California-based quintet, Night Riots, will be releasing their EP Young Lore on July 30. Formerly known as PK, Night Riots have earned some of the highest praise since their 2010 debut LP, Into The Roaring. Dubbed “one of the top 16 unsigned bands in North America,” by Rolling Stone and “One of the most critically overlooked bands of 2012,” by MTV. Night Riots have been likened to a modern day The Cure meets The Killers.  The title-track from the forthcoming EP was just featured with rave reviews on NYLON Guys: http://bit.ly/153z2Z7. The band was recently featured on FUSE TV in an episode of Rockonomics, check it out here: http://on.fuse.tv/19K9buU.
Ghettoblaster recently caught up with Night Riots’s Travis Hawley to find out what albums have drawn his attention and admiration over the years.  He wanted to discuss two of them: Paul Simon’s Graceland and Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell.  This is what he said about the records…
What is your favorite album?

I just can’t choose one…
Paul Simon – Graceland
Billy Idol – Rebel Yell 
Do you remember when you received or purchased these albums? 
Paul Simon was an album that was always on when I was a kid.  My mom really liked it so it was sort of my first CD I knew about besides Thriller and the Top Gun soundtrack.  It didn’t really connect for me until I was a lot older and my brother was like “You have to listen to this.”  I heard Rebel Yell about three years ago after being in a real music low.  Everything was sounding the same to me.  It was like hearing music for the first time.
What is your favorite song on the albums?  
The title track on Graceland… and “Blue Highway” or “Catch My Fall” on Rebel Yell.
What is it about these songs that resonate with you? 
Graceland has the line: “Losing love is like a window in your heart, everyone sees your blown apart.”  There’s just something in his delivery that is so special to me.  “Blue Highway” and “Catch My Fall” are entirely different from “Graceland”… there’s just this attitude that resonates in the music that is just so cool.
Have you ever covered a song from the album?

Not to date. No.
What is it about these albums that makes it stand out against the band’s other output?

Truthfully both Paul Simon and Billy Idol have other albums that are amazing as well.  These two just hit me at the right place at the right time.
Have you ever given a copy of this record to anyone?  What were the circumstances?

I play songs from these albums constantly.  Every one I know has heard them if they’ve driven with me.
Which of the records that you’ve performed on is your favorite?

We just finished an EP called Young Lore.  It is definitely my favorite piece of work. The EP comes out next week, July 30, but you can hear two new songs and download the title-track for free on our website: http://nightriots.com/
What is your favorite song on the album and why?

I really like the song “Back to Your Love”.  There is a really strong mood and vibe and a vulnerability about it that I love. We just put together this video of some behind-the-scenes footage that features the track, which is otherwise still unreleased, http://youtu.be/M6eP0tVOLy4.