Saint's 7 with Desperate Endeavour

17-year-old Katie Marie has always had the passion of music living and breathing deep inside her. In the summer of 2009, she decided it was time to enter a Desperate Endeavour and make her dreams a reality. Don't let her outer exterior fool you, this petite Fayetteville North Carolinian packs a mighty powerful voice. (They always said good things come in small packages.)

The dictionary definition of “Desperate Endeavour” roughly means a dangerously reckless attempt to achieve a goal. What exactly does Desperate Endeavour mean to you? How does it relate to your music career?

To me, a Desperate Endeavour is not necessarily a dangerous and reckless attempt to achieve something, but more so the journey that you find yourself on to get where you want to be.. And how willing you are to let that journey carry you where it needs to. I think a “Desperate” Endeavour is how far you are willing to push yourself, and how much you will do to reach your destination. As time goes on the more meaningful the name proves to be, especially in terms of the Endeavour I find myself on a daily basis, both with music and personal matters as well.

On your Myspace page, you emphasize the fact that you’re fairly new to music and did not start to consider pursuing your dreams until this past summer. Who or what influenced you to make that jump into pursuing what you loved? What were you doing before Desperate Endeavour?

That’s a good question! My whole life I’ve known I wanted to surround myself with music, whether it was performing or working in the business aspect of the industry, it was what I wanted to be doing. On October 2008, I went to my first concert. After that I fell even more in love with music and realized how much I NEEDED to be doing it. It wasn’t even a want any more. From there Myspace.com kind of took the wheel to be honest. (laugh out loud), I started getting more and more friend requests from all of these great unsigned artists that nobody had ever heard of. This made me realize how much undiscovered talent existed, and how much I wanted to help all of these musicians get where they needed to be. This was when I started Savage Promotions, which is a myspace account where I promote unsigned bands (found on my top friends). Over time I became close friends with more and more artists and bands who initially gave me hope that I could actually do what I wanted, to perform. I kept that dream inside of me until the summer of 2009, when I finally asked my mom if I could start taking guitar lessons. I was fortunate enough to be able to work with Baxter Clement, who immediately threw me into the industry and had me writing songs in less than a week and playing shows in two.

Your Myspace also says you played your first show two weeks into learning how to play the guitar. Many artists always talk about how nervous or excited they felt the first time they got on stage. How did you muster enough confidence in yourself to play a show so quickly and what went through your head/what feelings came into play as you performed for the first time?

Ohhhhh Gosh… (laugh out loud) I will never forget when Baxter told me I was going to be playing my first show. I had JUST started playing guitar and I was soooo new to everything, I was terrified! Haha.. I had never played for anyone, I always refused to sing for anybody and I had terrrrrrible stage fright prior to him telling me this. Luckily I had some pretty great friends who dragged me out to places like our local pool and parties with my guitar and made me sing for people there, to get used to playing for a crowd. Then the more I thought about it the more ridiculous being scared seemed to me, if my goal was to be playing music for people all over the world, then I’d have to just suck it up and have fun with it haha. Which I did, when I first got on stage I think I remember rapping into the microphone to start off my show? (laugh out loud).. I was there to have fun and to make sure other people did too, so walking up on stage was not nerve racking at all for me. After that first show, I could not have been more excited to jumpstart my career!

So you’re currently working on an upcoming EP. How’s that going? Have you picked out a name for it, how many songs do you expect to have on it, and do you have a release date in mind yet?

I know I’m gonna have around 7 or 8 songs on the EP.. But as far as the release date and the name of it go. That’ll just be a surprise to both of us!! Hahaha =)

Have you ever heard of the show Diva Duets? (If you haven’t it’s an annual show put on by VH1 to raise money for Save The Music that has considerably young up and coming female “divas” (this year it was Miley Cyrus, Kelly Clarkson, Adele, etc.) perform collaborations with bigger established artists such as Celine Dion, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder etc. If you were given the opportunity to be able to sing a collaboration with any big name artist who would it be and what song would you choose to sing with them?

This is such a good freakin’ question!! Haha, good job! Umm… I think if there was an epiphany and something happened wrong in the universe to where I was lucky enough to be given that change, my choice would be Ordinary People with John Legend.

What are your ultimate goals for the future of Desperate Endeavour?

I feel like any artist that you ask would give you the same answer: “to have my music heard.” And while that is definitely something I want to achieve, I think I want more than anything to give hope to all people that they can follow their dreams too, and that NOTHING can stop them if they want it bad enough. I want to be able to wake up every morning knowing I get to spend another day playing music. My ultimate goal is to become somebody people can look up to. I want to surprise my listeners, and gain new ones everyday. But more importantly, I guess I just want to be able to spend my life doing the one thing that has never failed me, music.

Any last words you’d like to leave the readers with?

HELP ME OUT!! I can’t do this without any of you reading this right now!! As an artist, I need listeners.. So please put my banner or songs on your page, tell your friends about me, listen to my songs, anything that you can think of helps! And I love you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for giving me this chance! :)

No Inside's Late Nights and Early Mornings cd review

No Inside’s album, Late Nights and Early Mornings, without doubt has a pop-punk/emo sound to it. It starts off with “Open Late,” a song that starts to set the mood for the album. “Hot and Cold” is the next song that includes likable hooks that will get stuck in your head such as “fake it baby, fake it.”

The way “Push Us Back” flows into “Lullaby” is unique. It comes to a close with someone talking as if you’re listening to the news on the radio, and it goes into “Lullaby” just like that the guitar part starting. This song’s a different one. “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,” is sung in the song which caught my attention – it’s definitely something I haven’t heard before in this genre of music.

“Drowning” is a well written song with good lyrics that will have you singing along in no time. Following that is “Don’t Tell Amy” which starts off at a slower tempo, but proves to be a really great song. “Let it Fall” is personally my favorite song on the album, and seems to have the most distinctive sound to it.

Listening to “Honesty is the Best Policy” I was curious to hear it live. It sounds like it’d be a great song to play at a show. “Hanging Up the Cape” has a catchy beat to it, and I noticed I was subconsciously nodding my head along to the song the first time I listened to it. Instantly when I heard “*67” I wanted to pick up a guitar and learn how to play the song. It has a great guitar part throughout the whole song, and with lines like “I’m sorry you fell for a rock star,” you’re sure to be setting that as your new Facebook status.

The second to last song “The Forecast Song” was like “Hanging Up the Cape” for me; I nodded my head along to it, and I thought it was appealing. The last song on No Inside’s CD is “Watch It Burn.” Listening to the beginning I was wary about the song, but as I got further into the song I truly enjoyed it.

Late Nights and Early Mornings is a pretty good CD for a local band. It’s not the perfect album, but what actually is? Check No Inside out for yourself, and you’ll see their music is satisfying.

This review was written by Ms. Jenn Carroll of PurelyGangsterRadioNJ//JennyHero

Shooting the breeze with Jeremy of The Bled

PGRNC: First off, how are you doing today man?

Jeremy (The Bled): I’m good, doing good.

PGRNC: So we know you guys are on tour right now, where'd you guys play last?

Jeremy: Monday night we played in Vineland, New Jersey. It was a really fun show. We stayed in Richmond, Virginia last night.

PGRNC: Last month The Bled signed to Rise Records. They're one of the fastest growing labels in the business. How do you feel about being a part of their family?

Jeremy: They actually contacted us when they found out we were divorced from Vagrant Records. They asked us on a date, and we really hit it off. We didn’t kiss on the first date. Things progressed and we moved to kissing, French kissing, and we let them feel us up.

PGRNC: So you didn’t put out?

Jeremy: No we put out, and they didn’t pull out either. We have a record coming out because of it. We're speeding up the 9 month cycle so it’ll be a little premature. We just hope it has all of its limbs intact.

PGRNC: Side question. What’s your tattoo of?

Jeremy: They’re all from Shell Silberstein’s poems. Where The Sidewalk Ends. Shell=Love

PGRNC: The past year has been difficult for you guys as a band. Was there ever a time when you didn’t think The Bled would make it?

Jeremy: Towards the beginning. It cost us a lot of money to tour and we went into debt. We all had to go home and get shitty 9 to 5’s to help pay all of our expenses. We split it up between everyone evenly and worked on paying it off. Our bass player decided to go back to school, and our guitarist moved to Texas, and our drummer went on to play for another band. I started a side project with some of the other members of The Bled. I wasn’t happy with the way the side project was going so that ended pretty quick. We managed to replace the drummer, guitarist, and bassist. It was a real smooth transition because we knew the new guys previously and knew how they played. Once we taught everyone the parts, we got to writing new material. This band has always been five friends. That’s the way music is supposed to be. I don’t think I would have continued the band if I had to choose 3 strangers to replace them.

PGRNC: Were you worried about how your fans would take the new lineup change?

Jeremy: Well I always wrote 90% of the music. We wanted to have a demo before we started promoting the new lineup. We're a band that thrives off of change. The music scene is fickle but at the end of the day you have to fulfill your own happiness.

PGRNC: How does it feel to be back on the road after everything that’s gone on in the past year?

Jeremy: It feels awesome. We actually had a little warm up tour with The Used on the West Coast. It gave the new guys a feel for the band and how being on tour works.

PGRNC: You’ve only been on tour for a few weeks so far, but what’s the craziest experience that you guys had had on this tour?

Jeremy: Nothing too crazy really. Not to us at least. Nothing terrible has happened. We played a festival in Illinois where some kids from another band stole an amp head from We Came As Romans. WCAR found out who stole it and approached the other band. One of the members walked up as they were arguing and one of the big guys in WCAR asked him how old he was. He said "19" and without hesitation, the big guy just smashed him in the face. It’s good to see justice on the road.

PGRNC: We're just going to have an attack badger in our trailer to make sure people don’t steal.

Jeremy: How do you domesticate a badger?

PGRNC: We're not sure just yet. Ok. So what’s the most fun show you guys have played on tour so far?

Jeremy: Well it definitely not Omaha, Nebraska. It was just a bad show in general. The venue requires kids under 18 to get a waiver signed and have it legally notarized to get into the show. There were about 50 kids staring deadpan at us while we played our hearts out. I was sweating and they were just staring. So I sat down on stage and stared right back at them while I was playing. I used the old and jaded card on 'em. I don’t need kids wind milling and shit, but give me a nod or smile or something. Allentown, PA was pretty awesome and so was Fargo, ND. We didn’t expect that one, but it was a good show.

PGRNC: So you guys are releasing your 4th record on Rise near the beginning of next year. 4 albums is an amazing accomplishment for any band. What’s significant about this album to The Bled?

Jeremy: I’m just stoked to be writing for The Bled again. This album is a lot like our first album. I’m personally producing everything on this record. We're writing at home and recording in Tuscan. I’m really proud of all of the new songs. The new guys came in with a fans perspective and brought what they liked about The Bled into the album. We're all on the same page and it makes things so much easier.

PGRNC: Well man that’s all the questions we have for you today. Thanks for the interview; we had a lot of fun. We can’t wait for the show later.

Jeremy: Thanks for interviewing me guys. I had a good time.

10 Questions with Chris Fafalios of Punchline

#1. How are you guys doing today? You just started touring with Farewell, if I'm not mistaken, how's it going so far? Any memorable stories or amusing anecdotes you'd like to share with us?

The tour is going great so far. Probably the best thing that happened so far was that Pat and I brought Steve and Jon breakfast in bed this morning. You should've seen the look on their faces when they saw the eggs, sausage links, warm biscuits, muffins, bananas, and cups of OJ! It was delightful. We love surprises, as a band in general.

#2. Last night at the Brewery, your bassist Chris Fafalios (who has an incredibly eponymous and witty shirt in most of your pictures) and Farewell's Buddy got into an epic bass-off. How did that tradition start? What's the next step, a hot-dog eating contest between Steve and Marshall? I want to see that in person.

It was actually our first bass-off. I would definitely say that I won the bass-off, based on the fact that I'm me. I've been playing bass for a while now, and there is no doubt that when it comes to bass competition, I always put my best foot forward.

#3. Who are the Punchkids? Fanbase or child abuse advocates? If so, why do you seem to enjoy striking children enough to name your supporters after them? I know it's easy, the "Free Hat" episode of South Park taught me that. But feel free to elaborate.

When we started our band, we were just kids and we bought the domain name because Punchline.com was taken. Now we are full-grown men with a very childlike domain name. We can't do anything about it though because literally every domain name is taken, and we're not gonna get into that .biz bullshit.

#4. On a personal note, I have to ask you this. If John Stamos, Full House's Uncle Jesse and all-around badass with a heart of gold, proposed to you right now, would you marry him?.

I think he most definitely is the most handsome man, but the thing about it is that I'm straight. I'd watch him get married though.

#5. You have pictures of performing at the Middle East on your MySpace. Is it a venue stateside, or did you go to the same crystal castle in Iraq that Stephen Colbert did to shave his head? I know you saw that special. It was hilarious.

Performing for the troops in the Middle East was definitely a great experience. It was very humbling. They are guys who giving their lives for our country and we would do anything to help boost their morale, especially play music. Actually, we didn't go there, but we would.

#6. You also have pictures of yourselves in classy suits. But do you have any red velvet smoking jackets? Every true gentleman has one. Look at Hugh Hefner. Hell, even I have one. I go to keggers in it. Any distinguished clothing you fellows made a normal routine? Lucky boxers? Tell me what you're wearing right now, big boy.

I'm wearing my jeans that I wear every day, a Mickey Mouse shirt, and my Pirates hat. Some lady asked me "Did the Pirates used to be called something else?" I said "No, they've been the Pirates for about 100 years". She was the lady working the Continental Breakfast. What a fucking idiot.

#7. Back on to business for a minute. You have two full records and an EP produced by Fueled By Ramen. How did you happen to snag that deal? What unspeakable acts did you have to perform to receive this boon from one the mightiest pop-punk gods of the industry? Slay a village of Juggalos?

I am a Juggalo. It had nothing to do with getting signed though. They came to our show back in the day and liked us. Then we put out 3 albums on their label. Labels are for cans brother!!!

#8. When I spoke to Steve last night in the snug Brewery men's room last night, he mentioned that he also ran a record label. Care to elaborate a little on that? Tell me a little about yourself, tiger.

Modern Short Stories is the name. You can check out our "site" at modernshortstories.net. We put out our newest album, a book that my friend Tony and I wrote called "Whistle Pig", and Justin Oliver's soon to be released "For Rose" album. Its an awesome album. I think everyone would love it. We will be putting out many more things, and we're not limiting that to just music. Any great piece of art that needs to be exposed to the world, we'll do it.

#9. You guys played the Brewery in Raleigh last night. It was our first time seeing you. Was it your first time in Raleigh? And if it was, was it good? I thought it was good. God I hope you thought it was good. =/

I thought it was freakin awesome. I loved the show, the club, and Cook Out. I ate there twice in 3 hours.

#10. Lastly, a trademarked 3AM hypothetical question. Do you think Jesus could microwave a burrito so hot that he himself could not eat it without burning his mouth?

GOD BLESS JESUS!

Thanks again guys. Any closing remarks from these great men?

BEST WISHES!!!

Check out Punchline at Myspace.com/Punchline

-Jeremy (PGR NC)

Saint's 7: In Pursuit of Tomorrow

In Pursuit of Tomorrow is a five piece screamo band from Hackensack, Minnesota. The band started in January 2009, with a fresh kickoff. Many fans were brought towards the band immediately after the first show. They released their first EP in March 2009, which boosted them to 63 for Unsigned bands in the United States for their genre in April 2009. In the summer, the band will be working on their second EP, which is to be expected this fall. The band claims that this EP that is coming out is to feature "heavier, and sicker breakdowns."

Who or What are your musical influences? What did you grow up listening to? Be honest!

Our music influences vary. We like a lot of heavier bands, such as The Devil Wears Prada and what not. But we also like the pop bands like All Time Low. So it's all mixed up :) A lot of us listened to classic rock, like Tesla and Cinderella. Derrik always listened to As I Lay Dying though, haha.

Tell us about the recording process of your upcoming EP?

We are going to be hitting the studio sometime in September, as it's seeming, to lay down five new songs for the EP, that is untitled as of now.

We had problems in the studio this July, and had to cancel our four day stay in Minneapolis to record our planned EP.

It'll be out sometime in October, so hopefully many fans will be ready for something new from us.

IPOT is unsigned. What label would you want to go to if you had a choice & why?

We'd go for Rise Records or Fearless Records. Mainly because it features some of the bands that got us to play the instruments that we play. Derrik has learned many vocal styles from bands such as The Devil Wears Prada, and what not, and it'd just be sweet to be on a label like Rise, knowing that one of our main influences was apart of that family as well.

What advice could you give to fellow unsigned bands?

Just to never give up. Music is fun, but at the same time it's just as stressful then fun. You lose more money than you make, but in the end it's all worth it, y'know? You can't really expect to become a millionaire off of local shows, you just need to work your hardest to get heard. If you don't put in effort in it, you'll get beat to the record label's by other competeing bands, y'know?

IPOT will be doing a fair amount of touring in the upcoming months, for those who have never seen you live, what can they expect?

Well for us, we always make sure that when we play a show the fans leave happy as ever. We want to give our fans their money worth, and make sure they aren't disappointed. We always change our setlist live, and play songs at random, just so it's not the same ol.'

What are your favorite song to play live?

Our favorite song to play live is probably "Scattered Words," just because we usually open with that song, and it just gets people pumped.

Do you have any last words? Shout-outs?

We'd like to thank all the fans for the support since we started in January. More music to come soon! :)

Saint's 7: Get The Girl

Where in the world is Antioch California and what kind of music do they make over there? We're sure that James Heller, Jordan Davis, TJ Martell, and John Lasack who make up the band Get The Girl could tell you. Another thing we're very sure of is that when they release their demo 1..2...3...Adventure! they'll be sure to win the hearts of many with their songs Imaginary Girlfriend and Sleep Tomorrow in Class.

Where does the name Get the Girl come from?

The name Get the Girl comes from an AOL chat TJ and Jordan were having about band names and we all had hopes that being in a band would help us "get the girl" and that's when it hit Jordan for a name. We all loved it and now its our name.

According to your myspace bio, each Get the Girl's band member came from a different band and came together to form GTG. What kind of advantages (or disadvantages) does this give the band?

Well even though we were all in other bands before Get the Girl we all knew each other before GTG. James and TJ have been family friends for a long time and John and TJ met each other in middle school and formed a band called legend with friend Jackson. Jordan and James were in many bands together until Jordan went to Deer Valley and met TJ and joined their band changing the name to the undecided. Later at TJ's birthday party we added James and Jackson had left the band a while back. Its an advantage because we all knew what we wanted to be at that point witch made it easier.

You guys have released individual songs to name a few...Sound of Summer, If I were a Surgeon, etc. but no EP or full length album. Do you have any plans to release either in the near future?

Actually all those songs are on our DEMO called 1...2...3.. ADVENTURE! but we haven't set a date to put that out yet.

What's the hardest thing about being in a band?

Making times for band practice with everyone's schedules is the hardest part by far. Also groupies (j/k)

What do you like to do in your spare time?

In our spare time we all have side projects James has various bands and Jordan TJ and John are in a band together called Playing in the Streets. We all like to hangout with each other and go shopping (Laughs)

What bands are you guys listening to right now?

We are listing to old Blink-182, Some All Time Low, and a bunch of other stuff I cant think of at the moment.

And here's your shameless self-promo spot: anything you'd like to add about yourselves, the music, or anything else?

Our music is all about things that happen to us and we hope you like it. You should all check out our other bands and comment us! :)

Saint's 7: Blameshift

Hungry for more time on the road, Blameshift is on yet another summer tour to rock your jocks off. In this interview, bassist Joe Meyer, talks set lists, dream tours, and killing time. Check the dates above and make sure you get your ass out to see these guys (and gal) in a city near you!

You guys are astonishingly still unsigned. What would you guys look for in a label when those offers start coming in? Have any labels contacted you thus far? If you could choose which label you could be signed under who would you choose & why?
Ultimately, we're looking for a label that is as stoked to work with us as we are with them. We're a very hard-working band, and we expect the same in return with a label. We have some label interest so far, and the feedback from the new music is very positive so far. Right now though, I won't say who the interest is from because I don't wanna jinx anything or start rumors. We don't have an ideal label in mind - just anyone who is as hardworking as we are really. Of course, some strong financial backing would be critical, and advertising is something we need the most.

Blameshift is currently headed on yet another tour. Will you be playing songs off The Test, newer songs such as Saints & Sinners, or a mixture of both?

It's gonna be a mix of both. Songs off "The Test" were written with the live show in mind, so they translate well to the stage. Some of the newer songs we got experimental with, and they benefit from some studio production and and slower tempos. We like to keep the energy level high and flowing when performing.

For those who have never seen Blameshift live, What can we expect from your live show?

We have a new and improved light show!! I have longer hair, so you'll be seeing less of my ugly mug on stage. Aside from that, everyone now has a microphone again, so expect alot of witty banter and off-color jokes.

If you could choose anyone dead or alive. Who would be on your dream tour?

Our dream tour...man that's a tough one. A lot of great bands have a great live show. I'd have to narrow it down to a couple though. My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, Story of the Year.

What do you guys plan on doing to kill time while on the road?

Repairing the bus mostly. HahA !! As I write this, on day 2 of this tour, we've already got bus issues. It's beign repaired 60 miles away, and we're stayign with friends in Pittsburgh.

When we're not doign that though, we all keep real busy. Jenny sleeps alot. Tim drives the bus alot. James is studying hibachi-style cooking, and I am experimenting with different ways of being rejected by girls.

What are 3 of the most unnecessary items you tend to bring on tour with you?

Tim, James, and Jenny. Every time I get in the bus, there they are - taking up all this valuable real-estate on the couch and bunks, breathing all the air.

I don't really have anything unnecessary with me. I've got a check list of everything I need to get by. I'm a guy, so it's a pretty short check list. Some say the light show might be a little excessive, but I enjoy doing that. We still play places that don't have a light show, and we really pride ourselves on bringing the whole show.

Any last words? Recommendations? Shout-outs?

I recommend everyone try and make all the dates on the tour. We've got 9 Hot Topic Acoustic shows this summer, so we'll be hangin' out and blowin' it up in malls Tiffany-style all across America. The Summer De-Tour is upon you all !!