WE RECENTLY CHATTED WITH LOS ANGELES’ PSYCH-POP OUTFIT AMERICAN ROYALTY FOR OUR TWELV QUESTIONS SERIES IN SUPPORT OF THEIR CURRENT TRACK “HONEY & QUEEN.” SIMILAR TO THE SOUNDS OF LITTLE DRAGON, “HONEY & QUEEN” WAS WRITTEN AND RECORDED DURING THE BAND’S SUMMER 2012 RESIDENCY AT THE ECHO IN LOS ANGELES. THE TRIO, WHICH INCLUDES MEMBERS MARC GILFRY, BILLY SCHER AND MAT UNGSON, WILL ALSO BE DROPPING THEIR ANTICIPATED EP PRISMATIC ON FEBRUARY 5^TH, 2013 VIA GUNS IN THE SUN RECORDS. IF YOU’RE A NEW YORKER, YOU’RE IN LUCK. SCHER HAS A DJ RESIDENCY HAPPENING AT THE ACE HOTEL DURING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, ALONG WITH THE BAND’S EP RELEASE SHOW HAPPENING ON FEBRUARY 7^TH, 2013 AT MERCURY LOUNGE. 

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(Source: twelvmag.com)

LOS ANGELES MUSICIAN JACK DUFF HAS ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN CREATING MUSIC THAT DEFIES GENRE BOUNDARIES. THE SONGWRITER AND PRODUCER, WHO GREW UP STUDYING CLASSICAL PIANO AND JAZZ DRUMMING, HAS BUILT HIS SOLO PROJECT, GLASS THEORY, AROUND THE IDEA THAT IT’S IMPORTANT TO CULL INSPIRATION FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES. GLASS THEORY, BASED LARGELY ON ELECTRONIC SOUNDS, DRAWS EQUALLY ON DUFF’S FASCINATION WITH THE 80’S AND NEW WAVE AS IT DOES HIS AFFINITY FOR SWEDISH-POP. DUFF, WHO HAS PLAYED WITH NUMEROUS GROUPS AROUND LA, FOUND CLARITY IN HIS SONGWRITING TOWARD THE END OF LAST YEAR. AFTER SPENDING MOST OF 2011 WRITING AND IMPROVING HIS PRODUCING SKILLS, HE AT LAST UNLEASHES THE CREATION OF GLASS THEORY.

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(Source: twelvmag.com)

Brooklyn’s own Heloise Williams of Heloise & The Savior Faire will release her highly anticipated sophomore record Diamond Dust in early-Spring 2013. She recently released her new single “Vibezz” off Diamond Dust- listen HERE and watch the video HERE. Diamond Dust was produced by both Shy Child’s Pete Cafarella and duo “Bassy” Brockman and Eric Gorman (Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, TLC).

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(Source: twelvmag.com)

FOLK POP BAND DARK DARK DARK’S ROOTS MAY BE IN MINNEAPOLIS, BUT THEY HAVE TREKKED A LONG AND WINDING JOURNEY SINCE AND ARE STILL ON A RIDE AROUND THE WORLD. AFTER THE RELEASE OF THEIR LATEST ALBUM WHO NEEDS WHO ON SUPPLY & DEMAND MUSIC, THE BAND IS BACK ON THE ROAD WITH STOPS ALL OVER THE U.S., AUSTRALIA AND EUROPE. THEIR CURRENT LINEUP INCLUDES NONA MARIE INVIE, MARSHALL LACOUNT, WALTER MCCLEMENTS, MARK TRECKA, AND ADAM WOZNIAK. LEAD VOCALIST, PIANO AND ACCORDION-PLAYER NONA TOOK TIME OUT OF HER HECTIC TOUR LIFE TO ANSWER TWELV QUESTIONS.

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(Source: twelvmag.com)

LIVE MUSIC IS THE ENGINE OF TODAY’S MUSIC INDUSTRY. AND THE TOURING LIFESTYLE CAN BE EITHER THE LEATHER BUCKET SEATS, OR THE BATTERED UPHOLSTERY. OR BOTH. WE ASKED ‘REPTILE YOUTH’ ABOUT TAKING THEIR SHOW ON THE ROAD.

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ILIRJANA ALUSHAJ IS ON HER WAY TO BECOMING A HARD TO PRONOUNCE HOUSEHOLD NAME. YOU MIGHT HAVE SPOTTED HER ON BLOGS AND IN PAGES OF MAGAZINES. YOU MIGHT BE A FAN OF HER LABEL/PUBLICATION KNOWN AS THE POP MANIFESTO. YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD HER BAND APACHE BEAT OR HER SOLO WORK ILLE, OR HAVE SPOTTED HER IN GIRL CRISIS (A COLLAB FEATURING LEADING LADIES FROM CHAIRLIFT, AU REVOIR SIMONE, CLASS ACTRESS, ETC) VIDEOS. THOUGH ALUSHAJ HAS HER HANDS IN SEEMINGLY EVERY JAR, SHE IS FIRST AND FOREMOST A MUSICIAN. WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE MULTI-TASKING MUSICIAN TO ANSWER TWELV QUESTIONS ABOUT PERFORMING AND TOUR.

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(Source: twelvmag.com)

A WOMAN OF MANY HATS, PROMISE SMITH’S ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT DRIVE’S HER IN MANY DIRECTIONS WHEN IT COMES TO FULFILLING HER CREATIVE OUTLETS. FROM MODELING TO FILMING TO MUSIC VIDEO AND CLOTHING COLLABORATIONS, THIS LADY SEEMS TO HAVE HER HANDS FULL. BUT THAT DOESN’T STOP HER…

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(Source: twelvmag.com)

CHELSEA WOLFE’S MUSIC HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS EVERYTHING FROM “DOOM-FOLK” TO “DRONE-METAL-ART-FOLK” TO “GLOOMY PORTISHEAD-MEETS-MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN.”

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JANKA NABAY, WHO REVIVED A FADING MUSICAL TREASURE, AFTER ONCE HAVING MADE IT BIG BACK HOME, ESCAPED WAR AND CHAOS, AND STILL MANAGED TO WRITE AND PLAY SONGS WHILE WORKING AT AMERICAN FAST-FOOD FRYERS. NOW, AT LAST, NABAY HITS HIS STRIDE WITH BROOKLYN INDIE EXPERIMENTERS-TURNED-ACOLYTES THE BUBU GANG (WITH MEMBERS OF SKELETONS, CHAIRLIFT, STARRING, SAADI, AND HIGHLIFE) ON HIS FIRST ALBUM-LENGTH RELEASE IN THE WEST, EN YAY SAH (“I’M SCARED”) RELEASED ON LUAKA BOP ON AUGUST 7.

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CARINA ROUND HAS CARVED A SINGULAR PATH IN MUSIC WITH HER INIMITABLE VOICE AND STIRRINGLY VARIED COMPOSITIONS. HER UNCOMPROMISING VISION AND THRILLING VERSATILITY HAS GARNERED AN IMMENSELY PASSIONATE FAN BASE INCLUDING A MYRIAD OF HIGHLY REGARDED MUSICIANS. HER FORTHCOMING ALBUM TITLE ‘TIGERMENDING’ IS INSPIRED BY A PAINTING BY AMY CUTLER WHERE THREE WOMEN SIT IN A FIELD DUTIFULLY STITCHING THE BELLIES OF A HEAP OF HELPLESS TIGERS.

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(Source: twelvmag.com)

LIVE MUSIC IS THE ENGINE OF TODAY’S MUSIC INDUSTRY.  WHETHER YOUR TOUR BUS IS DECKED OUT WITH COMFY LEATHER BUCKET SEATS OR BATTERED UPHOLSTERY, OR BOTH, TOURING IS ROUGH. WE ASKED CATE LE BON ABOUT TAKING THEIR SHOW ON THE ROAD.

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(Source: twelvmag.com)

ENTER MNDR.  THE MUSICIAN GIVING POP A GLIMPSE INTO INTELLIGENT DANCE MUSIC. HER ALBUM “FEED ME DIAMONDS” RELEASES AUGUST 14TH AND THE DANCE HIT “#1 IN HEAVEN” WAS A FAST HIT.  WE CAUGHT UP WITH THE DANCE DIVA BEFORE HER FREE SHOW ON NYC’S THE INTREPID.  THE EVENT INCLUDED ARTISTS DELICATE STEVE, JAVELIN, AND RED BARAAT. 

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(Source: twelvmag.com)