Home Published Work Multimedia Experience Independent Research Contact

Music

Pleaser Magazine •

Harvey Street Takes Somerville By Storm

Many of the songs on their upcoming album, which Pleaser was told will hopefully be released in the first half of 2027, are inspired by the moments the band experienced in Nashville and their transition to, from and in the city. They felt pressure to create in the midst of one of the busiest seasons of their lives, and had a nervous excitement living away from their home state, but overall, they were just having the time of their lives playing their music for fans. Further, “We’re trying to chan...
Pleaser Magazine •

Gather ‘Round For a Sit Down With Kids Table

Pleaser’s newest friends Amy Smith (lead vocals), Max Wooten (bass guitar/backup vocals), Bryan Truong or BT (keyboard), Mike Weaver (guitar), Ryan Thomas (trumpet), and Andy King (drums) make up Kids Table, your next favorite indie band. Inspired by groups like Lake Street Drive and Couch the Band (hello, Pleaser fave), Kids Table has started to develop their own sound outside of their highly successful cover work. What remains the same? They’re still a group of friends who love to perform, and...
Pleaser Magazine •

Faking It With The Army, The Navy

I’ve always been fond of the phrase “fake it ‘till you make it.” It reminds me that even those who seem to exude an effortless confidence may be putting in work behind the scenes to create that image. Maia Ciambriello and Sasha Goldberg, the duo that make up The Army, The Navy, told Pleaser Magazine that the notion of finding bravery, especially when you feel scared or unsure, was a catalyst for their debut album Fake Brave Life. The record, released on June 12, is 11 tracks of both personal ane...
Pleaser Magazine •

I Listened to Valley Boy’s Debut Album. You Should Too.

Creating an album that both examines his own experience with divorce and loss while sharing stories of his peers has been percolating in James Ghaleb’s, better known as Valley Boy, mind since the start of his career. It took a considerable effort to whittle down his thoughts into a condensed track list, but Children of Divorce, released May 1,was eventually cut to the 13song collection it debuted as. After writing records’ worth of content for other artists, Ghaleb wanted to be choosy about the...
Pleaser Magazine •

The Maine Demands You Dance to Their New Record, at a Show or On Your Own (Digital Cover Story)

For our April Digital Cover, drummer Pat Kirch filled Pleaser in on the intentionality behind The Maine’s tenth studio album Joy Next Door, the color green and the current “I Love You, But I Chose The Maine.” tour, which Pleaser attended in New York CityI often find myself in a cycle of, “when I accomplish XYZ, then I’ll be happy.” The period before the achievement, a job, a boyfriend, a graduation, feels like a waiting room; other people are called into the office of joy while I sit and watch t...
Pleaser Magazine •

Syd Taylor Found Her Own Voice

As obvious as it may sound, independence is the key to finding yourself. Separation from influence, from friends, and sometimes, even from family. That was the case for Sydney Taylor Schmier, who recently debuted her solo project, Syd Taylor, after the departure from her band Stereo Jane. The band was a duo project with her fraternal twin sister Emilia. As an identical twin myself, I understand the need for separation more than most. Yes, we are best friends, we do a lot together and I love her...
Pleaser Magazine •

Flo Milli Makes a Grand Return

If you need to be hyped up before a job interview, night out, or workout class, Flo Milli really is that girl. We became acquainted in 2020, deep in the depths of COVID, with her debut album Ho, Why is You Here?, with tracks like “May I?,” “In The Party” and “Beef FloMix,” which was actually her first released single in 2019, and I was hooked. On one trip to visit a friend in San Francisco in 2021, we played “May I?” in the car so loud and so many times in a row that my friend who was stuck in t...
Pleaser Magazine •

Brenn! Is Here To Stay

Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Keller was a born storyteller. He started considering music as a potential path in 2020, but it wasn’t until 2022 that he released his first single “closer,” in February. Consistency was his key to success, dedicating his time to the craft for two years before his official first release. His inspirations at the beginning were low-fi, hip hop rappers like Keshi, but slowly turned to folk artists like the Pleaser-beloved Briston Marone...
Pleaser Magazine •

Indigo De Souza and Mothé at Webster Hall: Total Popstars

Webster Hall created a name for itself in a time before social media or influencer marketing. Opened in 1886, there’s an allure to its stage that both audiences and artists recognize upon entering. Lights shine and glint effortlessly while sound strikes and reverberates off velvet walls. In a city constantly pulled to be bigger and better, venues like Webster cement the importance of connecting to cultures that came before. On a late-October Monday night, I had the privilege of watching Indigo D...
Pleaser Magazine •

The Word’s Out About WILLIS

If you know me in real life, you know I’m constantly touting that I found someone's favorite artist before they did. If a Chappel Roan song starts playing, I’m the first to let you know that I’ve known her since “Pink Pony Club” was originally released in 2020. The proof? I added the track to my “Liked Songs” on Spotify on February 1, 2022. That’s a full two years before her breakout Coachella performance last spring, for the record. I feel particularly akin to these musicians that I find early...
Pleaser Magazine •

A couch isn't just a living room staple. Say hello to Couch the Band.

If you’ve been following my Pleaser pieces, you may have recognized my affinity for bands born out of my hometown. I love building up musicians I tangentially know, and whether they think it creepy or not, I follow these groups religiously. I’ve done it again with Couch the Band, a Boston based group boasting seven members: Tema Siegel (lead vocals), Zach Blankstein (guitar, bass, vocals), Jared Gozinsky (drums), Will Griffin (bass), Danny Silverston (keys), Jeffrey Pinsker-Smith (trumpet), and...
Pleaser Magazine •

After 10 years in the industry, Daya is ready to release her sophomore album.

In my hometown, the coolest radio station to listen to on the way to high school was Kiss 108. As soon as my mom flew the key into the ignition and we heard the labored breath of the engine turning over, we’d rush to the recently illuminated radio panel and press 4 to the presaved 107.9 FM. In September of 2015, I was just starting my sophomore year, ready to take on the challenges and chaos of a new season with confidence. On one of those early morning drives, I heard a track, softly over the r...
Pleaser Magazine •

All Hail the Continued Rise of Rainbow Kitten Surprise (Digital Cover Story)

One of the unreleased tracks played during this tour was “Dang,” a guitar-led track with Melo’s voice as the catalyst of the sound. The song was released July 18 as RKS’ first tease of the new album, and fans begged for more. Goodpaster said “Dang” is “the rocker on the album.” “The first time we played it live at Jay’s studio he said, ‘Wow, I just got to watch that!’ And that made us all feel like a million bucks,” He continued.This track harnesses the energy and spunk that permeates through a...
Radio Free Brooklyn •

WeatherOps: The Hidden Heroes of Outdoor Festivals

Radio Free Brooklyn spoke with DTN, a weather prediction service company, to find out how event coordinators manage the growing risk of severe weather impacts at festivals, performances, and other outdoor events.

Severe weather has become the norm nationwide, and New York City is not immune to the inconsistency that accompanies a changing climate. With summer heat and seasonal storm clouds rolling through the boroughs every week, some event organizers have begun to feel the repercussio...
Time Out New York •

The 17 best New York concerts to see this fall

There are a few things you can always rely on New York City to provide: 100-degree subway stations in the summertime, the best baconeggandcheese of your life (yes, it’s one word in my book) and a concert of any shape, size or genre you desire. From sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden to backroom bars filled with your favorite Bushwick neighbors, there’s something for everyone this season. If you need help narrowing it down, we’ve got you covered. Here are our top picks for the best artists coming to the five boroughs this fall.
Pleaser Magazine •

Grace Gardner’s Back in New York City, But This Time In Brooklyn

The alternative music scene necessitates watching artists perform more than once. The venues these artists frequent are often passed off from one night to the next, so many musicians share stages with their peers, and sometimes back-to-back. Saturday, May 31, was my second time watching Grace Gardner perform. This time I saw them at the Sultan Room, the night after I watched Jillian Dawn sing on Sultan’s rooftop.The Sultan specializes in creating a warm, close-knit community for its shows. The s...
Pleaser Magazine •

It’s a Jillian Dawn Summer

In an interview with Pleaser before the show, Dawn said she’s already released three singles so far in 2025: “Almost Like” in March, “Like My Friends Do,” in April and “The Bullet” in May. Before its release, I had the opportunity to listen to "Like My Friends Do" during Dawn's December Baby's All Right show in Brooklyn. When performed at Baby’s, Dawn played an acoustic version of the track, highlighting its introspective and vulnerable nature. The lyrics discuss the ease in which friends cut of...
Pleaser Magazine •

Glenna Jane Was Born To Be A Singer, She Just Didn’t Realize It

When you have a passion, nothing can stop you from chasing your dreams. Your relentlessness is driven by your desire to make it in an industry that sometimes seems to be against you. Your failures are nothing if not fuel, driving you to work harder, think bigger and do anything and everything to show them who you really are. In my life, that would be my pursuit of journalism. I’ve fallen down about 100 times, but I’ve stood up again 101. For Glenna Jane, music is her passion, and she continues t...
Pleaser Magazine •

The Ever-Winding Road of Finding Yourself, with Catie Turner

The path to self discovery is non-linear. It has twists and turns, regressions and advances, and highs and lows. It's work, it takes time, and it looks different from person to person. Catie Turner, the Los Angeles-based indie pop artist, knows firsthand what it takes to find yourself, and she’s not done yet. In an interview with Pleaser, Turner said her music is conversational, like a friend sitting down on your bed to divulge a crush or existential thoughts. She used her hit song “God Must Hat...
Pleaser Magazine •

Don’t Even Think About Asking Zoe Ko Her Relationship Status

Have you ever felt the feminine urge to completely separate yourself from men in the pursuit of genuine freedom? Zoe Ko has, and she even wrote a song about it. “Not ur girlfriend” is the title track for Ko’s sophomore EP, released on March 21. She told Pleaser Magazine that this track transcends the EP release and more wholly represents her current phase in music.“I like that I’m talking about not being attached to anyone, focusing on my own life. I enjoy the feminine perspective, the feminine...
Pleaser Magazine •

Grace Gardner Knows No Bounds

This tour, titled the “After Knowing Tour,” was accompanied by Gardner’s recently dropped EP, After Knowing. The seven-song record was released on December 27, with the four-show tour announced soon after. Gardner explained on stage that guitar player Lonnie Davis played a big hand in the release of the EP, and not only by co-producing, mixing and mastering it. Gardner said Davis filled an emotionally supportive role after the two met at a party during Gardner's first visit to Philly. An Instagr...
Pleaser Magazine •

For Hometown Heroes, This is Juniper

Finding a tangential connection with budding musicians is one of my secret obsessions. Whether it be a neighbor, distant cousin or a friend of a friend’s friend, if there’s a musician in my social web, I will be interviewing them for Pleaser Magazine. This time, I spoke with Juniper, an indie-rock band whose lead singer and guitar player Scott Johnson graduated from Wellesley High School in 2017, the year before I did. Dummer Alejandro Marin is from the neighboring town of Brookline and guitar p...
Pleaser Magazine •

The Band Next Door: Your Neighbors

Flash forward to this October 25, Your Neighbors released their indie-pop single “DOGMA.” An introspective track that follows the results of Robsinson’s religious upbringing, “DOGMA” highlights his existential dilemma with religion. He explained in a recent interview with Pleaser that the lyrics describe moving away from religion as a result of prayers seemingly falling on deaf ears. “There's a bit of ego depicted in the bridge where the person feels like they’re ‘owed’ a miracle because of how...
Load More

Follow Me