Crash Kings give rock 'n' roll a tune-up on their forthcoming sophomore album Dark of the
Daylight.
Rather than employ the same old tricks of the trade, the Los Angeles trio breathes new life into
the genre. There's no guitar, nor does there have to be. Eschewing the six-string standard, the
band utilizes clavinet, vintage keyboards, piano, analog synthesizers, distorted bass, and a good
old-fashioned drum stomp. Crash Kings—Antonio (Vocals, Keyboards) and Michael Beliveau
(Bass) and Jason Morris (handling drums on the album—bent and broke boundaries in order to
craft their second album due out this summer. They're giving new meaning to the word
"alternative".

Growing up in suburban Massachusetts, the Brothers Beliveau knew they were meant to make
music together. One grainy family photo even shows Tony at three-years-old sitting at his dad's
piano next to Michael just a year old. Growing up, they jammed together constantly, but it wasn't
until the duo graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music that their own vision
started coming into focus.
In 2006, Crash Kings came to life in Los Angeles. Shortly after forming, they caught the ear of
the legendary producer and songwriter Linda Perry who signed them to Custard Records. With
Perry's guidance, the group developed an enigmatic sound all their own. That sound resulted in a
deal with Universal Motown in 2008, laying the groundwork for their self-titled debut to hit
shelves in 2009.
Propelled by the hit single "Mountain Man", Crash Kings sent shockwaves throughout modern
rock. The group was featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and George Lopez Tonight, as "Mountain
Man" took a firm hold on the #1 spot of Billboard's Alternative Songs Chart. Their music was
also featured in Zombieland and Warren Miller’s Dynasty as the band invaded every facet of pop
culture.
Everything has been kicked up a notch (or eleven) for the band's second album. Michael
explains, "On our first album, we focused on making edgy rock n’ roll that featured the piano.
This time around, we delved into using synthesizers and the clavinet a lot more. We've evolved
and expanded - this is unexplored territory for us."
In order to properly canvas that unchartered territory, the band enlisted Nick Launay [Nick Cave
and the Bad Seeds, Arcade Fire, The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, Supergrass] as producer. "We were
searching for someone who was willing to take some risks," says Michael. "I started researching
producers and came across Nick. So we put in a call. We met him for coffee and after five
minutes of talking music, we knew he was the guy."
In the past, the band primarily worked from song ideas that Tony brought them. However, for
this second album, Crash Kings hunkered down in their Los Angeles studio for three months
writing together. As a result, each element stands out on songs like "6 Foot Tall". Tony's
whammy bar outfitted clavinet wails like a full-on rock orchestra, while Michael's bass roars and
rumbles with a distorted hum. Each song sounds more uninhibited than the next, especially when
Jason's bombastic beats kick in. Antonio reveals, "The fact that we tracked the drums, bass, and
most of keys live, gave this record an edge we were seeking."
In April 2011, Crash Kings set up shop in a North Hollywood house originally built by deceased
Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro. The group would work during the afternoon, and then dine together
at night before recording all evening. However, a few times, they think they may have gotten a
little assistance from the home's original owner...
"That house is a little haunted," laughs Michael. "I had a few run-ins with the ghost when I was
by myself. I came home from a Queens of the Stone Age concert, and I heard someone talking to
me in the backyard, but I was the only one there. Another time, I swear I locked up and, when I
came back, every door was wide open."
The only thing otherworldly about Crash Kings is their music. Their explosive live shows have
entranced audiences of all shapes and sizes. They're unique brand of rock has lead them to share
the stage with the likes of Stone Temple Pilots, Jet, Anberlin, Chris Cornell, The Bravery, and
more.
Ultimately, Crash Kings go back to the basics with their new music, and they can rock anywhere.
"We have this love of traditional rock from the '60s and '70s," Michael goes on. "We're not hung
up on overproducing our music and layering to make it sound bigger. Most of time our
philosophy is: 'less is more'. There's a lot you can do with just three instruments and vocals".
Crash Kings bring back that traditional spirit with a fresh fire. "We want to turn heads and make
people think," concludes Michael. "That's why we're here".

Vanaprasta knows where rock music has been, and the Los Angeles quintet knows where it wants to take it. “Someplace mystical,” singer Steven Wilkin says, “where there's arena-sized sound.”

In less than three years, Wilkin, bassist Taylor Brown, drummer Ben Smiley and guitarists Collin Desha and Cameron Dmytryk have circumnavigated the nebulous L.A. indie-rock universe, releasing an EP, teasing with a couple of singles and turning in enough neck-snapping live performances to give Angelenos whiplash from Silver Lake to the Sunset Strip.

Finally, after three forays into the studio, Vanaprasta unveils Healthy Geometry (out Nov. 1, 2011), a forward-thinking, galactic-sounding debut that draws from the indie, experimental, psychedelic and R&B worlds to shape music that is at once visceral and visionary. Critics have name-checked the Killers (LA Weekly), Kings of Leon (Consequence of Sound) and Mew (Buzz Bands LA), but Healthy Geometry‟s broad dynamic also finds antecedents in the work of Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Muse, Modest Mouse and Black Sabbath.

“For a while, we called our sound 'guitarwave,' and the guys joke around that it should be 'Indie Rock Guitar Hero' or 'Epic Karaoke,'” Wilkin says with a smile. “But whatever it is, I‟m glad we had the patience to find the best way to capture it, and to cultivate who we are as a band.”

And who is Vanaprasta? It is five technicians from divergent backgrounds (with equally broad tastes) who comingled in L.A.'s musical melting pot in 2008. From their first jam session, the mixing of molecules in the room generated an energy that was palpable, and end result of that night was, Vanaprasta.

The key ingredients in the quintet's stew are the colliding guitars of Dmytryk, a former punk-rock kid from Oregon, and Desha, a native Hawaiian with a foundation in slack key guitar, which wrestle atop powerful, shape-shifting rhythms from Brown and Smiley. Wilkin's balletic tenor (he was a child opera singer in Utah) holds the mold together.

The band's stadium sound illuminates themes ranging from the highly emotional to the dauntingly intellectual. Vanaprasta (whose name derives
from the Sanskrit word for a forest-dweller who has given up much of his worldly possessions) is fascinated with numerology, geometry and patterns, and what any or all them might mean in a world seemingly ruled by inefficacy and chaos.

Healthy Geometry was produced and mixed by Dave Schiffman, who recorded the band using mostly live takes with minimal overdubbing. It was mastered by Howie Weinberg, who kudoed the band on what he heard. “Working with Dave was super smooth,” Wilkin says. “He came out and saw us live, and basically we let him run with his interpretation of our live show.

Healthy Geometry, which can‟t be categorized into any particular genre but stands on its own as a complete body of work, encapsulates all the different moving parts and ingredients that make up Vanaprasta.