Blink-182 drummer helped ‘Your Next Record’ contest winners put together their brand-new EP, There Goes My Virtue. By Matt Elias Travis Barker Photo: MTV News Blink-182 ‘s Travis Barker is giving a boost to Boston rock trio Twin Berlin’s EP release Wednesday (February 1). The veteran drummer handpicked the unsigned band out of a sea of submissions for Guitar Center’s “Your Next Record” contest. As part of the grand prize, Twin Berlin got to record a three-song EP produced by Barker himself, resulting in There Goes My Virtue . MTV News caught up with Barker and the band back in November, when they were tinkering away at Red Bull Studios in Los Angeles. Although he’s a percussionist at heart, Barker said he wasn’t just looking for the next great drummer. “There were some bands in the Guitar Center contest that were amazing drummers, but it was more a song thing for [Twin Berlin] — a great song,” Barker said. “They seem hungry, and they all have great personalities and attitudes about the whole thing. I just wanted to help emphasize what they were already doing and clean things up, maybe suggest arrangement ideas, just little things that will make a difference.” For Twin Berlin, the contest was a natural fit. “[Bassist] Sean is a huge Blink fan and everything, and we all really like Travis a lot,” drummer James Janocha said. “So we just figured, ‘Hey, why not enter?’ ” Barker recalled, “When they gave me all the bands’ songs, I didn’t know what the bands’ names were, I didn’t know what the guys looked like, I didn’t know how many people were in the group — it was purely based on one song, and that one song just won me over. I listened to the CD probably every day for three weeks, and that song just resonated with me.” The song Barker refers to, “Can’t Take, Take, Take,” ended up as the first track on the new EP, rounded out by “Don’t Hang Around” and “Give Up on Me.” While the trifecta of songs represents Twin Berlin’s gritty, unapologetic style of rock and roll, the recording process was far from their familiar DIY surroundings. “To get the chance to be able to work in a studio like this, it’s incredible,” guitarist/vocalist Matt Lopez said. “We used to record in this guy’s shed, so this is pretty insane.” Share your review of Twin Berlin’s new EP in the comments below!
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Travis Barker Gives Twin Berlin An ‘Incredible’ Opportunity
