Montage

MySpace (listen to "Daydream," "Get at Me")
Official site
Hometown: San Jose
Next local show: None planned
Recent release: The M Album, 2008

By Stamati Horiates

Born and raised in the South Bay, Montage is a rising young artist you’d better get to know soon. Currently in the midst of recording his second album, The O Album, Montage has performed in clubs throughout the Bay Area as well as at the ESPN Summer X-Games, and has made an appearance on The World Famous Wake up Show with Sway and Tech. He’s also in the process of shooting a music video for the song "Get at Me." There’s no question this rapper’s journey has taken flight. But how has he come this far? If you ask him, he will tell you straight up: “Persistence.” (more >>)

Montage, aka Phil Corbin, first developed as an artist by drawing and painting. The walls of his house are decorated with intricate portraits of revolutionary hip-hop stars like Biggie Smalls and Tupac. Although he has enjoyed producing visual art, Corbin soon turned his interests towards other avenues of expression.

Enrolling in a graphic arts college and spending many late nights spinning as a DJ was just the beginning. Before long, Montage found himself flying back and forth to LA at the drop of a hat, recording in studios and working with top professionals in the business. In one year’s time, Montage went from relative obscurity to dropping his first CD, The M Album. “We recorded something like 50 or 60 songs and narrowed it down to just ten,” said Montage. The album was released in January and has since been gaining momentum in the industry.

“It takes me outta the underground and puts me in the forefront. I have a lot of respect for underground hip-hop ‘cause that’s where we all have to start, but I wanna take this to the next level. I wanna win them [Cali Heights Records] an award,” Montage says.

From drawing to graphic arts to spinning to rapping, it appears that the sky is the limit for Montage. The O Album is set to drop in November of 2008 and promises appearances from some familiar voices including those of Linkin Park and D-12.

When asked for the most important piece of advice he can give to others pursuing their dreams, Montage answered, “Make friends and take every opportunity. I don’t care if you’re sick or tired or you have to drive six hours to record in a studio. The first time someone offers to help you and you say no, that door could be closed forever.”

GET AT IT:
-The M Album is available in record stores, on iTunes, Amazon, Napster, MySpace, and at MontageWorld.com.
-Montage formed his own independent label, Cali Heights Records, also featuring artists Punky and Alterego.
-Montage is hosting a remix competition for his upcoming record. More information is available here.

Oceans of Fire

MySpace (listen to "Jamie Please," "I'll Get Back To You")

Hometown: San Jose
Next local show: 12/9, House of Shields (SF)
Upcoming release: Unknown, 2007

Aren't young indie bands great? No label, no album, no website. Just a group of musicians united together under a common vision and a catchy name. Doing their thing. Eating Ramen noodles. Selling sperm. Trying to sign, put out a record, and earn their own piece of the web. Ahh, the simplicity of it all. Oceans of Fire are a San Jose psych-rock group that may or may not practice the aforementioned methods of indie-rock survival, but that's beside the point. Because above it all is the music, and when the music's good, ain't nothing else matter. (more >>)

Oceans of Fire are green -- they formed just over a year ago and are still figuring out their lineup -- but they have some real potential to create their own space in the South Bay while continuing to work their way into the pysch-pop scene grounded in San Francisco. They are, after all, headlining the second night of the Cool Waves Festival tomorrow night at the House of Shields. Cool Waves is a community of shoegaze, post-rock, and dream-pop bands in the Bay Area, and this is its second festival.

Oceans of Fire currently have two songs on their MySpace page: "Jamie Please" and "I'll Get Back To You." The former is all Jesus and Mary Chain -- feedback, keyboards, fuzz, and a steady psychedelic drone. The lyrics are suitably dark: according to a MySpace blog post by singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter Jason McClelland, the song's about "being in total despair about being raped and not having anyone to talk to or turn to for support." "I'll Get Back To You," in turn, reveals more of the band's love for psychedelia and Brit-pop (groups like Spiritualized and Pulp). The song is driven by a lead guitar and as a result is a bit more upbeat and playful. But the lyrics aren't: it's about being "disappointed in people whom I held dear and thought of like brothers or sisters, but in the end they were just using me."

EVERYTHING'S GONNA BE OKAY:
-Oceans of Fire have played the House of Shields at least once before, as well as the Edinburgh Castle, Hotel Utah, and Makeout Room. Tonight they're supported by fellow Cool Waves bands Cupids and Halcyon High, both based in SF. It's good they're playing these SF gigs, because that's where they're likely to find their audience.
-Other groups that the members of Oceans of Fire dig: Low, Radiohead, Dandy Warhols, Sigur Ros, the Verve, Mazzy Star, Love and Rockets, Blur, Portishead, Spacemen 3, Joy Division, the Small Faces, Supergrass, My Bloody Valentine, and the Kinks. See a trend?