The Mess, Seasons Album Released

    In 2008, Mike Gross was in between bands and things weren't looking so great. He was writing music and completed about nine songs before guitarist Brandon Lowe suggested playing the songs together. They quickly put a band together and Mike named the band, The Mess. "I felt like everything was a mess. No, I was 'The Mess'. Kind of stuck from there. Just thought it fit my life. I think most people can relate at one time or another." Recalls Mike.
    With their electronic focus, meaningful lyrics and poppy melodies, the band hailing from San Jose, CA has released a few albums and has even shared the stage with bands like Scary Kids Scaring Kids and The Sleeping. The band's diverse music taste has their sound influenced by bands like Jimmy Eat World, Saves The Day, and even Skrillex. Another huge influence on the band is dubstep and dance music. "We are heading into the electronic/digital age. We embrace it." Says Mike.

    On December 9th, 2011, the band released their album, Seasons. Seasons was their best received album online and received several positive responses. The album's content revolves around the many events the band has gone through over the last two years. "Extreme loss, extreme heartbreak, extreme joy and all shades in between. It starts with April Showers and ends with May Flowers." Says Mike. "[The Album] is a bit darker than our last two releases. Life happens. You wake up changed. You see through new eyes. I just try to keep the songs about meaningful things."
    The album's sound is made up of heavy drums and melodic, catchy vocals. The band had hoped it would create a great electronic blend that was both big in sound and fully developed. "The songs on Seasons sound more grown and have a depth and maturity our previous albums did not." Says Mike. "I feel like we have created our own sound. Something completely our own. We really could not be happier and we have a lot of amazing fans that support us."

    So what's next for the band? The band hopes to release a music video for the first track on the album, "April Showers." They are going to continue pushing the album, which you can buy at a show or online. The band will focus on pushing the album and expanding their fan base(and of course, taking over the world). Be sure to check the band out on Facebook for sweet updates!
    And now a word from the band! "Stay hopeful. Think for yourself. We hope to meet all of you some day in the future. Thanks to everyone that gives us a listen. I know its cliche but we would be nowhere without our fans. Thank you all."

The Vanity Project

    In the great underground music scene of Rossendale Valley, you'll find folk-pop band, The Vanity Project playing shows dressed in dresses and cravats. "The Vanity Project is a bit tongue in cheek really, but it was decided from the start that we wouldn’t hold back with any of our music." Says the band. Apart from dressing up, the band also makes sure that the drummer, Ste, is visible, unlike the usual 'drummer in the back' set-up.
    According to the band, this British 3-piece came together after a late night jamming session in a kitchen. The members have been involved in other works in different genres including drum & bass, hip-hop, soul, rock, and indie before forming the band.

    One of the band's biggest influences is the world around them. "A huge influence is the current times we are living in. Although born out of dark times and unashamedly writing many songs that reflect this The Vanity Project are hopeful of change which can be heard in many tracks such as 'I Fear Nothing' and 'What Really Matters'"
    The band's grab bag of sound ranges from powerful to haunting and then to good hearted pop. The band's success on Soundcloud is definitely motivating the band to do better and to keep on trucking. The band hands out free cd's at their shows as their way of saying thank you to the people who came out and gave them a listen.

    Over the summer, the band played at The Night & Day Café in Manchester to a fairly healthy crowd and even played a few music festivals. "Each show got us a repeat booking so hopefully we are doing something right." Says the band.    
    The band also hopes to start playing the local scene night run by local musicians Tim Page & Maria Ward. "Their aim is to promote the vast amount of talent in the Rossendale Valley and surrounding areas.  With the First ‘Scene’ night held recently with a great turn out and some amazing music.  The Vanity Project will be getting involved with a Scene night in the near future." The band hopes to continue recording, performing and having a good time.
    Be sure to check out The Vanity Project on their Facebook for band updates!

The Last Autumn and The Fancy Pantaloons! EP

We got to catch up with Uncharted Music News alumni, Tristan Stafford of The Last Autumn! and he talked about his upcoming EP!

How are have you been doing since the last time we talked to you? How are things going?
:Things are going great! I'm finishing up The Fancy Pantaloons! EP, going back Sunday to finish up some vocal parts. Maybe throw in some bass. You know, the works!

Tell us about your success on Purevolume! How were you able to pull it all off? 
:Haha it was 10 days of 100+ straight plays. So it earned me about 1000 plays over all. But some how, I have about 2500 plays! And they also emailed me the other day saying I'd be a featured artist sometime this week.

What can you tell us about the new EP? How many tracks are on it?
:The new EP is going to be all just some super cute songs with alot of emotion tied in with it. It's definitely going to be a good one, for sure. and the main EP will be a 4 song EP and the special edition will be released around Halloween or Early November with one more track entitled TheUmbrellaSong!

Tell us a bit about the songs on the EP. How are they different than previous songs you've done? 
:Well for these new releases, it'll be studio quality and tracked and mastered and stuff. The new songs are going to be totally different! There's some stuff about those Summer romances, some stuff about hot cocoa and coffee, and even a song about a giant bee teaching me things haha. It's definitely a trip.

What's next for your project?
:I'm actually writing two new ukulele songs and going to re-do a few older ones on uke. I'm going to add some electronica/techno elements to see if I can get a totally new sound too! I'm super stoked.

Anything else you'd like to say or address?
:Well that I'm definitely thankful for everything that everyones done for me. Whether it be promoting, or just listening. It's all extremely helpful.

Oh! And that TheFancyPantaloons Drops early October on iTunes for 4.95$ and that comes with 4 songs, and if you pre-order it comes with one other song, and possibly a physical copy. Just message me on here for pre-orders and I'll be stoked to hit people up with it!

The Last Autumn

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      NeverShoutNever and The Ready Set fans, meet Tristen Stafford, the mind behind acoustic-pop project, The Last Autumn. This young musician hails from Ithaca, New York and was inspired by sad love songs to create something completely different. He hopes to make people happy and even excited when they listen to his music.
      Tristen was influenced to start creating music by bands like Two Door Cinema Club and Jack Johnson less than a year ago. Like most young musicians, Tristen's attempts to stand out from other acts takes his sound to different places. Using his past experiences, he writes music that he hopes will be different than what people are used to by using techno beats as a backdrop for his instrumentals. His music is reminiscent of early NeverShoutNever.

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      Working with David Conway (Manager of Plug In Stereo, NeverShoutNever and Hellogoodbye) is in the talks after Tristan contacted him via email. David enjoyed the song "dearwhoever" and encouraged Tristan to send him the entire demo.
      Tristan will be touring in August and is considering having a guitarist accompany him on stage. He hopes to continue sharing his music with people and eventually get into a studio to record an official EP.