When you explore a city as beautiful as São Paulo, it’s impossible to NOT be inspired. So it’s only fitting that the scenery, fans and visits to local guitar shops all became inspiration for We The Kings to host an impromptu jam on the streets of Brasil! Episode 3 of our “Olá, Brasil!” series gives you an inside look at the day that led up to the show and of course, plenty of footage from the performance itself. The full video premiered yesterday with our friends Absolute Punk and now you can watch it here too.
While in beautiful São Paulo, Brasil , Lenay and We The Kings spent quality time exploring the city and episode 2 of our “Olá, Brasil!” series takes you inside the journey! From a ride through the streets on a Cadillac convertible to a walk through Beco de Batman, or Batman’s Alley (pictured above), which features some of the most inspiring street art the country has to offer! Re-visit episode 1 here, and enjoy the adventures of episode 2 below!
The Big Apple is about to get rocked, international style! Next Thursday, May 17th, we’ll be reuniting We The Kings and Tipo Uísque for the first time since our epic trip to Brasil last month. The event will be hosted by our Girl on the Scene, Lenay, and both bands will be performing acoustic sets for fans. Head to the American Rag Facebook page to RSVP here, and plan to arrive early! The first 300 guests who also make a $25 purchase will also get VIP access to meet the bands after the performance. We’ll see you there!
Thursday, May 17 - 5:00pm
Macy’s Juniors Department - 4th Floor
151 W. 34th Street, New York, New York
Straight from the pages of the upcoming special Brasil edition of RAGGED, we’re thrilled to give you an exclusive early look at our feature story with We The Kings! From Brasilian barbecue to impromptu acoustic jams in the park to exploring Lollapalooza Brasil, we took advantage of every opportunity the beautiful streets of São Paulo offered. Read the band’s thoughts on the trip below and follow along with the 6-part webisode series, “Olá, Brasil!”. The full issue of RAGGED featuring extras from the trip and additional photos with We The Kings will be available as free download here starting May 17, and Episode 1 of “Olá, Brasil!” can be seen here!
WE THE KINGS KNOW A THING OR TWO ABOUT TRAVEL; the Warped Tour staples have been around the world a few times over since the band started bring their sunny power pop to the masses seven years ago, but their latest trip south of the equator as part of RAGGED’s musical foreign exchange program have left them smitten: “There’s no place like Brasil in the entire world,” says frontman Travis Clark, “and the fans are such a big part of that.” and Clark and his bandmates (drummer Danny Duncan, guitarist Hunter Thomsen and bassist Charles Trippy) know what they’re talking about—the band found themselves amongst WTK fans at nearly every turn during their weeklong stay in São Paulo. When they weren’t recreating a modern-day A Hard Day’s Night blazing a trail through Brasil, with hundreds of fans in their wake, the band were getting to know the culture with Brasilian ambassadors and native rockers Tipo Uísque. “We got to hang out with them for five or six days,” Clark says. “They took us around into markets, we saw the architecture and ate the food—we fell in love with Brasil.”
Just a few days after the band’s departure from Brasil and back on American soil (well, nearly—the band headed to Helsinki, Finland, nearly just as soon as they arrived back in the States), RAGGED spoke with Clark more about their adventures in south america including what he thought of their foreign hosts, the most excellent local culinary traditions and the crowds at Lolla Brasil.
As you saw in Lenay’s exclusive sneak peek last week, we recently called up our friends We The Kings and packed our bags for beautiful São Paulo, Brasil on a journey of cultural and musical exploration. Under the guidance of local Brasilian band, Tipo Uísque, we sought out the best local eats, shops, nightlife and music, and documented the entire trip for a special 6-part webisode series, “Olá, Brasil!”.
Not only that, we will also be releasing a special Brasil edition of RAGGED featuring We The Kings & Tipo Uísque covers, and unveiling it May 17th at a free concert event with both bands in New York City (details below)!
So without further ado, we proudly present to you Episode 1 of “Olá, Brasil!” Let us know what you think so far and what you’re looking to see in upcoming episodes!
Savvy readers may have seen hints here and there that RAGGED was on the scene in beautiful São Paulo, Brasil for Lollapalooza Brasil in April, and we’re excited to officially give you a peek at some of the details! Just a few weeks ago, we set off for São Paulo with our Girl on the Scene, Lenay, and Warped Tour headliners We The Kings to meet up with Brasilian band, Tipo Uísque, on a quest to experience Brasilian culture as part of our new musical foreign exchange program. From Brasilian barbecue to impromptu acoustic jams in the park to the big stage at Lollapalooza Brasil, we experienced it all! That’s not the end of it though—we documented the entire trip on film and will be releasing the results in a 6-part webisode series, kicking off next week! Stay tuned for episode 1, a limited Brasil edition of RAGGED, and the invitation to a special U.S. event with Lenay and both bands! In the meantime, get an exclusive inside look at what’s to come from Lenay’s personal blog and video diary from the week!
Straight from Lenay:
Olá! It’s 4:00am on my flight back from São Paulo, Brasil!! I have a bad habit of drinking multiple caffeinated beverages right before I go to bed, especially when flight attendants ask you four times if you want something else. Blogging is better than sleeping anyways—so many stories to tell!!
To start from the beginning, I spent this last week in Brasil hanging out with the bands We The Kings & Tipo Uísque (an amazing Brasilian band). We had photoshoots all around town, drank water straight from coconuts, rode around in an old Cadillac convertible (so fun! I heart convertibles!!), jammed at a guitar shop, met a lot of Brasilian teen WTK fans because they always seemed to find us, and went to Lollapalooza Brasil!
It was the first time Lollapalooza was in Brasil, and I got to interview some really sweet bands there like Bassnectar, Cage the Elephant and the actual creator of Lollapalooza, Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction! That was cool. I interviewed him in the penthouse of a race-horse track (that was the Lolla venue). There were guards. He had a lock around his neck as a necklace and colorful socks. Later I noticed Travis from WTK had a key on his necklace. I asked if he and Perry were BFF’s, but they are not. Then WTK & I watched Tipo perform. It was their first time playing for such a huge crowd, and they said they were super-nervous, but they ROCKED it! They were seriously so good. I used one of their songs called “Eyes for Eyes” as the music in my video for this blog. They sing all of their songs in English even though they speak mostly Portuguese. And I finally figured out that “Tipo Uísque” means “Type of Whiskey”… maybe because when you listen to them it makes you want to loosen up and dance, like Whiskey does to people.
Here at RAGGED HQ, it’s never too early to get excited for Van’s Warped Tour! As we’re looking ahead at our summer plans, we took a trip down memory lane to re-visit last year’s special Warped Tour edition of RAGGED featuring 3OH!3 on the cover. Enjoy the complete cover story below and be sure to download the complete issue as a free PDF here, including several more photos from our shoot with the band. Who else can’t wait for Warped this summer??
“IT’S FUN TO HAVE FUN,” says Nat Motte, half of the electro-hop duo 3OH!3, explaining the ethos behind his band’s performances. It’s a simple, obvious statement but still stands out as an ultimate truism amidst the infectious party anthems and inspired live shows for which the band has become known.
“Listen,” continues Motte’s partner-in-rhyme, Sean Foreman, “we’re not über-cool, we’re just like anyone out there. It’s OK to jump around. I’m no usher; I can’t moonwalk across the stage, but I’m having fun. I’m putting my energy out and going crazy, so it’s oK for you, too. You don’t have to sit there and be worried that you’ll look like an idiot. We’re all in this together and we’re all having a good time.”
For the last four years, that attitude of assurance has helped put 3OH!3 fans’ insecurities at ease while throwing their bodies into frenzies. This summer, the boys from Boulder, Colorado, will join Warped Tour for a month to bring the party to parks and parking lots across the states, while releasing an eP of new material to satiate fans’ thirst for new bangers. It’s the fifth time in as many years 3OH!3 has gotten involved with the touring festival (twice prior for summer-long stints, twice for one-off dates), and RAGGED caught up with the wild children before they packed their bags—to pick their brains and explore the evolution of the band’s onstage raucous.
On this cold and rainy April day in New York, we needed some music to lift our spirits. What did we turn to? RAGGED alum Fitz and the Tantrums incredible 2010 record, “Pickin’ Up The Pieces” which features one of our favorite songs of the last few years, “MoneyGrabber,” so it’s only fitting that today’s “From the Archives” feature goes back to the band’s feature from Issue 15! Enjoy our exclusive Q&A with the band below, and be sure to download the full issue which also features Dev, Girl Talk and The Static Jacks!
Some breakups burn hard, and take twice the amount of time that you were in the relationship to recover from. Others are fateful lessons learned that urge us to reflect back —- “What was I thinking?” Regardless of how it goes down and which side of the fence you land on, there’s nothing like a good solid breakup anthem to propel you towards the light at the end of the tunnel. With words that yearn but make you feel stronger at the same time, moved by the satisfaction that comes from discovering that you’re not alone, songs are the perfect workout for a broken heart.
Los Angeles-based six-piece Fitz and the Tantrums dished out the soul food and heartbreak helper with their debut album, Pickin’ Up the Pieces, last year. The band is composed of two lead singers, Fitz and Noelle, who channel a modern-day version of Ike and Tina Turner, trading barbs and melodies while the Tantrums (bassist Joe Karnes, keyboardist Jeremy Ruzumna, flautist and saxophonist James King and drummer John Wicks) deliver tight, ’60s-esque jams that lift you right up off of the floor. They’ve got the presence and moves to assure you they’re one of the hardest-working bands around and here, RAGGED catches Fitz for a moment during his band’s current tour to discuss the past, present and future sounds of post-heartache hope.
As you know, our Girl on the Scene, Lenay Dunn, hit up SXSW in Austin, TX last month to get all the music and fashion scoop for you. Not only did she scout around the festival for street styles, but she also got up-close and personal with some of the hottest up-and-coming performers to talk about their favorite looks! From “grandma blouses” and “dad style” to much love for thrift stores, the bands provided tons of (sometimes hilarious) insight into their sartorial sensibilities. Re-visit Lenay’s personal blog recounting her time in Austin here, and enjoy the below exclusive video on SXSW Style featuring Oberhofer, We Are Serenades, Tristen, and Now, Now.
So, RAGGED readers, who do you think had the best SXSW style? Stay tuned for more to come!
It’s a good Monday for Motion City Soundtrackfans! Not only has the band announced new headlining tour dates for the Spring, but they’ve also premiered a new song from their forthcoming album, Go, set for a June 12th release date!
About the song, titled “True Romance,” frontman Justin Pierre told Rolling Stone:
“‘True Romance’ is a love song about two people who seemingly don’t have much in common except their love for the time they share in the bedroom. In my experience, opposites do attract. And if you can get over the superficialities, you often find you have more in common than you initially thought. Perhaps you even find love.”
Motion City Soundtrack Tour Dates
June
14 - Casbah / San Diego, CA
15 - Troubadour / Los Angeles, CA
16 - Slim’s / San Francisco, CA
18 - In the Venue / Salt Lake City, UT
19 - Bluebird Theatre / Denver, CO
21 - The Firebird / St. Louis, MO
22 - Lincoln Hall / Chicago, IL
23 - River’s Edge Festival / St. Paul, MN
25 - Grog Shop / Cleveland, OH
26 - Water Street / Rochester, NY
27 - Union Transfer / Philadelphia, PA
30 - Middle East Downstairs / Boston, MA
July
1 - Ottobar / Baltimorte, MD
5 - Summerfest / Milwaukee/ WI
