GR^VE (pronounced ‘grave’) is a newly formed duo composed of Seraph on vocals, and music by Carbon. The pair have come together by what they described as a mutual understanding of our common mortality. Their mission statement is to provide a necessary soundtrack to all who listen to their upcoming multimedia releases of video art and streamable music in a single format. Recently sharing their new single and video for “In Fire,” this starts a whole new unique and notable realm for the group. We had the opportunity to chat with the duo regarding their latest masterpiece, below.

Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically?

Seraph: This song is very close to my heart being about fighting the very anxieties that hold us back in all
areas in life but especially in art. We are fed from a very young age that you need to fit in a box to be
deemed of value by society with no real path to that “acceptable” eventuality. This teaches us from a
young age to feel alone. It’s especially true when what is considered acceptable isn’t something that
appeals to you as a person. The systems that made this way of life for generations before us no longer
work. The world is in chaos from the pandemic, climate change, and apathy. We can only muster the
strength to live through this and survive. Pushing through those concerns both external, and more
dangerous, those we feed ourselves is everything. To create something in spite of it is value.
Finding a way to visualize this was cathartic and I hope it resonates with others who feel similarly.

Carbon: I write a lot of instrumental demos to show Seraph, this was one I felt had an experimental side
to it that wasn’t sure would work in the world of singles. But with her voice and lyrical additions, it felt
right to conceptualize an art piece around it, and thus Seraph’s vision for the visuals is a perfect
accompaniment.

What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)?

S: As a child I was always terrified of and also drawn to all things horror. The video is meant to invoke
that hazy 80’s horror movie feel. It’s a very direct link between media and self esteem in children and
showing a child hearing those taunts “Don’t try, you’ll never find your place” is a way to get that point
across visually. The chorus is what we see resonating with the child as they sing along. It was important
to show that it isn’t doubts that invoke a reaction, it is the refrain. In spite of the rising horror around
him, the child feels safe knowing that they will be okay. Ultimately that is the point of the song and I
hope it comes across via the video.

C: We’ve had talks about horror films, and what we like about atmospheric horror and the vibe of that
seemed perfect for the video. Seraph really is the responsible party for the entire look and feel of the
visual side of “In Fire”.

What was the process of making this video?

S: Color is another character in this video. All of our videos have been black and white up to this point.
There is a hazy blue palette to the video but if you look closely the shots of the band are in black and
white versus the color of room and the child. It’s a subtle nod as it’s all blue treated but important to our
aesthetic. Creating a black space for the shots with C and I was important so that all of the action was
occurring outside of the band. Utilizing After Effects and color grading software to achieve the effects
was all done in house. We originally filmed the tv sequences with the actor watching a blank screen but
at age 7 it’s hard for a child to sit still and look at nothing so we had to refilm with him watching youtube
and digitally replaced the footage with the media. We used after effects to blacken doorways and walls
to give the room a claustrophobic feel. We used software to add diffuse lighting to give an otherworldlylook to the band. Counting renders it took around 100 hours on the production end to create the video
and very pleased with the outcome.

C: Nothing to add!

Find the group via:

https://www.instagram.com/grveband

https://www.facebook.com/grveband

LVCHLD is led by singer, songwriter, poet, and multi-instrumentalist Leo Becker Liebeskind. The group have just revealed their epic new single  “Baby, Won’t You Pass Me the Light?” which is filled to the brim with indie rock tendencies.

The son of novelist Eve Becker and visual artist Bill Liebeskind, Leo was born in Manhattan’s Lower East Side and raised in a community in Upper Manhattan full of New full of art and music. His maternal grandfather and first teacher, Eugene Becker, was the second chair violinist in the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein, and pushed Leo to play music and start learning the violin at just three years old. Though the violin didn’t seem to click, Liebeskind did spend hours as a young child at his dad’s piano, teaching himself until his parents let him quit violin and take piano lessons instead when he was ten.
Leo Becker Liebeskind of LVCHLD shares:
“I wrote “Baby, Won’t You Pass Me the Light?” on the 2 train, walking through the 14th street station, and then the F train — crazy story, I know. I was terribly infatuated with someone who I could tell it was never gonna work out with, but we got high together, a lot, and so it felt like I had to write a song about coming to terms with just asking her to pass me a lighter, if nothing else — taking people and relationships as they are, something like that. After that, “Baby” kind of became the anthem of this band: you can take the lighter out of the baby, but you can never take the love out of the child…don’t you ever take that love out of that baby, or you’ll never get that lighter off that child. It’s a song that took about 5 minutes to write and about 5 years to record, but I’m proud of the track that it’s finally become, and I’m excited to see it enter the world, the pregnancy’s over.”

After a brief stint at Oberlin College, Leo returned home to New York to focus on songwriting and performing, where he met twin brothers, guitarist Aaron Mones and producer/multi-instrumentalist Wyatt Mones. The trio began playing together and found an immediate chemistry, with the Mones brothers’ deep background in ‘90s and early 2000s music meshing seamlessly with Liebeskind’s ‘60s and ‘70s roots, eventually coming together to form LVCHLD. Over the years, the band has brought on a rotating cast of friends to round out the live band, ranging from stripped down, acoustic sets, to a full 6-piece rock & roll sound. The band has become known around New York for its vivacious, dynamic, and emotionally raw live performances.

After working quietly in home studio set-ups from 2018-2020, LVCHLD has released a slew of new music since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Their first two releases, “Love Me All Up” and “Hats Off,” introduced a frenetically energetic rock & roll sound that is at once vintage and modern, looking to bands throughout rock & roll’s long history, like Derek and the Dominoes and The Strokes, for inspiration, and highlighting Leo’s trademarked high octane vocals, Aaron’s virtuosic guitar work, and Wyatt’s precise and sculpted approach to production. Their next two singles, “Sunshine” and “Costume Boxes,” showcase Liebeskind’s more lyrical work, as well as some of Aaron’s most nuanced playing and the trio’s most intricate orchestration, drawing on the work of some of today’s forward-thinking and genre-bending artists, like of Blake Mills, Frank Ocean, Sturgill Simpson, and the Alabama Shakes.

MIYAVI, the J-pop/rock icon and world-famous guitarist, today announced the release of his new single called New Gravity which is the pre-single to his upcoming album called, Imaginary. The 13th studio album will drop on September 15th, the same day as MIYAVI celebrates his 40th birthday. He will also appear in a special birthday performance at the historic Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto on September 18 that will be live streamed on the global app, Line. He is one of the very few Japanese artists entrusted to promote Japanese culture to the world with this performance building a cultural bridge through music from East to West.

Listen to “New Gravity” here:

Pre-save “Imaginary” here:

https://miyavi.lnk.to/ima_alPR

For more information about the tour and to purchase tickets on sale now, visit miyavi.com. 

As the first single, New Gravity is a prelude to the album with MIYAVI’s unique approach that is demonstrated through this imaginative song showing a musicality that is new and different from the multi-talented rock sensation’s previous work. The distinct style of New Gravity teases the sound for Imaginary. The album features a comprehensive set of 11 songs including three features with two-time Grammy Award-winning singer Kimbra, indie rock artist Troi Irons and a third with a special guest.

The album will be available in three different editions: Limited Edition A, Limited Edition B, and Regular Edition. A bonus DVD, only available with the exclusive versions, will feature last year’s MIYAVI Virtual Level 5.0: Synthesis concert recording.

The musician is also an actor, having appeared in blockbuster films such as Kong: Skull Island, Maleficent 2 and the Angelina Jolie directed film Unbroken. On September 10, he will return to acting as a co-star in the new action film for Netflix, Kate, alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

On September 29, the multi-genre artist will embark on his 20-city Imaginary North American tour, for the first time in two years.  The demand is so strong that a second performance for Chicago, on October 20, has already been added. Fans who purchase a Limited Edition copy of the album will also receive a collectible Holy Nights clutch bag featuring an original logo commemorating the album’s debut.

Outside of music and acting, MIYAVI will be featured as a judge on the Japanese version of The Masked Singer airing on Amazon Prime. He is also the current face of Gucci in Japan and has been appointed UNHCR Ambassador. Known as the “samurai guitarist” or “Japanese Carlos Santana” for his guitar skills, the musician constantly challenges himself with each new endeavor, and is the most promising Japanese artist who strives to promote Japanese culture worldwide.

Lindsay Solo is a trained vocalist who has been inspired by music since she was a girl. She just released her first solo album called Love Reimagined, full of songs that mean something personally to her. Every song is a cover that she performs in her own unique way that exemplifies how each one makes her feel. While each song is powerful and shows us what she can do, her rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is her most powerful.

Her version of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” highlights her vocal range and talent as a singer. She is able to maintain a base, which is where she naturally goes, while going both high and low at any given time. She is able to move her voice so effortlessly as the song crescendos. Her version of the song is more gospel and R&B inspired, which gives her the leeway to go as low to as high as she can. 

She recently performed the song at the EastWest Studios in Los Angeles where she brings the song to life. You can see how effortless it is for her to sing, but also the passion she has for music. You know instantly that this song means a lot to her, you can hear it in her voice and see it in her performance. Her rendition gives you goosebumps when she sings it because her version is more intimate, it’s personal. She sings it like she is singing directly to you. 

Lindsey Solo is such a talented singer. She brings her music to life because she is able to connect to it so deeply. It’s so beautiful and raw. You can listen to “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and the rest of her album on Spotify and you can see the video of her performance at the EastWest Studios on YouTube. It’s a must listen. We spoke to Lindsay for a special edition of Video Voyageur you’ll find below.

Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

I love the cinematic stylings of the original song and it worked well in the context of “Love Reimagined” because it is very supportive in regards to our world globally with what has been happening throughout the Pandemic. We really connected it to the social justice movement that was happening throughout the lockdown and it transcended not only as a love song but also as a call to support real issues going on in our society right now.We chose this because the original had an epic feel to it which allowed us the opportunity to arrange it a completely different way while still achieving the same results. By making it a gospel arrangement I feel we brought the soul out of this song with an organic direct resonance to it and could really convey an authentic and genuine emotion with this arrangement.

What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

This song was made in the 70’ s,  so we looked at other artists around that time and wanted to capture a timeless visual feel of how bands were performing in those days. We wanted to make a nod to visual styles of the past with a more modern flare and an intercutting of the musicians vs a straight on shot of the band. Since we recorded this live, we wanted to capture the energy of the performance by not just focusing on me, but all of the incredible musicians who contributed to this wonderful arrangement. We focused the story board in a way that allowed the music to be supportive with an organic visual performance.

What was the process of making this video?

We really wanted to get into the mood and feeling of the song by having an incredible team on set, including the location. East West studios is iconic and really set the tone to grab the song and take you on a journey with us back in time. The energy of the room itself, (where Frank Sinatra recorded “ New York, New York”) was felt the moment you walk in. Everyone played a special role and was specifically chosen with their talent in mind. Each detail was carefully thought out.  Hair, makeup, styling, musicians, as well as the videographer were key. I wanted to make sure we captured intimate details of the live performance because they are so integral to the power behind the music. Because we were going for a specific style of music we also wanted to be sure we had incredibly seasoned musicians that live and breath music everyday. The gospel choir was definitely a focus as it brings out the meaning of the song even more and inspired me to sing with even more feeling. The day was long but the process was so much fun, especially after being in lockdown and not performing live as often. It was incredible to see one another and share in music that day. We didn’t want it to end. It was like a healing balm that we all needed.  

Chugging in from New York City, The R Train pulls into the station with a new song called “Rock On” and we do rock on! The song is funky with elements of Black Sabbath, Tom Petty and the Beatles. The trio and long time friends feature multi instrumentalists, deep bass and powerhouse harmonies that feature pounding drums with power and precision. 

Having co-written all the songs, their inspiration is vast including  Billy Joel, Chuck Berry and Paul McCartney. The diversity in their music allows a wide range of audience with their feel-good vibes of rock and roll and makes us want to jump on the party R train! 

“Rock On” is an ode to classic rock while consistently incorporating vintage guitar riffs with a modern flair. A band that is good for all ages and has lasted through the ages, The R Train pulls out all the stops on their journey to rock and welcome us to rock our hearts our and dance to the groove of the music, and we sure do!

Watch the video below!

Find The R Train via:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Soundcloud | YouTube | Spotify

Brittaney Delsarte releases her latest single “Southern Life” in anticipation of her upcoming EP Call Me Blossom. “Southern Life” begins with a throwback beat, setting the tone for the song. This song is similar to that of late 90s and early 2000s hip-hop and R&B hits. Brittaney creates “Southern Life” using her experiences as she was born and raised in South Carolina. This single discusses all the positive experiences that come from living that southern lifestyle.

Brittaney is a woman with many accolades and years of experience in the arts. She was blessed with a talented family who pushed her to achieve her dreams. At age 4, Brittaney was training with some of the best institutions in voice, dance, and acting. In 2018, Brittaney received her Masters from Arts Studio Drama School in New York. She has appeared in many plays both on and off broadway. In addition to her contribution to the arts, she also participates in journalism with big TV networks such as CNN. Brittaney is an inspiration to many women, especially those who are minorities and are often discouraged from reaching their full potential.

Throughout the single, Brittaney’s voice truly stands out. Her training in jazz vocals shows true through her melodic compositions in her chorus. Her verses bring out her pop technique as well as show her ability to blend genres together. Her shifts between pop verses to a jazzy chorus are very graceful and smooth. Her backup vocals in the chorus create a spatial awareness for the audience that helps create significance in her lyrics. 

“Southern Life” has a vocal production similar to that of Destiny’s Child. The beat fits the category of 90s-2000s hits. Destiny’s Child would group together to sing parts of their songs, typically the chorus, and add dimension to their music. Brittaney creates a similar effect by doubling her vocals in the chorus. Her vocal range is similar to that of Ari Lennox and SZA, although Brittaney sings at a faster pace. “Southern Life” is a sentimental tribute to the joyful life in the South. Its fast-paced tempo allows the single match today’s pop hits while the beat brings us back in time. We are excited to listen to more of Brittaney Delsarte with her upcoming album Call Me Blossom.

Stream “Southern Life” Here: 

Follow Brittaney Here:

https://www.brittaneychatman.com

https://www.instagram.com/brittandbroadway/