NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 4

Included In This Issue:

• Know Your Aura - New Years Eve 2011/2012!
• Artist Spotlight - The Malah
• Local Love - SOSOS
• On The Radar - The Resolvers
• Featured Bands - Upcoming Tour Dates

**TIER 1 PRESALES ALERT** We are almost completely sold out of Tier 1 $75.00 weekend tickets. Be sure to pickup your tickets today to guarantee yourself a spot at AURA 2012. For only $25/day, you can see over 35 bands, camp in a beautiful setting for three nights, and have one of the best weekends of your life. Don't delay! Tickets Available Here

Know Your AURA: New Years Eve 2011/2012 Edition!

As AURA draws near, we fast approach the most celebrated music holiday of the year. New Year's Eve marks the end of an era, the culmination of energy and the beginning of something entirely new. It is free of secular ties, fragmented glorification of characters and has evolved into one of the biggest days of partying in the country. With that kind of formula in play, it makes sense that bands take full advantage of the atmosphere to throw down an exclamation point to their touring year. The artists of AURA are no exception, and many of them have grandiose plans for the last day of their year. Here is a play-by-play of what's going down.

On the East Coast, AURA's homegrown artists The Heavy Pets will be joined by Eric Krasno and Aquaphonics to put on a spectacle down South at the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale, while The Fritz will be as far North as you can go partying at the Dogstar Tavern in Fernandina Beach, and Cope hosts the two night west coast party being held at the State Theatre in St. Pete and will be supported by J2K among others. Up in the Big Apple, Brother's Past will offer support for The Disco Biscuits run with Orchard Lounge on the 28th before running through Albany, Philadelphia and then a Richmond finale. The Former Champions will be down the road turning things out at City Dogs in the Fan. If you're in between those locations you can check out Damn Right! at the 8x10 in Baltimore on the 30th or at Triumph Brewery in Philadelphia on the 31st.

Our Ohio representatives Papadosio will charge a multi-night run at the LC Pavilion, with help from The Werks. For all of our Southern patrons, The Mantras will be doing a two night run at the Pour House in Raleigh, and The Malah will be involved in some late night parties at the Apache Cafe in Atlanta, GA. Zoogma will also be holding down the region with a rager at Newby's in Memphis, TN. Happy Holidays and enjoy the music!

Artist Spotlight: An Interview With The Malah

The Malah have been rising stars in the live electronic scene as a result of dedication to their craft while innovating and touring across the country. Honing their skills has been the name of the game in bigger and better forums, and a representation of this came from the album drop Live From Earth 2010 this past November. Now, as the trio pushes towards super nova status, we get some insight on what the journey through time and space has been like for The Malah.

The Malah evolved as a result of staying connected since your high school years. It's impressive that you have been able to keep the unit intact. How important has that friendship been in keeping the band cohesive, and what key principals unite you as parts of a whole?
The friendships have been very important in helping us remind ourselves why we started making music together in the first place. The music business can be tough and if you don't keep in mind the love and joy that you get from performing music, then you could easily get discouraged. We all believe in our music and we believe in the power of music to help humanity and enhance people's lives.

You guys hail from the Southern city of Greeneville, SC. What is the electronic music scene like there, and how did that influence your initial direction as a band?
Greenville itself is not really known for its music scene. Growing up there - in proximity of Atlanta, Asheville, Charlotte and Charleston - exposed us to a lot of music. When we were in high school, we would make weekend trips to see Phish, String Cheese Incident, Medeski Martin & Wood or even to check out electronic music raves. Having these experiences at a young age is what really inspired us to pursue our own musical voice.

Where does The Malah draw its influences from in order to achieve your unique sound and general approach towards creating music?
Our music is really a melting pot of our different influences and styles. We all share an affinity or bands such as Pink Floyd and Radiohead but at the same time, our individual influences and styles can be quite different. We enjoy everything from grunge rock to hip-hop to bluegrass to psy-trance. It's the way we combine our different musical ideas that creates a new and unique sound for us

The Malah has been touring and playing festivals since your infancy. What has been the moment in your live performance experience as a band that really hit a peak which convinced you to continue pursuing a career path as a musician?
It was probably 2008, when we released our second album Sound Spectrum. Shortly after this, we started to get requests to play all over the country as opposed to previous years that we were playing primarily in South Carolina. It was a great feeling to know that people wanted to see us play in their city, so we started travelling and haven't looked back.

What are some recent highlights that came from touring across the country?
The Lightning in a Bottle Festival in California. The stage production and artistic atmosphere of this festival is unlike any other that we've experienced in America. Also Re:Generation Festival at Horning's Hideout in Oregon was a magical weekend with Sound Tribe Sector 9. Having Mike Rempel of Lotus join us on stage was a big moment. We also enjoyed a sold out show at the Bluebird Theatre in Denver supporting our favorite producer/DJ in the business, Bonobo!

Music is often regarded as the purest form of communication and for you guys as an instrumental band, this is especially true. Do you find that the absence of lyrics facilitates a deeper or more spiritual connection within the band as well as with the audience?
Music is a universal language. There are no boundaries of race, gender or orientation. With instrumental music, the meanings are open to interpretation by the listener. Different people can connect with the music in different ways. Some people find a deep and spiritual connection to the musical experience, some people enjoy it as an art form, some people just like to forget about the work week and go out and have a good time, or maybe a combination of all of the above. That is the beauty of it.

Electronic music is expanding and breaking borders at an unprecedented rate. As a band that has been in this live electronic genre since 2003, how do you make sure you evolve and innovate while still remaining true to your core sound?
Our sound has been constantly evolving yet has kept our own vibe since the beginning. Honestly this has been a natural evolution and even as we incorporate new ideas and more electronics, what comes out always still sounds like The Malah.

Your hard work has you going on tour with Lotus before coming down to AURA. How stoked are you for that experience? And is this as much a testament to your success as a band as it is for the fans?
We are thrilled to be coming back east with Lotus! We think this is a great way to come back and play for our Southeast family in 2012. As an up-and-coming band, some of the biggest gratification that you can get is the respect of your peers and elders. This is one of those gratifying moments where we have been asked to go on tour with a band that we have a lot of respect and admiration for. This coming not long after being handpicked for Re:Generation Festival this past summer. We are really honored to be given these opportunities, as Lotus and Sound Tribe Sector 9 are the two bands that really gave us hope that an instrumental electronica band can make a considerable impact on the live music scene.

With traditional electronic music and its sub-genres literally encompassing the entire music spectrum right now, what do you envision to be the future of this scene and style of creating? Where does The Malah fit into that vision?
We see the boundaries continuing to be pushed and the rise of electronic music as a great thing. The possibilities of electronic music are endless, yet we feel that people will always have a deep connection and appreciation for musicians who play their instruments live on stage. New technologies are sure to make the marriage of electronic music with live music even more exciting!

Local Love: SOSOS

AURA has loaded up on the high energy rock and electronica acts this year, while also keeping in mind the desires of the light and melodically inclined. Coming from that direction, Sosos are a five piece bunch out of Fort Lauderdale that specializes in infectious island tunes. Polished and soothing vocals splash on to acoustic roots music facilitated by unique instruments like pump organ, banjo, mandolin, djembe, melodica and even a box of rocks. The favorable reggae undertones are emphasized by the pure organ presence and rhythmic soft rock lyrical techniques. The end result is feel good music that you could envision yourself swaying to under the mid-Spring sun in Florida.

The boys' simplistic approach should not be mistaken for anything other than calculated song writing. The resulting tunes are contagious and can be described as paradise love songs. The Sosos sound has landed them on stages with artists like Richie Havens, Blues Traveler and Tim Reynolds, and they have even been used as backing tracks on multiple television shows. A stellar second studio effort last October titled For You has been a vehicle for continued appearances on the live music festival circuit.

On The Radar: The Resolvers

This American reggae rock band, with a reputation of being the best in South Florida, has been busy grooving and producing this year. Lead by sibling vocal duo Ojay and Sahara Smith, offspring of Jamaican singer/songwriter Ernie Smith, The Resolvers are a full band of top notch musicians accompanied by a tight horn section. Blends of ska, alternative rock, heady vocals and an overarching vibe of positivity provide an old school approach to the true essence of reggae in the modern music climate.

An in-studio video and accompanying single release of the break out track "Out Of My Frame" earlier this month has further legitimized the group. A monthly residency at the infamous Kahuna's Bar on the water in Deerfield Beach will be the band's proving ground as they gear up to show the Forever Florida Ranch how the tropic vibe of our Eastern peninsula combines perfectly with the legacy of Jamaica's traditional music. You can also catch them at one of their other 120 shows they do each year both locally and abroad.