First let’s meet the band:
Andrew McAllister – lead vocals/guitar
Daniel Goldblatt – drums
Guy Christiano – bass
Alex Owens – keys

THG: Where does that name Vanish Valley Come from?

Andrew: It came about while moving to California, leaving my old self behind and discovering this weird mix of imagery here – deserts with strip malls. You can get to the top of some hill in Los Angeles and it seems like you’re in the middle of nowhere, then you get on the other side of it and you’re in a scene from a post-apocalyptic 80s sci-fi movie.

THG: How did Vanish Valley form and when was it?

Vanish Valley: Seeing the sunshine (I’m from Seattle) threw me into a very active period of writing and recording. So it started off as a bunch of recordings – throwing things against the wall and seeing what stuck. And as I got settled, I was lucky enough to find people who connected to the songs and now reshape and re-invent them, breathe a lot of life into them.

THG: Who writes your songs and what are the main themes for most of your songs?

Andrew: Initially I did, but we’re starting to write much more as band. I’ve always been drawn to drifters and loners. I like playing on a lot themes that float around in classic country (Hank, Buck, Willie, etc) and mess them up a bit, sonically. And living in LA, there’s a wealth of strange perspectives.

THG: How often do you guys work on making new music?

Andrew: I get pretty bored with playing the same material the same way, so we’re always re-inventing old songs and polishing new tunes at practice. We play out a lot, so it helps retains an element of risk or mystery.

THG: Andrew as a singer who was your favorite singer growing up that inspired you?

Andrew: There’s a bunch, but I heard Daniel Johnston and Townes Van Zandt around the same time, which had a huge impact. They’re very different singers obviously, but they both walk this line of hopeless and hopeful. And they’re just raw songwriters.

THG: What was the hardest song to write on the Get Good LP?

Andrew: Stuck In LA. I was trying to do a “big rock song”. I thought it was kind of dumb. When people heard rough mixes, everyone said that it was easily the best tune. So much for trusting your gut, heh.

THG: Will Vanish Valley be staying in the same musical direction it is right now?

Andrew: I think a really good song always leads the way. Beyond that, we’ll keep seeing what elements we can bring into the mix to keep things interesting.

THG: When people are listening to your music what do you want them to leave with or how do you want it to effect them?

Andrew: Not quite sure. My favorite bands/albums are like good friends.

There’s a comfort in listening to something like a Kinks record. So the goal is to make some decent music that people might find that same kind of comfort in. Although its pretty impossible to compete with Ray Davies.

THG: What has been your biggest challenge as a band?

Andrew: Probably touring. Its getting more expensive to hit the road. But we’re still hoping to do that a lot more, regardless.

THG: what is your favorite song to perform?

Andrew: Stuck In LA. It’s the closest we get to act like Van Halen.

THG: lol, It was great chatting with you guys!

checkout Vanish Valley every Wednesday in May at the Down and Out Bar in Downtown LA.

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The mix was produced by THE WUNDERSTATION (http://www.facebook.com/The.Wunderstation)
who are an electronic-soul-rock n roll duo that consists of Curt Barlage of The Knolls and producer Tref Marion.
The mix features tracks by KASABIAN, STEREO MCs, THE PRESETS, BONAPARTE, GORILLAZ, FOALS,
CRYSTAL CASTLES and many more!

I got the chance to pester Danielle (Dee) with 10 questions about her band Peachy Keene.

First lets meet the band:
Danielle Clement – guitar // vox
Christine Clement – vox
Glenn Chu – drums
Kelsey Johnston – bass // vox
Kim Ward- keys // tambourine // glockenspiel

THG: When did Peachy Keene form?
PK: Peachy Keene slowly formed circa 2005. In Mission Viejo, or as i like to call it “Mission Vajayjay!”. I was forced to play an open-mic night and i was scared to sing alone at the time so i had my lil sis join me for moral support. After that, she never left lol. We thought our own names were boring, so we gave ourselves a band name. We wanted something cute & catchy. Since then we’ve added drums, bass & keys but the 5 that we have now has been together only a year but i think its perfect. It took me this long to find the perfect band mates [♥]

THG: Who are your major influences?
PK: We all have random influences as a whole group, that you would never imagine ahah but my sister and I have the same taste in music. I would have to say for Peachy Keene our influences are, Rilo Kiley, Death Cab For cutie, Eisley, The Beatles, and Tegan & Sara. My own personal ones are different & the list is too long.

THG: Danielle and Christine I know you guys are sisters. Is it hard being in a band with your sister creatively when both of you are vocalist?
PK: I don’t think creatively it’d difficult to have my sister in the band because she is my #1 person i go to with a new song im nervous about & she’ll tell me its good or it needs work etc. I always push her to write more songs alone and to sing louder because “Honey Pie” is a crowd favorite and i only wrote the music to that one, she wrote the lyrics and melody. Harmonies for us are a struggle, but we manage to make it work most of the time. I always try to push her to do her best. I do have to say, we fight sometimes in front of the band mates ahah over stupid shit but we get over it fast : )

THG: What is your music-making process?
Well, i usually write a song alone in my bedroom because it’s the only way i feel comfortable doing it. I then show my sister first & see what she says, then i show the whole band at band practice & they add their lovely instruments and we see how the song grows from there. Glenn my drummer, is really good at adding lil changes to a song that make it better or more dynamic. I’ve been wanting to write songs as a whole band because i get stuck & i want to see what we would come up with. We’re not a jam band so its hard for kim (keyboardist) & I to improvise. I would never make up lyrics in front of the band, that’s way too scarey & vulnerable lol.

THG: What would you consider to be the main themes for most of your songs?
PK: Honestly, even before i was in a serious relationship i wrote songs about love, especially unrequited love ahah. I used to be super Emo and i sang for all the underdogs out there. What i do a lot, is put myself in someone else’s situation and write as if im in their shoes. I have never experienced major heartbreak or lost a loved one, doesn’t mean i don’t know how to write about it. Lately i feel like i write too much about feeling lost in L.A or getting screwed over by people here. So i guess Love is a major theme and also living in L.A and how its affected me.

THG: What is the ultimate direction for the band?
PK: We want what every band wants. Recognition and to make a living doing what we love the most. We don’t need stadium gigs and major label deals, but we would love to get signed and have our songs in movies, tv shows and radio. I think PK is super marketable for a wide audience. We would love to tour and see the country & make a full length album with an awesome producer. We play for free majority of the time and make a lot of sacrifices for the band, so it would be nice to have it pay off somehow.

THG: Do you feel there is a difference in your music making approach between The Place Where You Dream EP, and When We Collide EP?
Yeah, the recording process for both E.P’s were totally different. The Place where you dream, felt a lil rushed and we weren’t in the studio together. We all went in at different times to meet up with the producer because of our schedules. Every song was also a love song and “when we collide” had more dynamic to it. It had songs about love, unrequited love, L.A and even a lil bit of politics in my own subtle way. We took our time on that E.P and we did it ourselves and i love the way it came together. Its got a lil more of a pop and rock aspect to it, with “Violet” and “Cut me a break” We strayed away from our folky roots but i love how we grew.

THG: I notice you have remixes on both of your EP. Who does your remixes?
PK: Haha So Glenn is the Remixxx master. He asked me 2 years ago if he could remix So it seems for fun and i said sure, not expecting much. When i heard it i was blown away at how cool and different it sounded. I could’ve heard it at a Club! lol He posted the song for free on FB and it was a hit. Everyone downloaded it, even people who didn’t know us. So after that my sister wanted to be in Auto-tune naturally. Honey Pie was the obvious single : ) We add it to every E.P just as a lil treat for our fans. Great to work-out to.

THG: How often do you guys work on making new music?
PK: I try to make new music as much as possible. Every couple months or so. I get writers block a lot but i manage to keep cranckin out new stuff. A lot of the new songs are a lil edgier or angrier i would say, must be the mood ive been in lately and we’ve had a lot of backstabbers this past year. Great material to write about. We play new songs at every show, and in practice we work on new songs that aren’t ready yet. We’re totally ready for another E.P!

THG: What is your favorite song to perform live?
PK: We all have our own favorite songs to play live. But mine right now would probably be a new song that is untitled but we call it Warewolf or Violet. I like the dark, dancey, moody ones ahah. Kind of like my disposition lol.

THG: Thanks for taken the time to chat, I’ll see you guys Wednesday’s!

Peachy Keene plays the Down and Out Bar on the corner of 5th and Spring in Downtown every Wednesday in February along with some other outstanding bands. Come down and Hangout February 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th

Peach Keene Facebook
Peach Keene Website
Peach Keene Bandcamp

First lets me the band:
Joseph White: Vocals/Bass
Molly Durkin: Drums
Jason Spencer: Guitar/Keys

THG: When did Facts on File form and how?
Facts on File: Molly & I met (Joseph) in San Francisco in 2008. I had amassed a collection of songs that were too rock-oriented for my electro band (The Somnambulants) and was looking to start a new band. Molly had just secured a nice lock-out rehearsal space, was learning drums, and wanted to find collaborators. We got along well and quickly learned the arrangements, found our first guitarist/organist (Jen Hale), and played regularly in SF before Joseph and Molly migrated to LA. We recorded half of the album tracks in SF and the other half in LA with a local guitarist (Shannon Lay). Jason joined us this year just after he moved to LA from Portland.

THG: What genre of music do you consider your work to be?
Facts on File: We’re a rock band that sounds a little “post-punk,” but we’re not afraid of a little pop.

THG: Who are your major influences?
Facts on File: It’s often hard to separate favorites from inflence, but here’s a rough list:
Joseph: Lee Hazelwood, The Who, Phil Spector
Molly: The Kinks, My Bloody Valentine
Jason: Television, Guided By Voices, The Beatles

THG: Who writes your songs and what are the main themes for most of your songs?
Facts on File: Most of the songs on the upcoming album and in the set list were written by Joseph White. A few of our favorites, however, have been written by the band as a whole. (“Keep it Together,” the first single release, for example.) Since Jason Spencer joined on guitar, the process has been even more collaborative and many new songs come from Jason’s idea seedlings.

Thematically, the songs vary greatly, but a common thread in Facts on File lyrics often hints at overcoming obstacles, whether great or small, real or imagined, or self-inflicted.

THG: What has been your biggest challenge as a band?
Facts on File: At this point, our biggest challenge is getting the music out to new ears. We’re constantly pushing to get new people out to shows and doing our best to get those records or MP3′s in the hands of people who will help spread the word. The best thing you can do for any band you love is just spread the word about them.

THG: Joseph who was your favorite singer growing up or what singer inspired you?
Joseph: It depends on what age you asked me. If you asked me at 7, I would have said, “The Oak Ridge Boys.” I never meant to be a singer when I started playing in bands. I sort of fell into it as a result of being the main songwriter in most of my projects. I take inspiration from a lot of singers who I could never truly emulate: Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Michael Jackson, or Marvin Gaye. If I was to explain my own style, I’d say it’s somewhere between Johnny Rivers, Richard Butler, Ian McCulloch, and Ric Ocasek.

THG: Molly who inspired you to play drums? was it another female drummer?
Molly: I was inspired to play drums by a friend needing a drummer for his band and deciding in a bar one night that I should be that drummer – even tho I’d never played! I said ok and it was off to the races. But I am definitely inspired by female drummers…ladies like Cara from Moggs, Amy Farina (The Evens, The Warmers), Valerie Scroggins (ESG), Maureen Tucker, and Sheila E.

THG: Jason what is your inspiration for guitar?
Jason: I was inspired to pick up the guitar because I always wanted to be in a band, and the easiest instrument for me to get my hands on was guitar. Also, I thought it was the coolest instrument in the traditional rock band format.

When I was a teenager, I listened to a lot of classic rock and post punk for ideas on how to play, since I am self taught. It was between those listening to those artists and reading a “guitar for dummies” book that I was able to find my way around on the guitar and start producing the kind of sounds that I enjoy.

THG: What is your favorite song to perform live?
Facts on File: We all look forward to “City Boys” (our anti-surf anthem) and “The Flood”, which are newer songs. But “Keep it Together” has a tendency to get the crowd shouting along with the chorus, so that’s always fun to perform.

THG: When can your fans expect a new album?
Facts on File: Soon! We’re releasing the new album in Spring 2012. Follow us on Facebook or sign up for the mailing list on our site to get in the loop for announcements.

THG: Thanks for the chat guys. I can’t wait to see you play tonight!
Checkout their music at Facts on File