Tag Archives: tranter

Semi Precious Weapons Liken Musical March Madness To ‘Hunger Games’

Justin Tranter’s mom ‘thinks if I don’t win I’m going to get killed or something’; second-round voting is now open! By James Montgomery Semi Precious Weapons’ Justin Tranter Photo: Getty Images The underdogs definitely had their day in the first round of MTV’s Musical March Madness tournament, running roughshod over the heavily favored higher seeds and sending championship contenders like Mumford & Sons, the Foo Fighters and the Black Keys to early, unexpected exits . Vote for your favorite band, discuss and share on Facebook and Twitter in the MTV Musical March Madness interactive bracket! And 11th-seeded Semi Precious Weapons definitely got in on the action, giving #6 Fun. the boot in the opening round — no small feat considering they currently have the #1 song in the country . And that was very good news to frontman Justin Tranter’s mother, who is taking this year’s MMM really seriously. “My mom likes to text me about it; she’s very concerned,” Tranter told MTV News. “She doesn’t realize that it’s just for fun. She thinks if I don’t win, I’m going to get killed or something, like it’s the Hunger Games.” Hey, you never know. Still, Tranter said that he’s nearly as thrilled as his dear, sweet mother to have knocked off Fun., mostly because it speaks to the undying support SPW’s fanbase has bestowed upon them. “We haven’t released new music for about two years, we’ve played some shows here and there, but we haven’t really toured for about a year,” he said. “And, of course, Fun. are amazing, and they have the #1 song in the f—ing world right now, so we were like, ‘Oh, there’s no way we’re winning this round.’ But our fans are f—ing awesome, and they’re crazy. … They are so loyal and faithful and determined, it’s pretty amazing.” Vote for your favorite band, discuss and share on Facebook and Twitter in the MTV Musical March Madness interactive bracket! And from the looks of things, SPW’s tourney success might continue. They currently lead #3 Florence and the Machine by a solid margin in round two, and if they can hold on — polls close Sunday at midnight ET — they’ll march on to the Sweet 16, where MMM powerhouses (and 2010 champions ) Coheed and Cambria likely await. And though he’s cautious, Tranter believes that, thanks to his band’s fans, SPW have a pretty good chance at shocking the world once again. “We’re underdogs in the whole damn thing. … Coheed’s fans are no joke, and they don’t give a f—, so that one will be difficult even for our beautiful Weapons to win, but they’re sure as hell going to try,” he said. “[They] are so amazing, and [I hope they’ll] keep voting. Let’s win this f—ing thing, because why the hell not?” MTV’s 2012 Musical March Madness tournament has reached the second round. Voting runs until midnight ET on Sunday, March 25, and winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite act is still alive, it’ll be up to you to guide them to glory. You can rally the troops on Twitter using the hashtag #MMM or by downloading one of our custom badges — but get ready, it only gets more difficult from here on out. Related Videos Musical March Madness Heats Up! Related Photos MTV’s Musical March Madness 2012 Related Artists Semi Precious Weapons

Visit link:
Semi Precious Weapons Liken Musical March Madness To ‘Hunger Games’

Semi Precious Weapons Tweet-N-Greet With Fans Before Lady Gaga Tour

One lucky fan, who traveled all the way from Australia, got two free tickets for their SPW devotion. By Matt Elias Semi Precious Weapons’ Justin Tranter Photo: MTV News LOS ANGELES — Semi Precious Weapons are known for their unabashed stage presence, flamboyant wardrobe and, maybe most of all, undying love for their fans. So when Lady Gaga’s opening act hit Los Angeles for the Monster Ball Tour , the band invited MTV News along to witness firsthand a pre-show tweet-n-greet, with a very precious prize at the end. SPW frontman Justin Tranter explained how it all goes down: “Every single day, we announce where we’re going to have our Semi Precious Street Corner. So we show up somewhere every day to give away two tickets, free tickets, to the Monster Ball.” By the time the band tweeted their location from backstage and walked across the street from the Staples Center, 30 die-hard fans were already lined up. What followed was an energetic, impromptu trivia game to award tickets to the Weapons’ biggest fan. Once they arrived, Tranter took command of the crowd to narrow down three finalists. “What is the fourth song on our album?” Tranter asked. ” ‘Statues of Ourselves,’ ” finalist #1 answered. Tranter continued: “Finish the sentence: ‘Rock and roll never looked so … ‘ ” “Beautiful!” screamed finalist #2. “Last question: What is his name?” Tranter asked, while pointing at the band’s bassist. “Cole!” finalist #3 shouted. With the lightning round over, Tranter had one more declaration before he picked the lucky fan. “Now, listen, you can’t hate me if you don’t win tickets, because I love you all, I love you all — but one of you is going to get two tickets,” Tranter said. “OK, this last part gets really fancy. Are you ready?” He then broke into the playground-worthy selection method “eeny, meeny, miny, moe,” landing on a tearful super-fan who traveled all the way from Australia. How would you have done on SPW’s trivia test? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Semi Precious Weapons Lady Gaga

More:
Semi Precious Weapons Tweet-N-Greet With Fans Before Lady Gaga Tour

Beyoncé, Lady Gaga Are ‘Magical’ On ‘Telephone’ Set, Semi Precious Weapons Say

The glam rockers describe the video as ‘Tarantino-inspired violent melodrama.’ By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Daniel Montalto Semi Precious Weapons Photo: MTV News Judging by the leaked photos and a few rumors, Beyonc#233; is breaking Lady Gaga out of jail in their newest video collaboration, “Telephone.” And now we know one more thing about the clip: Gaga’s pals and Monster Ball Tour opening act Semi Precious Weapons also appear in it. “We do have a cameo in the ‘Telephone’ video, which was when we walked on set and there was Beyonc#233; and Lady Gaga, all at once. It was pretty magical,” frontman Justin Tranter shared with MTV News. “Obviously, Gaga’s one of the greatest music visionaries of our time, and Beyonc#233; is one of the greatest visions of our time. She is a music visionary too.” While the glam rockers are used to Gaga’s visions, Tranter was struck by the sight of Beyonc#233; in the flesh. “Her body is like Jessica Rabbit,” he said. “It’s like a cartoon. She’s so hot and perfect.” Although the guys couldn’t say much about the plot of the video, they did share that they die in the clip. “Yeah, we are in the ‘Telephone’ video and we die in it,” Tranter said. “And I think that’s probably all I’m allowed to tell … And, I think, what people have already talked about: It’s very Tarantino-inspired, sort of like violent melodrama glamour.” Semi Precious Weapons didn’t seem too disappointed by their tragic end. “Oh, no! It’s awesome,” Tranter exclaimed. “We were honored. Gaga’s like, ‘And then you’re going to die.’ We were like, ‘Yes!’ The video’s going to be awesome.” Related Artists Lady Gaga Beyonc