Smoke Season

11 Independent Musicians Who Are Making A Name For Themselves

Without the help of major labels, it takes true grit to make it in the music industry these days… and these 11 artists aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.

10. SMOKE SEASON

Sound: Intergalactic Americana.
Sounds like: Grimes + Band of Horses
Sound bite: Smoke Season, aka Gabrielle Wortman and Jason Rosen, bring indie rock to the year 3014 in their brand-new EP, Hot Coals Cold Souls. The duo has also established a residency at LA’s Echoplex — the same residency that helped launch the careers of The Airborne Toxic Event, Active Child, and Foster the People. - Buzzfeed

Singer-songwriter Gabrielle Wortman first caught our ear as part of the electro-pop group TEMP3ST. Her new project, Smoke Season — a collaboration with The Honor Society's Jason Rosen — takes that group's atmospheric sound in rootsier direction, with acoustic and electric guitars adding a bit of organic grit and desert twang to Wortman's soulful, seductive tunes.

For the video to their new single, "Opaque," Wortman and Rosen teamed with Scott Fleishman of APlusFilmz to create a series of arresting images that capture the track's languid, mysterious vibe.

We see the duo bathing in milk, a lone dancer cloaked in colored smoke, a chamber of mirrors, and Wortman staring down the camera through a carnival mask while Rosen and the dancer lip-sync the song's cryptic refrain ("You ain't gettin' me") into her ears. It's a bizarre love triangle that fans of Banks and Sylvan Esso won't be able to stop watching. - LA Weekly

From Finnish retro-soul to the most modern of electro-pop, from a veteran actress to a fresh-faced matinee idol who couldn't get into the club he’s playing, from touring troupers to bands with less than three months of live concert experience, August has one of the most diverse residency lineups we've seen in 2014. Here’s where to go and what to see at clubs across Los Angeles.

Smoke Season at the Echoplex (August 4, 18, 25)
Along with three nights of music the duo, which released its new EP Hot Coals Cold Souls on July 29, will also curate a pop-up exhibition of artists and photographers at the Echoplex.
Think: The Black Keys heard through a cloud of marijuana smoke.
Listen: via Soundcloud
Cover: Free - Los Angeles Magazine

Before Geographer had took to the stage, Los Angeles’ Smoke Season got the crowd in a stellar mood with their “dustbowl soul”. The band consists of Gabrielle Wortman on vocals and keys, Jason Rosen on vocals and guitar, Christopher Roberts at the drums and Gabe Davis on bass. Smoke Season came out with one intention, and that was to rock the house, and they did just that.

Smoke Season had an incredible energy from start to finish. The band seemed to vibe off each others talents creating a welcoming atmosphere for the crowd to groove along to. Sexy and passionate, Smoke Season reminded me a bit the XX, however, boasting a faster tempo. Wortman owned the stage. She whipped her cotton candy pink hair around and sang to your soul, willfully commanding the attention of everyone in the room. - Grimy Goods

THE BEAT – Gabrielle Wortman Likes the Messy Moments
by Lisa Siva

Each week, we hop on the tour bus with our favorite musicians to talk life on the road, what’s in their suitcases, and everything in between. Today? We’re leaving New York behind to catch up with Gabrielle Wortman, one half of California duo Smoke Season.

Imagine a desert town. It’s the Old West, and every boot has its spur — every man his gun.

This is where Smoke Season takes you. The Los Angeles-based duo are masters of atmospheric soul, conjuring up Americana folktales best heard under the stars, with a bottle of whiskey in hand. Though many lay claim to the indie genre, Gabrielle Wortman and Jason Rosen are among the few who actually merit the title, having finished a residency at The Echoplex and released two EPs on their own. To hear them talk, though, you’d think it all happened by accident.

“We were just hanging out and making music,” Wortman says. “By the end of the night, we realized we had written a full song.” That first song turned out to be “Soleil,” their debut track on Signals, released last year. At the time, Wortman was best known as the frontwoman of TEMP3ST, where she lent her haunting, plaintive voice to the synth-heavy trio — but it’s with Rosen’s cinematic instrumentation that Wortman has found her stride. Her heartbreaking vocals are still there, this time set to a lush and — dare we say it? — smoky brand of electronica.

Smoke Season’s latest record, Hot Coals Cold Souls, is the kind you feel in your bones. It’s four tracks long and sounds like the score to a long-lost western, starting with “Badlands,” a gritty anthem for the pioneers of old. After a brief stop on the dance floor in “Simmer Down,” Smoke Season returns us to the craggy, wild landscape of “Fools Gold.” It’s two wordless minutes of breathtaking sound, the album’s fever pitch — at once terrifying and magnificent. But know this, Wortman says: “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Head west as we sit down with Gabrielle Wortman. Together, we talk Thailand, festival season, and the one thing she’ll never wear on tour.

When did you begin creating music?
GW: I started playing classical piano at age five — blues guitar at age ten — and singing since I had teeth. It’s truly just been a way of life since I was born.

What do you pack when you’re on tour?
GW: I’m a fan of ornate neckpieces and jewelry. So lots of jewelry. Zero high heels. My pedal board is not very forgiving of high heels.

Since you first started in 2012, what’s been your favorite memory along the way?
GW: CityFest in San Diego was pretty incredible. Playing for thousands of happy festival-goers is always a good time. Proudest memory would have to be our first night at our residency. We put so much hard work into that, and to finally have it all come together was magical.

Where is the most beautiful place in the world you’ve visited?
GW: Thailand’s Ko Phi Phi Ley Island.

What inspires you most, musically?
GW: Life and the messy moments along the way. - Sachin & Babi - The Beat

Smoke Season‘s first single, “Badlands,” off their forthcoming Hot Coals / Cold Souls EP expresses the ambience of a dust storm brewing in a ghost town. And a song with such a vigorous vibe naturally deserves a cinematic counterpart. Its music video shows the coed duo loitering around decrepit buildings in Joshua Tree (their sonically apt habitat) while playing with paint, cards, and guns. And yes, there’s plenty of smoky haze foreshadowing an eerie climax:

Free Bike Valet is proud to co-present Smoke Seasons‘ next performances at The Echoplex on August 4th and 18th. - Free Bike Valet

Smoke Season named "Artist Of The Month" for April 2014 on the Deli Magazine Los Angeles blog. - Deli Magazine Los Angeles

Gabrielle Wortman is best known as the voice of the electronic combo TEMP3ST, but when she's paired with Honor Society keyboardist Jason Rosen in side project Smoke Season, she reveals newfound elements of folk and Americana in her songs. Even so, Smoke Season aren't strictly traditional rustic revivalists, juxtaposing eerie roots rambles such as "Badlands" with more ethereal, electronic-pop interludes such as "Opaque." On the duo's new EP, Hot Coals Cold Souls, Rosen crafts a shiny soundscape of dance-pop grooves and shifting electronics on such tracks as "Simmer Down," where Wortman coos yearningly like a guileless and sincere version of Madonna. Since her 2006 solo debut, The Secret Life of Gabby, Wortman has taken parts of her myriad influences and reconfigured them each time into a newly pleasing, potentially commercial variation.
— Falling James - LA Weekly

A hazy spin on traditional Americana music, folk-rock duo Smoke Season’s sound is a product of the polar-opposite personalities of the band’s two members.

“I’m a dreamer and Jason [Rosen] is an adventurer,” says vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Gabrielle Wortman. “And so there’s this very dream-pop element to a lot of the things that we write, but then there’s also a very grounded Americana element. I think that Jason is bringing this Americana vibe, and I’m bringing the dreamy, more textural vibe.”

Wortman and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Rosen both came to Smoke Season—which formed at the end of 2012—from other musical projects: Wortman is the lead singer, songwriter and producer for electro alt-rock band Tempest, and Rosen is the former keyboard player of pop-rock group Honor Society. They met when their respective bands were both rehearsing in the same space. One night, the two of them “happened to write an entire song in one sitting and that song ended up being our first single,” Wortman says.

“It was a very organic convergence,” Rosen adds.

Wortman says their experimental sound ended up “being smack-dab in the middle” of their own musical styles, “because on our own we pull in different directions … but together we end up meeting in the middle.”

A duo in the truest sense of the word, Rosen and Wortman share lead vocal duty equally, and their atmospheric songs are woven around the beautiful harmonies they create together. New to being in a band with two lead singers, Wortman says the focus on the intertwining vocals “ended up really defining our sound.”

Smoke Season has released one album so far, an EP titled Signals, which came out in March 2013. Simultaneously delicate and ethereal but warm and woodsy, that first record was an “introduction to our own band,” Wortman says. Conversely, the duo’s upcoming EP—which will be released in February—will “really show the definition in the direction that we’re going,” she says. “It’s definitely more precise; our sound is definitely defined now.”

What hasn’t changed is Smoke Season’s exploratory nature. Both originally from New York City, Wortman and Rosen eventually moved to the West Coast, where “both of our characters and our artistic senses really expanded,” she says. Inspired by the “powerful allure” and the “sense of adventure and wonderment” of the old West, Wortman says, it “really holds a lot of our dreams because it’s the location where we’ve been able to live our dreams.” - Salt Lake City Weekly

Smoke Season have just kicked off a Monday residency at the Echoplex, and during their first night, I saw the quartet took the audience by surprise with a big entrance and big music – after a few minutes of technical difficulties.

And all this was especially due to frontgirl Gabrielle Wortman’s impressive, ghostly and sexy presence on stage. Wearing a sparkling short, a long white lace robe-vest, her face surrounded by silver-purple long hair, she looked like an apparition and was singing with vocals which strangely were navigated between ethereal pop, R&B and country. Surrounded by synths and drum machines, guitarist Jason Rosen, a bassist and a drummer, there was a lot of sexy drama happening on stage, as Wortman was dancing and moving while still singing and playing synths, as if she was intensively living her music… she was quite a vision, and a dream for photographers as each of her pauses looked like a perfect photo-op. She was sometimes singing with sultry vocals à la Lana Del Rey – although she had a stage presence a million times more efficient, and I have seen LDR live!– sometimes pushing the high notes like a diva.

The very moody music seemed to explode in many directions, and was totally uncategorizable, leaning toward a reworked Americana fueled by stomping and violent rhythms and polyphonic vocals during a song like ‘Badlands’, then morphing into ethereal dream pop with expansive development during another one (‘Opaque’), or even taking the playful side of an infectious poppy-exotic tune (‘Simmer Down’)… There was so much genre blending and bending in all this that Smoke Season will sure defy people to categorize their music,… It was as if dreamy textures and angry outbursts were collapsing into each other to build songs filled with tempests and dusty roads or meandering tunes losing themselves in eerie soundscapes.

Wortman and Rosen formed Smoke Season in 2012, both coming from two other musical projects, as Wortman was the lead singer and songwriter of electro alt-rock band Tempest, and Rosen was the keyboarder of pop-rock group Honor Society. Rosen has described their songwriting for the new band as ‘a very organic convergence’ and Wortman sees their experimental sound as ‘being smack-dab in the middle’ of their opposite musical styles.

They have released one EP ‘Signals’ in March 2013 and just last month, a second one Hot Coals Cold Souls… despite letting me a bit puzzled after the show – what was I gonna say to describe this ever-expanding sound? – I was sure of one thing: they gave a powerful and stylish performance, full of adventurous detours which didn’t let anyone indifferent.

More pictures of the show here (they were playing with Air Life, Haunted Summer) - Rock NYC Live and Recorded

Smoke Season, the duo comprised of L.A. musicians Gabrille Wortman (TEMP3ST) and Jason Rosen (Honor Society), returns with a new single to follow up their “Signals” EP. “Badlands,” a track that still teases with their smoky Americana ambience, is a lush arrangement that lingers just 10 seconds over four minutes. Wortman’s soulful wails and Rosen’s distant harmonies among the stomping percussion in the single is proof the two songwriters have zoned in and tightened their unique soundscape even more since we discovered “Soleil.” With spine-tingling chants like “there’s only bones on the dusty road” at the song’s finish, one can only imagine how great this would serve as a soundtrack for a sexy spaghetti western clip. We can’t be sure that’s their next move for a music video, but we’d definitely watch if it were. Smoke Season’s forthcoming EP is slated for a July 29 release. - See more at: http://www.buzzbands.la/2014/05/21/download-smoke-season-bandlands/#sthash.UHZMLVUI.dpuf - Buzzbands.LA

Gabrielle Wortman and Jason Rosen — the L.A.-based duo known as Smoke Season — stage their sultry, mysterious single “Badlands” in a forlorn desert outpost in the lush new video for the song. Directed by Scott Fleishman and produced by APLUSFILMZ, “Badlands” finds our protagonists wrestling with their demons in Joshua Tree National Park — somebody gets hurt here, though the tale is a lot less bloody than most Westerns. The song, the centerpiece of the duo’s “Hot Coals | Cold Souls EP” (due July 29), is carried by Wortman’s vocals, the kind you can hear two canyons away. As with the tunes on last year’s debut EP, Smoke Season’s flair for the cinematic is distinctive, even when the “feature film,” as it is here, is only about four minutes long. - See more at: http://www.buzzbands.la/2014/07/01/video-premiere-smoke-season-badlands/#sthash.dNc5Va1i.dpuf - Buzzbands LA

California-based duo, Gabrielle Wortman and Jason Rosen, are better known together as Smoke Season. This month, Gabrielle sat down with EILE to chat about mixing California’s laid-back attitude with her east coast roots in their music, and she also came out as openly bisexual in our interview as well! Check out the interview on Page 6 of the July issue of EILE!

Here you can listen to the beautiful song, Badlands, the latest single from Smoke Season. To find out more about the band, visit smokeseason.com. - ELIE Magazine

Smoke Season unveiled their hauntingly gorgeous new video for their song "Badlands" this week. The video was shot in California's Joshua Tree National Park and features stunning landscapes with a rather creepy sentiment. What more could you ask for?!

"Badlands" is taken from Smoke Season's forthcoming EP, Hot Coals | Cold Souls, out on July 29. - Buzznet

New Monday residencies start up this week as Smoke Season provides a good opportunity to catch up with Haunted Summer at Echoplex, and maybe a chance to run upstairs to The Echo to catch Tête. Tuesday you can see Hobart W. Fink as they start up a weekly residency at Harvard & Stone. And on Wednesday there's the wonderfully odd and endearingly earnest Tall Tales & The Silver Linings downtown at The Lexington. And that's not all...

DECISION:
Here comes a new round of residencies to clog up every Monday night with free shows. Smoke Season are getting a lot of attention with their windswept vocals amid an undercurrent of expansive sounding psychedelia, and are perfectly teamed with the ethereal mood rock of Haunted Summer (at right), Dark Furs (who are playing here again tomorrow night) and Air Life at Echoplex, while Tête takes over The Echo, upstairs. Although only a band for a couple of years The Futures League has already garnered good press, a date at Bonnaroo and a residency at The Satellite beginning tonight and Maudlin Strangers take up Mondays at Bootleg HiFi, tonight with Pollimer. - Radio Free Silver Lake

Smoke Season is the collaboration of Gabrielle Wortman (of TEMP3ST) and Jason Rosen (formerly of Honor Society). The Hollywood-based coed duo brings experimental electronics to a Western soundstage by stomping out rhythms and layering haunting elements. But their not-so-secret weapon is Wortman’s wailing voice –always thick with soul and haze. Here’s their latest single, “Badlands,” off their forthcoming second EP (due July 29th) which expresses the ambience of a dust storm brewing in a ghost town.

Smoke Season will next perform on May 27th at The Mint along with DOE EYE, Color You, and Galvarino. - Free Bike Valet

Los Angeles indie-Americana duo, Smoke Season recently unveiled the music video for their new single, “Badlands.” The video was shot in the desert of Joshua Tree, CA and plays like an old Western movie. Stocked with Western staples such as revolvers, card games, cowboy boots and jean fringe, this video doesn’t disappoint. The duo’s haunting and sultry vocals create the perfect musical soundtrack for a drive through the desert. They chant, “There’s only bones on the dusty road.” - Foxbeard Music

Pop, Hip Hop, R&B, and Country. Those are genres we hear of every day on the radio and reaching the top of the charts. But it’s always the unexpected genre mixes that blow me out of the water. Smoke Season is the exact definition of this. A unique mix of folk and electronica, this gives a whole new spin on classic Americana music.
We spoke with this duo about their brand new EP and music video for their single. Check out what they had to say.

KRISTIN: You have a very unique sound. How would you describe the sound you have created between the two of you?
Dreamy, woodsy, adventurous and dense.

KRISTIN: You have your first “real” EP, as you call it, coming out and a brand new single. How would you describe the sound of this EP compared to your earlier music?
Before our sound was very adolescent. It was still growing and maturing. Now, our sound is in her early 20’s – wide-eyed and hungry for the world. We got more experimental with our guitar tones, synths, harmonies and beats and let the chips fall where they wanted.

KRISTIN: “Badlands” is the first single off the EP. What made you choose this song?
We wanted to save the best for last :)

KRISTIN: You have a brand new video for the single. Who did you work with on it and how did you decide on a concept idea?
We were really fortunate to work with the amazing APLUSFILMZ crew and have Scott Fleishman as our director. In terms of concept and direction, everyone is always describing our sound as cinematic, so we decided to run with the idea of an extremely cinematic video. We drew our biggest inspiration from Terrence Malick’s classic Badlands film.

KRISTIN: The entertainment industry is a hard one to break into. What do you think sets you apart from other artists that are out now?
We carefully curate every aspect of our art, from the writing, producing or the music, the direction of the live show, the creation of visual content and merchandise. We’re an extremely hands on band that doesn’t mind getting dirty in the trenches.

KRISTIN: For those who have heard your music and then clung to it, following you along your musical journey, what would you say to them?
You are our original warriors.

Well warriors, keep on fighting! This group will soon be gracing our radio stations and ipods, for sure! Make sure to pick up the new album on iTunes when it drops, check them out on their website, and follow them on twitter. - Nerd Problems Blog

- Smoke Season is a great name. How did you come up with that for the name of your group?
We define Smoke Season as “a period in time defined by that which is evanescent, obscure and without result.” We’re both east coast transplants living in LA and the name came from our feelings of the entertainment industry and the “Hollywood world.” Lots of smoke and mirrors and a lot of people blowing smoke in your ear.

- Love it! What other artists would you like to collaborate with?
We’re huge fans of Son Lux and would love to work with him on a remix. Instrumentally, we’d love to get Active Child’s harp on a Smoke Season track or two.

- What is the inspiration behind your new single, “Badlands”? How did you come up with the concept for the music video?
Well, it’s a funny story actually. Gabrielle went to go pick up her take out dinner order at a restaurant and Badlands the movie was playing at the bar of the restaurant. She started watching it while she waited and eventually ended up sitting there and watching the entire thing at the bar. Afterwards, she wanted to write a song about the true story that inspired the film and there you have “Badlands.”

- What sparked your aural addiction?
Music defines life in a way that explanations can’t. The emotion in music picks up where the words leave off.

- When you’re lacking in inspiration, how do you kick start your creativity?
We usually have the opposite problem – too much creativity that needs to be honed in on. But if we’re going through a particularly dry spell for writing, we’ll try to go out, go wild and live a little to jump start our heads and hearts.

- Tell us a fun fact about yourself that not many people know.
We design all our own merch, websites and concert posters.

- What’s can fans expect next from you guys?
A new EP out July 29, an August full of performances across the country, and a new music video in September! - Aural Addiction Blog

Author Rating: 5.0 Stars - I Loved It!
Smoke Season has come out with the music video for their song “Badlands,” which came out in May of this year. With their band comprising of Gabrielle Wortman and Jason Rosen, Smoke Season has a unique sound that comes through with their video as well.

The song has a foot-tapping rhythm to go with the lyrics and the vocalist has a beautiful voice. There is a great beat to go along with the music throughout the track. The video begins with captions making it seem as though you are watching a theatrical trailer.

Shot mostly outside, with the backdrops of an open brick building as well as the sunset and a darkly lit room, the video is very well done and showcases different settings, such as paint falling from one’s fingers to elaborate face make up.

While there isn’t a clear story behind the video, it has many settings, going from dark to light at different points. The melody of the song is catchy, with the singer’s vocals matching the beat of the music, and the video moves at a pace that makes everything come together smoothly.

The ending to the video is very interesting, as the band wears costumes with the face make up. The video seems to take the viewer through the course of a day, beginning in the morning and intercutting with the sunset before it eventually moves to night.

The video does a great job going with the pace of the song, and it intersects different settings at a good pace, as well as setting the tone for the song with the scenes in the video. The actions taken by the band in the video make it look like they are moving to the beat of the music and it is neat to watch. Plus, the song has a catchy rhythm that is easy to get into while listening. - The Celebrity Cafe

"It was just too special not to really pursue," said Gabrielle Wortman of what led her to form the duo Smoke Season with Jason Rosen. The pair are celebrating the release of their first EP, Signals, and an upcoming online performance on StageIt this Sunday, April 28. Both artists had their own individual careers - Wortman with her electronic alter-ego TEMP3ST and Rosen formerly a member of the band Honor Society - but came together in late November as a team.

Jason called the new project "sort of a happy accident. I ended up moving on from Honor Society and I sort of went right into Smoke Season. It was a logical next step. We started recording right away, and we decided we wanted to record an EP. We sort of went full speed ahead with the project."

"He really did go right in full steam ahead!" agreed Gabrielle. "The thing that we really started doing with Smoke Season is [doing] everything ourselves. We're abiding by a very stringent DIY policy. We produced and wrote our entire EP by ourselves. We mixed it. We directed and edited and released our music video by ourselves. We do all of our websites and artwork and stuff."

It's a goal of every musical artist to establish themselves as different from all the others, but Gabrielle and Jason are taking that to the next level, looking not only to separate themselves musically but to create an entire brand. "We want to do things atypical," said Jason, while Gabrielle elaborated, "We want to sell a style. We're going to make fashion and style. The live show needs to be an experience. The traditional doesn't really seem like it's enough."

So what makes their music so different? Asked to describe their sound, she continued, "The cool thing about Smoke Season is it allows me to show my versatility, because it's faster and romantic. Listening to it is very dream-pop and folky. If you listen to Smoke Season stuff, it's kind of this psychedelic blend of folk rock and it also blends undertones of electronic music."

"The name Smoke Season comes from, both of us have had love-hate relationships with Hollywood, and one of the things we both detest is there's so much smoke and mirrors and so much talk in LA," added Jason. "Every time I get off stage, someone's like 'I know this producer.' Everybody has somebody that they know and everyone's talking about these things that don't really materialize. The music is our reprieve from that."

They have a very clear idea of what they want to do with their new project. Now it's up to the both of them to bring their combined abilities to their individual audiences, and hopefully even beyond that. To that end, Gabrielle and Jason are hitting the road. "A tour is really what we're looking for and what we're going to piece together," she explained. "We really want the live experience to be different. We know that our music sounds different, we know our music video looks different, so bringing that to people is a really big goal for the rest of the year."

"It takes bands years to find their voice," Gabrielle continued. "Because we're so focused on doing things a little bit differently, I think that if we really establish our voice in a year, I'm going to feel like this is a truly successful and beautiful project." - StarPulse

I had the chance to catch up and get to learn a little about my friends over in Smoke Season. Jason Rosen and Gabrielle Wortman are the masterminds behind one of my new favorite groups. With influnces like The Rocky Mountains, whiskey, and folklore, how could you not be captivated by the dynamic duo.

Gabbie: You both had a pretty wild ride in the music industry. What made you decided that it was time to start Smoke Season.

Jason: The way we came to play together was a happy accident. One night we were just casually jamming at our shared rehearsal space when we turned around and realized we had just written our first single, Soleil. The songwriting was so fluid and the chemistry was so authentic that moving forward seemed like the only feasible option.

Gabbie: What would you say Smoke Season stands for?

Jason: We define Smoke Season as "A period of time defined by that which is evanescent, obscure and without result." Both of us have had our own interactions with the "smoke-and-mirrors" aspect of the music industry that have left a bad taste in our mouths. We've found that too often bands don't write their own songs or dilute their creative process to be more "radio-friendly". Using this as our inspiration, we decided to create music we found was beautiful and that we loved and, hey, if other people did too than that was a beautiful thing. We ended our own "Smoke Season" by making the art we want and rejecting the idea of writing the "next pop hit".

Gabbie: The whole vibe of your new EP is unique and different in so many ways. It's quite lovely and refreshing. Was the whole sound developing process organic? It seems very natural. How did you know this was the right fit for you guys.

Gabby: Our songwriting process is extremely fluid. One of us will start with an idea, like a riff, lyrical phrase, or chord progression, and then we'll show it to the other and develop the entire song. The combination of our musical influences and backgrounds makes a really unique vibe. We found that we write our songs really quickly because we just trust our instincts and use whatever we come up with. This is also why a lot of our songs have unconventional structures and seems to flow more adventurously than the standard verse-choruse-verse-chorus format.

Gabbie: Along with the EP you have a new video that you released for one of the tracks, 'SOLEIL'. I would say it redefines the term music video. So many different elements are being shown. Tell us what the process was like for turning that song into a vision.

Gabby: We were completely hands on making the Soleil music video. I directed it, and then Jason edited. I wanted to use metaphor and symbolism to tell weave an honest love story in today's world. The first symbol we drew heavily on was color. The video starts in black and white, symbolizing the absence of love for the two characters. They are slowly waking up to a world with love but haven't yet found it. When the color is introduced, the characters have found love. However, in today's world, love stories are never fairy tales and often times people lose the love they find because the world gets in the way. This is why the color drains out by the end of the video.

Jason: We also used the dreamcatcher to symbolize another major theme in the plot. We've found that the most beautiful moments in life, like when you're in love, are very dreamlike. The blending of these dreams and reality are captured by the polaroids in the dreamcatcher. The characters were catching life moments that felt like dreams.

Gabbie: Being an emerging band can have it challenges with getting people on board. What song would you say makes Smoke Season, Smoke Season and would recommend our readers dive into first?

Jason: That's always a tough question, cause all these songs really are our babies. But, I would have to say Felix holds a special place in our hearts. For me, not only is it named after my grandfather but also because it encapsulates our sound all in one song. It feels like an adventure that peaks at a moment of blended music and poetry.

Gabbie: Do you guys have plans for another music video?

Gabby: Absolutely. It's important for us to continue Smoke Season as an audio-visual experience and multimedia vision.

Gabbie: What can we expect from Smoke Season as the year progresses? More music, touring? Where do you hope to go in the music world?

Jason: Well first, we're performing a StageIt Live Webcast Show this Sunday, April 28th (5PM PST/8PM EST) so our fans can watch Smoke Season wherever they are. Next step, we're planning a tour to BRING Smoke Season to them wherever they are.

Gabby: We're also really excited to announce that we'll be playing an important album release show at the Troubadour on Saturday May 25th. All the informa - BUZZNET

When Smoke Season's Jason Rosen (former keyboardist of pop group, Honor Society) and Gabrielle Wortman (electro-rock artist) came together, they wanted to create a sound that captured their youthful encounters in the great state of California. With their first release,Signals EP, not only does the group achieve this, but they render a listening experience unique enough to standalone in sound.Smoke Season blends psychedelic folk rock reminiscent of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes, with searing electronic undertones in the vein of The XX. The result is beautiful story-telling that is musically saturated with the Old West, tumbleweeds, and a pioneering youthful spirit. Smoke Season captures the ears, minds, and hearts of listeners of all ages.

R. How would you describe your music/art/entertainment for the public audience if they have never seen your before?
SS. Our music is a blend of psychedelic folk rock infused with electronic elements. We draw from an eclectic palette of sound. My guitar tones form a rich tapestry around Gabrielle's cascading keyboard lines. The combination of these elements from Smoke Season's intricate sound. With the EP we wanted to capture that feeling of living in California. We're both from New York originally, so our experience out here on the western frontier is over casted by a shadow of our former east coast roots.

R. "Smoke Season" means what?
SS. Smoke Season is a period of time defined by that which is evanescent, obscure and without result. The music we create is our reaction to this. Both of us have had our own interactions with the "smoke-and-mirrors" aspect of the music industry that have left a bad taste in our mouths. We've found that process to be more "radio-friendly". Using this as our inspiration, we decided to create music we found was beautiful and that we loved and, hey, if other people did too then that was a beautiful thing. We ended our "Smoke Season' by making the art we want and rejecting the idea of writing the "next pop hit".
R. Who does most of the song writing/art/literature? (discuss the songwriting process in detail).
SS. Songwriting in our band happens organically and doesn't have a certain formula at all. In fact, Soleil, our first single, came out of a spontaneous late night jam session. We had not set out to write a song at all, instead one was written without us even trying. This set the tone for the writing process making EP. Our songwriting process is extremely fluid. One of us will start with an idea, like a riff, lyrical phase, or chord progression, and then we'll show it to the other and develop the entire song. The combination of our musical influences and backgrounds makes a really unique vibe. We found that we write our songs really quickly because we trust our instincts and use whatever we come up with. This is also why a lot of our songs have unconventional strictures and seems to flow more adventurously than the standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus format.

R. Gabrielle Wortman directed the music video for the single "Soleil". Tell us a little about this, and where was it filmed?
SS. Gabrielle came up with concept for the music video. We planned every shot and filmed most of the outdoor shots on location at Griffith Park in Los Angeles. We take a hands on approach to every aspect of our career, so being at the helm of our first music video made sense. Jason even edited it, and the final product is a unified vision of what that song is to us. We wanted to use metaphor and symbolism to tell weave an honest love story in today's world. The first symbol we drew heavily on was color. The video starts in black and white, symbolizing the absence of love for the two characters. They are slowly waking up to a world with love but haven't yet found it. When the color is introduced, the characters have found love. However, in today's world, love stories are never fairy tales and often times people lose the love they find because the world gets in the way. This is why the color drains out by the end of the video. We also used the dream catcher to symbolize another major theme in the plot. We've found that the most beautiful moments in life, like when you're in love, are very dreamlike. The blending of these dreams and reality are captured by the Polaroid's in the dream catcher. The characters were catching life moments that felt like dreams.

R. Your first EP "Signals" is a song about?
SS. Our EP explores many themes. We set out to make each song the name of someone that is important to us and inspired the music. For example, Felix is named after Jason' s grandfather, and Bianco is Gabrielle's family name.

R. What are your up-to-date performance plans/ New releases? Tours? News?
SS. We have a Stagelt performance on Sunday, April 28th at 5pm PST/ 8pm EST. It's our first live webcast show, and - Revolution Three Sixty

Smoke Season is the magical pairing of Jason Rosen and Gabrielle Wortman. “Soleil” is the first single off their EP, Signals. Their voices perfectly compliment one another and their songwriting chemistry is clear right off the bat. For two artists with completely different musical backgrounds, (Jason is the former guitarist for pop-rock group Honor Society, while Gabrielle fronts the indie-electronica band Temp3st) I was pleasantly surprised by this new direction. Enjoy the music video for their single below: - RecordSpeak

New York City-born, UCLA-educated singer Gabrielle Wortman launched her career as rock frontwoman before segueing to the electronic project Tempest (aka TEMP3ST). However, upon meeting fellow New Yorker Jason Rosen — the ex-keyboardist and guitarist for the pop-rockers Honor Society — things took a turn. And from the sound of their new side project Smoke Season, it probably involved some long drives in the desert. Neither the sexed-up music of Wortman’s past nor the Jonas Brothers-approved pop of Rosen’s, Smoke Season takes a cinematic approach to Americana on its debut EP “Signals” — woozy, dreamy and, yes, smoky. Don’t forget to inhale. - Buzzbands LA

Smoke Season is the up and coming band that you wish you were in. Jason Rosen is the guitarist that pop music is desperately looking for and Gabrielle Wortman is the sexy front woman that is helping to bring soul back to the forefront of mainstream airwaves and playlists. So it was great having them in Brooklyn all the way from L.A. for the night to give the NYC music scene a little boost on how it’s done, even if it was just for one night.

Having steadily released material since their formation in 2012, the duo joined by a drummer took their unique sound to the next level giving a solidly crowded Rough Trade a fantastic show on a Tuesday night. Gabrielle’s vocal power and extremely sexual performance of her style of pop and soul drew everyone’s eyes and ears with her incredible pipes that carry the power and range somewhere between Celine Dion and Carah Faye Charnow. Her abilities balance perfectly with Rosen’s hazy but diversified style and sound on his guitar that makes up the Smoke Season machine.

One can certainly appreciate their songs, which run a little longer into the four or five minute marks, letting the songs evolve and take their own performance paths rather than rush and make sure they’re fitted for FM pop airplay or whatever the fuck Ryan Seacrest is doing now. - Pancakes and Whiskey

Smoke Season is the culmination of the quest for perfection by lead singer Gabrielle Wortman, who has garnered much success as a solo artist. With the addition of Jason Rosen, Smoke Season is set to explode as 2014 turns into 2015. The duo have embarked on a national tour that is garnering lots of press attention amid sell-out performances. This is the duo to watch in 2015 as America becomes enamored with the intense music and lyrical greatness of Smoke Season.

It takes a lot to break out from the crowded music scene of Los Angeles, and these eight artists have proven they have what it takes to do so. With a mixture of homegown and transported talent, these acts have begun their journey to the top of the music scene, not only in Los Angeles, but nationally. Some of them are currently on, or about to embark upon, national headlining tours. Others are becoming known thanks to musical placements. However they have broken through, these artists are the cream of the crop. Consequently, 2015 should be a great year as the rest of the country falls in love. AXS puts you "in the know" with this emerging talent. - AXS TV

A lot of artists have taken on blue-eyed soul, but Smoke Season have earned full rights to blue-haired soul. In this final CMJ Whiskey Session, the indie rockers concoct a spooky groove on “Bees” and redefine what a session can be. (Don’t worry – tasty sips from SweetWater Brewing Co. are still a mandatory feature).

Standard Production captures a visual feast as Gabrielle Wortman and Jason Rosen swizzle their mix. Against the pink fortress of Paul Smith NYC, their unique style pops as their music soothes. While Rosen layers an entrancing foundation on his Gibson, Wortman kneels in a tangle of cords, pedals, and Røde mics, indulging in effects.

In a fluid fight between wicked and angelic, her vocals tease your ears and toy with the blues. Together, they lure you into a world where you won’t be lonely, and “you get the honey without the sting.” With such a bewitching sound, it’s not only tempting to believe Smoke Season’s words – it’s easy to. - Pancakes And Whiskey