UH, MUSIC

How to Scramble Your Brains with Zesty Beats

Schmillion- The Band That Almost Had the Break

Home Town Heroes

The Story of White Denim

Fall 2012

OTHER STORIES:PiracyMoonwalkingAustin Music Clubs

10 videos!

The Lonely IslandGet their newest album, Turtleneck & Chain!

• We’re Back!• Mama• I just Had S*X (ft. Akon)• Jack sparrow (ft. Micheal

Bolton)• Attracted to us (ft. Beck)• Rocky• My Mic• Trurtleneck & Chain (ft.

Snoop Dogg)• Japan• Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie &

Clyde (ft. Rihanna)• Trouble Dookie Island

• Falcor vs. Atreyu• Motherlover (ft. Justin

Timberlake)• The Creep (ft. Nicki Manaj

& John Waters)• Watch Me Do Me• Threw it on the Ground• After Party (ft. Santigold)• No Homo• No Homo Outro• We’ll Kill U• Reba (Two Worlds Collide)

(ft. Kenan Thompson• Great day

29 Songs! 3 classy skits

10 featuring artists

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LetterFrom The

Editors

Ww

Table of ContentsAn Interview with White Denim

pg. 7

All About Dubstep pg. 11

Interview with Shmillion

pg. 15

Mason’s Top 5 AlbumsSean’s Top 5 AlbumsLiz’s Top 5 AlbumsPiracy: Is it Okay?How to MoonwalkAustin Music Clubs

pg. 10pg. 14pg. 19pg. 21pg. 22

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Mason’s Top 5 Albums“D,” White Denim’s third full-length studio album, is quite possibly my favorite album of all time. Ranked by Rolling Stone Magazine as their 46th best album of 2011, “D” has gained national recognition. The songs on the album come from various musical influences, from the psychedelic blues of “Is and Is and Is,” to the Willie Nelson-style “Keys.” Drummer Josh Block is at his best in “Bess Street,” and the guitaring of Petralli and Austin meshes incredibly well together in “Burnished” and “At the Farm,” my personal favorite song on the album. Every song works well, and it’ll be a long time until another album can top “D” for me.

“Panic” is the second album by the self-described “electro-swing” group Caravan Palace. The band is based in Paris, France and produces a combination of gypsy jazz, old time swing music and new electronica. “Rock it For Me” just makes you want to get up and dance, while “Clash” includes excellent vocals coupled with a very rhythmic section of multiple instruments all in perfect sync with each other. “Sundney” is a great way to end this excellent album, which while not a normal style of music should definitely be given a try.

“Elephant,” the fourth album by the former rock duo The White Stripes, is a powerhouse of an album. Jack White, lead singer and guitarist, isn’t considered one of the best Guitar players of the 21st century for nothing, with amazing riffs in “Ball and Biscuit” and “Black Math.” Meg White on the drums complements Jack very well, providing a great backbone to the guitar. The album also contains the incredible “Seven Nation Army,” possibly my favorite song on any album. Multiple publications such as Rolling Stone and NME have agreed, “Elephant” is an amazing set of tunes.

“Albert” was the very first album by the local “Ed Hall,” considered “the greatest disciples” of the infamous “Butthole Surfers.” The album came out back in 1988, before anyone reading this magazine was probably born, but I’ve grown up listening to the band and it’s a great album. “Candyhouse” has one of the best guitar solo’s I’ve heard, and the psychedelic instrumental in “Ball Dirt Cookie” is awesome to listen to. My favorite song though is the strange and wild “Jungle Lobotomy.” The album’s not for everyone, but it’s very interesting a great fun to listen to in my opinion.

“Kid A” was a major change of course for Radiohead, the English rock band. The first three albums by the band had a more rock feel, but starting with “Kid A” the band has moved into more electronic areas while still retaining their great instrumentals and lyrics, and won a Grammy for it. “Idioteque” has great rhythms and subtle, interwoven strands of music paired with excellent and haunting lyrics, while my personal favorite “The National Anthem” has a hard hitting guitar riff and an instrumental section just made for jamming out. There aren’t any duds on the album, and it’s just great fun to listen to.

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White Denim

Leaving The Trailer Behind

By Mason R Clark

White Denim’s latest album

The full band

Art Credit

Art Credit

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“I’ve learned many important lessons on the road. The biggest one has to be learning to open a beer bottle with a lighter.” James Petralli, lead singer of White Denim, would certainly know about touring. White Denim, Dallas natives but current Austin residents, formed in 2006 from the two bands Parque Touch (James Petralli and drummer Josh Block) and bassist Steve Terebecki of Peach Train, and the band has been touring two or three times a year since.

In person the entire band is a lively bunch, filled with an energy that translates incredibly well to the stage. They are a garage rock power trio, now quartet, in every sense of the word, recording all but their latest album “D” in Josh Block’s 1940’s silver spartan trailer. Live, they plough along with wild abandon, extending songs, changing things up and experimenting on the fly. “Wow, I almost forgot you guys were here for a second,” Petralli quips to the crowd after a twelve minute rendition of the normally four minute long “At The Farm” at a concert in the small outdoors store “Patagonia” in downtown Austin. There are only a few hundred people at this performance, but White Denim regularly has begun performing at larger venues holding up to three thousand people.

“There are some strange pressures involved in making and promoting records that I could do without, but ultimately I feel that I am doing the work that I am meant to be doing,” Petralli says. The band has had great luck across the Atlantic, gaining more notoriety in England, releasing one album “Workout Holiday” in Europe far before a U.S. release. “It is difficult and occasionally monumentally fun to tour,” Petralli says. Although it can be tough to tour, it’s an important part of the band to Petralli, though he has the most fun in the studio. In the summer of 2011, White Denim, along

with new guitarist Austin Jenkins, recorded “Last Day of Summer,” an album of unrecorded song ideas put together as a break from the production process of “D.” “I like the balance that

we were able to achieve on ‘Last Day of Summer’ between the songs, production, and the instrumental performances,” Petralli explains. “It wasn’t a very fussy collection of tunes, and it being Austin’s first record with us contributed to a relaxed but exciting process that I feel is reflected in the final work.”

Bassist Steve Terebecki

Lead singer and guitarist James Petralli

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“D” has had great critical success and the band has been gaining popularity and fame. They have a long way to go until breaking into true “popular music,” but they’re not consigned to being a barely known but good band like so many other Austin groups. “ I feel extremely lucky for that. I am able to contribute more financially and emotionally to my family because of our success as a band.”Said success may be hindered however. Drummer Josh Block is moving to Nashville soon, and may reduce the bands ability to tour. “We will spend a little more on flights and phone bills. We hope that it won’t have much negative effect. The potential for positive greatly outweighs that possibility.” Petralli says that Josh is just the first one of them to “jump into the pool” and move away from Austin. “[Nashville is] where we will all end up eventually if not in Tokyo, London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, or Chicago.” White Denim is intent on going places. The band is determined to continue to play, though. “We are writing and rehearsing a new record now. We will begin production at the top of the new year.” The band is very enthusiastic about writing new material and working on new songs. Almost every album put out by the band seems like a transitionary phase. “My favorite song that I have written is a new one that won’t be released for some time.” Though Petralli may find working in the studio more fun, White Denim knows how to put on a live show like nobodys business. “We always work as hard as we possibly can for the people who come to see us play. Always have always will,” James says.

On stage he is constantly moving, being active and putting his all into singing and playing guitar. While Steve Terebecki and Austin Jenkins use radio waves to connect their instruments to the amps that make the music louder, Petralli uses conventional cords to connect his guitar. It’s a miracle he doesn’t trip as he energetically moves around the stage.

Terebecki, the bass player for the band, plays in a different manner. The 29-year-old who looks like he’s twelve puts his head down and just plays, his fingers flying over the strings as he provides a back line to the music. He only spares an occasional glance up at his band members or at the crowd while nodding his head to his own beat. Drummer Josh Block slams his way through songs, alternating between quiet, almost melodic drumming and crushingly loud accompaniments to the more intense songs the band writes. He is constantly grinning as he

plays looking into the crowd and throwing his all into playing. The final and newest member of the band is Austin Jenkins, a second guitar player. Jenkins first played a show

with the band in August of 2010, though he had been friends with the band since 2008. Playing alongside Steve his black bangs

swing back and forth as he nods in time with the music. White Denim is quickly becoming more and more popular as the band begins yet another tour. “It is natural and essential for relationships and work to evolve over time,” Petralli says. Well the band is definitely evolving, and they look to have plenty of time to do it.

From elft to right, Josh Block, Steve Terebecki, and James Petralli

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Sean’s Top 5 Albums/EPsWATCH THE THRONE Kanye West and Jay-Z With a Rating of 4.5 stars by The Rolling Stone, this Rap/Hip-Hop album is the brainchild of two iconic names in the genre: Kanye West and Jay-Z. This Album features other artists, such as Frank Ocean and Beyonce. Watch the Throne has all sorts of different styles on it. This is my personal favorite Rap/Hip-Hop album.

TURTLENECK & CHAIN The Lonely IslandBeing a comedic group, you know that The Lonely Island will produce a hilarious album. Turtleneck & Chain is filled with absurd songs, that parody all kinds of music. We also have other famous artists in songs, like T-Pain and Akon. If you want a good laugh, then this is a perfect album for that. It topped the #1 position on the US Rap and Comedy charts.

MECHANOID MELTDOWN Liquid StrangerThis Dubstep album is a perfect example of the UFK Drum N Bass (DNB) genre. If you are just getting started into DNB, then this is the album you should buy. With heavy bass, powerful wobbles and occasional vocals, this is a good representation of the genre. This album has 3.3 stars on Sputnikmusic’s charts.

BLUE EP GeminiThis trance EP is a well put together group of songs. They feature tempting leads that drop into massive sounds that engulf the senses. The genre name is right, because Blue EP will put you in a trance. It has a 5-star rating off Amazon, so if you haven’t heard it, you are at a loss.

DRINK THE SEA Glitch MobThis electronic album is beautifully put together. With songs that start slow and then build to incredible sounds, this is the perfect album to listen to as you go to sleep. It will let your imagination run wild under the influience of the music. Drink the Sea will wash your mind with awesome music. It was given four stars on Sputnimusic’s charts. It has a great tracklist of well-put-together songs.

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DubstepA new music revolution

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Bassnectar live in a Concert

“No matter how many times you listen to it, it sounds different each time”

When heavy bass and high synths are thrown in a pot, mixed with drums and stirred with a spoon of creativity, the product is the newest rise in music: dubstep. Originating in south London in the late 90s, dubstep has recently taken America by storm, with artists such as Bassnectar and Skrillex. Dubstep is also making its way into other genres, creating fusion bands such as Crystal Method and Celldweller, each with their own electronic/metal fusion. Dubstep has also sprung up in Australia and Canada“I like how no two songs are alike,” said Michael Strouse, a freshmen at Bowie High School. “No matter how many times you listen to it, it sounds different each time.” The music is mostly mixed on a computer program, often many. Some of these songs may feature parts of older songs. For example, the Avicii song Levels there is a vocal sample from the Etta James song, “Something’s Got a Hold of Me.” While most songs are without singing, many contain vocal samples, or even singing from the artist. Dubstep is often put under the umbrella of dance music, because it features very similar structure to dance songs.This genre is also closely related to other styles, such as drum and bass, and house music. These other styles often are close enough that they often intermingle. These artists from each often work together on tracks, creating more crossovers, like Caravan Palace (electro-swing) and Foreign Beggars (dubstep/Hip-hop)“I like to listen to dubstep really loud”, said Jonathan Lee, an eighth grader at Gorzycki Middle School. “It’s pretty much pointless quiet.”Most dubstep concerts are very loud, featuring bright lights and heavy bass. Some artists have a light show

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A Dj playing a live concert

Lights show at a dubstep concert.

that they use throughout their concerts. For example, the artist deadmau5, plays on a giant cube that is made of LCD screens. Some people have a problem with these concerts, because of the frequent use of flashing strobe lights. People like epileptics cannot attend these.A popular theme is to have a mix of the electronic music and other styles, with artists such as Crystal Method and Celldweller each creating heavy-metal Electronic fusions. Some of these bands sprung up before, such as Caravan Palace, an upbeat mix of electronic and swing. Some of these mixes are unexpected, such as Beats Antique, which is electronically influenced Belly-dancing music.While many enjoy the music of a particular artist, they may be hated by other artists and listeners. For example, Skrillex, or Sonny Moore, has received love from thousands of fans During his concerts, But there are many online message boards and chat rooms dedicated to bashing him and his music. A lot of artists are similar, with thousands of fans, but corners of

the internet dedicated to hate mail. They are shocked to learn about these, after hearing nothing but adoration.Dubstep is a new style of music just trying to find it’s way. It is rapidly gaining fans and listeners. While it has people who like it and people who don’t, all styles and genre have a similar situation, they all have fans and people who don’t care for it.

“I like to listen to dubstep really loud... it’s pretty much pointless quiet.”

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Elizabeth’s Top 5 Albums 1. American Tragedy by Hollywood Undead. One of their older albums released in 2010, but still very popular in the music industry. The ideas behind this album have kept me coming back for more every time I open Spotify. It tells a story of the frustration you feel in everyday life, and I personally think it’s amazing. I would recommend it for someone looking for a bit more Indie music than rock, but it combines the two quite nicely with the variations of songs. According to Sputnikmusicrating.com, it was rated a 2.3. Low, but its still number one in my book.

4. Who we are by Lifehouse A second older album, released in 2008, but despite its age, it’s managed to stay public and not die out. I render it to be about missing someone who is far away, and knowing that that person cannot feel or see what you do. Its also about the pain that accompanies missing someone to the breaking point. A 3.3 on Sputnikmusicrating.com, Lifehouse’s second album also rates around the middle.

5. Far beyond driven by Pantera Released in 1994, this dinosaur is in my top five most listened to albums. The hard metal edge, and loud, obnoxious vocals have kept it up their with the more modern stuff, despite its age. Pantera’s a good band overall, but I consider this album to be their best. The song, I’m Broken, which is one of their top five songs, is also on this album. According to Sputnikmusicrating.com, it got a 3.8, which is pretty good.

3. Smoke and Mirrors by Lifehouse An album that’s older than one expects, released in 2009, but I really love it for the meaning behind the songs. I interpret it to be about someone walking on the edge of life, and living in the gray, unsure about what to do, or where to go. My absolute personal favorite song from this band is By Your Side, which on this album. Sputnikmusicrating.com rated it a 3.2, right around the middle.

2. Epic by Blood On The Dance Floor Another 2010 album, but I enjoy it because I take the tracklist on Epic to be about living life in the way you want to. It’s more or less about standing up and doing your own thing, rather than following someone else’s. Taking chances is a part of life, and it encourages you to do so. Rated a 1.7 on Sputnikmusicrating.com, this band has received a lot of haters, (like Mason or Sean) but stays strong.

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Music is worth a Schmillion words

By: Elizabeth Hauglie

Art by Schmillion

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“I thought it was a complete long shot”

Art by Todd Wolfson

The band all together

“We just kinda put ourselves out their”

the band poses with the town lake bridge in the background

Art by Arian Brumby

From the black Combat boots to the matching hair to the bright blue eyes , Frankie Blue, senior at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin, TX, stars at being the lead guitar-ist in the band Schmillion.

The band, which recently stopped performing, was formed the

summer between 8th and 9th grade. “I had been playing guitar for a while and wanted to play it seriously,” Blue says. She has been playing guitar since she fell in love with it, when she was 9 or

10 years old. Schmillion, formed back in 2009, was originally a group of five girls. Over the next year, they morphed into a 4 girl/1 guy band, with crackling guitar licks, belting vocals, and a hard rock edge, unlike any other band because of the age of the mem-bers and quality of music.

“Our genre has changed several

times,” Blue mentions. “Right now its kinda a cross between

garage punk rock and indie.” The band came to this conclusion after trying out similar genres,

such as punk rock, pop rock, and metal/heavy rock. This all re-flects back to the original hard core rock base that the band had formed on.

The band previously practiced in Blue’s living room for a while be-

fore they wanted to branch out. They secured a few spots at some local restaurants and other out-door venues. During that time, they earned “Best under 18 band” 2010, 2011,and 2012 at the Aus-tin Music Awards. The band was highly stoked about the award when someone had the idea that they should apply to perform at South by Southwest, a week-long

music and technology festival in Austin. “ We just kinda put

ourselves out their,” Blue says. Schmillion consid-ered themselves pretty lucky to get chosen.

“I thought applying to South by Southwest was a complete long shot,” Blue says. “We were shocked and excited [when we got picked]. In our minds, this was our big break.” It quite possi-bly might have been, according to the press found on Schmillion’s bio on their website, “Schmillion managed to turn in an impres-sive set of edgy rock that will no doubt help in continuing their upward trajectory…their blend of both ’70s underground punk and riot grrrl energy sounds well beyond their years. It’s fitting, then, that the band covered Iggy and the Stooges’ “Search and Destroy” towards the end of their

set.” This comment allowed the public to see the true magic be-hind the band by exposing a side that was shown at the 2011 South by Southwest.

They got picked again next year, at the 2011 South by Southwest, where they headlined the “Best Album” Grammy Award winners Arcade Fire. “We did get offered to sign [a contract] once,” Blue

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Schmillion’s second album, Seven

“And we had school so we couldn’t do a tour or anything”

says, “but the man wanted a song about losing your virginity as a teenager, and we aren’t about that.” Schmillion is not a vulgar band, so much so that not one of their songs is marked as “explicit”, or “unwholesome”. The band, writing the music in a collaborative effort, divvies out the works, so everybody can add their own special touch to the music, such as Graham’s [the drummer] touch, which is way more indie than Zoe’s [the guitar player’s]touch which is more pop. Some of Schmillion’s top hits in-clude Capricorn, and The Jam.

“It’s not about the fame or the fortune,it’s about doing what we love to do,” Blue says fervently, stressing that just because you get an offer doesn’t mean you should take it. “And,” Blue adds, “we had school, so we couldn’t do a tour or any-thing.” School did take up a lot of Schmil-lion’s time but it was part of the deal of being in a band.

The band re-cently stopped performing because of underlying problems. “The band has stopped performing due to go-ing our different directions,” Blue says, avoiding and not really not wanting to do into detail about the

Art by schmillionn

topic; she’s still a little sore about

it. She doesn’t have any idea if the band will perform again, but she hopes so. “The band is a part

of me as much as my leg or arm,” she says. The idea of playing with another band is so revolting and traitor-like to her, Blue cannot

the band as a whole

even image it, not even in her free time.Outside of the band and school, she enjoys watching movies. “Its embarrass-ing, but my favorite movies are the ones like Grease; movie mu-sicals like

that,” Blue says, blushing and laughing a little. She also

enjoys “laughing at absolutely nothing with my friends,”. At the moment, Blue is “broke because I like going places, and gas costs money.” Blue hopes the band will reunite after college and pursue a career in the performing indus-try, coming back stronger than ever. At the moment though, Blue and the rest of the band is headed off to college and their separate ways, to get degrees, and live the rest of their days, always with the memory of a band that stuck together until the last moment.

Art By Audra Shroeder

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zfd

HOW TO M NWALK!

5

4

3

2

1 1. Stand with both feet flat on the ground.

2. Raise a foot on to the toe. This foot will be still.

3. Slide flat foot back across the floor, so it looks

like it’s gliding.

4. Put back foot on toe, like the other foot before.

5. Slide front foot back, like it’s gliding.

6. Repeat, and be the next Micheal Jackson.

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Made famous by Micheal Jackson, the moonwalk is the dance to learn. It can give the illusion that you are gliding backwords. Impress your friends, family, or even strangers with your ability a to defy gravity and groove out at the same time with...

photo taken by Mason Clark

You know you want me

Doritos locos taco Now at Taco Bell

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Know them?listen on-demand wherever, whenever

Download Spotify for free today!

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Staggering Facts about Piracy

30,000,000,000- the number of songs that got illegally downloaded between 2004 and 2009

$80,688,000,000-the average annual loss the music industry loses to pirates.

The average Ipod contains enough pirated music to equal about

$800.

95% of all music downloads are illegal

Art by IsraelMFA on Flickr

Art by cliff1066 on FLickr

Jay-Z and Kanye Wests’ album, Watch the throne is the top most pirated album

Music accounts for 2.6% of the worlds pirated content

Facts pulled from: http://www.riaa.com/faq.phphttp://www.infographicsarchive.com/interesting-facts/online-piracy-in-numbers-facts-and-statistics/#prettyPhotohttp://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.21195/title.drakes-the-motto-the-most-pirated-song-in-united-states

By: Elizabeth Hauglie

Drizzy Drake’s The Motto is the most pirated song in the United States.

Most teenagers don’t realize how much pirating goes on in the world today. Between the sky-high numbers and the tremendous money loss, the artists do get hurt in the process.

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(For Teens)Austin’s 3 Best Clubs

1.

2.

3.

The best way to hear music is to see it live. Austin is, after all, the “Live Music Capitol of the World.” Here are the three best clubs to see music at for teens, as voted on by the editors of “Duh, Music.”

The “Duh, Music” Team. All Facts.

Elizabeth Hauglie is a 15 year old massive Harry Potter fan who is still waiting for her letter from Hogwarts. When she’s not doing that, she is listening to emo punk rock music and watching The Walking Dead. Her favorite band is Hollywood Undead, with Blood On the Dance Floor, and Lifehouse coming in as a tied close second. In the little free time she has, she enjoys technical theater and playing with her mentally challenged dog. She hopes you appreciate the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the magazine that you’re holding.

Sean McDonald is pretty much perfect at everything he tries. He has a coolness level of 1500 mega-fonzies. He isn’t very musical himself, but is the world’s unofficial leading champion of listening to music. His favorite music is almost any variation of electronic, especially dubstep. He lives in Austin, Texas, the live music capitol of the world, so you know he’s qualified. One day he hopes to become a pro DJ, but until then, you all are at a loss.

Mason Clark is a pretty cool guy. He’s a die hard music fan and nothing makes him happier than seeing live concerts. He’s grown up surrounded by music, but fortunately he’s avoided descending into Hipster-dom. When not listening to music he plays Ultimate Frisbee, reads, or surfs the web. His group is really cool, and Mason is very glad the magazine turned out well and that he got the chance to interview White Denim, one of his favorite bands. His songwriting skills aren’t all that great, but he’s working at it.

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The “Duh, Music” Team

160 GB memory. 163 pixels per inch. Ipod classic 7th generation.

You can’t fit more in your pocket