An Interview With The Dallas, TX Based Pop Rock Band, LOVE PAST BLUE!

Love Past Blue is an award-winning, indie alternative pop-rock band based in Dallas Texas. The group recently completed a mini-tour of the L.A. area, performing at several venues including the legendary Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip. The band’s members already have one EP under their belts and another album in production, despite the fact that they’ve only been playing together since April 2016.

Love Past Blue’s sound is bold and sassy, straddling the line between pop and rock, and infused with a subtle blend of jazz and funk. The band’s self-titled debut EP is available now on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify. Their sophomore album is currently being produced by Sylvia Massy, who has a history of over 25 gold and platinum records, including several Grammy-nominated albums. The first single off that album, V.I.P., released everywhere on October 6th.

“Working with Sylvia on our new music is literally a dream come true,” said vocalist Clio Cadence. “She really believes in us and our music, and she has definitely taken the recordings to the next level.”

Love Past Blue is made up of Cadence (16), guitarist Jack Hickman (14), bassist Joe Galate (17) and drummer Logan Ellis Sheppard (16). Love Past Blue’s natural chemistry and instant friendship has propelled the young band through a crazy year and a half-long blitz of gigging, songwriting, recording, and travel. According to Clio, the band got started basically as a result of her ‘stalking’ the other members!  “I knew I didn’t want to go the solo route, and thought it would be really fun to do the band thing,” said Clio. “So I started calling around some local studios, which is how I found Joe. He was actually working at Whataburger when I called him. He got off his shift at 10, came right over and auditioned, and that was it. He was in.”

Connect With Love Past Blue Here:
https://www.facebook.com/lovepastblue/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5PvtICrPgVku5NJcFe8pGQ
https://www.instagram.com/lovepastblue/
https://twitter.com/lovepastblue

http://www.lovepastblue.com.

Learn more about Love Past Blue in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time for this All Access interview! Where does this interview find you today? Is there music playing in the background? What is it? What is one song that you are all loving right now? What is a song that you disagree about loving right now?

Hey All Access, we are so happy to connect with you today! You guys are the best place to find new music! Let me introduce the band. I’m Clio, I’m the vocalist for Love Past Blue. We’ve also got Jack on guitar, Joe on bass, and Logan on drums.

Jack: We’re chilling in Clio’s music room listening to some Brazilian jazz and a little Post Malone, which should give you an idea of the wide variety of stuff we listen to. When riding in the car together, especially before a show, we jam out to All Star by Smash Mouth. Lil Pump’s Gucci Gang is a song we disagree about. It’s 50/50. You’ll have to guess who is on which side!

How did this group first come to be? Can you recall the moment when you all thought you could be in a band together? Was it hard to come up with a name that you could all agree on? How did you come up with your band name?

Jack: Clio, Joe and I have all been playing together since June of 2016, and Logan joined Love Past Blue in July of this year. At first we thought it would be crazy to split the band between two different states. (Logan is from L.A. and we’re all from Dallas.) But after we played our first gigs together, it just worked. So I guess you could say we just travel a lot more now.

Clio: Our name, Love Past Blue, came from a beatnik poem, but to us it means that even if you’re feeling blue, or going through something really difficult, that there is love and acceptance on the other side. And we want to take people there with our music.

How do you think this band has been influenced by the city you are from? How did that particular music scene affect your music?

Joe: The Dallas music scene has brought us all together, we met Jack through a gig he happened to be playing at also.  I think Logan brings a lot of the L.A. vibes when he’s writing and playing with us. All of us like to support our local bands and music scene.

How does 2017 compare to last year? What all are you most excited about for 2018? Will any of you make New Year’s Resolutions?

Joe: We’ve jumped so many hurdles in the short amount of time since we began our journey with Love Past Blue. Just a year ago we were preparing our first album and our first Cali trip.  The year 2017 has brought us a long way. We joined forces with Vicky Hamilton, wrote and recorded our second album with producer Sylvia Massy, went on a West coast mini-tour, met a lot of really cool people and had plenty of amazing experiences. Now we’re ready for what 2018 has to offer. As for New Year’s resolutions… we have resolved to make it in the industry, whatever it takes.

Let’s talk about your newest single “No Means No.” How did you all come up with the idea for this song? How did it go from being an idea in your heads to a full blown song?

Jack: Although some people may think we wrote ‘No Means No’ because of the sexual assault stuff coming forward in Hollywood recently, we actually wrote it in March (’17) and have performed it at several music festivals and venues.

Clio: I was inspired to write the lyrics because I wanted to spread awareness to more females about how speaking out is OK. ‘No Means No’ is from personal experience. I was groped in school twice. The first time I was shocked. The second time I was so angry I almost got in a fistfight with the guy, but a teacher held me back. The teacher had seen it the first time, but didn’t do anything about it. The other time I was harassed happened when I was 15. I found myself in a situation with an older, trusted, industry professional who was making very strong advances at me, in a locked room, against my will. The guys (my band) were not far away in another part of the building and I was able to get out. My family and friends encouraged me to take what I had been through and turn it into something positive. I made a decision to make it my strength, and I hope it inspires others.

What has it been like performing “No Means No” live? What have the reactions from crowds been like so far?

Clio: Wherever we’ve performed this song, women and girls have approached me – a lot of them crying – to say things like ‘I really needed to hear that’ or, ‘This really needs to be out in the world right now.’  I can relate to what they are feeling, because it happened to me. Females are tired of feeling helpless about the situation. ‘No Means No’ is about empowerment; it’s about standing up for what’s right, and more than anything, it’s about treating women with respect.

How do you think “No Means No” is a reflection of the growth that this group has gone through since your first album was put out? How does this track and your previously released song, “V.I.P”, prepare listeners for your sophomore album?

Clio: We’ve been through a lot together in the past year, and those experiences have really shaped our songwriting. ‘No Means No’ is a song the guys also really care about, especially because of what has happened to me personally. The music they wrote really brought my lyrics to life, and I think it allows people to connect with the song emotionally. It brings out a lot of feelings for people who have been affected personally by sexual harassment, as well as for those that haven’t.

V.I.P is a totally different kind of song. It’s upbeat and fun, and it’s about hanging out and having a great time with your friends. We really are all best friends!

While this may be difficult to answer, where do you think you are all happiest- on stage performing, in the studio recording or elsewhere?

Clio, Jack, Joe, Logan: ON STAGE!!

Do you have any other touring plans to end the year with? Where can people see you perform live next?

Logan: We’re going to hit the floor running in 2018 with another California tour to start things off with a bang! We’ll be playing some shows in San Diego, L.A. and Anaheim in mid-January. All the details will be on our website at www.lovepastblue.com/shows.

We are living in a crazy and at times rough world right now so I am curious how you think being in this band gives you the most joy in life today? Do you think that new music being created today is going to reflect this difficult time?

Clio: I think a lot more songs are being written that send strong messages about various issues facing people today. Every day there seems to be a new story that relates to No Means No. Our message is not just for females. I think men and women BOTH need to be able to say no.  However, I wrote the lyrics from my personal experiences with males.

Boys can have integrity, respect, and self-control. Being a man is not an age. The difference between a man and a boy, is self-control. Are you treating women and girls appropriately, and with respect? If you see harassment happening, are you doing anything about it? This song is about encouraging males, and everyone really, to be GOOD people, to live according to a higher standard, and to embrace a culture of respect toward females, and all people. If consenting individuals want to have some fun, go for it.  But making sexual advances toward someone without their permission? That is just wrong.

Who are some of your favorite artists right now? Who would you love to work with in the future?  What would be a dream collaboration for this group?

Joe: We all listen to a variety of music… Our favorite artists range from Greta van Fleet, Asking Alexandria and boy pablo, to Kendrick Lamar, John Bonham, Wayne Shorter, and pretty much everything in between.  Clio would absolutely love to collaborate with the likes of Gwen Stefani, and Jack would kill to play with Mac Demarco.

Clio: We’ve been lucky enough to team with the legendary Vicky Hamilton, which has been an awesome experience. Working with Sylvia Massy last summer was a dream come true. We love her so much and hope to work with her again. We also have Mark Ronson and Scooter Braun on our bucket list!

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs?

Clio: Our songs mean a lot to us and our fans. The reason we write is to touch people’s hearts and to enrich others lives. The underlying theme in all of our music is one of empowerment, self-confidence, and compassion, and we hope our people take those feelings with them when they hear our songs.

We also love to connect with our fans through social media! Find us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter @lovepastblue, and please get on our mailing list! It’s easy to sign up at www.lovepastblue.com.