BONDING: All four members of American Authors met at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and began performing together while still students.

By Geoffrey Rowlands

There seem to be quite a few successful bands around at the moment with at least some members who attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. American Authors are even more closely associated with Berklee. All four members met at the College and began performing together while still students.

“This was back in 2006,” recalled lead singer and guitarist Zac Barnett. “None of us knew each other. We came together through friends of friends. It was one of those happy accidents which sometimes occur. We immediately got on well and formed an instant friendship. The different instruments we played meant we could become a band.”

“Our first rehearsal was truly amazing,” added bass player Dave Rublin. “We had this incredible connection. Everything just felt right. We knew it was the real deal. Being at Berklee meant we were in the perfect place to express ourselves and develop as musicians.”

Zac and Dave, plus guitarist/banjo player James Adam Shelley and drummer Matt Sanchez, originally named themselves The Blue Pages. Their early material was self-released. Some tracks are still available to hear online at (no www.) myspace.com/thebluepagesmusic/music/songs. It wasn’t until 2012 after the band had relocated to New York that their name was changed to American Authors.

“We’d made a living as The Blue Pages but nothing more than that,” James explained. “Things weren’t getting any better after we moved to Brooklyn so we just decided a change of name might bring us a change of luck.”

“We never lost faith in our music,” Matt emphasised. “In fact, we wanted a new name to better reflect the kind of material we were creating.

“Our songs tell stories about experiences in life. That’s what authors do when they write books. As we came from different parts of the country and all walks of life but happened to collide in one spot, the name American Authors seemed like the perfect match for ourselves and our songs.”

They released the single, Believer, not long after changing their name. Although it did not become a chart hit, the song attracted enough attention to mark American Authors as a band to watch.

“We signed a record deal with Island Def Jam,” Zac stated. “Having this major label backing made all the difference. We were doing newspaper and TV interviews so people got to know about us.”

The follow-up to Believer was Best Day of My Life. Initially issued more than a year ago, the official video was not released until last October.

The song was helped by usage in various television commercials, trailers for a pair of Hollywood movies and a cover performed by cast members of “Glee.” This exposure saw Best Day of My Life slowly climb to number one on Billboard’s Adult Pop Songs chart and into the upper reaches of mainstream charts throughout the world.

“We thought both singles were really special,” Dave remarked. “I guess Believer got us noticed and effectively paved the way for Best Day of My Life to become such a big hit.”

“We haven’t given up on Believer,” James added. “It may not have been a hit first time round but we’ll probably re-release the song on the back of our success with Best Day of My Life.”

Both songs appear on their self-titled 2013 EP. They also feature on the band’s recently released debut major label studio album, Oh, What A Life.

“The title can be interpreted as either a happy or sad phrase,” Matt stated. “This reflects the lyrics of our songs. There are highs and lows in life and we’re passionate about telling the stories behind these emotions.”

 

IN BRIEF

Black Stone Cherry

American heavy metal quartet Black Stone Cherry recently released their fourth studio album, Magic Mountain. It shot straight to number five on the UK chart and has just been posted in full at www.youtube.com/watch?v=J53TAYaMj6E.

The official video for lead single, Me And Mary Jane, can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZoKmdbERzA.

The band’s first three albums are also posted in full on YouTube. Their self-titled 2006 debut is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=org1ITRGGNg&list=ALBTKoXRg38BDctCsFicMGGOScamvf-Wbn. “Folklore and Superstition” can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO1_cpIIzXI&list=ALNb4maWNoT6RS-yiLHC64ZkR8IA8qTNgq while “Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea” is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ8itDYP6HU&list=PLhjpk338qsZ-ZQyNJQPYVlJmzVNKwyzti

 

Chromeo

Canadian electrofunk duo Chromeo have just released their fourth studio album, White Women.

The album title is taken from a 1976 book by German photographer Helmut Newton while the cover art is also reflective of his work. So too is the artwork on all four singles which have already been issued from the album.

The concept behind releasing so many singles in quick succession was to deliver the songs as a digital EP to those fans who pre-ordered White Women from Chromeo’s website.

These songs are the latest four postings on (no www.) soundcloud.com/chromeo. Also here is Ezra’s Interlude, another track from the new album, plus numerous remixes of the singles some of which can be downloaded for free.

Chromeo’s first three albums can all be heard in full on YouTube. Their 2004 debut, She’s In Control, is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceb532HLG74&list=ALBTKoXRg38BAPDictqslt2SX0-90pvgPS. “Fancy Footwork” is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLxKbRvTilE&list=ALNb4maWNoT6QzEphXdohmdne_70NhY8l2 while “Business Casual” is available to hear at www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-ybl4QmDf8&list=PLECE925EE40BAA223

 

La Roux

Trouble In Paradise may be an appropriate title for the new La Roux album. Although songwriter/producer Ben Langmaid did not participate in videos or live performances, his studio contributions meant Ben and singer songwriter Elly Jackson were very much a duo.

No confirmation has been given by either party but publicity material for the forthcoming album, which is scheduled for release in July, suggests Ben is now out of the picture. He is no longer listed on La Roux’s Facebook page while production credits on Trouble In Paradise are shared between Elly and sound engineer Ian Sherwin.

Whatever the situation may be, Let Me Down Gently, lead single from the new album, has just been released. No song video is available at present but an audio posting is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOTEx7p-IkM

 

Tricky

English rapper Tricky has given away five songs. Three are recordings made during the last year or so while the other two are Tricky’s personal favourites. One of these is his remix of Strange Fruit by legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday. The songs can be downloaded from www.trickysite.com/trickys-new-5-track-giveaway/. They are offered in exchange for your e-mail address.

 

Jacquie Lee

Jacquie Lee is the latest artist to emerge from US television’s version of The Voice. Runner-up last December in season five, the 16-year-old New Jersey native has just released her debut single, Broken Ones.

An official video has yet to be made but an audio posting of the song can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgCux7ZnoR8. Jacquie’s live performance of Broken Ones on The Voice is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtZcLhsHw3s.

More of her performances on the show can also be found on YouTube. Gain access by typing ‘Jacquie Lee The Voice’ in the website search box.