Ampersand

Hello there, loyal followers! And how are you all on this fine, Wednesday evening? I'm sorry this post is so late in the day, but truthfully I didn't think I was going to be able to post at all! My macbook charger bit the dust last weekend so I've been without it all week! D: Fear not, though, for I have found way within my means to deliver you the interview I promised with those hilarious guys up there in that photo. They call themselves Ampersand and you love them already. Trust me. You do. Now this may be a little bit confusing, but the backwards hat fellow you see all the way to the right, Connor, actually isn't in this band. He has his own band, Ridgemont, which I'm sure I'll be interviewing soon (hint, hint!). The reason Connor was there is because they needed a bassist or they would not have been able to play this show so Connor, being the nice and talented person he is, stepped up and filled in and I have to tell you, he didn't miss a beat! Anyway, I basically said all of that to say this: Ampersand is looking for a full time bassist!

They posted this on their Facebook page not long ago:

"Hey everyone. We are currently in need of a permanent bassist. If you or someone you know may be interested in trying out please contact us at ampersandnj@gmail.com with the following: 

Name,
phone number,
age,
listing of your gear,
a recorded sample of your playing (if possible)
and a description of your experience as a musician.

We are looking for experienced players who know their way around the instrument with reliable gear and transportation. We are planning to do a lot this year and need someone who will take this as seriously as we do. Schedule flexibility is a must. We are looking to play out as often as possible over weekends and small tours. Must be willing and able to provide an equal share for all band expenses. We look forward to hearing from you.

P.s If you are in the Philly, NJ, DE area and wouldn't mind sharing this status it would be greatly appreciated!"

I know that very talented music lovers read and enjoy my blog so if you play the bass and would like to be the permanent bassist for Ampersand, shoot me an email at blairielouhoo@gmail.com with the above requirements and I'll pass your information along! Or, if you'd like, you can email them directly! It's as easy as that. And believe me when I say that Ampersand is a great group of guys and they deserve a great bass player. Anyone would be lucky to fill that spot. I would imagine that your practices would consist of about 70% laughter and 30% actual practicing. Also, Ampersand just reached 500 likes on Facebook, but they could use a lot more so click here to like them!

Whew! Well, now that that's all over we can get to the REAL reason you're here. The interview. Without further delay, here you are.

Enjoy!

-BlairieLouHoo

CALLING ALL READERS! PLEASE HELP MY FRIENDS!

Hello, everyone! I know it's not Wednesday, but I have something special to write about that just can't wait!

My friends in the band Hold Your Own have been presented with an amazing opportunity to play the Radio 104.5 6th Birthday Show in May at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Philly with some incredible bands, but they need our help!

Here's the deal:

Over 400 local bands applied to be a part of this show and it's been narrowed down to 25. Now this round is up to us! From now until March 24th you can vote online at www.radio1045.com every 24 hours! Your vote also enters YOU in a contest to win pit tickets to the birthday show! MAKE SURE TO VOTE FOR HOLD YOUR OWN! After March 24th, the bands are narrowed down again to the top 4 with the most votes and those 4 play a show in Philly on April 20th where the winner will be announced!

I have some videos of the unbelievable show Hold Your Own put on last night in Voorhees, NJ, but due to technical difficulties I am unable to post them at this time. :( I'll post them as soon as possible, though. Don't you worry.

In the mean time, I'll leave you with this video that Rob and Stevie from Hold Your Own made to encourage you to vote for them!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO THIS!

I will consider it a personal favor.

Thank you so much and I'll see you again Wednesday! :D

TO Rob, David, Stevie, Blake & Victor: I love you guys and I know you can do this! I have the utmost faith in you and would love to see you succeed and accomplish your big boy dreams, turning them into adult realities. No matter what, you will ALWAYS be one of my favorite bands and I will continue to support you through everything you do. If you ever doubt that what you're doing isn't worth it or that you don't make a difference in anyone's life, please know that you've made a difference in mine without even realizing it. I know you can do this. Please remember that. <3

-BlairieLouHoo

Bright & Early

Hello, everyone! You're looking dapper this afternoon. Today is the day I'm sure many of you have been awaiting. It's the day I post my interview with Bright & Early! For those of you who do not know, B&E is an American band with guitars and drums, according to their Facebook page. Vague, right? That's what I said, too. Their actual genre is kind of hard to explain. They consider it to be rock, but I consider it to be so much more than that. If you haven't check them out yet, I strongly encourage you to do so! You will not regret it. Also, do you remember my friends in No Such Noise!? Well, they happen to be friends with the guys is B&E and they will be playing a show together on April 7th! The flyer is that snazzy thing you see up there that resembles a Taxi Driver poster. If you like NSN!, then come out and support them as well as Bright & Early and some other really great local bands. Already got my ticket! Hope to see you there. :] Without further delay, here is my interview with Bright & Early.

Enjoy!

-BlairieLouHoo

I, The Breather [Meet Shawn]

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I know, I know. You were expecting a post Friday, right? Well, here's the thing. I normally conduct my interviews on the weekends so posting on Fridays just isn't meshing very well with my schedule and I realize that now so from now on, WEDNESDAYS!

I PROMISE! With that being said, I attended 2 awesome shows last weekend and conducted 3 great interviews with 3 wonderful bands, 1 of which being I, The Breather. I was lucky enough to sit down with Shawn in their tour van before their set and ask him some questions. A special thanks goes out to my new friends in The Artisan (a Jersey band) for contributing 2 questions for me to ask Shawn. Be on the look out for my interview with The Artisan coming soon! They're just finishing up in the studio and are about to hit the scene. Hard. That's not why you're here, though. You're here to see my interview with Shawn and who I am to keep you waiting? So, without any further delay, here you are.

Enjoy!

-BlairieLouHoo

I would like to thank

-Shawn for his time

-Chris (TM) for setting this up

-George (Publicist) for allowing me to conduct the interview

-The Artisan for their questions

and

-CPete for her videography skills and for shooting the clip at the beginning of this video (from back stage, mind you). Be on the look out for her photography page, coming soon!