#favourite photos of Awsten
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waterparks // rock sound awards 2017
(full text under the cut)
Best International Breakthrough
WATERPARKS
Who else could be the winners of our Best International Breakthrough category besides Waterparks? Sold out tours, magazine covers, and even a new album on the way… there isn't a hotter new band on the planet. Awsten Knight joins us to look back on a year that completely changed his life, and gave the rock world their next superstars in the process.
PHOTOS: Jawn Rocha
Well there we have it - you're our Best International Breakthrough winners for 2017! We take it you're quite happy about this?
Says Awsten: "[Yells] YES! IT FEELS VERY COOL!"
Haha! It's been a crazy year for Waterparks. When you went into the studio last summer to record [debut album] 'Double Dare', could you have ever fathomed coming this far so quickly?
"I had hopes! The thing is, I listened to those songs before the album came out or anything, and it's hard to picture how they'll be received. If I listen to them and think, 'This is so fucking cool…' I wouldn't make it if I didn't think that they were the shit. They wouldn't come out if I didn't think t they were were awesome songs. Also, you can't count on them being as well received as you think they should be. Plenty of people make stuff they're proud of, put it out, and the public's kind of like…Okay', know what I mean? I never know what the response is going to be - I can't have any expectations."
You guys have always had a very unique sound, and that's very much the case on 'Double Dare'. Were there any nerves in making a record that was so left-field?
"Honestly, it was pretty natural just because there wasn't a whole lot of pressure with it. If you treat all of the songs like, 'No one's going to hear this, it doesn't matter', then you can go in and just do whatever you want, pretend that it's just for you or whatever you want to do. Then when the time comes to comes to actually pick what's going to make the album it's like, 'Oh, okay'. There's not any sure while it's actually happening, whether pressure it's stylistic, in terms of genres or weird lyrical shit—anything goes."
Even before the album you'd made fans of Joel and Benji Madden, Mikey Way played bass on your EP, you got to know Pete Wentz… You got to know all these people that you yourself were fans of. Was that a real giver of confidence, knowing you had these guys' support even before you went in to record an album?
"It's a strange thing, because it's like…before this all happened we were literally outside of all these peoples' shows passing out flyers. We'd be there like, 'Hey, check it out check it out!' Now those people are going, 'Hey everyone, check out this band', endorsing it or whatever. It's the first step of there being pressure behind everything. It's like, 'Oh dang, everybody I love is watching us right now! This is insane!'"
Earlier this year you had your first ever full band magazine cover with us. How huge was that moment for the band?
"Thank you for that! That was tight. That's probably the coolest thing that's happened to us at this point, to be honest with you. The first full band cover, as a collective, I think that's the coolest."
You've been playing some crazy venues across the year as well—you've toured almost everywhere there is to tour. Was that daunting, or was it just a lot of fun?
"The All Time Low UK tour near the start of the year was just a daze, because I was so sick, but it was also very cool. Going to Japan… okay, no beef with the UK or America or whatever, but Japan was the coolest place! Internationally, Japan is my favourite place to go. The food was ridiculous, and the people were so nice. It's weird—everywhere there's a sense of cynicism. Everybody has a cool guy wall, semi built up. But in Japan, everybody is just psyched as fuck on you. This dude ran up to me and was like jumping up and down, hugging me and shit. I was like, 'Holy shit, this guy's psyched!' It made me psyched, and I hugged him too. If everyone was like that I'd be so happy. Sometimes a guy will walk up to me and be like, 'Yo, I didn't want to like your music but it's really cool'. Then he gives me a cool guy handshake and I'm like, 'Thanks, I guess'. Nobody in Japan would ever say that. Like a backhanded compliment."
Your first ever UK headline tour sold out months in advance. Did it feel like that was the moment that the hard work you put in paid off?
"You know, you bust your ass doing something for so long, like… I love going to the UK now, I've figured out the food situation, it's cool. But it still is the most difficult place to tour, for us. If we go really far towards Japan or whatever, we're only three or four hours apart from loved ones in terms of staying on the clock, even though it's a whole day ahead. In the UK or Europe it's eight or nine hours, which makes it a lot harder. But to be able to do some of these tours that have been difficult, being able to come back and sell out our own shows, we felt the pay-off."
On a personal level, you're very much the musical engine of the band, but you're a very prominent frontman and voice for the band as well, especially online. Has that got overwhelming at any point?
"When I'm not feeling stressed and can just sit for a second, I'll go [on Twitter] and look at replies and get back to people. If you reply to people they get so psyched, it's really fun. But I think when you're actually being being creative, you're making things that are now… if I'm sitting down to make a song that's not currently on Earth, and I want to make it the best thing it can be, so that when it's publicly thrown down, I want it to be the best thing it can be. I feel like too much input from outside people, it can't help the process. Leading the, I guess 'vision' or whatever of the band, it's not a lot of pressure because it's really just whatever I'm thinking. It's not a super-calculated, 'We're going to do this serious thing, we're going to drop this vague post on this' etc. I literally just go online and the posts are literally just me."
Geoff [Wigington, guitar] and Otto [Wood, drums] have been really embraced by fans as well. Has that been really cool to see?
"Yeah! The thing is, Waterparks is a band. It would feel weird if people were only embracing me, you know? Granted, when I have looked at our mentions and stuff like that, I see a lot more of like, 'Geoff's my favourite!' over the last six months. I'm like, 'Alright, I see you!""
The year isn't even over and you've already announced your second album. Did you feel like you should act on this year's success as fast as you can and make the most of it?
"Doing the album so quickly honestly just came from looking at it and going, 'There's already enough material for another album, so why wait?' I feel like bands take longer than anybody to put out new music. You don't see fucking Drake putting out an out an album, and then two years later going 'Deluxe Edition!' and throwing on two more songs. Like, milking that for another year, that just doesn't happen. I think that if we're able to make new albums quicker than everybody else and put out things quicker than most, why not? We don't require a bunch of time to go and sit with a bunch of writers and producers and be like, 'Alright guys, let's try and make a song today'. They just happen, and they happen quickly and all the time. It's always progressing, too. Stylistically it's got to the next point already, it's moving fast. It's like, 'Okay, the next album's ready, if we're ready to record, we have a month, let's do it!'"
Given rap and hip-hop artists seem to move so quickly these days, do you think it's important for bands to start releasing new music regularly, to keep up with them?
"Bands need to catch up! If you're looking at it objectively…I'm not going to say it's harder to make band music than it is a rap song, but it's a hell of a lot more expensive. If you want to get really theoretical you can be a dick about it, but if you're talking about a real studio and d everything, you can technically go make a beat—one that can be in a popular rap song—you can make that on your laptop and then just go and put the vocals on it. Whereas with a band, you need a lot more equipment. You need to record live drums, you need to to record live bass, guitars, keyboards, you need to then do all the programming etc. Then the track gets made, programmed, cut up, fucked with…I'm not discrediting rap, I listen to it all the time, it's one of my favourite genres, but it takes more time, and probably a bigger budget, to make something that has more instruments and more involvement. And plus, for the rapper, he has to work with one schedule. With a band, a lot of bands are like five people. That's five schedules you've got to line up."
We've had some brilliant conversations across the year, saying that people want to slap the pop-punk label on you guys and that sort of thing, and that actually in essence you guys aren't pop-punk at all. People build up these weird expectations and impressions of you out of out of nothing. Has that been quite annoying to deal with at times, or is it just something again that you've just taken on as you've gone?
"I used to get more bugged about it and go 'We're not pop-punk, fuck you!' or whatever. And if it comes up, I'll still try to clear it up best I can. But I don't actively try and fight that label anymore. If some dumb idiot wants to be like, 'This is a bad pop-punk album!' then I'll be like, 'You know what, you're a fucking bad person! The end!' I don't lose sleep over being called pop-punk, you know what I mean?"
Going towards 2018, how are you feeling looking forward? And how does it feel looking back on the year you've had?
"It's weird, I have a really tough time stopping and looking back at things, especially while there's still so much work going on. Right now, the last few days have just been stupid busy. We did a full-on photoshoot yesterday, did a bunch of stuff with the new album tracks, got the masters back, made a bunch of edits, made the setlist for the next tour…When you called, I was actually going over some production things. I'd got the songs we'd all written on a journal in front of me in the car, while we were returning some rental equipment, going over what's going to be on the screens during the shows, now I'm about to go back and do more mastering…it's like a whole thing. Once there's not a lot going on and I can just chill, I'll be able to look back more. The next year is going to be tight as fuck, I know that much!"
'Double Dare' is out now via Easy Life / Equal Vision. The band's new album 'Entertainment' is released on January 26.
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the 25 days of christmas; gift edition; days 08 - 14, for miley @milcycyrus
christmas gift day eight; [ card that says - now, we both love and work in music and we need to enjoy some festive tunes. so i say we should with some great ass hits i hope you enjoy as much as me. so enjoy these and let’s share a dance together. signed, awsten knight ]
christmas gift day nine; [ card that says - as the clear fashion of this coupling (so joking, it’s a pun to my brand by the way) so, here’s a few from the past couple seasons of your own to keep warm. there should be three sweaters, a hoodie and two jackets, so double check for me. signed, awsten knight ]
christmas gift day ten; [ card that says - maybe you’re not warm enough with my last few gifts so, i’m adding on today. it’s not a lot, it’s the thought that counts right? also.. if i’m right your favourite colour is green right? signed, awsten knight ]
christmas gift day eleven; [ card that says - i haven’t gotten as cocky as i normally do with you, so today is that day. i’m gifting you all my music.. well.. all my waterparks music. so enjoy our entire discography for those long card rides. also.. wanna know more about me? here’s also a book i wrote cause.. i fucking did that shit. signed, awsten knight. ps don’t tell my label or anyone i gave you album five early or i’ll be dropped for sure. ]
christmas gift day twelve; [ card that says - yesterday, i didn’t feel fully cocky enough before more romance kicks in again, HARD. so, here’s some waterparks merch so you can rep your pride proudly because you like me/us right? signed, awsten knight ]
christmas gift day thirteen; [ card that says - i’d like to say we’re like.. half way to the holidays so, this should be special. so, i decided to get pictures of us framed. i’ve got a couple in my place and here’s a couple for you to at your place. signed, awsten knight ]
(first is the frame, then it’s the photos, btw)
christmas gift day fourteen; [ card that says - holidays are about food, right? well, your man likes to cook and bake so, here’s some of the amazing goodies he’s made for you. enjoy and tell me how great they are. come kiss the cook. signed, awsten knight ]
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Some of my fave photos of Awsten 🖤
Taking moodboard requests
#my moodboards#awsten knight#waterparks#parx#awsten moodboard#favourite photos of Awsten#waterparks moodboard#awsten constantine knight#ack#parxboys
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my favourite awsten photo 🥺
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Get to know the blogger tag! Thanks for the tag @dreamboypeach 😊
Rules: answer the questions and tag people you want to get to know better :)
Name: Milo
Nicknames: I don’t really have any for my chosen name lol!
Age and birth date: 22, April 20 ♉️
Height: 160cm / 5''2
Occupation: still a student! :)
Current time: 9:04 am
When I made this blog: June 2013, but I’ve been on Tumblr since Dec 2012 lol!
Url explanation: I replayed the little insta live where Awsten leaked glitter times so many times lol, I was so excited when he released the demos!
Other blogs: just the one where I post ukulele things lol! @milosmusic
Following: too many blogs lol!
Lucky number: 4 or 64
Last song I listened to / am listening to now: My brother’s playing music in the living room rn lol, the song we’re listening to atm is Take Me Into town by Dr. Dog
Last movie I saw: Pirates of the Caribbean with my school’s discord server lol!
Currently reading: Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown for my tech for social change class
Currently watching: I watched Batwoman this morning lol!
Favourite person on YouTube: Jade Fox, she puts together really cool outfits and she’s really funny!
Fave bands and artists: Waterparks // Radical Face // All Time Low // Paramore // Dodie // The1975 // IDKHOW
Photo / picrew: (optional!!) the picrew vs. reality looked like fun lol!
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@jaydenwithcon: throwback to warped tour @kerrangmagazine shoot with some cool humans (📷: @jawnrocha)
#all my favourite people in one photo#wintersweatherr#Jenna McDougall#Tonight Alive#Kellin Quinn#Sleeping With Sirens#Awsten Knight#Waterparks#Jayden Seeley#With Confidence#Elijah Witt#Cane Hill#mine#Hopeless Records#epitapth records#equal vision records#rise records#Fearless Records
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Slamdunk
Boston Manor- I didn't originally plan to see them, cuz I've never listened to them before, but they were just before As It Is, and we were sat listening, and they were actually really good, so we went to go listen to them. The singer said this crowd was the worst one ever, because they weren't dancing then the singer urged everyone to start a circle pit. He got off stage, found a tall guy to hold his mic lead, and he stood in the middle while the circle pit went around him. It was very cool.
As It Is- Patty looked stunning but his mic wasn't turned up, so only the first couple of rows could properly hear him, but it didn't matter bc everyone was singing. We got pretty much to the front. Patty looked like 2005 Gerard Way at certain angles, and it was amazing. Also he had red suspenders on, and it looked so good. I was screaming to their songs, and I have a full on death metal scream when I'm loud, and a bunch of people looked really confused when they heard the voice and saw who it came from.
Waterparks-TURBULENT IS AMAZING LIVE!!!! I got kicked in the mouth by a crowd surfer but it was cool. Awsten said he looked like a watermelon on purpose. He was talking about how coordinated his outfit was, and went, "first, appreciate my shoes!" And slammed his foot on the speaker, nearly kicking it into the front row. The mosh put for TANTRUM nearly killed me but it was AWESOME. I was yelling to my friend about how I'd let Awsten and Patty both punch me in the face at the same time and a bunch of people turned around and were like "me too bro."
Signings- the line for All Time Low was too long so we didn't bother. When we walked past, iDKHOW were doing an acoustic set, which was cool. My friend got Dallon and Ryan's signature on a poster, and got my ticket signed for me. We got to the other signing tent, too late for As It Is, but we could see them and I cried. But we managed to meet Waterparks!!!!!!! As they walked up to the tent they were waving at whoever waved to them, Awsten waved to my friend and Otto waved to me. Awsten was so sweet and Geoff and Otto both put a hand on my shoulder for the photo, and Geoff has very fatherly hands. He is a safe man to be around. It's hard to explain, but all of them, particularly Geoff, just make you feel safe when they're around, and they make sure their attention is 100% of you when you talk to them.
IDKHow- Before IDKHow, Lights played, and Patty and his girlfriend were watching from the crew area. Also Lucas and Jawn were sidestage for IDKHow. Dallon kept being mean to Ryan but Ryan was absolutely adorable. We'd made some friends and were doing some really weird dancing, but it was fun. Also!!! Why does no one talk about Dallon's amazing high notes??????
All Time Low- we didn't get as close for All Time Low as we did for As It Is and Waterparks, but it was still awesome! Jack kept talking about Rian being a warm hole to put his fingers in. "it's really wet and my fingers are cold and I can't play guitar very well, but that's not the reason I can't play guitar, and I'm looking for a warm hole to put them in, but all I see is Rian Dawson." He also called Alex a cold hole, luke warm at best. Jack was complaining about how unfit he was, and went, “I feel like Tony Stark at the end of Endgame.” And Alex told him off for it. Later on he spoilt Game of Thrones too, and Alex got everyone to boo him. Awsten came on to sing with them for a bit and as he walked off Alex said "that's my son!". Also they played an unreleased song and it was really good!!! Alex told us to pretend it was our favourite song. They told us to turn to someone next to us and get on their shoulders, so I got my friend on mine and she now hates me cuz I was jumping up and down while she was up there. The mosh pit got really wild for Dear Maria, and someone slammed me in the face and now my nose and tooth hurt.
Merch- I got the limited edition Waterparks Slamdunk shirt, and when you bought that you were also given another shirt that says “Waterparks. Watch what happens next,” along with the Turbulent advertisement poster. I got the Slamdunk shirt that lists all the bands. I also bought The Great Depression and 1981 Extended Play on cassette.
Tags: @topmaxx , @puppybrendon , @icseyic , @sixx-shady , @geoffs-band , @a-walking-lovesong , @frankaiden
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okay but i raise u jawn n awsten are photography legends as well and the favourites folder on photos is just filled with each other. and they send eachother selfies n dog pics
jawn: look at this cute pic i took todayawsten: thats a pic of me loljawn: and ?
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Put your music on shuffle and answer the questions about each artist!
I was tagged by: @mad-allthetime
Name of Artist: Red Hot Chili Peppers
What genre are they? Alt rock
How long have they been active? 1983-present
Have you ever heard them on the radio? Yes, quite often
Have they released any new music within the last year or two? Their most recent album came out in 2016 (tbh, I only listened to it a couple times, I didn’t love it)
Do they have a male or female vocalist? Male
Name of Artist: Frank Iero and the Cellabration/the Patience/the Future Violents
Would you recommend them? yes!
What is your favourite lyric of theirs? “you said you never wanna be saved, well, that's ok because i really wouldn't know how just know that the best that i'll ever be is whatever you make me and wherever you are”
What are their album artworks like? Their first album is like a photo of a spiderweb, the second is blue with two painted ghosts holding a photo-realistic looking baby.
If they stopped making music, would you be sad? Definitely
If you didn’t know what they look like, based off their music, what you guess they looked like? Probably pretty similar to what they look like now, like 30-something kind of punk guys
Name of Artist: Green Day
How popular are they? very
Have you ever seen them perform live? nope
How did you find out about them? I mean... I think I’ve always kind of known about them? I only really started listening to them in the last year or so though.
What is their sexuality, if known? Billie Joe Armstrong is bisexual, not sure about the other members though.
Is their music easy to dance to? I guess?
Name of Artist: Waterparks
What instrument is the most prominent in their music? guitars, drums, synths (sometimes)
Does your family listen to them? nope
Are they still making music today? Yep! Their most recent album came out in January 2018.
Would you want to meet them? I met Awsten (the singer) briefly in December, but I would like to meet their drummer and guitarist too at some point!
How represented is this artist in your saved music/collection? I have all of their music saved on my Spotify, I think they have about 45 songs out total.
Name of Artist: Vampire Weekend
When did you discover them? I was on tumblr in 2014
How many albums do they have? three, their fourth is coming out this spring!
Which member of the band is closest to your ‘type’ / do you find the most attractive? Ezra is pretty good looking
Have they gone through any line-up changes? Their drummer left a couple years ago
Is their music more fun or serious? It sounds fun, but when you actually listen to the lyrics a lot of their songs are actually pretty serious. (Much like most of the music I listen to, I guess.)
Name of Artist: Arctic Monkeys
Is the type of music / genre they play something you would typically enjoy or is their sound different for you? I think it’s pretty standard for my music taste
Based off of their sound, what would a human version of their music look like? Depends on the album, I guess. WPSIATWIN/Favourite Worst Nightmare: young British guy who frequently gets into some trouble. Humbug: a reserved, poetic type. Suck It and See: someone who’s young and naively in love AM: Someone at a party who’s pretending to be too cool to be there. TBHC: jaded non-famous musician
Could you see yourself getting along with the members personally? I have been a fan of this band for 5 years now and I still have no idea what any of their personalities are actually like, so I don’t really know.
Did somebody recommend this band to you? Not explicitly, but a lot of people I knew listened to them.
Of all their songs, which would you play at a party? I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
Name of Artist: Queen
How many people are in this band/group? Four
When did they start making music? 1970
Do they have any well known songs, if so, which one(s)? Do I really need to run down a list of famous Queen songs?
Do you listen to this artist regularly? They’re not my most played artist, but I listen to them fairly regularly.
How would you describe their music? Theatrical arena rock
Name of Artist: Oasis
If they use a stage name, what is their real name(s)? I’m pretty sure they all use their real names
Do they regularly make pop charts? They used to
Have you ever met them? Nope
If they toured in your city, would you go see them? Well, they’re broken up, but if they were still together, maybe.
Name of Artist: Lorde
Are they known for anything else besides music? I don’t really think so
What is their nationality? New Zealand-ese (Is there a word for someone from New Zealand?)
Are they a guilty pleasure? no
Which age group is this artist most popular with? Probably teenagers/20-somethings
Has this artist ever toured in your country/state/city? Yeah, she’s toured pretty extensively. I saw her at the Prudential Center in NJ last April.
Name of Artist: Pearl Jam
Do you think it’s necessary or important to know about their personal life to ‘understand’ their music? I wouldn’t say it’s a requirement, but I think it helps. The singer talks about some pretty personal stuff in some of their songs, especially their earlier ones.
Have they ever gone on hiatus and did they return? I guess they’re kind of on hiatus now? They haven’t released new music in about 5 years now.
What instruments do they use? guitar, bass, drums
What city are they from? Seattle, Washington
What are your experiences with fans of this artist? I used to be in the grunge fandom on tumblr (ah, 2014 memories) but it seems like most of the people I knew of through that were pretty chill.
I don’t know who else to tag, so if you want to do this, go ahead!
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