Belle Jewel will be playing at Les Femmes De Velour on Thursday evening February 21 at Velour Live Music Gallery in Provo. I was able to catch up with Belle leading up to the show. She has an incredible voice, and it will be really exciting to see her at this event. Here’s our conversation. Enjoy!
UCR: First of all thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. I just really love this event and I really enjoy your music. You have a beautiful voice so I’m happy to be speaking with you.
UCR: First of all thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. I just really love this event and I really enjoy your music. You have a beautiful voice so I’m happy to be speaking with you.
Belle Jewel: Thank You. I Really appreciate it. I really love Les Femmes too! It’s so fun man.
UCR: So how did you get connected with Les Femmes?
Los Angeles based artist Party Nails’ debut album, Past Lives and Paychecks was released in 2018. Her most recent single entitled ‘I Go To You’ is a stunning and intimate love song, featuring relatable honest lyricism, raw acoustic guitar and layered soft vocals which ride gently atop the organic instrumentation. Her previous single ‘So Broke’ features the singer’s distinct sound of glittery synth-pop and went viral on Spotify.
We caught up with Party Nails when she was here in Utah supporting Eve 6 on their 20th anniversary tour. She had some wonderful insight on someone who is getting their opportunity to do what they love. Enjoy!
Utah Concert Review: So are you originally from Los Angeles?
Party Nails: I’m from New York. Like 40 minutes south of Albany. So not too far north but definitely really rural and small.
Utah Concert Review: Did music bring you to L.A.?
Party Nails: Yeah. I lived in New York City for like four years before I moved to L.A. I just had this thought that I should probably move to L.A. so I did. But that’s the short version of the story.
Utah Concert Review: So what happened where you started to feel like things were happening for you with music?
David Archuleta brings his Christmas Tour to the UCCU Center in Orem, Utah on Monday, December 10. We recently caught up with David and discussed his new Christmas album, what pressures might come from performing in Utah so often, and what are some of his favorite venues here in Utah. Enjoy!
Utah Concert Review: You recently released your new Christmas album Winter in the Air and your single “Christmas Every Day” is getting a lot of airplay here in Utah, so congratulations on that. How did you decide to release a new Christmas album?
David Archuleta: From the moment I released my first Christmas Album I’ve wanted to release another one. When we were finishing up Christmas From the Heart about ten years ago and I was like, “I’m going to have to do another one.”. You can’t fit all the great Christmas songs on one album. I love Christmas, it’s my favorite. They’re my favorite tours to do, so I just knew that I had to do another Christmas album. It was just a matter of when. But then I saw that Pentatonix released three in a row so I thought, “You know I guess I can release another one almost nine years later.”. Continue reading “UCR Interview- David Archuleta”
Thirty-four years ago today, the song “Do They Know It’s Christmas” by Band Aid was released. Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof saw a report on the BBC about the famine in Africa and desperately wanted to help. He recruited Ultravox frontman, Midge Ure, to write a song with him in the hopes of raising $100,000 for famine relief. They wrote the song in a few days, and then they took to their individual assignments in getting this project off the ground.
Midge locked himself in the studio, recording, arranging, and producing the track so that it would be ready when the time came to add vocals. That was Geldof’s job. Bob Geldof went on a mission to form a one-off supergroup by recruiting some of the biggest voices in British music of the day. He didn’t go through managers or publicists. He went straight to the artists themselves. He recruited the likes of Bono of U2, Boy George of Culture Club, Simon Lebon of Duran Duran, Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet, and George Michael of Wham. These vocalists along with many others agreed to show up and record this song over a 24 hour period. The song was recorded and released the very next day. It was the fastest selling single in UK chart history selling 1 million copies in the first week and has sold almost 4 million copies in the UK to date and about 13 million worldwide. The song did not raise $100,000 dollars. However, within a year of its release, the song had raised $8 million. The success of the song drove Geldof and Ure to put together one of the greatest concert festivals of all time, Live Aid.Continue reading “UCR mini-Interview: Midge Ure on “Do They Know it’s Christmas””
Justin Hambly performing at the Angelus Theater. Photo by: Kevin Rolfe
Note from the interviewer:
Justin is a singer songwriter from Aptos, California. He has been performing in bands for years, but it’s only within the last decade that he’s taken to writing/ recording his own music and performing solo shows or with his band The Heavy Hand along the west coast. I’ve known Justin for over twenty years. These are questions and stories that I have wondered about and am now so happy to have answers to. I hope you enjoy reading this interview as much as I had conducting it!
Utah Concert Review: As long as I’ve known you, you’ve been involved with music, whether it be with your former band Moz Eizley, or your current band The Heavy Hand and of course your solo work as well. I guess I’ve never known where you got started with music. I know your dad plays a little guitar and is in a band right now. Is that how you got your start?
If you were to write a screenplay using only actual events from the life of Mike Peters, a Hollywood exec would turn it down and say that it was too unbelievable. The man has had an amazing career with his band The Alarm, fought through the challenges of an aging band in a youth driven music industry, and most importantly, overcome cancer three times. Mike has co-founded the Love Hope Strength Foundation, the worlds leading rock and roll cancer foundation. They host bone marrow screening drives at concerts across the world hoping to “Save Lives, once concert at a time!”.
Along with Jules, his wife/ bandmate and fellow cancer survivor, Mike joins forces with Robin Wilson of Gin Blossoms, and Billy Duffy of The Cult to climb to some of the highest peaks in the world to perform the world’s highest concerts on land. They are now taking their treks to the great canyons of the world. This past week they took part in Love Hope Strength Foundation’s Rock The Canyons fundraising event where they hiked through Sedona’s Red Rock State Park, along the famous Bright Angel Trail and the South Kaibab Trail then continuing to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park. I was able to catch up with Mike just after this event. We speak about his adventure in Southern Utah, and he shares many career spanning stories. Enjoy!
Noah Kahan is an up and coming singer songwriter. He actually might be past the “up and coming stage” since his show here in Utah is a sellout. I had the chance to speak with Noah leading up to his show at The State Room. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed speaking with Noah.
UCR: Where are you currently?
Noah Kahan: Today we are out in Canada in Toronto.
UCR: Nice! How’s the tour going so far?
NK: It’s been amazing. Not really like any other tour I’ve done since I’m headlining the states and a lot of the shows have been sold out. It’s been super surreal and really really rewarding.
UCR: I bet! The show here in Salt Lake City, at The State Room, is sold out. Now, I’ll never know what that feels like. Many people reading this interview will never know what it feels like to have a sold out show. It’s something I’d say most music fans can only fantasize about, but you’re actually having that experience. What does it feel like?
Arizona-born, multi-cultural singer, songwriter, producer, and actress Kiana Ledéreleased her much-anticipated, soulful debut EP, Selfless, this past summer. You may have seen her on MTV’s Scream or All About the Washingtons on Netflix. Now you can see her supporting Jessie J. tonight (October 8) at The Depot in downtown Salt Lake City. I had the enjoyable opportunity to chat with Kiana leading up to the show. Here’s our conversation. Enjoy!
Utah Concert Review: How’s the tour going so far?
Kiana Lidé: Oh it’s amazing! It’s so much fun! Everyone on the tour has been amazing. And we’re traveling every day. Getting to see the world. It’s great!
Jim Avett is performing at the Velour Music Gallery in Provo, Utah on Wednesday, September 19. Jim’s last name might ring a bell. He’s the father of Seth and Scott Avett, better known as The Avett Brothers. I had reached out to Jim’s management to request an interview and I received an email and phone call from Jim himself the following morning. That isn’t common with artists, but as I soon learned, Jim operates on a very personal level. We played a bit of phone tag, and I we finally connected on Mr. Avett’s return call. I answered with “Hello, this is Kevin.”. He responded, “Well get over yourself”. His southern wit and North Carolina accent were thick and I immediately knew this was going to be a really enjoyable conversation. And it sure was. Jim told me that he’s been told he’s the easiest person to interview ever because he does all the talking. And he’s right. But I had no desire to interrupt anything he was saying. He answered my questions eventually, but in the process shared wonderful stories of life, music, and love. You’ll see that this interview starts with him talking. I pretty much thanked him for taking the time, and he was off and running. I loved every minute of it! Hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Jim Avett!
Collective Soul has joined up with 3 Doors Down on the “Rock & Roll Express Tour”, which makes its stop here in Utah on September 12, at the Days of ’47 Arena. Which is on the Utah State Fairgrounds. I had the opportunity to visit with Will Turpin about Collective Soul’s upcoming show here in Utah. We also discussed his solo album Serengeti Drivers, U2, and Paul McCartney. Enjoy!
Utah Concert Review: Hi Will! I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me today. Collective Soul and 3 Doors Down seem like a great pairing of bands for a tour. What are some things bands can expect from this show?
Will Turpin: Nice to speak with you today. People are going to hear the songs that they know. Some of this songs have become big hits. So they’ve kind of become the soundtrack to people’s lives in a way. You’re going to get to see two different bands. So you’re going to see the different styles between us. I can really only speak to Collective Soul. We have this thing, even 24 years later where we throw a lot of energy out there. It’s a tangible back and forth thing where the crowd gives us energy as well. People can expect some great rock songs, and hopefully some great rock performances.
UCR: I think that’s something comes across on your live album. You’ve been around for almost 25 years and this live album is a new release. Sometimes I’ll hear a live album and I’ll think, ‘maybe I won’t go see them live.’, but with your album, it made me more excited to see the show in person.
WT: If we didn’t think that was still there, I don’t know how often we’d want to play live. There’s definitely still something there where you can feel it. There’s a little magic there. We definitely have the energy.
UCR: Do you still get that anxiety before you take the stage, or have you done it so much that you’re just excited to be out there, but the nervousness has gone?
WT: There are instances of performing live where I’ll get a little anxiety. Like performing on live TV you get a little anxiety. But when you’re on stage where you have fans there that have paid to come see you, you know they want to see us play, there’s really no nerves necessarily. It’s really more of a ‘let’s go get it, let’s have fun’.
UCR: If memory serves, Collective Soul has been to Utah for three summers in a row now. And from what I’ve heard all the shows have been well received. Is there something about Utah and your fans here that keep you coming back so often?
WT: We definitely love the crowds there in Utah. It’s always been a strong market for us. I’ve got to say we’ve been lucky. We don’t necessarily have a weak market, but Utah has always been a very special place for us. I don’t know, it seems like the crowds there are always extra special. Like I said before, it’s a two-way street. I feel like we’re bringing it too, but we’ve always had great shows in Utah. That’s definitely something that’s real with us and that we recognize.
Photo By: Joseph Guay
UCR: You recently released a solo album. It looks like you recorded with about 15 different musicians, some of which have spent time in Collective Soul in the past. What are some of the benefits of recording a solo album as opposed to an album with the band?
WT: First off I sit down and I start these songs with just me. The inspiration starts from a different spot than a Collective Soul album. With Collective Soul, it’s a rock band and I’m playing bass. The benefit of doing a solo album, you get to create and find yourself, and find your creative side outside of the setting that Collective Soul is, and it’s not that Collective Soul has ever been stifling in any way. But as a band, we think it’s good for us to explore our art and whatever we’re feeling outside of Collective Soul. It’s not like with Collective Soul we’ve kept ourselves in a box. We cross a number of genres. It re-energizes you to be able to go create and finish these songs outside of the Collective Soul umbrella. And in my mind, you might be able to hear some relevance to Collective Soul in a couple songs, but I don’t think they’re Collective Soul songs. And it’s not like I want them to be. Like I said, it’s just a good thing to be able to go create outside of Collective Soul. It just makes us stronger when we get back together. We’re like “Woah Dude, we still have some magic when we’re together.”. You can feel it, man, when we create together I still have those hairs that stand up on my skin. It’s a beautiful thing.
Photo By: Joseph Guay
UCR: We touched on this a little, but next year Collective Soul will be celebrating 25 years as a band. You have the benefit of playing a setlist that is filled with songs that have charted and some that have even reached #1. I’m sure that took a lot of work. I’m curious with a band like yours, that has achieved so much success, what part of your career do you enjoy the most? Is it the excitement of when you’re in the middle of making all of that happen? Or is it now where you have more control over your career, your touring, and I’m guessing your money? What is better, the peak or the climb?
WT: They are very different. With us during the climb, during the beginning up until 2001 when we were with Atlantic Records, we were so busy and so focused on what we were going to do next, just so focused on taking steps forward to get to where we are now, it was hard to enjoy what was happening. I mean, we were enjoying the moment, but we wanted to be that band that had a real catalog. We wanted to be that band that had more than one hit. So we were always going forward, forward, forward. So yeah, now there are different benefits being successful 24 years later. We get to pick our schedule a little more, and we have a lot of fun. Me and Dean (Roland, rhythm guitar) grew up together so there’s a genuine friendship and a genuine love there. We don’t take it for granted, and we’re really appreciative. We appreciate the fans. We thank the fans every night, and we really mean it. So yeah, it’s great to be in this spot all these years later. I think I’d have to say I like this spot better.
UCR: Do you remember the first concert you ever attended?
WT: I think the first concert I had ever gone to was U2 Joshua Tree tour. My dad was a musician so he played some big festivals here and there, but my first real concert I went to was that tour.
UCR: Did you happen to go to the Joshua Tree 30th anniversary tour?
WT: No, Dean and Ed (Roland, lead vocalist) got to go. I saw some video of it though. Those guys, they just can’t do any wrong. It’s just so amazing man.
UCR: They really can’t. I mean how after all these years can U2 still be thinking of all these new and innovative ways to do a concert? It’s nuts!
WT: How? Seriously, How? And it’s still as amazing as ever! It’s original, but still themselves. And still just four guys on stage.
UCR: Do you remember the first time you performed live?
WT: It would have to have been in a talent show in like third grade. I put Ace Frehley makeup on and I played drums to Steve Martin’s “King Tut”. It was a comedy record I liked in third grade for some reason in third grade. I had KISS’ guitarist makeup on, and I was playing drums.
UCR: That’s quite the combining of worlds there.
WT: Yeah! (laughing) I combined them all together. I don’t know why or what I was doing.
UCR: Do you have a show you’ve attended that you thought “This is the best concert I’ve ever seen.”?
WT: Paul McCartney is clearly my main inspiration and main idol. I got to see him live 4 or 5 years ago and I can’t really mess with that. Whenever he’s singing and playing that’s pretty much the best for me.
UCR: I saw him here in Utah around the same time and it’s almost like a religious experience.
WT: Oh, it was definitely a religious experience for me. I didn’t realize how emotional I’d be. Just walking him on stage, I got very emotional. And I’m a professional! This is what I do, and I got, woah, I was like a kid fan again. It was weird.
UCR: I love hearing that. That’s exactly how I was. For me when he walked out it was this weird feeling of “That’s really him!”. And then he brings out his iconic Hofner Bass…
WT: Oh Man, I mean, I was happy, but I was tearing up! I was 43 years old and I was like “What the hell is going on here?”.
UCR: Last question. You’ve played so many shows that it might be impossible to pin down just one. So I’ll ask, what was your favorite tour you’ve been on?
WT: The best tour was the ‘95 tour with Van Halen. It was Sammy Hagar’s last record with the band. They just treated us like little brothers. I was 24 years old on that tour. The fact that Sammy Hagar, and Michael Anthony, and Eddie Van Halen are still friends of ours, it just means the world to me. So that’s what I’ll always reference as my favorite tour. And as far as shows, I’d say both Woodstock’s ‘94 and ‘99.
UCR: That must have been nuts. Just an ocean of people out there.
WT: It really was. You could not see the end of humanity. You just couldn’t see it. Especially the first one. They estimated around 400,000 people out there.
UCR: What a sight that must have been. Thanks again for taking the time. It was a pleasure!
WT: Cheers man! We’ll talk again later buddy!
Collective Soul will be here in Utah with 3 Doors Down on September 12. Tickets are still available. Click here for tickets!
Also, check out Will’s solo album Serengeti Drivers. Available wherever you get your music!
