Radio: Did you guys want to describe your music for people that aren’t familiar? 

Klept: Let’s see, well you know I thought about this a lot. I guess the best way I could describe the music of Klept would be like noisy art rock.

Radio: How long have you been playing together? 

Klept: With this current lineup, close to a year. Pretty much when quarantine started. It was around this the spring break actually.

Radio: And how has it been being kind of a newly formed band in such a strange time? 

Klept: I feel like it’s kind of helped us. The quarantine really gave us a lot of time to kind of form our sound, you know.

Radio: Yeah, understandable.

Where did the name come from? 

Klept: So, Klept is a root word which means thief and I don’t know I just thought that was kind of cool. And I think it’s kind of cool because–I don’t know if this was your intention at all, but it’s kind of like how every musician kind of steals everything, so the whole Klept thing is basically us just saying, we’re thieves of music. He actually got it from the word biblioklept, like book thief and he said it’s something like since I write most of the lyrics he says, I steal a lot from books. So that also works out. It all comes full circle, that’s all. It’s just a name really. 

Yeah, and it’s concise, not the grand band Funk jam metallic psycho water buffalo or whatever. There’s a band, the Presidents of the United States of America. That’s way too long. They said Cleft at the [Diner on Abercorn] show–it’s Klept with a “p”. 

Radio: Speaking of a lot of different sources and kind of taking things and making them your own,  you guys have a pretty eclectic sound there’s like a lot going on, so who would you cite as some of your bigger influences? 

Klept: Nirvana is one. The only band, Nirvana, that’s it. Sweet trip has definitely been an influence, Mr. Bungle. Slowdive. Smashing Pumpkins. Jimmy Chamberlin is my favorite drummer so I’m very inspired by his playing style. Good gosh, Death Grips. I’d say Radiohead, David Bowie, The Garden. Yeah, their new record. Elliott Smith, I mean just so much. 100 Gecs!

Radio: What would you guys say the writing process is like for your songs? 

Klept: Well, so somebody will have a musical idea or something and I don’t write all the lyrics he actually wrote one too. But yeah some people just have like a bit of something and we’ll just kind of jam on it. It’s kind of cool because we don’t have to talk much. We don’t get our notepads out, we don’t do that stuff. 

[From off-camera] Younger sister: What’re you guys doing? 

Klept: An interview. We have a guest, that’s my little sister.

Radio: Oh okay! Hello!

Sister: I despise all of them! Also I got new dolls. 

Klept: Cool! 

Sister: I’d like to show you–

Klept: Later, later. What were we talking about? Oh, the writing process, right. There’s not a ton of talking, we don’t think about it. We just play what we want to play to kind of feel it out, you know make noises and sh*t. We keep doing it until it all comes together. Yeah, it takes a while–we work months on each of our songs. It’s like each one’s kind of its own project.

Radio: What is the connection to Savannah? Are you guys from here?

Klept: Three of us are. I’m from Michigan originally but I was at USC South Carolina for a couple years and then I went to SCAD for sound design and now I’m here.

Radio: I feel like the music scene in Savannah is kind of developing a little bit. La Chonk is sort of kind of spearheading a bunch of bands coming together and doing shows and stuff. What is your perspective on that? 

Klept: I’m glad it’s happening, yeah I mean it’s definitely one aspect of the city here is a music scene. I always like to try to seek that out. And I know Civvies on Broughton recently closed, but we played one show there and I went to a bunch of shows there too. There’re places around that are happening. Yeah, with the whole Covid shut down everything is just now starting to come back up. A lot of people miss shows. We’re trying to do them as safe as we can. 

Radio: I guess to finish off, did you guys have any upcoming shows or releases that you guys were planning on? 

Klept: Nothing in particular, but like we’re working on trying to get some shows in April, though, so yeah you can expect something in April.

The post Exclusive Interview with Local Artist Klept About Influences and Inspiration appeared first on SCAD Radio.

In the opening number, Kacey and James Corden attempt to sing “Let It Snow” but are continuously bombarded by a blizzard pounding them through flimsy windows. A redundant laugh track kicks in as the scene sets the corniness bar for the rest of the 45-minute special. During Fred Armisen’s spot on “Silent Night,” the two are interrupted by a carpenter doing obnoxiously loud work in the same room. The gags are rather lame and predictable- after the guy hammers a wintery landscape painting above the fireplace, you know it’s gonna come crashing down while Kacey and the Portlandia star perform the gentle carol.

However, it can’t help but feel on-brand for Kacey. The cheese is much more stomachable coming from someone known for silly yet clever songwriting. Remember, this is the woman who told us on one of her best singles to “mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy.” She’s already got viewers in a suspension of belief for seriousness, so the lowbrow jokes fit in- including the ones delivered by Dan Levy’s banal narration. 

“The covers opt to instead throw in another one of Musgrave’s celebrity friends instead of putting a spin on the originals.”

The best songs are easily the ones Musgraves wrote herself. “Present Without a Bow” with Leon Bridges appeared on 2016’s A Very Kacey Christmas and is easily the angel on top; it’s a cute and much less controversial replacement for “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” The covers, on the other hand, toss in one of Musgraves’ celebrity friends as their main selling point instead of putting a spin on the originals. Basically, if you like the guest artist, you’ll like their number only because it has them on vocals. It’s a missed opportunity that they chose not to rework a single classic to match the featured artist’s subgenre. For Lana Del Rey’s “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” the pair duets nicely, but there are no spacey harmonies or Hollywood sadcore to truly make it a Lana track. A Latin pop-twist akin to “Havana” could’ve been an exciting direction to take Musgraves and Camila Cabello’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” but we’ll never know.

While the special may be saccharine at times, it never goes full-on Hallmark Original. The “Christmas Makes Me Cry” sequence is another present from Musgraves, a track for those spending the season alone. It’s handled with her usual empathy, contrasting with the persistent red and green twinkle to keep the sappiness in check. It comes in as just the right time, too, directly following the tacky comedy from Armisen’s bit. 

The album version of the special is identical to the show itself, the audio broken up into LP format. The only thing that would get you to watch the special over listening to the record is the visuals, which fail to add extra tinsel to the songs. Despite the large Amazon budget, the sets aren’t any more magical than your local theater group’s production of A Christmas Carol. In most scenes, we’re treated to typical mistletoe-decked living rooms, save for that gaudy pink mess in the “Glittery” segment with Troye Sivan. The concluding “Ribbons and Bows” is an exception, with The Rockettes and many other dancers delivering the explosive sendoff we knew Musgraves would live up to. Unfortunately, that’s the only part with plenty of choreography. The other numbers fail to reach the same energy, with Musgraves and her guest mostly stagnant for the duration of each song. By the time you get to the finale, you’re ready for New Year’s.

The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show is a sweet little special, but not one that’ll become an annual household tradition. It doesn’t do enough to expand on the music, and the jokes don’t hold a peppermint-scented candle to Christmas Vacation. It’s by no means coal in your stocking, but it’s better suited in album form to pop on during your Christmas Eve drive to grandma’s house.

The post ‘The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show’ is Very Campy, But Very Kacey appeared first on SCAD Radio.

The bands that filled out the lineup were a consistent mix of newer bands that have been defining the Warped Tour style for the past few years, like Real Friends and State Champs; the bands that define many of our nostalgic emo middle school experiences, such as Mayday Parade and Falling in Reverse; and classic groups that defined the Warped Tour sound from the beginning, like Simple Plan and Less Than Jake. As usual, Warped Tour had a very diverse lineup with something for everyone to enjoy.

Here’s my Top 5 performances:

1. Mayday Parade

It goes without saying that I am biased, as Mayday Parade is one of my favorite bands of all time. But Mayday Parade brought the same enthusiasm this year as they have been for so many. Mayday Parade is one of the bands, along with Falling In Reverse, that performed at the very first Warped Tour that I went to when I was 13, so there couldn’t have been a better way to end a festival so close to my heart.

2. Simple Plan

One of the defining artists for the brand of emo punk music that continues to unite multiple generations of festival-goers, Simple Plan’s set was fantastic. Highlights include: Pierre bringing out a giant water gun to cool off the crowd and jumping off stage to get right up against the barricade and really sing to his fans.

3. Issues

Issues is one of those bands that never seems to stop touring, and I mean that as a good thing. The beginning of 2018 started out on a rough note for the Atlanta, GA based band due to their separation from long-time co-vocalist Michael Bohn, but their performance this past week highlighted their passion to keep making the music that they want to make. Did I mention that Skyler’s hair is still the best hair on Warped Tour? Because it is.

4. Real Friends

Although their set was cut short because of the rain, Real Friends is one of those bands that’s newer to the scene but still killing it. This band is so fun-loving on stage, in contrast to a lot of their music. It’s always a treasure to see them perform. I also want to mention that frontman Dan Lambton comes into close second for best hair on Warped Tour.

5. Movements

Movements was one of the very first sets to perform on Thursday and even though they were performing at one of the hottest times of the day and before the rain clouds started to block the sun, they still brought it. Of this list, Movements is one of the bands I haven’t seen live before, but definitely hope to see again.

I’m very sad to see the end coming to Warped Tour’s 24-year run. Since 1995, Warped Tour has been providing an inexpensive, safe environment for teenagers to see their favorite bands every summer, all over the country. Whether this was the first year you were able to go, or you’ve been with it since your parents let you and remember the brief Warped Tour Roadies show on TV, it’s without question that Warped Tour is going to be missed. I’m not alone in hoping that one day Warped Tour will resume their cross-country lineup for another year, but until that day comes, thanks for all the best memories and for creating an environment that launched careers and inspired new festivals.

Make sure you check out our last post with our photo gallery of the tour.

The post Vans Warped Tour 2018 Review appeared first on SCAD Radio.

Kendall Shepard: I saw that, you’re a comedian, correct? 

Dan Hentschel: Apparently. That’s what they say. 

[Laughs] That’s what your talent is. 

That’s what I’m doing, yeah. Stand-up comedy. 

Okay, so you do stand-up… 

Sometimes. 

[Laughs] Sometimes? What has inspired your stand up? Like anything particular in your life? 

Well, a lot of times like I really want attention. 

Okay. [laughs] 

And also, its therapeutic to have a mental breakdown in front of a bunch of people. And have them accept it, you know what I mean. And if it’s funny, that’s the key, that you kinda have to make it funny, or otherwise it’s awkward. But it’s fun, its cathartic. 

So, a little background information: what’s your major? 

I’m a dramatic writing major. 

And how do you tie that into your comedy, or into your writing in comedy? 

It’s all about the writing. I think a lot of people say they want to do stand-up and not prepare anything or not think in terms of like structure, but that’s a really important part of it. If the structures not there and it doesn’t make sense, people kind of intuitively pick up on that. It’s harder for them to know what’s going on. 

Where are you from? 

I’m from Baltimore, Maryland. 

And do you ever do jokes about Baltimore?

Oh, yeah. I love to do stuff about Baltimore. I mean, it’s so shitty. Oh sorry, I probably can’t say that. [laughs] It’s such a wonderful place. [laughs] There’s a lot of material. 

Okay, and do you ever do jokes about college, about SCAD? 

Yeah, that’s nice because if you’re ever performing for SCAD student, then it’s always like relatable and it’s fun to like talk about things that everybody gets and can relate to. I put a spin on it, because a lot of it too is like putting into words what everybody thinks but never really thinks about consciously. 

So, will the talent show be your first time being on a stage doing this? Do you do stand-up here in Savannah? Do you do stand-up back home? 

I did the talent show last year, so I had some practice here. And I’ve done some stand-up. I’m the vice-president, I’m a really bad vice-president, but I’m the vie-president of Stand-Up Comedy Club at SCAD, S.U.C.C. as we otherwise abbreviate it. [laughs] If you want to come to that, that’s Sunday’s at 7 p.m. at Crites Hall, room 415. That’s a whole bucket of fun. And I’ve also done it at bars around town and stuff, but that’s kinda scary. I don’t really do it a lot, so that’s why I’m not like respected by the stand-up community, but that’s fine. 

You have anyone who really inspired your comedy. Like who do you watch when you want to know how to improve your own stand-up? 

Well I used to really like Louis C.K., but unfortunately, you can’t really say that anymore. He’s a bad man, so… I say my favorite is John Mulaney, he’s amazing. I really like Amy Schumer, I know a lot of people don’t like her, but I really do. Mike Birbiglia, Michelle Wolfe is really good. 

So, these questions are more fun… 

Ohh, more fun. 

Do you remember the first joke you ever told? 

Oh my god, ever? You mean as part of stand-up or…? 

Just the first joke you ever told your whole life. 

[Laughs] Uh, it was probably… a lot of it… I try to think about it a lot and trace it back. Like, getting bullied in elementary school. I started to try to pretend, like people were laughing at me, I would sort of try and pretend it was on purpose and I was like “Ha! I’m in on it! Just kidding”. So, it was probably something like that where people were like “You walk funny” and I was like “Just kidding! I’m doing it on purpose!”. It’s all an act, that’s my whole life. [laughs] 

Do you remember the first joke you ever did as stand-up? 

Well actually, the talent show last year was the first time I ever did it, ever. So, I think the whole premise of that one was like talking about medication and stuff and I said that I was on Zoloft, so I said like antidepressants are like trying to bake a cake by burning your whole house down. [laughs] And people thought that was really relatable.  

So, I only have one more question: Because we are SCAD Radio, we’re into music, if your comedy was a music genre, what music genre do you think it would be? 

It would probably be like that ambient alternative music that’s just like the sound of a dishwasher for 19 minutes. [laughs] 

Lo-fi dishwasher sounds to study to. 

Exactly, yes. 

Awesome, well thank you. Is there anything else you want to add? 

I hope you all come to the talent show, next Saturday. Support SAC, they’re really great. Come to all their stuff.  

Thank you so much. 

Thank you, I really appreciate it. 

The post Joking Around With Dan Hentschel appeared first on SCAD Radio.