Mike Posner is currently on the road, traveling across the United States with a few friends while he makes stops in a number of cities for surprise pop-up shows, for crowds of just a couple hundred people. Last night, Posner brought this tour of intimate performances to Chicago’s Lincoln Park, which holds some of the best views of the Chitown skyline. Introduced by his friend and co-writer, Adam Friedman, Mike performed his new EP, The Truth, as well as his catalog of hits (‘Cooler Than Me’, ‘Please Don’t Go’) and even some unheard music from his forthcoming sophomore album. The scenery was beautiful, as Posner and some of his most dedicated fans hung out just before dusk, playing music and sharing laughs.
Check out our photos from Mike Posner’s “Ninja Show” tour stop in Chicago’s Lincoln Park below.
Andy Grammer is music’s easiest guy to root for, and that just may be an understatement. Today you can’t turn on the radio without hearing Grammer’s single ‘Honey, I’m Good.’, and while a lot artists may see their commercial success come almost overnight, Andy Grammer, who is one of the nicest guys in the industry, has truly worked his way up the charts. Sharing stories about studying music and learning to fail in college, to his version of “grad school” where he would pay rent by performing on the street 6 to 10 hours a day, we sat down with the ‘Keep Your Head Up’ singer to talk about his come up, temptations, his next album, and blurring the lines between “pop music” and other genres. Before his studio debut and self-titled album, which brought his first successful singles like ‘Fine By Me’ and ‘Keep Your Head Up’, Andy would sell his demo CDs for $5 on the street to Santa Monica tourists, only to have those same people come up to him half a decade later with those same CDs, while Andy is touring the country in promotion of his latest album and performing a single that reached the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 list. Hard work really does pay off.
A little bit of legal trouble isn’t going to stop the Migos from releasing their forthcoming debut album. Y.R.N.: Tha Album is set to release this month (July 31st), and today we have a new single from the album, titled ‘Pipe It Up’. Takeoff kills it on this one, which is produced by Atlanta’s own, Metro Boomin. Stay tuned for the LP and our review to come soon after! But meanwhile, let the new track tide you over.
In a new interview with Tim Westwood, G.O.O.D. Music and Grand Hustle‘s Travis Scott seemed to confirm that his debut album, Rodeo, is dropping next week. “Your album is about to drop next week, looks like a frickin’ monster fam,” said Westwood. And while Scott did not specifically confirm the date, he didn’t correct Westwood either, and simply replied by saying “Yeah, my album is pretty crazy.” While this isn’t as comforting as seeing an actual date on iTunes, it is good to know that Scott’s debut LP is coming very soon and potentially next week!
Watch Travis Scott’s interview with Tim Westwood below.
Milwaukee’sSummerfest 2015, the World’s Largest Music Festival, came to a close on Sunday night and we had a great time all festival long. Looking back, trying to pick out one favorite moment from the festival was near impossible, so we compiled a list of some of our favorite moments. From Kendrick Lamar’s Marcus Amphitheater performance to seeing legends like Neil Young and Kansas in the same night, Summerfest provided something for everyone.
Check out our favorite moments from Summerfest 2015 below.
Last week we interviewed Jon Bellion and DJ White Shadow, as part of their new partnership with W Hotels (check out the full conversation here). After sitting down with the two talented artists, we were invited to Jon’s show later that night at the Bottom Loungein Chicago. Bellion killed it and we got some great shots while he rocked the Chitown crowd!
Check out our photos below, as we sent our photographer Jesus Montero to capture some of the night’s best moments.
“After the party is the after party”, and althought R. Kelly won’t be at the official Mamby on the Beachafter parties (actually, we can’t confirm or deny that technically), you definitely should NOT miss out! Mamby on the Beach’s official after parties offer everything from DJ sets from James Murphy, Holt, and Goldroom (to name a few), Yachts, open bars, and much more!
Don’t party too hard though, as there is no point in raging if you aren’t going to be somewhat responsible about it! Luckily, Mamby reps have detailed a few of the ways that you can get to and from the festival safely. Check out free shuttle and Chicago Transit Authority info here.
Don’t miss out, check out the full lineup of pre and after parties below and get your tickets now! Mamby on the Beach kicks off this upcoming weekend (July 11th & 12th).
Singer-songwriter Meg Myers is soon approaching the release of her debut studio album, Sorry, which is set to release later this year (September) on Atlantic Records, and which just saw its title track cross over into the Top 15 U.S. alternative radio chart. While her notable singles like ‘Desire’ and ‘Sorry’, as well as her dark alternative sound, have drawn a lot of comparisons (Fiona Apple, Sinéad O’Connor), Meg is ready to show the world that she is her own artist with the release of her first full-length LP. We spoke to Meg, moments before her Summerfest performance in Milwaukee, to talk about the pressures of making her first full-length album, living all around the country (Tennessee, Florida, Ohio, Los Angeles), and how she enjoyed her recent headlining tour.
Jon Bellion has been on a steady rise thanks to his creative unique sound, that has molded him into an artist that has many paying attention. The Long Island producer, singer and songwriter for years has been working his way up to this critical point in his career.
Bellion’s has seen success most notably from his first three free mixtape/albums: Translations Through Speakers, The Separation, and The Definition. He is also known for his work on Eminem’s hit record ‘Monster’, featuring Rihanna. Bellion this year though, has caught the mainstream spotlight once again by this time signing the vocals for Zedd’s hit summer song ‘Beautiful Now’. And now, Bellion partnered up with longtime Lady Gaga producer and friend DJ White Shadow for his “Destination Tour”, partnering up with the luxurious W Hotels nationwide.
The ‘Beautiful Now’ singer is also set to release his first full length studio album, Beautiful Mind, later this year, which has the bar set high from his first three projects. “It was definitely a labor of love for the last three years.” said Bellion. “I think the next step is just naturally growing, I think I’ve given the fans enough to trust me for them to spend their hard earned money on something that I’ve worked on.” Bellion’s thoughts were focused on his fans, as this will be his first project that is going for sale. “I’ll always cater to the fans and I’m never going to over-charge for tickets, that’s always going to be a constant thing in mind. But I think now the next step is going to iTunes and the radio, or having it in stores. It’s a sense of legitimacy that comes from that.”
Paul Blair better known as “DJ White Shadow” was recently named Music Director for North America as part of W’s new Global Music Collective. His roles include handpicking music talent. “As a human being you want to keep developing things that you enjoy and things that you do.” White Shadow on his role of picking music talent, told us “I started out when I was 19 years old. I used to make techno, I used to travel to Europe to put records out, then it was about making music for somebody else and reaching a larger audience and I feel like I’ve done that. Now what I really enjoy is helping out people be the best they can possibly be. Right now at this specific junction in my life I am really excited to help other people out.”
The relationship between White Shadow and Bellion is both professional and personal. The big brother always looking out for what’s best for his younger sibling was present during the interview. “For Jon, where he’s at the point of his career maybe he doesn’t have the ability to walk into a situation that I just have sitting.” White Shadow explained “The first day I met Jon I said, ‘I have to fucking sign this kid.’ The day that I met him I literally knew he was going to be giant one day.”
DJ White Shadow is best known for his work as a producer for Lady Gaga’s albums Born This Way and Artpop. White Shadow added , “Everybody wants to be a superstar,” when talking about the work needed to make it in the music industry. “Everyone wants to be famous. This is hard work. Hard work to the point where you stress your body, brain, and your relationships out. You can tell if you’ve been around long enough if a person is going to be able to make it or not. Being an artist is not going up on stage and putting a microphone in your hand. It’s about creating so much more.”
The business partnership between DJ White Shadow and Bellion on behalf of the W Hotels includes touring and exclusive experiences to fans. “I knew if I send him here, he wasn’t going to get drunk in the lobby and pour champagne everywhere.” DJ White Shadow’s trust in Bellion’s character extends beyond his musical talent. “I know he has the ability to become a stronger business person and a better performer, and whatever I can contribute to helping him do that.”
A testimony to the traditional way of creating music, DJ White Shadow sites technology as constantly evolving. “That’s what exciting to me, finding people that want to work hard.” said DJ White Shadow. “You’re able to have enough equipment to record a full blown record in your bedroom. When I was first making records I had a Roland 808 Juno that I took out every credit card out that I could to buy it. There’s a lot of things that are exciting. Finding people that work hard, finding music that sounds great and people that really know what it takes to be an artist and helping support those people.”
In a few short years, Bellion has set himself up in a big way to breakout when his first studio album drops. Chicago was his second to last stop on his North American tour. Bellion sees the process he’s made and the journey his currently on as a “blessing”. “Last tour it was 13 guys in an 11 passenger van playing anywhere from 800 people sold out in New York to a bar in the middle of North Carolina with 200-250 kids. This year, every venue quadrupled and completely sold out with oversells and bumped up rooms. To see the progression that fast, it’s incredible.” Bellion also explained the resources DJ White Shadow offered that made this tour more memorable. “Then out of no where, we were all prepared to tough it out, being in the band. I get a call from one of my best friends in the industry (points to DJ White Shadow), and it’s like ‘I’m music directing for the W hotels, we can get you a tour bus.’ To see the growth and to able to carter to thousand of more fans and being healthy (is amazing). Last year it was grueling with my health, touring in a small van. To see my career grow getting to work with companies like the W Hotels… It’s been amazing. This tour has been so much fun, last year was grueling, this year I’ve been having a lot of fun.”
Bellion performs with his band, that is made up of his friends from college. Bellion also uses his close friends for social media content and when creating videos. “We made a promise to each other when we were jamming in college six to seven years ago that we would stick together if one person were to make it, we would all keep jamming. Their my best friends and it feels like I’m at summer camp with them right now.” He also cites the people he surrounds himself with as a major influence to his success. Traveling and performing across the country has made many surreal moments for Bellion and his band of musically talented friends. “These are God fearing cats that love their craft and decided to actually make music in the craft of making music.” Bellion added. “It’s an incredible thing to see my best friends that I met in college and (who I were) jamming with when we didn’t know what the hell was going on for us. Just recently a show in New York (it) sold out 60 days in advance. That’s three thousands people. We all look at each other and it keeps us in check because we tell each other, ‘Remember when I couldn’t afford lunch at school and you had to swipe your dinner card for me?’ These are the same guys. It’s a blessing!”
White Shadow also shared how his first studio session with Bellion went. “If you’re light minded and you have success in your blinders, that’s what you’re moving towards. It’s a beautiful thing to see light minded people like you and racing with you and help support you. It’s incredible, that’s what I saw at my first session.”
Bellion delivers a unique hybrid of smoothing electronic sounds with his singing and rap productions. His multitalented approach has Bellion’s input into his songwriting and live performances, to directing his music videos. He also posts videos on YouTube showing fans the “Behind The Scenes” of his music “The soup of what the internet is today created an avalanche of content because technology made it so accessible.” Bellion explains his involvement with all aspect of his music. “What kids want is to gravitate toward something that’s real, I’m just a person who is putting their heart and soul into everything. I think the second my touch comes off everything is the second nobody is going to give a shit about me. My touch will always still on my music.”
White Shadow also weighed in on the topic of the importance artists must have with their content. “There’s a lot of artist out there that do none of there music. None of their content, nothing. Those people can’t sell out a “House of Blues” because people who do listen to music have no connection with that artist whatsoever. Who wants to pay to see that?” White Shadow was not shy for words about the music direction that seems to be very present in today’s music. “That’s some Milli Vanili shit.” White Shadow explained. “There’s a lot of really good DJ’s that have never made a song in their life and have seven albums out. It’s a weird time in music, but to see someone like Jon doing what he’s doing, it’s refreshing and awesome to me but also it should be refreshing and awesome for everybody who actually is an artist and musician.” White Shadow also added what he believes is one of the things that works in the music industry. “If you’re not honest and open and legitimate about what you’re doing, you’re going to get called out, that’s the best thing that has happened recently. If somebody unplugs your shit when you’re signing a record and your record keeps going, the whole world is going to know about it. Everything has to be open and honest, carefully crafted in order to be great.”
Bellion is continuing to rise up the ranks of emerging new artists, due to his contributions to other artists. That will soon be in the past according to Bellion, “My commercial success has been a blessing.” With his well deserved success, Bellion is someone who will definitely make a name for himself in the future for his unique and captivating music. “Starving artist do die hungry and my artistry, I put everything into that.”
To finish our interview Bellion shared an update of his forthcoming album, Beautiful Mind. Bellion stated “I’m like ninety percent done with it.” A goal for Bellion is to constantly change and grow as an artist. “I’ve improved my craft from that last (project). That’s always been my goal. Every (project) that I dropped, I want to be greater, lyrically more precise to get my point across. I think this next album is just the next step in my growth. Anybody can take it how ever they want to take it but I know for myself I’ve checked boxes from my last (project) that makes this album much better.”
Milwaukee’sSummerfest 2015, the World’s Largest Music Festival, seemed like it kicked off just yesterday but it’s now over and it definitely delivered. Unlike many other premiere music festivals, Summerfest (which runs until July 5th) brings an especially diverse list of performers to Milwaukee’s lakefront every year, creating for a festival where you can see Kanye West (who performed in 2011) share the same stage as Peter Gabriel and Kid Rock. So to get things started for The Early Registration’s first year at Summerfest, we had to catch a wide variety of acts all festival long.
Check out our Summerfest Day 11 photos below, of Neil Young, Kansas, Mat Kearney and Smash Mouth!
The Early Registration 