To quote Schoolhouse Rock, three is, indeed, a magic number. Well, not when it comes to celebrity deaths but I digress. Today's A-Sides keeps up with the street cred for one of the best numerals ever with three vastly different artists. First up is Jaymes McFarland, better known by his stage name "Jaymes Young", who is a gifted singer/songwriter who just dropped his debut Habits of My Heart EP. The album captures the Seattle native's rich, soulful vocals and his knack for biting, deeply felt songwriting. It's so often to just dub someone a "singer/songwriter" and toss them into "that" catagory, but Young's music transcends that genre and really encapsulates everything from indie rock to R&B. Indie Rock&B? Would that term work? No, but his music takes flight where my jokes don't. Young has been on the road with London Grammar and is currently touring with 2014 breakthrough artist Vance Joy. Earlier this month at the Music Conservatory of Westchester in White Plains, Young performed a pair of tracks and discussed touring with Joy, his EP, and what the future holds. Watch. Listen. Love.
"I'll Be Good"
"Habits of My Heart"
Interview
Like Young, Matthew Wade prefers to go by a moniker instead of his birth name. Vance Joy does too, by the way, but I already wrote about that cool cat. Wade makes music under My Silent Bravery, and while he's drawbn comparisons to John Mayer and Gavin DeGraw, A-Sides thinks he can stand on his own sans any labels or similar-sounding artist references. In other words, his music, like his name, is unique and stands on its own in a bold way. Late last summer, the musician released his fourth LP, Diamond from Coal, and it was an instant hit on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter chart. Watch him perform exclusively for A-Sides at The Liberty NYC and sit down for a chat. Filmed by Yale Goodman.
Unlike Young and Bravery, Circa Waves couldn't do their A-Sides in physical form, but their words resonated across the Interwebs for a special, exclusive interview with yours truly. The band, which consists of frontman Kieran Shudall, Sam Rourke (bass), Sian Plummer (drums) and Joe Falconer (guitarist), have been on quite a roll in their two years together. "We all met at Liverpool Sound City," Shudall explained in an interview. "I was stage managing and the other guys were playing and hanging around. Joe heard I was starting a band, got drunk and asked if he could play guitar. I said 'yes.' It was pretty simple."
Success has seemed simple for the band of brothers. After releasing a few tracks in 2013, they've been slamming it this year. In February, Zane Lowe played their second single 'Stuck in My Teeth' as his "Hottest Record in the World." "Get Away" also was singled out. From there, they opened the NME Awards Tour with Temples, Interpol and Royal Blood. By June, they released their 'Young Chasers EP on Virgin Records, and they've truly been catching fire ever since. Case in point: BBC 1 thinks it's the cat's pajamas (if cats did that sort of thing). They respectively played Glastonbury and Leeds Festivals (among others), and supported the Libertines earlier this fall as well as The 1975. Not too shabby.
Shudall recently sat down for a chat. Here are his answers, and hear their music below.
Success in your native country has been almost instant. How are you finding the audience response here in the states?
Really cool. They all seem pretty happy to watch guitar music. We love playing to new people.
The EP is pretty damn good. What can we expect from your full-length and when the heck is it coming out?
Thank you! It will be out early next year. We recorded it live in in RAK studios in London. A lot of amazing records have been made there so it felt really special to do it there. It's a pretty high energy all the way through. We are really proud of it, [and] cannot wait for people to hear it.
Same here. Off topic, so many song titles feature the word "Wave" or "Waves" in it. I realize it's in your band name, but can you speculate why so many artists sing about waves crashing in the literal and figurative sense?
I guess waves are a pretty good metaphor for a lot of things.
Truth. If you were putting together a super group who would you start with?
Hmmmmm...tough one. I guess...
Dave Grohl on vox
Mike Watt on bass
Prince on lead guitar
Keith Moon on drums
Nicely done. In 140 characters or less, tell me how amazing it was to play Glastonbury
It was incredible! [It was] very surreal saying "hello Glastonbury." We played the other stage which was huge.
In 140 sentences or less, tell me how amazing Chuck Berry is.
He's pretty cool.......
Apologies. I just wanted to go "'bury" to "Berry." You're starting a mix tape for the road. What's the first song you put on it?
Cooking up something good. Mac DeMarco.
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About A-Sides Music
Jon Chattman's "A-Sides Music" series was established in August 2011 and usually features artists (established or not) from all genres performing a track, and discussing what it means to them. This informal series focuses on the artist making art in a low-threatening, extremely informal (sometimes humorous) way. No bells, no whistles -- just the music performed in a random, low-key setting followed by an unrehearsed chat. In an industry where everything often gets overblown and over manufactured, I'm hoping this is refreshing. Artists have included: fun, Courtney Love, Air Supply, Birdy, Sleigh Bells, Aretha Franklin, Alice Cooper, Echosmith, Charli XCX, Jake Miller, American Authors, Imagine Dragons, Gary Clark Jr., and more! A-Sides theme written and performed by Blondfire.