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First of all, tell us a bit about Reactions. Who are you and why should people who have never heard of Reactions before, check you out?
Well, Reactions consists of musicians hailing from a bunch of different genres, I used to play in a deathcore band, and all the other guys come from heavy pop backgrounds, so if you’re looking for something a little new or unique, you should definitely try us out!

Is there any specific meaning behind the band name Reactions?
I think the name means something different to everyone in the band; for me it’s about a lost art- innovation. The ability to react to the status quo by raising the bar is something too few people are a part of these days, and it’s led to the degeneration of the music scene in this country as a whole. No one cares about the music anymore, it’s all about the looks, or showing off onstage, or getting chicks, or whatever, but no one likes to take time and think through the music they play anymore.

Both of you EP’s ‘Under My Skin’ and ‘For What It’s Worth’ are up for FREE download on the band’s facebook page, why is that?
We put up the first two EP’s for free to get our name out there, we figure people are going to steal it if they want it anyway, so we might as well try and catch a few more flies with honey and let everyone have it for free!

You recently came off your ‘On The Run’ tour, what was that like for you? Was there anything that struck out to you most?
On The Run was a phenomenal experience for us all, and a huge growing experience for those of us who hadn’t been on the road before. I loved meeting perfect strangers at shows and hitting it off, hanging out with them, having them show us their town, there’s something really… culturing about it all.

Is there anything big planned for Reactions in 2012?
We’ve got some pretty big plans in 2012 that I can’t reveal, but I will say prepare for another release! We’re in the middle of the recording process for our 3rd EP, and so far, it’s the best stuff any of us have written to date!

What has been the biggest accomplishment and biggest obstacle as a band so far for you guys?
The biggest accomplishment as well as the biggest obstacle were both going on tour, it was a lot of fun and a very rewarding experience for us, but it definitely took its toll. We handled everything that was thrown at us, but it was tough!

If you could choose any artist to tour with, who would it be and why?
If I could personally pick an artist to tour with, I would have to say Life On Repeat. No doubt, that band is so innovative, they’ve completely inspired both Joe and myself to write towards the dead center of our two genres, and it’s been working out for us musically in ways I couldn’t have imagined before.

Who are Reactions’ musical influences?
Our main influences, and there are a TON of them, include bands like Life On Repeat, Stick To Your Guns, Mayday Parade, Misery Signals, Circa Survive, and basically anything between them!

Reactions are very tech-savvy and keep a sturdy online connection with fans- why do you feel the need to do this? Do you think being tech-savvy is important for a band?
It’s very important to us as a band to be in constant contact with the fanbase we’re trying to build, both to re-enforce the connections we’ve already made, as well as to keep our finger on the proverbial pulse of our band- how we’re doing, how we’re being received, et cetera.

Is there anything else you’d like to add for people who’ll be reading this interview?
To anyone reading this interview, I hope this has given you a perspective on our group, and I hope to see you all at shows in the future!

Facebook
Band Twitter
Otis’ Twitter

I was very lucky to have the opportunity to interview up and coming singer-songwriter, Felishia Patania!

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Can you please introduce yourself to those who don’t know who you are, and what you do?
My name is Felishia. I am a singer songwriter. I write honest music based on my personal experiences.
 

What got you interested in the music industry and made you think “I want to be a part of that”?
I always knew what I wanted to do with my life- my mind hasn’t changed since I was four years old. I knew I would be happy living my life as a performer. Although the first time I actually decided that I wanted to be a singer songwriter was the first time I saw Michelle Branch perform a song on a T.V series. It’s an odd point in time recognise but it was the first time I heard someone sing about a real raw experience. Her songs changed me completely.

How long have you been a singer for?
Depends on what you classify as a singer but I have been singing since I was very young, probably around six years old.

What’s been your biggest accomplishment so far?
I can’t really say that any of my accomplishments have been bigger than the other, they have all been milestones to where I am heading now. Even the smallest achievements have helped me out somewhere along the way.

And your biggest obstacle?
Biggest obstacle would be pushing through the fear that I will be judged negatively on my songs. I’ve learnt now that people are always going to judge each other, there is no point in being afraid of that.

How do you go about writing a song, do you have a specific process? If so, what is it?
It all depends on the mood I’m in. Songwriting can be very sporadic. A lot of the time an idea will come to me at very inconvenient moments like in a shopping centre, on a date, before I’m about to go to sleep or during dinner. I end up humming the tune to myself and recording it on my phone and then writing it out when I get home.

What are your top 5 favourite songs, and why are they important to you?
That’s actually a really hard question, my favourite songs change all the time but at the moment they would probably be: Oasis “Wonderwall”, “The Only Exception” Paramore, “Sandcastles” Kate Voegele, “Dance So Good” WakeyWakey and “Iris” Goo Goo Dolls.

If you could choose any artist to tour with, who would it be and why?
I would love to tour with Taylor Swift. She’s a fantastic entertainer and her fans are so intense. It would be amazing to perform in that environment.

If you could have written any song that’s by another artist, which one would you choose?
Either “Shelter” by The XX or “Goodbye To You” Michelle Branch… actually anything by Michelle Branch would be great.

For those who haven’t checked you out already, why should they listen to your music?
Because I love what I do and it means the world to me when others love it too.

Any last words?
I will be recording an album soon so keep an eye out! Also I have websites that people can check out for performance and music updates.

Check out Felishia on Facebook and Youtube

I was very lucky to interview Sierra Kusterbeck from VersaEmerge and talk about Soundwave, touring, fans and more!

You guys are on the bill for one of the biggest and best lineups that Soundwave’s put together by far, there are some big names thrown in there like System of A Down, Slipknot, Marilyn Manson, how does it feel to be a part of that?
It’s very crazy, uh (laughs),I would have never in a million years thought that I would be associated or touring or even get to see some of these bands. And the lineup is so big! It’s big, like it’s not- there’s not so many bands that you can get lost in it but when you look at the lineup it’s like “Holy shit, we’re in there!”

It’s really, really cool and we’re just gonna have a freaking blast. I can’t wait to see Limp Bizkit, not gonna lie.

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Lindsey got the chance to photograph Allstar Weekend’s headlining tour on February 5th, 2012 in Houston, Texas.

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