01 May Friday Artists You Oughta Know: Zeale, The McNaughstys and Bea Miller
It’s time to break out the three stages, SunFesters — our festival is in full effect.
And with three stages means more music and more juggling to get the most out of that pass of yours. So who should you see? And what if you haven’t heard of them before?
Keeping with our theme of three (it’s a magic number), here are three artists performing today that you oughta know:
Zeale
The guitar instrumentals are ambient, the synthesizers are building up, drums pulsing, it sounds like we’re about to get into a deep alternative track — and then Zeale starts rapping.
Austin, Texas native rapper Zeale describes his music as a mix of indie, hip hop and alternative. “Put Pharrell, Childish Gambino, and Rage into a shotgun, pull the trigger, and you get ZEALE,” says his Facebook page.
Even his music videos fool you before the vocals come in. Laced with the strategic “faded” look of a Polaroid (or a good Instagram filter), and streaming text in that typical indie band Tumblr font (you know exactly what I’m talking about), the strumming guitar intro for the song finishes, and in come Zeale’s sing-song rapping, similar to Kid Cudi, where he’s speaking but in subtle melodies on his music video, “Invisible Prisons.”
Another song of his, “Radio” merges an upbeat alternative instrumental with a grittier half-singing vocal. “Radio” is was a collaboration with punk band Anti-Flag’s bassist/singer, Chris No.2.
And that’s not his only impressive name drop — Zeale has toured with AWOLNATION and Kenny Carkeet of the band produced his EP.
Listen To: “Invisible Prisons” and “Hope Dies”
Performance Time: Friday, May 1 at 8 p.m. at the Ford Stage
The McNaughstys
Who doesn’t need some Irish punk in their life? It’s that weird miscellaneous section of your CD collection where you put your Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly albums — or maybe that’s just me.
Forming in Baltimore, Maryland, The McNaughstys dropped their debut EP in 2012 before making their way to their current home, Los Angeles, California. According to their Facebook page, their general interests include whiskey, beer and loud music. The band lists influences such as Misfits, Bouncing Souls and Flogging Molly.
The four-piece band has described their sound as an “arsenal of over-powered punk riffs, laced with the primal influence of Celtic bagpipes, violin, and banjo.”
I’ll end this with a quote from their Facebook page, because it sums it up better than I ever could:
“So grab a pint, get a shot and let the whiskey flow because, when the McNaughstys are on stage… its always St. Patty’s Day.”
Listen To: “Amazing Grace” and “This Ship is Going Down”
Performance Time: Friday, May 1 at 5:45 p.m. at the Tire Kingdom Service Centers Stage
Bea Miller
Wait, she’s 16? When she sings “we’ve got young blood” in her single from last year, Bea Miller really isn’t kidding.
The actress turned singer-songwriter got recognition for her stint on 2012’s X Factor, where she placed ninth. Since then, the petite blonde scored a record deal and toured with Demi Lovato as the pop star’s opening act.
Miller’s debut album, “Not an Apology” is set to release this July and will feature singles like “Young Blood,” which already has an accompanying music video. Miller sings her song stoically with a grungy look similar to the likes of Sky Ferreira — just slightly more polished, and a voice similar to Ellie Goulding.
This summer, the Jersey native is set to tour with girl group Fifth Harmony, making 26 stops together. But SunFest happens before any of those stops, so here’s your chance for a sneak peek.
Listen To: “Young Blood” and “Fire N Gold”
Performance Time: Friday, May 1 at 7 p.m. at the Tire Kingdom Service Centers Stage