Meet The Artist: Allison Weiss

Following the recent release of her album New Love, singer/songwriter Allison Weiss embarks on a UK tour taking in Bristol's Louisiana  on February 22.

Originally from a small town in Georgia, Weiss knew early on that her relationship with pop music wasn’t a casual one. Whether she pressed her ear to the wall of her older brother’s bedroom to hear the latest Green Day song or played the radio while she was asleep so she could soak in the melodies through osmosis, the attraction was immediate and undeniable.

After high school, Weiss studied art at University of Georgia in Athens, but she soon started learning more about music by performing at local coffee shops than sitting in stuffy lecture halls. The plucky teen started developing a pretty impressive local following, playing larger and larger venues, until she ultimately decided to evolve her passion into a full-time profession.  Andy Howells recently put questions to Allison.

When & why did you know you wanted to be a musician & how did you get your break/get signed?
I’ve been writing and performing since I was 17, so about 11 years now. I don’t know that I ever “got my break”, but after many years of touring and practicing and working in the industry, I was signed to No Sleep Records in 2012. They put out my last album, and then I signed with Side One Dummy, my current label.

How would you describe your music?
Musically it’s very fun and upbeat, I write pop songs. They’re catchy and very melodic. Lyrically it’s about those depressing moments in relationships and life that we all deal with. So there’s a bit of a juxtaposition there, but I don’t mind it. I like fun music and sad songs, so I put them together.

Who are your musical inspirations?
I grew up listening to a lot of Tom Petty, Beatles, etc. because of my parents. In high school I got into pop punk which led me to the DIY punk scene. In college I fell in love with Rilo Kiley, Death Cab, Tegan & Sara, and so many more. I’m constantly inspired by all the new music coming out, and the old stuff I haven’t gotten around to listening to yet.

Can you tell us about your most recent album?
New Love is my favorite record I’ve made. I worked with Brad Hale and Forrest Kline, two incredible producers. We made it last summer in Long Beach, CA, and I think you can feel that in the recordings. It’s got a very laid-back poppy vibe, but it’s still cinematic at times.

What’s been your live show highlight so far?
I just headlined in the U.S. and those shows were some of the most fun to date. There were the big ones, of course, like New York. Those were amazing. But the stand-out show for me was a Halloween set in Columbus Ohio. My band and I all dressed up as Luigis (as in Mario’s sidekick), and the other bands on the tour dressed up too. It was a low stage, almost on the floor, so we were right in the crowd’s faces. Everyone was packed in and it was sweaty and energetic and exciting.

What can we expect from your forthcoming Bristol gig?
I hope to bring that full-band experience over to the UK! I’ve only ever played Bristol solo and I think it’s about time you all heard me the way the records sound.

What else can we expect from you in 2016?
More touring, more videos, more fun. I’ve always got something up my sleeve.

• Alison Weiss plays Bristol's Louisiana on February 22
• A version of this Q&A by Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment section The Guide on February 19, 2016.

Meet The Band: The Amazons

Junk Food Forever is the new single from Reading-based quartet The Amazons.

Finding themselves amongst a furor of industry-interest, The Amazons have been causing a stir whilst keeping their cards close to their chest. Something In The Water – the only track available online until now – attracted widespread interest in the band, and has left newly established fans and industry-ears with a fervent desire for more.

Ploughing into 2015 with unwavering momentum from an exciting end to last year, The Amazons have had a diary filled with live dates. Kicking off the year by supporting The Kooks throughout Germany, the band headed back to home shores with shows booked in nationwide.

Andy Howells puts questions to Matt from the band

How did the band form?
We just came together over a couple of years of thrashing it out in separate bands. Me, Chris and Elliot were in a band looking for a new drummer. We went through around 8 drummers before we found Josef, who was pretending to be a bassist in another band at the time.

Who or what has inspired you most on your musical journey?
Wouldn't be able to put a finger on one band or event. It's more like a series of events and bands that kind of form your taste over time really. Off the top of my head hearing bands like Arcade Fire, Bombay Bicycle Club and older bands that we introduced to first like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd changed things for us. I think your musical journey and life journey are very connected so events like break-ups, landmark gigs and even deaths all contribute to what we're doing now.

Can you give us some background about your new EP?
The EP is half a round-up of the songs we've released since the beginning of the band and half where we're going next. The two newer songs are produced and mixed by the amazing Catherine Marks who we came in to contact first when she mixed Junk Food Forever which is also on the EP, as well as Something in the Water which is the first song we released.

You’re touring shortly are you looking forward to that?
The feeling is a mixture of uncontainable excitement and crippling terror. The level of pressure between a headline tour and a support one is huge but we're really looking forward to stretching our legs and getting some game time around this pleasant green land in which we inhabit. I have been informed that tickets are selling in every city which is very exciting too.

What can people expect from your forthcoming Bristol gig?
A lot of hair, a ton of sweat and a bit of blood (sometimes). Tears are always on the cards but haven't happened yet. It's loud and heavy but I think the songs always cut through.

What are you enjoying listening to at the moment?
The new Tame Impala album 'Currents' seems to be currently on repeat in the Amazons camp for sure. Me and Joe love the new Florence and The Machine and new Gengahr record too.

The Amazons play Bristol Louisiana on October 15.

• A version of this Q&A by Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide during October 2015.

Meet The Band: Purple

Texan trio Purple make a welcome return to these shores for a run of shows including Bristol Louisiana on March 29 alongside Demob Happy.

Having cemented their live reputation on their inaugural visit late last year, the band follow a series of European dates with their first UK shows of 2015 in support of forthcoming single DMT.

Bookended by recent single, album opener Wallflower, and new single DMT, the band’s debut longplayer (409) picked up plenty of thumbs up on it’s release last year, not least a 5K review in Kerrang and plenty of plus points in lieu of their incendiary live shows.

DMT, a live favourite features vocalist / drummer Hanna Brewer full throttle ahead blitzing through all six minutes of riotous wig out aided and abetted in no small part by fellow thrill seekers, bassist Joe ‘Prankster’ and guitarist Taylor Busby.

Andy Howells recently put questions to Hanna...

Who are you and how did you come together?
We are Purple and we ended up together cuz I (Hanna) saw Taylor's reggae band play an' thought he was a really bad ass singer and asked him to jam with me. I messaged him on myspace and he ended up coming to my jam room and we just wrote and recorded material and then later we got a bass player!

Where are you from?
We are from Beaumont Texas, Baybeh!

How would you describe your music style?
I would describe it as punk and wild. But we can still get down to earth and real.

What’s been your best live experience?
When we played a sold out show in Berlin with The Subways and Kill it Kid!! 1800 cap! We killed that show and sold some damn merch!!

What are you working on at the moment?
We are on tour with The Subways and Dune Rats!! And also writing new tunes for our second album. I'm so freakin' stoked about these new songs. I think it's better than the first album.

Where can we see you live?
Welp... We have been playing a lot in the UK and Europe!! You can catch us at Bristol Louisiana on March 29.

Where can people hear your music?
Purpletexasmusic.com, YouTube.com/purpletexasmusic and we are also on Vimeo and Spotify!!

• A version of this Q&A by Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on March 20, 2015.

Meet The Band: Demob Happy

Brighton’s finest new purveyors of raucous, off-kilter garage rock, Demob Happy follow their triumphant 2014 debut single Succubus with powerful new cut, Young & Numb, due for release later this year via the bands own Milk Parlour records.

Fusing their natural affinity to relentless chord-thrashing with a fondness for melodic undertone and bold dynamic shifts, Young & Numb comes laced with feedback and fuzz. Lyrically, meanwhile, the track is less the nihilistic stoner manifesto that its namesake could allude to, and more a vicious rumination on the dazed efforts made to drag knowledge and meaning from the bedlam of youth.

A headline tour through last October saw Demob Happy leave the UK’s small venues broken and beaten, when, upon their return, The Guardian’s Single Of The Week heralded their debut single, Succubus as “a joyride through rock's sleazier back alleys”. Their live show is heralded as a whirlwind of energy and chaos, always handsomely toeing the line between dexterity and disarray.

Catch the four-piece on tour through March and April 2015, which also marks their first venture into Europe before they descend upon the UK.

How did you come together?
We're just four best friends who enjoy mutually coming together in small rooms over guitars and drums, and on the road over people who've paid to see us.

Where are you from?
We live in Brighton, but were from Newcastle, and Wales is our favourite place to write music. Carmarthen has good water and good milk.

How would you describe your music style?
Its really a simple winning formula, just super catchy up-beat pop rock that mums and sisters alike can enjoy.

What’s been your best live experience?
Our best gig by a long shot was performing at Alan Shearer's annual summer fete to raise funds for keen, yet under-privileged inner-city telemarketers at the Newcastle metro arena.

Where can people hear your music?
People can hear our music by stealing their Grandma's 3.6 GHZ Macbook pro and typing into the internet address bar - www.soundcloud.com/demob-happy

Where can we see you live?
We're about to set off on a world tour of the UK and Europe. the closest gig to South Wales being at the Louisiana, Bristol on March 29th. Thanks for having us!

• A version of this Q&A by Andy Howells was published in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on March 13, 2015
• Demob Happy Official Website

Meet The Band: The Dunwells

The Dunwells are currently undertaking a UK tour which sees the band perform at Bristol's Louisiana this week before finishing up in their hometown of Leeds on 28th Feb with a gig at The Wardrobe.

The four-piece, made up of brothers Joseph and David Dunwell and friends Robert Clayton and Adam Taylor, released the Show Me Emotion EP in September last year. Produced by Steve Harris (Kodaline, Kaiser Chiefs) the EP features an incredibly emotional set of songs, with heartfelt lyrics and four part harmonies to melt even the hardest of hearts.

They were drawn together by their shared love of bands like Bon Iver, Elbow and Damien Rice and they've been making music together since they first met in school.  With one album under their belt and several rounds of successful touring in the US and UK, the current tour coincides with a brand new single. Andy Howells recently caught up with Joseph Dunwell from the band:

Who are you and how did you come together?
We are The Dunwells, we have been a band since 2009, Dave And I are brother's, Rob and Dave were best friends at school, me and Adam went to music college together in Leeds and have been friends ever since.

Where are you from?
We all come from Leeds apart from Adam who is from Doncaster.

How would you describe your music style?
I would describe our music as Up beat, melodic, rock.

What’s been your best live experience?
There have been so many, we feel so lucky to be doing what we do as a Job, it's incredible. Playing Red Rocks in Colorado has to be up there. We also got to play our First Arena support show in the UK this year. We played our home town Leeds. It was Nuts.

You have a new single and album coming soon can you tell us more about that?
Yeah the album should be out later this year, but we are having fun releasing little EP's and bundles of music. Last year we had the Show Me Emotion EP that got such a great response and really soon we will be releasing another EP called. Lucky Ones which is also our next single. Lucky Ones has been a song that we have been working on for nearly a year to get it exactly the way we want, I really think we have done exactly that. We can't wait for you to hear it! It's a song to give hope to others, to look at the now and to realise and appreciate what we have.

Are you enjoying the tour?
Like you wouldn't believe, it's why we do this Job. Standing on stage playing your own songs. That always been the dream, now we are in it, now we are living it. We finish the tour with a show in Leeds to a home crowd.

What can people expect from your forthcoming Bristol gig?
Lots and lots of new material, including our new single Lucky Ones. We have been working really hard in creating the sound and working on the live shows, Its a sound we are now proud to say is "The Dunwells" We just want the shows to be full of energy and for people to enjoy themselves. We spent the last few weeks in rehearsals working on the set.

Will you be coming to Wales sometime in the future?
We have played once in Wales when we first started out, it was in Cardiff I remember the place being so beautiful we would definitely love to come back. Hopefully we can make it happen on the next tour.

Where can people hear your music?
You can listen to all of our material on Spotify and it's available to buy on iTunes and Amazon,
We also sell our music at our shows. You can Follow us on @thedunwells for more info or find us on Snapchat The Dunwells

• Catch The Dunwells at The Louisiana in Bristol on February 21.
• A version of this Q&A by Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on February 20, 2015.
• The Dunwells Official Website