Meg & Dia, Infected Mushrooms, Dianne Warren, and After Midnight Project
Episode 2 starts with Britt Burton interviewing sisters Meg and Dia Frampton and drummer Nick Price of Meg & Dia, a five-piece from Utah that's grown up on the road as a result of two and a half years touring in support of their debut release, Something Real. That growth is evident on their recently released second album, Here, Here and Here, the title of which comes from a Mozart quote: "There's nothing to composing. You just need to focus on here, here and here," he said in reference to his head, heart and ear. The group received valuable help from producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, All-American Rejects) on their sophomore effort, from which the full band performs the song "Going Away" in the Beta studios. Erik V. then sits down with Amit "Duvdev" Duvedevani and Erez Eisen of Psy-Trance innovators Infected Mushroom. The Israeli-bred, Los Angeles-based duo has been twice ranked among the world's 10 best DJs by UK scene "bible," DJ Magazine, and has been working for nearly two years on an aggressive new album--their first since 2007's critically acclaimed Vicious Delicious--for dance-music visionary Paul Oakenfold's Perfecto label. Billed as a return to the pair's metal roots, guests include singer Jonathan Davis of Korn, who lends his pipes to the track "Smashing the Opponent." Britt then visits with Diane Warren, who is widely considered to be the most prolific and successful songwriter of our time. She has written songs for artists that comprise a "Who's Who" of music over the last three decades, including (but not limited to) Aerosmith, Elton John, Tina Turner, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Roy Orbison, Christina Aguilera, Carrie Underwood and Mary J. Blige. In addition, her songs have appeared in nearly 100 major motion pictures, receiving six Academy Award nominations, four Golden Globe nominations and nine GRAMMY nominations. Named ASCAP Songwriter of the Year six times and Billboard Songwriter of the Year four times, Diane also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The episode comes to a close with Erik interviewing Los Angeles rockers After Midnight Project in the Beta studios. The quintet has amassed an enviable fan base through constant touring and two self-released EPs; the latter, The Becoming, caught the attention of A&R execs at Universal/Motown, which wasted no time in signing the group. Their major label debut, Let's Build Something to Break, was produced by Goldfinger frontman John Feldmann and is scheduled for release on August 11, 2009. The group received a major break when their song "Take Me Home" was included in the best-selling video game "Prey"; After Midnight Project then performs an acoustic version of the song on the Beta stage.