If you've been even slightly obsessed with any type of media: TV shows, movies, or musical artists, or if you've read Rainbow Rowell's 2013 novel of the same title, you've probably heard about the concept of or even labeled yourself as a "fangirl." Chances are, you've seen this term discussed in a negative light, one that focuses on the celebrity stalker horror stories, invasive wet-dream fictional literature based on real people, and, to reference another book, basically anything related to Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky. The world seems to assume that any person, specifically a teenage girl, that is passionate about a certain thing is a lonely, insanity-driven stalker that has no life outside of said thing, and is focused on the excitement that the people they love experience because of a lack of excitement in their own lives. Sure, some of this may be true for a small percentage of negatively newsworthy fans in the broad, broad world of fandoms, but the reality is that the majority of fangirls are talented young women that use their skills in art, writing, and many other platforms to express their love of the works of others, and to develop their own creative flair. The concept of being a "fangirl" has been around for a very long time, but has surged in popularity over the past decade due to Tumblr SuperWhoLock culture, and as of even later, due to the "stan" accounts that have nearly created their own language. The rotten apple fans and the horror stories these two outbreaks have generated have caused the casual and respectful fans to be scrutinized by the general non-fan public, with tabloid articles about legions of reckless young women disrespecting or even causing harm to those they idolized. However, the majority of fans are kind, respectful, and just want to find a place to show appreciation for the TV show, film series, band, or person they love. We at Twilight Collective were once major fangirls ourselves, and we will always have those memories of staying up until 3 A.M. at Alli's beach house writing our own novels based around our faves, creating our own art pieces and shrines to honor our heroes, and freaking out whenever a band or person we loved did anything big, or just liked one of our Instagram comments. Despite our fangirling days being far behind us, they are still considered quite recent in the world of online fandom, although, editor's note, we did come around before the advent of the term 'stan.' In our search for the history of indie rock fangirls, we stumbled upon a fandom veteran from the fan base around Franz Ferdinand, one of the bands we had once fangirled over as well. We found her contact info on a fanfiction website last edited in 2005, and neither of us thought we would get a response. If she responded, she would able to take us way back, all the way to the mid-noughties, when LiveJournal ruled the online fandom scene and bands knew most of their biggest supporters by name. As soon as she enthusiastically replied to our email, we knew we needed to hear her story and her opinions on what her beloved world of fandoms has become. When Schuyler Dade answered our Skype call, the first thing she told us was "hold on, I need to get more wine." Right off the bat, that told us we were in for a whirlwind of a story. Dade let us know how important fandom was to her as she discussed all of the women she came in contact with through online databases and message boards that told her about "all types of crazy fan drama from the 60s." "I met people from all around the world and all walks of life," she remarked. "I remember it beautifully." Schuyler was introduced to Franz Ferdinand during a very important and influential time in her life. "I was on my own for the first time in my own apartment, running around the eastern seaboard, and waiting after shows (for the band to come outside), because it was the first time I had freedom to do that." Like most of the people who identify as "fangirls," she was young, her independent life was just beginning, and the world was at her fingertips. The internet was still fairly new, especially fan-made sites, which made her new adventures even more meaningful. "I discovered Franz through their music video for their song 'The Dark of the Matinee,' which turned into my obsession with schoolboy uniforms, and learning the band member's personalities through magazine articles and TV shows, which were still very regional at the time." Consuming all of this real-life content established a "canon" of the band for Schuyler, and eventually led to her beginning to write what is known as "fanfiction." You've probably seen at least one fanficiton in your life. Famous fanfictions include My Immortal, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and even 50 Shades of Grey (which, editor's note, was a Twilight fanfiction based on a Muse song, by the way). A fanfiction is a piece of media written by fans to make certain people in the canon fall in love (ships), exaggerate or expand on events inside the canon (headcanons), make certain events happen that never happened in the canon (Alternate Universes, or AUs), bring themselves into the canon (Self Inserts), or even introduce their own characters (Original Character inserts) and plot-twists. Schuyler described fanfic as being built on a platform of "so big they'll never see it," which is pretty much reality for most fanfic authors of big-name fandoms. For a band as small as Franz Ferdinand was when they started out around 2004, however, that wasn't always the case. Dade told us of an fandom-wide scandal where their small community on LiveJournal titled "Slacken_Ties" (taken from a lyric from the earlier mentioned Matinee) was picked up by the British magazine NME, which published an article including quotes from members and even an example of one of their 'fics which depicted a romantic relationship between two members of the band. With other news outlets catching on, the news of Slacken_Ties and the fanfictions within it eventually reached the band themselves, who made a few witty comments directed at the group and declared themselves supporters of fanfiction. Any event like this, one that exposed a made-up fantasy world to the subject in reality, would be expected to belittle and embarrass a writer, but for a group as new, zany, and passionate as Slacken_Ties was, it only fueled the fire. Schuyler's face lit up as she began spilling the details of her own fan-fictions, her proudest work being about the band as vampires. "It was the first time I was writing something really ambitious with a bunch of parts to it, and I was really pushing myself." She also touched on the challenges writing fanfiction presented, especially socially. "In order to get your 'fic out there, you had to get good at talking to people who were different from you except in the one thing you love the most." She explained the tribulations of editing and beta-ing, which is when someone else reads over your work for you to point out any errors you may have missed. To the non-fangirl, it seems nerve wracking, but Schuyler stands by the fact that it gave her the confidence she needed to reach out to others and show off her writing. "Any time you write, it makes your writing better," she proudly stated. Wonderfully lengthy and detailed fan-fiction wasn't the only thing Dade was working on at this point in her life; She also ran a music blog where she wrote reviews, advertisements, and even some concert anecdotes. Sounds familiar? "There was this local band I liked and I wrote about seeing them, and I got an email from the manager!" she recalled excitedly. "In the article I made fun of the singer's outfit, and he was like, 'You right.'" As she was describing this, it was getting increasingly easy to see the similarities between what she did in the past and what we do now. It was interesting to see how her skill set from fan-fiction expanded into a professional, real skill rather than what people write off as "childish" and "immature." Although Slacken_Ties has been inactive since 2008, its influence reigns over much of current fan culture, especially in the indie and alternative rock scenes. When the Twilight Collective writers were but young fangirls, we looked up to the girls of Slacken_Ties as almost mythic beings of a time we would never get to inhabit. They did the impossible, and we were all trying to emulate it in some way or another. There's even a revival effort going on in some far off corners of the internet, where writers are attempting to emulate the style of Slacken_Ties with a few modern twists. No matter the circumstances, fandom will find a way to reinvent itself and update itself with the changing times and climate of the world, and subject matter, around it. Schuyler says that even though she doesn't write professionally now, writing fan-fic encouraged her to apply to college as a creative writing major. She also knows "so many people who are authors and journalists" from her fandom realm that "feel comfortable writing all kinds of stuff" because of fanfiction and communicating with others about their writing. She cited Slacken_Ties and the entirety of LiveJournal as "a place where you can sort of make a ton of work, and a formal way for people to look at it and evaluate it," a very similar description to any professional environment. "There's much more that I think I can do because of it." Along with important social and professional abilities, writing for fandoms also caused great developments in Schuyler's personal life. "I met my best friend (through fandom), and she's the coolest person I've ever known." She's still friends with said woman today, and she even was "in another girl's wedding!" Dade has great memories with her own experience with fandom, but also possesses constructive criticism about the way fandom or stan-dom operates today. "The idea (of fandoms) is that you can find other people who love what you love. Stan is a more 'solo' term, but fangirls have fandoms and fandoms are a community." She also noted that she had an account on Tumblr, but deleted it shortly after because of it's dangerous modern rhetoric. "It was all 'here's why this one person is the devil.'" With today's Twitter doxxing, fan wars, and constant hatred towards anyone with a differing opinion, that statement doesn't seem too out of reach. A specific example we touched upon was Ariana Grande, and the oodles of teenagers and young adults, primarily girls and women, that follow and worship her every step. "She has a personal style, one that says 'fragile' and 'take care of me', so it links back to the fans seeing her as one of them, a sixteen-year-old girl. It makes me think, 'Wait, she's a grown woman.'" Similar to the magazine articles about Franz Ferdinand, this up-close and personal view into a star's life that is Grande's Twitter provides a canon for fans to go crazy with. This mistaken intimacy, because NO ONE could truly know a person solely based off of their social media, could cause hostility when it comes to defending famous people against anonymous naysayers and haters online. "People behaving badly in the Franz fandom made me feel protective, and when people were shitty I wanted to stand up to them. The same is true with Ariana stans, the concept of 'you can't say or do that, they're special!'" Schuyler clarified that the fans with bad behavior in Franz forums actually made direct hateful comments, but in modern times, stans could jump on anyone for saying anything that could be perceived as even remotely negative towards their favorite person's work. Although fangirling itself has become more universal, accessible, and acceptable than it was during the reign of Slacken_Ties, the main message and the importance of fandoms remains the same: expressing love for the people we love in many different ways, shapes, and forms. To an onlooker from the outside, one that doesn't possess the full knowledge of fandom life, it could seem insane, irrational, one-sided, obsessive, and so much more. The reality is, unless you're heavily involved like Schuyler, to the point of creating bonds, being inspired to pursue a major, and becoming a bridesmaid, you can't make an accurate judgement of the behaviors of fangirls and the way fandoms operate. Most likely, your judgement will be inaccurate and disrespectful to the hours of work and passion that these young girls put into their own little worlds. Dade, as well as the two young aspiring journalists here at Twilight Collective, believe that being a fangirl can open a door filled with possibilities with professional writing, art, communications, and so much more. When executed properly, fandom gives all participants the adventure of a lifetime and a positive environment where their imaginations can go wild. I think we can all agree that this is something the world needs more of nowadays. * Thank you to Schuyler Dade for taking the time to talk to us through Skype! You can follow her on Twitter @schuylerloves.
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Are you looking for a refreshingly cool indie rock band with easily enjoyable tunes? Look no further than Sophomore, a New Jersey indie rock outfit consisting of lead guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist Ethan Duer and rhythm guitarist Thomas Long. The Rider University juniors have released three singles so far, two of those being "Just For A Moment" and "Kennedy," both released this year.
“Just For A Moment” is a raw, youthful, crush anthem with lighthearted guitar riffs like Grouplove and sweet, yearning vocals like Tokyo Police Club. It will have you reliving an indie film-esque montage of your first love, even if you haven’t experienced such a thing yet. The harmonizations are a perfect touch, and add to the warm weather feeling the song brings to the table as a whole. This song is perfect beginning for spring, so play it while having a picnic in the sun. “Kennedy” is a soulful ballad which features thoughtful layered vocal tracks and heartfelt lyrics. This song might make you cry if you’re in the right mood, but otherwise will have you reminiscing on events you’ve never even experienced. With its heavy Real Estate energy and Killers vibes, this song will leave you feeling calm and ready to take on whatever waits in the cool, relaxing summer night ahead. You can check out Sophomore’s music here and follow their Instagram here. Chicago-based up-and-coming indie musician Olivia Hudson is the free-spirited chill friend that everybody wants to have. From her carefully crafted single and album covers to her uplifting guitar melodies, she is truly an artist that only has pure passion for her music and puts a lot of thought into every word she sings. Expressing herself, wether it be through her songs or her wicked fashion sense, proves to be a talent of hers. Shortly after the release of her debut album 'The Ninth House' on November 29th, we got in contact with Olivia and asked her some questions that broke down her amazingly put-together lyrics and what she wants to convey with her music as a whole. Your Spotify bio says that you want to make music that “comforts people.” What music comforts you? I’m comforted by songs I have good memories attached to (so, for instance, “Need A Little Time” by Courtney Barnett or “The World At Large” by Modest Mouse). I’m comforted by songs with relatable lyrics because they make me feel less alone. And I’m comforted by songs with soft instrumentals and layered harmonies. My name is Allison, so obviously, I must to bring your song “Alison” up. Is “Alison” and the struggles they go through based on someone you know? Yes, “Alison” is about a good friend. I originally wrote it as more of a poem (I tend to do this a lot). A few months later, while playing around with chord progressions, I found the one that I used in the song, thought it deserved lyrics, and decided to turn the poem into a song. I knew that the struggles that this person went through were familiar to a lot of young people, including myself. I know I always need to be reminded that I have time to discover myself and that I don’t have to have everything figured out, and I figured that other people should be reminded of this too. Your song “Bloomington, IL” tells the story of a young person feeling restless in his hometown. Did you ever feel a similar way? Absolutely. “Bloomington, IL” is also about a friend, but I used some of my own experiences and feelings when telling that story. The 9:30 Club always seemed like a cool venue to me. I always see the artists I like that play there wearing their shirts and eating the cupcakes they have. What was your reasoning for choosing it as your setting for the song “The 9:30 Club (Sorry)”? The 9:30 Club has really good cupcakes; one time when I went, Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! gave me and other people that were waiting in line cupcakes since we’d be waiting in line for…hours. Lol. I chose this venue as the setting for “The 9:30 Club (Sorry)” because I thought that the name was really cool; it just felt like a great song title to me. I also chose it as the setting because the show that’s referenced in the song was at the 9:30 Club. What is your favorite part about being a musician? I love being able to express myself in a way that feels so natural and inherent to who I am. I’ve always loved music, and I’ve been writing lyrics to express myself since I was a kid. I also love being a musician because music connects everyone, and I love being a part of that. What instrument represents your personality the best? A piano; they’re really expressive, just like me :) The piano was the first instrument I learned how to play, and I’ve always felt like it was an extension of myself. Does your music reflect on your environment? Yesyesyesyes. So many of my songs are about where I am in the world. I called my album “The Ninth House” because in astrology, the ninth house symbolizes travel and journeys. A lot of the songs are about living in Chicago and moving to a different environment and processing that. But I think environment can also be internal, how you’re feeling. So I reflect on my emotional environment even, and especially, when its messy in my music and on this album. Hello, readers of Twilight Collective! Today we bring you an interview with our favorite Washington DC indie rock band, the aptly-named Colonies! Their frontman, Pete Stevens, took the time to answer the following questions for us. Where would you most like to play a concert in the future? It would be amazing if one day we could play The Anthem which is the largest venue in DC that's not a stadium. I've seen so many cool acts there like The War on Drugs and I'm seeing Gary Clark Jr there in March. What’s the best venue you’ve played at? The best venue we have played at so far is the 9:30 Club. It's a legendary venue in DC and their owners also own The Anthem. We opened for St. Lucia at the 9:30 club in November which felt surreal as I had seen many cool acts there. Which of your songs has the most personal meaning to you? Why? I like the meaning of Think About All You've done from our second album One of a Kind the most. I feel like the message is to motivate me to keep working hard and I certainly have since we released it. I love the jam at the end of it a ton, it's probably the highlight of that album for me. Name a few artists you’ve been inspired by. We are ALWAYS inspired by The Strokes but other bands like Dr. Dog and Wilco inspired Bound To Be Something Good (The album not the song). What is the main message of your new album? What do you want your listeners to get out of it? I think the message of Bound To Be Something Good is about change. We're all seniors in college right now and when we graduate we're getting real jobs which is definitely a big change for us. I think the change that's coming will be something good and it will be good to The Colonies as well. Name one person you would add to your band’s lineup. Our old piano player Gibby transferred schools so I would add him back in a heartbeat. What’s your favorite colony out of the 13 original? My favorite is Connecticut because that's where my family currently lives and where I go visit on breaks from school! Does living in Washington D.C., the capital of the United States, affect the way you hear and play music at all? I think living in DC we've been inspired by a lot of the local bands in our area and there is definitely a very friendly music scene here where everyone is trying to know one another. Obviously also politics plays a big role in our lives there but I don't think politics specifically affects our music. You can support the Colonies on Spotify and most other streaming services.
You can follow their Instagram as well: @thecoloniesdc Something kind of embarrassing about both Liah and Alli here at Twilight Collective is that neither of us have ever been to a festival. You throw your phone, laptop, or whatever device you're using down. "How could they?" you hiss. "They have never been to a music fest yet they DARE to call themselves music fanatics and writers?"
Sadly, yes. And unfortunately, we will keep on going with those titles. To make up for this fact, our pal and Alli's fellow Staten Islander Camryn has been to a couple! She wrote us up a tale of Warped Tour; every emo kid's fantasy land that came to a close this summer. Going to one of the last tours EVER has to brew some interesting stories, right? See for yourself. Enjoy a little somethin' different from us to you. You guys deserved a festival anecdote, and Camryn deserved a spotlight for her writing, and crazy tales inside of Jones Beach. They're more than just the whistle song, people! Liah and Alli recently got the opportunity to chat with Peter Morén of legendary indie trio Peter Bjorn & John. We asked an array of questions, both about the past and about their upcoming album, Darker Days. Take a dive with us and discover the ENTIRE PB&J discography, because, trust us, it's a whole lot more than just "Young Folks." Which of your songs has the most personal meaning to you? Peter: Well, that’s probably different for each member. For me, there’s almost too many to mention, but there’s plenty. Funny thing is the most personal are almost always the most universal ones, like the classics on “Writer's Block:” “Objects Of My Affection” and “Paris 2004.” These are super personal songs that people seem to take to their heart as well, using them for weddings, funerals and tattoos which is like, the highest praise you could get. Even though I don’t like tattoos really… Other really personal songs for me are “Big Black Coffin” and “Far Away By My Side,” and most of the songs I wrote for Falling Out. Maybe that’s why I really love that album. “Stay This Way” is very personal. “May Seem Macabre” was a dream I had, so that’s close to me. “Do-Si-Do” also very personal, like “Paris 2004” part 2. And “Breakin’ Point” (the song) is very close to my heart, as well. I could go on. How did you decide on the order of your names in your band name? Peter: We never even discussed at that point. It just felt natural. I was more of a leader or front-man then than I am now, so maybe that was why. But also it sounds the best, most natural. Peter Paul & Mary. Peanut Butter & Jelly. Etc. Describe your upcoming album Darker Days in five words. Peter: Composed, laid-back, desperate, anxious, indie-pop. What is the main theme and meaning of Darker Days? What is the message of the album? Peter: There’s no one theme, but several. We started with the album-title and kind of assembled songs from that, some written previously, some brand new, that would fit under that umbrella so to speak. We think about the dark, silent days in the north of Sweden when the sun rarely or never comes out, things which we all have grown up with and found inspiration and creative impulses in. It can seem depressive and scary, but also can lead to a kind of pleasant melancholy. We also talk about interior anxieties, problems and relationships, our own in the band or other peoples’. There are also songs about the “dark” state of the world; politics, environmental and the downside of the world wide web. Lots of themes. Which animal would best describe the new album? Peter: A wolf, I think. A sad but kind wolf. What was the most electric show you’ve ever played? Peter: Too many too mention, but I seem to remember one in Dallas when the audience came up on stage and it was all mental. Could have been Nashville too, though. Salt Lake City once was just crazy, people stripping, grabbing us (ouch!) and storming the stage. That was scary, but not in an exciting electric way. We have played so many shows. It’s kind of a blur.. Corona Capital, the festival in Mexico City on the last tour was really crazy, soooo many people. Eastern Europe is always pumped up. Can’t choose. The best gig is always the next gig. Which cities are you most excited to hit on your upcoming tour? Peter: It’s always nice to come back and play NYC. It’s like our second home. But I like playing almost everywhere. I’m really excited to play Prague, cause we’ve never played there before. I hope I have time to see something of the city and have beers! Does your home country of Sweden influence your music in any way? Peter: I think I already touched upon that. But absolutely! Growing up in small villages in the north of Sweden we felt the “boredom” of being different and alone but not necessary in a sad way, more as a creative mode. We always go back to that as a primal scene of writing songs. It has to be quiet and still. But the arts and music scene in Sweden is also inspiring. And it’s a long, tall country with lots of diverse landscapes and nature. That in itself is inspiring and varied. It’s a good place to live for sure. In your opinion, what is the most underrated PB&J song and why? Peter: Too many to mention. But again “Big Black Coffin” comes to mind. A personal favorite with very raw, heart-on-the-sleeve emotions. That whole album to me (“Falling Out”) is an early peak. “Failing & Passing” from the first record is really special with that lo-fi-pocket-symphony-sound. “Breakin’ Point” the whole album is kind of underrated too. And “Seaside Rock”. Everything but “Writers Block” and “Living Thing” is underrated, I think. “Living Thing” got quite bad reviews and it’s not as awful as that. But as an album it could definitely have been better. It was a confusing period. And “Writers Block” of course is great but I don’t tend to praise it as much as some of our fans. Even that could have been better. You have to be critical! ;) Which song from Darker Days are you the most excited for the world to hear? Peter: Right now “Living A Dream”, because it feels like a complete song that works really well on just an acoustic guitar and I tend to like songs like that, that don’t always need the whole arrangement. Also “Heaven & Hell” which John wrote, is an amazing record! What feelings do you hope your fans get from listening to your new album? Peter: I hope they will be a little puzzled and a little sad but then in the end coming out of it feeling pretty good and eager to see where PB&J might go next! Have some melodies and lyrical thoughts stuck spinning round their head for hours and days after making them think and feel, and they might listen again! It’s not that long :) ~And now, for some funny off-topic questions!~ Do you actually enjoy PB&J sandwiches? Peter: No! They're awful! Funny thing is, we didn't even know they existed before we went touring the states and people told us. True story!! PB&Js are not big in Sweden..you guys have funny food. ;) What’s the weirdest experience you’ve ever had with a fan? Peter: I had a girl stalking me and finding my girlfriend on social media and telling her weird creepy stuff. Later though she emailed and apologized so maybe I shouldn’t hang her out like this, but then again that Salt Lake City-gig had some weird fans too, as I said. What are your top 5 tour necessities? Peter: I brush my teeth obsessively, especially before shows. Fresh ginger, if the throat gets sore I chew it. Great stuff. That's 2..lets see. Clean underwear. Beer. Yes, very mature answers, but true, and walking!! When sitting down traveling lots you have to walk lots, run or exercise now and then not to get a sore bum between shows. Also it’s a great way of seeing things. Well that’s not really a physical tactile thing like the other stuff, but still. I like food too! Nuts, fruit, it goes on. Tell us your best joke. Peter: I'm not very funny like that. I can throw in a a funny biting comment here and there. We Swedes are very good with the dark humor and irony, making fun of ourselves. Sometimes it’s hard to get for outsiders that are not part of the inner circle, but I also like slapstick and people farting. I have the same humor as my 5 year old son, really. PB&J as a band together are quite funny. We kind of feed off of each other. Humor is really important in pop bands. The Beatles knew that. Lot of people seem to forget that. Tell us your best tour story. Peter: I've touched upon stuff, but I can just say...I've fell off stages several times. I also fell THROUGH a stage once. I also once at Lollapalooza fell into a barrel of ice. So I'm just happy I'm still alive, but live music should hurt. Live music should be sweaty and hurtful and energetic until you drop down wasted. Otherwise there’s always Spotify, folks. Comfortable. Stay home ;) Shout-out to Peter for taking the time to answer our questions! It was a pleasure, and I hope it was for you, too! Be sure to listen to Peter Bjorn & John's new album, Darker Days, when it comes out on October 19th, 2018!
Hello, dearest readers of Twilight Collective. If you're reading this article, that means Twilight Collective is officially two years old. On this day two years ago, we were writing our introduction articles and formatting the tabs. Now, we've written countless articles, made friends to last a lifetime. and put ourselves on the map as serious music journalists. Hopefully in a few more years we'll be in the position to invite all of our friends to a S*** Indie Disco-esque party. But for now, have this article. It's been a while since either of us have really written about ourselves, we decided to answer some questions about the past and future of the blog, among other things. What was your favorite moment of year 2? Alli: Probably interviewing GoryMurgy. It was so cool getting to know a band from a totally different culture! I also believed we asked our best questions in that interview. Liah: Emailing Nick McCarthy while standing at a Franz Ferdinand concert waiting for them to come out. That’s probably the worst thing I’ve ever done, also. I'll never not feel bad for that. The second best was meeting Chris Baio. VWLP4 WHEN?!?!?! Which of your articles that you’ve written this year is your favorite? Alli: My Franz concert experience or the one I wrote this month about the Ferry. They’re both articles I go back and read when I’m bored and need inspiration because they’re so eventful. They make me proud of myself! Liah: On a fun level, the one where I ranked the best and worst Olympic mascots. On an actual pride level, my Maximo Park gig experience or my guide to dunking on Weezer fans. Which of your co-writer’s articles from this year is your favorite? Alli: The one about Maximo Park. Even though I couldn’t go, I still felt like I was there. Liah: The Franz concert one. Even though I was there, I still get taken to an entirely different dimension whenever I read it, which is quite often, if I’m being honest. What’s one artist you want to interview in the future? Alli: I would love to interview Jonny Pierce of The Drums or Kevin Barnes from of Montreal. I love them both and they’re probably two of the most intriguing people in the music industry to me. I’ve watched countless interviews of the both of them, but there still is so much I wanna ask. Liah: Anyone from Metronomy. Anna Prior specifically. Favorite “bad” song? Alli: I love “Betrayed” by Lil Xan. Sue me. Liah: Honestly, I’m not sure what counts as a bad song here. I’d say “Friday Night” by Bobby, but it lowkey slaps. So, “Buckwild” by Pontus Pettersson. What venue do you dream of seeing a concert at? Alli: I need to see a show at Red Rocks in Denver before I die. Period. Liah: This is underwhelming, but I’d love to see a concert at the Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia. What username do you wish you could have on Instagram? Alli: I just want alli.dempsey. Because I feel like my current name confuses people since it has two i’s. And it’s a little easier to read because a lot of people think my name is Ali for some reason. IT’S. TWO. Ls. Liah: I’d love chillztown or whipmyvalet but I feel like standonthehorizon is my brand. If it was 2016, I might have wanted chocopudding or floodlittenniscourt. Maybe I still do. Name a few items on your end-of-summer to do list. Alli: Go on a serious hike in Lake Placid, do some more college planning, train for the volleyball season, go to the beach just one more time, see some friends I really couldn’t this summer. Liah: FINISH MY FREAKING SUMMER WORK. And get to those features we haven’t done yet. And send out end of year thanks emails. And volunteer or whatever. And finally send out the thank you cards from my sweet 16. And on that note, check the PO box and send out the pins I promised MONTHS AGO. Maybe a blog hiatus wouldn’t be that bad of an idea right now. What is your favorite music video? Alli: I have a whole playlist called “my fave music videos,” so this is a toughy. I can only limit it to three: “Breezeblocks” by Alt-j, “Paranoiac Intervals/Body Dysmorphia” by of Montreal, and “Everlong” by Foo Fighters. Liah: “Heartbreaker” by Metronomy. It’s been in my tab header for a year now. I just want the Metronomy car. Is there a certain word or phrase that’s stuck in your head at the moment? Alli: The part in “Miserable America” where Kevin Abstract goes “I don’t care no more, I don’t care no more, I don’t I don’t I don’t care no more.” Liah: I saw an advertisement a while ago promoting a product called Lo Loestrin Fe. That name has been stuck in my head for about three days now. What’s something you do that no one else seems to understand? Alli: Sometimes I listen to sad music to pump me up. It has some sort of a reverse psychology effect. Liah: Sometimes I feel like if I imagine something, it won’t happen. It freaks me out. Copy and paste the strangest note you could find on your phone. Alli: “Andrew Jackson Jihad really went off when he said “I could go off the deep end...I could kill all my best friends..” June 20th, 2018 at 8:18pm. I love how 8:18pm me referred to AJJ as one single being. What was I on? Liah: “New year new me. Reading classic lit and sitting with my leg in a square all year bay bee. Dressing like it’s the 1920s but men in England. bay bee” (8/10/18, 4:44 PM) Either that, or “I see a Mansard Roof through the treeas *dabs*” which sadly cannot be traced to a single date or time. Which mobile game have you found yourself completely addicted to lately? Alli: I had to delete it because my phone loves to tell me I need storage, but I played Worm vs. Block a lot last month. Liah: Windin. Just download it; I promise it’s good. What would be the best thing to receive in the PO box? Alli: Any stickers. PLEASE send stickers. Liah: Pins and plushies! That or iTunes gift cards, or something. Name a few artists you’re into that no one except you would be into. Alli: Department of Eagles, Will Butler, Dirty Projectors, The Rakes, Vundabar. Liah: Drake, Cake (hehe it rhymes), the Clash, also the Rakes, Wilco. What is the most cringeworthy phrase you’ve ever heard? Alli: I don’t wanna answer this because I’m secretly afraid that the person who said it will find me and hunt me down for it. Liah: When I wrote this question, I meant the most cringeworthy phase you’ve ever had. That was my emo phase in 8th grade. The most cringeworthy phrase I’ve ever heard is when someone posted on Instagram that their favorite song was Vampire Weekend by A-Punk. Yikes. Leave a link to your best Spotify playlist! Alli: Ageless Bops: Songs I will never not love. I love all of my Spotify playlists equally though, so check them out. https://open.spotify.com/user/allid10/playlist/6rFW0oJdc6jsnnZhJETFzp Liah: Upbeatish Electronicish Indieish! My playlists all sound the same, but if you want the best of that same-ness, check it out here: https://open.spotify.com/user/bounce2it/playlist/5pF2fy8J8wKqZ8RqUhWnZQ?si=2Mxo5S1rSq6nUm3lV6X_VA What’s your biggest goal for year 3 of Twilight Collective? Alli: Reach out to some more Staten Island music people and dive into the culture here some more! This year I became aware of it, and next year I will actually explore it. Liah: Actually attend a real life event for the blog. It’s about time. Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times over to everyone who read the blog, shared our articles, or checked us out on social media this year. Even more thanks to everyone we worked with who put up with our inconsistent schedule and odd interview methods, and all of our journalist friends who have given us guidance over the past two years. The blog isn't perfect yet, and probably never will be, but we are constantly working to make it the best blog it can possibly be, and we couldn't be doing that without all of you. Thank you all for supporting your favorite teenage music journalists. We'll see you guys in Year 3.
Love, Liah and Alli Korean pop music and all of its boy bands have been taking the world by storm, have you ever wondered about all of other music scenes out there? We recently got the chance to interview South Korean band GoryMurgy, who are planning to start a conversation about a different type of sound: K-indie. GoryMurgy is made up of guitarist/vocalists Tommy Powell and Kim Kimin and drummer Josh Rohrmayer. They currently have three singles and a demo released, and are set to release their first EP soon, which we listened to early and inquired them about. Do you think the world is ready for Korean indie rock?
TOMMY: I don’t know about the world, but Korea isn’t ready for it. I don’t think I’ll offend anyone by saying homegrown indie or rock bands don’t draw massive crowds here. But that’s kind of liberating in a way for us, there are no trends or fashions to follow, no one looking to pigeon-hole us or label us as this or that. There’s no one trying to define what we should be, so we can do what we want. KIMIN: Korean indie rock? I don’t even heard that kind of genre. Well, you mean, “Korean-Acoustic-Ballad-Singer-songwriter?" Because that’s what indie means to most Korean people. JOSH: I think the world is as ready for Korean indie rock as it is for any other country's indie rock. A lot of it will actually just feel like throwback nostalgia stuff to hip music connoisseurs around the world. There's honestly not a ton of cutting edge stuff happening here. The lack of irony or hipster posturing might be refreshing for some people, though. What was the songwriting process for your EP like? Do you have any first release jitters or anxieties about it? TOMMY: Kimin or I will usually come up with a melody and basic structure for a song, then we’ll all add bits or take bits out of it...like any band I guess. Personally I don’t really ever set out to consciously ‘write a song’, I’ll just be at home doing something and something will come to me and I’ll grab a guitar and hit record. Then think nothing of it but later listen back and forget having ever even made it, but figuring it sounds all right. I think Kimin, you said you do something similar? KIMIN: Yeah, I usually do that too. TOMMY: In terms of anxiety about this EP... when we started out 2 and a half years ago, for me I loved music and really wanted to be in a band, but it always seemed like it was something I wouldn’t be able to do. Like something other people do. But I like making songs with Kimin and we knew the songs were good at least so we enjoyed the challenge of playing live. And playing live became what we loved doing. But without there being a ‘gig going’ scene much in Korea, no matter how how many shows we play (and I think we’ve played around a hundred shows now) we’re kind of hitting a wall now. So this next step is making these recordings and seeing what happens. I don’t think there are jitters about releasing them, but it’s a new challenge for us. KIMIN: When i was writing the songs, I just made that about our life. And jitters or anxiety...No? Never. JOSH: I don't write any of the songs and no, I'm not nervous about releasing the EP. Is there a certain song that you’re excited for people to hear the most? Why? KIMIN: All 4 songs...or mammal tree. No reason. If you like that song, then you can love our other songs. JOSH: ''1인가구'' (furniture for 1) because it has interesting dynamics between different feelings, sounds, rhythms, pacing, etc, rather than a more typical rock or pop song. TOMMY: All of the four songs are kind of different from each other I think. We’ve been tweaking the recordings for so long that for me each has had periods of time when it was my favourite or when I got so sick of listening to it over and over that I had to avoid it for a few days. If I had to pick one, it’d be ‘is this happening’. I made a demo of it a while back, but it was badly recorded and really fuzzy sounding. But still something about that recording of it resonated with me and we’ve tried to re-record it a few times since then, trying to find that original feeling, but in a slightly cleaner form. Also it sounds a bit different from what people might expect from an indie band, so it’ll be nice to see what people make of it. The artwork for your EP, and your other singles are designed by Kimin, a member of the band. What do you want people to take in from the art, and how does the art represent the sound of your music? KIMIN: Did you see the “ring...symbol?” I mean, the symbol on the character’s face in our first EP and in some other artwork. It means eternal life. and... yeah I just wanna Eternal Art Life. And when you see the arts and when you listen to the music, there’ll be some feeling. Please accept the feeling directly. I think it doesn’t need my description. Our favorite song currently on your bandcamp is “There’s Two Guys Always There.” Can you explain the meaning behind that song? KIMIN: There’s so many different meanings in this song’s lyrics. And here’s one of the key points of the lyrics from that song “그 방의 더러운 유령을 죽이고 달아나야해” it means: “You have to run away after killing the ghost in the room” Reject the laziness! TOMMY: The chorus for that, Kimin had a melody, but he said he wanted the chorus in English, so I just listened to what he’d recorded and wrote down what it sounded like he was saying. We’ve done that with a couple of our songs, just kind of sing a melody into a our phones and babble speak the lyrics, then later go back and try to hear what it sounds like we were saying. Letting the subconscious take over songwriting duties. And then it’s fun to go back and try to analyze what it sounds like the song might be about. Anyway looking at ‘two guys always there’. ~The kids don’t make up the stories that I don’t believe in all that naaaaah~ It sounds like there’s some meaning in there. Like ‘don’t take bullshit from the man, maaan, the cool kids know what’s up’ that kind of thing. Do you like the attention your country is getting lately from k-pop? How has it affected the indie music scene there? KIMIN: I only listen to 2NE1 among k-pop songs. And...I have no idea. I think k-pop and k-indie are too far apart. JOSH: I don't know, really. It seems like most indie bands in Korea generally reject K-Pop or most of it anyway, but now and again you'll see someone cover a popular ballad or something. We even used to play a Gorymurgy-ized version of a K-Pop song during practice once in a while. It's about the same relationship the North American or UK or continental European indie scenes have with mainstream music as far as I can tell, ranging from abject hatred to "ironic enjoyment" to genuine enjoyment and everywhere else in between on this spectrum. Which artists would you consider your inspirations? Who are your favorite bands? JOSH: Historically, the usual suspects like The Beatles, Nirvana, The Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth, Pavement, and hundreds of other well-known and obscure artists and bands spanning all kinds of genres. TOMMY: Guided by Voices, the replacements, deerhunter, pavement. And I guess the English indie bands that were everywhere in the 2000s. Also Shin Jung Hyun, who I first heard about a year after moving to Korea. I would say he’s to Korean music what the Beatles are to British music. But for whatever reason people don’t really listen to him a lot these days. Before I heard him, I thought Korea didn’t really have much going on musically, but since listening a lot and loving his music, I’ve realized Korea does have a great rock and pop music history, and that got me more interested in the culture in general. So he’s probably the reason I’m here playing in a band now. KIMIN: Uhuhboo-project, The Blackskirts, Pavement, The Cribs, Sonic Youth etc...I listen to Car Seat Headrest these days. Which do you prefer more: singing in English or Korean? TOMMY: Furniture for 1 is the only one I sing in Korean... maybe this question is more for Kimin. KIMIN: It just depends on the sound. Where in the world is your dream gig? KIMIN: Japan. Or...North Korea...maybe. TOMMY: Glastonbury or Reading Festival. JOSH: A big festival in a cool place like the Roskilde Festival in Denmark or the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan with a bunch of our still living musical heroes on the same bill. We'd like to thank GoryMurgy for letting us ask them some questions! Follow them on Instagram and check out their Bandcamp to prepare for the release of their first ever EP. Hello Twilight Collective readers of Earth and elsewhere! I've infiltrated the main tab without Alli once again to bring you this interview with producer, performer, and former Franz Ferdinand guitarist Nick McCarthy. Would you say you had a lot of exposure to music early in life? When did you realize your passion? Who would you say the most prominent influences are on your music and life? I didn’t have a massive exposure to music as a kid. Just normal. My parents had a normal record collection which to me seemed quite boring until I found the Beatles hidden in there. My brother had a profound part in my musical life. He taught me how to play the guitar and showed me how to write a song. I couldn’t quite believe you could do that so easily. And one last big influence was my time with Embryo, the German krautrock band. The leader Christian Burkhart was my mentor for years. I loved the way he played and how he managed his band. He’s a true hero and icon for me. He died only a few months ago. What have you been listening to recently? Mal Waldron. What was your experience like touring with Das Lunsentrio? What was your favorite thing to work on with that group? Also, I noticed you guys have a distinct red, green, and yellow color scheme. Why did you choose those colors? What do they represent? We are the greatest of friends and have an amazing time wrecking havoc on tour. We actually have Martin the God of Chaos in our bus with us and he decides which direction to take. You can imagine... the colour scheme is because Hank, our singer is a Rastafarian. How have your experiences in touring changed from when you first started out to now? Have you noticed any shifts in popular music or the way the alternative music scene is perceived in different places? People don’t like touring much anymore because it’s so clean, but our tour with Das Lunsentrio is definitely not clean so I like it. There are indeed shifts I’ve been perceiving but that might just be the way time works. And I think there are always a few alternative music fans anywhere in the world. It’s similar and not so similar at all all over the world. How’s that for a non-answer? How would you describe your experiences with Franz Ferdinand? What are some differences in the music scene in the UK vs Germany? We had an amazing time as a band. I’d even say exceptional. Something like that doesn’t happen very often in a lifetime. My memories are all a vivid sparkle. the UK music scene is based on the newest thing, pop, I suppose. And we just stepped right in there and never looked back. The German scene doesn’t work like that. There are subsidies for music to try and give everyone the experience of high culture. They want everyone to have the same education. It can be quite high brow but people get a lot of musical history shoved down their throat. There was never a big scene for the entertainment industry. One of the men from Kraftwerk said that’s because the Germans aren’t very good at entertaining. Well a lot has changed though and there’s a lot of labels in Germany now, so it’s better for the scene. I assume working with your wife, Manuela, is a different experience than what you've had in the past. Would you say it comes naturally, or have you dealt with any creative differences? If so, how do you overcome those challenges? it’s great writing and recording songs with Manuela. we’ve always done it since we met. She’s great. The problem is organising the worldly things like who booked the flights to the next gig and where is my passport? How do your kids feel about your music? They can sing along to the whole Manuela album and when something I’ve done comes on the radio they tell me “it’s Daddy music in’t it”. And I go: it sure is, now get your Muesli down you we need to go to school. (thank god school in England starts an hour and a half later than in Germany. I used to hate getting up for school, but this seems ok) Can we expect anything from Box Codax coming soon? I love Ragnew and still see him every Christmas. We are still writing together but I use the songs for other things usually. Who would you like to work with in the future? What are your plans for the future? I want to work with all the great musicians I’ve met over the years. There’s not that many I really really connect with so I’ll start working my through them pretty soon! I’ve got a studio in London called “Sausage Studios ” or “the Sack” and I’m producing music there, so that’s my plan for the future. More songs, more records. Give us a call if you need some hot production! What’s your go-to pizza topping? Margarita for the kids. If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be? No. 9 What songs would soundtrack your life? No. 5, 6, 13 and 17. Are you more of a cat person or a dog person? Do you have any pets? Cats cats cats If you were an animal, which animal would you be? Why? Which animal best represents your music? A sponge. They live for 4000 years. SpongeBob represents my music pretty well. What are your interests outside of music? Table tennis, Spanish, watching the news, cycling. Are you planning on coming to the US anytime soon? No I really don’t have any plans to come to the US. but we play in Mexico. Come over there if they let you in! Thank you, Nick, for stopping by the email inbox of Twilight Collective to answer some questions. We appreciate it! Good luck finding your passport.
For our readers: You can follow Nick on Twitter here and support his music here and here. Since I infiltrated the main tab, I get to do my outro: see you guys in my next article! "Liah and Alli," you ask your computer screen, "how in the world did you discover a Croatian indie rock band with the name Jonathan?" It's kind of a funny story, actually. It was 7:30 PM on a Friday night. We were getting ready to go to Alli's brother's basketball game. We were screwing around in her kitchen with her totally-not-recording-everything Amazon Alexa. She asked it to play songs by Jonathan. And it delivered. We listened to two of Jonathan’s albums that day and decided they were so good that we had to interview them. After literally ten seconds of discussion over whether we should ask or not, Liah sent Jonathan an Instagram message. Anyway, here are the responses to our questions, answered by Jonathan's guitarist, Darko Petković. 1. Why did you guys choose the name Jonathan? What does Jonathan represent? Jonathan is our imaginary person. We used to make fun during rehearsals of this guy who has very poor social skills, awkward when there are other people around him but also a very kind and generous person. It’s an internal joke so his persona is a bit exaggerated. For us, it reflects this idea of unity, Jonathan being a metaphorical single person with a blend of character traits and whimsies from each one of us. 2. Who are your biggest musical inspirations? Are you inspired more by music scenes worldwide or the Croatian scene itself? By music scenes worldwide, of course. We grew up back in the 90’s when TV, especially MTV, had a huge influence on teenagers, especially Nirvana and the whole grunge movement, and that’s where the English lyrics came up in our music. Each one of us emerged from different music worlds and genres, we all played in different bands before we started Jonathan (which wasn’t even supposed to become a real band). I would say that we seek and find the inspiration in each other because of that, it is diversity that inspires and also connects us. 3. What's your favorite thing about the Croatian alternative scene? We don’t have our favorite thing about the Croatian alternative scene because it’s very poor and not coherent, so we like to stick to ourselves, trying to do our best. 4. If you could replace the members of Jonathan with animals, which animals would they be? This is a hard one. Nikica would be a fox because he’s clever and canny. Branko would be a dog, he likes to bark with no particular reason but he is also very loyal and full of love. Zoran is a strange combination- sometimes an eagle that flies high, sometimes a little mouse that needs a shelter from all the other predators. Tomo would be a dolphin- it swims for an easy and joyful life, enjoying thesmall things, and has very sophisticated sonar for music. It’s hard for me to write for myself so I’ll leave that for some other occasion. 5. In your own opinion, what makes a Jonathan song a Jonathan song? Do you have a “trademark” part of your songs? We think our trademark is that we don’t have our trademark or music style, as we said in one of the previous questions. We are very diverse when it comes to music and we move through music genres and styles easily. Strong vocals and great writing skills is something that defines Jonathan, by the words of the media critics and the public here in our region. 6. (Alli) I’m actually Croatian! My great-grandparents were from there. My Grandparents recently visited and brought me back beautiful postcards. What part of Croatia do you think inspired you the most? It’s actually our hometown, the city of Rijeka. It isthe biggest port in Croatia and it was the main port in ex Yugoslavia. In the 1920s, there was a direct line to New York once in a month. A lot of ships used to come and go, with people bringing lots of stuff from all around the globe, music records amongst them. It’s a very multicultural city, known for its rock legacy. 7. I really enjoyed your video for “Maggie.” What was your favorite part of filming it? The whole process was very exciting and inspiring for us. It was our first video, we had no money, just enthusiasm and a bunch of good and willing people around us, to whom we are very thankful. 8. What place in the world do you dream of playing in? New York. We would like to be the band with the planet earth as our playground. You can stream Jonathan’s latest album, To Love, on Spotify, Bandcamp, YouTube, and iTunes.
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