concert – Hypnotic Bolt

Hypnotic Hangout: Briston Maroney

‘Hangin Round’ at taco bell

It was 1AM in Asheville, North Carolina and a cool breeze swept through the Taco Bell parking lot. The purple fluorescent lights lit up the sidewalk. The only noise was the passing of cars, and Briston Maroney clearing his throat as he sat down next to us on the curb. After playing a packed show at the Mothlight, we were able to sit down with the Knoxville native to get a little more insight on Maroney and his music.

We briefly discussed his tattoos and their stories before jumping into our real questions. Pointing to his black inked outline of Texas, he laughed, “This one is probably my favorite, by far”.

Of course, we needed to know where his passion for music is rooted, and what inspires him to write such personal verses. He adjusted his navy blue hat and scooted a little closer to us, “My grandpa turned me onto a lot of country music when I was younger like Waylon Jennings and Townes Van Zandt,” he laughed before saying, ” I was and still am into that kind of folkier country music. I’ve always wanted to be a cowboy. I have the tattoo and the boots so maybe by 25 I’ll either become a cowboy or just hang up the hat”.

When you listen to the “Caroline” singer, you almost feel as if he opened up your journal or crept into your thoughts and just wrote songs about your worst break-up or deepest fears. We asked,

“So, we want to know about the song writing process but more specifically the emotions that are going into every line. Do you have to be in love to write a song about being in love? Do you have to be going through something difficult in order to write on that experience? Is it more based on feelings or more expeirence based?”

He nodded his head silently, looking at the gravel beneath our feet. “I feel like songs that last and that are genuine are true feelings. I think you can write a love song about being in love in the moment, but I believe you have to have felt those feelings and be wanting to feel those feelings. For me, it’s hard to not make it personal. There are amazing artist who have the ability to just pull words that make sense without having to feel all of that [feelings] in the moment. I just can’t.”

‘SMALL TALK’

Maroney recently went on a UK tour with the Wallows, we were curious to know how this might have shifted his career as a whole, “How do you feel this affected your career and was it a big stepping stone for you?” Maroney responded with “Short term and long term it changed a lot of things for us. It was really important for us as people.” Maroney revealed that he feels closer to his band mates because of these experiences on the road.

Indiana

Maroney released his third album, Indiana on May 17th, 2019. So of course we had to ask, “What does Indiana mean to you compared to the other albums you’ve released?” Maroney went on to explain It was the first one they signed with Atlantic Recording Co.

“It was four songs that I had written in a period of time when I was living with my mom in Florida. Those songs were about living there with her and moving back to Nashville. It was the end of an era and it was an awesome experience to make.” He continued with “I feel like it was the first step towards speaking for what I want to stand for.”

Desert island bands

After much consideration, Maroney carefully chose these three musicians to be stranded on a deserted island with:

Neil Young
Jimi Hendrix
Graham Nash

A special message from briston

Going into this interview we knew that Maroney is an enlightened person and we wanted to convey any messages that he wanted to give to our readers. “I want people to feel relieved when they listen to this music to know that someone else is feeling the way that they feel. Life is complicated and people experience really intense things. I want it to be a symbol of sharing intense experiences {his music}.”

“And finally what do you want your listeners to know about anything?” Briston smiled and replied “My phone number.” We both laughed thinking he was joking. But then he went on to say “865-291-7761, you can text me if you want. Life is pretty short and I’m trying to put my feelings to the side for a little bit, and be nice to everyone.” He started laughing and said genuinely ” I want them to know my effing phone number.”

What’s next?

Briston Maroney is currently on his first head-lining tour in Europe and America and has recently released a new single “Chattanooga” which you can find on all music streaming platforms.

Mystic Truth Tour 2019

“Away We go”

Our first concert since we got home from Texas was Bad Suns… and we were pretty excited about it. I (Britt) spent all of high school listening to their album Language & Perspective and was stoked to see them live for the first time. We left Greenville around 4:30 and made our way to the Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta.

We arrived at the venue while the opener, a very talented 18 year old from Wisconsin, Carlie Hanson was performing. Hanson’s music can be described as pop punk and alternative. She was assisted by a drummer and a guitar/keyboard player and had amazing energy as she was jumping from side to side on the stage!

feels like home

The lights in the venue dimmed and the members of Bad Suns made their way to the stage and opened with “Away We Go”, the first song off their newest album, Mystic Truth. They played through songs off of their other albums, Language & Perspective, and Disappear Here. After performing “The World and I”, the lead singer Christo, approached the microphone and asked “Who’s been here since our first record?” Half of the audience put their hands up and shouted. “Thank you guys for being here for that long! Now who’s ready to fucking dance?” The band then proceeded to play “Rearview” off of their first record. Christo encouraged the crowd to dance and jump along as he sang the lyrics.

The continued playing through their set and then… “Cardiac Arrest” came on. This song is super nostalgic to me because it is the first song that I listened to by them and it introduced me to their music. It was one of my favorite songs to listen to throughout high school and hearing it live felt insane. Jenna and I jumped around and belted out the lyrics with the crowd. Before ending the song, Christo yelled into the microphone, “This feels like fucking home tonight!” And it sure did.

“away we go” Part 2

Unfortunately, after this song, Jenna wasn’t feeling well so we had to cut the concert short and head home. We were thankful to hear some of our favorite songs like “Violet”, “Rearview”, “Daft Pretty Boys”, and “Cardiac Arrest” though! We made our way to the merch table and I bought a record and Jenna bought a t-shirt (per usual). We gathered up our things, took some pictures outside of the venue and made our way back to our car with blisters on our feet from dancing and messy hair.

Overall, we had a great time at this concert. Bad Suns sold out this show and put on a great performance! If you ever have the chance to see them on this tour, you definitely should! The energy and enthusiasm that this band puts into their stage presence and songs is super dope and you can feel the love and gratitude that they have for their fans. 10/10 would recommend!

United Steaks Tour 2019

Part I

Athens, GA February 27, 2019- The first show we went to was at the Georgia Theater. We had seen Post Animal at this same venue back in December and were excited to be back.

“Fresh Squeezed”

The first performers were a group from Austin, Texas called Duncan Fellows. They played through songs from their album Both Sides of the Ceiling. They had the crowd bobbing their heads and tapping their feet. Their music is reminiscent of summer and reminded us of sunshine even in the dreary February weather. Playing through hits like “Coffins”, “Fresh Squeezed”, and “Sway”. Duncan Fellows introduced their music to the Georgia Theater and gained new listeners.

Flame Impala

Post Animal made their way to the stage around 9pm and opened with “Gelatin Mode”. If you’ve never listened to Post Animal before, we recommend starting with this song. The upbeat sound and heavy guitar that eases into slower parts only to pick back up makes for a great song to dance your butt off to.

They played through songs off of their recent album, When I Think of You in A Castle and older songs like “You Were Not There”, and “When I Get Home”. They created the same dreamy psychedelic experience that you hear in their songs. They ended their set with “Dirtpicker” and gave the crowd something to remember them by.

Who Are You? Point To It!

Ron Gallo entered the stage around 10pm. Jenna and I had been studying his music and we were excited to see him perform live. He and his ensemble put on an incredible show. He incorporates a lot of pedals, instruments, and uses effects like an echo on his mic to give him that grungy, kaleidoscopic sound. He played through songs off of his albums HEAVY META, Really Nice Guys, and Stardust Birthday Party. He kept the crowd engaged by running across the stage, passing the microphone to people in the crowd, and inviting Post Animal back onto the stage to sing one last song. Great guy and an even greater concert!

Part II

Asheville, NC February 28, 2019- The next day we headed up to our favorite place, Asheville for round two. We arrived at the Mothlight and got our spot right in front of the stage. The Mothlight’s atmosphere was a lot different than the Georgia Theater’s. The stage was lower to the ground and it made for a more intimate and insane show.

Duncan Fellows

This show was way different from the first. Duncan Fellows had a bigger fan-base in Asheville and it was enjoyable to jump around and sing along to the lyrics with the members of the band. They were surprised that people knew and listened to their music and we could tell that it meant a lot to them to have people dancing to their music in a confined space. Their set was energetic and uplifting and if you haven’t checked them out, you definitely should!

Ron Gallo

Ron came out next at this show and brought the fire! The whole crowd went crazy when he started playing and the energy of the crowd only intensified as the show went on. When he started playing his crowd-pleasing song, “Young Lady, You’re Scaring Me”, the audience went crazy. Everyone in the venue was jumping and bumping into each other and slowly started forming a mosh pit. Ron finished his set with “You” Are The Problem” and left the crowd giddy and ready for Post Animal.

Everyone Hit “Gelatin Mode”

The members of Post Animal came out shortly after Ron Gallo. We want to preface this by saying that this concert was something we have NEVER experienced before. Once Post Animal started playing “Gelatin Mode”, the crowd went wild! Everyone was jumping, head banging, throwing their fists in the air, and crowd surfing. We have never been a part of such an intense and reckless environment. As the show went on, we became immersed in the crowd and continued screaming the lyrics along with everyone. They absolutely KILLED this show! The raw energy in the Mothlight was indescribable. They were feeding off of the crowd’s energy and the mixture of the vibrating floorboards and sweaty bodies made this show memorable.

“Tire Eyes”

These past two days have been amazing even with our lack of sleep, empty stomachs and our hearts racing from all of the energy drinks we have been consuming. Post Animal always puts on a great show and these shows have introduced us to new music such as Duncan Fellows and Ron Gallo. If you ever have the chance to see any of these bands live, please do, they will not disappoint!

A Hypnotic Hangout: Mommy’s Little Boy

‘Wasting All of My Time’ on Valentine’s Day

February 14 is the day of love, and it also happened to be the day that Mommy’s Little Boy released his first full-length album. Jake Derting, from Denton, Texas sat down with us to discuss his album Wasting All of My Time.

In 2018, he released his first self-titled EP, Mommy’s Little Boy. This EP was his way of introducing his music to the world. His most popular song “She Cries”, just recently hit 2000 streams on Spotify, so check that out if you haven’t already.

The Sound of Mommy’s Little Boy

The “She Cries” singer gets a lot of his musical inspiration from artists like Roy Orbison, Current Joys, Lala Lala, Surf Curse and a local Denton friend, Ian Salazar. Throughout a lot of the songwriting process, Jake listened to these artists and gained a new perspective on what sound he wanted to create.

Jake described that he gets his inspiration for his music from observing people in his life and putting it in his perspective. He said that “The way I write is that I perceive things and I watch people’s lives and then I can write about it from my perspective”. He went on to talk about how he had lived with some friends from college this past semester, and how all of them were individually going through stuff. He took it as an opportunity to put himself in their shoes and write about those experiences.

In his song “Wasting Time”, Jake incorporated an acoustic guitar with multiple pedals and pitch shifter to get different sounds from the same instruments. He’s been passionate about music from a young age and has the ability to play many instruments.

When we asked about how he would define his genre of music, Jake said, “I don’t think that I could really put into one genre.” He described his music as a mixture of Dream Pop, Low-Fi, Bedroom Pop, and Punk. With this new album, he has been able to shape his sound into his own and now when you listen to his music, you know it’s a Mommy’s Little Boy song.

“Things Are Great” and so is “Oatmeal”

Two of the most influential songs on Wasting All of My Time are “Oatmeal” and “Things Are Great”. Jake relayed to us that after working for hours recording different parts of what was originally a nameless song, he was craving oatmeal and the name of that song was born. We all shared a laugh about our mutual love for oatmeal. He continued to say that he poured out all of his “angst” into this song and it easily became one of his favorites off of the album.

He saw “Things Are Great” as a song that he could go somewhere with. He used this particular song to shape not only his sound but his message.

A Wake-Up Call

When we asked about why he titled the album Wasting All of My Time which was pulled from his song “Wasting Time”, he described that he had an awakening and decided to settle down. He went on to say that his first record was just for fun, and nothing too serious. With this new album, he discovered that this was a true passion of his and he dedicated more time and effort into it.

A Message from Mommy’s Little Boy

Jake is super proud of this album and he wants his listeners to know that you shouldn’t waste your time doing things that you aren’t passionate about. He hopes for people to listen to his music and become inspired to not give up on their goals and aspirations.

He laughed and sat back in his chair. He stated, “Actually I have been filming a music video for Things Are Great and it should be out in a couple weeks!”

Keep an eye out for any new projects and releases from Mommy’s Little Boy. Check out his music on all music platforms! We want to thank Jake for taking the time to have this interview with us, go check him out!!

‘The Night’

On Wednesday night, we threw on our jackets and headed to the Radio Room in Greenville. This was the first show that we have been to that wasn’t an hour or two away and we were excited to get the chance to see amazing performers in our home town.

‘The Other Side’

“I don’t want to be the dreamer, I want to be the dream.” sang indie duo Babe Club from Charleston, SC. Consisting of just two members, Babe Club, brought a raw and simple sound, with meaningful lyrics and captivating acoustics to the crowd and they set the tone for the night to come. They finished the set with their song “Bitch Goddess” and announced that they will be releasing new music during the spring but in the mean time, get your fix by checking out their single “Hate Myself” on all music platforms.

“A.S.S (And She Smiles)”

The next openers were a group called New Madrid based out of Athens, GA. This group brought an electric and head-banging sound to the night. Their catchy tunes mixed with their wild dance moves and heavy strumming, kept the crowd bouncing around and tapping their feet. They currently have three albums available on all music platforms and if you are a local to Georgia, you should definitely swing by one of their shows!

“Is This a Dream?”

Based out of Nashville, TN trio, Liz Cooper & the Stampede made their way to the stage around 10. Dressed in the cutest jumpsuit and the most badass white boots that I couldn’t stop staring at throughout the night, Liz Cooper brought the dream psychedelic sound. They opened with “Sleepyhead” and continued the set with playing songs from their most recent album Window Flowers released back in August of 2018 (with a split break in between to cover “Heart of Glass” by Blondie). The drummer, Ryan, kept the crowd in awe as he pounded on his drum set while smiling and laughing the entire time. Grant, the bassist, shredded the tunes out on a bright red bass guitar that was too beautiful to look at. They ended the set with “Hey Man” and played an INSANE instrumental at the end. If you have never listened to this group, you definitely should! Their mixture of folk and psychedelic rock is something so wild and beautiful. -B

“Come lose yourself and dance with me…”

Make sure to check out all the bands mentioned and as always, stay groovy!

All the love, Britt and Jen

‘The Champagne of Bands’

“Summer Girls” in Mid-Winter

January 10– We dressed warm and headed up the mountain. We found ourselves listening to bands from previous concerts, and taking in the beautiful scenery as we drove. When we arrived in our favorite city, Asheville, we had time to kill before the show. Shivering, we bounced from shop to shop. We stopped to eat at our go-to, Mellow Mushroom, and talked about moving our future home right above the venue we wanted to open in dowtown Asheville.
We still had time to spare, so we stopped at one more shop before heading to move our car closer to Static Age Records. Where we would be seeing “the champagne of bands”, AKA Acid Carousel. They are a band based out of Denton, Texas consisting of six members. Ian (Bass and Sax), Gus (vocals and guitar), John (vocals and guitar), Lucas (vocals and guitar), Matt (keyboard, tambourine, maracas, sax), and Jake (Percussion…and trombone!!)

Records for Days

When we arrived we waited a bit in the car since Static Age had just opened it’s doors a little after 9pm. When we finally did decide to go inside, people were filing in one after the other.
The venue was small, but held many records. We searched for familiar bands, and looked for new ones too. Around 10, people began to head towards the back of the venue, where the bands would be playing.

The “Big One”

Kitty Tsunami performed first with a punk beach sound. We tapped our feet along to their set. Their song “All the Kids” really stood out to us, and we’ve had it on repeat since that night.
At around 11, Acid Carousel made their way to the stage. Before the show started, they told us that they were going to perform “the Big One”. We weren’t sure what that meant but, we were excited to find out.
They included a light show behind them as they played. We’ve never experienced a show this unique before. The visuals were captivating and really added to the vibe of their psychedelic sound.
Soon enough we found exactly what “the Big One” meant, as their songs blended into each other. Again, we’ve never been to a show like this before. It was so fun to watch them jump around the stage, and keep the energy up the whole time. We screamed and moved along with them.
We were super impressed by the multitude of their instruments. We weren’t expecting them to whip out a saxophone in the middle of their set. They kinda went off! They definitely kept us on our toes.

Brother Bonding

After the show we headed back to the merch table and talked to Lucas about their set. They just recently started morphing their songs together into one long song.
We bought some groovy looking posters, and headed to put it in the car. When we returned we talked to Matt and Jake (who are identical twins), and we learned a lot about them. We talked with them for a while, and formed a brotherhood based off of the fact that we all (except for Matt…) played the trombone growing up, and our love for quirky tattoos. While adding Acid Carousel to your playlist go ahead and add Mommy’s Little Boy (Jake’s solo project) and MattyRaps.

Catch ya later, street cowboys

You know what they say… “this town ain’t big enough for the two of us”! We truly enjoyed this show, and look foward to the next time they come around.
See ya later and always, STAY GROOVY!