Published by
ejquinn on
October 23, 2008 in
Artist News, Festivals and OurStage@.
Tags: 2008, Brian Wilson, cmj, Grizzly Bear, interview, memphis pencils, Ourstage.com, OurStage@, Quinn Strassel, video.
To kick things off at the CMJ Music Marathon 2008, I caught up with my favorite Arkansas band, Memphis Pencils. Ok, so they’re the only band I know from Arkansas, but trust me, they’re really good. Inspired by Renaissance choral music, Brian Wilson, and Grizzly Bear, these guys craft quirky, catchy songs with a homemade feel. If you haven’t heard their song “Un Dandy Dia,” do yourself a favor and give it a listen. And while your at it, join their fanclub by visiting their OurStage profile.
Stay tuned for their live performance video from CMJ coming Saturday…
EMBED THIS VIDEO
Last month, I told you how OurStage band Merrill opened for Maroon 5. A couple days ago, OurStage band Teamwork opened for Matt Nathanson. How did these relatively unknown bands land such cool gigs? The OurStage Marketplace of course!
Click here to find out how you could open for soulful rock band Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. In the meantime, enjoy our interview backstage at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston. We had a lot of fun, particularly Andy (our video director) who was blown away by Grace’s on-camera charisma.
Stay tuned to Grace’s profile for blog posts featuring out-takes from this interview.
Published by
ejquinn on
October 9, 2008 in
Artist Feature and Artist News.
Tags: Brad Ungar, Casio, Elliott Smith, lazertag, Mitch Buttress, OurStage@, Pavement, Quinn Strassel, Ryan Spratt, silver state, south by southwest.
Mitch and Ryan of Lazertag
Name: Lazertag
From: San Francisco/Bay Area
Formed: 2005
Sounds Like: Pavement meets Elliott Smith with an MT 500 Casio
Albums: Modern Cuts for The Modern Man (5/08)
If California-based duo Lazertag makes it big, they may want to thank Brad Ungar, whose music video for “Silver State” introduced the band to thousands of fans on OurStage by winning the video grand prize for September. Ungar, who befriended the band at San Francisco State University and now works as a PA in hollywood, says the guys are too humble and laid back to promote themselves as much as they should. Sounds fitting for a couple of college grads from the Bay Area who make lo-fi pop gems on forty-dollar Casios and acoustic guitar.
I caught up with Mitch Buttress (guitar, lead vocals) and Ryan Spratt (keyboards) via phone to talk about South By Southwest, Casios, and why they hate/love jamming…
Continue reading ‘In the Spotlight: Lazertag’
Congratulations to Mike Moran and Lazertag for taking home the OurStage grand prize awards for September.
I enjoyed talking to Brad Ungar who directed the winning video for Lazertag’s “Silver State.” He told me the video was shot on the road from California to Austin, Texas for the South By Southwest music festival. Technically, Lazertag hadn’t booked a show there, but they rigged their car so they could play shows in parking lots around Austin. Turns out, it’s not that simple. Even bands playing parking lots need permits in Austin during SXSW. He says most shows were shut down after the first or second song.
Still, he got lots of great footage of the band on the road, including footage from some of those brief outdoor performances. The product? An award winning video as voted by the fans on OurStage. Congrats Brad.
If you dig the winning work of Mike Moran, Lazertag, or Brad Ungar, give ‘em a shout in the comment section. Tell them what you love about their work!
FREE DOWNLOAD: Mike Moran | Delicious
FREE DOWNLOAD: Lazertag | Silver State
