Written by Richie Oliver
Madison Boyce was 15 years old when she started Legends of Tomorrow, a music publication focused on independent and smaller musicians. From the time I hopped on as a writer for Legends, I have wholly admired her confidence, drive, and professionalism.
Creating a music publication from scratch is something I have always wanted to do, and now I have the opportunity to write for someone that I truly respect. I had the opportunity to talk virtually with Madison "Mads" Boyce on April 6th, 2021; we discussed the hardships of running a music publication, her personal influences, and her preferred photography medium.
Richie Oliver: What do you say to those who say that you're too young to start a music publication?
Madison Boyce: I started Legends of Tomorrow at 15 [years old] and I photographed my first show at the same age. Don't ever underestimate someone because of their age, because I promise you, they probably have more passion than you do.
RO: Did you think Legends would be where it is today at its inception?
MB: No, not at all. Around the time I started Legends, a bunch of my friends started other publications and none of them lasted long. Unfortunately, it put me in this mindset that Legends wasn't going to last.
Now we have over a thousand followers and we're working on our second print issue. I never thought it would be where it is.
RO: When it comes to photography, film or digital?
MB: Digital. You can just pick up your phone and take pictures, and that's what I did up until a couple of years ago.
I've been a camera geek since I was young. It started with taking pictures on my mom's phone, then I got my own phone and I started taking pictures on that, and then I got my camera. I tried getting into film photography, and I'm still trying to figure that out.
RO: What's the hardest part of running a music publication?
MB: Staying motivated. There will be certain articles that don't do as well as other ones or if there's an interview you want to get and you keep striking out, it's really tough to keep going at it and you can lose motivation after a while.
RO: What's the hardest part of running a music publication during COVID-19?
MB: You can't photograph live music. We [the photographers on our team] would photograph a lot of shows, and that would contribute to content.
We really had to step up with the articles we put out. Not being able to do photos is a huge thing.
For issue one, [almost] everyone on the team contributed photos for it. With issue two, we don't have that option, so it's tough.
RO: Musically, who influences you?
MB: I have two people coming to mind. The first one is Chris Russo Jr. from Highwind.
He and I became friends a few months before I started Legends, and he's been an older brother figure to me over the past two years. He's a huge inspiration of mine.
Another one would be Alex Magnan from Young Culture. He's one of my best friends and biggest supporters, and seeing how hardworking and passionate he is with his band is so inspiring.
Whenever I need any sort of advice, they're the first people to help me out. I can fully say I don't think I'd be where I am in life if I hadn't met either of them, I have so much love for both of them.
RO: In photography, who influences you?
MB: I'll say someone on the Legends team, actually, Jessica Woodward! She's incredible. Whenever she sends in photos, they’re incredible.
Danny DeRusso is another, he works with Young Culture. I remember first getting my external flash for my camera and bringing it to a show, which was Young Culture in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
I didn't know how to use it fully, so I walked up to him like, “Hey buddy, how do I use this?” He was like, “OK, here. This is what you do.” He was such a life saver in that moment!
RO: When it comes to writing, who influences you?
MB: Jennifer Moglia, our editor [at Legends of Tomorrow]. I did a few reviews before Jen came on, and she's really helped me out a lot with recommending things to cover to me.
When I covered the Safe Bet EP “Joy, Find Me”, I didn't know them at all, but now Safe Bet and that EP are so close to my heart. Jen is incredible.
RO: What are you listening to that isn't truly associated with your tastes?
MB: Yung Gravy! “Gasanova” is nuts, it's an incredible record.
I literally just texted Jen today and I was like, “I want to interview Gravy for Legends.” (laughs) I’ve been listening to a lot of Shawn Mendes’ earlier stuff too, I'm actually putting out a rewind review later this month celebrating six years of “Handwritten!”
RO: What are you currently listening to?
MB: House & Home and “Joy, Find Me” by Safe Bet. Those have been the two things I've been listening to on repeat.
RO: When you die, what’s your epitaph?
MB: I'd probably do something stupid that John Mulaney said, to be honest. (laughs)
A more serious one would be “Breathe it in to remember you're living”, which is a lyric from my favorite song by my favorite band. I remember listening to Young Culture's EP “(This is) Heaven” for the first time and immediately texting my friend, “'Breathe It In' is incredible. This is my song.”
Young Culture is made up of some of the best people in my life. They were on the cover of our first print issue, and that’s a huge accomplishment for me.
Huge thanks to Madison Boyce for taking some time to chat about what truly goes into running a music publication! You can find her on Twitter @itsssmadsss, and you can find her writing and photography right here on Legends of Tomorrow as well as on our Twitter @lgndsoftmrw.
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