Gig Photos: Hippo Campus at Rams Head Live, Baltimore (May 2019)

Hey everyone!

We are extremely lucky to have a team of talented and passionate creators - it's so empowering that we all get to create content showcasing music we love and then get to share it with open-minded readers who give new music a chance.

Being able to do this alongside like-minded writers and photographers never fails to make me feel like the luckiest person, and I just felt like telling you. So please excuse the cheesy words.
(But let's be real, you weren't really expecting anything else, now were you?)

Earlier this month our DC based photo lady Gabby went to see Hippo Campus and brought us a bunch of photo impressions back.

As always, make sure to support Gabby by following her on social media:

website | instagram

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Date: 7th May 2019
Venue: Rams Head Live, Baltimore (US)

Support Act: Samia

Samia online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram

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Headliner: Hippo Campus


Hippo Campus are an indie-rock, alternative band from St. Paul, Minnesota (US).

Founding members Jake Luppen (vocals, guitar), Nathan Stocker (guitar, vocals), Zach Sutton (bass, keyboard) and Whistler Allen (drums, vocals) started out in 2013 and started playing with DeCarlo Jackson on trumpet in 2017.

The collective has performed has performed at iconic festivals such as SXSW, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Summerfest & Reading and Leeds and have performed on Conan.

Their releases not only got them praise from NPR Music who named them as one of their favourite artists of 2017, but have also built a loyal fan base which just keeps on growing.


Hippo Campus brought their atmospheric tracks to Rams Head Live in Baltimore,
we have the photos for you below.


Check out "Bambi" right here:




Hippo Campus online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram

























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What's your favourite Hippo Campus track?
We'd love to know!




Thank you for your visit!









&

Credits // Words: Vanessa Jetwash | Photography: Gabby Ames | **a ticket and photo pass have kindly been provided**

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Video Interview: Dean Lewis

Hey everyone!

Dean Lewis' music is everywhere - whether that's on the radio or on the hundreds of playlists all across Spotify & co.
And his vivid and relatable tracks have earned every single spin & spot.

With honest lyrics and beautiful compositions, it's really no surprise that music fans all over the world turn to Dean's music for understanding and comfort.

The singer/songwriter from Sydney, Australia had his first success with his debut single, "Waves", a stunning yet heartbreaking track, released in 2016.
Since then Dean has been writing and recording, honing his craft and finding out who he is as an artist.

He returned with "Be Alright" and took over the world by storm, paving the way for his debut album, "A Place We Knew", which was released in March of 2019.

Now on his lenghty tour which is going to lead right into festival season, Dean gets to share his music journey with all those who support him.

It is, without a doubt, a big and busy time for him and we're so thrilled to see what's next.

HITS host Vanessa got to chat with Dean about journaling, movie soundtracks, what his 5 year-old self would tell him and a lot more.


Watch our conversation with Dean right here:




Massive thank you to Dean for this super lovely chat, it was a blast!
And thank you to Universal Music Germany for setting this up for us.



Watch the music video for Dean's new single, "7 Minutes", right here:




Dean Lewis online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram






Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words & Video: Vanessa Jetwash | Image: Universal Music

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Behind The Song: "Theft" by Flourishless

Hey everyone!

We miss blogging so much, that we just had to break our hiatus for a moment to come back and share some music to you.
While we're working day and night to create the best magazine for you,
the blog had to quiet down a bit.

We are so thankful for your interest in the mag and would like you to know that your pre-orders mean so much and make this entire process so much easier.

Alright, we have to go back to creating - we hope you enjoy the music!


- Behind The Song -
"Theft" by Flourishless


Flourishless is the singer/songwriter duo consisting of Paul Gerlinger and Phillip Valentin from Mannheim, Germany.
Their sound is a broad as their interests are; while Paul loves focusing on words and rhyming, Phillip is the one constantly working on melodies. Their voices combine with such ease and create a force that can present just about any topic to you.

Flourishless won first place in the German songwriting contest, "SONGS", were a part of a coaching programme for chosen local bands.
In 2018 they released their debut EP, "Looking At The Walls" and have been gearing up to gig all around the country.

For us, the duo took some time to chat about their latest single, "Theft", and shared all some insights with us.


Here's what Flourishless told us about the track:

"The background:
Time flies while we meet new people, it just passes without something special happening.
Every now and then though we find somebody we come to think we can't live without.
Sometimes it turns out well and these feelings and thoughts may be mutual, but sometimes what started in a beautiful way can turn into a devstating experience. In the case of "Theft" I captured my inner conflict while being in a relationship with someone who took my heart by storm, but was never able to return the same. It's the fight between the thoughts of giving everything for nothing, for the sake of loving someone and the fear of diving deeper into despair.
When everything seems hopeless, you got to stop caring for the safety of your heart and soul. This journey from being in love, to having doubts, to just stopping to care, is the lyrical theme of the song.

The writing process:
Writing "Theft" I felt the urge to do something a little different to what I did before.
Regarding the guitar it was the first time I actively tried to write a fingerstyle part with a little melody lying in-betweenthe chords and their changes. It was quite fun to figure something out that used the melodic elements of the chord changes to create an independent melody using the picking pattern. Other than that, it was more of a lyrical approach to express my thoughts like most of the songs I write.
Most of the time I see myself more as a poet of the spoken word with a guitar than a full-blood musician.

Recording it:
When we recorded "Theft" in the RAMA Studios in Mannheim, it was the third song we approached. It was our first EP and we did not really have any concept on how to record the music we wrote, which microphones to use or even what instrument to start with. It was a great experience to figure all that out in the studio. Our beloved engineer put around eight different microphones around my guitar and me and we spent quite some time figuring out the right choice of placement and gear.
The same thing went on when we recorded the vocals - here we finally decided to use a really old microphone from the 50s or so to record our voices, which turned out to be a pretty good choice.

After the EP was already out, we started collaborating with some more musicians and decided to add some strings to the recording, which was an idea I actually had for a long time but couldn't realize due to a lack of instrumentalists in my surrounding. We did that and the result was quite great, so we decided to shoot a little video for this song."


Watch the video for "Theft" right here:

Flourishless online: Website | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram





Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words (intro): Vanessa Jetwash | Image & Words (about song): Flourishless

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Playlist: ultimate girl gang

Hey everyone!

Happy International Women's Day!

While having a day dedicated to us, doesn't really change much -
it's a good way to remember that there is a lot of work yet to be done.

We think that if you are here reading house in the sand,
you already know that we haven't reached equality yet & we also think that you know what to do to make this world a better place for women.

We want to use this day to shine the spotlight on some of our favourite ladies,
so we made you a playlist featuring some badass music making women.

You'll find the list below,
but we actually made you two more lists - one including some of our favourite bloggers and one including some of our favourite photographers.


ultimate blogger gang:
Dale at Peanut Mixtape
Savannah at The Music Mermaid
 Abby at Indientry
 Nessi at carpe carmina
Katrin at In Bed With 


ultimate photo gang:
 Saar de Graaf
Melissa Rodriguez
 Sam Lichtenstein
Gabby Ames
Carolyn Lederach
Janet Eckles
The Photo Ladies


Here's our ultimate girl gang playlist:




What do you think of our playlist?


Which badass ladies do we still need to add?
Go tell us about them!









Thank you for your visit

Credits // Text: Vanessa Jetwash | Graphic: Chris Stringer ft. Vanessa Jetwash

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Gig Photos: The Paper Kites at Paradiso Noord, Amsterdam (February 2019)

Hey everyone!

Well, how's it going?
The year is officially three months old and while that super wild, it all still feels new and exciting,
doesn't it?

Have you been to any gigs yet?
If so, please chat to us- we love getting gig inspiration from you.

Last month our Amsterdam based photographer Saar got to see The Paper Kites live and got the photos and details for us.


Make sure to check out Saar's socials and support her with a follow and like:
Website | Facebook | Instagram

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Date: 14th February 2019
Venue: Paradiso Noord, Amsterdam (NL)

Support: Tim Dawn


So I had the pleasure to attend The Paper Kites' gig in Amsterdam.
As the crowd slowly walked in, I noticed that the atmosphere was very relaxed and calm, which I did expect from a band like The Paper Kites.
The show was sold out and to my surprise there were a lot of non-Dutch folks attending.

The opening act was the lovely Tim Dawn, who is a Dutch musician that got more recognition from his single "Walking On The Wire". I didn't know who he was when I heard his name, but as soon as he started playing that song, I knew exactly who he was.
A lovely lad with quite a bit of humour and a relaxed vibe all around on stage. Hope to hear more from him soon!





Tim Dawn online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram







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Headliner: The Paper Kites


The first time I listened to The Paper Kites was when they released their album "twelvefour", as the song "Electric Indigo" really got me interested and that's why I wanted to check them out.

At around 9pm the band walked on stage and started playing "Red Light".
Like most of their songs, "Red Light" is a very dreamy, ethereal and harmonious song.

I was quite surprised by how relaxed the audience was with letting me move around in between songs to take photographs.
A band or artist always projects to what the audience is going to be like, so obviously this crowd was easy going and just in for a relaxed evening, dreaming away while listening to songs like "Revelator Eyes", "Too Late", "Woodland" and the well known "Bloom".

On 2nd December 2019, The Paper Kites will play the main room at Paradiso, which I'm most definitely going to attend, because they deserve all the recogntion and bigger venues to play at.





The Paper Kites online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram

































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Have you seen The Paper Kites live yet?
If so, let us know - we'd love to hear about your experience!







Thank you for your visit!









&

Credits // Words & Photography: Saar de Graaf | ** ticket & photo pass have kindly been provided **

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Release Of The Day: "Sucker" by Jonas Brothers

Hey everyone!

Well, how does one start this kind of post?
We're not entirely sure - but we're just going to dive right in.

In case you missed it - the Jonas Brothers are back.

Now, depending on your age, you might've been a part of the Jonas Brothers fandom multiple years ago.

Personally, I have been a fan since my early teens, so to feature the reunion track on HITS today feels very surreal and exciting.


And now the trio of brothers have reunited after six years.


We don't often copy press releases, but in this case, we want to make sure you get to hear the story from the band themself:

"The road to new music for the Jonas Brothers began a little more than a year ago, with discussions about what form a reunion might take.
But before those discussions could get too far, some healing was necessary.
The trio announced a split in 2013, after four studio albums, two Disney TV movies, two seasons of a TV series, and non-stop touring had made them into a phenomenon that more often than not drowned out the music itself.

But though all three agree good things have come from the split, there were still a lot of feelings to work through.
"We were having conversations we'd never really had," says Joe. Adds Nick, "We did a lot of healing as a family. Healing that was long overdue."

All three brothers are quick to say that from the moment they picked up some acoustic guitars and sang together again, a feeling they'd missed for far too long instantly returned.
"That's when everything became clear to us: how we were going to write songs, and what they were going to be about," says Kevin."


Curious what the reunion sounds like?
Buckle up and join the party! 

- Release Of The Day -
"Sucker" by Jonas Brothers


"Sucker", in very few words is, groovy, catchy and on-repeat-material.

In more words - it's a comeback that has gone very right.
Each indivual has grown immensely and has brought something to the new, modern sound.

With Nick & Joe continuing their musical careers even after the band ended their path in 2013, fans have been able to follow their individual journeys throughout the years.
"Sucker" combines the soulful  R'n'B vibes Nick has gone for with his solo music, with the funky alt-pop we got to hear from Joe's band DNCE.

The soulful and smooth vocals from both lead singers, Nick and Joe, compliment each other just as well as they compliment the contrast you hear in the instrumental.
With both vocalists switching between solo parts and harmonies, you get to hear the different dynamics unfold as you travel through the track.

The overall vibe of the track is rather minimalistic;
the track is very riff-driven and combines traditional guitars, bass and drums with modern synth and percussion elements.
"Sucker" gives a nod to the current pop music world, while still maintaining a very traditional band sound.

"When I'm next to my brothers again, even just in a living room playing old songs, I can't express the happiness it brings me.", says Joe - and we are sure fans both old and new can very quickly pick up on that happiness.

"Sucker" is proof that Nick, Joe & Kevin have gone with the times and were able to make this modern sound their own.


Watch the video for "Sucker" right here:




- buy and/or stream "Sucker" -



Jonas Brothers online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram





Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words (except quotes): Vanessa Jetwash | Image & Quotes: Jonas Brothers via Universal Music

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7 years of HITS: announcement

Hey everyone!

If you are reading this on February 28th of 2019 - you are reading this on our 7th anniversary!

It's a big day for us today - for multiple reasons.

Since this means we have a lot to tell you, we'll just start right away!


1) We've just turned seven! That's a big deal!


W H O A


I'm not kidding, I still remember Feb 28th of 2012, the day I started HITS.
I vividly remember sitting in my room in my childhood home, googling how to start a blog.
In the background I had Martin and James music playing, because they were the band that got inspired me to start this blog.

For those of you who don't know the story; I first saw Martin and James supporting Taylor Swift back in 2011. They played their song "Wrong Directions" and I immediately fell in love with the track.
Roughly one year later I got to go to one of their headline shows and it blew my mind.
Even now, seven years later, it remains one of my favourite live shows I've been to.

After said gig, I wouldn't shut up about how brilliant that evening was and how talented this band was.
Eventually people around me got bored of my ramblings and I decided that I needed a new audience to tell the story to.
And so, there I was, googling how to start a blog.
The only blog knowledge I had at that point was reblogging photos of the Jonas Brothers on Tumblr.

When it came to naming the blog, I knew I wanted to use a line from a Martin and James song.
I remember flicking through the album booklet, reading the lyrics and stopping when I read the line; "I'll build my house in the sand until the waves knock it down"
I knew that was the one - "house in the sand".

I quickly typed it in, wrote the first ever post and HITS was born.

And now, seven years later, we're still here. That's crazy.


2) We've made a magazine!!!


W H A T

Wow, it's out there now. Wheyhey.

About nine months ago I decided to start working on the first draft of this idea to make a magazine.
It started very slowly but then suddenly picked up pace and became something I knew I had to do.

Along the way, I was able to bring my incredibly talented friend Chris Stringer on board,
who now is the co-creator of house in the sand magazine.
He is a vital part of this magazine and I hope that you will welcome him with excitement.

Our magazine debut is as special as it could possibly be.
We have gathered some of our olds friends and found new ones along the way.
This magazine features some of our favourite artists and we've talked to them about topics which showcase the human side of the entertainment industry.
Together with these brilliant musicians we've talked about the environment, dealing with anxiety, making your health a priority and just so much more.

We left every single interview feeling smarter and more hopeful.

And we hope that you will feel the same way.
We want to give you something that's going to make you question things, learn things and most importantly, allow you to get closer to your favourite artists.

The magazine is up for pre-order now and will be shipped after April 7th.
By pre-ordering right now, you actually can us out with financing the printing costs - which would mean the world to us.





- PRE-ORDER ISSUE #1 RIGHT HERE -



3) We've just launched our very first merch shop!!!



W O W 


That's right! More cool stuff!!!

After years of wanting to share some merch with you,
we are finally here with three shirts & one hoodie for us all to wear.

By buying any of the apparel, you again contribute to the printing costs for the magazine.

The items will get printed & shipped immediately, so you don't have to wait long for them to get to you.

In case you decide to buy a shirt or hoodie,
please feel free to share a photo of you wearing the item with us - we would love to see you represent house in the sand.

- BUY MERCH RIGHT HERE -



By coming here and reading this post, you've made a brilliant decision because you've managed to find the spot where all the details are listed.

Should you want to see the slightly chaotic but very excited video we've filmed to announce this - we've got you.
It also includes a little thank you message for you.


Check out our announcement video right here:




We are so glad that this secret is finally out and we can share this magical process with you now.



To stay up to date on all things HITS mag, follow us on social media:
instagram | twitter | facebook | youtube





Thank you for your support!







Vanessa & Chris

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7 songs: The Rose Affair

Hey everyone!

Oh wow, it's been quiet here, eh?

If you follow us on social media, you might've seen that we can explain it.
We are currently working on something that takes up more time than the days have to offer, 

so unfortunately HITS is a bit on the backburner.

It's a shame, but we truly think that it's going to be worth it and hope you stick around for the big reveal on February 28th.


But we took some time to still present you the music we love and invite you to get to know The Rose Affair.


The Rose Affair are a four piece from Cambridge, UK.

Over the past few years the band has built a loyal fanbase and found support from BBC Introducing, DJ Huw Stephens who got their track "Napoli" BBC 1 airplay and music fans from all around the globe.

With their home being the indie scene, you can expect high class live sets,
relatable songs and vivid storytelling through their visuals. 

In 2018 the band released their second EP, played a set at Secret Garden Party, did a live session for ITV news and supported acts such Natty, Itch and Fickle Friends.

The Rose Affair are:
Lucas Jones
Matt Jones
Jacob Pett
Tom Brown

We are super excited to see what The Rose Affair are up to next,
but for now we're thrilled to share their brand new music video along with their 7 songs playlist which they created exclusively for HITS.


Watch the video for their new single "Blush" right here:




The Rose Affair online: Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram


Let's check out Lucas' playlist!

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1) a song which makes you dance

"5 dollars" by Christine and the Queens

She just kills everything she touches and this song in particular is just the BEST kind of pop.
Makes you want to backflip with excitement, but also super profound, lyrically.


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2) a song that calms you down
"Melt" by Big Red Machine

Firstly, it's Justin Vernon.
So there's that.
And then with Aaron Dessner from The National, so it's a dream.
It's not exactly a peaceful song, but it calms me down in a soul expanding, life is a miracle kind of way.


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3) a song with a deep meaning
"Morning Theft" by Jeff Buckley

When I was like 16, this song was literally my crutch for about a year whilst I was going through some shit.
Jeff Buckley in general has always been that for me. And with this being on his unfinished second album, released after he died, I don't know, man.. This whole record is just very important to me.


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4) a song that makes you feel nostalgic
"You and Me" by The Cranberries

For some reason, every time I hear this song, I think of how New York feels in films from the 90s.
And that's like my favourite thing in the world.


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5) a song which has accompanied you for a while
"Nightswimming" by R.E.M.

This song is the last track on the first album I ever got.
My Dad got it for me for Christmas circa 2003.
Strange Christmas present for a 7 year old looking back, but I fucking loved it.
I listened to this song on repeat all day and still do pretty regularly.


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6) a song from your favourite genre
"I Get Overwhelmed" by Dark Rooms

I'm not very good at distinguishing what different genres are.
Everything is so influenced by everything else that my head gets all fuzzy when I try to split music into simple categories.
Other than reggae 'cos it's like "Oh, there's an upstroke guitar rhythm, cool, we know where we are."
So the closest thing to my favourite genre would be film soundtrack (which is kind of cheating).
And this song is from a beautiful film called A Ghost Story.


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7) a song by an artist / a band which has surprised you
"When The Party's Over" by Billie Eilish

My little sister sent me this and I'd heard the artist's name, but avoided her for some reason.
And then this blew me into some next realm.
She's amazing - this live performance is sick. Lighting, stage design too.


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And that was The Rose Affair's selection!
What do you think? Are there any tracks feature you love?



Previous 7 songs features: Ava Rae Heatley | John Thacker | Racoon Racoon | Jackson Dyer





Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words: Vanessa Jetwash | Image & Song Selection: The Rose Affair

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Song Of The Day: "With You" by Hannah Grace

Hey everyone!

Should we just take a moment to appreciate the amount of brilliant releases 2019 has already seen?

I mean, come on - it hasn't even been a month and yet here we are,
constantly adding new music to our playlist.

Our fellow music blogger friends are sharing one fantastic piece after the other and it's safe to say that 2019 is off to a great start.

So let's continue listening to what January has to offer.


- Song Of The Day -
"With You" by Hannah Grace


Hannah Grace is a singer/songwriter from South Wales.

Her variety in sounds is just as wide as the spectrum of influences that inspire the young musician.
Drawing inspiration from incredibly talented female artists such as Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks and Florence Welsh, it's no surprise that Hannah's sound varies from Folk, to Soul, to Jazz with sprinkles of Pop and Rock.

Her tremendous talent soon caught Gabrielle Aplin's attention, whose label, 'Never Fade Records', Hannah is now signed to.

Over the years Hannah released her debut EP "Meant To Be Kind", toured with Gabrielle Aplin and supported Irish phenomenon Hozier, played countless festival sets and released her well received EP "Mustang" in 2016.

Later on Hannah released "Praise You" - her version of Fatboy Slim's track, which was chosen for Lloyds Bank nationwide campaign, subsequently sold in excess of 50k copies and was played on BBC Radio 2.

Her previous single "Oh River" did not only leave us speechless, but also saw Dermot O'Leary and his team sharing the track on his Radio 2 show, allowing even more listeners to discover Hannah's talent.

Even Lady Gaga shared Hannah's cover of her song "Million Reasons", calling Hannah a superstar.


And now she's ready to wow us all over again.


"With You" doesn't waste a second.
Right from the first chord on, the song grabs your attention and lets you travel through the verses which are led by Hannah's stunning voice.

It's a soulful journey we get to go on as we follow the track,
it's a song full of empathy, support and comfort.
The lyrics talk a good friend through a tough time and really highlight the importance of having great friends around you.

Hannah's soulful voice makes every track she releases and absolute joy to listen to and "With You" is no exception. The control she has over her voice and the belts that she's able to present so easily are enough to give you goosebumps right away.


Listen to "With You" right here:




- buy and/or stream "With You" -



Hannah Grace online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram






Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words: Vanessa Jetwash | Image: via Wilful Publicity

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