'Purple Mafia' Spill the beans

1. How was the band first formed?

At Ripon grammar school 4 years ago when Josh and Harry had guitar lessons together and people joined and left to make purple mafia how it is today. 

2. Have you ever got into big fights over your music?

No we just have creative discussions but usually we have the same taste.

3. Who’s the biggest ladies man?

All of us have a strong female following, mainly at gigs and in California! 

4. Do you have girlfriends?

Most of us don’t.

5. How old were you when you had your first kiss?

At the end of primary/ beginning of secondary school for most of us 

6. Who is your celebrity crush?

Kelly Brooke, Mila Kunis, Pixie Lott, Megan Fox, Cara Delevingne

It's hard to choose one! 

7. What’s a Girls fashion look that confuses you? (I don’t care look etc.)

When girls try too hard and over do their look

8. What’s a girly movie that you secretly love?

Mean girls! 

9. Who would play you in a movie of your life?

One direction

10. What’s your dream job if you weren’t musicians?

To own a ski and mountain bike resort in the alps

11.What’s your worst habit?

Nail Biting

Here is a link to Purple Mafia’s YouTube channel so you can check out their stuff! http://www.youtube.com/user/1PurpleMafia?feature=watch

You can follow the boys on twitter: @AlexPurpleMafia, @DanPurpleMafia, @JoshPurpleMafia, @HarryPurpleMafia and @TomPurpleMafia

Make sure you check out my review of Purple Mafia aswell!

Thank You for reading this if you like it please follow me on twitter @elliekay96

Ellie X

'Purple Mafia' Band Review

Purple Mafia are five Yorkshire boys from Ripon Grammar school and after performing together for over 4 years they have built up a worldwide fan base. They have a combined twitter following of about 4000 and their very first single ‘She Thinks It’ has over 16000 views. Purple Mafia is made up of singer- Dan Reynard, lead guitarist-Josh Stockdale, rhythm guitarist -Harry Yates, bassist- Tom Stringer and drummer /backing vocals-Alex Boulton. The boys are not only cracking the UK they have also recently been over to LA in order to record some of their original songs and perform a live show in a Hollywood club. This all happened when they were contacted by Mitch Goodman who is the label Manager at Unison Music, an independent record label in Los Angeles. He was impressed by their energy, talent, enthusiasm and love of music.

It is easy to see why these boys have such a big following not only do they have good looks but they also have a fun nature and bags of energy. However it would not be fair to say that their likability is only because of these things as they also have writing ability way above their age.  They have their own music style and stick to it rather than trying to be like other famous bands like One Direction. Their lyrics say it as it is but in a way that is positive and catchy. They manage to change from an upbeat song like ‘Sunburnt Orange’ to a slower sweet song like ‘She thinks it’ in one smooth jump without disappointing their fans or losing their personal style.

                 Purple Mafia. From left to right- Harry Yates, Josh Stockdale, Dan Reynard, Tom Stringer and Alex Boulton.

Having seen Purple Mafia in concert a few times I have seen how they play their instruments, sing and bring their fun energetic personalities onto the stage. However at the same time they also manage to captivate their audience and keep them in the palm of their hands; changing the audiences emotions as they change the song. Ask any well known musician and they will tell you this is something that is very difficult to achieve, ask any ex musician and they will tell you this is something they never quite mastered.

Purple Mafia have been lifelong friends and they have respect for each other both as friends and band mates but are also able to annoy each other without crossing the line and they have the ability to show this through their music videos and concerts which is one reason why I think people enjoy listening to them. They have a special bond together that cannot be faked. 

 

Purple Mafia from left to right. Harry Yates, Josh Stockdale, Alex Boulton, Tom Stringer and Dan Reynard.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t think Purple Mafia will be covering teenage girls’ bedroom walls in a few years. Purple Mafia are not just another band. They play together because they have a love of music and not because they think it’s cool and will make them loads of money!

I think it is clear to see that these boys will go far; Mitch Goodman has already compared them to the young Beatles! But I just hope that when they do finally make it they do not forget their Yorkshire roots and the things that they stand for like so many others before them!

Here is a link to Purple Mafia’s YouTube channel so you can check out their stuff! http://www.youtube.com/user/1PurpleMafia?feature=watch

You can follow the boys on twitter: @AlexPurpleMafia, @DanPurpleMafia, @JoshPurpleMafia, @HarryPurpleMafia and @TomPurpleMafia

Make sure you check out my interview with Purple Mafia aswell!

Thank You for reading this if you like it please follow me on twitter @elliekay96

Ellie

x

'Lennon and Maisy' YouTube Review

I first stumbled across Lennon and Maisy when they appeared on my YouTube suggestion list, thinking they looked cute I thought I’d give them ago. The song they were singing was their own take on ‘Call your girlfriend’ with their margarine pots what I then found out was that they were a bit of a YouTube sensation, especially for this song. Although my first impression of them was ‘cute’ Lennon’s voice was far from it; with her being the older of the two sisters, but still only 12 years old, she had a voice which made you believe she felt and believed everything she was singing. Maisy added another dimension to the song with her harmonies and backing vocals and the mix of young and slightly older seems to work like a charm.

Although ‘Call your girlfriend’ gave them their first taste of viral stardom, I think my person favourite cover of theirs is ‘I won’t give up’ by Jason Mraz, this song again demonstrates their amazing harmonies but also showcases Lennon’s guitar playing. However, it is not just Lennon who is gifted at the guitar, in Maisy’s solo cover of Missy Higgins’s ‘Secret’ she also shows of her guitar playing and surprises us all with her tuneful yet also mature voice. Their ‘Call your girlfriend’ cover has inspired other YouTubers to also try making music with cups or empty cartons and it has now become a bit of a craze.

Their new Christmas song ‘Christmas coming home’ is an upbeat joyous song that makes you want to sing along, it was written by Lennon and Maisy’s parents and Maisy herself said “I love to sing it because it makes you feel happy.”  They have millions of twitter followers, however perhaps the most exciting of these are One Direction and teen heart-throb Harry Styles even tweeted one of their YouTube videos.

When I was trying to find out more about the two Stella sisters I found out that their parents are also musically gifted, they finished in fourth place CMT’s Can you duet?I also found out that they grew up on a 170-acre farm without Phones or even TV and Internet, which is ironic since they now appear on both the internet and TV being watched by millions of 
viewers.

Not only are they showing the viral world what they can do, they have also booked the roles of Maddie and Daphne Conrad in the ABC hit show Nashville and wowed the world of TV with their great acting and their cover of ‘Telescope’ is one of the best music moments from the season.

Lennon and Maisy are definitely ones to watch and I know they’ll become stars.

Follow me on Twitter @elliekay96

Ellie Kay