Interview: Emmy Winner Jeff Whitcher

Interview: Emmy Winner Jeff Whitcher

March 6, 2016Posted inFeatures, Games, Movies, Sound Design, TelevisionNo Comments

I had the chance to interview Emmy-winning sound designer Jeff Whitcher. Jeff was nice enough to give us some insight into his musical history and how he got to be where he is today in the industry – and I’ll tell you one thing, it sounds like a lot of hard work.

Interview:

I’ve always been nose-deep in music. I personally started my music path with the saxophone way back in elementary school, but have been playing guitar for a good thirteen years since then after seeing a buddy of mine nail the ‘Crazy Train’ solo when we were about fourteen years old. This inspired me more than any artist I was listening to at the time, and I decided I wanted to devote myself to an instrument.

Can you tell me a bit about what the inspiration behind your work consists of? What was it that made you get into music when you were young? Walk me through your process a little bit.

New Trevor Hall Album Upcoming Titled ‘KALA’

August 1, 2015Posted inAlternative, Folk, RockNo Comments

Trevor Hall has been around for what feels like ages to me. I first heard his debut album Lace Up Your Shoes back when it dropped in 2004 (he was at the ripe young age of roughly 18) and consider the songs Beautiful Lunatic, Proof of Destruction and Venomous to be classics – for a lack of a better word – at this point in my life. Hall fell off my radar for almost ten years because of my changing interests, but I rediscovered his music just as he seemed to rediscover himself when he released 2014’s Chapter of the Forest.

Major Lazer & DJ Snake (feat. MØ) – Lean On

July 30, 2015Posted inAlternative, Dance, Hip-Hop, HouseNo Comments

This song has been stuck in my head for a couple of weeks now! I’ve been familiar with Major Lazer for a while, even before the latest hit Lean On, but it’s typically a music genre I overlook or don’t think twice about.

Two weeks ago I heard Lean On on Beats 1 Radio and was not sure what I had just heard. Still not knowing what the song was or who it was by, I came across it on the dance floor of a wedding I attended this past weekend. I remember it was the third song played of the night and as soon as I heard it start I ran to the center of the floor and danced like never before. This song was fire for such a time of celebration and partying, and certainly got the attendees to loosen up, which then went to set the tone for the rest of the night.

Album Impressions: Tremonti – Cauterize

Album Impressions: Tremonti – Cauterize

June 12, 2015Posted inAlbum Reviews, Hard Rock, MetalNo Comments

Mark Tremonti. It’s hard for me to come up with an original, praiseful comment about this guy. With a track record including millions upon millions of albums sold, a Grammy for Best Rock Song in 2001, and being the lead guitarist of one of the most idolized rock bands in the world, Alter Bridge (not to mention my favorite band), Tremonti steps into the rock ring for round two of his solo project with ‘Cauterize,’ the follow up to 2012’s debut ‘All I Was.’

As many of you know, Tremonti was the driving force behind Creed, a popular band in the 90’s and early 2000’s as lead guitarist and songwriter. I don’t think I need to touch on Creed’s success as they’re a multi-platinum and even diamond artist, but once they’re downfall came after numerous issues with lead singer Scott Stapp, Tremonti and Creed bandmates Scott Phillips and Brian Marshall went on to form the astounding Alter Bridge with singer Myles Kennedy (yeah, that guy who made Marky Mark look bad in the end of the movie Rock Star by coming out of the crowd to sing).

Interview: Chris Kessaris of Parasitic Extirpation

Interview: Chris Kessaris of Parasitic Extirpation

April 22, 2015Posted inFeatures, Hard Rock, MetalNo Comments

Chris Kessaris, guitarist of Massachusetts death metal band Parasitic Extirpation sat down with us to share some of his musical experiences and to enlighten us with the many projects in which he is involved.

As a young man in his early 30’s, Chris (second from left in band photograph above) has quite the number of achievements under his belt. From his band Parasitic Extirpation, a number of SoundCloud accounts and projects in which he does his own renditions of classic Nintendo Entertainment System and WWE songs, Chris is an extremely busy man. At one point in time a guitar instructor, Chris has a knack for learning and teaching. Graduating several years ago with a degree in music, Chris remains a student of music. He told us that he will never be where he wants to be with his music, and ever since the day he heard guitarist Chris Broderick (Megadeth, Nevermore) many years ago, the talents expressed by Broderick pissed him off (in admiration for his skills) so much that this became the leading cause in his drive to constantly be improving upon his own talents.

New Release: Lord Huron – Strange Trails

New Release: Lord Huron – Strange Trails

April 7, 2015Posted inAlbum Reviews, Alternative, FolkNo Comments

Today marks the release of Lord Huron’s sophomore album Strange Trails. I expressed my opinion a week ago leading up to the release and thought the few songs I heard at that point were right on par with their debut Lonesome Dreams. I stand by that statement after getting my hands on the entire thing, the album is like a great novel you can’t put down. With sounds along the likes of greats Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, the occasional flare of Neil Young and Paul Simon, Strange Trails has a little something to offer for all listeners.

One Week Until Lord Huron’s Strange Trails

One Week Until Lord Huron’s Strange Trails

March 31, 2015Posted inAlternative, FolkNo Comments

We’re a week away from Lord Huron’s sophomore album Strange Trails, and in the weeks leading up to its release they’ve slowly trickled out tracks to give their fans a taste of what’s to come. Today marks the release of a new tune ‘Frozen Pines,’ and it continues the path of the band’s sound we’ve known and have come to love, without differentiating too much from 2012’s debut album titled Lonesome Dreams. This is a great thing in my opinion, as it is rare to find a band out there that can achieve a consistent sound without getting boring and repetitive.

Periphery – Juggernaut: Alpha & Omega Impressions

Periphery – Juggernaut: Alpha & Omega Impressions

March 30, 2015Posted inAlbum Reviews, MetalNo Comments

Periphery is back! After several years in the making and the EP ‘Clear’ in the interim, Periphery is back in full-force with their dual album Juggernaut: Alpha & Omega. For those unfamiliar, Periphery is a progressive metal/djent band out of Maryland who came hard into the metal seen in 2010 with their self-titled debut; followed two years later by Periphery II: This Time It’s Personal. Misha Mansoor, founder of the band credited with reigniting the djent scene, and absolute goofball (love you Misha), established the band back in 2005, and named it as such because he wanted to encompass a broad range of sounds and influences, with no defined direction. After a series of lineup changes leading up to the current sextet and their eventual debut, they have dominated the metal scene for the last five years.