BEAUTIFUL BUZZZ

Interview

[TICKET GIVEAWAY] HAZEY EYES ANNOUNCES FIRST HEADLINE SHOWS IN SF, LA, & NYC

Ticket Giveaway, Tour, Live ConcertMike DooseComment

It’s twenty-friggin-nineteen y’all, and Beautiful Buzzz is honored to announce that one of our favorite artists to watch, Hazey Eyes, is announcing his first ever headline shows in SF, LA and NYC (dates in March listed below) and we’re giving away tickets yo! We also had a chance to talk with the young legend about everything from finishing college, to tour life, to his favorite gifs.

Known for delicate and emotive singles like "Love Is" and "Some Reason", Hazey Eyes is the producer/artist whose music you’ve probably heard, even if you don’t know him yet by name. His production can be found on the massive Spotify hit "Flare Guns" by Quinn XCII and Chelsea Cutler, and the 22-year-old mastermind, real name Thomas Michel, has cultivated 63 million streams on Spotify alone. That’s why it’s no surprise he’s already landed touring gigs with Shallou and Petit Biscuit and released official remixes for artists like Charlie Puth, Billie Eilish, and Jai Wolf, just to name a few. His latest single "Scars (feat. Yoke Lore)" was the first off his forthcoming EP which arrives March 1st.

Our announcement of these SF/LA/NYC headline shows comes ahead of Hazey’s next single "Hungover You" which is due out on January 30th.

This tour is a game changer for the young artist as he's including a live drummer for the first time ever, adding awesome visuals and an enhanced stage setup with new instruments and of course—new music :) Tom has spent the last year and a half growing as a live performer, and is readier than ever to hit the road again. These headline shows are part of a larger slew of dates which will be announced very soon.

Here at Beautiful Buzzz, we always like to make things interesting, so we’re stoked to be giving away a pair of tickets for each headlining city. Smash this button to enter for a chance to win tix:

HAZEY EYES MARCH 2019 HEADLINE SHOWS:

San Francisco @ Cafe Du Nord - March 4 - Tickets

Los Angeles @ The Echo - March 6 - Tickets

New York City @ Mercury Lounge - March 23 - Tickets


Without further ado, let’s get into it with Hazey Eyes:

BB: Remind us all, how old are you again?

HE: 22 years young!

BB: Damn, that's young. What're you going to school for?

HE: I go to Drexel University as an Electrical Engineering major—within that I'm a signal processing concentration. Counting down to graduation in June!!

BB: We heard you built some sort of robot piano?

HE: Haha sorta, for my senior design project my team and I are creating a system that takes a piano and vibrate the strings with magnets instead of the traditional hammers. It creates a sound more similar to a synthesizer, but still creates sound using the body of the piano.

BB: Alright...so tell us about this upcoming tour. What cities are you playing in? Are you bringing a robot piano with you?

HE: This tour is three headlining dates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York! There are indeed more dates I'll be playing around these but that's all I'm allowed to say for now. I am unfortunately not bringing the robot piano, but I am bringing an entirely new live set that I'm super excited about.

BB: Do you have favorite spots in any of the cities you're playing in? Any secret Hazey Eyes approved pre- or post-show must-gos?

HE: It's not really a secret, but I never get to experience In-N-Out since I live on the east coast, so I always hit that when I'm in LA. For New York, usually any food truck will do. By the time shows are over I'm super hungry and will eat anything.

BB: Can your fans expect any new music coming in 2019 around the tour?

HE: Yes, definitely. There will be a new single this month and even more to follow that, and the details about that will be released very soon.

BB: Do you ever get homesick on the road? If so, what's your cure for homesickness on the road?

HE: Yeah it gets weird sometimes being in a different city every day, but it makes going home feel fresh every time I do it which is kinda nice. So far I've had to bring homework with me on every tour and nothing gets me back into the Philly/school spirit like a nice coding assignment.  

BB: Do you have any favorite songs to listen to on the road? What about before a show? Any funny pre-show rituals?

HE: I listen to a lot of LANY on the road while I'm traveling and stuff in a similar vein to that—not totally sure why but it hasn't failed me yet. Before a show I listen to some high energy music, whether it be rap or something electronic, just to get in the mood to give it my all during a performance. I don't have any pre-show rituals as of now, but that may change in the future. I like to stay in the moment and just go do it, ya know?

BB: Okay, now for the good stuff...do you have a favorite gif (or three)?

HE: Gifs from the Office are always super effective!

BB: What's your favorite color?

HE: I like blue.

BB: Pick one: a spaceship or cello.

HE: Hmm I gotta go with the spaceship, have not had the chance to try one out yet.

BB: Pick one: rain or shine.

HE: Shine for sure, doesn't mess up my shoes.

BB: Finish this sentence: "we won't stand for..."

HE: We won't stand for overcooked steak

And there you have it. Catch Hazey Eyes soon in a city near you!

TWO FRIENDS LA SHOW RECAP+Q&A

Live Concert, FEATURE, Dance PartyMike DooseComment

Two Friends (Eli Sones and Matt Halper) in the green room at the El Rey in Los Angeles. (Photo courtesy of Ian Johnson, IG: @youngianphoto)

Here at Beautiful Buzzz we generally only provide coverage for single tracks. We like to keep it simple. But once in a while we like to offer an inside look into the lives of artists with whom we really love and consider homies. This past weekend we caught up with Two Friends after their show in Los Angeles at the El Rey Theatre. 

James Delaney sings "Emily" with Two Friends. (Photo courtesy of Ian Johnson)

This hard-working yet light-hearted DJ duo has been picking up momentum since they first started putting a slew of remixes and original tracks on SoundCloud 5 years ago. Known for their riotous social media antics, viral remixes of hits like “Mr. Brightside” and “Trap Queen”, SoundCloud chart-topping “Big Bootie Mixes”, and recent original pop-leaning singles like “Out of Love (feat. Cosmos & Creature)”, “Emily (feat. James Delaney)”, and “Just A Kid (feat. Kevin Writer)” the friend pair of Matt Halper and Eli Sones have earned a well-deserved following and respect as one of the foremost rising acts in the scene.

Saturday night, playing to a sold-out crowd at the legendary El Rey Theatre in the heart of LA, I finally got to witness firsthand why these fellas are quickly climbing the ladder of success—they really know how to get the crowd moving. Some young DJ acts today it seems just hit the play button, jump up and down, and run around the stage hyping the crowd, but it’s clear that Two Friends can do that and simultaneously actually DJ—mixing between tracks quickly and seamlessly flowing from throwback classic to Top 40 remix to their original releases, bringing guests like James Delaney and Kevin Writer on stage to perform their features. Two words can be used to sum up the night and all the fun that was had: Dance. Party.

Doing their thing. (Photo courtesy of Ian Johnson)

After the show we decided to ask Eli and Matt some rapid fire questions to find out a little more about them. Enjoy their responses:

BB: Sushi or Ramen?
Eli: Ramen
Matt: sushi

BB: Pizza or Pasta?
Eli: Pasta
Matt: pizza

BB: Tacos or Burritos?
Eli: Tacos
Matt: burritos (why are we even friends eli?)

BB: Favorite spot to get any of the above in LA?
Eli: Tacos at Frida's at the Brentwood Country Mart
Matt: Burritos at Kay N Dave’s

BB: Favorite artist (musical or not) who is pushing creative boundaries?
Eli: Chance The Rapper
Matt: AJR

BB: Favorite guilty pleasure Spotify playlist?
Eli: Disney movie soundtracks, especially Lion King and Hercules
Matt: ^lol. Ummm probably like one of the Coffee House ones

BB: Biggest inspiration(s)?
Eli: Friends and family
Matt: unique songwriters who tell stories well

BB:  Coolest cities you’ve played in so far?
Eli: All the international ones are always surreal- Barcelona might be at the top.
Matt: I might agree for once. 

BB: Dream collaborator?
Eli: Blink-182, I'm stealing your answer Matt.
Matt: Bli... oh uhh let’s go with Ben Gibbard. 

BB: Most embarrassing moment of tour so far?
Eli: Matt addressing the New York City crowd as Chicago accidentally, sorry Matt.
Matt: that was last year bro. I’d say falling off a DJ booth or two

There you have it folks. Catch Two Friends live in a city near you. All show dates can be found here!

Two Friends. (Photo courtesy of Ian Johnson, IG: @youngianphoto)