is a singer/songwriter from Atlanta Georgia. He initially gained a following through Youtube by posting comedic videos before he was discovered by producer Jasper Cameron. In 2015 Malachiae signed to Motown after his first EP, “The Rideout”. A second version of the EP was released through the label including the hit, “Thank Yo Momma” featuring Migos.

(Motown – Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Lionel Richie)

Last week I had the pleasure of getting on the phone with the budding R&B artist and ask a few questions of how the past year has been. The transcript can be found below:

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Growing up in Atlanta, what was the music scene like there? How hard was it to break in?

Music scene is crazy… Pros and cons doing music in Atlanta. Cons are that there is a lot of competition and you have to find a niche to stand out from the norm. Pros is everyone is in the entertainment field.

Are your friends a part of the scene as well?

Actual friends not in music, but I have a lot of associates that do music stuff.

What do you do with friends on free time?

Home boy had a birthday so we got a hotel and invited girls. Typically I go to the movies, I like go-karting, stuff like that.

When did you initially realize that you could sing well?

When the girls started going crazy… I used to do comedy videos. I sang a little bit and the next day I checked the comments and all the girls were going crazy. A couple months later my school had a talent show and I joined that. I wanted to do what the girls wanted me to do.

What’s your writing process? Where do you find inspiration?

How I’m feeling at the moment… Life experiences with friends, family, anything. Whatever is on my mind.

Do you ever help out in the production process of your music?

I do behind the scenes work too. Learned how to mix in my room. I’m self-motivated. Once I started taking music seriously I wanted to learn how to record. You can always depend on people to do things for you and sometimes you have to do it for yourself.

How did Jasper Cameron initially approach you?

We met at a video shoot years ago in 10th grade. A girl wanted me to play the lead guy in a music video. She’s signed to RCA. She told Jasper and a couple other people I sing. He got my number from her the next day and he sent me a beat and wanted to see what I could do with it.

How was it working with the music group Migos?

It was a dope experience. Just another way to support young, up-and-coming artists. My manager put the play together. And I finally got to meet them when they came in to the video shoot.

How does it feel being signed to Motown? What was your initial reaction?

I know there was a lot of greats that went through Motown. A little bit of pressure because I have to live up to that. Feels great to know I’m signed to a label with so many great influences. I was signed the day after graduation.

How are you dealing with the rapid rise to fame?

People notice me when I’m out and about. To know that my music is being received and people will support me proves that dreams do come true. If you have a dream go for it, don’t care what anyone else thinks.

Do you have any other artistic interests?

Before music I was doing acting, I know how to play some instruments, drums, piano. It just happens that music took off before. On a more personal level I like to do regular stuff.

Do you see yourself pursuing an acting career?

I just got my first acting role a few weeks ago. It’s a big role and I’m shooting in the next couple weeks.

Do you have anything in the works that we should look out for?

I’m going to create good music. Inspire the youth and young generation. More videos, keep grinding, put a face to name. Go on tour.

Q&A with Malachiae

On January 16th I had the pleasure of attending the 10th anniversary of Igloofest in Montreal, Quebec. Unlike many other cities, when Winter strikes Montreal, the city doesn’t shut down, it becomes absolutely electric. Rather than shunning the cold, Québécoise embraces it, reveling in the frigid temperatures and icy conditions. There are constant winter themed events and activities, with Igloofest being the pinnacle. This iconic outdoor music festival starts the second weekend of January and goes for a whole month, with three nights of artists per weekend (Thursday, Friday and Saturday.) The festival is held at the Jacques Cartier Quay in the historic Old Port of Montreal, and hosts two massive stages with overlapping acts.


I can without a doubt say that this festival was unlike any other I’ve ever experienced, most simply because the actual music seemed to come secondary to the sprawling, icy wonderland that is the festival. It served as a rhythmic, pulsing heartbeat for the event rather than being the main focus. Many of the artists were relatively small Quebec local house and EDM musicians including the headliner, Mistress Barbara. Another notable Montrealite and Hudson Mohawke collaborator, Lunice, also played the festival. Even though the artists individually had rather small followings, the event attracted nearly 25,000 people in its first weekend. While I’m sure there were some die-hard fans of the artists in the audience, the majority of the crowd didn’t seem to even notice set changes. There were no pauses in between artists, with DJ’s fluidly swapping in and out to keep the music going the entire time. Even the I

 and promotional material focuses pretty much exclusively on Igloofest and its traditions, like its weekly Iglooswag contest and a host of ridiculous costumed characters.


Ultimately, it didn’t matter that I wasn’t overly familiar with the artists. However, when dancing in the snow alongside the masses of people speaking languages from all around the world, sipping on sparkling cider purchased from a bar made of solid ice, nothing else mattered. Everything else in the world faded away and soon even the freezing temperatures didn’t faze me. It was pure winter bliss. Along with all of the ice sculptures and other winter festivities, each weekend of the festival is given a different theme for people to follow when picking their “most kitsch winter gear”, (the theme was “Fur Madness” for our weekend). While I wasn’t familiar with many of the artists, it’s not to say that the performances weren’t great. The stage featured massive screens that played dynamic visuals along with a full laser light show illuminating the audience. Mistress Barbara’s performance was especially interesting, beginning her set with a mix of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” that she prepared solely for the Igloofest stage.As an outside foreigner it was truly very special to get a first hand look at the way Montreal truly conquers Winter.

Igloofest 2016

Just last week, local rockers, Oh, Malô released their latest music video for “Out On My Own,” featuring the band’s Jordan Lagana’s dissent from his historical beard age. The video, created by 

, highlights a whimsical take on an emotional topic, featuring the group’s second song off of 

the band’s second color-themed EP. I encourage you to take a look at the video 

 present colorful soundscapes through their eclecticism, inspired by a series of emotions and experiences. Founded in 2014, the band reached immediate chemistry and completed the writing of their debut album in a mere three months. Since then, the group has released two out of three of their color-themed EPs, 

Oh, Malô pulls influences from bands such as Bombay Bicycle Club, Radiohead, Local Natives, Daughter and Jeff Buckley to create a consistently unpredictable blend of timbres and arrangements.

Don’t miss out on other Fitz Ross productions such as the 

 that was premiered last friday via AbsolutePunk. Stay tuned for other upcoming Fitz Ross releases featuring Spare Room Sessions from Bent Shapes, Bent Knee, Funeral Advantage and many more.

OH, MALÔ RELEASES “OUT ON MY OWN” MUSIC VIDEO

Whether or not it’s on your radar at the moment, the annual CMJ Music Marathon is here at last and as usual, there is no shortage of talent being presented. Artists from Austin to Australia and surf rock to speed metal will be taking one of the 80 stages peppered across New York City to vie for the attention of the estimated 125,000 fans throughout the course of the events four days of madness. If you, like many others, are feeling overwhelmed by the foray of artists that have been named to the festivals lineup, here is a bit of a teaser for some key acts to look out for.

10/23 – Pianos @ 2:30 PM + Fader Fort @ 8:45 PM

10/25 – Brooklyn Night Bazaar @ 5:30 PM

 The Dead Weather, Black Keys, Queens Of The Stone Age

 10/21 – Marlin Room (Webster Hall) @ 5:45 PM

CMJ Artist Previews!

The term ‘independent’ or ‘indie’ is a word thrown around these days in a musical context that can have many implications. It is frequently employed as an adjective (much to my chagrin) to blanket a genre of perhaps less-produced and non-traditional sounding artists, a categorization of artist that is either unsigned or signed to a label not affiliated with a major, and sometimes simply just an indication of a project with a low-budget. Brooklyn based rock band, Snowmine, is an exemplary group of the title “indie-rock band”. Self-releasing their newest album 

this past February with the assistance of a successful crowd-funding campaign on their newly created label, Mystery Buildings, the band oversaw every minute detail of the entire release process including recording, producing, ordering of merchandise, and even the rolling of hundreds of individual t-shirts to be sent out to fans both domestically and international. This past Tuesday I had the pleasure of sitting down to talk to the extremely friendly five-piece band over dinner before the opening night of their first national headlining tour at Great Scott in Allston, MA.

With topics ranging from fictional DiGiorno Pizza commercials to the group’s admiration of Grammy winning neo-soul artist D’Angelo, the conversation throughout dinner couldn’t have been livelier for a group of guys running on 4-6 hours of sleep. Why so little sleep for a group only 4 hours out of Boston you ask? Jay Goodman, the bassist of the group, explained to me upon entering the venue that the band’s sound check took well over 10 hours throughout two days to meticulously perfect the synchronicity between lights and sound, along with making sure the instrument levels were in balance to allow the utmost stimulating listening experience, a task lengthy enough by itself.

The light patterns were organically designed by the group themselves in order to create a more indicative arrangement of their sound rather than just using the venue’s in-house lights. It is this type of attention to detail that places Snowmine above and beyond other bands when it comes to fan engagement and work ethic. At one point, Goodman proclaimed that the group was constantly trying to push forward not only the limitations of visual presentation itself, but also the array of sounds represented within their music. In response to a question concerning offbeat recording techniques, Grayson Sanders, the lead vocalist and keyboardist of the group, went into great detail about some of the more unorthodox and experimental methods of capturing sound that the band has explored both for the new album and in the past. Some of these included recording live choirs and string sections within an empty church to capture true stereo reverb, and even recording an Ikea lamp hooked up to a guitar pedal board for chaotic ambience.

From discussing the inspiration behind the unique line of merchandise offered for supporters of the band’s recent crowd funding campaign to the possibility of collaborating with local artists such as Brooklyn designer 

 in the future, it was clear from the get-go that the band’s every intention was geared towards creating a unique and rewarding experience for fans in every facet. In an age where artists frequently flock to sites like Kickstarter and PledgeMusic in hopes of creating one-of-a-kind rewards for devout fans, Grayson explained that they wanted to make it even more intimate by going direct-to-fan and bypass the traditional route. “These past shows have been amazing because we’ve been able to meet with fans who pledged money towards our campaign and connect with them on a level that otherwise might not have been possible.”

With drummer Alex Beckman leading the way into opening song “This One” off debut EP 

, the crowd inched closer to the stage with each and every carefully plotted note. The set consisted of a pretty even split of old material such as fan favorites “Let Me In” and “The Hill”, and the gracefully genre-blending material off of 

 like more pop-based single’s “Columbus” and “Rome”. The premiere of the appropriately titled new song “Tidal Wave” was indisputably one of the high points of the night with a subtle yet clearly evident approval from the entirety of the crowd.

While swaying in tandem with the ebb and flow of the set’s wide array of dynamics, I gained a whole new appreciation for the intricacy and effortlessness of each member’s individual parts and performances throughout the night. From the flawless harmony between guitarists’ Austin Mendenhall and Calvin Pia, the underlying bass lines and delicate drums from Goodman and Beckman, and the feathery vocals of Sanders orchestrating the efforts, it was palpable that Snowmine is surely not a band that takes short cuts in writing their music. Layering is one element that plays a pivotal role in the group’s orchestral yet accessible ambient rock sound and creates a truly fulfilling listening experience that is only amplified in a live setting.

Regardless of their future plans and the possibility of label involvement, Snowmine is a band that stays true to both their sound and their fans. In an industry with anemic record sales and an oversaturated market of trend-hugging artists, it would surely be easy for a band consisting of well-versed musicians like Snowmine to buy into the archetypal hit formula, but after meeting these five genuine and benign musicians, I’d put my money against it. Check out the group’s remaining tour dates as well as their newest record on iTunes and Spotify at the links below, you wont be disappointed.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dialects/id784055317

https://play.spotify.com/album/0sutEMlqQhLZp1XZHJZKYM

Snowmine Interview + Show Review @ Great Scott 9/16

With the days leading up to it being brutally cold, Young The Giant’s intimate Cafe 939 performance this past Thursday night was just what the Boston community needed to warm up and get out of the house. Frontman Sameer Gadhia noted midway through the set that upon arriving in the city on Wednesday, the only time he ventured outdoors was to purchase some jam, but all 200 people packed into The Red Room at Cafe 939 seemed to appreciate his appearance and jammed along with some of their favorite tracks by the California indie rock band.

The group opened up with a new song to be released on their upcoming album Mind Over Matter, “Anagram”, a poppy song that easily could have fit in with songs like “Strings” and “Your Side” from their 2010 self-entitled LP. The infectious rock-driven single “It’s About Time” off the new album was to follow and hypnotized the audience with the foot-stomping snare-drum pattern leading into the falsetto based chorus. Gadhia’s lulled and echoing vocals in “Guns Out” seemed to further the trance of the audience until the opening notes of the band’s first hit, “Cough Syrup”, began to be picked by guitarist Jacob Tilley and the voices of the crowd began to overpower Gadhia on the speakers.

Although many people showed for such moments where they could scream their favorite lyrics to songs off of the band’s self-titled album, all 200 fans left humming the words to the five new songs premiered throughout the night that included “Firelight”, “Crystallized”, and the aforementioned “Anagram”. Being released January 21st through Fueled By Ramen, fans quickly fell in love with the new material off the album and also got a closer listen in the lobby following the show through the promotional table set up bearing headphones playing some of the new tracks.

Just as many predicted, the closer of the night was the crowd-favorite “My Body”, and the crowd’s echoed response of the lyrics to Gadhia surely made it a memorable ending to a high energy show. Seeing such an established group in a small, intimate venue like Cafe 939 proved to be quite the treat and despite the teeth-chattering temperature, the hottest gig the venue has seen in a while.

Quinn Slattery