INTERVIEWS
Jim Cummings’ Public Display of Reflection
Towards the end of The Beta Test, Jim Cummings explodes into a monologue of anger and truth. Those who have seen the writer/director/actor’s other feature films — Thunder Road and The Wolf of Snow Hollow — are familiar with this trademark scene. The reason for the routine display is that Cummings loves public freakouts. Cummings’ latest character, a hotshot Hollywood agent named Jordan Hines, has good reason to erupt. In the midst of planning his wedding, Hines’ agency (aptly named A.P.E.) is trying to sign its biggest client yet. At the same time, Hines has received an invitation to a discreet sexual encounter. Hines’ balancing act is the heart of The Beta Test. In the midst of this character study, the movie tackles toxic masculinity, social media’s lack of privacy concerns and archaic H...
Courtney Barnett on “Finding Joy Amongst the Mess” with Her New Album Things Take Time, Take Time
When Courtney Barnett turns on her Zoom camera, she’s squinting from the sun. The singer-songwriter, whose new album Things Take Time, Take Time arrives this Friday (November 12th) via Mom+Pop, is calling from outside the house she’s staying at in Joshua Tree, where she’s been rehearsing for her upcoming tour and, deservedly, taking some time to relax. “I’ve just woke up,” she tells Consequence with a laugh. Barnett began writing her follow-up to 2018’s Tell Me How You Really Feel in late 2019 and early 2020, before the you-know-what put most people’s plans on an indefinite pause. Strict COVID safety protocols in her native Australia meant that Barnett had an abundance of free time on her hands: “I was living by myself in Melbourne, and we were in lockdown, and I was writing...
From Rock to EDM: How Former Guns N’ Roses Guitarist ASHBA Is Cultivating a New Generation of Music Fans
Imagine playing sold-out arena shows with one of the most iconic hard rock bands of all-time—and then spending the rest of your night raving at a dance club. This is how former Guns N’ Roses guitarist ASHBA and legendary frontman Axl Rose would spend their time after their headlining shows across the globe. In the midst of their worldwide tours, ASHBA tells us, the bandmates found themselves in some of the most exclusive techno clubs, dancing among EDM fans. Fast-forward to today, when ASHBA is preparing to perform his first headlining show this Friday as a solo performer at Green Bay’s Epic Event Center. After spending years cutting his teeth with Guns N’ Roses, Sixx:A.M., and Beautiful Creatures, ASHBA is now setting out to pursue his own unique creative venture in the mu...
With Here and Now, Gates Return From the Almost Dead
Being told you’re cancer-free should be cause for joyous celebration. But Gates vocalist/guitarist Kevin Dye was also struck by a more negative reaction when told an operation to remove a cancerous growth on his lungs was completely successful. It sent him into a deep spiral of existential depression. He’d first noticed something was wrong in April and May 2018, when he noticed he was repeatedly getting pneumonia. After numerous trips to the doctor, tests determined he had cancer. About a month later, it had been completely removed with an operation. Dye was obviously relieved, but there was a lingering darkness inside him — a sense of despair and despondency he just couldn’t shake. Much as he tried, much as he knew he should be elated, he wasn’t. “I’m the kind of person who thinks about t...
beabadoobee Says Her Next Album Will Sound Completely New: “Every Single Song is in a Whole Different World”
beabadoobee has had quite a year. Following the release of her long-awaited 2020 debut album Fake It Flowers, the Londoner upped the ante and wrote and recorded Our Extended Play EP, released in June, with labelmates Matty Healy and George Daniel of The 1975. And finally, as restrictions have begun to lift and live music is returning, beabadoobee is back on the road, currently touring through North America with fellow Dirty Hit signees BLACKSTARKIDS and Christian Leave as support. As Bea’s sound has transformed from her lo-fi bedroom pop to a heavier, grunge-forward vibe, her songwriting itself has become much more specific and noteworthy. Seeing her show at Webster Hall in New York City last week, it was extremely clear that this sonic evolution has come to define the project and its futu...
They Might Be Giants on New Album BOOK and Heading Back on Tour: “Rest Assured, There Will Be Accordion”
Few indie rock bands can claim the sheer breadth, longevity, and sustained creative inspiration as They Might Be Giants, whose body of work spans nearly four decades, twenty-plus albums, and many hundreds of songs. John Flansburgh and John Linnell’s storied discography includes alt-rock hits (“Birdhouse in Your Soul”), college-rock classics (“Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head”), and the occasional TV theme (“Boss of Me”). Their new album BOOK (out Friday, November 12th) goes in another new direction: Its 15 tracks are available on their own, or accompanied by a large hardcover lyric book, featuring original art connected to the new batch of songs, as well as selected pieces from their last few releases. As always, the songs stand alone; this group is less ornate than some of the band’s ...
Artist of the Month: Meet Geese, the New Brooklyn Post-Punk Vanguard
Artist of the Month is an accolade given to an up-and-coming artist or group who is poised for the big time. In November 2021, we give the nod to Brooklyn post-rockers Geese as they drop their highly buzzed debut album, Projector. Everyone’s been robbed of in-person experiences on way or another in this unprecedented pandemic era. Many already-plugged-in teenage musicians have seen some of their most formative years shunted online. For every breakout success spurred by TikTok, there’s a dozen more who haven’t been so lucky. How does an aspiring 16-year-old artist, for example, expand their horizons when live music is shuttered? How can they possibly hone their stage presence without stages on which to perform? “I remember for a minute in quarantine, we would just get together and watch liv...
The Pursuit of Happiness: Oliver Tree On New Country Album, Antarctica Headlining Dreams
On December 25th, 2001, Oliver Tree wasn’t just a kid on Christmas. Instead, once gifted with his first ever Razor scooter, he suddenly held the keys to his future. Fast-forward two decades and the artist has racked up nearly 24 million monthly listeners on Spotify and half a billion lifetime streams. He’s even got over 11 million followers on TikTok, a platform practically tailor made for his signature brand of quirky comedic bullshit—just check out his badass platinum blonde haircut. Half bowl, half mullet, he’s dubbed it the “bowlet.” Always on the go, Tree is now hard at work on Cowboy Tears, a full-blown country album whose release will reportedly mark his retirement from music. It’s a far cry from the funky blends of pop, hip-hop and el...
Nation of Language on Finding Their Momentum Over the Pandemic: “It Feels Like Winning the Lottery”
Several years ago, Ian Devaney found his NYC musical project at a standstill. “At one point, it was like half the band suddenly and separately moved to Los Angeles,” he says. “I was like, ‘Oh, I guess this has run its course, because everyone’s gone.’” Luckily, Devaney found, well, a way forward (pun intended). In addition to his longtime collaborator and bassist Michael Sue-Poi, Devaney’s wife Aiden Noell joined the band on synths, and Nation of Language was born. It was not without hardship — after releasing their debut album Introduction, Presence in early 2020, the pandemic set in and left the band without any shows to play: “We always felt like the live show was the thing that would really kind of capture people’s attention and imagination… how would anyone ever find this r...
Of Monsters and Men Reflect on the “Beautiful, Dark Forest” of My Head Is an Animal at 10
It’s been a decade since Of Monsters and Men released their debut album My Head Is an Animal in their home country of Iceland in September 2011. The success of the LP and its rollicking lead single “Little Talks” led to a deal with Republic Records, over a million records sold, a permanent spot on the festival circuit both in Europe and Stateside, and an enduring, fervent fanbase. “It’s a super special album,” Ragnar (“Raggi”) Þórhallsson, the group’s co-lead vocalist/guitarist, tells Consequence over Zoom. “I’ve always cared for it — the simplicity of it is that it’s hard to create something simple and beautiful, and I think that album is that.” Released internationally in April 2012, My Head Is an Animal grabbed listeners not just for its catchy melodies, but for the group’s sense of adv...
How Glass Animals’ Most Vulnerable Album Went Viral
It’s October 2015 and around 1:30 in the afternoon at the Austin City Limits Festival. An early day set at an event like this usually requires strength to mobilize. But my friends and I are standing in the pit, excited to see one of the ACL’s best rising new bands on the bill: British indie-rockers, Glass Animals. Their breakout single, “Gooey,” was riding high on the tropical-pop wave that year. With their multi-instrumentalist lead singer, Dave Bayley, the band had drawn comparisons to everyone from Ed Sheeran to the Police. They were playing over a hundred shows a year to sold-out crowds and debuting on all the late-night programs across Europe, the U.S., and the UK. Everything was happening for them. Until tragedy struck. On July 2, 2018, their 30-year-old drummer, Joe Seaw...
MORTEN on the Impact of Future Rave Music, Friendship With David Guetta, and Triumphant Return of ADE
Danish superstar MORTEN has had a special year in dance music. Touring all over the world, he was on a mission to proliferate his patented “future rave” sound, a genre he conceptualized with partner-in-crime David Guetta. The two released a slew of remarkable songs as the popularity of future rave music skyrocketed, such as a fan-favorite remix of the generational dance anthem “Titanium.” Following a triumphant outing at the momentous return of ADE Festival, EDM.com sat down with MORTEN to chat about the impact of future rave music and his plans in 2022. Jarett Lopez Recommended Articles EDM.com: How are you feeling after last night’s event? MORTEN: I just woke up and I feel great. I’m very happy. EDM.com: Let’s chat future rave. Where did it c...
