Peter Gabriel live concert film Back to Front will show nationwide for one night on April 23

This month, not only will Peter Gabriel, one of the most innovative artists of modern times, be honored with an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, but his cinema event Peter Gabriel: Back To Front will have a nationwide screening on Wed, April 23 at around more than 20 locations throughout Southern California and in more than 400 movie theaters nationwide. The film was produced and presented by Fathom Events, More2Screen, Eagle Rock Entertainment and Real World.

Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the landmark album So, Gabriel performs for this very special concert directed by BAFTA winner Hamish Hamilton (who also directed the 82nd Annual Academy Awards, 2010 Super Bowl halftime show, concert DVDs by The Rolling Stones, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, U2, and more). Back To Front was filmed in October 2013 at London’s famed O2 Arena. The show highlights some of Gabriel’s biggest hits like “Digging In The Dirt,” “Sledgehammer,” “Mercy Street,” “Don’t Give Up,” and “Solsbury Hill.”

This spectacular performance reunites Peter with his original touring band from 1986 to help cover all his most well known hits and more. Throughout the event, cinema audiences will also get a deeper look into the multi-dimensional artist through the seamless use of subtle commentary and exclusive interviews with those closest to him.

Tickets are available at the Fathom Events website. If online ticketing is not available for your location, you can purchase your tickets by visiting the box office at your local participating cinema.

1974 blends progressive rock with a more modern sound

1974 is a five-person progressive/classic rock band consisting of Mike Forgette (guitar/lead vocals), Tim Moore (drums), Gary Dionne (bass), Adam Clymer (guitar), and ANGELA Rhea Piccoli (keys). They base their music in a more “technically advanced future” as they stated.

With modern influences such as Deathcab For Cutie and Coheed and Cambria, you can see why their debut album, 1974 and The Battle For The Lazer Fortress made it to the top 15 albums of 2011 on CT.com. Along with their great success, they recently won “Best Rock Band” at the CT Music Awards!

OC Concert guide recently chatted with 1974 to chat a little about their band and influences.

OCCG: How did 1974 start out?
1974: We started out without a specific artistic concept for the band, but brought a lot of various influences (classic and progressive rock, musical theater, punk rock) to the table. Countless rehearsals over three years slowly molded us into the band we are today; one that writes progressive rock operas that tell a story. When you have such a diverse group of musicians, and such close friends, there is no way the band could have been just some run of the mill, weekend, top 40 cover band.

OCCG: Who are your biggest influences as a band and individuals?
1974: As a band we have an eclectic list of musical influences. The band is a mix of all our loves, from Musical Theater to old Blues to Punk Rock. We really use all we can in our music.

Gary – Rush
Clymer – The Beatles
Forgy – Jethro Tull
Angela – David Bowe
Tim – Yes

OCCG: Individually, what are your favorite songs of yours and why?
1974: It’s hard to pick a favorite, because all of our songs are one piece of an intricate puzzle. Our new album has been our favorite piece to play live. We really mix it up. The songs on our albums are written to fit the story and the characters. We can have a huge heavy rocker right next to a folk song if it makes sense in the story and the transitions work. “1974 & The Death of The Herald” really is a roller coaster of sound. So playing that live is both fun and challenging. We love that album. It is by far our favorite.

OCCG: What song do you guys enjoy playing live the most?
1974: Gary – Building an Empire
Clymer – (tie) The Pyre at Violent Hill & Vera
Forgy – Abduction
Angela – Abduction
Tim – Essential Arms

OCCG: I read that you guys write, produce, record, and mix all of your own music…what is the hardest part of having to do all of that? Does it make everything more worthwhile?
1974: We did up until the new album (“1974 & The Death of The Herald”).
Before that we wrote, demoed, recorded, mixed, mastered, and produced everything. We finally decided to go to a professional studio and hire a producer. Jeff Weed ended up becoming as important to our music as we had. His guidance and friendship was so wonderful. We think the new album came out beyond expectation because of him and his help. Jeff recorded, mixed, and mastered Death of The Herald. He also co-produced the new album with us.

Prior to that we would work for months on end (years in the case of our first album “1974 & The Battle for The Lazar Fortress”). We have a little demo studio set up in our rehearsal space. We would write and record nonstop until we have the correct pieces of the story together.
Then we fine tune the songs and restructure when necessary. Lastly we get together and write the lyrics that tell the story. After that we would lock ourselves in the rehearsal space and record for as long as it took. During the sessions for our EPs, we caved in and recorded drum tracks in Clymer’s home studio. We just needed a change of scenery. Once everything was recorded, it was up to Forgy to mix and master everything. That is how we did it before recording “1974 & The Death of The Herald.”

OCCG: You guys recently won “Best Rock Band” for the CT Music Awards, what was the initial and after feeling of winning?
1974: When we found out we had been nominated, we were honored. At the time, we were recording our new album, so we were engrossed in the creative process tucked away from the world. When it got closer to the awards, and we had wrapped up production, that is when it sunk in so to speak.

Actually winning the award was an incredibly emotional experience. It was so wonderfully overwhelming knowing that a lot of our home state believed in the same creative vision that we did, as much as we did.

We never hide the fact that we are proud to be from CT. The people here, the musicians, the scene, and just about everyone one else has been incredibly supportive and kind to us. Winning that award simply reinforced the fact that we may tour the world someday, or record in a fancy studio across the country, but at the end of the day CT is, and always will be, home for 1974.

OCCG: What’s next for 1974?
Writing, touring, performing, traveling, creating, and occasionally taking a rest to sleep for a few hours.

Aquarium Test plays the Baked Potato in Studio City April 17

Electric Quartet, Aquarium Test, will deliver a unique musical experience for it’s LA audience as they play the Baked Potato in Studio City April 17. Headed by California raised now NYC based pianist, Isamu McGregor, the band is a fresh mix of jazz, rock, soul and funk.

McGregor attributes his many musical influences in his own works as being all over the map, from Art Tatum to the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Herbie Hancock to Led Zeppelin to Lenny Kravitz to Rage Against the Machine (for those more intimate moments). It was this fusion of so many different musical interests that helped Isamu begin to shape his unique sound on the piano.

OC Concert Guide got a chance to speak with McGregor about recording his first live album at the Baked Potato and what influences the music of AQT.

OCCG: What is the inspiration to forming Aquarium Test. Did the group just happen from jamming with various players or did you have the idea for the music and then seek after musicians for the group?
IM: The actual formation of the group was a bit unexpected. I had been playing with both Deen Anbar (guitar) and Evan Marien (bass) in different projects for a few years, and always had especially enjoyed their playing. I had some tunes that I had written back in college, but I didn’t have any projects that were playing them. Near the end of 2011, I booked a gig at The Baked Potato, which was a nostalgic spot for me in Los Angeles. At first I figured I would play the gig with some local LA musicians, but at that point I had been living in NYC for nearly 4 years, and all of my close musician friends were based in New York. Thinking along those lines, I decided I wanted to fly out NY musicians to play the gig. But then I didn’t want to fly out guys from NYC just to play a one-off show. So then I decided, hey why not record a live album? One thing seemed to lead to another, and it all happened very unexpectedly, but it was all very exciting.

My friend Ian Chang was unavailable to fly from NYC to play drums, so I decided to seek out an LA-based drummer. I connected with Gene Coye through a couple mutual friends. I met Gene for the first time the day before the show, at our one rehearsal. And when we recorded the live album, that was the first gig the quartet ever played.

Since Gene lives in LA, I wanted to find a steady NYC drummer for East Coast gigs. I had originally met Sangmin Lee at New York University, and then we played a regular church gig together for a while. Through the church gig, I got to know Sangmin and his playing much better, and when the opportunity arose for some NYC gigs, I reached out to him. When we play on the West Coast, Gene takes the drum chair, but Sangmin plays the majority of the AQT gigs.

OCCG: Is the Live at The Baked Potato CD the group’s only release so far or is there other studio or live recordings?
IM: Currently, Live at the Baked Potato is the only recording. There are tentative plans to work on a studio album throughout 2014.

OCCG: There are a lot of different styles of jazz, rock and fusion on the recording. Is that due to your own writing style or do your band mates contribute their own styles to the music and recording?
IM: I think it is a combination of those two things. About half of the songs on the album I wrote while I was taking lessons with Wayne Krantz at NYU, and his approach to music/songwriting had a big impact on my personal style. Additionally, some of my favorite bands growing up – Headhunters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, and more – contributed to the eclectic combination of musical influences.

At the same time, the other members of the band absolutely bring their own flavor/approach to the music, which has taken on a character that I never could have achieved on my own. Deen brings a strong R&B/soul influence, Evan is well versed in electronic music styles, and Sangmin has strong roots in both pop music and contemporary jazz. The reason I choose to work with these guys is because they each have very individual things to bring to the table. I like to refer to these kinds of musicians as “game-changers”

OCCG: What are some of the musical connections you have with each player in this group?
IM: I have probably played with Evan the most frequently over the last few years. We both approach playing from a compositional standpoint, which I definitely appreciate. Evan likes to look at the big picture while he is playing, and with this kind of improvisatory music, that is paramount. With Deen, I’ve always felt that our natural musical instincts are very in tune with each other. Oftentimes he will play certain things that were already swirling around in my subconscious. Considering the fact that he is the other “lead” player in the band, it is nice to feel that we are on the same page in that way. And with Sangmin, all of his playing serves the music at large, while also maintaining a strong sense of individuality, which is a rare combination to find in a musician.

OCCG: Is there a specific meaning behind the band’s name and was the acronym intended to sound like a cutie (AQT)?
IM: Well I guess I’ll spill the beans! The acronym happened to sound like “a cutie,” but really it just seemed to be a natural shorthand for “Aquarium Test”. As for the full name – try taking the phrase “Isamu Quartet”, and jumbling up the letters. Voila!

OCCG: How is the LA audience’s response to the music unique?
Whenever I come back to Los Angeles to perform, I get the sense that the music community is awakening from a bit of a slumber. There is a wonderful, youthful energy to the creative music scene that was not present when I was growing up in LA. When you combine that youthfulness with the powerhouse market that LA has been for decades, it makes for a very unique and savvy listening audience

OCCG: Why did you choose to record the album at the Baked Potato in Studio City?
IM: I vaguely described it above, but I was very excited to book the gig, and wanted to make more of it than just a simple one-off show. Also, growing up one my favorite albums was a CD my dad had given to me at the age of 10. It was Greg Mathieson’s “Live at The Baked Potato”, which was my first real introduction to instrumental music that wasn’t straight-ahead jazz or classical music.

OCCG: Do you play any other instruments besides piano and keys? What is your favorite piece of equipment currently that you can or cannot bring on the road?
IM: Professionally I only play piano/keys, but throughout high school I dabbled in guitar, bass and drums. I’ve always felt that I’m a drummer trapped in a pianist’s body. Per my equipment, living in NYC I had to develop a rig that was easily transportable, since I didn’t have a car for the first few years that I lived here. I would routinely drag a trunk’s worth of gear onto the NYC subways. Since then I have bought a car, but all the gear I use with AQT is the same gear I would use in my ideal keyboard setup. Although I wouldn’t mind having a real Hammond B3 organ. That would be pretty sweet.

OCCG: You are from the west coast but now live on the east coast, what are the pros and cons to being a musician in LA or NYC to you personally?
IM: That’s a deep question! I find that NYC really pushes musicians, gives them an edge, inspires them to discover and always become better. But I think the more laid-back vibe of Los Angeles is a different kind of advantage to musicians. A friend of mine once described the act of leaving NYC regularly as an essential act, as it allowed one to “relax, regroup, synthesize and process all of the influences that NYC throws at you.” Otherwise, you are only reacting, rather than having the time to stop and understand what you are reacting to, and how/why you are reacting at all. Additionally, Herbie once said, “When I was living in NYC, I was surviving. When I moved to LA, I started living.” I think any pros/cons of being musicians in either city are inextricably linked to the respective environments of the cities themselves, and how they affect the musician in their day-to-day life.

Evan Marien at the Baked Potato April 17, 2014

New York City-based Bassist, Evan Marien, latest recording, We Are All You is a vibrant mix of many styles of music that moves and inspires him. Marien will be lending his talents to fellow NYC-based group Aquarium Test April 17 at the Baked Potato in Studio City.

We Are All You is a blend of electronic jazz with some other flavorful styles laced throughout the recordings. Marien obviously does not take sides on the live vs. electronic music debate that seems to taking over the music world as this new release showcases by combining both to make his own style of music.

OC Concert Guide asked Marien about recording his latest EP and what inspires him to make music.

OCCG: Was the bass your first instrument you studied and what inspired you the most about playing bass?
EM: The first instrument I studied was piano when I was 5 or 6. I began playing trombone in 5th grade because I wanted to sit next to my best friend in band. My band teacher pushed me to play bass because I could already read bass clef from learning the trombone. I was actually very uninspired to play the bass at first, I wanted to play guitar because I thought it was cool. So the bass was just educational to me at first. I was playing it because I had to. It wasn’t until later on when I discovered Jaco Pastorius and Weather Report that I would become inspired by the instrument.

OCCG: What was your process of recording your latest album, do you set out to record an album and start writing songs or do you create and start recording then when you have enough songs formed decided to put out the EP?
EM: My new album is simply a collection of tunes I felt were finished enough to release together. I have loads more finished songs, but these tunes showcased a specific side of my music that felt right to release together. For this new album I didn’t have a specific process…just wrote a lot of music over the past 3 years. The bass centric songs felt right to release together as a whole.

OCCG: There seems to be a new generation of sought after musicians coming out of Berklee Music School, what was your experience attending Berklee and studying with other students that helped inspire the music you are making now?
EM: My experience with Berklee was a positive one. I enjoyed living in Boston and meeting all the incredibly inspiring people that pushed me to a higher level of creativity. Without going on too much about it, I’ll just say that it was a great experience that I would recommend to any inspiring musician. The music I make wouldn’t exist without it being first tested at Berklee. I played a lot of jazz-fusion there. My roots run deep with that style of music, but after having moved to NY and after listening to more electronic music, I feel like that has actually inspired me to make this album more than my education at Berklee.

OCCG: The song “I Can’t Complain” off your latest recording has a similar tonality to some Stanley Clark works. Is that a conscious inspiration that you were going for in that tune?
EM: This might come as a surprise then… I’ve actually never heard much of Stanley’s music, but I’m familiar with his name and his legacy. I think the most I’ve listened to Stanley was his playing in that trio with Al Dimeola and Jean Luc Ponty… Rite of Strings I think it’s called? He’s got a great sound on the acoustic bass. Anyways, thanks for the compliment!

OCCG: Can you explain the programming you did on the song Stand Still? For example, did you record the bass then convert the audio to midi for a more electronic feel in the music?
EM: Stand Still is an interesting tune…It’s actually a couple songs all remixed together. I didn’t record any real bass on it, I just played it in using a midi controller. The other parts are more interesting to talk about I suppose…I chopped up samples of my Rhodes piano into my SP1200 and turned them into the harmonic blips and chords you hear, along with also just recording straight Rhodes over the tune. The drums were from a different tune of mine that never quite came together. I think I programmed the drums in Reason. Overall the whole record was programmed in Reason and I used Ableton to master.

OCCG: Did you do the entire drum programming on Teen Town yourself?
EM: Yep! All by myself. I started that song back in 2008 while a student at Berklee. I remember working on it for a couple hours and then put it in a folder and forgot about it. I then found the project again at the end of 2013 while going through an old hard drive and thought it would be cool to rework it for the album.

OCCG: How many songs on the new recording your original music and how many are covers?
EM: Teen Town is the only cover. I like to generally stay away from working on covers, since it distracts from trying to create original music, but I wanted to try Teen Town out only because I thought I could do an original take on it.

OCCG: Do you have any plans for some live shows playing songs off the new album, and will you play them solo or with a full band?
EM: Right now I’m concentrating on shows with Dana Hawkins. We have a repertoire that we’ve developed over the past couple years and we’re excited to bring it to a live audience.

Jonny Kaplan and the Lazy Stars play at the Harp Inn March 28

Rock-n-roll is no stranger to the likes of Jonny Kaplan and his group The Lazy Stars who will be taking a break from their big arena shows and grueling tour schedules for a much more up-close, small venue show at the Harp Inn in Costa Mesa March 28.

Kaplan and his musical band mates have been heard for decades over the radio around the world on some of the most well known recordings. You may not remember each of their names, but when talk of bands like Blind Melon, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters or The Wallflowers get tossed around in conversation suddenly everyone is familiar with the music and wouldn’t miss a chance to see it performed live.

The Lazy Stars include Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters, The Wallflowers) on keyboards, bassist Jokin Salaverria, guitarist Dan Wistrom and drummer Joey Galvan. Kaplan also enlisted help on his latest recording from some very cool friends including The Black Crowes’ keyboardist Adam MacDougall, Blind Melon’s Brad Smith, Foo Fighters’ Jessy Greene on violin and very special guest, Daryl Hannah, who lends her vocals to two tracks.

Kaplan took the time to speak with the OC Concert Guide about where his musical journey started, and getting to record and play live with all his talented friends.

OCCG: You are originally from Philadelphia. How did growing up in such a musical city influence your music and desire to be a professional musician?
Jonny Kaplan (JK): Great question! Philly is most definitely a very musical city… so …growing up listening to FM rock radio pretty much started it all. Listening to Kiss, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath taught me early on just what I wanted to be when I grew up.

OCCG: What inspired you to settle in the West Coast? Did you come seeking a musical career or had you already been a successful, touring musician before you came west?
JK: I played on the East Coast for a few years …and lived in New York City. I came out here (LA) to look for a singer. And fell in love with the West Coast … and stayed.

OCCG: How did the Lazy Stars first come together and play?
JK: The Lazy’s in a different incarnation first came together to be my backing band after I made my first record: “California Heart” The record was released to critical acclaim in Europe …and I put the band together to start touring.

OCCG: What albums or groups that you have contributed to as a back up band member has made the biggest impact on you as a musician?
JK: not sure if I understand this question: But …maybe like this???:

Of all the bands I’ve played with or been friends with over the years … the 2 that have probably made the most impact on me have been Blind Melon and The Wallflowers. Blind Melon, because Christopher Thorn was instrumental in getting me to make my first record … he produced and recorded it as well …and we remain close friends to this day…the same goes for Rami Jaffee who was in The Wallflowers and now The Foos…we go way back, 20 years together when The Wallflowers and my old band played together every week in Hollywood. Rami has been on every one of my records from day one, has been one of my biggest supporters and was absolutely instrumental in getting my new record “Sparkle And Shine” first recorded.and then released here in The US of A. it’s a family affair all the way.

OCCG: What inspired the latest album Sparkle and Shine after such a long break since your last release Seasons?
JK: A broken heart and a lot of broken bones. I was involved in a pretty bad motorcycle wreck and was laid up for some time, while at the same time going through some painful troubles of the heart. Not a good combination…maybe good for songwriting though.

OCCG: What is your song development process? Do you write lyrics then music or music then lyrics?
JK: I don’t ever push it. I wait for inspiration. And when it comes… it is easy.

OCCG: Which song on the new album best describes your musical process?
JK: Not really any… the songs on the new record are pretty diverse… as is my taste as well. I like to rock … but I also like playing acoustic, mellower stuff as well.

OCCG: Which song on the new album changed the most from when it was first written to the final recorded version?
JK: Probably “Pretty Little Nose” I wrote it to be completely acoustic. …but the guys in the band sweetened it up, ever so lightly. It’s a very mellow, quiet song …even though it has a full, electric band playing on the track.

OCCG: What are some of your favorite songs, original or cover, to play live and why?
JK: Ahh…there are lots…and for many different reasons. Lately, myself and all The Lazy’s would agree on “Child Is Gone” because we really get to stretch and jam a bit…and the song really sucks people in…. everyone just gets right into the zone.
If I am playing acoustic…it would have to be “Sweet Magnolia Flower” for the same reason… it just silences the room…it is truly magical.

Coldair will showcase his multi-instrumental talents at SXSW March 11 – 16
Photo by: Maciej Sawicki

Currently on tour to promote his latest work “Whose Blood,” Coldair will be making a stop at SXSW on Wed, March 12 at Stephen F’s in Austin, Texas. Coldair is the work of independent artist hailing from Poland, Tobiasz Billnski. No stranger to the music world, Tobiasz is considered on of the most talented artist in Poland.

Biliński composes and produces all of his music. He has mastered the skills of playing seven instruments. Under the name of Coldair, his solo project where every track is produced mixed and mastered by Biliński himself. Coldair is a multi-instrumentalist and a talented artist to say the least.

OC Concert Guide had the chance to chat with Biliński to hear some more about his music process.

OCCG: Will this year be your first year performing SXSW as a solo artist?
COLDAIR: This year I will be performing solo for the first time at SXSW, but I played there before as Coldair with a backing band. I perform in various ways, sometimes with a big band, but it’s still my solo project. I write music and I have the final word.

OCCG: Who are you looking forward to seeing at SXSW?
COLDAIR: St. Vincent! Yesss.

OCCG: How was the transition from a band to a solo project? Did you feel you had more freedom with artistic expression?
COLDAIR: Exactly, that was the reason to do it. I did enjoy playing with the band, but I’m sort of a control freak. I have the need to do things my way, and Coldair is a perfect project to do that. If members of your band are all strong personalities, arguments are inevitable. That’s why bands break up, I guess. In Coldair I can only argue with myself. I do that sometimes…

OCCG: What is the difference from playing music in Poland from playing in the US?
COLDAIR: I have this feeling that I ended up in the wrong part of the planet. I feel like I belong in Los Angeles or New York City. I’m struggling with lack of understanding of my music in Poland, while people in Western Europe or USA totally know what it is about and dig it. The difference is overwhelming.

OCCG: How did you become a multi-instrumentalist, were you self-taught?
COLDAIR: My first instrument was the piano; I was attending piano lessons since I was 6 until I was about 17. But I’ve always been interested in all kinds of instruments, so when I was 13 I bought a drum kit and started to learn that too, then a guitar, then trumpet… My flat is full of instruments. I also really like to learn in general. Not only instruments, I like languages, for instance.

OCCG: You compose and produce your own music as well as playing the instruments and sing, how long does it take you to complete one song?
COLDAIR: LONG. I have a very strange way of writing songs. I’m a bit moody, so if I don’t feel like it, I just don’t do it. It’s usually just one flash of inspiration, and the song that I’ve been working on for 2 years is finished from scratch in 8 hours. It’s kind of annoying, because you can’t guess when and if it’s going to happen – absolutely unpredictable.

OCCG: Your sound is described as indie pop, how did this genre catch your attention?
COLDAIR: I don’t like tags, but yeah – maybe indie pop fits. I mix genres; I like to play around with sounds, noises and structures. Still, a good melody is very important. I grew up listening to trip-hop/electronic music, maybe that’s where it comes from. I don’t listen to that stuff anymore, but I still appreciate it. Only recently I decided to expand my horizons and started to really listen to pop music, like Justin Timberlake, whose cover I released a few months ago. I’d say JT made me very interested in pop.

OCCG: What has been your favorite festival to be a part of?
COLDAIR: This is hard. I played on many great festivals, like SXSW or Culture Collide. I’d say my favorite was Primavera Sound in Barcelona; I played there with my band in 2011. Awesome event!

OCCG: What is one track of your latest LP Whose Blood, which you feel is your strongest work?
COLDAIR: It’s difficult to pick one, but if I’m forced to, I’ll go with “Sign”. I’m proud of the composition, melody, sound, arrangement, and performance. I feel this is so far the best song I’ve made.

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe plays the Observatory March 12

Funky Jazz saxophonist, Karl Denson, brings the Tiny Universe band back to his OC roots for a night of booty bouncing music at the Observatory on Wed, March 12. With a brand new album entitled, New Ammo, Denson and his band of brothers have some fresh new grooves that fans have been waiting for since his last release, Brother’s Keeper came out in 2009.

“Discovering ‘Grenadiers’ was the beginning of this record,” Denson recalls. “I was trying to figure out what the band was for a long time. We were unsure where we were going until we discovered this was something that we did well. I feel like this record is the beginning of a new phase for the Tiny Universe.”

Denson is joined on the new album by Chris Stilwell (bass), David Veith (organ, Rhodes), Chris Littlefield (trumpet), DJ Williams (guitar) and John Staten (drums). Also lending some horns to the new recording is trombonist Andy Geib and baritone saxophonist Daniel De La Cruz. The album features a number of special guests, including frequent Denson collaborators Robert Walter on keyboards and Mike Dillon on vibes and percussion. Anthony Smith is also featured on vibes, and singer Nicki Bluhm joins in on the album’s first single, “My Baby.”

“We wanted this album to really showcase how we sound as a live band,” said Denson. “That way we show what this band is all about. We hope the recordings encourage fans to come out and give the live show a try.”

Denson, who originates from Santa Ana, has been a driving force behind the horn sections of many funk and rock groups like Lenny Kravitz, San Diego reggae-rock band Slightly Stoopid and The Greyboy Allstars. He has been the main saxophonist with Slightly Stoopid for three years and his group; Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe is currently a part of the Slightly Stoopid record label roster.

“My approach has always been that we’re a dance band that dips into the jazz realm,” Denson says. “It’s pretty much still the same, but things change as you listen to more music which develops your artistic outlook on things. So along with our regular funk fare, we’re trying to orchestrate up a bit, with music, art and thought being our new ammunition.”

New Ammo was produced by Denson with some help from Walters and is a mix of original and cover songs. The rest of the band also contributes several of the album’s originals.

“Even when we record or perform a cover song we make it our own,” said Denson. On this album, we covered Seven Nation Army and by the end of the recording we had added a completely different bass line to it even though we started out with the original bass line.”

Stillwell’s “Malgorium,” another rediscovery, is an adrenaline-fueled, fusion-tinged anthem that fits perfectly with the Tiny Universe’s cinematically-inspired reinvention. Guitarist DJ Williams wrote the title tune, and keyboardist David Veith penned “Cheerleader,” which was given its title by Denson’s desire to dance to the song by Toni Basil in her video for the ‘80s hit “Mickey.”

Denson’s final comment was a shout out to his old stomping grounds in the Santa Ana Valley and said he is looking forward to seeing old and some new faces at the OC show.

Morning Parade will be playing the El Rey in LA on Feb. 14

Five-piece alternative rock band from Harlow, Essex, England, Morning Parade, released their sophomore EP “Alienation” December 2013 and will now be heading across the pond for a short U.S. tour with a stop at the El Rey in LA on Feb. 14. The group spent the early part of 2013 writing material for their latest album that was recorded in July and August at Maze Studios in Atlanta, Georgia with producer Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Cee Lo Green).

The line-up is composed of Steve Sparrow (lead vocals, piano and guitar), Phil Titus (bass), Chad Thomas (guitar), Ben Giddings (piano/synths), and Andrew Hayes (drums). Sparrow and Titus met at school forming a friendship at the age of 11. While at Harlow College in 2003, the pair met Thomas via a mutual fascination with Danish band Mew and Scottish trio Biffy Clyro. Sparrow brought in Hayes and Giddings while touring the local music scene as a singer songwriter for a while and began working with musicians playing on the local circuit.

Formed in 2007, their self-titled debut album was released early in 2012 to raved reviews with songs picked for back tracks on many primetime TV shows. “Under the Stars” was played on Zane Lowe’s show on BBC Radio One, and featured on The Vampire Diaries. The song has been played on Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, XFM, Absolute Radio and Q Radio. Another track off their first release,”Speechless” was featured on The Vampire Diaries, in the episode “We’ll Always Have Bourbon Street” of Season 4.

OC Concert Guide spoke with Sparrow about working with producer, Ben Allen, and what inspired their songs on their latest recording before the band heads out on tour.

OCCG: What do you hope to accomplish with the band’s second album that was not done with the first album?
Steve Sparrow (SS): I feel like we have already accomplished our main goal, which is always to better ourselves. This record was much more about making something that we felt was a true representation of ourselves, not somebody else’s vision of us.

OCCG: What is the group’s song writing process? Do lyrics come first then the music or a melody brought in that the music is written around?
SS: It varies, both. Alienation started with a keyboard riff and a page of lyrics. Culture Vulture was entirely led by a spoken word thing I’d written with the idea to deliver it in a way, which reflected the tone of the lyrics and how I felt about them. I’ll get little ideas here and there, just snippets, guitar riffs, a lyric, a melodic phrase – pretty much everything starts with just a tiny spark.

OCCG: The new album has a mix of synth pop and straight rock sounds with a lot of build up to the chorus. Was that the initial vision of the songs on this album?
SS: If I am honest we had no fucking idea. No grand vision. No direction. We had a few half ideas and a bunch of lyrics but on the whole we went into the studio everyday and threw shit at the wall until some of it stuck. I remember the first reactions to the acoustic demos I made being pretty mixed, they were different to the first album – lyrically certainly but melodically and structurally too – they made our manager nervous which if I’m honest excited me. I wanted us to push away from what we knew, what we knew had become boring to us.

OCCG: There seems to be a political theme to the lyrics, what is the inspiration behind the lyrics and do they have any reflection to life in the UK?
SS: We spent 2013 on the road solidly, so our world was drive – play show – hotel – repeat, we had relationships with our mobile phones and Skype, twitter and Facebook so I started to write about things I noticed, the stuff that was creeping into my peripheral view, conversations I overheard, stuff I saw posted on Facebook, Instagram etc. I don’t know if they reflect to any sort of life. They are based upon the combination of vomit and bollocks that people choose to share on the Internet – just an endless feed of the nonsensical with occasional moments of brilliance.

OCCG: What influence did recording this album at Maze Studio with producer Ben Allen differ from the first album? What influences did it have on the songs, if any?
SS: Ben was amazing to work with, we started with Skype calls and emailing demos until we all felt he was the guy. He made a really good point on one of our first chats where he said he felt we were in the right place emotionally to make a record and really that’s when everything clicked for us.

He really felt like someone we could put our trust in but equally someone we could have constructive arguments with, there was no ego or agenda, he liked the songs and wanted to make the record. I’d heard stories from the Walk The Moon guys that he was a hard-arse and really pushed them and that’s exactly what I felt we needed, someone to bully us a little but in actuality, it was quite the opposite – Ben really made us relax, he had his moments of course but he was so much more about us having fun, not worrying about perfect takes, it was just about being fearless, capturing the spirit of the songs and making us the best version of ourselves that we could be.

OCCG: What has been the band’s favorite song to record? What song changed the most from when it was first written to the final recorded product and why?
SS: Our favourite song to record, I’d probably go with Shake The Cage really because it was an after thought. The song had been around for a long time and it wasn’t a priority, it was on the bottom of the list but I thought the lyrics were important. Once we started putting it together it was just fucking electric, I remember cutting the vocal and everyone being like “How did we ever think this wasn’t going to make the record?”
On the flip side of that, Culture Vulture was the song that started this album – It HAD to be on there. The demo we had made was stripped back, organs, acoustic guitars and a Latin type drum loop. Ben thought we were underselling the song and we thought, let’s let the man is run with it. Naturally it got left to the last minute and led to multiple freak outs, stress, panic and lots of different ideas being thrown around but yeah, it’s pretty much the opposite of how it started and of what we intended it to be.

OCCG: Which songs are the bands most and least favorite to perform live and why?
SS: Live, we all have our favourites. I think Shake The Cage is always a good one. Making a lot of noise is fun right? There are a few like that on this record, lots of feedback and horrendous walls of discordant mess. Least favourites, er… uhm…. we love playing them all live… we’re not at all bored of playing songs that we wrote back in 2009 and have played relentlessly in radio station sessions and at shows up to 5 times a day.

OCCG: What is the craziest experience the group has had on the road thus far?
SS: So many, things I can say, things I can but won’t say, things I have already said, girls wearing sex toys that react to sound, fans with morning parade tattoos, fancy dress stage invasions, arriving at hotels to find weird old men sleeping in our beds, our lead guitarist Chad finding himself somehow in the wrong hotel room and trying to get in bed with the CEO of EMI and his wife… it goes on, but only to a small dire hovel of an existence that no man need speak of.

OCCG: If the band could plan their own music festival on the moon, who would the other bands booked at the festival from any time period in history?
SS: Why the moon? Uhm, I’m gonna be really cliche and say loads of bands I never got to see because I wasn’t born or because they are dead and some I’ve seen a lot. The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Jeff Buckley, The Doors, Queen (when Freddie was still around), Led Zeppelin… have I missed anyone? Oh Elvis. You gotta have Elvis. I’d pick fat Elvis.

OCCG: What can fans expect from the group by the end of 2014?
SS: I have literally no fucking idea. Larger beards? Longer hair? Christmas presents?