Imagine Dragons Sets Records

Marco Callister, grandmother of rock star Daniel Reynolds

Imagine Dragons:
*American Music Award for Favorite Artist - Alternative Rock (2013)
*Premios 40 Principales Award for Best International Rock Band (2013)
*Echo Award nominee for Best International Rock/Alternative Group (2014)
*Billboard magazine "Top Rock Act of 2013"

*Billboard magazine "Breakthrough Band of 2013"

*Las Vegas Weekly "Best Local Indie Band 2010"
*Most Shazammed Rock Act of 2013

Night Visions debut album by Imagine Dragons:

*#1 Billboard Alternative Album

*#1 Billboard Rock Album
*#2 Billboard 200

*2x Platinum (sales in excess of 2 million albums in the United States)
*Juno Award nominee for International Album of the Year (2014)

*Most streamed album of 2013 on Spotify (U.S.)

*Top 10 album on the Billboard 200 in 2012, 2013, 2014

"Radioactive" single by Imagine Dragons:

*#1 Billboard Alternative Song

*#1 Billboard Rock Song
*#1 Billboard Rock Airplay

*#1 Swedish Song
*#3 Billboard Hot 100

*7x Platinum (sales in excess of 7 million singles in the United States)

*"Biggest Rock Hit of the Year" - Rolling Stone Magazine
*"Biggest Rock Hit of the Summer" - Billboard Magazine
*Billboard magazine "Top Rock Song of 2013"
*Billboard magazine "Top Alternative Song of 2013"
*Grammy Award nominee for Record of the Year
*Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance

*Teen Choice Award - Choice Rock Song

*All-time record for longest ascension to the Billboard Hot 100 Top 5 (42 weeks)

*All-time record for longest reign atop the Billboard Rock Songs (23 weeks)

*All-time record for longest reign atop the Billboard Rock Airplay (24 weeks)
*All-time record for longest running single on the Billboard Hot 100 (87 weeks)
*All-time record for digital sales by a rock song (6 million+)
*Most streamed song of 2013 on Spotify (U.S.)

"It's Time" single by Imagine Dragons:

*#15 Billboard Hot 100

*3x Platinum (sales in excess of 3 million singles in the United States)

*Longest run in the Billboard Alternative Songs Top 10 for 2012 (32 weeks)

"Demons" single by Imagine Dragons:
*#1 Billboard Pop Song

*#6 Billboard Hot 100

*3x Platinum (sales in excess of 3 million singles in the United States)
*iHeartRadio Music Award for Alt Rock Song of the Year (2014)

"On Top of the World" single by Imagine Dragons:
*1x Platinum (sales in excess of 1 million singles in the United States)

Imagine Dragons Are #1

Their debut album Night Visions was released on September 4th (day after Labor Day) and went to #1 on US iTunes, #2 on Canada iTunes, and #1 on Amazon.com.

The billboard charts will release their debut ranking next Thursday and in the meantime, they are on tour at a city near you.  I will say that a lot of hard work went into this band especially from members of my family and it is very pleasant to hear/see them achieving such great levels of success.

If you haven't gotten the album yet and you feel in the mood for some danceable alternative rock I recommend it.  I am especially pleased to note that at least two members of this band are gutsy workers who don't drink alcohol (the sickly vice of the entertainment industry).

My favorite version (including bonus tracks) is available at Best Buy as an exclusive hard copy version. If not, iTunes works too.

Official Website

JOE

AUDIO-FILES: Episode 1 (Imagine Dragons)

website
Congratulations to Imagine Dragons (Alt #17, Rock #34) and David Hopkins (for inspiring Dan Reynolds) and Elise Meservy (for being lead strategist at BYU and getting Alex Da Kid to post the episode to his blog)

Fun Times in P-Town

Wednesday, we headed to my favorite venue in the world, Velour Music Gallery, to watch Imagine Dragons play a second sold-out show this month. We went with BIL & SIL J & J Harding. They agreed by the end of the night that it was a fantastic show and a good time was had by all. I even got to chat with my cousin and lead singer Dan Reynolds. And, we partied it up with my sister E and cousin S too.

Thursday, we stayed in Heber, UT and house sat (as opposed to baby sat) along with some of the best behaved kids I've visited with. The Wright kids are fantastic. In fact, not only did they clean the house for us in advance, cook us dinner and bake cookies for us (included setting and cleaning the table), choose a movie that we hadn't seen, and tell each other to limit their video games to like 5 min, but one of them even gave me a foot massage. Another woke himself up and made his own lunch. Ages 6, 10, 14, and 15 these were some really fun and very bright children. It made me laugh out loud at how improved the young generation is. For instance, the 10 year old had his own Netbook (provided by the school) and was about to receive his own iPad 2.

Friday, we dressed up as people from "The Capitol" (Hunger Games) and went to Noodles & Co. with J & J Harding and friends Anna and Curtis. We liked the food--not gourmet but tasty. Austin Cope, my former mission companion, called us over and filled me in on his life and times with his lovely wife Britney and his budding family. Following that reunion we went to see the film The Hunger Games. It was violent and definitely not for children, but I felt that they portrayed the book exceptionally appropriately. Aside from the shaky camera-syndrome which drove me nuts, I really like it.

Saturday, we took my sister E on a blind date with Julia's friend to the annual Festival of Colors in Spanish Fork. It was my first time attending in six years in Provo. Afterward, we had pizza at Little Caesars.

SOMETHING VERY FUN LOOKING

My sister E is working heading up advertising for an upcoming new BYU TV series called AUDIO-FILES. The series seems to revolve around some awesome national talent including Imagine Dragons (Interscope/KIDinaKORNER), Paper Route (Universal Motown), LOW (Sub Pop), and more.

"On Top of the World" by Imagine Dragons

Both of these runs simultaneously used this song. I actually think this is a coincidence and that it's really remarkable. I'd like to close this with the words of Dan Reynolds "Music--it like cuts right to the core of anyone in the quickest way I know possible--it is the quickest doorway into your deepest emotions. And to be part of that is incredible."

Imagine Dragons Release Major Label EP

Purchase Continued Silence EP on iTunes or Amazon. On a special deal...6 songs for the price of 5.

If you don't know, the lead singer is Dan Reynolds--my cousin. And, I was lucky enough to be the booking agent for the band for nearly two years.

Continued Silence was produced by GRAMMY winning producer Alex Da Kid (Eminem, Rihanna, Paramore, U2) and mastered by Joe LaPorta (Vampire Weekend, Foo Fighters, The Killers, Tiesto). It was recorded at the historic Westlake Recording Studio which has hosted Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, and countless others.

Imagine Dragons have won four back to back battles of the bands, released three other EPs, and performed with multiplatinum and rising indie stars including Weezer, JET, Blue October, Interpol, Foster The People, The Temper Trap, Neon Trees, O.A.R., and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros.

IMAGINE DRAGONS SIGNS

Many of my friends have heard me talk about rock band Imagine Dragons. It didn't slow me down that I worked for them via HTA or that one of the members of the band (Dan Reynolds) is a loving relative.

I am very pleased to congratulate them for signing with major label Interscope Records!

Imagine Dragons are now working on their first full length album (although they have three independently released EPs on iTunes). Grammy-winning producer Alex Da Kid (Eminem, Rhianna, T.I., Paramore, U2) is working with the guys. And they are all really nice guys.

Previously, they won 4 battles of the bands, earned "Band of the Year" accolades across Las Vegas, and were invited to perform with Weezer, Interpol, Neon Trees, The Temper Trap, Foster The People, O.A.R., Blue October, Hot Chip, and many more.




Imagine Dragons website
Imagine Dragons wikipedia (written by me)

Quick Trip To Las Vegas

Over the weekend we headed to Las Vegas. The trip was stormy but we arrived safely and in good time. Friday night we mostly just settled in after talking with Mom and Dad Meservy.

Saturday morning my dad and I went to the Clark County Shooting Range with the Elder's Quorum. The top shooter earned a trophy declaring him "Top Shot" and that went to Bro. McFadden.

Next, we sanded and painted a used sewing machine table that Julia and I bought on a super deal (including machine). We rounded out the evening watching Imagine Dragons and AWOLNATION perform downtown near Fremont Street as part of the Vegas Music Summit. I also chatted with the attorney for the artist Prince.

Sunday, we enjoyed attending the home ward and I ran into Shane Flowers who I worked with from time to time during the summer of 2011. He was visiting because his cousin was inducted into the golfing hall of fame.

Weekend Plans

Our first weekend in September Julia and I spent with family.

Friday:

Will, Kristen, Julia, and I went to Olive Garden. We enjoyed unlimited breadsticks and salad. We also finished with three different cups of gourmet moose and cake called Dolcini courtesy of Will and Kristen. The waiter was very casual to the point of near rudeness but definitely interesting (and he gave us more breadsticks with our dinner). Next, we went to the Rooftop Concert Series where we caught The Vibrant Sound and fast rising rock group Imagine Dragons. Lots more family were also there for the concert and we ran into many many good friends.

Attendance was somewhere around 3,500 people and the crowd was definitely intense. Imagine Dragons throw one of the best live shows I've ever seen. Footage of the show below:



Saturday:

I took a practice LSAT first thing in the morning. The Reynolds and Meservys all met up at the Farmer's Market and then visited the Latino Festival--both were being held at nearby parks. We all sort of meandered about and joked and discussed movies and books while we looked at the various booths in classic Callister fashion. We even purchased a couple undercooked empenadas from some very latino venders before taking Harry & Sarah back. My brother and his wife were the smart ones who visited El Gallo Giro for lunch.

We met up with The Reynolds and my sister Elise later to watch The Help for a second time. We really like that movie and approve of it so much we convinced them to watch it rather than some poorly critiqued scifi/horror flick. To cap things off I took Julia to eat at Five Guys Burgers for the first time since Sunday was fast Sunday.

Sunday:

We attended our awesome new ward in our excellent church building. Our Bishop, Bishop Rasmussen, is a wonderful man with tremendous faith. We attended a class on marriage and family relationships during sunday school after hearing some really good testimonies about Jesus Christ in sacrament meeting. In the evening we went to see Julia's sister and new husband and then attended pizza night with my sister and cousin.

Monday (Labor Day):

I convinced Julia to visit Borders Bookstore during it's last 10 days. We purchased 5 books each for between 60-80% off. Then we used our complimentary tickets to Color Me Mine. It took a very long time but Julia made a very nice red polka dot mug (despite an unfortunate paint dilemma) and I whipped up a red plate with the Hungry Tiger Agency logo on top. Next we visited friends in our old ward and purchased tickets to Winnie The Pooh for FHE. The movie was very cute and classic Winnie the Pooh. The lesson was a reading assignment from church. It was a very sweet day, I was privileged to spend with my wife.