On His Way

Recently the Rolling Stonehill got to catch up with Chris Borelli, a student artist who, among his other musical conquests, was recently featured on Vans' Warped Tour.  We wanted to hear more about his experiences with that amazing opportunity, and took this chance to get all the details on this once of a lifetime experience.

RS: Tell us how you got started.
CB: So it may come as a surprise to most people, but my passion for writing and producing hip hop music didn't come until I arrived at Stonehill my freshman year. I specifically remember writing a rap verse just to try it out and see how I felt - bearing no intention of taking in anywhere..at all. I decided to recite the verse to my close friends one night and was shocked at the response. It was nothing but love and genuine admiration towards the true potential I showed by writing that one verse. But it was the incredible Rex Mac who prompted me to hone that potential. His advice to me was to embrace this unexplored genre and to not stop writing. Given Rex's musical credentials and his seemingly untouchable knack for producing his own style of rap music, it was not hard for me to take his advice seriously. From that point, the rest was history.

Chris Borelli

RS: What are some of your proudest accomplishments?
CB: Since I've started out, I've learned that I truly love performing just as much as producing - if not more. So almost any type of performance opportunity means the world to me. Given that, I would say that some of my proudest accomplishments include featuring on Rex's opening set at Spring Weekend two years ago - having barely started rapping seriously, opening for Cobra Starship last year in my own set, performing my first paid college gig at Simmons College in Boston, and being featured on the Vans Warped Tour this past summer.

RS: What was it like being a featured artist on the Warped Tour?
CB: Being featured on Warped Tour was absolutely incredible to say the least. I was on a 6-day stint with the tour, which took me to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Mass, and Connecticut. More than anything else, it gave me a little taste of what the tour life is really like - which was the most significant takeaway. Every performance I had on tour was an incredible one. Performing in a different state almost every day, in front of people who have never heard your music before, is unlike anything else and only confirmed that this is exactly what I want to do for a living. It was perhaps one of the most exhausting experiences I've had, but by far one of the most memorable. I hope to be on it again this summer so we'll see how the cards fall with that one.

The artist Macklemore

RS: Who are your current favorite artists at the moment?
CB: I'm open to just about all types of music and am willing to explore aspects of almost any genre. But I particularly appreciate the works of Kendrick Lamar, Lupe Fiasco, Macklemore, Drake, and my musical sensei Mr. Rex Mac himself.

RS: What equipment do you rock with to make your beats? What helps your creative process to make those beats?
CB: I construct all of my instrumentals using a program called Reason. I then record all of my vocals on Garageband. My process for producing almost all of my instrumentals involves a great deal of inspiration. I've found that I often am inspired quite easily by other artists' songs, instrumentals, performances, or just anything musical in general. Thus, most of my beats and songs are inspirationally derived from other beats and songs by other artists. If I'm truly moved by a song or a beat, I'll internalize the musical concept, reconstruct my own concept based on specific sound components of that particular song, and then create my own portrayal of that inspired concept in the form of an original instrumental. It's the most fun I could ever possibly have when it all goes the way I want it to.

RS: Where can we find you online? 
CB: I'm currently in the process of reworking my personal website (chrisborellimusic.com). But other than that, I am on almost every mainstream media outlet there is. You can keep up with all of my musical endeavors on my Facebook music page by searching and 'liking' Chris Borelli 4LM. I have quite a few videos on YouTube as well. On top of that, I am also on Twitter @ChrisBorelli4LM, any and all follows are greatly appreciated.
RS: What are your future plans? Any shows or releases we should be aware of?

CB: My musical future is undefined, but I have hopes on making this music heard on the largest scale possible. Ultimately, my goal is to instill a new sound into the world of hip hop and help solidify the idea of substance being a norm in today's music industry. As of now, I have no major performance opportunities that you should be aware of..yet. But do expect a brand new wave of sound to hit the streams in the very near future. You could perhaps look forward to a brand new single hitting iTunes very soon, with the accompaniment of an official music video. You could also perhaps look forward to the release of my first original EP in the near future. And you could even think about looking forward to a jam-packed mixtape for the summer. All of these things will come to fruition in due time, but patience has been the key virtue since day 1. So please don't sleep on me! With quality work comes quality time. But stay excited, I'm on my way.

Rex Macipinlac '13
Image credit: allindstrom.com and Chris Borelli

Behind the Scenes At Dancing with the Stonehill Stars

The RS sits down with Meghan Tinkham, a dance partner on Dancing with the Stonehill stars, to talk about her experience in dance and with the event.
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I have been dancing for about 17 years now, and two of those years are here at Stonehill. I started dancing at the New Hampshire Academy of Performing Arts back at home and graduated from their company in 2011. I have tried several different styles, but I have always found my favorite to be tap and jazz. One of the only styles that I have not tried is ballroom, and that is something that I would love to learn in the future. I got involved in Dancing with the Stonehill Stars through the Stonehill College Dance Team. This is the second year that this event has taken place as a fundraiser for our competition to Daytona. As a first year member of the dance team I was unsure of what to expect going into this, but absolutely loved work with a staff and fellow dance member to create a crowd pleasing dance. I have the pleasure of working with Kristen Pierce, the director of Res Life, and she was incredible. It was very easy to teach her, and she stepped right up to help Rose McClimans and I think of ideas. She was dedicated to this competition and went beyond our expectations. I definitely plan on continuing dance in the future. As a dance minor I hope to be able to teach and work with other dancers after graduating.
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Meghan Tinkham '15
Interviewed by Nicole Colantonio '14

The Tallest Man in Scotland

Anyone who knows Nick Howard is already familiar with his passion for music, poetry and the arts.  Although campus is not quite as merry without him this semester, we were eager to hear all about his cultural adventures while abroad in Scotland, and even heard he got to meet one of his musical heroes in the process- nearly by accident!

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RS: What influenced you to go to Scotland?

NH: I was influenced to go to Scotland because of the academic reputation of St. Andrews. I did not really process it as being part of Scotland or the UK. I figured that I knew enough about "British" (what I really meant was English) culture that it would not be an issue. It was one of those I will figure it out when I get there things.  

RS:  So we heard you're doing a radio show over there. Tell us a little bit about what you play and discuss on the air.

NH: Yes, I have brought my radio program "The Beach" across the pond with me. It is basically the same show I have at Stonehill, a mix of modern alternative and folk, classic rock, classic indie (The Smiths), a little punk, and everything in between. Basically the mantra for the show is, to quote Mick Jagger, "It's only Rock n Roll, but I like it"

RS:  What's been the biggest culture shock from being in a new country?

NH: In my opinion, culture shock can kind of be like an earthquake, sometimes there are large tremors and sometimes there are just small aftershocks. At the beginning there was a huge quake of "Oh my God, what is this country? Everything is different?" Now I simply enjoy taking notice in the different phrases, expressions, foods, customs, spelling, and culture overall. To summarize, I have continued to learn about the culture, the only difference is now it does not overwhelm me, I embrace it. 

We see you recently got to meet the Tallest Man on Earth. Can you tell us a little about that?

NH: Yes, I did meet The Tallest Man On Earth. Probably one of the greatest moments of my life. To make a long story short, my friend and I ended up in the same cafe as him, so when he stood up from where he was sitting, we went over, introduced ourselves, chatted a wee bit, and got a photo. He was just such a relaxed, yet still so focused guy. He had it in his eye and it all came out in the show.

The "Tallest Man on Earth", Kristian Matsson

RS:  Have you discovered any new music or art in Europe that you wouldn't have picked up in America?

NH: I wish I could say, but unfortunately no. You could maybe count my re-interest in The Who, but that is just because I love 60's rock, before it became big and bloated in the 70's. What has really happened is I go through periods where I listen to marathons of American music. I will devour the catalogs of Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Neil Young (technically he is Canadian), Bon Iver, Iron & Wine, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, and Passion Pit. You get the picture. I like to hear my country in my music choice, both classic rock and modern alternative. My goal is to get into one Scottish band that captures what I feel that the sound of St. Andrews is.
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Nicole Colantonio '14
Image credit: Nick Howard and yetimusic.net

Function Meets Style in London

Meg Lewis '14 has always been a fashion presence at Stonehill...and this semester, she has continued to experiment with looks and styles while studying abroad in London.  While still keeping up with the College Fashionista website by submitting regular posts, Meg's style is still making an impact back in the states.  We got the chance to chat with her recently about her experiences with style and fashion on the other side of the pond.
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RS: Describe your style in three words. Has it changed since coming to London?

ML: AH this is tough, probably "function meets style." I think it definitely has changed a little since being here. Living literally in the middle of London gives you a wide range of other people's styles on a daily basis, and I quickly began to realize people really don't care what other people think of what they wear, they wear what they want and that is that! It was eye-opening. I have pretty much worn whatever I pleased to a degree before coming here, but I have definitely stepped it up in the personal style department.

RS: What is the biggest difference you've noticed between European and American fashion?

ML: Everyone has their own way of wearing what they want to wear, while at the same time remaining very functional and comfortable. Living right in the city has taught me a lot about layering and wearing functional pieces, especially in London where it literally could rain, hail, and be 70 degrees within the span of 8 hours. I have definitely learned my lesson to always make sure my bag is big enough for my umbrella.

RL: Have you noticed big style similarities or differences in the different countries of Europe?

ML: The men are so impeccably groomed and styled pretty much everywhere in Europe. I know returning home will be a rude awakening in this respect. When thinking of the different countries in Europe, the only thing I think I can really put my finger on is that when I went to Prague, when people went out at night, they were significantly less dressed up as they are in London or Paris. However, girls seemed to be dressed to the nines when going out in Galway, Ireland which really took me by surprise!

RS: So I hear you got to go to Fashion Week, what was that experience like?

ML: I did! It was amazing. I got the chance to attend a trend show at the Somerset House in Central London which was so amazingly cool. It was right at the tail-end of Fashion week, so they were summarizing the different trends seen in the past week with pieces from some of the shows. I write a personal fashion blog as well as doing a remote internship for CollegeFashionista, so I took a bunch of pictures for those, which were both really well recieved.

RS: Give us a hint as to what might be big this Spring season.

ML: Something that was really present were prints, especially stripes and polkadots. It's hard to believe these designers don't collaborate on their collections considering it seemed that stripes were the staple of Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, and Tommy Hilfiger, three pretty big names. Also, for a change of pace, there was quite a bit of leather on the runways for the spring, which is usually a fabric considered for fall, so I am pretty excited to see how that translates.

RS: Fashion aside, what has been the biggest culture shock since coming to Europe? And what things do you like the most that we don't have in the States?

ML: Probably the biggest thing that shocked me was how easily we are spotted out as Americans, and how that is typically a bad thing. I also was shocked, and excited, by how well dressed everyone was for class every single day! There were Americans in my classes, but also a bunch of English and other international students, and instead of a sea of sweatpants, it was a stampede of heeled boots and wedges!
What I'll probably miss the most is how much people care about their sense of style on a daily basis, and living in a city and having the ability to see so many different things within walking distance.  Also these things called Jaffa Cakes, they are orange and chocolate flavored cookies that are TOO DIE FOR. I will be bringing many back to the Stonehill community to open their worlds to the wonder. I miss them already.

Lewis on historic Abbey Road

You can check out Meg's style and fashion blog at http://clothezonelayers.blogspot.com and check out her posts for College Fashionista here.
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Nicole Colantonio '14
Image credit to Meg Lewis

The Artist Stands Alone

The Rolling Stonehill is all about individuality.  We were lucky to recently catch up with one of the most original Skyhawks on campus, the class of 2013's only Art major, Kat Waterman.

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RS: Is it true you're Stonehill class of 2013's only Art major? If so, how does that feel, and what kind of studio arts do you dabble in?

Kat Waterman, class of 2013

KW: It is true, I am the only Studio Art major. I feel kind of happy and sad about this: I feel happy because I get to have more freedom to experiment in my own major, but I feel sad because I don't get to converse about my experiences with someone who understands what I am going through during my senior year. Unfortunately I haven't really been dabbling in much "studio" art stuff, I have mostly been honing my photography and graphic design skills to become more marketable in the business art world after college life.

RS: You've been on your photography grind lately. Talk a little bit about what projects you've been up to with your camera lately.

KW: The projects that have been testing my photography skills are really fun actually. I've been busy with my directed study photography project that supports the LGBTQ community (which you participated in, thank you again!). And for my graphic design projects, I have been using my studio arts creativity to form interesting compositions to photograph and then I include them in my projects. I just recently designed and finished a fake magazine and had to use my photography skills to create fake ads and a fake band photo shoot. It's really fun and great to say that all the photos in my projects are mine.

Waterman's interpretation of food photography

RS: What got you into drawing, painting, graphic design, and photography? And what geared you toward being an Art major? 

KW: I have been a creative being for pretty much my entire life..haha. I've always been a visual learner and my parents encouraged my skills throughout my schooling and it just became a part of who I was. I think high school REALLY helped me discover my true passion for art though, because my high school had an academic program for the visual art students and my art teachers nurtured my growing love for art.

RS: How do you plan to translate your art skills into your post grad life? What opportunities are you looking forward to after graduation?

KW: Now that is the trick isn't it.....marketing your skills to sustain yourself in the real world......haha I am pushing myself to become the best I can be in both the photography field as well as the graphic design field because I want to as marketable as possible. And to learn more about the demands of the professional outside world, I have been interning and finding more intern opportunities. Grad school is last on my post grad list of things to do....I believe that my field is more dependent on professional experience and less on exceedingly higher education. Not to say that I don't love school...I just would love to be out in the world doing what I love and getting paid for it instead of juggling grad school work and bills.

RS: What inspires you?

KW: I don't know if there is particular person or thing that inspires me.... I think what always catches my eye visually is when I see creative designs and concepts that transcends the literal/realistic image that the average human being would see. I love when people exaggerate color, light, and emotion to the point where my mind is stimulated. And this could be in drawings, graphic art designs, paintings, photography, anything!

RS: In a perfect, happy world, what would you be doing with art for the rest of your life?

KW: I don't have anything specific in mind for careers at the moment because I just want a job somewhere in the arts so I can move out of the house and be on my own. But I guess ideally I'd love to be a photographer for maybe the movie and film industry? Or a graphic designer/photographer for a high end magazine? I'd love any job that had me traveling around the world photographing anything.......now THAT would be a great job! But as you can see, I'm really keeping my options open and would like any field experience.
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Interview by Rex Macipinlac '13
Image credit: Kat Waterman

The Tribe

The Rolling Stonehill recently got the chance to sit and chat with Brendan Murray '14, an active musical force on campus, to talk about his love of guitar, his musical heroes, and his new release, The Tribe.

RS: How long have you been singing and playing guitar? Are you self taught or have you undergone any formal training?

BM: I started taking guitar lessons at a local music shop when I was a freshman in high school, but with a much different mindset for the instrument than what I do now. When I first started learning to play, I wanted to play classic rock style riffs like Aerosmith, Zeppelin, etc As I widened my musical landscape I got more into newer alternative rock like Wilco, Kevin Devine, Brand New, Gaslight Anthem, Sonic Youth. I started to become more interested in using the guitar as a device to work with songs I was writing, using the new voice I was learning from those bands. I stopped taking lessons when I graduated high school, but I still consider myself a student at the instrument. Whenever I talk to people I know who play I always try to pick their brain to learn more about it.

RS: Do you play any other instruments?

BM: I play a little bit of piano/keyboard but always struggle to feel comfortable writing and performing with the instrument. I'm hoping to take some more time with it soon to try to become more comfortable with it, because I love the sound of the piano, and would love to try and use it in my own work. I'm also hoping to pick up a banjo over winter break and use that. I love the sound of a banjo and think its such a versatile instrument, and more versatile than a lot of people give it credit for. It can be used to make things sound very pretty, like the way the Ballroom Thieves use it, or it can give a song a really folky sound like in songs by Neil Yong, or probably my favorite, it can be used to make things sound very angry or menacing with bands like Modest Mouse, so the banjo is something I'd love to get into.

RS: Talk a little bit about your new release, the Tribe. What inspired its content, and who came up with the cover design? It's awesome.

"The Tribe" cover design
by Jackie Kolgraf '14

BM: The Tribe is the EP I recorded this summer back home on Long Island at Island Music Lab, with a really awesome guy who did a great job working with me named Scott Byrne. Its a four song EP with all original material, songs I've written between the beginning of freshman year of college and the end of sophomore year. Lyrically, the songs just tell stories of different spots in my life, as basically all of my songs are autobiographical. When I write songs I try to be honest with how I feel about whatever I'm writing on. The final song and the title track “The Tribe” is about my group of friends here at Stonehill. Those 6 people I talk about in the song mean more to me than just about anyone who isn't family, and they've become almost like family since I've been up here. The song just talks about things I've been through with them. I decided to name the EP after that group of people because of how much they meant to me, and because they all impacted my life so much, and that life served as the backdrop to the song on the record.

The cover design is awesome, its one of my favorite parts of the record actually. One of the members of my “Tribe”, designed it for me. Jackie Kolgraf is an insanely talented graphic design student that goes to Stonehill, and is one of my best friends. We were talking about the project one day and I asked if she'd be interested in helping design it. I told her to just try to get inspiration from the name “The Tribe” and run with it, and she did an amazing job.

RS: Who exactly is Craig Finn?



Craig Finn of The Hold Steady

BM: Ah, yes this question comes up a lot. Craig Finn is the frontman of a band that means an incredible amount to me called The Hold Steady. He has this great story-telling ability to paint an honest picture, two halves of a tale really, the high that can come from feeling young and invincible, and the crash that can come when you take that feeling to far. They also use those themes to explore topics of destruction, forgiveness, and redemption, all themes that really fascinate and appeal to me. In the song I named after him, I reference one of my favorite songs, written by him called “Stay Positive” That idea got me through a lot of difficult stuff, both within my own mind and things happening around me. It became a mantra for me, something I would scribble on notebooks and in the margins of songs. The song is about trying to convince myself to stay positive, and whenever I do that, his words ring in my ear.

RS: What artists spark your creativity? What bands do you listen to in your spare time?

BM: I'm inspired by a huge range of artists. The Hold Steady are obviously a big influence, as are bands that I just love to listen to. I take a lot of inspiration from bands who play somewhat similar music to I'd like to make Wilco, Brand New, Modest Mouse, Gaslight Anthem, The Front Bottoms, Manchester Orchestra, Kevin Devine, Neil Young, the Band, are all big influences on me and I don't think me saying that would surprise many people. I also take a huge amount of inspiration from music I don't ever see myself playing, noise rock bands like Sonic Youth is a big influence on me trying to find new ways to use the guitar. Older hardcore punk bands from the 80's like Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Seven Seconds, the Youth of Today. I'm not a huge hip-hop fan but the stuff I do like, the lyrics always really appeal to me and want me to get a little better or smarter with my word play, stuff like Jay-Z, Kanye, Kids These Days, George Watsky. Really anything that feels like a real honest expression or can pack a punch when it comes to energy makes me want to do the same thing, which is why I pull from so many genres.

Really though, where I get the most inspiration is seeing people I consider friends make stuff that consistently stuns me with just how good it is. Devin and Martin in the Ballroom Thieves, Chris Borelli and his work in the 4LM project, Steve MacDonald of the Okay Win, and your stuff. It makes me so inspired to see people I know doing stuff that I enjoy so much, and it makes me feel like I can do it to, and it makes me want to do it so much more

RS: Tell us a little known fact about Brendan Murray, the artist.

BM: Hmmm. I guess a little known fact about me is that I would love to give hip-hop a shot as a form of musical expression in my own work, but I'm not sure if I ever will. Its so distant from what I try and seeing guys like you and Chris Borelli do it, I would love to do it, but I don't know if I ever will.

RS: What lies ahead for you? Are any new musical projects in the works?

BM: I'm hoping to record more towards the end of this semester and kind of doing the opposite of what I did with “the Tribe”. When I recorded that, I went into a semi-professional studio and worked with Scott as my producer, and came out with a high-quality acoustic record that I'm really proud of. This time around, as I write new songs, I want to incorporate new instruments and techniques and just record it myself. I want to bring in electric guitar and some effects, piano and keyboard, percussion, banjo, really I'm open to anything. I recorded my first song in this idea last week, and put it up on my sound cloud (http://soundcloud.com/brendan-murray/skinny-love). Its a cover of Bon Iver's “Skinny Love” and I use a kinda freaked out electric guitar running through a couple pedals and effects and ran my vocals through some reverb and other effects. It stands in pretty stark contrast to my acoustic EP, and I want to keep exploring that contrast in a lot of different areas, but I think my first impulse will always be the simple arrangement of acoustic guitar and honest lyrics. It just feels right to me.

Download Brendan's EP at http://brendanmurray92.bandcamp.com

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Rex Macipinlac '13
Image credit: Brendan Murray and Tremagazine

"Give us a squeeze"

Continuing the flow of on-campus artists gracing our blog posts, we knew we needed to track down Derek Krevat '13, member of the self-proclaimed Alternative/Rock group Foxglove.  With a catchphrase as endearing as "give us a squeeze", we knew we had to find out more about the Boston-based trio.

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RS: How long has Foxglove been together? How did the band form itself, and how'd you guys decide on the name?

DK: We've been together since 2010, but we went from a five-piece band to a trio in late 2011. We decided on the name because in my backyard, there are flowers that look like Foxglove flowers, which are really poisonous. We liked the idea that they were so dangerous but also pretty.

RS: Talk a little bit about the new release, "Strawberry Lemonade." What inspired its sound and lyrics?

DK: We're pumped that Strawberry Lemonade is out. It had been a work in progress for about a year before we started recording it. We started writing it during the summer, so we tried to give it a bright and summery feel. We just always wanted it to be the perfect CD to play on the way to the beach. Chris, bassist and vocalist, wrote most of the lyrics. He moved back home after four years of college, so the first track, Boomerang Kids, is all about moving back in with your parents after graduation and all the confusing but humorous feelings that come along with it. Most of the other lyrics are about love, relationships, and friends.

RS: Who came up with the idea for the album cover?

DK: The album cover came about through my sister, who did all the photography, and I bouncing ideas off each other. We wanted the album cover to match the bright and summery sound we tried to capture. After a while of throwing around complicated concepts, we decided to keep it simple, and went for a literal but creative depiction of Strawberry Lemonade (the title track).

RS: Do you guys play a lot of live shows?

DK: Since my brother (the drummer) and I are at college, we try to play shows pretty much every time we're home for breaks. We've played a few gigs in Boston, including places like the Greatest Bar, All Asia, and McGann's. We also play a lot for our friends in our basement, and at parties.

RS: What's next for Foxglove? Are there any music videos, shows, or EPs ahead?

DK: We are currently recording a music video for Boomerang Kids, which we hope to have up soon. We're having a CD release concert on November 24th, and are still working out the details, but it'll be posted online as soon as we know. After that, we'll begin work on our next EP, which we're hoping to record next summer.

RS: Where can we find you?

DK: Find us online at...

www.facebook.com/foxgloverock
http://www.youtube.com/foxglovema
twitter.com/foxgloverock
http://foxglove1.bandcamp.com/album/strawberry-lemonade

Strawberry Lemonade is also for purchase on amazon.com and on November 24th it'll be available on iTunes.

Interview by Rex Macipinlac '13
Images from Foxglove's media sources

Signalfire on Fire

Signalfire's band logo and Wes Nelson '13, member of Signalfire

Wes Nelson, a member of Stonehill's class of 2013, is also a member of the four man band Signalfire, who just formally released their second album, "Don't Trust This Storm." With the band's project now featured on Spotify and the Google music store, the Rolling Stonehill recently caught up with Wes to discuss Signalfire's latest progress.

RS: How did Signalfire form and how did you guys come up with the name?

Wes: Signalfire is a music collective of 3 brothers and me(Wes, their cousin). We've been jamming since middle school, in basements, and our first attempts at recording started when I was just a freshman in high school. We've had many different names, each with different meanings... Some that come to mind are Cloud Nine, Rebel PC, and Eight The Flume.. The name Signalfire came about after a long session in the studio when we were in high school.. our stylistically eclectic nature is adopted from the fact that each of us has different taste in music, and the result of this is that each of us brings a different sound to the band.. As much as it may not make sense, we saw our sound's direction as a "fueling of the fire" of many different sounds all coming together, so that prompted one of us(I forget who) to say we were "signaling the fire"...

RS: Who makes up Signalfire, and who plays what?

Wes: Signalfire consists of the brothers Hansen...

Adam Hansen: Drums, guitar, vocals, piano, ukulele, production engineering
Mark Hansen: Guitar, vocals
Chris Hansen: Piano, keys, vocals, trumpet
and their cousin.. me,
Wes Nelson:Guitar, bass, vocals, piano, banjo

RS: What artists out there inspire your band's sound?

Wes: Our inspiration is very eclectic, as I've already stated. I'm very in tune to the indie world, and also inspired by bands like Incubus, Vampire Weekend, and MGMT.

Chris is an accomplished classically trained pianist, and he actually never listened to anything but Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and ragtime until he hit a Radiohead and Red Hot Chili Pepper's phase in college.

Mark is our most gifted song writer, and anything that involves an acoustic guitar and great lyrics keeps him going.

Finally, Adam is a very gifted percussionist and sound engineer, and any heavy music with great percussion, or very finely produced rock music inspires him.

Collectively, our approach is very 'Local Natives'- esque, where not one song was written by and performed on the same instruments as any other. But our sound most resembles that of Incubus, Radiohead, The Killers, and others of the like.

RS: I see your work has officially hit the Google music store and Spotify. Congrats. How did you guys make that happen, and what are your thoughts on it?


Wes: Yes, our music finally hit the Google music store, Spotify, bandcamp.com, and iTunes late this summer! We're so excited! This album has been in the works for years, and to finally start getting our name out their and get the feedback we've wanted to hear, it's very rewarding!
We did this with Reverbnation Distribution Services, and we can't say enough great things about it!

RS: What surprises can listeners expect on your latest, "Don't Trust This Storm?" How has the experience of putting the album together differed from the recording of your last self titled album?

Wes: On DTTS, listeners will be surprised by quite a lot actually. Our goal for the album was "pristine production". We actually spent close to two years in the studio fine tuning details.. and we're very excited about that because it brings the sound of the album to a whole new level than we've ever had.

Another surprise will definitely have to be the great work of our friend Drew Crook. Drew is featured in vocals on two of the brighter tracks on the album.. and his voice just fit the tracks perfectly. The sound of those two tracks, "Advice Column Letter" and "Skyline", were something totally different than we'd ever done before, and they turned out to be two of the most notable tracks on the album.

DTTS is a greatly different piece of work than any of our old stuff. DTTS shows the greatest progress the band has achieved in our 9 or so years together. We finally optimized the use of Cubase 4 in a make shift studio in the Hansen brother's basement. We also learned a great deal about production in the process, and it really showed in the final product. Very happy with DTTS!!

RS: What's next for Signalfire? Any new shows or releases on the horizon?

Wes: The future for Signalfire is finally here. The difficulties we face now are that the Hansen brothers currently go to school in Utah at BYU, while I'm here at Stonehill. This has lead me to a much more independent approach to songwriting, which actually resulted in the track "Strawberry Jam", which I wrote freshman year here at Stonehill. Currently, the Hansen bro's have just about completed a new studio in their condo at BYU, and they just sent me some new demos to mess around with a couple of weeks ago. Our goals now are to shamelessly promote DTTS, and also work for a new EP has already begun, which we hope to release early next summer!

RS: Where can we find you online?

Wes: You can find us online atwww.reverbnation.com/asignalfire and Spotify. Purchase our music on iTunes, the Google music store, and asignalfire.bandcamp.com. Like us at www.facebook.com/signalfiremusic. Follow us on twitter at twitter.com/signalfiremusic

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Interview by Rex Macipinlac '13
Images credit to Wes Nelson and Signalfire's media pages

"As Long as He Doesn't Hit on Me: Unpacking Heteronormative Culture at Stonehill"

Click the title to be brought to the video page.


Video by: LucyRose Moller, Molly McKitrick, Kaitlin Foley, and Mandy Malachowski

Interview: Sara Bareilles

By Erin Horan

Sara Bareilles skyrocketed to fame after the release of her hit single “Love Song.” In no time at all, the singer-songwriter from Northern California went from normal twenty-something to household name, performing all over the country and even overseas to audiences who identified with her passionate self-expression and strong vocals. I interviewed Sara on the phone one week before she was scheduled to headline Stonehill’s Spring Weekend concert. After she and I exchanged "hellos," Sara set the tone for a lighthearted conversation by asking, “Can you hear me OK? I’m on my Bluetooth!” We had a great talk, and Sara shot down every stereotype about fame making people egotistical. Her humility and sweet nature make her a great role model and an inspiring new voice.

© Epic 2008

We’re all really excited to have you come here in a couple weeks! I have some questions for you.

Yup!

It’s inspiring that you write your own music, because I know a lot of artists today don’t write their own songs. We wanted to know if that presented any particular challenges or rewards for you.

I think probably a little of both. I’ve never had the experience of singing someone else’s songs, so I don’t really know what to compare this to. But I personally love sort of being the voice for what I have to say as a songwriter. A lot of people will write songs for other people too, which is maybe something I’ll get into in the future, but for now I like being the one to deliver kind of whatever is coming through musically for me. So, you know, it’s nice to be up there and sharing, you know, very personal stories and ideas and knowing that whatever connections you make are… It’s just, it’s intimate that way, and I love doing it that way.

Cool. What inspires you to write these personal stories and, you know, give your voice to the music?

What inspires me? … I don’t know! It’s sort of always been, it’s kind of what I did. I wrote songs long before I had a record deal, or, I mean, I’ve been doing it since I was six years old. I don’t know exactly what it is that kind of makes you feel compelled to put your thoughts out in music. I think that’s kind of the magic of music. So it’s kind of one of those—you can’t quite quantify it—but I’ve always, from being a very little girl, always felt compelled to sing and to write down stories and songs.

Do you have any of the songs that you wrote when you were really little?

My first song was called “Starsweeper,” and it’s really bad. But you know it was like a, it kind of sounds like a lullaby. I probably stole it from a Disney movie or something.

That’s cute! What was your relationship like with music when you were in college? Because a lot of our readers are college students.

I felt like college was a super self-exploratory time for me. That’s when I really feel like I sort of realized… I sort of really found myself musically during college. And I spent a year abroad my junior year, and I lived in Italy for that year. And that’s when I really really connected with songwriting. I think I was going through so much, just introspection, and trying to figure out who I am—I think you do so much defining of yourself in college—and, kind of figuring out who I am, and the only way I could really deal with it was through song. It was a really cool time for me. The music became pretty much the most important thing in my life in college. And, yeah, I haven’t really turned back.

So what has been the biggest adjustment, then, since you came to that decision and became really famous? What has been the biggest adjustment to go from a normal life to international fame?

Well, I don’t really think of myself that way, but, it is true, we can go play shows overseas and people will hopefully come. But, you know, it’s just a lifestyle change in terms of… I’ve been busy. I’m much busier now than I ever was before, it’s a really practical kind of incarnation of, you know, being somebody who works a lot, but… I just guess kind of really devoting myself to this art form and just wanting to always work on it and make it better and practice and writing songs. Right now I’m in a very sort of creative part because I’m thinking about the next record. So I can’t stop thinking about songwriting and I want to be at my piano all the time, so it’s a really cool time. And, you know, knowing that this is my job is kind of a, it’s a crazy thing! I feel very, very lucky.

Do you have plans for when your next record or album is going to come out?

It will most likely be early next year. Probably record it this year, and then release it next year.

Cool. Very exciting.

Yeah!

So, what musicians would you say you’ve been influenced by?

Well there’s a lot of, I think, a lot of different styles that have really made me think about music. People like… Joni Mitchell is a really big influence of mine. Fiona Apple, love her; she’s a female [singer-songwriter]… I love Elton John and Billy Joel, and Counting Crows I’ve always really loved… The Police, Bob Marley…

A lot of different ones!

Yeah! You know there’s really not… If I had to just pick, you know, one genre, I really like kind of singer-songwriter music, but I think good music is good music, and there’s inspiration to be had there, you know, from every style. So I do listen to all sorts of different types—I’ll listen to country sometimes, I’ll listen to anything! And I think that good music is good music.

Good point. So, I heard that “Love Song” was written in response to a record company who wanted you to write a love song for them. What’s the real story behind that song?

It’s kind of similar to that… No one ever asked me for a love song. But “Love Song” was written to my label out of [a] response to feeling pressure. It was my first record deal and the first time I was kind of going through the motions of trying to fulfill the requirements for the first record, and it was really intimidating to me, and I felt like they were waiting for something, and I didn’t know what they were waiting for because I wasn’t, you know, I wasn’t in the studio yet. They just said, “Keep writing, keep writing.” And I started to really buy into it and to try to change what I was doing to fit in with what they wanted, and I had no idea what that was anyway, and that all turned into just being really frustrated not only with them but with myself for caring what they thought. I just wanted to get back to what made me happy and why I was writing songs in the first place, and that’s when “Love Song” came out. It kind of just… It was very cathartic, to kind of go through that… It was my little stick it to ’em.

That something that huge came out of the frustration—that’s pretty cool that you could do that. So, kind of going along with that, I know in these hard economic times a lot of people are straying away from artistic career paths in favor of more practical careers. Do you have any advice for them?

I always feel like the world will always need artists. The world is always going to have… It’s never been a solid career path, whether we’re in hard economic times or not, it’s always been a little bit of a gamble but, you know, from the beginning of time, there’s always been a place for artists in society, and it’s because people need art! They need the expression, they feel it creates inspiration, and it really fills a genuine need of people to be able to receive art and to have it be a part of their lives. And I think music in particular is one of those art forms that touches people so deeply, and I just think it’s a shame that someone who is really talented—just because being a musician isn’t the most stable career path—it’s a shame if they don’t pursue it just because they’re scared, you know. But, you know I understand too, it is, it’s a big old fat gamble. Nothing in life is guaranteed anyway. So I think you should pursue your passions if you can.

That’s good advice. For our magazine’s next issue, we had our staff write about five things that they can’t get enough of right now, like websites, TV shows, even food or musicians—anything. Could you just talk about five things you’re really into right now?

The Dog Whisperer is one of them; I love The Dog Whisperer. I love Pinkberry, which is a kind of yogurt. It’s like a frozen yogurt.

I’ve seen that advertised; I’ve never had it though. It looks good.

It’s delicious. I can’t get enough of… Converse tennis shoes; I love them.

Classic.

Classic, right! And Ingrid Michaelson, she’s a songwriter, who I friggin’ love, and I can’t get enough of her. And, let’s see, last but not least, the good old standard classic for me, which is Golden Girls, an old TV show that I still love deeply. So, I’ll never get over them.

That’s great! Thank you so much!

You’re welcome! Thank you! I’ll talk to you soon.