UCR Interview- Stephen Beerkens of The Faim

Interview By: Kevin Rolfe

Photo By: Mac Praed

The Faim is an emerging pop-rock group from Australia who got their start with renowned producer John Feldmann (blink-182, Good Charlotte), who was so impressed with their early demos that he invited them out to LA to record with him. There they enlisted the help of several notable co-writers.  Since their launch last February, The Faim have been on the rise, to say the least. They released their critically acclaimed debut EP, toured exhaustively worldwide, supporting PVRIS, Against The Current, and Sleeping With Sirens, and played festival staples including Reading & Leeds, Slam Dunk, and more. The guys also recently collaborated with Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low and wrapped their first ever headline tour of Australia and Europe, with the majority of shows completely selling out.

The Faim will be supporting Andy Black of Black Veil Brides on Tuesday, April 16 at The Depot.  I had the opportunity to speak with Stephen Beerkens, Bassist and Keyboardist for the band.  I really enjoyed our conversation. Enjoy!

Utah Concert Review: Hi Stephen.  We’re excited to have you come play Utah.  Have you toured the States before?

Stephen Beerkens: We have.  We were lucky enough to tour with another Aussie band called Hands Like Houses in November and December of last year which was epic.  It was our very first US tour so, yeah, it was awesome touring with a great group. Not only a great band but a great group of people as well.

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UCR Interview- Noah Kahan

Interview by: Kevin Rolfe

Photo By: Josh Goleman

Noah Kahan, a very talented singer-songwriter on the rise, is making his return to Utah this weekend when he supports James Bay on March 23 at The Union. This show comes on the heels of a sold-out show at The State Room. With a new album on the way and a successful lead single just released, Noah is an artist to keep an eye on. I enjoyed talking with Noah about the new album, choosing songs for that album, and what it’s like to headline versus open for someone. He was as interesting and insightful as always. Enjoy!

Noah Kahan: Hey Kevin, good to hear from you again.

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UCR Interview- Roadie

Roadie will be performing on night 2 (February 22) at this year’s Les Femmes De Velour.  We caught up with lead singer and guitarist Aubree Liz leading up to the show. Enjoy!

Utah Concert Review: What is your story with music? How did you get started?  What made you decide you wanted to perform and write music?

Aubree Liz: I was actually a really late bloomer when it came to becoming a musician and songwriter. I’d been very heavily interested in music my whole life, but it wasn’t until I saw one of my first live shows just after graduating high school that it really sucked me in. I’ve been hooked on creating and performing music ever since. There is something incredibly powerful about being a musician that allows you the opportunity to connect with a whole room of people individually at once. And as soon as you get a taste of that, it’s hard to go back. It’s definitely hard work, takes a crazy amount of dedication, and just sheer blind faith that what you’re doing will ever lead to anything or connect to anyone, but that’s all art. And it’s worth it.

UCR: How did you get connected with Les Femmes De Velour?

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UCR Interview- Party Nails

Interview By: Kevin Rolfe

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?  

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