This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Viewmont High School, in the Davis School District, has a very successful girls soccer team, as they have advanced to their third-straight 5A state championship game.The home of the Vikings is also where the rock band New City Skyline coalesced.After moving from Utah to make noise in the Los Angeles and Las Vegas music scenes, the quartet has finally released its debut album, "On My Own," released on Tuesday. The band played a record-release show on Oct. 12 at The Complex and Graywhale Entertainment began selling the album a day before everyone else. to show home-town support.The lead singer and guitarist Paul Rampton is joined by Devan Brown on bass, Chance Hutchinson on drums, and Andrew Pemberton on guitar. is a big reader and fan of the Trib.Rampton answered questions posed by The Tribune about the new record, Viewmont High, and tacos. How did the band get started?Myself, Devan, and Chance played in bands growing up together. After we graduated high school in 2007, we decided to try and make music our job. We went through various guitarists growing up, but we knew we needed a guy as passionate about this as us. Luckily it only took a few tryouts and we found Andrew. We found that us four being on stage together [had] a great chemistry, and [we] love to entertain.How did Viewmont High affect who the band became as men and musicians?All of us besides Andrew (who was an extremely accomplished artist), played sports at Viewmont, although music has always been at the top of our list. I think we even managed to make a few homemade CDs in high school (which at the time was cool, but is pretty hard to listen to now). We played football growing up and through school, and I also played basketball. I had to make the tough decision to give up playing at the next level or pursue my music career. But I would never regret it [because] music is in our blood and is our passion in life. I think we were extremely lucky growing up in an environment where our families and friends were so supportive of whatever we wanted to do.Fill in the blanks of this sentence: "New City Skyline __________________ as well as tacos."New City Skyline has been known to live off of Top Ramen as well as tacos.When did the band leave Utah, and why?In 2007, right out of high school, we had recorded an EP in Las Vegas with Sean O'Dwyer, who engineered albums for the Black Crowes, Foo Fighters, Blink-182, and so on. We came right back to Salt Lake City after, and things got stagnant for us on a recording level. We have always had a rep in Utah [who told us] that we were a great live act. So we felt that we needed [to] prove to ourselves that we could make an album up against the vibrant L.A. and Vegas scenes. So, in the fall of 2011, we settled back down in Vegas with Sean again at Odds On Studio" and began recording what would become our debut album, "On My Own." Since finishing up the recording of our album, we have been back in Utah preparing for the release and tour. We have always been so proud to be from Utah, and I think there is an incredible music scene here.Describe "On My Own."Powerful, balanced, bombastic, dynamic. [Those] come to mind when I sit down and listen to the album.I have heard that lead singer Paul Rampton is a big reader and fan of The Trib. Why? (Editor's note: His love for The Trib played no part in being selected for a feature.)I grew up in a household where my father reads the paper everyday, and the Trib was his real source of news. He believes in the power of the written word, and its something almost traditional in my family. It seems every man in the family needs it to complete their morning routine. My grandpa, who lives on the Central Coast inCalifornia, used the Trib to check up on what I was doing in high school or what my uncle (South Davis Fire Chief Jim Rampton) was doing as a public servant. I just adopted it, and I love the physical paper. It's not quite the same on a iPad. When you return to Utah, what do you like to do?We love our spots. We love downtown. Salt Lake City has one of the best downtowns. [We love to eat at] The Bayou, The Pie, MacCool's on Foothill, just to name a few. Going to summer concerts at the Gallivan is always a favorite thing. Park City is also a special place for us [with] Wasatch and Squatters, the slopes ... This is home for us. Nothing better than Northern Utah. We also hold season tickets to Ute football games — Go Utes!How does a real estate company sell its office without causing confusion? "For Sale by Owner" sign? Or funding our tour bus with a wrap-around decal?What are your most memorable experiences in music?One would definitely be playing the historic Viper Room in Hollywood. To play such a pressure-packed show and then walk right out on Hollywood Boulevard, thinking about all of the great musicians who had been there before, was a pretty cool moment. And I think our debut album release show at the Complex in downtown Salt Lake City on Oct. 13 [was] a great experience ... We finally made our debut album, and to share that with our hometown before it comes out on Oct. 16 [was] pretty special.
Check them out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoMmTtCeycs