One might naively conclude that being the drummer of an internationally critically acclaimed band is a full-time occupation, unable to be accompanied by a side project of any kind. Nate Donmoyer disproves this assumption to the fullest. Between recording an album, touring nearly non-stop for about a year now, and giving countless interviews with Passion Pit, he walks into the night with DJ equipment in hand and remix worthy tracks in mind to become Shuttle, performing alongside revered artists like Diplo and Sinden.

When I was a child, I had always dreamt of being being a professional skateboard photographer. I had looked up to these men of the industry as iconic idols. There was only one problem though: I wasn’t good enough to make it. The lighting always made the figures look like silhouettes, the composition was sophomoric at best, and the print quality caused me great ridicule. So, sadly I had no choice but to cut my losses and abandon the glamorous and ritz-crackery filled life of a photographer. However, when I saw Ryan Gee ollie into the Barcelona bank in Kalis’ DC part, I realized I could try to skate too. I couldn’t make it as a respected photographer, but I decided I still wanted to be part of the industry in one way or another. I had no choice but to settle for the lackluster life of becoming a professional skateboarder. The end.

Notoriously snarky British singer/songwriter Kate Nash hit immediate success with her first album, Made of Bricks. Three years after a #2 hit with “Foundations” and platinum album sales in the UK, Nash returns with her sophomore album, My Best Friend is You. At the start of a North American tour, Nash talked with Artist Advocacy about the difficulties of success, her inspirations, and what she’s doing differently the second time around.

“Yelle” is used to refer to an awesome three-piece electro pop group from Brittany, France. It also doubles as the name taken by the dashing fashionista at its center, Julie Budet. The band’s debut album Pop-Up was met with praise in the trio’s native France, Europe, and even across the pond in the States. Already off to a great start, Yelle [the woman and the band] are hard at work at a follow-up release. Julie took some time to fill us in on her latest activities.

The way success comes and goes, Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit certainly had it coming. The Midnight Organ Fight captured the emotional decent of breaking up like few could and gained a massive following because so many could relate. Hutchison, on the other hand, was on the verge of breakdown toward the end of an arduous tour in support of the band’s breakthrough record. After a brief respite, he churned out The Winter of Mixed Drinks in less than a year and started touring again. We caught up with Frightened Rabbit’s lead singer on the doorsteps of the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia, recalling our last interview on the floor of a boutique store.

Monday nights aren’t always the most hip. Though, on this particularly warm-weathered May 3rd, a glimmer of hope for my routine evening unveiled in the form of a show at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, New York. Hosted by Bushwick based, Newtown Radio, the undeniably sweet bill included 5 Brooklyn based bands, each offering something totally different in regards to their sound.

Worcester, MA natives, Golden Girls, have been tearin’ up the local music scene with their grungy, yet wild jams. A quartet led simultaneously by Ben and Andy, Golden Girls offers something lacking from most local acts, evident during their live sets. They’re kind of a love-it-or-hate-it type of band, but it doesn’t take much to notice where I stand on the issue.

“Cosmic”. It is impossible to describe this album without that word. Where previous FlyLo material may have felt grounded, this release does not. It’s as though we have escaped Los Angeles and entered into a new atmosphere. This is a new environment and there are new possibilities to be explored. Steven Ellison has traded in his old ride, and he has traded up. Not that his previous album, Los Angeles, could be accused of being bland; it just feels more singular after hearing the lush Cosmogramma.

I met Javier this past winter while he was on a skate trip in Los Angeles. He is from the Basque Country in Spain and now resides in Barcelona. Javier skates for Cliché and Gravis, but, most importantly, he takes rad photos. I asked Javi some questions and this is what he shared…

Here We Go Magic has been on the scene now for just a year, but is steadily gaining a following for the ethereal, psychedelic sound expressed on their first self-titled album. With the Brooklyn-based five-some preparing to drop their second full-length, Pigeons, this June, Artist Advocacy talked to Kristina Lieberson [synths/vocals] about the band’s latest tour, what listeners can expect from future HWGM projects, and how pleasant tour-mates White Rabbits are to be around.