For a pop-punk band from Richmond, Virginia, Safety Word Orange had all they wanted. They had played Vans Warped Tour and even had a song featured on MTV. But two of the members, James Mason and Jackson Wise, wanted to make something that would last, and their dreams culminated in The Vantage.
The ORANGE music staff hit the road and visited Frisco, Texas, for the city’s annual Edgefest last weekend. But thanks to the scorching heat, overpriced water and an incredibly confusing venue setup, the festival as a whole fell far short of everybody’s expectations.
“Dude, I swear they were better live.” We’ve all given that excuse before, in an effort to defend the bands whose brilliance we’ve seen firsthand, but who failed to deliver when confined to a studio.
Yes, it’s over. It’s been over for a while now. We’re talking about South By Southwest, and we totally feel your withdrawal symptoms. Real life doesn’t seem quite as fun. At the very least, the weeklong festival left us with some fantastic new musical discoveries, and they’ll make the perfect soundtrack to our rainy afternoons spent brooding and planning for next year’s festivities.
While some students left the country for spring break last week, plenty of others stayed to volunteer or enjoy free events during the annual South by Southwest conference in downtown Austin. From film world premieres with big name actors like Amy Schumer and Ryan Gosling, to official and unofficial SXSW live music performances by Wiz Khalifa and Miley Cyrus, this year’s festival was swimming with celebrities. Throughout the week, ORANGE Magazine staff found themselves surrounded by stars and couldn’t help but run into — or hunt down — these famous folks.
Sometimes, you just need to get away. That’s especially true if you live in Austin during spring break, and everybody else’s idea of a getaway is to flock to the already-congested city you call home. But don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to get your music fix outside city limits. Check out this list of Spring Festivals by the ORANGE Music staff and hit the road with a friend, a 12-pack and a killer Spotify playlist.
With their colorful blend of carefree pop and driving guitar riffs, California natives Echosmith wowed a sold-out crowd at Emo’s on Feb. 15 during their U.S. tour.
Now that the Grammys are over, it's time to stop worrying about last year's music and focus on what's to come in 2015. If the last two months are an indicator of what's to come, then it should be a great year. We've already got our eyes set on a handful of upcoming releases.
Remember when MTV actually stood for “Music Television”? No? Well, the ORANGE Music staff does, and we’re still bitter about the change. At a ripe average age of just 20, we might be dating ourselves this week, but we consider these music videos game-changers in a field that is rapidly becoming a dying art.
Fame is fickle. Often the ones who are most worthy of the spotlight will go through their careers without ever reaching it. For some reason or another, these artists have yet to be embraced by the mainstream on the scale that we think they deserve. But at least we know they’re great, and our fingers are crossed.
