Spring Break
Electronic-based PlayRadioPlay look break onto national scene
Listen Up!
Brian Washburn
Issue date: 4/28/08 Section: Life & Style
The digital age has quickly dawned upon us with ever-growing technologies and techniques to accomplish normal, everyday tasks in half the time required. But when you say the "digital age" regarding the music industry, there's a different feel; a feel of an iTunes dominated, label-less music world. However, a select number of musicians take the "digital age" to another meaning - one of computer beats, synth programming and electronic music.
PlayRadioPlay's Dan Hunter takes this musical "digital age" and mixes it with a recipe of fast drums, fuzzy guitars and soft vocals to come out with a concoction all of its own. When you listen to his music, it's no wonder Hunter's wildest dreams came true for him at an age we all just thought of as the age you could purchase a ticket to an R-rated movie. Now at just 18 years old, Hunter's debut album, Texas, has taken his unique sound to the nation, including MTV. (By the way, PlayRadioPlay was also one my three breakout artists of the year at the beginning of 2008. Not to brag or anything.)
"My music's hard to describe," Hunter said. "It's electronic music and rock mixed together. I'm really happy with the way [Texas] came out."
Texas has quickly garnered much fan praise and popularity for Hunter. The album debuted in the Billboard top 200 charts, according to billboard.com, and the first single off of the album (the soft, drum- driven "Madi Don't Leave") is even garnering a little bit of air time on MTV.
"There wasn't a huge push right off the bat for the record because of the kind of failed model in the music industry," Hunter said. "That's one of the reasons labels are losing money. They don't just put millions of dollars into a band anymore right off the bat. They need to tour and see how they do. But my first week's sales were better than the EP I released last year, so it's all been good."
However, the touring aspect of the music industry will probably fill Hunter's schedule for the rest of the year, he said.
PlayRadioPlay's Dan Hunter takes this musical "digital age" and mixes it with a recipe of fast drums, fuzzy guitars and soft vocals to come out with a concoction all of its own. When you listen to his music, it's no wonder Hunter's wildest dreams came true for him at an age we all just thought of as the age you could purchase a ticket to an R-rated movie. Now at just 18 years old, Hunter's debut album, Texas, has taken his unique sound to the nation, including MTV. (By the way, PlayRadioPlay was also one my three breakout artists of the year at the beginning of 2008. Not to brag or anything.)
"My music's hard to describe," Hunter said. "It's electronic music and rock mixed together. I'm really happy with the way [Texas] came out."
Texas has quickly garnered much fan praise and popularity for Hunter. The album debuted in the Billboard top 200 charts, according to billboard.com, and the first single off of the album (the soft, drum- driven "Madi Don't Leave") is even garnering a little bit of air time on MTV.
"There wasn't a huge push right off the bat for the record because of the kind of failed model in the music industry," Hunter said. "That's one of the reasons labels are losing money. They don't just put millions of dollars into a band anymore right off the bat. They need to tour and see how they do. But my first week's sales were better than the EP I released last year, so it's all been good."
However, the touring aspect of the music industry will probably fill Hunter's schedule for the rest of the year, he said.
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