Equalize

By: Internal Arts Photography

This summer Equalize was at Mayhem Fest in Los Angeles. One of the bands on the bill was Mushroomhead and they simply destroyed the tour opener. I remember first hearing about this band over a decade ago, and  this band delivers as hard as they did then. Honestly, this was not just a band playing songs, this was a performance. So many members in synchronicity with water rocketing in to the air from the drums and the blend of 3 different vocal styles really make this a sight to see (which we have photos of on our site). 

We were able to speak with vocalist Waylon about their new album and equality within the metal scene.

A little while ago, Alex sat down with Allison Weiss to have a one on one. This video is a little different from those we normally get to catch, because Allison digs in to give us stories about being gay. She gives advice on how to handle bullying and why its important for everyone to speak out. Getting to speak with her was something we'd looked forward to for a long time, and we hope she knows just how much this meant to us!

Allison signed to No Sleep Records in 2013, and will be hitting the West coast in late September, as well as appearing at THE FEST in November. In July, MTV pemiered the title track from her Remember When ep, which was released July 22nd. We're absolutely in love with her, and all that she's doing right now.

For more information on Allison Weiss check out: allisonw.com facebook.com/allisonweissmusic allisonweiss.merchnow.com/ allisonweiss.bandcamp.com/

This year at Warped, I snagged an interview with Garrett, who talked about how much it means to have you guys come out to shows and open up to them. I've seen this band form a bond with their fans that is above and beyond. The heart that is shared during and after their shows is amazing, and they are a band I am so happy to have on board as Equalizers. 

For more information on The Maine check out: 

http://wearethemaine.net/

https://twitter.com/themain

https://www.facebook.com/themaine

https://themaineband.tumblr.com/

For more on Equalize check out:

equalizeit.org

facebook.com/equalizeit

Perfect Pussy is seen as the buzz band from sxsw. The media has portrayed this band an insane female fronted hardcore band busting on to the scene screaming about the topics that most don’t want to speak of. It’s this attention they try to exacerbate to get them the clicks, the ego stroke. But what has been missed about this band, is not the amazing energy that this band exudes, but the true purpose of this band. This is not a band that has a wacky name that wanted attention and to get big in the industry, this is a band that is trying to start a wave of change.

THIS IS TONIGHT! Finally! If you are on the New England don't follow our facebook, you may have missed out on the invite to this. Never fear, its open to the public and you should absolutely come!  Ashley Rose is an amazing designer and will also be holding a raffle to benefit Equalize that has SO MANY amazing things in it.  

Just to mention a few:

-Urban Decay Makeup Basket ($200 value) -3 Free Hair Cuts from Shag Boston  -3 Hour Photo shoot with Karen Jerzyk Photo & Steffanie Strazzere Make-Up Artist ($500 value)  -$100 gift card to Trunk N Disorderly  - $50 gift card to Flat Top Johnny's  -$75 gift certificate to Redrum Collaboration (includes a few prints & magnets in the basket) -UNDERWATER Photo shoot with Grace Taylor Photography and wardrobe provided by Ashley Rose Couture Designs  -2 gift cards to Newbury Comics  -Gift card from Spilt Milk Tattoo-Cape Cod -1 free Yoga session with Andrea Lynne Skane  -Signed print from Miss Mischief & basket of pasties  -Custom designed locket by Origami Owl-Jennifer Levesque Odstrcil and more!

Do you follow Warped Roadies on Fuse? (If so, you may have caught a glimpse or two of Linly and Alex in the background during season 2.) Have you attended Warped Tour? How about Taste of Chaos, Country Throwdown, or Rockstar Mayhem Festival? Well then you've seen a piece of Kevin Lyman's hard work in action! Kevin has been the spear head of our summer plans since we started listening to music. Thanks to him, we've seen some of our favorite bands and been introduced to countless new music, including some that have become favorite bands.

You may be able to tell that Linly was beyond excited when speaking to Kevin, but we think thats pretty cute. We're forever grateful to him for having us out on tour, being so welcoming, and taking a sticker for his bike last year.

ryancassata is one of those performers that was driven at such a young age that it makes me feel incredibly lazy when I look at myself. He started performing across Long Island at 14, and by the end of his teenage years he'd managed to sing, play, compose, speak, and tour enough that it blows my mind. Alex had been speaking to Ryan for a while before Warped, but I'll be honest and say that I knew very little about him. Now I wish I'd been told about him years before, because what he does is amazing and he deserves every bit of praise he is given. 

Ryan is a transgender performer & motivational speaker. His lyrics range from heart wrenching anti-bullying anthems that left goosebumps on my skin, to smile inducing love songs that had me dancing in my seat while I wrote this. He also finds time to run a youtube channel that carries his official music videos, the camera on me and my instrument style, LGBTeen question and answer, spoken word, and his personal videos as he travels and lives his life. 

He is on his first National tour this Jan and Feb where he'll be making a documentary about his message. The shows are all free (donation based) and information can be found on his site or facebook. You can also pledge to help support this tour and documentary here: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/ryancassata 

Equalize is so proud of Ryan's many accomplishments, and so proud to have him talk with us. Please take a second to check out the links below and learn more about this guy's work.

http://www.ryancassata.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/xQUEERKIDx

https://www.facebook.com/ryancassata

http://ryancassata.tumblr.com/ 

You can also pledge to help support this tour and documentary here: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/ryancassata 

For more on Equalize check out:

equalizeit.org

facebook.com/equalizeit

Frank was out with Death Spells and filling in for bass with the Architects when I sat down with him in Boston, but he gave us a few minutes on camera to talk about Equalize and what it was like growing up. I hadn't planned to run in to him, but it was a pleasure to actually sit and talk between sets. Its no secret that Frank takes the time to talk to people who reach out to him at every chance he has, and his reputation of being welcoming has resonated with fans that have followed him through numerous projects. I can't say how grateful I am for his time that night, and just how excited I was to sit down with him. Check out the video for our street side chat and his advice on what to say if one of your close friends keeps throwing out slurs.

On December 10th, Frank released a solo EP of two songs called For Jamia that you can pick up via links on his website. Death Spells have been doing shows through out 2013 where you could get limited physical copies of their music, and Leathermouth played Skate and Surf. And though My Chemical Romance have come to an end, there will be a final greatest hits released on March 25th. Pre-orders for the album will be on their website on January 21st. I look forward to every project that Frank comes up with, and if you'd like to keep track of them you can follow the links below. 

frank-iero.com

Death Spells: 

http://www.deathspellsmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Death-Spells/355975251189976

Leathermouth: 

http://www.leathermouth.com/

https://www.facebook.com/officialleathermouth

My Chemical Romance:

http://www.mychemicalromance.com

For more on Equalize check out:

equalizeit.org

facebook.com/equalizeit

Before the Holidays we caught up with Brandon Phillips of The Architects for a talk outside of Great Scott in Boston.  In this video we get the chance to talk about growing up, being bullied, and quite a bit more. 

The Architects from Kansas City are a band that have blown my mind with just how awesome their current project is. I suggest you take a listen to Border Wars Episode 1 to begin with, just so you're aware of how good they are in the first place. Next you'll want to know that this is one of a series that is not only music, but goes hand in hand with the narrative of a comic book. (Illustrator Mallory Dorn is awesome in her own right, and you'll enjoy her work just as well as the work these boys have put in.) They've been running a pre-sale for Episode 2 to help fund the album, which you can pick up at http://architects.shopsilentempire.com/ 

For more info on The Architects click on any of these links: 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-ARCHITECTS/30004453505

http://thearchitectskc.tumblr.com/

Presale Link for Border Wars Ep2:  http://architects.shopsilentempire.com/

For more info on Equalize, check out our website and like us on facebook & instagram!

equalizeit.org

facebook.com/equalizeit

We stole a moment with Shane of Silverstein earlier in the summer and had a chat about Warped, how many friends they had on the tour, and how he grew up in the punk scene where homophobia and slurs weren’t tolerated. Check it all out in the video below!

As for the band now, they’ve recently released This Is How The Wind Shifts: Addendum, which is a re-release with two b-sides and two bonus songs. They also hit the road in October, proving that this band has been just as non-stop busy as Shane promised in our video. They’re currently still out on the road, so if they’re in your area, don’t miss it!

  You can check out more from Silverstein on their website: www.silversteinmusic.com or their facebook https://www.facebook.com/silversteinmusic !

I met Jess just before the crazy rainstorm shut down the Detroit Warped Tour. We stood in the hall and spoke for a while about what Equalize does and why it was important to have role models that you could actually reach out to. I can promise you that Jess is one of those people. The great thing about her was how easy it was to fall into a conversation where I found myself opening up about my own life as much as I was this organization. We spoke about where we came from, how we’d grown up, and the people I looked up to as a teen who wasn't quite sure who I was or where I belonged. We also talked about how important it was to be there for the people around you, and the number of amazing people we had around us.

If you’d like to check out more about The Summer Set and Jess, visit their website at thesummersetband.com! 

 I had way more to this, including some bits about national coming out day... But I've been doing this mostly from my phone. (My laptop was stolen, so these may come at a crawling pace for a while. My apologies!)