Author: Sam Christensen

Quarters of Change Is Going To Rock The Music Scene

Sam Christensen

You do not want to miss out on this one.

Reinventing the rock sound, Quarters of Change is going to absolutely take off in the coming months. Their recent album, “Into the Rift,” immediately became a no-skip album for me and soon will be yours. Songs like “Kiwi” and “Jaded” are full of immaculate guitar riffs, stellar rock vocals, and rhythmic drums.

Originally from New York, Quarters of Change is an alternative rock band consisting of four members: Ben Roter as the lead vocalist, Jasper Harris and Ben Acker on guitar, and Attila Anrather on drums. They formed their band back in 2017, which started out as a cover band until they released their self-titled LP in 2018, “Cyclone Trips.” In more recent works, they dropped their EP, “New Hour,” in 2021 and their first album, “Into The Rift,” in 2022. Additionally, they toured this past year with Bad Suns as an opener alongside Last Dinosaurs.

Stopping in San Diego on their sold-out North American headline tour, they performed at the Voodoo Room at the House of Blues. Opening for them was the band Late Night Drive Home, an indie rock band from El Paso, Texas, who, like Quarters of Change, are also helping reinvent the rock scene. Playing songs like “Star Love” and “Stress Relief,” they were the perfect compliment for the night.

Approximately around 9:15 p.m., Quarters of Change took the stage, and the crowd went absolutely wild. I was lucky enough to receive a photo pass for this show and made my way up to the barrier in front of the stage. One by one, each of the members came onto the stage, with Ben Roter being the last to appear, in true rockstar fashion.

They opened with a crowd favorite, “Jaded”.

When I tell you that the crowd went crazy, that is a bit of an understatement. The energy in the room was absolutely wild, and quite honestly it felt like a cinematic moment. From my perspective, it was surreal to have the band so close to my right side and then the view of the crowd on my left. Those at the barrier were seen having the time of their lives, being able to sing along and reach out to the stage.

The band was dressed in typical relaxed and casual rockstar attire. Ben Roter was seen in an all-black outfit with clear-framed and dark-lens 2000’s style glasses. To his left was Jasper Harris, who was seen wearing a leather zip-up utility jacket and slacks that paired well with his blue Fender Stratocaster. To the right of Roter was Ben Acker, dressed in a

cream colored linen buttoned long sleeve and colored matched pants that contrasted perfectly with his black six-string guitar. In the back was Attila on the drums, wearing a white Blondie t-shirt.

As they continued to hype up the crowd, they played all the fan favorites, including “Blue Copper,” “T Love,” and “Chloe,” to name a few. The strong chemistry amongst the band members was electrifying on stage, and there were moments seen throughout of the guitarists, Jasper and Ben, shredding back to back with Roter in the middle. An unforgettable moment in the set included an incredibly effortless guitar solo from Jasper for the song “Kiwi” that left me with chills and elicited loud cheers from the crowd.

Roter himself showcased his vocal capabilities and animated stage presence throughout the entire set and truly proved what it means to be a rock star. Additionally, the emotion displayed by Roter was impressive to watch and demonstrated his love for what he does.

Bringing attention to the crowd and closing out the show with a bang, Roter directed the crowd to get down low as the tempo of the song started to build, and when the moment hit, those in the crowd sprung up and gave it their all. Fans were also spotted crowd surfing as well as headbanging during the final song on the setlist, Rift.

Closing out the show, Roter yelled out to the fans, “We love you, San Diego!” before running off stage.

I would consider myself to be a regular concertgoer, and when I tell you that this is one of the most exciting and energy-packed shows I have been to, believe it. Everything about their performance was captivating

Quarters of Change is surely going to be the next big thing in music, and I am eager to see where it takes them.

JAWNY Made San Diego “fall in love”

Sam Christensen

On March 3rd, indie pop artist JAWNY kicked off his 2023 North America Headline Tour
in San Diego, with his debut album It’s Never Fair, Always True dropping the same
day. It made for an exciting night, as we were the first to hear the songs played live.

Performing at the Quartyard in downtown, the innovatively designed outdoor venue
provided the perfect scene to “fall in love” with JAWNY’s sound. The site
complemented JAWNY’s vibe with the unique and fun artwork found throughout,
including local artist work, colorful lighting, and repurposed shipping containers that had
string lights connecting to the stage.

JAWNEY by Samantha Christensen

JAWNY received support from indie pop artist Wallice, who is well known for her songs
“23” and “Punching Bag”. Her shoegaze-style sound captivated fans in the crowd and
left them in awe, waiting for JAWNY to take the stage.
Approaching the time of his set, JAWNY, still behind the stage, turned on his mic to
address the crowd by asking, “Are you guys ready?” A roar erupted from fans, and the
song “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers began to play through the speakers.

Name a better way to hype up a crowd than that.
I even caught myself getting excited and jumping around to the familiar lyrics, “Coming
out of my cage, and I’ve been doing just fine.” At this point, the anticipation and energy
were high.

JAWNY by Shaeley Hicks

Taking the stage, JAWNY comes out to his newly released song “intro”. The catchy
drum tempo was a perfect segway into his performance, and like the album, the 40-
second upbeat song seamlessly transitioned into a crowd favorite, “strawberry
chainsaw”.
The fun rockstar he is was dressed in a vibrant button-up shirt with a heat map print
design, accompanied by black Dickies slacks and a printed logo “Panther” trucker hat.
With him was a neon green electric guitar with a matching guitar strap to complete the
outfit.

JAWNY by Shaeley Hicks

Playing an impressive 20-song setlist, JAWNY kept the energy high throughout. Even
included a cover of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me” which he deemed to be San

Diego’s anthem. The crowd went crazy with this one and serenaded the city with
JAWNY as he geared up for the second half of his performance.
Including a mix of songs from the new album and his past projects, “For Abby” and “The
Story Of Hugo”, JAWNY kept the crowd on their toes with what to expect next. There is
something special to be said about an artist whose songs are rooted in a sad boy
narrative, yet fans are seen jumping and dancing around to the catchy choruses of
newly released songs like “adios” and “lalala”. Moments like that speak true to the
creative storytelling of JAWNY and his unique style of music.

JAWNY by Shaeley Hicks

After getting to be a part of a press release with JAWNY earlier in February, I was eager
to get to hear him play live for the first time. I have been a fan of his since his earlier
works, including “Honeypie” and “Trigger Of Love” which I remember listening to for
hours on end during the pandemic. In the press release, I recall JAWNY opening up
about how much this album means to him and how proud he is to share it with the
world. I would agree that the crowd definitely showed him the recognition he deserves
for such a creative work of art, and the opening night of his North American tour felt like
a movie.
JAWNY stayed “true” to his intentions of creating an album that included something for
everyone and showcased it perfectly by having San Diego “fall in love” with him and
his energy on stage.

Something For Everyone: JAWNY’s Debut Album

Sam Christensen
Courtesy of Adrian Nieto

JAWNY, the self-described “sad boy” singer-songwriter, is continuing the narrative as
he is gearing up to release his long-awaited debut album, which is set to arrive on
March 3rd of this year. The 27-year-old sensation, who rose to fame in 2019 with his hit
single “Honeypie” has been teasing fans with snippets of his new music for months.

Now, with the announcement of his upcoming album, it’s never fair, always true, fans
are eagerly awaiting the release of the full project. The album is said to reveal a mix of
different sides to JAWNY’s songwriting capabilities, he shares with us his motivation
behind the process, explaining that he wanted to make the “dream record” he wished he
could have created when he was younger, and do it in a way that “start[s] super happy,
super tongue and cheek, super indie, super fun, and then somehow by the last song
you’ve somehow gotten to the saddest place you could ever possibly get to as a human
and it all makes sense.” Additionally, JAWNY wanted to ensure the album was a
“cohesive body of work that all had a through story line and [didn’t] just sound like a

bunch of songs thrown together and called an album.” After taking a long time to
complete, he is proud of the final product and excited for the world to hear it.

JAWNY has already released two singles from the album, “true” and “strawberry
chainsaw,” and both have been met with critical acclaim. The tracks are noted to be
upbeat and full of emotion. The album will also feature a collaboration with artist Beck,
who has supported JAWNY in his music journey.

Image from IT’S NEVER FAIR, IT’S ALWAYS TRUE artwork

In a recent press release, JAWNY shared with our outlet that he hopes the album will
“have a song for whatever mood someone is in that day or whatever someone is going
through. JAWNY’s aim for his discography is to provide music for all kinds of emotions
and experiences that can be shared by many. He wants to craft stories that can apply to
multiple people, irrespective of their backgrounds and feelings.

JAWNY’s approach to songwriting is highly unique. He prefers to “fake a song into
existence” rather than take influence from what is currently trending in the music industry. He puts a lot of effort into his lyrics and often tells stories in his songs. He also
makes sure that the music he creates is authentic to him, rather than trying to copy
other artists. The result of JAWNY’s hard work is his debut album, it’s never fair,
always true. It is a collection of songs that range in sound and have something for
everyone.

JAWNY’s upcoming album is sure to be a hit and will surely cement his status as one of
the most exciting new artists of the year. Fans can look forward to hearing more from
JAWNY in the coming months and an opportunity to see him perform live as he takes
the stage on March 3rd in San Diego to kick off his North American Tour.

FLETCHER: Girl of My Dreams Tour Concert Review

Sam Christensen

LOS ANGELES — Closing night of her sold out tour and first debut album, “Girl of My Dreams”, FLETCHER (Cari Fletcher) takes the stage at the Hollywood Palladium.

After playing over 100 shows this year, 2022 has proven to be a transformative year for the queer 28-year-old pop-rock artist. She released her first debut album, “Girl of My Dreams” which made its way to #15 albums on the billboard 200, performing 4 sold-out tours around the world and selling over 100,000 tickets. Tonight she performed many songs off her new album, a cover of Britney Spears’ song “If U Seek Amy”, and past singles off of her EP tracks, “you ruined new york city for me” and “THE S(EX) TAPES”. 

FLETCHER posted on her socials before the show, “LA night 1 you were magical. i dreamed about playing shows like this my whole life. i’ve played over 100 shows this year, and tonight is the last one. night 2 bring me every bit of energy you have, i’ll be giving you everything i’ve got.” 

…  and that’s exactly what she did. 

Following an exciting night one in Los Angeles, FLETCHER came on stage just before 9:30 PM for night two, opening with her song, “Guess We Lied…”. Looking as stunning as ever she was dressed in an all-white outfit with her usual fun and flirty top and baggy pants that would be later stripped off to reveal the matching set. 

Fletcher performing “Conversations”

Fans came prepared with energy and showed FLETCHER just how well-rehearsed they were with the new album. It was a surreal feeling being able to experience how FLETCHER connects with her audience and the confidence she exudes both on stage and in her voice. In her songs like “All Love” and “Her Body Is Bible”, she hit and held high notes all while being supported by her talented band members on stage. 

Fletcher performing “Her Body Is Bible”

A crowd filled with so much diversity and love for the artist made for an unforgettable experience. A perfect example of the fans’ dedication to FLETCHER took place after an interlude of the artist opening up about her struggles with mental health and performance anxiety. The artist was talking about how she found her place on the stage and provided words of wisdom to fans inspired by her healing journey. A smooth transition to the next song, “For Cari” is based on her self-love journey and celebrating herself. As the first couple of chords strummed on guitar, the fans in the front five rows all held up signs with a baby picture of Cari (FLETCHER) with the phrase “This one’s for her ♡”. Immediately after she noticed the signs, the artist burst out into tears and stepped back from the mic.

As a fan in the crowd, it was a very emotional moment and I caught glimpses of those around me tearing up as well. The room filled with cheers to show support and she returned to the mic to say “You guys are gonna pull out my baby pictures and then expect me not to bawl my eyes out? We gotta run this back real quick”. With the signs still being held in the air, the song started over again with the audience serenading along the way. 

Fletcher performing “For Cari”

A night packed with love, music, and emotion made for a special conclusion for the “Girl of My Dreams” tour. Being able to attend her show was a dream come true for a longtime fan like myself. It has been fulfilling to see how she has grown over the years with her music and newfound self-love. I am eager to see what the future holds for the artist as these sold-out shows will most likely lead her to book bigger venues. Things are just getting started for FLETCHER.