Welcome to another weekend! Start it off right with music from the artists we’ve featured this week at BestNewBands.com.

“Steel My Heart” – The Angry Orts

Liz Livengood got a chance to sit down with The Angry Orts before their show at The Woods in Portland last Saturday.

Read the rest of Liz’s post here.

***

“Mad Tom of Bedlam” – Charlene Kaye

In Tuesday’s BackStory feature, Charlene Kaye tells us the story behind “Mad Tom of Bedlam.” Here’s an excerpt of her explanation:

“Mad Tom of Bedlam is the name of an anonymous English poem that was written in the 1600s about people who feigned mental illness as a guise to beg for money, such as Shakespeare’s King Lear. The word ‘bedlam’ is derived from the mental hospital called Bethlem Royal Hospital in Britain, which was also called Bedlam. The story addresses the character ‘Mad Maudlin’ (mentioned in the first verse) who searches for her beloved Tom, who has gone mad (or, is pretending to be mad) since visiting Bedlam. [...] As for the lyrics, at the time I didn’t know what any of it meant, but I loved the sounds of the words and the playful, nonsensical nature of it all. I started messing around with it on my guitar one day and put some simple bluesy chords to it, and after I worked it out with the band, it became a staple in our live show – people loved it!”

Read the rest of Charlene Kaye’s BackStory here.

“Off Our Backs” – MEN

Kristina Villarini reviewed MEN’s new album, Talk About Body, which came out Tuesday.

Kristina wrote, “MEN still call us to action regarding war, the economy, equal rights, sexuality (JD is transgendered) and gender relations, but I wonder if listeners unfamiliar with either bands will really take the effort seriously while it’s served to you on a plate full of funk, 80′s and disco. It can get a little confusing if you’re looking to just dance when the title track ‘Life’s Half Price’ begins, but then you hear a song like ‘Off Our Backs,’ which is just a fun song, laden with layered with female vocals and jump-up-and-down enthusiasm. This all may be a credit to the band, as the album will require repeat listening.”

Read the rest of Kristina’s review here.

***

“We Will All Be Changed” – Seryn

Lauren Novik interviewed Seryn’s Trenton Wheeler about the band’s new album, This Is Where We Are. Here’s some of their conversation:

LN:  The name is pretty interesting – any special meaning behind it?

TW:  In the span of two weeks between becoming a band and playing our first show, we had to figure out a name and very quickly Seryn held the most value to us. The invented word resonated strong ideas held by each of us like surrender, serendipity, serene. It comes loosely based on the latin word for peace or tranquility.

LN:  Your most recent release fluctuates between ambient and rock seamlessly. What was the main inspiration behind the heavy tunes?

TW:  Five people experiencing their lives through different eyes and then trying to manifest those moments into a song can do that sometimes. We’ve all failed; sometimes we’ve succeeded; and those things just kinda creep their way into music.

LN:  Valentine’s Day is around the corner!  If you had to draft a candy conversation heart, what would yours say?

TW:  ”Don’t Eat Me!”

Read the rest of Lauren’s interview here.

***

“Eager For Your Love” – Tristen

On Wednesday, Laurel Kathleen reviewed Tristen’s recent show at The Echo in LA.

Laurel wrote, “I was partiuclarly intrigued by the timbre of Tristen‘s voice: there’s something about her voice that’s difficult to categorize and place, made harder by the fact that it changes so quickly. There’s a very youthful sound to her voice, but she can also sound mature and world-weary. [...] Her lyrics mirrored her unwillingness to be categorized as anything other than a strong songwriter who could pen songs for any emotion or genre, and there was absolute silence when she played a duet with her guitarist. People in the audience were really listening to the words, not just carelessly taking in the performance. Her lyrics were introspective but still memorable, and the chorus of every song was like a glimmering jewel swathed in layers of carefully arranged burlap.”

Read the rest of Laurel’s review here.

***

“Take Me Backwards” – People By The Sea

On Thursday, Claire Gallagher interviewed Jacob Irwin, singer and guitarist of People By The Sea. Here’s some of their conversation:

CG: Did growing up where you did influence your music at all?  Do you feel a kinship with your hometown?

JI: Absolutely.  We love where we grew up [in Tehachapi, CA], and the context of a lot of our songs point to a need for some level of simplicity and reprieve, of value in relationships and spirituality.  The mountains and big sky definitely bring that out of an artist.

CG: What bands do you think you sound like or have you been told you sound like?  Any strange or incongruent comparisons?

JI: We hope like we sound like ourselves, but we’ve recently got “The American Swell Season,” and I’ve gotten Damien Rice a time or two, and Phil Wickham, who’s a professional musician and a second cousin of mine on my dad’s side.  Oh, haha. I totally got likened to that one guy on American Idol.  I still don’t see it.  We don’t want to sound like anyone, predictably enough. Coldplay‘s got the market cornered, anyway [laughs].

Read the rest of Claire’s interview here.

***

“Gone to Clear Lake” – Young Prisms

Kelly Knapp reviewed Young Prisms’ show with The Radio Dept this week at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in NYC.

Kelly wrote, “[Young Prisms’] live show really did more justice to their sound than just hearing the recordings. [...] They aren’t doing anything groundbreaking here, but they play the kind of music that seeps in slowly, and they are a good band to shake your long hair to. No need to push your bangs out of your face – just listen and sway.”

Read the rest of Kelly’s review here.

***

“HOW WE GO OUT” – Leslie Hall

Rebecca Haithcoat recently interviewed this Armes, Iowa “femcee.” Here’s some of their conversation:

RH: What’s a typical day for you?

LH: AHH YES. The life I lead is really really awesome.  Not in an “I’m saving the world” way, but I get to really focus on art and what trips my trigger.  As in, sew/computer/tv/food/computer/snack = all in my pajamas.  It’s like Internet school up in here.

RH: What were you doing at age seven?

LH:  Obsessed with basketball cards and Paula Abdul.  My belly was filled with Cheetos and strawberry virgin daiquiris.  Life was good.

RH: The lyrics you flip from mainstream rappers are just so great – “ladiesss, would ya braid my hair,” “holla if ya hear me”- you had to have listened to rap growing up.

LH:  Not really. Paula Abdul rapped a little; maybe that’s who taught me beat-talkin’.

Read the rest of Rebecca’s interview here.