In the Pit with Tetrarch

I'm psyched today to bring to you guys something way new to NewRockNews43.com: an interview with some of the vets here who're going on to bigger and better things in their career. The guys (and girl) in Tetrarch are probably still buzzing from their show last week where they opened for national-name acts Avenged Sevenfold, Seether, and Alter Bridge. The opening slot was during Atlanta's Project 96.1 Cinco de Mayo concert, and I'm jealous as all hell I wasn't home in time to be there. But I'm still able to see what's going through the collective Tetrarch mind, and I intend to see what these hard-rockers are thinking. So buckle up as I sit down (more or less) with Diamond Rowe and the rest of Tetrarch and look behind the scenes at what these guys are thinking about after they just finished one of the biggest gigs of their lives.

NewRockNews43: You guys have been together for over two years now, a length of time that many bands never make it passed. How have you guys kept up your drive to continue with Tetrarch all this time?

Tetrach promo

Tetrarch: Well, we have actually officially been Tetrarch since late 2007. It really hasn't been hard to stay together for us. This is something we all want to do, and we have always known that it would not be easy, but just like any career, it takes work, persistence and time to be the best, and that's what we strive to be.

NRN43: You landed the opening gig for one of the biggest annual concerts by a mainstream Atlanta rock station. What does that sort of achievement feel like?

Tetrarch: It felt absolutely amazing. The radio station emailed us asking if we wanted to open up the show and of course we said yes! Haha. It's always great to see your hard work pay off, and we had a lot of fun. Can't wait to do that every night except in the headlining spot.

NRN43: What goes through your mind when you say to yourself, "I opened for Avenged Sevenfold, Seether, and Alter Bridge"?

Tetrarch: Haha, in all honesty it's great! It's amazing thinking that I opened for bands that I was listening to everyday when I was like 15 and 16 years old, and now I am playing with them. It only makes me more and more excited for the future.


NRN43: A show of this caliber must validate all the hard work that you guys have put into your band. How does it feel to have this opportunity after working together for so long?

Tetrarch: It feels amazing. Just can't wait to have more and more opportunities like this. Everyone seems to be digging the band a lot, and that is very rewarding.


NRN43: When you're up on stage, what is the most gratifying part of it?

Tetrarch: I just love seeing the crowd feeling and getting into the music that we've created. We love putting on energetic live shows, so to see everyone having a good time is what is most gratifying to me.


NRN43: You guys have been working on recording some new material recently. How do you think this new material will differ from your older songs?

Tetrarch: The new material sounds much more mature in my opinion. While we still sound like Tetrarch, we took more chances with these new songs, especially vocally. There's a lot of heavy screaming parts as well as clean singing choruses, etc... There is no half-assing on this EP. Everything we did, we went all out.


NRN43: Your show with A7X, Seether, and Alter Bridge was at Atlanta's Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, a huge venue compared to smaller clubs in the city. How did you think it would feel to be on a stage of that size in front of the fans of three of the best known alternative/metal acts of the past decade? 

Tetrarch: It just felt amazing. It was great to just chill backstage with the guys who got you into playing music on a normal level. We want to be their equals in music and that's how we look at it. Not in a egotistical way, but we keep our eyes on the prize.


NRN43: You guys have received a substantial amount of radio play from one of the best known rock stations in Atlanta. How has that affected your ability to further your music?

Tetrarch: Well first off I want to thank Project 96.1 for being so great to us all the time. They have so much faith in our band and it's impossible to further a musical career without such support. I think the radio play and their support has allowed people to hear about the band in ways they otherwise never would have. It helps us reach a wider audience, and the more people hear the name "Tetrarch," the better.


NRN43: As a group standing in between being a national name and being an unknown, what sort of radio play do you see now as most conducive to your careers? Does college radio hold as much (or more) interest for you as mainstream radio?

Tetrarch: Well, I think any way that your name is being put out to the public is great. Whether it's to hundreds or to thousands of people, it's still going to help in some way. It gives the chance for people who have never heard of you to hear about the band and look more into it if they enjoyed what they heard.


NRN43: Some artists say that they feel most alive when they're up on stage. Does this apply to you? In what ways?

Tetrarch: MOST DEFINITELY. I LOVE playing live shows. Don't get me wrong, being in the studio is fun as well, but playing live is hands down my favorite. You get to interact with the people that you are making music for and trying to connect with. There's just nothing better then that.


NRN43: How has being in the Atlanta underground helped you to sharpen your teeth and prepare you for bigger things?

Tetrarch: Atlanta does not have the easiest scene to get noticed in. I think it's helped our work ethic a lot. We know not everything is going to come easily, and we are ok with working for it because it's all we ever had to do.


NRN43: You guys have concocted some pretty intense songs in your time together. Do you find that it's the intense nature of the music that gives you an extra kick when you write and play?

Tetrarch: Well, we're honestly not the angriest kids alive, haha. In all honesty, we're not even angry at all. But we make sure to write music that we love, and that's heavy, energetic music.


NRN43: Atlanta isn't really known in the mainstream as a hard-rock/metal hotbed. How have you found your way in a city where the predominant musical styles (rap and R&B) are very different from your own?

Tetrarch: Even though we write metal music, we try to incorporate things that everyone can enjoy, or at least appreciate. We don't strive to be a underground metal band. Fuck that. We want to be as big as we can, and appeal to as many people as possible like our musical idols have.


NRN43: You guys are clearly starting to blow up in new ways. How do you feel you're going to prepare yourselves for a whole new level of the music industry?

Tetrarch: We have a lot of great insight from different people who we know that help us prepare. We have been hearing and learning a lot about the music industry since we were young, and it's definitely not the easiest or anywhere near the most honest industry out there. But we're ready to put our minds to work and become the force to reckon with that we know we can be.


NRN43: When you look back and see how far you've come and what you've achieved, is there anything you would change? If so, what would it be?

Tetrarch: I actually don't think I would change anything. We have slowly and steadily carved our way through each level of being a band. I'm actually quite pleased with the progress we're making, and I think it's only going to get bigger and bigger.

So there you have it. Thoughts from one of the most popular bands in the Atlanta rock scene. Where Tetrarch will go from here is anyone's guess, but I'm sure psyched to see. Stay tuned for a review of Tetrarch's new EP, The Will to Fight.   

Learning Not to Break with Not Without Grace

Hey all, it's good to be back! After so many final exams I can't even see straight, NewRockNews43 is back with some great new reviews, new albums, new bands, and maybe even some interviews too! As I've been so busy with school lately, I haven't had time to keep up with the domestic NRN43 vets, let alone the international acts. But that makes for the best sort of surprises now that I have time to sit back and focus on the music. Some of my favorite things to come out of the past few weeks are new songs by that amazing Swedish alternative-pop band, Not Without Grace.
I first discovered and fell in love with Not Without Grace when I come upon their Mysace page and heard their songs "Cut Me Loose" and "Hide Away." The musical approach these guys (and girl) take is one that is unique and altogether exciting, and one that sets them apart in my mind from everyone else I've ever heard. A tranquil mix of alternative rhythms and lyrics and pop vocals set against pseudo-folk instrumentation, the music that Not Without Grace sets ablaze through the speakers wraps around me and just pulls me in. As that was the feeling I had when I first heard this band, I'm more than excited now to see what kinds of new tracks they've been busy working on.
One of the first tracks I heard from the new NWG catalog was "Devil in Me." The one thing I can say about this song is that it's got a great rhythm, and lyrics that are quite addictive. It has quickly become one of my favorite tracks of the past three months. "Say It" and "Old Man," too, released shortly after "Devil in Me" appeared on NWG's Youtube channel, have been on constant rotation for me. The slowed down and tranquil mood of "Say It" was just what I was looking for when I was studying for my finals, and as I listened, it was almost as if I could see the colors in the music flash before my eyes. Yet "Old Man" took it to another level entirely: the steady and deep rhythm of the song melded perfectly with Christoffer Franzén's guitar work, and as Linnéa Herlogsson took me even higher with her dynamic vocals, Alexander Herlogsson worked to a crescendo in the song with his own fretwork. One of the best efforts I've heard from Not Without Grace, "Old Man" is one of the must-hear tracks from their new list of releases.
Yet all three of those tracks are at least a couple months old, and Not Without Grace aren't staying idle for a moment. A couple weeks ago, they released "What I've Done," a track that is beautiful in its composition and masterful in its execution. Linnéa Herlogsson's voice is angelic and soft over the simple beat and rhythm on the cymbals. Every time I hear this girl sing, I wonder how she can hit those impossible notes, and then just lose myself in the brilliance of her vocal abilities. Yet the guitar work on this song also stands out in bold ways. Franzén's notes are transcendent and philosophical, painting pictures before my eyes as Alexander Herlogsson keeps things moving with his chords and riffs. The ways that Franzén and Alexander Herlogsson compliment each other in their playing is something that NWG as a whole definitely benefits from. An amazing track in every aspect, "What I've Done" is NWG"s way of proving that they have what it takes to be taken seriously as musicians and performers.
Even "What I've Done," though, isn't the most recent of NWG's releases. Uploaded just about a week ago, "Break" is a new sort of Not Without Grace song that I'm bristling with excitement for. A little darker than the songs that I've heard from Not Without Grace before, "Break" goes down to the deepest depths of human emotion and releases a musical explosion in the brightest of technicolors. Linnéa Herlogsson's voice is pensive almost as she sings the verses, but when she gets to the chorus, it blasts forward and with a rush, I'm taken away completely. The guitar work here by Christoffer Franzén and Alexander Herlogsson is impressive in ways that give me chills: to me, it's like these two guys have taken simple guitar chords and notes, and placed them in such a way that they seem to be coming from a whole army of guitarists. When I sit back and realize that there are only two guitarists playing here, I'm floored, as it sounds like there are guitarists all around me propping up the exceptional vocals of Linnéa Herlogsson. The semi-dark undertones of "Break" procure for Not Without Grace yet another key that I am doubly sure will unlock bigger things for them. In ways that are most commendable, Not Without Grace create a most unforgettable song in "Break," and one that will be on permanent rotation for me for at least the next four months. The bottom line here? These new songs are must-hear tracks, as they open up the Not Without Grace to new directions for their legacy, and I'm even more excited now to see what they come out with next. Brilliant composure, brilliant quality, brilliant execution. Just brilliant.

Key Tracks: "What I've Done," "Break," "Say It," "Old Man"           

Cube41: No, They Don't Care About Us

Hey all, sorry it's been a long while, but life happens. In any event, I'm back today with a great post on Cube41. I hadn't really heard from these Italian alternative rockers for about a year now (I know! a long time, but here they are again), but it seems that their time has been spent well: they're working on a new album, and have just released the first single and video on Youtube. Now, from the start, I'm way curious to see what these guys have got: their last music video for their song "Nasty Mind" (from the second release of their previous album, PLAY) was sick, and the song itself has crossover potential written all over it. You may remember that it's got a crunching guitar riff and bass line, as well as wicked strobes and vocals that blast forward in brash fury and alternative attitude. The drums, too, are exceptional, providing a rhythm that is altogether addictive. Listen here for a refresher:

But now the Cube guys have returned with something completely different, and I must admit that in the beginning, even I am confused. The first release from the as-of-yet untitled new album, a cover of Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us," seems an odd choice for an Italian alternative-rock band whose last video threw back to artists like Shiny Toy Guns and Nine Inch Nails. The video, too, is weird in the truest sense of the word. Simply a flash mob with the desired choreography and totally minimalist, Cube41 themselves don't even make an appearance in front of the camera, and even the song seems drawn back a little. Though the video is just a girl in a studio demonstrating the choreography to Cube41's new rendition of a Michael Jackson classic, the video is at first a disappointment as it's so far from what I saw in the "Nasty Mind" video. But then it dawns on me: these guys have evolved; grown in artistic musicality and performance direction; they don't need a front shot in a video to establish their dominance over the track. I listen once, twice, three times, four, and then it becomes addictive; Cube41 have succeeded here precisely because they've done away with the superfluous effects of their last video and focused solely on the music. The "video" then is just a transport by which Cube41 can debut their new song to the public. In it, I at first think it's Michael Jackson himself singing, expecting some dramatic change to happen any moment now. But then I realize that this is them, this is Cube41; they have succeeded in their cover so brilliantly that I couldn't even tell it was a cover. They own this song and with the intrepid vocals laying staunchly over reverb guitar, and a bass/drum combo that makes the song.

The video of the flash mob in the main square of Cube41's hometown, Verona, Italy, is a powerful sight. In addition to having the power of an unexpected performance, when coupled with Cube41's cover of the Michael Jackson's classic track, the song takes on a guise it had never donned before. Is the cover minimalist? Yes. Is it odd and unexpected? Yes. Does it work? Yes! Yes! Yes! Cube41 have triumphed in their stripped-down cover of a Jackson classic, and prove that they can hold their own against the King of Pop while at the same time nodding to his legacy. Do they really care about us? I don't know, but after this cover, they should.

Such Is Life in the Night

Though it's been about a month since this video was released, I've been watching it a bit recently and for one reason or another it resonates with me. Into the Night's music video for their single "Such Is Life" has something about it that I can't quite put my finger on, but whatever it is, I love it. The video has the hard-edged guitar riffs that drew me to ITN in the first place, and the bass lines are head-pounding while the drums are a crisp breakaway matched interestingly with the images that flash up on the screen. The video itself is odd: just a masked man running through through a forest and city with no apparent destination in mind. But maybe that's a metaphor for the aimlessness of life; it wouldn't surprise me to find out it is, and when paired with the ominous music and opaque message, the new video for "Such Is Life"is eerily powerful on a number of levels. Filmed in Melbourne just after Cyclone Yasi hit Australia, Into the Night have let their demons speak with this new window into their music and lyrics. Truly an inquisitive video on its surface, when coupled with the dynamic chords and rhythms of "Such Is Life," it is clear that Into the Night are masters of visual art as well as sonic. Brilliant.

Lost and Living in Atlantis

I've been waiting for a few weeks now to have some time to devote to this article and this group. Sometimes listening to new music, the words just flow out and onto the page, painting for you guys a very real and interesting picture of who the artists are and what they do. Other times, however, it's a little more difficult to put my finger on just the right words to describe a new group or artist, and that's the obstacle I've been trying to overcome with this band for a few weeks now. Fortunately for these guys, and all of you guys out there though, the words seem to have finally come to me, and now I feel I can finally describe fully and accurately the talent with which these new NRN43 features approach their music.

Lost In Atlantis's debut album, Silent World

Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Lost In Atlantis is a techno-rock foursome comprising Elisabetha 'Liz' Rosnowski (lead vocals and synths), Alex Eldridge (drums), and brothers Eric Pinedo (guitar) and Tim Pinedo (bass). As I start listening to LIA's Myspace page, it's clear that the musical dynamics at play here are worth mentioning. Some artists just have it, and when Lost In Atlantis commences with tracks like "Ready to Go" and "FireFireFire", it's like a whole symphonic rush of sound and attitude.
A mix of '80s new-wave and '00s alternative and garage-rock punch, Lost In Atlantis rips a sound from their instruments that's like a sonic display of light and love for my ears. Halfway in between the punk rush of Paramore and the synthesized bliss of Muse, Lost In Atlantis create a sound that is impossible to ignore. The group's debut album, Silent World, now on sale online, is a brilliant flash of genius reveling in pop-sensibility and alternative edge. Even great songs like "Whisper" and "Unwind" are no match for the most powerful songs on the album. "Alien" is as lovely in its subtle nature as it is opaque. A blurry vision of gray hope and love, "Alien" is a clear triumph for LIA. Rosnowski's vocals are soft; at home in the cradle of Eric Pinedo's guitar chords as Tim Pinedo's bass lines soothe the rhythm softly above the kick of Eldridge's drums. A pseudo-sonic love-letter, "Alien" is pushed higher by the building bridge that drives full-force right into the last minute of the song. If LIA did everything wrong with every other song on this 15-track breakout record, "Alien" would surely be their saving grace.
As "Alien" ends in a creepy cradle of keys, LIA blasts forward with "Catastrophic Compromise," a Paramore-inspired track that throws back to Hayley Williams' vocals on RIOT! and All We Know Is Falling. Rosnowski's pipes are just choice here, and as they melt over the pop-punk rhythms of Tim Pinedo's bass thumping over Eldridge's toms and high-hats, "Catastrophic Compromise" is an LIA trophy hands down. Not overly complicated, but still a great song to listen to, "Catastrophic Compromise" is one of the tracks that makes Silent World a fun album to listen to. In an era when artists think that every song has to have some deep political meaning, it's nice to just have a song that's ear-candy.
But even among the four and five-star tracks that pervade Silent World, one stands out as LIA's clear breakout song. "Tek No" is LIA's greatest work to date. I can't quite put my finger on it, but for one reason or another, this song just draws me in to it in ways the other songs hadn't. To ask what's right with this song is simply too difficult a question to answer. Where to begin? The beginning of the song is a page right out of the ELO playbook: Eric Pinedo's guitar leads right into a blasting rhythm on Tim Pinedo's bass and Eldridge's drums before they all drain out and Rosnowski's keys serenade me in a lullaby of romantic bliss. A cross between Paramore's vocals and Muse's synth-driven rock, "Tek No" brings to mind a bright tapestry of sounds and emotions. Rosnowski's vocals are smooth and firm, and as this romantcore track blasts into the stratosphere, I'm engaged in it like this song holds the key to some mysterious cosmic message I can only hope to hear. Definitely my pick to LIA's lead-off single, "Tek No" is a masterful piece of cosmic proportions. 
While we here on the east coast seem to not be hearing as much about them, I'd bet anything that Lost In Atlantis are making waves over on the west coast like there's no tomorrow. With a sound like this, it must be beyond impossible for anyone to ignore this group. Dynamically savvy and clearly technically talented, Lost In Atlantis are the 2010s' answer to the question of whether or not true techno-rock is still alive. And it is, truly alive and kicking. If you're looking for the next big thing to come out of the south-western U.S., take a peek, because Lost In Atlantis are goin' up fast, and there seems to be nothing this side of the galaxy that's gonna stop them.    

Sounds Like: Muse, Paramore, Smashing Pumpkins, VersaEmerge

Key Tracks from Silent World: "Tek No," "Alien," "Catastrophic Compromise," "Ready to Go," "Disaster"

Check out Lost In Atlantis more at: http://www.lostinatlantis.com/, http://www.myspace.com/lostinatlantisband and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lost-In-Atlantis-Official-Facebook-Page/137627106273846?sk=wall

Cloé Beaudoin, Out Beyond the Sea

One of my tightly-held beliefs with regard to the world music community in general is that it's truly heartbreaking how much talent is out there. There is so much talent, in fact, that I'm finding hard to keep up with the new artists I want to premier here and the vets that just keep pumping out treasure after treasure of artistic triumph. Case in point (again!), Cloé Beaudoin, that Canadian-French siren from the snow-drift clutches of eastern Canada. Beaudoin's covers of "World So Cold," "21 Guns," and "Screaming Bloody Murder," as well as her original pieces "Rest in Peace (RIP)" and "Deliverance," are all five-star tracks if I ever heard any. They grab you and shake you, and don't let go even a little until you're wiped out and waiting for more.

Yet one thing I love about Beaudoin as an artist is that she relishes a challenge and revels in her versatility. Whereas her covers before of Three Days Grace, Sum 41, Green Day and Evanescence all broadcast Beaudoin's hard-rock side, and her original "Rest in Peace (RIP)" in particular shows her deep edge, Beaudoin can just as easily decide to let down her guard a little and surprise me yet again.

I suppose it really should no longer be a surprise when she unveils a new cover that is as far removed from post-grunge and hard-rock as any, but still carries the same punch that the others do. Premiering just a couple of hours ago, Beaudoin's new cover, an updated take on Bobby Darin's classic song "Beyond the Sea," exhibits once again how this siren from the north with the fiery voice can blow us all away.

To be truthful, I'm not as familiar with this song as I was with "21 Guns," but still I used to hear it playing in the house from time to time. A melody from a bygone time, "Beyond the Sea" is almost Big Band-ish, a throwback to Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra, and other singers who perfected the love ballad. Here, Beaudoin trounces the opposition yet again, and delivers a unique and breathy performance that would have even the most die-hard of Darin fans intrigued. Though not her usual choice in style, Beaudoin nevertheless shines on this song. Definitely a triumph for Beaudoin in its unique placement as a Big Band song covered by an alternative/acoustic musician, "Beyond the Sea" takes on new life in an era when such songs are not heard so often anymore. My favorite song for the day, Cloé Beaudoin does it again. I can't say that I'm even the least bit surprised.