Letters Burning

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Letters Burning is heating up California high schools with a 40 show concert tour. The edgy style and pop beats of this So Cal band have inspired a loyal following (fans are known as the Cookie Cutter Killer Fan Club). Whether you’re already a fan or a soon to be “Cookie Cutter Killer,” capture the band’s attention with some outfits from Etsy and YMI Jeans.

Carl Buena – Style It With Shades

From grunge to emo, each member of Letters Burning has a unique style. Carl Buena rocks Terminator shades, a look we can all pull off. These Vintage Sunglasses from Etsy’s nickandnessies are a perfect match to Carl’s approach to fashion. Don’t forget to take them off at some point though – remember eye contact is key! Throw on a simple t-shirt with the funky YMI Distressed Dark Skinny Jean or YMI Extreme Black Denim Jegging to complete the look.
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Tal Mir- Catch His Eyes With Sparkle

Are you into tattoos, forbidden romance and guys with creative sideburns? If you answered yes, then Tal Mir is your man. Capture his look with some chunky bling and dark skinny jeans. This Rock Chic Super Chunky Charm Necklace from Etsy’s Tigalily shop is the perfect punk accessory. Pair this with YMI’s Black Premium Embellished Straight Leg jeans which look great with black stilettos or Doc Marten books. Want to draw attention to your curves? Try YMI’s Belted Black Embellished Skinny Jeans instead.
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Gabe Kubanda – Play It Cool With Plaid

For those of you who like the style of a manly man, you’ll love Gabe Kubanda. His style is pure grunge; he knows how to turn a knit cap into a must-have accessory. Get his attention with a matching plaid shirt, like this vintage 80’s Plaid Grunge Top from Etsy’s ZiaVintage shop. Add some laid-back YMI Rhinestone Belted Bootcut Jeans or YMI Embellished Bootcut with Cross Belt Jeans to be sure to capture his style – and his attention. Both look great with sneakers, sandals or boots.
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Joe Giorgi – Get Your Groupie On

Every boy band has a baby-faced cutie, and Letters Burning is no exception. Joe Giorgi has a gorgeous smile and perfect hair. Win his heart with a classic, groupie look with a printed tank like this Neon Accented Top from Etsy’s CelebFashion. Add some sleek YMI Black Ankle Zipper Jeggings or YMI Classic Dark Wash Bootcut Jeans to the outfit, and voila!
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Public high schools are not known as music meccas, let alone venues for entire tours. THE ROCK YOUR SCHOOL TOUR featuring unsigned Los Angeles-based LETTERS BURNING, offers nearly two months worth of exception to this rule.

It’s a respectable time on the road by any standard, but exclusively playing high schools raises questions, and may seem a bit foreign to those so used to the norm. But for Letters Burning, who have already completed a 40-day Hot Topic in-store tour and played high schools previously, it’s clear this rock quartet take a different approach to “normal” touring.

Brand loyalty, or in this case, band loyalty, seems to be a major driving point. Some bands seek fans of a developing age range that are rapidly identifying and defining their musical tastes. This is something frontman TAL MIR first realized on their Hot Topic tour. So why take it to the schools? They target the same audience for two major distinctions: more kids and less sound restrictions. The band believe it’s a worthy cause—one that will create long-lasting fan connections through word of mouth and future support. All four members spoke of their experiences growing up learning music in the classroom, and now it’s something they hope to give back.

On any given stop of the tour, Mir says they’re bombarded with questions from curious young musicians, and the band happily dish out answers. With the long-publicized struggle to keep a musical presence in our schools (remember those star-studded VH1 Save the Music commercials?), the intentions are as good as they get.

“We realized that there actually was a way to create tours that didn’t require new fans to pay for shows, by working out mutually beneficial methods to whoever was excited enough to get involved,” said Mir. “Our teenage fans truly love music and really appreciate us allowing them to experience our music without them having to worry about expensive tickets. We started playing high schools in southern California with the same objective, reaching a massive audience and giving them direct and intimate exposure to our band and knowing that if they became new fans it would be completely worth it. After playing over 50 different schools we knew that our idea was working and it was time to take it to a new level.”

The financial tolls of operating a band are immense, and that’s even before touring costs are factored in. Recording, mixing, mastering, artwork, photography, pressing—it all adds up quickly, and before you know it, a few thousand dollars are history. Getting it back (or at least making a valiant effort) is crucial to a band’s continued ability to create and survive.

Embarking on a free tour with this debt in hand would seemingly dig any band deeper into the red. Unlike “normal” touring, where door and merch sales support bands, high school performances work in nearly an opposite manner. That’s something Letters Burning learned the hard way. “We tested out this tour idea last year, playing many high schools, but didn’t have the resources at the time to really do it up big, like we envisioned it,” explains guitarist GABE KUBANDA.

It’s not a popular game plan in an environment where even big-name artists are admitting their struggle to get by financially. Modern obstacles stand in the way of making a profit regardless of a band’s size. New releases are regularly downloaded free of charge with the ease of a Google search, and for career musicians it’s a scary fact of life. Until you can download a T-shirt, merch sales remain the life force of bands; money needed to recoup costs is like oxygen to breathe in the grand scheme of things. Unfortunately, on top of not getting paid to play at a high school, it’s difficult to push merch for traditional rates. Most students simply don’t carry the cash with them you’d anticipate at the clubs.

“We noticed it was tough to sell $15 T-shirts to 14-year-olds who didn’t have more than $6 in their pockets,” says drummer JOE GIORGI. “We were giving away signed posters of ourselves to winners of the contests we held during the show, and realized we could be selling them afterward to those who didn’t win. We thought of custom, inexpensive items that are cheap for us to make, cheap to sell, and easy and inexpensive for the kids to buy and feel like they are a special part of what we are doing.”

Downsizing the prices by selling products like rubber bracelets and keychain lanyards grew out of necessity.With financial hurdles high and show income nearly nonexistent, what’s the loophole that Letters Burning have found to make it sustainable? Scholarships for bands from brand—or, in other words: sponsorship. Both AP and California-based clothing company YMI Jeanswear jumped on board to help. “We are so glad that both YMI Jeans and Alternative Press really ‘got’ the concept and helped us realize this vision to its full potential,” says Kubanda.

Mir continues, “We really wanted to stand behind our intentions of creating a truly free tour for our fans, and wanted to be able to offer really great giveaways so the only logical step was selecting a young, fun and innovative brand to come on board that we knew our audience would enjoy. We couldn’t really do so many shows in such a short amount of time without YMI behind us. Besides the fact that they immediately understood what we trying to do and truly believed in it, we were impressed by how many great ideas and tools they had to offer.”

Actually making all of this go down can be a challenge. First of all, there’s no one working the door (it’s free) or opening the show (there’s not enough time in the school day). “Most of the school’s lunch areas are outside in California, so we usually set up on a stage out in the quad or lunch area. If it rains, we’ll set up in the auditorium,” says Kubanda. During lunch period, students from grades 9-12 converge to participate, interact and join in the performance. It’s the best time to reach nearly everyone’s attention, while at the same time not interfering with classes.

The band design their sets with an aim to entertain. “It so happens to be that it is the young fans that get it and the young fans that connect to our music on a different level,” says Mir. Essentially, for 30 minutes, lunchtime is transformed into a miniature one-act version of the Warped Tour. There are free souvenirs being handed out, sponsor tents to explore and prizes to be won from contests. The festival atmosphere demands a work ethic similar to what goes into a traditional tour. “We arrive at every show with our trailer packed to the top with all the gear necessary to put on a great sounding show,” says Giorgi. “All we need is an outlet with electricity flowing through it and we are good to go. Each of us sets up our own gear, but we assign duties to each member to help with the PA and merch tent.”

There’s a time and place for the high school circuit, one that Letters Burning happily reside in. But what comes after? Look no further than FOREVER THE SICKEST KIDS for a case study. Back in 2008, the band were making their name on the AP Tour and decided to integrate high school stops into the routing, often pulling off two shows in one day. “[The high school shows] were extremely personal and unforgettable for the fans,” says frontman JONATHAN COOK. “They were free shows either in a classroom or the auditorium. This was an outside-of-the-box idea we had to promote and encourage our core demographic and meet the fans where they are at. We came to them rather than making them come to us.”

Guitarist MARC STEWART warns of the hard labor involved and how long drives constantly made them late for their evening show commitments. On top of endless stress, they used up resources to play out of pocket, losing money without the outside support of sponsors. Stewart chalks up the added expenses to the price for promoting their name to a young audience. He says Forever The Sickest Kids’ music translated well to high schoolers and encouraged personal interactions: After each set, the band would hold a Q&A session, which made the stops more worthwhile for the band and students alike. This symbiotic relationship made students, many of whom normally wouldn’t be at the band’s concerts, now interested in attending them.

Letters Burning and FTSK both say they haven’t experienced any negative incidents unique to playing high schools, beyond the usual gear and technical issues that could happen to them any night on the road. Concert promoter MATT DUNN of Syracuseshows.com also doesn’t see any faults with the idea of high school tours: “The bands break even, build somewhat of a fan base, and attempt to create a foundation without going into debt. It's a great idea.”

These bands are not alone in their efforts to bring music and a message to schools in return for new attention. Toby Morse of H2O has started the One Life One Chance foundation; at schools, it offers students alternatives to alcohol and drugs and he talks to them about the importance of having a positive mental attitude. He dissipates any stereotypes his heavily tattooed body may evoke, instead reinforcing a message that music is about self-expression, not self-destruction.

“At the very least, we hope kids come away with a sense that school isn’t all that bad, that they were able to experience a rock show in their daily environment and expose them to new music,” says Kubanda. There isn’t black-and-white evidence to tell if paying your dues this way can guarantee a successful career. Still, the merits of hard work cannot be denied. But Forever The Sickest Kids’ Stewart believes the fact that the band are releasing their second full-length is a testament to the relationships they built through high school touring. He says, “It was one of the best things we could have done for ourselves.” alt
- ALTPRESS.com

Los Angeles-based pop-rock outfit Letters Burning have teamed up with fashion brand YMI for the Rock Your School Tour which will see the band perform free shows at 40 Southern California high schools. The tour was conceived as a way to take free music, performing arts awareness and positive creative expression to teenagers while many schools see the budgets for their arts programs cut. The 60-day tour kicked off Monday, and each performance will take place during the school's lunch hour, followed by a meet-and-greet and giveaways from YMI and Alternative Press. Frontman Tal Mir says, "The bands I was introduced to in my teen years were my biggest inspiration in pursuing my own musical career and I truly wish I had access to a tour like this back then." Click here for more information. - ALTPRESS.com

[exerpt]

The first track perfectly described my approach to this record; “Walking like a stranger in a strange town.” With no clue what I was getting myself into, I dove in with an open mind, my ears ready for something new. What I got from Attracted To Disaster was upbeat vocals combined with actual rock music. Close your eyes and imagine if Escape The Fate took it down a notch and got a dude with more to offer than side-swiped hair, on vocals. Basically, they’re a set of well-tuned pipes backed by rock, minus that auto tune thing that’s been going around like a lice outbreak in a third grade class.

Letters Burning bring the hip-shaking, rock, and a little bit of sex to the table with dirty (but good) lyrics from a night in Sin City to the track “Strip Me Down,” both of which will have panties dropping from coast to coast. It’s no wonder they have been playing the local high school gym scene with lines such as “you can ask me dirty questions.” Sex banter aside, this song was on the verge of being a dance hit, but then the rock kicked in and they had to leave the “Dance, Dance” to Fall Out Boy and Co., because the boys of Letters Burning bring more edge to the table.

But more importantly, what do you turn to when you just want to have a good time? Music that is just plain fun, that’s what! “Touchdown Story” had elementary school rhymes that made it one of those songs that fail to leave your mind for hours. “I’m so fickle, stuck in this pickle;” you can’t help but to sing along after the first listen. - CWG Magazine/Kendra Beltran

Jan 11, 2007

Listening to "Almost Midnight" the new EP from Letters Burning, is not a spectator sport! The energy these guys put into their music comes through in each and every song. I find myself unable to sit still. Everything blends together amazingly well. The vocals come through loud and clear, and each and every instrument is dead on and driving! I just can't get enough.

My favorite song from "Almost Midnight" is called "Kings and Queens". I like the mix of innocence and passion in this song. The fairy tale imagery paints a picture in my head as the song bounces by, and it all reminds me of young love. We played this song by Letters Burning on the Hyper Nonsense Podcast # 22, where they earned the honor of being "Jen Approved". - Hyper Nonsense Podcast

A Hot Topic tour? Sounds a little cliché doesn’t it? But Letters Burning is making their way up the coast from their home in Southern California by way of a series of shows in local Hot Topics — all booked independently to give the all-ages demographic a “band that they can be a part of and follow,” according to Letters Burning guitarist and lead singer Tal Mir. This desire is what brings Letters Burning to Steele Street and our beloved Tacoma Mall: which Mir referred to as “the climax of (their) tour.” And it’s free. This looks to be the grassroots movement of pop-punk as the passionate duo, as Mir and his Letters Burning band mate Gabe Kubanda take to the road with some insanely catchy tunes that don’t mesh with the generic and oh-so-typical songs we hear coming from modern-day pop-punk bands. Care to catch fire? — Lauren Napier - Lauren Napier, The Weekly Volcano (Jun 14, 2009)

Excerpt:

"Visual, emotional and dramatic, their songs are alive" - Music Connection: Bernard Baur

The students at Pacifica got a special end-of-semester treat this year, with a surprise performance by the North Hollywood-based alt-rock band, Letters Burning. The Orange County-adjacent high school, just seven miles east of Seal Beach, played host to the quartet this afternoon in the open-air quad. The band played a solid 10 set, and even brought along a merchandise table stocked with t-shirts, stickers, and of course, their CDs. There was even spousal support, with April, the wife of lead singer Tal Mir, overlooking the swag, and ink-stamping random (but willing) students with a custom "Letters Burning" logo.

They've had two of their tracks featured on KROQ FM this year, and are planning another multi-city tour for 2010, with their first stop scheduled in February at Cal State East Bay, just outside of San Francisco. The band's most recent tour videos can be viewed here.

Check out Letter's Burning Official MySpace, here. - citizen x/brand x

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKwa4ca9eoY - http://www.realtvfilms.com/blog/

Our music and travel interview series continues this week with SoCal rockers, Letters Burning. After a successful regional Hot Topic in-store tour this summer, the trio of three years got a taste of the DIY tour life and are ready to get back on the road: through California and beyond!

Full article:
http://www.sosauce.com/blog/tag/tour/ - Alisha Miranda, http://www.sosauce.com

Who?

Letters Burning are a solid pop-rock band from California whose sophomore release, Simple Thoughts and Tragedy, sees them progress into a much tighter, more productive sound which tidies round the edges of their 2006 EP, Almost Midnight. After being Purevolume's "Number One Unsigned Band" during Autumn 2007, Letters Burning were further exposed to the mainstream when they were recently chosen to play the Ventura date of the Warped Tour, due to them winning the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands.

How is it?

The four-track EP kicks into life with the radio-friendly "Critic's Last Stand," which has experienced multiple plays on the alternative music station, KROQ. It has a bouncy, vibrant tone which jumps into life as the lead singer, Tal Mir, sings his way through a clear, vocal line. Distinctive yet not sounding like he is wailing, a definite similarity between that of him and Craig Owens' better moments is discernible. "Goodbye Love" is a much more emotional attempt, and this really is where Simple Thoughts and Tragedy shines. The band is best at channeling their emotion into powerful music, which creates a depth a lot of their genre fails to maintain, in today's scene. "I'm Here and You're There" is probably the weakest song on the EP, as it seems to lose the sense of focus a bit and occasionally slips into the borders between thoughtful and cliche. The chorus sounds all-too-catchy, as if a stronger, more effective style could not be worked out. Simple Thoughts and Tragedy closes with "Sheets of Red", another solid effort with a bit more musical complexity than the other three.

Securing a place on 2008's Warped Tour is definitely a plus for these hard-working guys, and now they really need to press on and concentrate on releasing a full-length album in the not-too-distant future. There is a lot of potential in this band that has not yet creatively been realized, but there is plenty of time for this outfit for mature and develop. Definitely something to watch in the future.

Recommended if You Like Chiodos Bone Palace Ballet, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, clear vocals - Absolutepunk.net