New York City is pretty busy right about now, thanks to all the New York Fashion Week happenings going on around town, and this Jersey girl got to see it all first-hand! I hung out at the Caravan event during last evening's Fashion's Night Out extravaganza that took place at stores across NYC.
Cobra Starship'sGabe Saporta co-hosted the event, along with All-American Reject's Tyson Ritter, and Gabe even took over the DJ booth for an hour! He told me he didn't think he was a great DJ, but I thought he did a great job! We heard some sweet tunes from the Ting Tings and Cobra (of course!) throughout the night, and who can complain about that? Gabe and I got to catch up again (remember, he was just in the J-14 offices a few weeks ago!) -- turns out Gabe and I went to high school in the same town! I'm always psyched to see Gabe though -- not only do I love their hit single, "Good Girls Go Bad," Gabe's a super nice guy and he used to be the lead singer of one of my fave bands from back in the day, Midtown.
But the night didn't end there! I also saw Greek's Spencer Grammer and Sonny With A Chance's Tiffany Thornton! And at the end of the night, I ran into one of my fave singers, One Tree Hill's Kate Voegele, who was wearing the cutest red dress with a little bubble hem. I last saw her play at Highline Ballroom back in May, and she told me she was just in town for Fashion Week, but she'll be back in NYC this fall on another tour.
It was a night full of fun, sweet music and fashion, and awesome tour news. Plus, I got a sweet prize signed just by Gabe for a lucky winner -- but you'll have to wait for an upcoming issue to get the deets on that! ;)
What do you think of Cobra Starship and lead singer Gabe? Are you into "Good Girls Go Bad?" And what fashions are you psyched for this fall?
Jessica Harp was part of a country duo with Michelle Branch called The Wreckers, but the singer has broke out on her own. She stopped by the J-14 offices to spill the deets on her new solo album, coming out this fall, Michelle, and her most embarrassing stage moment yet!
J-14: How would you describe your sound?
Jessica Harp: My sound is definitely very country, but it's probably a little more modern country. I love the record.
J-14: There are a bunch of young country stars, like Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, and Kellie Pickler, making waves right now. Are you influenced by them?
Jessica: Yeah, I think we all probably influence each other. But I'm most influenced by my heroes, like Reba McEntire and The Judds. I have freak out moments when I bump into them. That's probably where most of my influence is from.
J-14: Were you a big fan of Reba?
Jessica: I had my tonsils out, and my mom took me to Reba to make me feel better, and that was my first concert!
J-14: Can you tell me a little about your new record?
Jessica: My favorite track is probably the title track, "A Woman Needs." That song is very special to me, because I wrote it about my life and my path and for woman. Originally I was going to call the record A Few Second Chances. There's a line and it says, "A woman needs a few second chances." And I know in my life -- not just in my career, but in my personal life, too -- I've needed a few second chances to find the right path, to find peace and happiness, and I think a lot of people feel that way. So that's definitely a special song and that's why I decided to call the record, A Woman Needs.
J-14: Will you reunite with Michelle Branch for a second Wreckers album?
Jessica: We don't really know. We feel like it's sort of out there if we want to come back to it, but we were solo artists before, and when it came time to make our second record, we were writing in different directions. We didn't want to force another album for the sake of forcing it because we are both very organic artists and are very true to ourselves and our music. So we just decided let's do the solo thing, and we have The Wreckers to come back to if we want. Honestly, it was a completely fluke thing. We made that record selfishly because we've been friends forever and had written these songs and really wanted to make a record together and had no idea the success that would come with it. It was a whirlwind.
J-14: Have you ever had an embarrassing moment on tour?
Jessica: I'm very clumsy, but this was the only time I've ever fallen. We were playing in New York, at the Bowery Ballroom for the One Tree Hill Tour.The stage was really, really tall, and the crowd was this huge crowd, and they have this barricade between the stage, and it's super tall. The crowd was nuts -- it was wild, a great show, so Michelle and I are both completely pumped after. The show ends, and I decide that I'm gonna jump down and go hug some fans and sign autographs. Yet I'm wearing tall heels, so I jump down off the stage and my heels just go up, and I land on my butt. Luckily only the people in the front saw, and they were very nice and they helped me up, but I just went along and said hi to everyone. I'm really not easily embarrassed. I make fun of myself all of the time.
J-14: Who are your favorite artists right now?
Jessica: When I get so immersed in working on a record and country radio, I need to listen to something else. I was completely out of touch with what was going on in the pop world, so I have been listening to pop radio a lot lately. I love The All-American Rejects new record, The Fray's new record, and I love Katy Perry's record. That's probably my favorite. I play "Thinking Of You" on repeat
I am all for enjoying the sunshine, but come 8 p.m., the daylight has pretty much peaced out. So what's a girl to do? Well, if you're like me, you can always check out summer TV. Sure it's full of lots of repeats (not so bad - I have a few missed One Tree Hill eps to catch up on), but there's also some awesome new TV on.
So tell me - what shows have you gotten totally into this summer? Are you into the talent shows or so over them? And are there any new shows you're super excited to see premiere in the fall?
Chad's been replaced. That's right - if you're as big an OTH fan as I am, you're both trauamtized and loving the news. OTH will be back next season, but as you already know, without Chad Michael Murray or Hilarie Burton. Guess that ride off into the sunset worked out well for them, eh? I'm still sad because I loved, loved, LOVED Lucas Scott's voice-overs!
But I may be able to get over it because super-hunky Robert Buckley is set to replace Chad. Robert will play Clayton, the wealthy, spoiled agent to NBA-bound Nathan Scott (played by James Lafferty).
I will miss Chad (I mean, seriously, have you looked at that adorable face?), but I'm hoping the storylines stay strong because they've been awesome ever since the gang graduated from Tree Hill High. But here's my question - will they ever make Stephen Colletti or Kate Voegele full time cast members? Not only do I love Kate's tunes, their characters' blossoming love is so fun to watch! The cuteness on the show just makes me happy!
So, you guys tell me - what do you think of OTH's newest cast members? What do you think will happen next season? Do you want to see more of Kate and Stephen, aka Mia and Chase? And most importantly - are you still watching? I'd love to know, so fill me in!
J-14 told you that Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton are officially done with One Tree Hill, but we've got some good news for you now -- there's a brand new cast member taking over for Chad!
Robert Buckley -- formerly of NBC's Lipstick Jungle -- will play Clayon, the young, wealthy agent, and later friend, to NBA-bound Nathan (James Lafferty).
In addition to Clayton, two more characters will be stirring things up in Tree Hill next season -- Haley's (Bethany Joy Galeotti) sister, Quinn, and the face of Brooke's (Sophia Bush) new clothing line, Alex. Those roles haven't been cast yet.
What do you think of all these new changes to OTH? Will you tune in for season six?
Kate Voegele's new album, A Fine Mess, hits stores this Monday, May 18, and J-14 talked to the actress/singer about One Tree Hill, her new record, and more as she chilled at a coffee house in Wilmington, NC!
J-14: What was it like appearing on One Tree Hill? Kate: I never set out to be an actress, but it's been the most unbelievable thing for my music. It's been an amazing experience. Everybody is extremely welcoming and cool. All my fans always want to know about the cast and they are the coolest people ever. I was so pleasantly surprised by it because I came in during the fifth season and I figured, "Oh my gosh, these people have been working together forever," -- but they're the greatest people. They've helped me out so much -- giving the music such incredible leverage. It's really an awesome experience.
J-14: What's it like to hear your music on the show? Kate: It's really exciting! What's amazing about this season is they are featuring a ton of songs off of the new record.
J-14: Can you pick a fave song out of all the tunes onA Fine Mess? Kate: My favorite song off of the new record is the first single, "99 Times." It's a driving rock song that I wrote when we were 75 percent done with the record. I came in and I was like, "I have this song, what do you guys think?" We decided to put it on the album, and it turned out to be the first single. It's my favorite because it came out of nowhere. It's one of those driving songs about finding out that someone was lying to you in a relationship. It's a girl power song. It's fun, and I can't wait to get out there and play it.
J-14: Do you prefer singing or acting? Kate: Singing will always be my main thing. My record is always my first priority, but what's been so cool about acting is that it's tied into my singing. One Tree Hill has been such an incredible experience because it's allowed me to do both. I haven't had to give up my singing, it's only enhanced it. I really enjoy acting, and I think I'm just somebody who loves anything that has to do with artistic expression.
On Wednesday, I got to hang out at the NYC stop on Kate Voegele's "Lift Me Up" tour! The show kicked off with Angel Taylor opening for Kate at the Highline Ballroom, and her song "Epiphany," was such a girl power anthem! If you like Colbie Caillat, you'll totally be into this L.A. native -- she even wore flip-flops on stage!
Kate came on stage with a bang, running right up to the mic in black boots and gloves, tons of bangles, and a watercolor-inspired dress. She talked to the crowd in between every song -- fave topics were One Tree Hill and how psyched she was to be in New York. Kate loves the city so much, she wrote "Manhattan From The Sky" about the borough! She opened her set with her newest single "99 Times" and closed the set with a rockin' version of "Only Fooling Myself," off her first record. It was also really cool getting to chat with her, find out what she had to say about her music and One Tree Hill here!
We got to hear all the great tunes she's premiered on One Tree Hill, too, like "Lift Me Up" and "Forever And Almost Always." It's official -- as One Tree Hill's Mia Catalano or as herself, Kate puts on a awesome show! She even ended her set with my fave song off her first record, "Only Fooling Myself" -- I made sure to let her know that when we met her later that night. Now I'm so psyched for her new CD, A Fine Mess--it drops on Monday, May 18!
After the show, I stopped backstage to chat with Angel Taylor, one of Kate's opening acts, and she had a shout out for you guys. Check it out below!
On last night's One Tree Hill, Chad Michael Murray's character Lucas Scott and Hilarie Burton's Peyton Sawyer finally tied the knot... and what's next? Both Chad and Hilarie are leaving the show in real life, The CW confirmed today.
Next week will be Chad and Hilarie's last episode of One Tree Hill.
Are you guys still watching One Tree Hill? Will the show be the same without Chad and Hilarie?
