HAIM + PASSION PIT + COLD WAR KIDS + JESSIE WARE VARIANCETHE SIGHTS + SOUNDS YOU LOVE Phoenix!THE WAIT IS g OVER. JAMES BLAKE #SXSW RUDIMENTAL IN PICS SAM JAEGER 30 YEARS OF JACOB ARTIST THE FLAMING LIPS 11 MUSICIANS WHO DESERVE TO BE BIGGER THAN PITBULL * VOL. 4, ISSUE 2 | APRIL_SPRING 2013 NOW PLAYING KEEP YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION. FOLLOW YOUR DREAM . TATE MUSIC GROUP PRODUCTION DISTRIBUTION MARKETING MEDIA TATEMUSICGROUP.COM FIRST THINGS FIRST to watch this year. Rudimental, Cold War Kids, The Flaming Lips and Passion Pit also grabbed the spot- light down south. James Blake, while he attended the festival, did not per- form, but his forthcoming album, Overgrown, is easily one of the best this year has to offer. We also spotlight some of our TV favorites, including Sam Jaeger, the Parenthood actor that female fans just can’t seem to get enough of, and Jacob Artist, the new eye candy on Fox’s hit dramedy Glee. We also talk- ed to Kevin Alejandro, who co-stars in CBS’s new smash, Golden Boy. Most excitingly, our cover stars one of our favorite bands of the mod- WELCOME, SPRING. ern era, an ensemble whose highly anticipated new album readers vot- AFTER A WHIRLWIND we were there bringing you the ed the spring release they are look- INTRO TO 2013, SPRING latest, behind-the-scenes and up- ing forward to most. Coming off a close. From Mumford and Sons to lengthy period of silence, Phoenix IS HERE AT LAST. fun., we caught up with the big win- returns this month with Bankrupt!, ners and breakout stars. one of the year’s most talked-about We don’t have to tell you how fast In March came SXSW, and this new sets. And they’re talking to Vari- the year is flying by; you already year was mammoth. Besides sur- ance first. know. prise shows from the likes of Jus- We also had a little fun this is- As we present our Spring issue, tin Timberlake and Prince, music sue, and are offering to you 11 we not only reflect on some of the mainstays like T.I., Fall Out Boy, Musicians Who Deserve to Be greatest Sights and Sounds of the Dave Grohl and others showed Bigger Than Pitbull. This one’s pret- last few months, but we look ahead up to join in on music’s biggest ty simple. There is some great music at some of the season’s brightest annual party. Rising hip-hop stars out there these days, and there’s also faces and most exciting voices. And Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore some pretty awful stuff that seems as always, we looked to you—the were the kings of the festival, while to be inescapable. While Pitbull tops readers—for your opinion and up-and-comers Alt-J, CHVRCHES the latter list, we’d like to shine a light feedback. and Phosphorescent rose to the top on the former—some of the talent One of our last issue’s featured of a roster that included more than that should have more Billboard hits artists, Tegan and Sara, have been 2,000 acts. and sold-out shows than the Miami- making significant strides since the This issue, however unintentional, based rapper. release of their pop-friendly album, is in many ways our SXSW special. 2013 is already shaping up to be an Heartthrob. And we can’t be more Many of the artists included this incredible year of Sights and Sounds, excited. month are those who made the big- and we look forward to continuing to February saw the 55th Grammy gest impact in Austin, starting with bring you the very best and amplify- Awards take over Los Angeles, and HAIM—truly one of our favorites ing your voice. SPRING‘13 FIRST THINGS FIRST MIXTAPE JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE HAIM WHISTLE PEAK “Mirrors” “Falling” “Wings Won’t Behave” by @BretEastonEllis by @JordanPhillips_ by @BroStephenScott PURITY RING JESSIE WARE DANNY BROWN “Grandloves” “If You’re Never Gonna Move” “Grown Up” by @StoneySundae by @knowlesxo by @Cody_Carlton YOU CREATE THE PLAYLIST COLD WAR KIDS THE LAST ROYALS BLEACHED “Miracle Mile” “Friday Night” “Next Stop” by @nathanhinish by @allygreer by @john_storer ANGEL HAZE CHVRCHES BASTILLE “Werkin’ Girls” “Recover” “Pompeii” by @ximoanxx by @DJMuncle by @Aaron_Bumby VARIANCESpring_2013, Vol. 4, Issue 2 Editorial Director Jonathan Robles Managing Editors Rachel Faylene & Weston Shepherd Editor-at-Large Amanda Morad CONTENTS Features Editors Merlyn Hamilton & Emily Hulseberg Editorial Assistant Laurie Tomlinson Contributing Writers Noel Abas Chas Guy Katie Herald Aaron Lachman John Mouser Edwin Wilson Contributing Photographers & Artists Chloe Aftel Bo Apitz Eric Blackmon Kate Davis-Macleod Laura Fedele Allison Green Flora Hanitijo Anna Hanks Matt Kent Lauren Keogh Steve Laughlin Taylor Hatfield Eliot Lee Hazel Nathan Malone SPRING MIXTAPE (PLAYLIST) 05 Jeffrey Marini SAM JAEGER 08 James Moriarty PJ MORTON 10 Elizabeth Morris BLEACHED 36 Jason Nocito Nan Palmero KATIE AINGE 37 Felix Perez Nathan Presley Claire Reynolds Caitlyn Ridenour Cara Robbins g PHOENIX 42 Mark Runyon George Salisbury Marti Sheehan Fefe Siriano JESSIE WARE 54 Janie Smith-Burns THE LAST BISON 56 Aaron Stern NATALY DAWN 57 Steven Taylor DAUGHTER 58 Esther Teichmann MATTHEW MAYFIELD 60 Aleksandar Tomovic RUDIMENTAL 62 Willy Ward JACOB ARTIST 64 Eli Watson KEVIN ALEJANDRO 66 Matt Wignall 68 Laura Wilson EAR CANDY Derek Wood Becky Zeiger Web Production & Design Nicholas Clayton JP Jones Jonathan Robles Project Development Bryan Norris THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS YOU LOVE. www.variancemagazine.com 11 MUSICIANS 30 WHO DESERVE TO BE BIGGER THAN PITBULL FUTURESOUNDS: 38 THE SOUNDS YOU NEED TO HEAR THE FLAMING LIPS 12 The band marks 30 years with its darkest, weirdest album. SXSW PHOTO DIARIES 16 Austin showcased the best Sights and Sounds this year. We captured the best moments. JAMES BLAKE 22 On the eve of his most anticipated album release, the British singer talks about the future. PASSION PIT 26 One of the year's biggest indie-turned-arena bands talks tour life and times. HAIM 34 This year's band to watch shares sisterly love on the road to their debut album. COLD WAR KIDS 50 The band talks about the changes in store as they release their fourth album. SAM JAEGER THE Parenthood ACTOR TALKS ABOUT HIS ROLE OF LOVING HUSBAND AND FATHER— ONSCREEN AND OFF. WORDS BY MERLYN HAMILTON PHOTO BY ERIC BLACKMON “I would be shocked if [Parenthood] didn’t come back next season. I’ve been worried in seasons past where we’re kind of on the bubble, but I feel much more confident this year than I ever have.” k Ask something going on. But the beauty of we’ve been making movies since I guess any mother or wife who the best dad and husband on Parenthood is, and the answer Parenthood is how they tie it all together. my freshman year in high school, and I’ve is unanimous. Sam Jaeger (Joel) has defi- Let’s not forget the adoption storyline kind of continued that on now. I love act- nitely got it in the bag. This TV dad and with Jaeger’s family on the show. ing but I don’t believe I have a preference; husband is also a dad and husband in real “This was actually the easiest season I just like being a part of telling stories.” life. And he says he draws inspiration we had,” Jaeger says. “Because we knew So what’s Jaeger up to now that from real life pretty consistently. the struggles that we had with this boy, Parenthood is on hiatus? Well, making his Playing opposite Erika Christensen as and I think they were struggles that any own movie, of course. He’s writing, di- his onscreen wife, Julia, he says he draws parent, especially the parents of adopted recting and starring in a film called Plain inspiration from real life pretty consis- children, can relate to. You’re bringing Clothes. Based on his conversations with tently. “When we go into a scene, we start somebody into the fold and trying to real police officers, Jaeger says it has a lot collaborating with the director, and a lot make them feel welcome, and that’s really, to do with posttraumatic stress disorder of times, I draw on what it means to be really difficult if they’ve had past experi- and the expectations of cops. a father to me, and because she isn’t a ences. You know, we wanted to represent “I just think it’s a harder life than I could mother in real life, I have a lot to say,” that as realistically as possible and I think possibly imagine and I’m fascinated by says Jaeger. “But it’s the same; she draws we did a good job with it. Thankfully, we someone who sees mankind at its lowest a lot from being a sibling. It’s the best job had a really gifted actor in the boy [Xolo and still tries to carry on a nine-to-five a guy could have because I get to work Mariduena] who plays Victor.” life,” he says. and test out the failings of my role as A regular on the show from the begin- Fans of his 2011 movie, Take Me Home, a father.” ning, Jaeger expresses his love for having can expect to see much of the same faces Born in Ohio, Jaeger went to college been with the NBC series for so long. in this film. With plans to have the film for theater and interned in New York for “It feels wonderful,” he says. “This is done at the end of April, Jaeger says he ABC’s primetime casting office.