Bringin' it Backwards

We had the pleasure of interviewing Brick + Mortar over Zoom video! American alternative rock duo Brick + Mortar released "Mystery to Myself" in October. It was the second single from their upcoming project.. The song's massive sound fits its momentous universal theme - it's about the realization that you don't recognize yourself and you don't know who you've become, but you urgently want to find yourself again. The distorted synths and varying vocal tones lend to the tormented feeling of the lyrics. Lead singer Brandon Asraf sings "I try to believe in myself, to love myself, but the truth that I know is / I can't love who I don't know, and I'm a mystery to myself". About Brick + Mortar: Brick + Mortar aren't another punk band or completely polished pop act: B+M are organic. You've probably heard of them before from a friend deep in the music scene, urging you to listen to "their favorite band nobody knows yet", or perhaps you caught a glimpse of their set at Lollapalooza in 2013 and were so captivated by their live set that you stopped to listen. Their shows are ridiculous, but their songs have a message. Brandon Asraf is the man behind the music, drawing inspiration from his youth filled with anxiety, depression, and the social complexities of being the son of a con man. He has lived a life stranger than most, allowing his songs to paint a picture of his journey through every lyric. Brick + Mortar was born on Brandon's little brother's couch, with his buddy John Tacon; a big experiment with small expectations. In 2012, the duo signed to Mad Dragon Records at Drexel University with the opportunity to be featured on Making Moves, a 7-inch record produced by Motion City Soundtrack. Three records, multiple festival appearances, and countless tours later (including runs with The Front Bottoms, Yoke Lore, The Unlikely Candidates, and Anthony Green), Brick + Mortar have perfected the art of blending the authenticity and emotion of a one-on-one living room performance with an over the top, Flaming Lips-esque visual performance. In 2020, the band was inspired by the racial injustice happening in America, leading them to release their single, "American Reality". This song showcases the direction the band will be going in, both lyrically and musically, with their new project. Throughout the years, their goal has stayed the same: to make the music their hearts and minds lead them to make, while hopefully inspiring people along the way. They're just glad that you listen We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #brickandmortar #zoom Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

We had the pleasure of interviewing Spencer Marcu over Zoom video! Around 2008, SPENCER MARCU was on top of the world. The LA native was well-liked by his classmates. He was in his early teens, had the attention of several girlfriends. Life was good. Then all of a sudden it wasn't. "I started experimenting with things, if you know what I mean. It felt like living like a rockstar at 13." His rockstar behavior quickly caught up with him and SPENCER's parents shipped him off to a camp far out into the Utah wilderness where he could, they hoped, reshape the trajectory of his life. Anyone put through the kind of crucible that MARCU endured at such a formative age would almost certainly come out the other end changed. When he finally got back home to LA, he suddenly realized the whole world viewed him differently. Feeling isolated, MARCU returned to the one place he could always receive salvation: Music. He hasn't stopped writing since. Music runs through Marcu's blood. His father is an Academy Award winning songwriter, who earned his Oscar for writing the Dirty Dancing anthem "(I've Had) The Time of My Life." Although he didn't specifically teach him how to write songs, SPENCER's father would point out chords in songs on the radio and show MARCU how to play them on guitar. Before long, SPENCER was shredding Jimi Hendrix solos off the Woodstock live album, note-for-note. He had the tools. Now he had something to say. Hundreds of demos, songs and journal entries later, an album began to take shape. The record he produced is called 'Homemade'. It's an experience of growth as told through 11 separate tracks.1 Whilst he recorded in some great studios (Stagg Street Studios, Megawatt Studios, Kingsized Studios) and was assisted by some of the best record producers on the planet, the feeling of the music remained the most important thing. Thus, half of the album is filled out by the demos SPENCER originally tracked at home. Homemade' unfolds like a journey through MARCU's own experience. It's filled with searing guitar solos, bombastic choruses and flashes of hard-earned wisdom. Now, on November 19th, 2021, exactly three years to the day that he finished recording the album and checked himself into detox to rid himself of all toxins including toxic habits, relationships and thought patterns, SPENCER has conquered his struggles, he's happy, healthy and finally ready to share his beautifully authentic and deeply personal 11-track musical biography with the world. In his own words "I have found my way back home. I'm saying the things I wanna say. I'm doing the things I wanna do. I don't have any more bad habits holding me back. I've learned to leave things alone if they're not working out…music is supposed to be a healing and spiritual experience." We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #spencermarcu #zoom Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

We had the pleasure of interviewing Lila Drew over Zoom video! "Crystal Ball" is the follow up to her last single "2023," which she released last month and was cowritten by Lila and Sachi DiSerafino (Wallows, Charli XCS's Nasty Cherry.) The video is directed by Vincent Haywood https://www.vincenthaycock.com/ (Billie Eilish, Florence and the Machine, U2, Paul McCartney). The video has already amassed over 240k views in less than a month since it's release, which is pretty remarkable for a new indie artist. Lila describes the indie pop song as "that deep frustration that comes with feeling like you'll never change - that the things that you hate that you do will continuously be repeated throughout your life, and that fear will always get in the way. It's about being trapped in your kitchen and paralyzed by the anxiety of growing up and the strange, dark humor in that." Lila dropped her latest single "Dad's Van" in April of 2020 which premiered on The FADER. Before that, the artist released her debut EP Locket (Side One) in late 2019. Off the first EP, her single "Locket," gained praise from Rolling Stone as "the perfect representation of the dreamy and smooth songs she is bound to serve up in the future." She is also currently in college at Yale! We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #LilaDrew #zoom Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

We had the pleasure of interviewing Memphis May Fire over Zoom video! Over the course of their career, Memphis May Fire have channeled a generation's worth of angst, frustration, and pain, with a focused blend of gigantic melodic hooks and crushing aggression. Even after topping Billboard's Hard Music Albums chart, having an album debut at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200, and breaking into radio's Active Rock Top 20, Memphis May Fire refuse to sacrifice who they are or the people who made them. A new season unfolds for the band, and it's filled with revitalization and renewal. Stripping things down to their core elements, hearkening back to the days when they created the music their fans most cherish, Memphis May Fire rekindled the spark within to build an inferno of riffs and inspirational words. They have returned to their roots with the seasoned polish earned through years of touring and making music together. "Blood & Water" is proof positive of this fact. Memphis May Fire have toured with a vast list of important rock and metal acts that include Killswitch Engage, Sleeping With Sirens, Black Veil Brides, Sevendust, and Atreyu. They've co-headlined with Yellowcard and The Devil Wears Prada, regularly appeared on Warped Tour, and at major rock festivals. The band's previous six albums' continued relevance is a testament to the energized connectivity between the band and their audience. Songs like "Miles Away," "No Ordinary Love," "Beneath the Skin," and "Carry On" account for 100 million views and millions of streams. Expect more anthems for the broken and beyond from Memphis May Fire in due course. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #MemphisMayFire #MattyMullins #zoom Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

We had the pleasure of interviewing Michael J Woodard over Zoom video!! Rising artist Michael J Woodard performed his latest single "Hope Full" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. "Hope Full' is a song that encourages you to try and stay optimistic and focused on reaching your goals. Especially when you're hit with obstacles or when things aren't going quite as you expected," Woodard explains of the song, "I've had to remind myself to keep moving forward over the years, and as I'm now starting to share my music with the world, I feel like I've really began to see the results of that determination." Championed by superstar Katy Perry on the hit television series American Idol, Woodard was signed to Unsub Records—an independent label founded by Perry herself. "I was dazzled by Michael's instantly identifiable voice and playful personality since I saw him on the first season of American Idol a few years ago," Perry describes. "I knew immediately that I wanted to take him under my wing and help him grow into the artist he wanted to be by giving him the tools to hone his writing and recording skills." Since signing with Unsub, Woodard has been in the studio nonstop, strengthening his talents as a songwriter which has resulted in him writing over 130 songs in the last 18 months. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Woodard moved to Los Angeles in 2016 to attend The Musicians Institute. Following a series of self-recorded and produced songs released on SoundCloud which earned him a significant online following, he was approached by a producer for the upcoming revival of American Idol. Woodard competed on the show and landed in the Top 5 finalists. Stunned by his natural talent, Perry signed Woodard to her Unsub record label, making him the third official signing to the label. Most recently, Woodard was cast alongside Jennifer Coolidge, Tony Hale, Jonathan Van Ness and Annie Potts as the title character in the recently released Netflix animated musical film and series, Arlo The Alligator Boy. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #michaeljwoodard #netflix #americanidol #katyPerry #ArlotheAlligatorboy #zoom Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

We had the pleasure of interviewing Blacklite District over Zoom video! Genre bending artist Blacklite District (real name Kyle Pfeiffer) recently released his new single "Live Another Day". Blacklite District describes his musical style as a distinct genre that falls somewhere in the folds of both Alternative and Hip Hop music. Having grown up in hard rock bands Blacklite District always maintained one foot in the rock world while continuing to explore other musical genres. While some may say his current sound fits more in the Hip Hop world, he never wants his music to be defined solely by one genre alone. Recently Blacklite District has seen great success from a series of Minecraft themed music videos. His first "Minecraft" music video was titled "Cold as Ice" and it received over 60 million views on YouTube. Overall Blacklite District has created a total of 8 Minecraft videos including the recently released music video for his song "Falling" which trended at #3 on YouTube and received over 1.3 million views in its first 3 days. By connecting with the loyal fans of Minecraft, Blacklite District has been able to tap into a unique group of dedicated and loyal fans who have helped spread the word of Blacklite District to the world growing his following to over 174K subscribers on YouTube. Thematically with his music Blacklite District hopes to continue to be a spark of hope in the lives of those with low spirits who may be dealing with some tough times. Drawing from his own personal life experiences Blacklite District wants to bring attention to the importance of family and friends in life when you're going through personal issues. Blacklite District always had his grandparents, Tony and Sheila as a strong support system for his music in addition to his wife Amber who runs his record label AK19 Entertainment LLC. These kinds of relationships are important for Blacklite District to show his fans what it takes to get through the hard times in order to reach the success he has today. When Blacklite District reflects on his early days of his music career he says, " I really didn't know how to properly create music videos, I was just using my cell phone to provide a video and song via YouTube about once every month." It wasn't until he stopped doing things conventionally, and tapped into the world of Minecraft that he was able to reach the success he has today. Now Blacklite District wants to let others know that there are limitless ways of attracting attention and success not only in music but in life as a whole. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #zoom #BlackliteDistrict Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

We had the pleasure of interviewing Julian King over Zoom video! Philadelphia based next-gen R&B singer-songwriter Julian King recently released his new single "Gone Do". This single follows King's 2019 debut album, "Made in China," which blazed the scene with streaming favorites "Seasons," "Safe" and "Always You". With repertoire polished during his 2018 year-long tour of the five-star hotels of China, the album remains on repeat-play for scores of lovers of passionate, honest R&B. In December 2020 King dropped his EP, TAKEOUT featuring collaborations with Mare, Just Frenchie, Kymberli Joye, Shaun Sounds, Kevin JZ Prodigy, Precious, and Brayla. Following in the success of his 2019 album and 2020 EP King recently released"Gone Do" an R&B single perfect for those who found their love in 2021. When asked about his new single "Gone Do" King said, "This song came out of an experience I had when I was playing Spades as I caught someone's eye, and he caught mine. I normally wouldn't have entertained it, but this time it felt different; this time I felt the courage to go after him. I'm glad I did because he was feeling me the entire time. I actually got what I wanted lol. For too long I sat on the sidelines and let good opportunities pass me by, but that stops now." As a preacher's kid with virtuoso vocals, dance moves to die for and skillful musicianship on piano King has always loved music, but it wasn't until 8th grade when King realized he loved the stage more than anything and began to place all of his energy into song and dance. It was at this time that King and everyone in his orbit knew he had an exceptional gift. King went on to attend the acclaimed Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts as well as Philadelphia University of the Arts, where he graduated with a BA in Vocal Performance. "As I matured, and my understanding of love and relationships developed along with my voice, I realized I could truly express the depth of love in my heart through song. I treat relationships with the greatest respect. I love people and all creatures. I'm all about tolerance and respect. I'm all about inclusivity. I love having seats at tables, but I would love for everyone to have a seat at the table," says King. His loving nature translates directly to his soaring, soulful music, and exceptional performance, and no better is that heard on his new single "Gone Do." Please stay tuned to Julian King's socials below for more updates on the release of new music in 2021 as well as upcoming tour dates. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #JulianKing #zoom Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

We had the pleasure of interviewing Bren Holmes over Zoom video! When you've been a professional musician for over thirty years, you can accumulate a large trunk of songs. The tucked-away tunes that Ireland-born / Los Angeles residing Bren Holmes shares on his solo debut, Everything You Never Wanted, reveal impressive singer/songwriter talents that never got fully displayed during his lengthy tenure as bassist with the Young Dubliners. While old Young Dub fans will connect with Celtic music flourishes that course through this album, they – and all listeners – also will be easily drawn into the spirited rootsy sound that fills Everything You Never Wanted, which arrived on his own Bren Holmes Productions label. Holmes' appealing vocals - sincere, confident, and a bit world weary – prove to be another strength of Everything You Never Wanted. The warm, friendly qualities of his singing particularly shine on two pub-friendly sing-a-longs, "Pieces" and "Somewhere – Ode To Shane." The tunes also offer musical nods to his homeland, with the latter undoubtedly tipping its cap to Pogues' legendary frontman Shane MacGowan as well. Holmes co-produced the album with Bryan Dobbs (Brett Anderson, Rattle The Knee) and the two handled much of the instrumentation. Holmes performed on guitar, bass, mandolin, and percussion, while Dobbs played electric guitars, mandolin, banjo, lap steel and dobro. Holmes, however, also enlisted a number of his musician pals to lend their support. Besides Anderson, the album features contributions by Cindy Wasserman (Dead Rock West), ace session drummer Dave Raven (Keith Richards, Nellie McKay, John Doe), violinist Rachel Grace (Foo Fighters, Usher, Annie Lennox), producer/musician Tim Boland, and drummer Ward Poulos. The uilleann pipes, bodhran, and whistles, played by Holmes' fellow Dublin expat Pat D'Arcy, injects some Irish flavor into the music. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #BrenHolmes #YoungDubliners #zoom Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

We had the pleasure of interviewing Motherfolk over Zoom video! Since their formation, Cincinnati-based indie-rockers Motherfolk have been on a steady upward trajectory, racking up over 5 million Spotify streams on their three studio albums, selling out shows while touring heavily across the United States, amassing a passionate fanbase, and securing a slot on the 2021 Lollapalooza lineup. Their recent EP, the flower, showcases the band's new and improved sound that falls somewhere between crunchy garage rock and dreamy indie pop. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #motherfolk #zoom Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

We had the pleasure of interviewing LP over Zoom video! There's this girl in the corner and she's small, really small, and she looks like a boy, and she's seething with emotion, with rage and love - because she's alone, because we're all alone, because our parents didn't get it. She just found out faster. Her skin is thinner because her heart is bigger. Her heart pushes against the skin, stretching it, sometimes too much. She is a bloodletter, this girl. "A bloodletter of emotion," she says. I think, given the right or the wrong moment, you are too. Born Italian. New York. You've got to understand that; the hottest blood, the toughest city, the smallest girl. Today she is 5' 3" and just over a hundred pounds but her sound is anthemic, maxed out. You don't believe your ear-eyes when you see-hear, pealing from the body of one fighting with not enough, the music of so, so much. It is the music of emotional emergency, a prayer sung loud into a bottle and cast out to sea. I think of Judy Garland, Bjork, Freddie Mercury if he had to deal with being a fucking girl. From a little match, a conflagration. LP is the medicine. She is good for heartbreak, which she knows, and in a way, lives in. She writes from that, sings from that. The annoyance, the grain of ocean-floor sand troubling the oyster. It's loss. It's always there. Her mother died when she was a teenager. She sang too — a voice, LP remembers, that "was very operatic, kind of like Maria Callas with a Julie Andrews cleanness to her tone." She'll never recover, but there is the mounting hope, the certain knowledge, hard earned, that "you can wield suffering, which is strength and power." Church, no church. Gay, not gay. The bloodletting's the same. The blood-pearls of a poet-oyster who has hit songs and record deals and plays sold out shows all over the world and goes to bed saying to herself, "I love, I love, I love, I love…" We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #LP #zoom Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/