An eclectic mix of rock, pop, blues, funk and folk... everything our old video store guy Miles would recommend!

Maybe it’s the thunder of the ocean accompanying a guitar that influences their bolstering sounds the most. Or maybe it was a band mate’s youth, tied up in forced-turned-flourishing piano playing, that aids the most in his band’s rich, haunting melodies. Or perhaps it was the years of friendship, offering an authenticity of lyrical honesty, that resonates so much with each and every listener. 

Or maybe it’s because growing up in Australia gifted them with seemingly endless summers to ignite and inspire collaborative music playing.  Whatever their influences, New Empire (comprised of Kale Kneale, Jeremy Fowler, Nathan Cairns, and Kyle Lane) has mastered the ability to create music as refreshing as their beach-bred roots. 
It’s that talent, matched with their Down Under upbringing, that provided them a multitude of opportunities to play with established acts such as Owl City, Switchfoot, Neon Trees, and Reliant K (to name a few). With exposure and growing popularity, the band plunged into success; from being added to the bill at numerous festivals, to their native country picking one of their songs to act as the theme for Australia’s Summer Olympics, it was obvious that listeners everywhere couldn’t get enough of their sound. Now, with their debut album on Tooth & Nail Records on the horizon, they’re ready to propel themselves further and farther as artists driven to use their talents to motivate the masses.
“We understand that music is an extremely powerful force that can be used in both positive and negative ways,” explains Fowler, “we want to hopefully become a soundtrack to people that makes a difference in their everyday journey.” 

The band’s new album In A Breath walks through relatable themes of loss, authenticity, regret, and honesty. Instrumentally, they wanted to produce a record that listeners can get lost in and explore. New Empire’s sound introduces refreshing and complex tunes that truly envelope and awe. The name in and of itself mirrors their sound; New Empire is fresh and overpowering. 

Take their track, “Relight the Fire”. Inspired by a trip to Dubai, the song weaves together stringed Middle Eastern instruments with a contemporary pop-driven chorus. “Experiencing and seeing the vast history of different countries really changed my life and perspective of the world,” recounts Fowler, “it really inspired me to write songs that will reach different people and last.” By accessing history and interlacing it with modern inspirations, the track is innovative and larger than life.

Songs like “The Sun Won’t Sleep”, “Tale of Jonah”, and “Fallen Soldiers” act as more flawless examples of their colorful and unique creativity. Epic soundscapes are matched with expressive and sincere lyrics, creating an eager and abounding sound drenched in authenticity.


And although many of their songs bustle with an otherworldly vibrancy, they also access the reality of life. The track that named their album, “In A Breath”, addresses true burdens and grievances. The lyrics, “I'm saving the pictures of your soul / To some you're just a memory / To me you're home / And I will never say I don't miss you / Cause I can't lie you know me too well / And I'll see you in a breath / I will see you in a breath” approach the heaviness of absence and the hope of reunion. The piano whispers behind the weightiness of the words, with a lofty chorus and horned section that offers a beautiful, yet haunting lament.

The musicians that create New Empire are multi-faceted. Their talent, drive, and spirit bleed into their album in a way that, in a breath, makes you feel nostalgic and imaginative. 

So, maybe it was the thunderous ocean. Maybe it was the Australian summers or the early sprouted friendships. Maybe it was a welding together of it all that inspired them the most. Regardless of the maybes, one thing is for certain. A new sound has been built: it’s New Empire. 

Will Anderson: Lead Vocals, Guitars, Piano
Kit French: Saxophone, Keyboards, Vocals
Alex Hargrave: Bass
Johnny Stubblefield: Drums
Nate McFarland: Lead Guitar, Vocals

For the members of Mercury Records group Parachute, the name of their third album, Overnight, could well be a sly commentary on the hard work and commitment it’s taken for them to experience the success that’s been building over the last four years and first two albums. Their 2009 debut Losing Sleep featured the Top 15 single, “She is Love” (boasting more than 6.5 million views), while 2011’s The Way It Was included the #1 iTunes Rock Song “Kiss Me Slowly” (co-written with Lady Antebellum) and the Top 15 hit “Something to Believe In.”

Or it could refer to the late evenings put in by chief songwriter Will Anderson, burning the midnight oil, writing in his new Nashville base, after moving from the band’s hometown of Charlottesville, VA (where they were discovered and signed to Dave Matthews Band’s Red Light Management out of college). Anderson composed more than 50 songs for the album with a variety of collaborators, including Ryan Tedder (the first single, “Can’t Help”), as well as Grammy winner Chris DeStefano [Kelly Clarkson] and Ashley Gorley [Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban] on the title track.

“Even though there’s plenty of pressure to break through on your third album, the actual recording process was much less stressful,” says Will about the band’s sessions at Ocean Way in Nashville with producer Oren Yoel, a young contemporary who has worked with hip-hop phenom Asher Roth as well as Miley Cyrus, among others. “All of us were on the same wavelength. We all kind of knew exactly what we wanted without having to say it out loud. There was a weird sense of peace that we knew where we were going and where we needed to be.”

From the pop fervor of “Can’t Help” and the powerful simplicity of “Hurricane,” composed on acoustic guitar by Will after a long frustrating day, to the ‘80s Phil Collins-meets-U2 flair of “Waiting for that Call” and the slow Peter Gabriel/John Mayer jam of “The Other Side,” Parachute prove adept at combining guitarist Nate McFarland’s Edge-influenced arena-rock guitar licks with Will’s melodic sense of what will resonate with their passionate fan base. 

It’s no surprise for anyone who has followed the band’s history. Will has been playing with drummer Johnny Stubblefield, bassist Alex Hargrave and saxophone/keyboardist Kit French since they were high school classmates in Charlottesville almost 10 years ago. Anderson met Nate while attending University of Virginia together, and the guitarist joined the band six years ago.

“We’re just now getting to know one another as musicians as well as we know each other as people,” says Will. “We wanted to capture a sound in the studio that reflected us as a band. And we all know which parts each of us had to play to get that sound.”


The band’s stylistic palette can run the range from old-school legends like Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Paul Simon and Bruce Springsteen to newer acts like U2, Coldplay, Weezer, Ben Folds, Maroon 5 and John Mayer.

With producer Yoel, the band has even begun to stretch the boundaries, with Will’s spoken word vocals adding almost a hip-hop flavor to a new song called “Didn’t See It Coming,” about an actress friend of theirs in Hollywood excited to land a gig, only to discover it was an X-rated feature.

“That’s probably the catchiest song I’ve ever written,” he says. “I just laid down this spoken-word track, thinking we’d replace it later, but everyone loved it so much, we kept it on.”

Anderson is most proud of “Hurricane,” a song he wrote before going to sleep by strumming an acoustic guitar.

“It’s like the feeling you get when you think you’re never going to be able to write another song,” explains Will. “Once I started, it all came spilling out.”

Anderson credits guitarist Nate with creating parts that were “just perfect” for each song. “He really nailed it, with a unique spin to every song that made them epic, but at the same time, within a pop framework. That’s something we’ve always tried to do, melding his rock guitar to my sensibilities, making it work both for the arena and within the melodic sense of strong hooks. I think we really nailed it this time.”

Having played more than 400 shows over the last few years, touring around the country with everyone from NeedtoBreathe to Andy Grammer, Parachute’s live show continues to grow and impress. They’ve also played before several million at a New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square, as well as appearing on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, ABC’s Good Morning America and Jimmy Kimmel Live and CBS’ The Early Show. The band’s songs have been featured on MTV’s The City along with CW’s One Tree Hill, Vampire Diaries and 90210.

“It’s so nice to have three albums’ worth of material to choose from in concert,” says Will, while the band has always played an eclectic variety of covers, from Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Loving” to vintage tracks from Elton John, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, the Commodores and Motown. “We’re just now hitting our stride as a live band. We’re better musicians who have come to trust one another. We all have our pocket and fill it. But we still have a long way to go.”

Overnight has a little something for everyone. Longtime fans will recognize their favorite band, with a fresh sound bound to intrigue newcomers.

“The last album was like taking a brand-new car straight off the lot,” says Will. “This album is just as fun to drive, but it’s like a vintage Mustang, a little more muscle and grittier, built to last.”

On their third Mercury Records album, Parachute is firmly in the driver’s seat.


Here you'll find unreleased material, demos, downloads and songs written and recorded back in 2006.

Stuart Brown 43 is following