Sequins and Skeletons is a band from LA that are doing some great things. Recently sat down (emailed) with RareBit the Destoryer (Justin Hopkins) of Sequins and Skeletons and asked him a few questions about his musical projects.

Here's what he said...

C.TV: When did you start making your own music and what is your instrument of choice when writing songs?
RBTD: I started recording music with my friend Josh, who makes several appearances on the album, in 8th grade. His mom had an old PC with a really basic recording function. I think it was used for voice memos. We used it to record fart sounds and crappy songs about beer cans and book reports. I write with my guitar usually.

C.TV: The song Aggro Crag is pretty technical, describe your process from start to finish for a song like that.
RBTD: There is a long winded answer to this question: I come from a visual arts background so almost all of the music I write comes from some sort of image that I see in my head. The music, at least initially, is always an attempt to try to sonically emulate the vision.

That being said... This is a collaborative project that involves loads of people, mostly musicians from the "Sequins and Skeletons" collective. I just act as the director and edit the pieces together to best preserve the vision (much like film maker would make a movie) but there is a lot of creative input aside from my own that goes into the end result. This aspect is always the most exciting part of the process to me. I would be a huge dick to make it look like it was totally a solo project which is over rated anyhow.

Sandra Wallace of France sang and wrote lyrics to Aggro Crag in french, a language I don't speak. Jared Rodriguez of Pomar and Sequins and Skeletons played some guitar parts. Nick Tuttle, also of S+S, played most of the drums. Joshua Mitchell (S+S) played burmese harp and collected field recordings taken from his travels in Asia. This record is more or less a Sequins and Skeletons project, the thing that makes it a RareBit release is the process and execution being unique and separate from the other output coming from the collective as a whole. Tiger Bitch, Michelle Barrios and COMBAT! aren't on Aggro Crag but they make several appearances on other parts of the album.

C.TV: How many musical projects are you currently involved in, what takes up most of your time?
RBTD: Sequins and Skeletons takes up most of my time right now but I am also involved in Haunted Stars, Four Winds, Rarebit the Destroyer, as well as loose collaborations with Obi Lori and Space Equator.

C.TV: What do you hope to accomplish in the next year with your music?
RBTD: I would like our S+S shows to blur the lines of what makes a rock performance and what becomes something else... Im not sure what that means yet. Stay tuned.

C.TV: What inspires you to write the songs you do?
RBTD: I'm not sure what inspires me. Its hard to say where the ideas come from and even harder to say where they are going go. It would be just as accurate to say that everything I have ever seen, heard, felt, smelled, or tasted inspires me.

C.TV: Do you listen to your own music often in your leisure?
RBTD: I dont know how leisurely it is... Its always work.

C.TV: What three musicians influence you the most?
RBTD: Narrowing it down to three is hard, but here are 7... balinese gamelan, villa lobos, Eric Dolphy, John Adams, The Books, Battles, and the Dirty Projectors.

C.TV: Any plans of a tour or more live shows?
RBTD: A tour in the works.

C.TV: What genre would you classify your music as?
RBTD: Punk

C.TV: Which TGIF show defines you most as a person?
RBTD: Mo'esha

C.TV: How do you feel about dress shirts with white cuffs and collars?
RBTD: I'm sure it works for some people.

C.TV: A few of your song titles are influence by Nickelodeon TV shows...(that's not a question, just a statement, but feel free to comment on this)
RBTD: The golden age of television. A time people shouldn't forget.

Sequins and Skeletons have a few shows coming up in LA, be sure to check them out if you're in the area:

MAY 8th @ THE DETROIT BAR W/ THE UNION LINE and AUSHUA.
MAY 30th @ ECHO CURIO W/ BARN OWL and a bunch of other bands.

Links to members and friends of Sequins and Skeletons:
http://www.myspace.com/spaceequatorhome
http://www.myspace.com/combat
http://www.myspace.com/obilori
http://www.myspace.com/themelodyandthebeast
http://www.myspace.com/lasfloresproject
http://www.myspace.com/upsidedownastronaut
http://www.myspace.com/passarodopomar
http://www.myspace.com/tigerbitch

Think About Life know how to have fun. Their live show is a positive force that will turn any frown upside down. Last night I attended their show at Mercury Lounge, NYC and I was blown away. The world needs more bands like these guys. Their most recent album "Family" is jam-packed with hit after hit. The opening track "Johanna" is what hooked me in. I highly recommend buying their album on vinyl if you have a player, it's a real work of art.

Offical Website: www.thinkaboutlife.org

This "first lady of B'more" has recently been makin' lots of noise around town, helping to put Baltimore on the map.Mz Streamz is starting to become the go to artist for features, she's recently put in work with the Gorillaz, Lily Allen, and Mark Ronson. Check hermyspace for updates.

Here's her video for "Everybody On It" that she dropped like a year ago. Doesn't the beat sound painfully similar to Jay-Z's "On to the Next One"? When it comes to being influenced by Aaron LaCrate's production style, I guess everybody on it.....

Slow like honey, but heavy like milk, Twin Sister is a band reassembling dream-pop at its finest. A part of their identity is rooted through their music having a zen like quality, part hazy mediation and soft pacing. Their selection of songs appears like wounded disco tracks disguised through traditional guitar and drums. The violent, twisted "Ginger" and soft vocals of "I Want A House" are some of the highlights of this five-piece band hailing from Long Island, New York.

Coming from the outskirts of Hamilton, Ontario, The Rest is something to behold with their diverse array of songs. On their debut album, they've drowned themselves into darker waters so don't expect to listen to some ear candy. The lead singer, Adam Bentley, takes you to a joyride of emotions in each track leaving you relaxed at one point then lifting you higher on another. Everyone All At Once is definitely cinematic in presence and has an easy listening appeal. Reigning as the Next Arcade Fire, this band will surely kick-start your summer in the right direction.

Montreal's Dirty Beaches has been playing for a few years producing EPs and LPs under Fixture Records. An experimental project run by Alex Zhang Hungtai, every single is packed with ghostly ballads and sinister style. It might not be the fixture of indie pop, but his singled out creepy lo-fi voice leaves you curious and mesmerized. When asked about his process, he replies that it's pop with verse-chorus-verse-chorus. Despite his minimalist elements, he creates an experience ranging from '60s espionage films to modern day surf rock revival. At the heart of it all, Hungtai shows you that picking up a guitar, harmonica, drums, and sampling a few sounds, is all you need to have an opposite effect to an accessible genre.

These guys were pretty much unknown last year when they came to NY to play Pianos in the LES and crashed at my apartment. Now the band is internationally blowin' up. With performances like the one shown here you can see why this band is creating buzz. Great harmonies, nice melodies, and tight playing. These guys really love music, and it shows.

Eric Wareheim has been really busy lately. With the success of his show Tim and Eric awesome show, great job! He has done nothing but create the weirdest videos, commercials and cameos.

Here is his new video for Health. It's pretty bloody.

Directed by Eric Wareheim
Special Effects by Fatalfarm
Director of Photography Matt Lloyd
Edited by Luke Lynch
Post Colorist/ Finishing Editor: Daniel Haworth
Styling by Amanny Ahmad
Produced by Funk Factory Films, Inc
Copyright Lovepump United / City Slang, 2010

[via HEALTH "We are Water" from Eric Wareheim on Vimeo]

Here's one of those "why didn't I think of that" music videos. Floridian Rachel Goodrich, shows us a little of her inner-thug with her recent video for "Light Bulb".