keeping busy with other projects and even while on the road with Weiss, McCormack has always found the time to write for yellowbirddd, and “highway birches” marks his third album and his best work to date. “The reason that I share my songs is because I really want people to hear them, and if I know that people are listening and relating and sharing them with their friends that might like them, that makes my day. It makes me so happy. I’ve gotten emails from people or talked to people at shows and they’re like, ‘yeah, my boyfriend and I, we listen to your record in the car,’ and that kind of blows my mind - it truly warms my heart. That’s [the same reason] why I also love music and songs - that connection, that relationship, those moments.”

It’s refreshing how humble and modest McCormack comes across while talking about his project, making nods to those who influence him and those who have helped him along the way, and to be honest, it’s the same air you feel while listening to his music. “highway birches” is just right - nothing is overpowering or taking away from McCormack’s guitar lines and heartfelt stories, as a fair amount of music these days can feel a bit too overproduced and overdone. This is something that McCormack takes into consideration when going into the studio to record, “I realized that I dig the minimal sound and keeping things simple.” It’s paid off, for sure. This latest album gives you the feel that you’d get listening to classic Bright Eyes songs, which the project’s name is an ode to, along with downright beautiful storytelling that you’d find from the likes of Kevin Devine, Andy Hull, or Owen. The stories that you’re listening to are full of relatable themes that resonate with people - love and heartbreak, missing and needing, and traveling throughout whatever life hands you.

each day i'm getting older

but sometimes i feel so young

and in my ear you whisper,

"this is what i was afraid of"

breathing deep through weeks that i can't handle

bring a coat and the flame from every candle

and take me away in an air balloon

where i will stay always safe beside you

When asked about “air balloon,” McCormack explained that this particular song was originally a part of his photographeddd series, where fans would send in pictures then he would write based around them, he especially liked the song and it later became a strong enough track for the latest album. When talking about the photograph itself, McCormack made a spot on observation: “The photo kind of struck me, there was kind of a loneliness - a melancholy and a beauty to it, which is kind of my musical aesthetic too. Even when my songs have a happier lyrical content or vibe, there is usually a sad quality or tone present as well.” Now, by no means should this steer you away from listening, as there’s a comfort and a calming that comes along with tunes like the ones from yellowbirddd; it’s a realization that you’re not alone in your feelings, which is something we all need to remind ourselves of more frequently.

what's all this moving done to my traveler's soul?

now i'm looking for a reason, i'm looking for a home

what's all this bleeding done to the heart on my sleeve?

now it's as hard as armor, and i do not believe in you

what has this culture done to my attention span?

now my brain feels like a broken hand

it can't hold anything

Those lyrics are from the title track of the album, which proves to be one of the highlights, starting out simply with McCormack warmly singing along to the picking of his guitar sharing the vulnerability of all the thoughts going on in our heads. “It was an old recording that I kept going back to. I see that song as having three sections with those three verses: the first being about how I had spent a year and a half on and off touring and not really living in a certain place and how I was looking forward to hanging out in one place for awhile. The second one is about a relationship that ended and how I healed and moved on from it while it also made me a bit more guarded. The last one is a bit more universal and cultural.” As we get to that third verse, there’s an addition of echoing background vocals that brings us to a crescendo leading into the song’s conviction, the purpose - the statement which pulls it all together, not as multiple thoughts, but as one realization: “not like what i felt with you.” This track encompassed the big ideas that McCormack wanted to share from the album, where a lot of his travel between Boston (which is near where he was raised) and New York (where he lives now) brought him time to think about decisions and transition that he was faced with, that we’re all faced with, thus why it became the title track. “You can write a song about somebody and it can mean a lot, and then time passes and it’s just a song, or maybe it’s something more than that. Or regardless, it could mean way more than that to some other person. That’s an interesting thing you find as a songwriter, my songs can come from random places sometimes, but you don’t know how somebody else is going to grab onto them.” As a listener I can assure you that these are songs that pull you back time and time again.

When not out on the road, McCormack enjoys spending time listening to his constantly growing record collection, which is a something he takes rather seriously noting that he likes to be able to own an album just on vinyl as versus other mediums, especially the ‘older’ records. “One of my favorites is ‘Cold Roses’ by Ryan Adams, that’s just such a good record and he did a lot of that live in the studio, and that was one of the first vinyl records that I bought. I have Bob Dylan’s ‘Blonde On Blonde,’ which I bought in Montreal the one time I was there, so that’s just kind of a special record for me.” Some of his other noteworthy records he mentioned are an old Bright Eyes 7” with ‘Motion Sickness’ on one side and ‘Soon You’ll Be Leaving Your Man’ on the other, which is a purchase that has me jealous, and The National’s ‘Boxer.’ Bright Eyes was mentioned again, along with Kevin Devine and Andy Hull, as artists that McCormack would feel truly honored to possibly open for one day when he was asked about his dream show line-up; I must say he twisted my words around on me, when I first mentioned that he’d be hypothetically headlining said gig. It says a lot when a person who creates music also truly has an appreciation of the same art by others.

As always, to finish my conversation with McCormack, it all came down to the final question I ask everyone I speak to. A Metric song has a very specific question in its lyrics that I love to borrow, “Who would you rather be - The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?” McCormack quickly responded that he’d rather be The Beatles. Once stating this he mentioned that even though he may not have grown up having had a proper Beatles phase, he’s still standing strong with his response.

yellowbirdd has reached a sound that McCormack is truly happy with on this latest album “highway birches,” and he’s hoping to keep working in this direction while watching this project grow. His positive outlook on this project and, as previously stated, the fact the music keeps listeners coming back for more, makes me believe that yellowbirddd has truly passed the test.

"highway birches" - artwork by Rob Baird: www.birdflewstudios.com.

If you’d like to listen to or find out more about yellowbirdd, please follow the links below:

yellowbirddd.com

yellowbirddd.bandcamp.com

twitter.com/yellowbirddd

facebook.com/yellowbirdddmusic

Photo credit: Esty Stein.

and you were a tree with a root that was wrapped in my brain.

No gimmicks, no stories, just straight up rock 'n roll (and maybe a 90's dance/pop hit). Enjoy!

03.04.13 - Mixtape Monday

Here Comes Your Man - Pixies

Lovefool - The Cardigans

Beast of Burden - The Rolling Stones

Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac

The Plan - Built To Spill

Reptilia - The Strokes

Now It's On - Grandaddy

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths

Holland, 1946 - Neutral Milk Hotel

I Was A Lid - Manchester Orchestra

Any song suggestions? Feel free to comment on this post!

Keep an eye out for an exciting upcoming post - my interview with yellowbirddd.

Today's image is thanks to Kacie Mclean Illustration, as found painted on a table at Pavement Coffeehouse (Boylston St, Boston).