Lulus Fashion Blog

Sister Act: Interview with Dog Party

Sienna Orlando — Mon Jan 9 14:00:00 2012

Gwendolyn and Lucy Giles are a musical force to be reckoned with, as the Sacramento-based garage band Dog Party. These teenage sisters will surprise you with their raw talent, sweet looks and spicy fervor for hard-rockin' music with songs like P.A.R.T.Y. and the amazing Andy Wu. After being handed a copy of their newest album, P.A.R.T.Y., I was able to catch up with the sisters for an interview.

So, I think you are the youngest artists I have interviewed. How old are you currently?

Gwendolyn: 15
Lucy: 13

How did you get started in music?
We've always had music in our lives, and once we started playing instruments, a family friend, Zach Goodin (who was in an LA based band Bargin Music and now runs Half of Nothing Records) , had us play together instead of in our respective rooms.

Tell us about your first live show.
Our first live show was in June '08 at the Fire Escape, and we opened for Agent Orange. We played a three song set with one encore. It was crazy and our first experience with moshing.

How many shows do you think you've played?
Over the last 4 years, we've played a little over 200 shows.

What about balancing music with school and your social lives. What is an average week like for you?
Gwendolyn: My average week day is school, track/cross-country practice, homework, dinner, homework, sleep, and repeat. My weekends in the winter are up in Tahoe because Lucy and I ski race for Squaw Valley. Any other weekend, we are playing shows.

Lucy: During the week I go to school, take pictures, draw, do homework, and play music. On Tuesdays I go to drum lessons, and on weekends I either ski or play shows.

So Gwendolyn plays guitar, Lucy plays drums and you both sing. Do you have any other instruments in your lives?
Gwendolyn: On both of our records, I play the bass tracks, and for one of Dog Party's earliest songs, I played keyboard.

Lucy: For acoustic shows, I play the guitar and sometimes Gwennie and I swap instruments in electric sets.

I hear a lot of early 90's Grunge/Garage Band in your music, but you two probably weren't even born yet. Do you think that the 90's have influenced your music?
We listen to a lot of different music old and new, but when it comes to song writing, we don't try to make it have a certain sound. We just play and make it happen.

Who are your biggest musical influences overall?
Gwendolyn: I like Green Day, Kepi Ghoulie, Agent Ribbons, and Cage the Elephant.

Lucy: RAMONES!!!!!!! Meg White, The Groovie Ghoulies and their female drummers- Scampi and Wendy.

Do you have other hobbies besides music?
Both: Sports are a big thing for us.

Gwendolyn: I like to make videos and take/edit photos. I also like fashion!

Lucy: I paint, draw, and make stencils a lot. I also like to take pictures and eat Mexican food.

(photo courtesy of localindiemusic)

Are there any current fashion trends that you’re into? We want to hear about your personal styles.

Gwendolyn: I've had a LOT of different looks for shows. Right now I am rolling a vintage look with my combat boots and an assortment of dresses.

Lucy: I'm in a Ramones phase at the moment so I wear a lot of black, stripes, studded belts, and leather jackets/jean vests.

What would you like to be doing in five years?
Gwendolyn: Rockin' and a rollin'! I'm still going to college in a couple of years, but music will always play a huge roll in my life.

Lucy: Playing music.

Any words of wisdom for young aspiring musicians?
Gwendolyn: Don't try to sound like another band. Just play and let the music find you :)

Lucy: You can't just sit in your room with your headphones on and play to yourself. Go out, start a band, and do something or else nothing is going to ever happen.

Listen to my personal favorite from the album, Andy Wu and check out Dog Party's Facebook or tumblr to find out about the new album and upcoming shows!

<a href="http://dogparty.bandcamp.com/track/andy-wu">Andy Wu by Dog Party</a><br>

Artist to Watch: Ski Lodge

Cara Fox-Galassi — Wed Dec 21 9:00:00 2011

Ski Lodge is the perfect band to be our last featured artist from the Digital Album. I mean, it's winter and their name is Ski Lodge. Who doesn't want to think about log cabins, snowmen, hot coco, and ski lifts? Hailing from Brooklyn, this fearsome foursome is coming up in the world of music, being featured at CMJ in October. Without futher ado, come join me for an interview with Andrew Marr.

So the band name begs the question, are you stoked on skiing or snowboarding? Or have a love of hot toddies at the lodge?

Ha, yeah I like both. Been snowboarding for a while but I’m thinkin about switching back to skiing. I always picture a certain scene when I hear the term "ski lodge." People hangin around having a good time, by a fire, colorful/florescent one piece ski suits, bad sweaters... probably some hot toddies!

How do you hope to inspire your fans? What do you want fans to get out of your music, especially “I Would Die To Be?”

Umm, I guess if I inspire someone at all then that's a win for me ha! I really just want the music to be something that makes fans happy or gives them something to relate to when they aren't so happy... With this song specifically, I guess I just wanted it to express a level of frustration toward someone you like want to be with but things aren’t going the way you'd like them to. I think most fans would be able to relate to that.

What would you be doing if you weren’t (or when you’re not) making music?

When I’m not making music I like to eat/cook, watch movies, run, and play golf. If you're asking what I'd be doing for a career, I'd probably choose being a chef or a pro golfer(even though I’m not that good at golf).

Fill in the blank, Ski Lodge is forever grateful for …

Bill Murray.

(Who doesn't love them some Bill Murray? This picture doesn't really have anything to do with Ski Lodge, it's just awesome)

I know you guys are slated to play College Music Journal’s Music Marathon in October. Do you tour often?

Well "Ski Lodge" has only been around officially for about 4 months, so we just played our first 2 shows as a band at Cake Shop NYC this past month. We plan to try and do a bunch of touring once CMJ is over.

What have you learned about yourself in your musical evolution?

That I am very good at starting things but not always good at finishing them!

Do you have pre- or post-show rituals?

Nah I don't think so. Recently I've been drinking lots of coffee before shows in order to get as anxious as possible, does that count?

Best show?

I'd have to say one of these recent shows at Cake Shop here in New York. I mean if I’m talking about "Ski Lodge shows" then I only have 2 experiences to go off of haha. But even counting shows from the past with other bands and stuff, these recent ones were really exciting, there was a sort of buzz surrounding them, at least from my point of view. And we had great audiences for both of them. That's really what makes a show for me, it all depends on how the audience reacts to the music and if they are like dancing and stuff.

Of course, then I need to ask … any disaster shows?

The closest thing to a disaster that I’ve experienced happened to me with my band down in Florida. Our bassist fell off the face of the earth the day before we were supposed to play our first show as a band. He decided to resurface, totally wasted (with none of his equipment), as we were doing a sound check. Then I think he got kicked out of the venue for bringing in his own bottle of whiskey. So we played without a bass player ha.. I guess it wasn't a disaster per se, but definitely interesting and awkward.

How does fashion inspire you?

I think fashion is one of the best ways to express yourself. Fashion has inspired lyrics of mine in some instances... I’ve always appreciated certain trends and I feel like things are always better when people are dressed fashionably, not like totally crazy, but just enough to bring a certain vibe to a place. Does that make sense??

What else inspires you? Other artists?

There's so much that inspires me! Other music is probably the main thing. There's awesome music coming out every week, it’s so hard to keep up with. But the fact that bands and artists keep putting out great music helps me believe that I can also continue to make music that is somewhat authentic and fresh.

Favorite movie?

I don’t really have just one favorite. I love “Eyes Wide Shut” and “The Big Lebowski” to name a couple.

Favorite artist?

Always been a fan of Salvador Dali. I wish I was familiar with more artists than I am, that's something I plan to do.

Favorite musician/band?

This changes so often. Right now it's Beirut, maybe? It’s kind of just whatever album I’ve been listening to the most. Currently I've been loving Beirut’s "The Rip Tide."

What’s next for Ski Lodge?

I think we will try and do some sort of touring for a little while, probably not long because I'm anxious to start recording the full length. So that’s the next big thing I guess – a full length record!

Artist to Watch: The Make

Cara Fox-Galassi — Wed Dec 14 9:00:00 2011

The Make is pretty much a Chico legend in the making. Jeff Schneeweis & Trevor Sellers both come from the former local legend band Number One Gun, and Aaron Rodgers (oh, you know, just the QB of the Green Bay Packers and Superbowl champ) sought them out to be on his new record label. Add super hot Sarah Ann (See You Soon) into the mix, and you have music gold. And believe me, there is nothing not to love about these guys.

We caught up with Sarah Ann to get some quality girl time and catch up on the deets about touring with the boys, video blogs, and being the only girl in the band. Check out her interview below!

How’d you end up hooking up with the guys [Jeff Schneeweis & Trevor Sellers]?

Last year Jeff produced a CD for me, I had a solo project I was doing, so I met him that way. He had his wife let me stay with them for a month [Sarah’s from Fresno] so I got to know the family pretty well and just stayed in touch since then.

The Make seems to really take advantage of social media. Why do you think it’s important to connect with your fans through these avenues?

There’s so many ways you can reach out to people online and contact people, it’s so easy now-a-days. That’s one of the things touring was really good for back in the day before you had all these ways to get out there and talk to your fans. That’s just one of the main parts of this band – we want to be connected to people who like our music and what we do because they are the ones that allow us to do it…. So we take full advantage of the Internet so everyone can see what we’re doing all the time. We are always videoing funny things, hilarious things seem to happen all the time.

What kind of funny things can we see in the future of your video blog?

Well, Jeff is a big coffee lover – he has it morning, noon and night – and the other night we were going to have some, it was all rainy … Jeff realized he didn’t have any more coffee filters … so he went into the trash and got out an old one and rinsed it off. This had to be documented, so I grabbed my phone. He’s really that much of a fan of coffee. I’m sure that’ll be one of the future videos we make.

How do you hope to inspire your fans? What do you want fans to get out of your music?

We just really like writing really fun music, it’s one of the things we’ve done a long time and we enjoy it, so we hope our fans can hear that in our music. And coming up on our tour, seeing us playing live onstage, we’re just so excited to see everyone. We are flattered they let us do what we love to do and we hope it inspires them to do something they love to do.

What would you be doing if you weren’t (or when you’re not) making music?

Lately I’ve been in Chico, hanging out and we’ve been staying really busy [with music]. On downtime, I would be back home in Fresno, mostly hanging out with my mom and friends and helping my mom, which is always fun. But right now music is keeping me pretty busy, it’s like 24/7.

Fill in the blank, The Make is forever grateful for …

… Fans. That’s our main priority with everything we do. We really do take everybody’s opinions and comments and when they give us awesome reviews – we thrive on that. If we didn’t have any fans, then we wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing. That’s what we’re most grateful for.

What’s it like being the only girl in the band? Nervous about touring with all boys?

I’m not really nervous. I’m around these guys all the time …. I guess you have to have a little bit of a thick skin because guys are just goofy and think they’re funny a lot of the times, so you have to remember to laugh! It’ll be fun, we’re all really close and pretty much best friends.

How are you touring? Flying, then driving? Driving only?

Driving. From here to New York. The other day we asked, “Who came up with this idea?”

How does fashion inspire you?

Oh man, I‘m the first to say I’m not the greatest with fashion, but I love shopping and I like finding different looking things and things that kind of try to start trends, even if it might look funky. It definitely inspires me a lot. You can tell a lot about someone by clothes, like telling whether somebody is in a band or not. I hope we have awesome stage outfits, so kids offstage will know, “hey they are in a band.” LuLu*s has awesome clothes that I’ve seen…. I’m excited to be able to work with them.

What else inspires you? Other artists?

I go through musical phases; I’ll get super into country or slow, indie stuff. I’m a big ballad person myself so a lot of my music is acoustic and slow with romancy ballads. I’m not a daily inspired person; I can’t just sit down and … write 10 songs in one day. Life basically is what inspires me – something happens, good or bad, it’s really just things in my own life. Sometimes it’ll last longer than others, sometimes for one song or sometimes I can write a whole record. It’s the ups and downs of life.

Aaron Rodgers, QB for Packers, owns the label you’re on. Are you a football fan, or are you now?

I’m trying.

Favorite movie?

I like when I can watch movies over and over again. I’d say one is “Finding Nemo.” On the other end of the spectrum, I really like “Braveheart.”

Favorite musician/band?

I really like Miranda Lambert. I like all her music, every album has been consistently good. I really like Rascal Flatts. I love them live. I’m a big country person I guess.

What’s next for The Make?

We have that tour coming up…. We are trying to think about getting a tour going on the West Coast, to Seattle and Oregon – a kind of mini-tour. We don’t get up to Seatlle on this tour and we have a lot of friends up there. After that, just working on our new album.

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You can hear more about The Make over at their website, as well as being on our Digital Album, free with every order!!

Artist to Watch: Empress Hotel

Cara Fox-Galassi — Wed Dec 7 9:00:00 2011

Empress Hotel is like my perfect boyfriend, they love tacos and Jameson, have a love for awesome facial hair, a great sense of humor, and make me want to dance. No wonder they were a perfect fit for our Digital Album. This pop ensemble hails from New Orleans and are inspired by one hit wonders from the 70s (Ace and The Dwight Twilley Band, click, really, I dare you) as well as great such as Prince and Roxy Music.

Before you go on to read their interview below, check out their video for Mach Bach, the song featured on our digital album. It's super rad, and it features glitter balloons. That's right, balloons filled with glitter. Now watch!

"Mach Bach" by Empress Hotel from drew stubbs on Vimeo.

First, we have to say, we loved the “Mach Bach” video. All the balloons and glitter made us happy. What was the thought behind that video?

The video idea was originally us in a ball pit with New Orleans bounce booty clappers. However, director Drew Stubbs came up with a more economical method of conveying that same playfulness without having to rent out a Chuck E. Cheese.

Drew is the man. I blame him for that video being amazing. He was in that space at 7 a.m. blowing up balloons. 'Twas a great idea and we look forward to working with him again.

How do you hope to inspire your fans?

Through heartfelt lyricism, a personally affecting live performance and dope ass beards.

What do you want fans to get out of your music?

A peaceful, easy feeling.

What would you be doing if you weren’t (or when you’re not) making music?

Micah: Watching star trek

Ryan: Shaving

Jack: Playing golf

Hache: Bikram yoga

Eric: Big room yogurt

Fill in the blank, Empress Hotel is forever grateful for:

Responsive crowds filled with beautiful, well-dressed women. Also grateful for a bottle of Jameson in our green room. Cheap tacos are nice too.

You guys are based in an area known for its rich musical culture. How do you draw on this and make it your own?

We take the lessons we've learned from growing up in a musically rich city and apply those lessons to writing great pop melodies.

Do you have pre- or post-show rituals?

Bird watching, beer drinking and beard trimming.

Best show?

Nashville - 3rd and Lindsley on Sept 25, 2011 with Van Hunt.

Of course, then I need to ask … any disaster shows?

Once – we were the band on the Titanic.

How does fashion inspire you?

We all love great hats, and often you will notice more than two hats on stage. Goorin Bros hats are particularly snazzy.

What else inspires you? Other artists?

Jack is personally inspired by a great dish of spaghetti and meatballs, particularly those meatballs that are made with parmesan.

Favorite movie?

Micah: “Mulholland Drive”

Hache: “Serpico”

Jack: “Kenny”

Ryan: “Jurassic Park”

Eric: “Fargo”

Favorite artist?

Micah: Pablo Picasso

Hache: Ryland Cook

Jack: My aunt. She's a painter.

Ryan: [Jackson] Pollock

Eric: [Salvador] Dali

Favorite musician/band?

Micah: The Kinks

Hache: Os Mutantes

Jack: Neil Young

Ryan: Michael McDonald

Eric: Floating Action

What’s next for Empress Hotel?

Europe, Japan, Australia. New full-length album in spring 2012. Tour, tour, tour!!!

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As always, you can get more of Empress Hotel on our Digital Album, free with each order, no matter how big or small. Plus, the more you order the more you have a chance to win our golden ticket. And who doesn't love having a real life Charlie and the Chocolate Factory moment?

A Very She & Him Christmas Album!

Sienna Orlando — Thu Dec 1 14:00:00 2011

Are you a fan of Christmas music? Do you listen to Jingle Bells at work, with your ear buds hidden under a Santa hat? Well, the She & Him Christmas Album may be JUST what you've been waiting for.

Our favorite “adorkable” actress, Zooey Deshanel, paired up with fellow musician, Matt Ward, in 2008 for an initial collaboration, which turned into a touring band and (low-and-behold) their newest full-length album, A Very She & Him Christmas. This is the album to play after Christmas Eve dinner, with a glass of champagne and a basket of sugar cookies. Just be sure to wear a puffy polka dot dress and a poinsettia behind your ear in the spirit of Zooey!

The album features Indie-fied versions of all your favorites, and the cinnamon-sprinkled voice of Zooey that will forever remind me of Christmastime, after her role as Jovie in Elf. While some may argue the album a bit sleepy, I would put it in the “visions of sugarplums” category. You can listen for yourself here.

Let us know what YOU think!

Artist to Watch: Said the Whale

Cara Fox-Galassi — Wed Nov 30 9:00:00 2011

On the next installment of Artist to Watch, we have our next band from our digital album, Said the Whale. We found this gem via word of mouth, and let me tell you, we weren't disappointed. This Vancouver-based band captures the best of west coast indie-pop. We caught up with keyboardist Jaycelyn Brown for a few questions.

I noticed Said the Whale was featured in a CBS documentary about breaking into America. Do you think that is truly important? How do you think it’s going?

Yah! We have been doing well in our home country of Canada, and it's really awesome to have such great shows and amazing Canadian fans! But it's very important to get your name out into the world, especially America. The US is so musically strong and for us to build up a fan base in the states would be very beneficial. We've only toured the western and northern states, as well as Texas for a festival called South by Southwest, so we still have quite a few states to play. The shows have been quite small, which is only natural, but everyone's extremely friendly and receptive to our music. One can only hope that they tell their friends about us and the next time we roll into their city, we make a couple more fans.

How has Vancouver inspired you?

I've lived my entire 23 years in Vancouver, and it's such a beautiful place to grow up. There's so much to see in and around the city because of the location. Natural beauty is what usually inspires me, so being close to the mountains and ocean really helps. There are also tons of local Vancouver bands that we have become friends with who are musical geniuses and continually motivate us to write.

How do you hope to inspire your fans? What do you want fans to get out of your music, especially “Gentleman.”

Whenever I see shows, it makes me want to be on stage, even if I performed just the other night. It also makes me want to improve. Music is a crazy thing because you can express yourself to thousands of people at a time. I've had fans come up to me saying they used to play piano as a kid, put it aside for some reason, and because they saw me play they want to have another crack at it. That's ridiculously exciting to me. So I hope I can inspire people to pick up an instrument, whether it's for the first time or the hundredth time.

We try to write songs that our relatable and move the listener in some form. Some of our songs are upbeat and danceable, others more emotional. There's quite a diversity to our music since we have two lead singers, Ben Worcester and Tyler Bancroft, who are the songwriters and each have their unique style. Our song "Gentleman" is a tricky one for me to answer a question about because it's from the male perspective. Tyler (the writer of the song) describes it as "a little personal song about getting burned by a girl." There are four guys in the band, and I can say that they're all gentleman.

What would you be doing if you weren’t (or when you’re not) making music?

Before I joined the band I was studying sciences at the University of British Columbia. I was interested in going to veterinary school, but music has always been my passion. I'm thankful that I'm in the band and pursuing what I love because I now realize that being a veterinarian isn't what I want to be. When I joined the band I didn't have time for school, so sometime in the future I'd love to go back and possibly get a degree in teaching and teach music. I knew that school would always be there, but being asked to join a band that I loved was a one-time thing for me. When I'm not on tour or doing band things, I teach piano as well as take time to see friends and family. It's rough being on the road for about seven or more months out of the year, so it's great just to relax and spend time at home.

What’s it like being the only girl in the band (and how is touring)?

Being the only girl in a band is maybe the greatest thing. Some people would call me crazy, but I love being the only girl. You get a lot of attention. When you put two or more girls together for a month on the road, you're bound to have drama. We hardly ever have any drama between band members, maybe a disagreement from time to time. I've grown up with an older brother and a lot of guy friends so I'm used to being with guys all the time. We also tour with tons of bands that are all guys, so sometimes I'm the only girl amongst 15 talented men, lucky me?

Any good touring stories?

Usually things that happen to us on tour turn into inside jokes or ones that we can't quite publicize. But one that recently happened to us in March is quite appropriate. We were touring for the first time in the states and during our first week our trailer that we keep all of our instruments and luggage got broken into. We had played in Sacramento that night. It's possible that they followed us to where we were staying and waited until we were asleep. Luckily they didn't take everything, but we had over $8000 worth of gear stolen, including one of my keyboards, two coveted acoustic guitars, two glockenspiels (bell kits), cymbals, guitar pedals, and three suitcases (one of them being mine that had all of my favourite dresses, including one that I was to wear for the Juno Awards in Toronto a couple weeks later). It was an unfortunate event, but it created a lot of buzz, which also helps get our name out there and was included in our CBC documentary "Winning America." We also ended up winning a Juno Award for Best New Band (I had to find a different dress to wear). That tour was bittersweet for sure.

Best show? Of course, that begs the question … any disaster shows?

Best show, oooh that's a hard one. There isn't one show that stands out for me. Most shows in Canada are wonderful. But there are so many factors to take into account: fans, sound, our performance (musically and visually), etc. I can name some cities that I love playing in: Vancouver (of course!), Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, and St John's (because bands rarely tour that far east, and so their fans are eager and awesome). I guess I just have to wait to name American cities because there are still so many we have yet to play in. We have had some unfortunate things happen during shows, like bad sound on stage, but we don't let that affect us. People are there to see us play, sometimes for the first time, so we try our best to put on a great show every time.

How does fashion inspire you?

Fashion can totally change how you carry yourself. I love being able to dress up for shows. It's funny, I used to wear skinny jeans and a t-shirt for shows to fit in with the guys, but now I go for the dresses or skirts and rock them with sneakers. It's fun to play up being the only girl, but comfort is always key! I usually see what the venue's like and figure out what I want to wear. Sometimes I even try to remember what I wore the previous show in that city so that I don't double up on outfits.

What else inspires you? Other artists?

I touched on this in a previous answer, but other artists are probably my biggest influence, especially Canadian musicians. I'm a huge fan of Metric, Tokyo Police Club, Dan Mangan, Hey Rosetta, Mother Mother, Aidan Knight, and so many more. I recommend you go out and buy their albums and/or see their shows!

Favorite movie?

Funny you should ask this. I just watched the most amazing independent film last night called "Incendies", which is probably my new favourite. It's an adaptation of a play about two twins who discover they have an unknown brother after opening their mother's will. They embark on a journey to the Middle East to entangle their roots and find out what happened to their brother. I will say no more because I don't want to give it away. It really captivated me like no movie has before.

What’s next for Said the Whale?

We are getting ready to tour the states again! It's a one-month tour starting on the east coast, hitting cities all the way down to Miami, across to Austin, and then up the west coast. I'm really excited for this tour because I haven't been to the east coast (and neither has the rest of the band), so it's new territory for us. Tour dates can be found on our website: saidthewhale.com. As for albums, we have a 4-song EP called "New Brighton" which will be released November 8th, and a full length album (name not released yet) which will come out March 6th, 2012.

One last thing: Thank you LuLu*s for featuring us on your blog! And on behalf of Said the Whale, I hope that everyone enjoys our song "Gentleman!" Maybe see some of you on the road.

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Want more? Don't worry, anytime you order from us, you get access to our free digital download! For now, you can suffice with their Island Disappear EP below!

<a href="http://saidthewhale.bandcamp.com/album/islands-disappear">Islands Disappear by Said The Whale</a>

Artist to Watch: Warm Weather

Cara Fox-Galassi — Wed Nov 16 9:00:00 2011

Warm Weather is a band whose name really captures its essence; from the vocals, to imagining yourself lounging on an empty beach, it just makes you feel so warm. The music is a blend of kaleidoscopic indie rock and a beachy, harmonious quartet. Think if Beach Boys met Grizzly Bear. Or Vampire Weekend, just less... uptight. Hailing from the east, these guys are now located in sunny LA, where they are working on their next EP. We caught up with Justin Lerman for an interview.

How did your band come to exist on the mean (warm?) streets of LA?

Warm Weather actually came into existence all across the country. On our road trip from Philadelphia to LA the band was formed. Ryan and I are originally from Philly and Brendan was a buddy of mine from Dartmouth College, who we picked up at his home in Minnesota. I had collaborated with both Ryan and Brendan separately, but the three of us had never all been in the same room until we met on our trip across the country. To pass the hours on the road, we plugged a portable keyboard into the car speakers and wrote and sang songs on the way. Those songs were the basis for our first EP, “Dances” – it wasn't until we arrived in L.A. that we started playing shows and recording.

How do you hope to inspire your fans? What do you want fans to get out of your music, especially “Older.”

Our music is meant to convey emotions and feelings. We want the listener to be taken somewhere when they listen to a track. Our first EP, “Dances,” has a very summery feel – it’s happy, it's lethargic, it's bittersweet. At least that's how I feel about it, but the nice thing about music is that the experience can mean something different for every listener. We just hope to evoke a meaningful experience in our audience. "Older" is a song about growing up – or maybe not wanting to. Sometimes we just want to let life take us where it will and forget our worries -- but you can't do that forever; we all grow up and we have our responsibilities. Realizing that is bittersweet. The ending of our EP, which is "Older" is almost nostalgic for childhood.

What would you be doing if you weren’t (or when you’re not) making music?

Personally, when I'm not writing music, I'm writing words. I'm interested in screenwriting and one of the reasons I originally moved out to L.A. was to explore that career. I'm still doing that, but things are just little more complicated with Warm Weather. I can't really speak for the other guys in the group, but I get the feeling from Ryan that it's always been music or bust and Brendan is such a talented guy and brilliant musician, he could do anything he wanted in or out of music.

Fill in the blank: Warm Weather is forever grateful for …

Warm Weather is forever grateful for the support of our friends and family. Without them, we'd never be able to explore our creativity so fully. We've had individuals like Nick Breton of Truth Studios just giving us their time and resources to help us make our music – it’s that kind of kindness and generosity that makes it possible for artists to create.

Your harmonies are quite something … Did you always sing so pretty or was it something practiced?

Haha, thanks. Ryan and I sang together all throughout high school. We were in another band then called Cereal Heroes and we were also in our high school a cappella group. From the beginning of our career writing music, vocal harmony has been at the center of our creative interests. We just love singing together and the sounds of the human voice. Brendan and I sang together in our college a cappella group The Dartmouth Aires, and actually Brendan and I just finished filming the NBC show “The Sing Off” with the Dartmouth Aires, so turn on the TV Monday nights at 8 and you can actually see Brendan and I harmonizing quite regularly.

Warm Weather's Coney Island off of The Dance II

Any good touring stories?

Well the band just formed earlier this year and since Brendan and I have been busy with “The Sing Off” we actually haven't had the opportunity to do a full tour yet. We’re currently looking into dates for a 2011-2012 tour.

Do you have pre- or post-show rituals?

Well, before a show we like to sing through our songs. It's just fun and locking in the harmonies in a small circle can really bring you back to the roots of the music. Post-show rituals usually involve beer and friends.

Best show?

Honestly, I think our best show was our first – at the Whisky A Go-Go in West Hollywood. It was awesome to play a stage frequented by the Doors, the Who, and other legendary performers. We got the chance to perform “Dances” in its entirety and it was just a blast.

Of course, that begs the question … any disaster shows?

No "disasters" quite yet – but we did book a show at the Hollywood House of Blues, which sounded like it was going to be awesome...and ended up just being a tiny side stage near the bar and removed from the main ballroom. We essentially rocked out for three people sipping on cocktails. It was still fun, but decidedly less cool than playing the House of Blues sounds like it should be.

How does fashion inspire you?

You know, I'm not sure if I'm the most fashionable guy in the world, but I will say that when I put on a "fashionable" outfit that I feel fits my personality, it makes me feel more comfortable in myself and my creativity – it's amazing how little things like that can change your entire mindset. If I ever get in a funk, I just take a shower a put on my favorite clothes and all of a sudden – I’m back.

What else inspires you? Other artists?

Plenty of other musical artists inspire me. I'm personally really into groups like Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective and classic groups like The Who, The Kinks, Queen, Beatles, Beach Boys – all those classic big vocal groups. I'm also a huge fan of movies and books, but who isn't?

Favorite movie?

“Back to the Future” – it’s fun, it's funny, it's sci-fi/action adventure, it's well written, well acted. It sounds like a hilarious choice for someone who loves movies, but I can't help it. That movie is classic and always entertaining.

Favorite musician/band?

I find it difficult to pick a favorite here. It fluctuates between The Who, the Beatles and The Beach Boys for me. I go through phases of obsessions with these three groups. It could be nothing but “Tommy” for a month or maybe “Sgt. Peppers,” who knows. That's how I tend to consume music: one artist, one album, over and over until I've got my fix for awhile.

What’s next for Warm Weather?

We're about to put out a second EP before we start working on our first full length album. In the meantime, we'll be playing LA local shows and writing and recording the new tracks!

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Warm Weather is the second band to be featured off our digital album (free with every order, hell yeah!). Heard the digital album? Then we want to hear from you! Let us know what you think about Warm Weather and the Lulu*s Digital Album. Check out more of Warm Weather with their facebook, tumblr, and bandcamp.

Artist to Watch: Saskatchewan

Cara Fox-Galassi — Wed Nov 9 9:00:00 2011

It's a rare thing when you listen to a song from an obscure band that you've never heard of and get blown away, but that's exactly what Saskatchewan did for me. I discovered them on my tumblr feed and instantly fell in love.

Saskatchewan (pronounced sa-skach-uh-won) hails from Orlando, FL, the city of boy bands. Their melodic and effervescence pop will keep you in a dream world you might never want to get out of.

We caught up with singer Chandler Strang for a little chat.

I’ve seen Saskatchewan classified as “dream pop.” Explain to us what that means to you.

Songs that are ethereal, airy and catchy all at once.

How do you hope to inspire your fans? What do you want fans to get out of your music, especially “Dreamboat”?

I’ve never thought of myself as inspiring to others before. “Dreamboat,” as well as some of our other songs, is about spending time with a person who you care about; connecting with them. If our listeners can make that happen for themselves, then I’m just happy to provide the soundtrack

What would you be doing if you weren’t (or when you’re not) making music?

I’m an accountant, so I’d be doing that. Ha.

Fill in the blank, Saskatchewan is forever grateful for …

… The internet.

You were creating a fund where people could donate for a sweet ride to CMJ … how is that going?

Yes, to get a “SaskatcheVan.” Some people generously donated the first day we set it up, but since then it’s been pretty inactive. We have different incentives that a contributor will get for each price point, the biggest of which is for a $1000 donation we’ll paint a mural of the contributor’s face on the side of the van. I really just want to have a huge face on the side of the van.

Do you have pre- or post-show rituals?

I have a two-beer minimum before playing.

Best show?

Our best show so far was probably our last hometown show opening for our friends Great Deceivers. It was their album release show and the place was packed with good friends. Really good vibes that night.

Of course, then I have to ask … worst show?

We played with a band called Young Empires once. I got there late coming from a funeral which is never a good way to get things started. Everyone was forgetting parts, we couldn't hear anything on stage – the whole thing was a disaster. I’m just glad there were only a handful of people there to witness it. Ha

How does fashion inspire you?

Oh man, that’s a tough one. I don’t really consider myself to be very fashionable. I pretty much just wear jeans, boots and animal t-shirts that I got from thrift stores all the time. Gery our drummer is the fashionable one of the group.

What else inspires you? Other artists?

It’s kind of morbid, but my fear of death and the inevitability of dying have been fueling the inspiration for our new material. Michael McDonald is my hero. Everything he does is inspiring to me.

Favorite movie?

“Lord of War,” maybe? I think my favorite movie changes a lot.

Favorite artist?

Not going to lie, I have no certain preference.

Favorite musician/band?

Michael McDonald and The Beach Boys

What’s next for Saskatchewan?

After CMJ [College Music Journal’s Music Marathon] next month we’ll mostly be spending time working on our first full length, set to be released at the beginning of next year.

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Want more? Saskatchewan is one of the featured artists on our digital album, which comes free with every order you make at Lulu*s! Already downloaded their song? Let us know if you love them just as much as we do!

LuLu*s Presents: The Digital Album!

Cara Fox-Galassi — Wed Nov 2 14:00:00 2011

Here at LuLu*s we have three major loves: fashion, our customers, and music. Because we love you guys so very, very much, we decided to mix all three of those things together to make one amazing deal. May we present our first Digital Album!

Here's the scoop: we compiled eight ah-mazing up-and-coming bands for you to download and to complement your badass fashion self in your new LuLu*s duds. So when you order from us you get this Digital Album sampler card FREE! We hand picked all the artists on the album to complement our wardrobe and yours. Check out each artist on the sampler below.

There's more: each week on the blog, we will be featuring interviews and more from each artist on the album so you can learn more about these amazing musicians and songs. And just remember ladies, in the end this is all for you guys. Without you, we would be nothing, and we just want to say we'll love you until infinity. Hope you enjoy our gift to you!

xoxo

Fresh Fall Albums

Sienna Orlando — Thu Sep 29 9:00:00 2011

With so many great albums being released this fall, I just had to give a little shout out to what I think is a more than healthy mix of Rap, Pop, R&B, Indie and Country music.

September 20: In case you missed it, sophomore pop star Demi Lovato released her third album Unbroken, while senior songstressTori Amos released what promises to be another riveting Tori album: Night of Hunters!

October 4: If you are fan of the great Mary J. Blige, then you are in luck! The star will be releasing My Life II . . . the Journey Continues, seventeen years after the original LP, My Life, was born.

Indie kids delight, because the newest by Feist (yes!) entitled Metals will be arriving in stores at the same time.

clockwise from top left: Drake, Tori Amos, Demi Lovato and Bjork.

October 11: This may be the biggest musical day of fall with everyone's favorite Icelander, Bjork, coming out with her slightly delayed album Biophilia. Look out for all of the custom apps for this one; Bjork has had a team of artists and programmers working to create a full-on experience.

The same day boasts the first full-length album by American Idol star, Lauren Alaina (remember Lauren?) AND Ryan Adams will be coming out with his newest, Ashes and Fire!

clockwise from top left: Feist, Lauren Alaina, Ryan Adams, Mary J. Blige

October 24: After Drake's amazing debut, Thank Me Later, released just over a year ago, he's coming back with another Rap-meets-R&B like only Drake can do entitled Take Care.

Oh, we will Drake. You and your friends just keep feeding us with good music and we will be well taken care of indeed! Let me leave you with the title track from Ryan Adams' anxiously-awaited collection:

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