Most people think this song is literally about the Disney ride “Space Mountain”, but that is actually the metaphor. The joy I get from playing live shows comes from much more than feeling approval by others. It’s the gratification of releasing a 30 minute performance that took over 10,000 hours to build. The excitement of knowing that all of my influences and experiences are coming together uniquely and organically to form art that nothing & nobody else can replicate. 

I became a junky for that rush more and more since the first time I put together a set with some friends and played at the Rockit when I was 14 years old (Picture the Scott Pilgrim scene but early2000s). It eventually became my career/LIFE to travel around North America and book/play about 200 shows a year (Europe once as well). And even when there was nobody but the sound guy and bar staff there, I still got my fix.

One year ago today I played the biggest show of my life at the legendary San Diego House of Blues. I have a lot of people to thank for that opportunity. Little did I know it would be the last show I would play for a very long time and I legitimately cried like a big baby going through this footage. This pandemic has been extremely tough for a lot of businesses, artists, venues, families etc and I realize others have it worse than me. And i know there are more outlets to create and express my art… but damn do I miss live music…and if this is rehab, I want out! 😭

🎥 cred: @_jessicarabe_ 🙏 (at House of Blues San Diego) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKrWVkhgXC-/?igshid=r3ngziuper1t

Hey all! The Blog Has Moved to An Actual Website. But this one will still be here to keep the older interviews.

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MASS INTERVIEW

https://notesonnotesmusic.com/main/f/being-a-bandmusician-during-a-pandemic

Hey all! I know things have been a little slow. Most bands are either in super creative mode, or taking this time to spend with family. But they are still struggling. Help them out. Buy merch. Stream songs. Share bands you like. Keep sharing music you like. Even if you can't buy merch, spread your love of whatever band you like and get more people listening! Every time a song is played it can build to a monetary amount on streaming services (albeit a small amount). Play their music for others, get them into it. Share the music, share the joy!

Rosedale. Herkimer 2009. Some friends and I had followed Honor Bright; The Doppler Effect and Lacerda to a show in Herkimer, NY. We'd never seen Rosedale, or heard of them. We didn't know what to expect when we saw them setting up. I was in awe of the sheer height of their front-man, Mike. (I am a over a foot shorter than he is, and at that point he was the tallest person I'd ever met.)When they started playing, I was in awe of their drummer, Emerson Tavares (he played faster than most drummer I'd seen). After the show, we saw a big purple bus, and we had the chance to hang out with Mike and Emmo. A week later, we'd get to meet Mitch and Zan in Watertown, NY. We were hooked. Soon after, we got them to our college in Northern New York.Since then, I've watched Mike progress from the 4 man band to the last solo act in Toronto in 2018. He is multi-talented, and probably one of the most down to earth people I've met. He takes time before, during, and after shows to talk with as many people/fans as he can, and has been an inspiration to many that have followed his journey.Today, we're going to take a look at where he came from, and where he plans to go. Take a few and read through. It's the anniversary feature for Notes on Notes! What better way to celebrate that with the one who inspired it all?!

NON: Rosedale was an early project of yours as a teenager in Brampton, ON. What brought you and your then band mates together?

ML: Pretty much skateboarding sparked it all. The skate scene was really booming in Brampton (and everywhere) as I was becoming an adolescent. Tony Hawk Pro Skater was huge, all the skate magazines were doing well, all the local skate parks were packed and hosting contests, pro skaters were celebrities- it was wild! I've always been pretty awkward on a skateboard and could never really improve past the basics, but I was definitely making progress on the piano so my parents finally granted my wishes to switch to classical guitar, as I'd been begging for years and the skate culture was surrounded by a lot of guitar music. After about a year of struggling to figure out how to play "cool guitar" I started convincing my friends to learn drums and bass and would try to jam with them. That led me to connecting with a friend I hadn't really seen since kindergarten; Nick, who was a pretty solid drummer. So I started showing him songs I'd written and we'd jam at his place on weekends. I think it started lighting a fire for a few of my school and skater friends as they started getting more serious about learning instruments and starting bands. We'd eventually teamed up with Mitch and Jon's band, as their drummer, Emerson, was still figuring out how to drum. Fun fact, there was about a month or two where I was kicked out of the band because my squeaky voice, cheesy lyrics, shrill guitar tone, awkward stage presence, and thick wavy blond mushroom cut were all just too unbearable. (They were very blunt and honest with me on that phone call...) So Jon started singing and they eventually called me back into the new band to play guitar, piano, and sing super high emo backup vocals. From there; we replaced Nick with Sam, named the band Rosedale (because when our gear was stuck at Nick's house we'd walk up Rosedale ave to the local music store to practice and write). Then we eventually replaced Sam with Emerson. Me and Jon started taking vocal lessons from our friend Steve, who was a drummer and backup singer in one of our favourite local bands, By Permit Only. Eventually we just asked him to be our lead singer and after recording our first EP with him, he quit the band and I took over lead vocals again. I met Zan in our high school, Mayfield. He was a bassist in the music program so I'd jam with him from time to time during lunch in our school's practice rooms. He eventually replaced Jon... I guess I could have just summed it up with "Skateboarding and school" but we all have a little more time these days so why not take a trip down nostalgia lane!

 NON: You've had 5 EP's and albums over the years; could you describe the progression of your creative process through the years? 

ML: It's pretty crazy for me to look back on. We recorded Past Times With Old Friends in Sean Andrew's little bedroom on a Line 6 bean-shaped Pod with Cue-base on his laptop. We'd tried to record about 3 demos with 3 different producers prior to that EP but nothing ever got finished. Each time we'd record I'd learn a few more things about how to engineer. Back when we had Sam in the band, one of his dad's friends "Stereo Mario" (one of the 3 producers that we'd demo with) would teach me the basics of Pro Tools and I was very eager to learn more. Before ever using any real recording equipment/DAW I'd multi-track covers of my favorite songs onto three-and-a-half inch floppy discs with my Yamaha Clavinova (a multi-patch midi amplified keyboard from the mid 90s), drums and all! So I kinda came full circle back to being a solo, multi tracker, multi-instrumentalist after having several different band mates and methods. The big turning point in my progression as an artist and producer, though, came when I started an internship at Drive Studios in my senior year of high school. I believe everyone needs a roll model and mentor to really progress and the owner of that studio, Steve Rizun, took me under his wing and pulled me in the right direction. Not only did he train me to be a sound engineer and let me work with some world class punk/prog/metal/emo bands, but he also would show me how to make additional production for Rosedale's sound and how to bring it to our live show. I became obsessed with songwriting and production and as soon as I graduated I worked to save up for a Macbook and an audio interface...and a lot of other gear! Had it not been for Steve, I probably would have wasted a lot of money going to a college to learn a fraction of what he was teaching me for free; hands on in the most punk rock environment! Since that internship he's mixed and mastered all the Rosedale records, mixed a handful of my live shows, he even showed me the ropes of being a live sound engineer, and continues to be a great ear to for mixing and advice! I've had a lot of other great friends show me how to edit video, hold a drumstick, where to book shows, gear advice etc. Even though I'm kind of a "Lone Wolf" I guess my process has always been to keep creating and ask for help and advice along the way from those who are more experienced (and YouTube tutorials, of course). Now that I'm in a new market playing with a new band (Mainsail in San Diego) I feel like I'm teaching and working more often than I'm learning. And that's been really healthy too! 

 NON: How has the journey from "Past Times" to your most recent projects helped you grow/learn as a musician/artist?

ML: What a journey it has been! As I'm sure any artist or even entrepreneur could relate, The Faces sang it best; "I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger!" I think the biggest difference is the decision making ability. I used to take so damn long to make such bad decisions! Debating who, what, where why- it's important to think things through but sometimes you gotta just leap and learn from it. If you keep questioning things you'll never know. Also, the more I learn the more I realize how much more I still don't know! And that's part of the climb. Even now, being in the beginning stages of getting my 10,000 hours on the drums, I look back to how I used to play, say, 100 hours ago- and shake my head. That can sometimes be humiliating and demotivating while knowing you're still at the bottom of the mountain- or even just dealing with the ongoing yin and yang of confidence/hope vs. doubt. But what usually gets me to keep on going is to remind myself to just be better than I was yesterday. For a long time I was holding myself to the standards of my heroes which usually just creates inauthenticity, bad technique, bad decisions, clutter, and setbacks. Sometimes I'm worse than I was yesterday so I need a little push and that's okay, too! The journey from Past Times to Again was a big balancing lesson of letting things go while learning you can always do more to improve. And it's no surprise; but the newer the album, the more proud and less embarrassed of it I am! 

 NON: You've played bass in Mainsail for roughly a year, maybe a bit more; how did you meet up with them? What spurred you joining?

ML: Yeah since February 2019 I've been in Mainsail. I've been friends with them since 2017 and they really helped me get my show in front of a lot of people in San Diego. When I finally moved out there Nick was really cool about bringing me out to shows and jamming together. They needed a new bass player so I figured I'd offer and it just all escalated really fast. Since finally accepting that it was time to move on from the name Rosedale I've had a lot of luck with being a sort of "yes man". I'm usually very strict with staying on the path to my vision, as it requires a lot of time, but since moving and letting go of the past I've been finding that sometimes letting the wind take you where you're needed can be really beneficial. And a lot of great things are starting to happen for Mainsail so it has been fun. It has also kind of kept a stream of new listeners seeing what Rosedale is all about too so that is a nice bonus. 

 NON: You've performed at the House of Blues in San Diego; how was the experience for you?

ML: It was one of the best moments of my life playing that stage in front of so many great SoCal people, some who have been supporting Rosedale over the years. That has always been one of my favorite venues and since moving to San Diego I've seen a lot of amazing shows there. House of Blues is always great in Boston and Anaheim too. I'm really grateful that they give independent acts like myself not only a chance to play there, but they really give you the same professionalism and respect as they do to the giant national acts, it's pretty remarkable. I really hope they're doing okay during this pandemic and I hope all venues find a way to pull through this. I can't imagine how tough it's getting for some. 

NON: You've toured the U.S. and parts of Canada multiple times; played on a stage at Warped Tour, and toured Europe: What would you say is your most memorable moment?

ML: That is a great but very tough question. Playing in Vienna Austria in 2016 to a bunch of kids that knew my songs is definitely up there. But 2012 Warped Tour was probably the most fun and rewarding summer of my life. It was a grind and very uncomfortable at times, but there were so many epic moments packed into that summer that I look back on in disbelief. The biggest turning point was about two weeks into the tour in Minnesota (I think it was Minnesota...) I got called into the Warped production office and was told to check in with Kevin every morning for any open stage time, given a wristband, and some tasks to help out with in production. I played my DIY one-man-show in the parking lot that same night as kids were leaving the festival (as I would every night) and while I was standing at my merch table selling stuff and taking photos, I noticed that Ryan Dawson (from All Time Low) and Anthony Raneri (from Bayside) were hanging out watching. Once things slowed down they came over and bought 10 CDs each! It was so cool of them to even give me the time of day, let alone buy CDs to (probably) give out to people on the tour. I had a similar experience with Caleb Shomo (from Attack Attack/Beartooth) the year before outside of Cuyahoga Falls Warped tour. I had a drummer and bass player with me at the time and Caleb stood front & center to watch our whole set while kids kept coming up to him for autographs and I could see him pointing at us saying good things to all the kids. After our set he handed me all the cash he had in his pocked and apologized for not having more, I gave him some merch and we chatted for a good 15 minutes about how being an artist is a roller coaster and good things come and go, encouraging me to hang in there. He kept emphasizing how he just considered himself and everyone on the main stages lucky. All of those memories are enough motivation to last a lifetime and they're also reminders to pay it forward.

 NON: Touring as much as you have, there must have been some odd things that have happened. What has been the strangest thing to happen to you while you were on the road?

ML: Lots of strange tour stories for sure. The little ghost girl I caught on camera in the former German concentration camp was pretty crazy. (You can find it in the RosedaleMike Europe Tour Blogs via Tumblr if you don't believe!) It always freaks people out when I show them. And I remember everyone's reaction in the van right after I caught the footage. But the craziest thing that happened to me...there's been so many hard luck slaps in the face, as so many touring bands have also experienced, I'm sure. One time I had this great opportunity to be the opener/direct support for Everlast in Colorado Springs. I had just released self-titled, the tour was going well, and this Everlast show was sold out at Black Sheep (a great venue!) I had a day off so I got to town a day early to be extra prepared. While at the gym I received an email from the venue that Everlast had to postpone due to weather conditions. So now the show was cancelled and I offered to find local bands to fill the night for the venue so that I can still play for my small crowd. I went straight to a library for wi-fi and started plugging away on my laptop, emailing bands asking if they wanna do me a solid and play a last minute show at Black Sheep tomorrow night. I had two confirmed, told the venue, and they announced on the Facebook event page that there will still be a show but Everlast will be rescheduled, and they made me a host so I could update the event as I confirmed new acts. Some kids in Montana saw this and started saying that Rosedale cancelled the Everlast show! It turns out that they just randomly decided to troll me. They were even sending pictures of these little ridiculous hand written notes they made that read something like "I am cancelling the show - Rosedale". They were leaving random comments claiming that they were Everlast and bashing my fans as they tried to help clear the confusion. People were messaging me asking "Why'd you cancel the show?!" I had to explain to them and the venue what was really going on. The venue was in shock watching it all happen too and they said they have never seen anything like that, ever. I went to a local show that same night and convinced a couple of the bands to play Black Sheep tomorrow. All four locals were really awesome and the show ended up turning out to be pretty well attended. Even some people that had Everlast tickets came out and had a great time. The venue was really impressed that I pulled an event together so last minute and I was stoked to have built another great venue relationship. I got in my van and started to drive to my next show in Flagstaff, AZ. As I was climbing a rocky mountain pass, some slick snow started coming down. I was pulling my trailer and sliding pretty bad until eventually I couldn't move anymore and was stuck on the side of the road. As the sun was coming up an emergency truck pulled up and started laying sand down in front of my van so I followed him until my wheels started spinning again and one wheel gripped to the sand while the other spun and blew my transmission and rear differential. I didn't make it to Flagstaff or the next five shows. $4600 repair bill. And the next show back in Encinitas was an afternoon show at a biker bar where I was told after my first set (of three) to pack up and only received one sixth of my guarantee as my fans started showing up for the second set. There ended up being some good intertwined in all of all of that but it was just such a frustrating and confusing week. Sometimes I swear I'm in a movie like The Truman Show. 

 NON: You draw a lot of inspiration from The Used; Blink-182 and Angels and Airwaves: Who else has inspired you along the way?

ML: I definitely have a lot of heroes. Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service, The Ataris, The Starting Line, Metro Station, Dashboard Confessional, Boys Like Girls, The Matches, Underoath, The Almost, Motion City Soundtrack, Red Hot Chili Peppers, All Time Low, The Band Camino, Owl City, Radiohead, John Mayer, Coldplay, Paramore, Yellowcard, Moneen, Boxcar Racer...That's probably 10% of them. I've been to a lot of great concerts and being six foot nine gives me a good view and very memorable experiences. 

 NON: Do you see yourself continuing making music or helping others in music in the future?

ML :Both!

 NON: What song that you've written do you connect with the most?

ML: That's always changing to be honest. Depending on where I'm at, what I'm doing/going through. It's usually the most recent song or idea I've written which doesn't get released for sometimes a year or two after. Of the songs I've release, that would be Sustain. That is the most recent Rosedale song I've written. I wrote it right before we started tracking Self Titled and Again and its kind of about being in both shoes of that Warped Tour situation I just mentioned. People sometimes ask if I'm referring to myself as the Star or the Kid in that song and the answer is both! I'm still that star struck kid who can't wait to ask my favorite artists a thousand questions but I also get a lot of questions from fans who are trying to start their own thing or make their passion their career.

SHOUT OUTS

Mainsail, Palapalooza Podcast, Time & Distance, I Set My Friends on Fire, Alex Baker, Plans, The Home Team, OCML, FXav, Adam Sisco, my parents and family, everyone at Gnarlywood, Abby Lyn Records, Jonny Cooper, my old band mates and everyone who's ever come on tour with me- Thank you all. And all the bands, artists, venues, studios, street performers, restaurants that are trying to make it through this lock down. Hopefully all this is over soon and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Believe things will get better eventually and use this alone time to improve yourself. Keep supporting live music even if you're stuck at home. And if you need help reach out and ask. Let's all stay safe and help one another

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Notes on Hyperview

Hey music fam! Today we’re taking a look at a band called Hyperview!  Hyperview is a 5 member pop/punk/emo/hardcore band from Buffalo, NY. Each member took a little time to answer some questions for us to get to know them and the band a little more. Take a few and see what they had to say!

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NON: How did you all meet? What drew you to start a band?

AJ: I’m AJ and I do a lot of yelling. I was trying to get a band together in Los Angeles and then again in Sacramento. Nothing really stuck so I figured I’d move back to the east coast and landed in Buffalo. I met Courtney and Matt online. They were looking for a guitarist for a new project since their last pop/punk band had some sort of falling out. Couple of changes to the lineup and now I’m on vocals with the additions of Steve and Chuck for guitars. I’ve always wanted to play music since middle school, but I didn’t start teaching myself guitar and singing until about high school.

Courtney: I'm Courtney,  I play the drums. I've played music the majority of my life. I was involved in small projects in high school, and took classes in college that was playing as a band. Then after I graduated I wanted to do it all for real.

Steve: Hey I’m Steve and I play bass. I've been friends with Matt for years and he invited me to play in the band. He's been doing projects for a while and I wanted to be a part of this one.

Chuck:  The band was already established for about a year or so before I joined. Actually, I met the singer through a craigslist ad, and spoke to him on Instagram, and I guess we had common ground of what we wanted musically.

Matt: I’m Matt and I do guitar/backups. We all met through a various series of online forum postings.  Whether they were from other bands or pieces of older bands we all used to be in.  The exception is Steve which I met through high school friends, whom I eventually became roommates with.  We all started bands for different reasons for different times in our lives.  I started a band when I was younger to have a place I could go, express myself, and probably fit in.  It was a long time ago and I don’t really remember exactly why, but I’m sure it had something to do with thinking I was an outcast when I probably wasn’t. 

NON: What drew you to this style of music?

AJ: I went to middle school in Coral Springs, FL and there was this upcoming pop/punk band building a sweet culture around town. It was New Found Glory. Meanwhile, my older sister was showing me bands like Senses Fail, Hawthorne Heights, and Panic! at the Disco.

Courtney: I grew up listening to this style of music my entire life and have always had it ingrained into me.

Steve: I was a big ska and punk kid growing up. As those scenes faded away pop punk started to pick up so that was the natural progression musically. I guess my sharp edges got rounded off over the years and I became more attuned to the melodic side of things.

Chuck:   I’ve been into pop-punk stuff since I was a kid. The first CD I ever bought was New Found Glory’s “sticks and stones” from media play.

Matt: Pop punk was the first style of music I actually connected to.  I mean I had a stack of my old man’s records, a Coolio CD, some Weird Al, and a bunch of mail order albums you’d grab out of your neighbors mailbox. Though none of it hit quite like Blink 182 and NFG in the summer.

NON: What's the story behind the band name?

AJ: I really loved Title Fights album Hyperview and thought it would be a cool name for the band.

Steve: Needed a name, AJ gets name credit

Chuck: I’m assuming it’s derived from a super tight album, that everyone should listen to.

Matt: The band name came from giving up on finding a name that we came up with because every band name was taken already, so we just used an album name one person in the band had listened to.  It was most likely better off we went with a name that isn’t so genre conforming, so you have to listen to the music before you hate it and not just going off the name. NON: What has been your favorite venue to play so far?

AJ: I think my favorite show was at BJs in Fredonia. It was only like our second show and the placed was PACKED out. Those college kids didn’t come for us but they still jumped around with us and sang the words to our cover songs. ‘Twas sick!

Courtney: So far my favorite place we play at is Mr. Goodbar, the turn out is always amazing and we always have such a good time.

Steve: Favorite venue is rec room

Chuck: My personal favorite was Rec Room, here in Buffalo. We’ve had good times at Goodbar and Mohawk place as well.

Matt: Being a small local band, all venues are pretty much the same and rating them of ‘best’ is going to be biased by how good the crowd was.  If we had 12 people going hard in a dumpster canister off Bailey then that would be the best venue we played.  That being said, I loved BJ’s in Fredonia, I only wished we had this incantation of the band coupled with the live experience we’ve gained since. NON: What is your dream venue?

AJ: Don’t really got one, honestly. I think venues are second to the people. I’d rather have twenty raging kids in a basement than five head bobbing peeps at a larger venue.

Courtney: The dream for right now would be to play Town Ballroom, and then it just goes up from there.

Steve: Dream venue is an aircraft carrier. We play while mortal Kombat happens in front of us

Chuck: Honestly, probably the Town Ballroom or Riverworks. It’s always been a dream of mine to play on a big stage right at home.

Matt: Dream actual venue is either Red Rocks or the O2.  I don’t really think about venues like that because when you are facing the reality of music, it’s the moon away.  I just want to be in people’s lives to a point I could have a career in the industry. NON: Who are some of your inspirations?

AJ: The bands I listed earlier are definitely inspirations. It’s hard to narrow down but a handful of my favorites would include: Silverstein, The Story So Far, Balance and Composure, mewithoutYou, letlive. and A Day To Remember

Courtney: As far as playing music and drums, the artists that inspire me most would have to be Dani Abasi, Cyrus Bolooki, and Jake Massucco.

Steve: Less than Jake, Rancid, Blink, Story so far, Four year strong

Chuck: I’m a complete sucker for the 90’s and 2000’s pop-punk and emo bands. New Found Glory, Bayside, Sum 41, Taking Back Sunday etc.

Matt: Inspirations, well there are a lot of people I think are great artists.  Without sounding like I bottle my own farts and age them like a fine wine; I (at this age) am more inspired by the general culture of art in any medium.  Anything that you can feel the creative effort in, even if you don’t understand it or even do it.  I watched this guy rehab old paintings.  That inspired me. I didn’t want to clean an early 20th century fruit study, but you know what I mean. NON: Where do you see yourself/selves in 5 years?

AJ: Hopefully in a city near you touring our butts off!

Courtney: In five years, I would like to have toured and to continue doing tours across the states or if we get lucky in another country.

Steve: On that aircraft carrier baby

Chuck: Hopefully on the road with some super rad bands, playing in really cool venues, for really awesome people.

Matt: 5 to7? Probably washed up as fuck somewhere, but I tried

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In lieu of an interview this month, take a second look at the bands that have had features on here (+the one that inspired this blog).

New Chums

Hello Control

The Timberline

Bluprint

Dustin Phillips

Ready Set Survive

The Keepsake

Fairshake

Mainsail

LIKE MIKE

Leon Budrow

When I Say Jump

City Under Siege

Tavarez

Shane Archer Reed

Only One Weekends

Rose Pools

Rosedale

Notes on Leon Budrow

Leon Budrow is multi-talented. He sings; dances; models, and is a “Magic Mike” performer at Hunk-O-Mania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Today though, we’re taking a look at his musical side. He loves to perform, and genuinely interacts with his fans. If you haven’t heard of Leon, take a few to get to know the musical side; listen to some of his work, then check out his social media platforms. If you are a fan of hip-hop, pop or rap, you will enjoy his music. 

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NON: When did you realize you wanted to get into music?

LB: I knew I wanted to be a singer when I was very young, probably as young as elementary school.  I remember I’d watch artists like Aaron Carter, The Backstreet Boys, even Drake Bell on the show Drake & Josh, and I’d say to myself “I wanna do that, I could do that one day.”  Though I aspired to be involved with music, back then I didn’t have the resources or confidence to go after it, but that said I always knew I would and I’m very blessed to be doing it now.  

NON: You've done some tours, what's been your most memorable experience while traveling?

LB: Hmm, that’s difficult to say because I feel like every single day on the road was like living a movie.  From the good experiences to the bad ones, there was never a boring moment.  Last winter 2019 was probably my most memorable tour thus far, as it was my first experience on the road living that “tour life.”  My friend Dan joined me on this tour so it was really fun to have him along for the ride.  I really just enjoy the overall experience of being on road seeing new cities, new venues, and meeting new fans.

NON: What drew you to this style of music?

LB: I am a very diverse music fan.  I enjoy all types of music, from pop to punk to rap to country.  I’d perform all genres if I could, and I feel my style reflects my vast tastes.  Sometimes I rap, sometimes I sing, sometimes I use trap beats, sometimes I use pop beats, everything is a little different and I’d like to try different styles in the future as well.

NON: What/who inspires you?

LB: From an artist perspective I really admire Justin Bieber and his career as an artist.  From a personal perspective I find inspiration in doing what I love, while inspiring others to do what they love.

NON: Do you get nervous before performing? If so, how do you channel that energy?

LB: Oddly enough I don’t get nervous.  I think my career as a male dance for the Hunk-O-Mania male revue has really influenced my career as a performer in a positive way.  Not only do I brand my dancing lifestyle with my music, but it has given me a positive edge of confidence for performing on stage and in front of crowds.

NON: What is the strangest thing that has happened to you while doing tours?

LB: So during my 2019 winter tour, we had a lot of car troubles including three flat tires and a cracked rim.  Granted it was a lot of driving, but the roads didn’t treat my car very nicely and I had to keep pulling over to swap out my spare tire.  Even the brand new tires I was getting on the road weren’t lasting us.  We spent a lot of time at random garages getting the car fixed up between shows, but luckily we made it through the tour and I picked up a rental car when I passed through my home area on my way to our final show.

NON: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

BUDROW - Right now I’m just trying to survive 2020 lol.  My plans for this year included a new album and a summer tour, both of which are unfortunately on hold now due to current events.  However, I look to achieve both those two goals as soon as things settle down and hopefully in five years I’ll be planning the same things again - another album, another tour, but hopefully with a much bigger platform.  

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Shout outs

He does not have social media, but I’d like to shout out my good friend and promoter, Tom Taylor.  Tom was the first promoter to give me a shot at performing and without his faith in me and the opportunities he provided me I’d not be performing these tours and shows today.  Everybody starts somewhere, and my start came February 2018 when Tom gave me the shot to open for Aaron Carter as a local artist.

 I’d really to thank the Hunk-O-Mania male revue for having me as part of their team.  Hunk-O-Mania is a fantastic male revue company and my experience with them as a performer, host and show manager has really helped me as a musician.  If you have not seen a show yet, visit www.hunk-o-mania.com to book your next bachelorette party, birthday party, or girls night out at a Hunk-O-Mania show near you.  Follow them on Instagram at @hunkomaniausa

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Hey all! A little hiatus again on interviews! No interview for February. I apologize. Been a bit busy with my regular job and per diem dog sitting. But, got something big, fun and emotional (for me) coming in June! I can't wait to get it set and share it. Keep an eye out!

https://youtu.be/-DLOn_SMoD4

Bluprint just released the music video for their cover of Dancing With a Stranger!

Share The Music. Share The Joy.

Hey! I’m Mellyssa, but I go by Mel. Notes on Notes is run by me. I’m from a little town in Northern New York. I’ve been going to local shows for almost 12 years. I started in college and never looked back.

Now, being inspired by a friend to follow and chase my dream,I’m doing it. I’ve wanted to run a blog, featuring local and unsigned bands. Seeing what he went through, and wanting to help him, and other bands. There is so much talent out there that deserves to be recognized. So, take some time, check out some bands and share what you like.

Notes on When I Say Jump

Hey all! We’re taking a look at When I Say Jump. They are an Emo and post-hardcore inspired band from Columbia, SC. Their lyrics are heavy, and full of truth. The music hooks you, and you may find yourself moving your head in time with the bass and drums. 

I’m going to get a little personal in this intro, and say that they are a band I would have had on repeat in high school. I would have listened to them every morning before school. Hearing them brought me back to where I started in finding what I liked, and what spoke to me musically. If you grew up listening to MCR; Fall Out Boy, or Paramore, take a few and check them out. 

Brennan, from the band,  took some time to answer some questions for us. So, take a few and check out When I Say Jump. 

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NON: How did you all meet? What drove you to start the band?

WISJ:  Jordan (drum twin), Jarrod (bass twin), and John (scream queen) are the founding members of the band. They met through working in another project together and they left that project to start their own band, When I Say Jump, because their chemistry was so strong. Brennen (that's me, I play guitar and sing!) came in later as I had been a close online friend with John for a few years and helped the band out in a few little ways over the years.

From there we began our re-branding, writing our new debut album (Separation Anxiety, which is out now everywhere online) and laying the groundwork for the new shape of the band. Lucas (guitarist with the the cool facial hair) came in shortly after the release of that first album by responding to an online ad searching for a second guitarist. I thought he would fit in perfectly so I asked him to come try out and it all worked out.

NON: What's the story behind your name?

WISJ:  When I Say Jump, at the heart of it, is about trusting yourself to find your way on your feet (and your support system if it is available to you) when leaping into the unknown for the betterment of yourself. We strongly believe in mindfulness and continuous growth as people. That's what our music is all about. The most disgusting parts of ourselves that we force ourselves to shed on the journey to becoming healthy and non-toxic individuals.   The band name also represents the friendship we all share. This whole experience as a band requires that we have faith in each other to keep our brainchild chugging along. It refers to trust exercises, such as the trustfall where you let go and fall back into someone's arms when they say jump.

NON: Who are some of your inspirations?

WISJ:  I can go ahead and speak to our inspirations as a whole a little bit but if I get everyone's individual answer this will take years, haha. These are our influences but not all of them are necessarily what I would say we sound like. I would say we are most influenced right now by My Chemical Romance, Underoath, At The Drive-In, Black Sabbath, Slipknot, Modest Mouse, Oliver Tree, Fall Out Boy... It's a little bit of everything because we all have very different tastes.

NON: How would you describe your style to someone who hadn't heard it before?

WISJ:  I would definitely say our music suits fans of My Chemical Romance, Underoath, Every Time I Die, At The Drive-In, From First To Last, Alesana (our new song, King Of Thessaly, was produced by Jamie King who produced some of Alesana's early work!), AFI, and Bring Me The Horizon. It's certainly the bastard child of all of those bands and despite how odd the mix, I hope you'll agree that it all works quite well.

NON: How do you handle nerves/stress before a performance?

WISJ:  Ha! We're still figuring this out. For me, I take a shot. I don't get drunk, mind you. I hate being drunk. But I find a shot loosens me up and effects me less than anxiety medication or anything else. So I take a shot when I get to the venue and before that, while I'm driving there, I slowly warm up my voice via pitch matching exercises for 15 minutes so that I don't embarrass myself by singing out of key and blowing out my voice before the set. In the future I'd like to work in some jumping jacks! Also, definitely play through the hardest songs in the set on guitar a few times.

NON: What is your dream venue?

WISJ:  Any arena! I want to make that fantasy happen some day!

NON: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

WISJ:  We see ourselves operating effectively with an entire crew of skilled people that will help us reach and be invested in our vision. We see ourselves with the best fans around, no matter how big or small our crowds may ever be. We know that the important thing is having QUALITY and SUPPORTIVE fans (LIKE WE DO NOW!) , over quantity. We will continue to foster that relationship with the people that help make our dreams come true. We see that relationship turning this band into a sustainable career for us.

Shout outs

Big shouts out to Jaiden Frost (@mrjaidenfrost) for his directing and film production skills, Matthew Jacques (@anuva95) for being an awesome member of our team and helping us understand the ins and outs of operating a band from a career perspective, Keith Browning for being an excellent graphic artist and the cool mysterious friend, Jamie King for being a hell of a music producer, and Logan Lawson of @grime_photography for taking some kick ass photos of us.

When I Say Jump- King of Thessaly

Hello again! And, I apologize.

Hey all! I'm sorry for the lack of interviews. I've been on a hiatus while looking for/listening to other new bands, as well as busy this holiday season. The new year will hold more! I hope you are all having a good holiday and wishing you all the best in the new year!

Hello

Hello all! I want to apologize in advance. Hockey season has started so there may be even more time in between features. I take and edit photos for a local college team. Please bear with me, and I promise there will be more features.