Wednesday Artist Spotlight: Syd

Syd opened for Hanson in Boston, MA on November 4, 2005 on their Live & Electric tour.

<img src=”http://a435.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/87/l_f073f526cc98215bc12b9d6e51085992.jpg”.

Where is your band based out of?

I’m from Vermont originally and split my time between the east and west coast and my band is primarily on the east coast. haha, I’m hard to pin down.

Can you give us a little background on the band?

Sure, yeah, I started playing gigs in college which was *gulp* about 8 years ago now, got swept out on tour during school and right out of school and basically never looked back, I was doing around 200-300 shows a year! I started out as a more acoustic based singer/songwriter with a band just because that’s what I got stuck doing and with my last record let the floodgates open up and strapped on an electric guitar and now I feel more 100% true to myself when I get on stage. Which is the way it ought to feel! That record got picked up by a small independent record label and is getting re-released next week (10/14) actually!

What made you decide to enter Hanson’s opening act contest?

It was a *complete* whim. A friend of mine forwarded me the email and I just uploaded my stuff and sort of forgot about it.

What were your expectations before opening? Were they met?

Well, I had played some shows with Pat McGee before and he was a really nice guy and I just hoped to be treated with respect and maybe get a chance to talk with the guys a little bit. I was also hoping the fans didn’t hate me. hahah. I pulled up to the club and there were lines out the door hours before doors and I was like “woah, these guys have still got it!”–I got in and chatted for actually quite a while with Isaac who was very cool. Then I heard their sound check and was surprised at how extremely tight they are! Forgive me for being one of the guys that heard mmmbop so many years ago and never heard from them again, but when I heard their new stuff I was excited for their show. They totally delivered. And by the way, the crowd was *awesome* to me. Really paid attention and gave me all their support. That was most excellent.

Since opening, what has your band been up to?

Touring, recording, writing! I’ve recently started a small record label and been producing records for other friends of mine–actually something Isaac and I had talked briefly about. The label is called The Co-Op and you can find it online at co-opsounds.com. Lisa Piccirillo and Patrick Thomas are the two artists on the label now and we’re looking to bring more folks on board in the new year.

Do you have any upcoming shows?

Why yes I do, thank you for asking. I’m playing the following shows:

November 14, 2008, 9:00 pm
Castelton State College
Castleton, VT

November 20, 2008, 9:00 pm
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, IL

Syd

Wednesday Artist Spotlight: BUMP

BUMP opened for Hanson November 9, 2005 in Detroit, MI on the Live and Electric tour. Get to know them a little bit better:

BUMP
www.bumpgroove.com
www.myspace.com/bumpband
www.youtube.com/bumpdetroit
www.reverbnation.com/bump

Photo Credit: Josh Band

Where is your band based out of?
Detroit, MI

Can you give us a little background on the band?
We started about 7 years ago in East Lansing MI when Chris and Yorg were students at Michigan State University. We’ve shredded and melted faces all over the country ever since!

What made you decide to enter Hanson’s opening act contest?
We actually didn’t enter, our lighting director did it without telling us….And we won!

What were your expectations before opening? Were they met?
We didn’t know what to expect. The given was the screaming girls, that didn’t disappoint. I can tell you though that we were really impressed with how tight Hanson was. They’re a really good band who gets some crap from a certain side of the industry. We get asked all the time by radio DJ’s and journalists what it was like to play with Hanson, we always tell them they were sick!

Since opening, what has your band been up to?
Touring, touring, and touring. We’re built on our live show and staying on the road. We’ve also been recording a new album which is due out later this winter. It’ll feature 10 new songs and will really change some perspectives on “what the Bump sound is.” The album has a really cool progressive lofi indie sound that we’re really excited about!

Do you have any upcoming shows?
We started a fall tour in October and have our big annual Thanksgiving Eve show here in Detroit at the Majestic Theatre. We hope to see you out!

Wednesday November 5, 2008
The Bottleneck, Lawrence KS
10:00 pm * $5 * 18+

Thursday November 6, 2008
The Grammophone, St. Louis MO
TBA
Friday November 7, 2008
Bent River Brewery, Moline IL
10:00 pm * $5 * 21+

Saturday November 8, ,2008
Mousetrap, Indianapolis IN
10:00 pm * FREE * 21+

-

If you go to one of their upcoming shows – be sure to tell them that I say hello!

Wednesday Artist Spotlight: Cash Cash

Formerly known as “The Consequence”, the band opened for Hanson in Atlantic City, NJ on October 29, 2005 as a part of the Live & Electric tour.

Photo Credit: Kelly Petry

Where is your band based out of?
We are based out of a small northern jersey town of Roseland

Can you give us a little background on the band?
We used to a be a band called the consequence but had to change the name due to legal reasons. The band has been through lots of band members, and the current lineup has been going strong for almost 3 years.

What made you decide to enter Hanson’s opening act contest?
Hanson is absolutely amazing, their harmonies are amazing, and they have been a great inspiration to us. Also – they look like they have very loyal amazing fans.

What were your expectations before opening? Were they met?
Ee expected the best show we had ever played, and at the time it was. It was so much fun.

Since opening, what has your band been up to?
We are currently signed with universal republic, and are heading on tour with metro station, tyga, and shwayze in the fall. We are releasing a 5 song ep on itunes on oct 7. and planning to release the full length by early January

Myspace

Wednesday Artist Spotlight: Joshua Fletcher and the Six-Shot Romance

Joshua Fletcher and the Six-Shot Romance opened for Hanson on the Live & Electric Tour, in Atlanta, GA in October of 2005.

Where is your band based out of?
We’re based out of Atlanta, Georgia

Can you give us a little background on the band?
We got together in the summer of 2005 after I made a solo record. I needed a band to play behind me and that’s when the Six-Shot Romance was created. We’ve all been friends for forever, and we’d been playing music together in some form for about 3 years at that point. Colin (the drummer) and I were in a punk band before this one called “The Knockout.” we used to play with our guitar player Casey’s band a good bit. We’ve been through a few bass players but I’ve known our current bass player, James, since the 8th grade because he was dating my cousin. It all kind of came together almost accidentally. I ran into Casey one day and after we’d got to talking a bit we figured out that neither one of us was really playing in a band, so we decided to make it happen, and after that everything just kind of fell into place.

What made you decide to enter Hanson’s opening act contest?
A girl I went to school with was helping us out with all the managing and stuff, and she got an email from a promoter in the area. She brought it to me and I was really excited about it.

What were your expectations before opening? Were they met?
We just expected a great crowd. It was our first experience with a Hanson crowd, and I’d say they were certainly everything we expected and more. It was a ton of fun.

Since opening, what has your band been up to?
Since then we’ve released a record, gone on tour a few times, and tried to build up more of a following in the area. The whole thing has been going really well.

Do you have any upcoming shows?
We’re playing October 18th at Under the Couch in Atlanta with two other great locals. It’s going to be a great show, and everyone that’s anywhere close should come out!

For future band dates, stay tuned to the band’s MYSPACE

Wednesday Artist Spotlight: Robbie Gold

This week we chat with Robbie Gold, who opened for Hanson on their Live and Electric tour show at Indiana University, November 14, 2005.

Where is your band based out of?
Chicago Illinois, I’m just solo however.

Can you give us a little background on how you got started?
Basically I started playing guitar pretty late, it was about junior year in high school. I always loved singing from when i was little, high school plays, disney movies, and all that. But I definitely remember first being inspired to be a musician by the movie “That Thing You Do”. I just saw that and knew it was what I wanted to do.

What made you decide to enter Hanson’s opening act contest?
I knew Hanson from growing up and enjoyed their acoustic stuff, and loved the harmonies, so I figured this was a band who’s audience would probably like my music, because it is very similar in the sense of acoustic based and led by vocals, and I am around their age so i have grown up with probably many of the same influences.

What were your expectations before opening? Were they met?
I didn’t know what to expect. It was very cool and I liked the maturity in their music, definitely breaking away from their young brother image. They were all very nice, I just regret not getting more information about their record label, as i am in search of someone or something to get my music career going.

Since opening, what have you been up to?
I graduated from Indiana University this summer and in a quest to make enough money to live in my own apartment in Chicago, I have just been playing about 5 nights a week at restaurants, parties, bars, etc. basically anywhere I can get a gig. JBTV a long-time public access Chicago-based tv station/recording/editing studio, has actually allowed me to hang out in their studios a lot lately, and they have expressed interest in getting me a band together and recording/promoting me to the Chicago music circuit. This would be amazing, however I hate to even plug this in this interview, but I wouldn’t know where else to ask. I clearly understand the vast amount of musicians probably trying to get signed to 3cg records, but i really do feel that I am at the point that I could really be of benefit to a label and obviously vise versa as I really want to do this professionally.

Do you have any upcoming shows?
Right now I am just playing local restaurants in the suburbs of Chicago, but this winter I plan to move to the city and open for as many acts as I can, get a band together, and start headlining shows myself. My site is www.reverbnation.com/robbiegold and I am always posting my show dates on there. Thank you so much for contacting me.

thanks again,

Robbie Gold

Wednesday Artist Spotlight: Shane Piasecki

Shane opened for Hanson on the live and electric tour in Cleveland, OH, November 12, 2005.

I am glad you remembered the opening slot I did. The band is still around but the names and faces have changed. Angela (drummer) and I are still close but she’s in Cleveland and I moved to Nashville this year.

Where is your band based out of?

I am living in Nashville. I spend most of my time here working on the songs for my next album. finding a network to help me put it out independently when it’s finished. I still spend a good bit of my time touring in the Midwest, Ohio mostly where I grew up but I’m working on expanding that. it’s been a great move for me- being a band out of Ohio was like stabbing in the dark and believing someday the right A&R guy would walk into the restaurant you were playing at. haha I’m not knocking it- but I found out I was a lot closer all along to what makes a band successful. Fans. Good music. Loyalty. Band T-shirts. Groupies. Mini-van Touring. ( i own a white Caravan without any side windows.. it makes everyone wonder who’s inside when I pull up to gigs.)

Can you give us a little background on the band?
Yeah… I wish we had a name. we never really cared about naming the band because I had already started a couple years before that under my name (Shane Piasecki). So when I met Angela (drummer) we just wanted to play music and most of our shows were local anyways. We weren’t really much of a band either. We played songs that I wrote and we knew that people wanted to dance and have some fun. Angela is a nasty drummer and Tom Miller who was playing bass at the time knew how to keep a groove and all I had to do was sing the songs that I wrote and try to keep my voice from cracking. The three of us had some special, naive, spunk. it was contagious and we still all have that feeling.

What made you decide to enter Hanson’s opening act contest?
Angela found out about the contest a month before it hit their official website. (I think Hanson let it leak to give us a headstart). She was the most die-hard Hanson fan I’d ever met at the time and she told me that the contest was free- I was in. You know how contests go… it’s easy to get used to not winning them. SO I did not expect much until the ball got rolling and people were voting for us. I owe a big thanks to Angela for her hard work as well as everybody that voted.

What were your expectations before opening? Were they met?

We were pumped about the show to begin with. We knew Hanson was the shit and we were excited to see their show.. we were not excited about the legions of screaming girls that are notorious for following their entire tours.. okay, I lied, I was really excited. It is such a good memory and yes my expectations were met and exceeded before the show even began. Pat Mcgee Band was awesome. They took us into their dressing room and made us feel like we were in. Before we sound checked my band went to this rib/steakhouse and these sweet girls walked up to me and asked for my autograph and picture. these are things that you remember and for me it was a taste of what I knew I wanted for the rest of my career. more ribs and steak.

Since opening, what has your band been up to?
I moved to San Diego in 2005. I loved Jason Mraz and wanted to play out in the city he was from. I lived their for a bit, wrote a song called Madison Leigh which very well may be one of my career songs. It might even be on an episode of Army Wives this year. yata yata yata.. California was glorious- I moved home started working with the same band again and we fizzled out somewhere in 2006. I had a stupid break-up with a girl that I wasn’t good at handling, Angela was living a couple hours from where we practiced and Tom had some personal things going on we never found out about until the band had slowed down. Angela is now the drummer of the Nick Zuber Band in Cleveland. Keep an eye out for them, they’re really talented, ambitious, and hungry for a future in show biz.

I am writing my songs. I have 2 albums for sale on Itunes- “All for Coffee..” and “You’re Here and I’m A Mess.” I ripped off this Pearl Jam line for the name of that song. I am trying to make records and trying really hard to get on tours and put my music out there face to face with a new audience every night. Usually when I do the response is encouraging so I’m not freaking out because it’s taking FOREVER. I just turned 22. I’ve been fortunate with myspace- I get 1500 plays a day.. are you kidding me? I’m really excited about that and I feel like it buys me some time to keep writing and make my songs as good as the live show. I’m not bullshitting anyone.. I will never give up and tell them I’m coming. whoever they are. if they care.

Do you have any upcoming shows?
Why yes I do.. I’m playing at the Defiance College Homecoming on October 2. my band in Nashville was booked that night so I’m going to be playing my songs with my friends from a band in Toledo by the name of Empire Drift. They’re such a good band and awesome friends of mine. After that we’re playing on an island called Put In Bay. If you’re from Cleveland or Toledo, Port Clinton, take the Miller Ferry for $6 across Lake Erie and check us out at The Roundhouse Oct. 3-4, 2008. details are on myspace.com/shanepiasecki
* keep in touch on myspace for other upcoming dates. I have you tube videos for you to see and I’m always adding demo’s of the new material on the net. Myspace is my biggest tool right now until Hanson picks me up on another tour.

Wednesday Artist Spotlight: Strikes Again

Strikes Again opened for Hanson on the Live and Electric tour in Allentown, PA on October 26, 2005.

Where is your band based out of?

-The southern New Jersey/Philadelphia area

Can you give us a little background on the band?

-In 2003, Adam & Marc were in a 3-piece pop/punk band all through out High school called “2nd Place” & decided to try to create a project that had duel MALE & FEMALE lead vocals.
Since then, the line-up has changed around them a few times, but the passion to create a band with a different & powerful sound hasn’t.

What made you decide to enter Hanson’s opening act contest?

-Adam’s girlfriend at the time, Jessica, is a HUGE lifelong Hanson fan & Hanson fans are some of the most awesome fans so of course she helped us sign up!
A few weeks later we got an email saying we made it into the top 3 for the Allentown show, so Jessica & the rest of the band actually used myspace to let local Hanson fans know to check us out & vote.
Then a week or 2 before the show, we got the call from Hanson’s manager saying we’d won!
Thanks again Jessica & all the other great Hanson fans that helped us!

What were your expectations before opening? Were they met?

-Through out the whole voting process, we got to chat with a lot of Hanson fans online & saw just how passionate they all were about music… That definitely got us exited to play the show. Not to mention, Anne our keyboard player at the time, was also a HUGE Hanson fan, so between her & Jessica, we got the chance to listen to a lot of their music… new & old.
When we actually got to the venue that day & shook their hands & met them before the show, Anne almost forgot her name.
After meeting them, Zac & Taylor both went down to get ready for the show and we started to set up our stuff on stage, but Isaac went & sat down at the bar right next to Jessica!
When our stuff was all set up, we all got to go over & talk to Isaac for a little while. It was really cool getting to ask him whatever we wanted & talk about music.
We played our set, & got a really positive response from the crowd & then eventually Hanson came out to play. It was really impressive actually seeing their live show for the first time.
Then the next few weeks after the date of the show, we got a ton of comments & friends requests from people who saw us at the show
Playing for over 1,000 kids & not having to sell one ticket… yea i’d say our expectations were definitely met!

Since opening, what has your band been up to?

After that show, we pretty much realized we needed to record a CD, so we went into the studio & got to work. After changing the line-up and perfecting our recordings over the years, STRIKES AGAIN is now booking shows again & getting ready to release their debut EP very soon

Do you have any upcoming shows?

Yes we do & we keep booking more and more shows everyday, so make sure to keep an eye on our myspace page because we post our shows there as soon as they are booked! Also if you’d like us to come play around your area, let us know or tell you’re local venues get in contact with us

www. myspace. com/strikesagain

And feel free to add us & say hi!
We love you guys
-STRIKES AGAIN

Check out this video from the day Strikes Again opened:

Wednesday Artist Spotlight!

Starting October 1, each Wednesday (for at least October, and hopefully a while more!) We will be featuring a small interview with the local opening bands from the Live & Electric tour. If this all goes well, it will be extended to some of the other local bands that opened on the promotional and The Walk tours. It should be interesting to see what they are all up to (and how many are still together!) after almost 3 years!