My new album TRUSTFALL out NOW 💜 Summer Carnival European and North American tickets on sale! 🎡🛼

Capital Cities are an indie-pop duo from Los Angeles, California.

In a dark kitchen in the middle of a sweaty night in Las Vegas, all 6’4” of Dan Reynolds is hunched over a laptop, slapping beats on the table and crooning lyrics into a tiny microphone. Before long, he and the other three members of indie rock band Imagine Dragons would be playing “It’s Time,” that same laptop-demo-turned-supersized-anthem, from the roof of a parking garage to a wave of thousands of screaming fans. This song title to the single from their 2012 debut KidInaKorner/Interscope release “Continued Silence EP” is an all too apt descriptor of the band’s hard-earned success—but it’s also emblematic of the deep-seated anxiety Reynolds and the rest of the band experienced leaving behind any realistic expectation of a normal job to do the thing they love most.

A third-generation Las Vegas native, Reynolds is no stranger to the adage “the house always wins,” choosing to pave his musical career with a near obsessive work ethic and hundreds of unused demos rather than roll the dice with the first songs that sprung from his mouth. It’s no surprise, then, that he was drawn to guitarist Wayne Sermon, another founding member of Imagine Dragons. Having practically grown up in a recording studio and graduated Berklee College of Music, Wayne had been practicing his guitar through meals and other socially inappropriate situations as long as he could remember; he challenged Dan in a way that was both uncomfortable and exactly what they both needed. When they began writing songs together and recognized something special was happening, Wayne called up his Berklee friend Ben McKee, who promptly dropped out of school with only a few credits left, moving across the country to play bass for the band. This sort of reckless/genius behavior is typical for Ben, who has an uncanny penchant for spicy food and a suitcase full of unbelievable road stories. More recently, the band was joined by drummer Daniel Platzman, another Bostonian schoolmate who seems way too nice to be playing rock and roll until you actually see him in action.

Several tours and three self-released EPs later, Imagine Dragons had made a serious name for itself, particularly in the west coast circuit. Although their songs vary from nearly whimsical and light to brooding and powerful, listeners are drawn to the inherent honesty in the music. The only rule of thumb for the band, it seems, is to write from a true place; the result is songs that literally run the spectrum of human emotion. Attend a concert, and it becomes clear that the live performance of deeply personal songs has a real effect on people. And the band itself is not immune, as demonstrated when Dan literally passed out into the drum set during a finale song, sending cymbals and drum stands crashing while the rest of the band played on until the close.

Great songwriting is bound to be noticed eventually. As proof that the harder you work, the luckier you get, one of those people who noticed was Grammy winning producer Alex da Kid (Eminem, Rihanna). Alex and Dan began collaborating on projects, and soon the band had developed a relationship with Alex and his team. The alchemy resulting from Alex’s hip hop sensibilities and Imagine Dragons’ anthemic rock is nothing short of explosive. The byproduct of this creative collision is “Continued Silence,” a six song in-your-face sonic grenade that breaks musical boundaries and yet is strangely relatable by its improbably diverse audience.

Despite it all, on any given day when they aren’t on the road playing shows, you can still find Imagine Dragons huddled away in a rehearsal room somewhere, banging out song after song in search of the next perfect track. Like most things in Vegas, the band is angled at going big or going bust. For the sake of those who love great music, we hope it’s the former.

Training the media industry today, upskilling it for tomorrow. Essential listening for the broadcast production, journalism and technology communities, from editorial and craft skills to taking your next step in the industry. You can get involved in the podcast discussion using the #academycast. This podcast was formerly the CoP Show.

Frontiers explores new ideas in science and meets the people behind them. There are two six-part series of Frontiers a year, in summer and winter. The programme is half an hour long.

Thinking Allowed

Laurie Taylor explores the latest research into how society works and discusses current ideas on how we live today.

As previously secret government files are released to the public, former government ministers reveal the truth behind the headlines. With presenters Martha Kearney & Sue McGregor.

The first thing I do when I wake up is record this podcast into my phone while I lay in bed. It's not very good but it is daily.

The podcast that celebrates all-things Audiobooks  – Whether we're chatting with authors and narrators, playing games and giving away prizes, or sharing clips of the best new audiobooks, HarperAudio Presents aims to highlight the fun in the world of audiobooks. New episodes every other Wednesday.

Post Hypnotic Press is an audiobook publishing company located in Burnaby, BC, Canada. We offer an eclectic mix of audiobooks made-up of classic to current fiction and non-fiction for all ages. All audiobook clips offered here are copyrighted to Post Hypnotic Press. Check out our web site: www.posthypnoticpress.com. Like us on Facebook and /orTwitter. 

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