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Surfer Blood: You Can't Keep a Good Band Down

Photo by Frank Maddocks

(Editor's Note: This is a portion of the article featured in the new issue of Variance.)

From the sunny shores of Florida, West Palm Beach’s very own Surfer Blood made its way into blogs, festivals and playlists when John Paul Pitts (lead vocals/guitar), Thomas Fekete (guitar/backing vocals), Kevin Williams (bass guitar/backing vocals), and Tyler Schwarz (drums) banded together to begin the life they had envisioned for themselves.

Pretty Lights: 'EDM' Label Reveals 'Lack of Knowledge'

Photo by Krystle Blackburn

(Editor's Note: This is a portion of the article that appears in the new issue of Variance.)

A true producer-performer, Derek Vincent Smith has his hand in just about every aspect of the projects of his EDM act, Pretty Lights. From writing copy for press releases to designing the album artwork and editing the documentary footage taken throughout the making of the new LP, A Color Map of the Sun, Smith’s insistence on total involvement isn’t necessarily about control (though he admits that’s part of it), but about vision. “I just see how I want things,” he says.

The Last Royals Twist it up with 'Twistification'

Their album, Twistification, kicked off what has become quite the year in music so far. Having spent the past couple of years building momentum, The Last Royals (consisting of singer-songwriter-producer-guitarist Eric James and drummer Mason Ingram) finally released their debut record in January. And while the band’s material injects fresh energy into any playlist, with shamelessly danceable beats and shiny indie-pop sounds, some of their songs have actually been floating around for a while.