November 2020

New York City is a playground for dance music and the dance scene is where producer and promotor Tiro met model and singer Marco. The two formed a friendship that led to the creation of their group Virgin Skulls.

Fresh off the release of their new single “Never Give Up” the duo to time to speak with us for our Music Spotlight series:

Interesting name! Tell us about the origin?

Previously, Tiro had a production company named Insane Produzionz that boasted a logo of a skull with headphones. That image transformed into an artist name as Tiro began recording as Skull & Headphones. Prior to the duo’s union, Marco recorded under the moniker Virgin Killer. In the twosome’s pairing, they joined their professional names, thus becoming Virgin Skulls. “We love skulls and extra virgin olive oil,” Marco jokes with a good-natured laugh.

Do you have touring plans for 2018?

We have a gig on the 31st of July, at the SoundWars Showcase in Hoboken’s Southwest Park, and some promo events for our sponsors in New Jersey.

But for the most part, we would like to build our base first then tour early 2019 on the East Coast.

Are you self-produced and if so, tell us about your studio/ production process?

We’re self-produced. We have a bunch of Modular Synthesizers, and keyboards. I (SkullsandHeadphones) will sometimes have a track done and will ask Marco aka VK if he would like to write to the track and then sometimes, like on track NEVER GIVE UP, we’ll start to jam live and then press record.

If we’re both feeling the vibe by the end of the creative session, we hit up our engineer Michael Moog.

Who are your favorite artists?

Depeche Mode, Donna Summer, Tears for Fears, Morrissey, ABC, and Kraftwerk

Do you have any plans to tour Europe or other countries?

We would like to take care of the state’s first, then maybe Brazil as our Publicist Birdee wants us to play with one of her amazing artists, The Kraken Music!

What do you guys do when you’re not creating music?

Thinking about music, we’re both very committed to our craft and music is our religion.

What are your music and career goals for 2018-2019?

All systems go! We’re working hard with our team at BSquared MGMT to get us booked for 2019 on the east coast tour with stops at college radio stations & press all along the route.

Where do you seek musical inspiration?
By turning on our modular synths and discovering new sounds.

Anything specific you want to share with the fans?

Come and get it!

Please list links where to buy your music.

• iTunes
• Google Play
• Spotify

Stay Connected with Virgin SkullsTwitter| Instagram| SoundCloud

Read more from our Spotlight Series

Last time we spoke with Tiro aka Skull and Headphones he was sharing his latest music as part of the dance music duo Virgin Skulls. The talented producer is currently working on a solo project “2020” that will be released later this year.

We sat with him for our Music Spotlight Series to talk about his process when making music and some of his likes and inspirations. We’re looking forward to the new music in November. 

Check out Skull and Headphones new single “Do You Like” and check out the interview.

Thanks Tiro, when do the S&H musical ideas come to you?

Mostly when I’m in my studio in Hoboken, New Jersey, especially when I turn on my Modular Synth.

Why did you decide to start Skull & Headphones & why?

Mainly for the love of dance music and club culture. Living in close proximity to New York City, gave young fans as myself access to amazing clubs with sound systems from the master like Richard Long and Alex Rosner. We also had some of the best talents in dance music, like Todd Terry, so it was very easy to fall in love with all this.

What’s your favorite song or music and why?

One of my favorite songs is “Can’t Get Enough” by Liz Torres, this is the track that gets me into house music. I was into Disco and Freestyle at the time. I was fortunate enough to have been invited to the Paradise Garage before it closed and that was the track that was playing when I walked in. This is the first time I had even heard a 4/4 beat. BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM that shit blew my mind and I was hook ever since! 

Do you follow a formula when you write?

The only thing that’s the same every single time is when I hit the power button!

How is writing for S&H different than Virgin Skulls?

The process is almost the same with the exception of having to record the vocalist for Virgin Skulls.

Which song you have composed is your favorite and why?

That would be my track “View from The Palisades” as it reminds me of my favorite sounds of Disco. 

What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you while working on your new music?

I work with my dear friends so there is no weird stuff ever going on!

Which song did you have the most trouble writing?

To be honest, they all have challenges that you must overcome and find solutions to fix the problem at hand.

What’s next for Skull & Headphones?

On November 1st my music is released, once this happens I’ll start working on routing my tour together with my outstanding team.

If you’ve ever gone through a difficult phase in your life – and let’s be honest, who hasn’t – you know that fixating on problem perpetuates nervous worrying. For many people, seeing a therapist is a terrific way to relieve some of this tension, whether you’ve hit a rough patch or need to work through some issues from the past. While there was a stigma surrounding people who seek therapy for a long time, in the 21st century it has become so common that many people speak openly about it at work or in social settings without batting an eye. Without a doubt, this is a sign of progress and signals an era where people can feel less isolated and freer to speak their minds and be themselves.

At the same time, therapy is never the be-all, end-all solution to your problems, and your therapist will be the first person to tell you that. Sometimes, when you’re having a rough time, no matter how much you share or talk about it, at the end of the day you are alone with a problem that you can’t get off your mind. For this reason, you need to seek out activities that get you out of your head, that distract you and hit the reset button.

In a TED talk that has become incredibly popular, Guy Winch describes an indispensable tactic for good emotional hygiene. He says that if you just play a game on your phone for a bit, or do anything that requires your brains full concentration, then it derails the negative thinking that is basically creating following a set track in your mind, going around and around.

Think about it this way: if you convince yourself that you’re too sad to do anything, you’ll just sit around being sad. If you allow yourself to go out and play basketball with friends, sign up for a comedic improv class or go play music with pals, it will disrupt the self-fulfilling cycle of sadness. Obviously, you need to allow yourself to feel sad when something tragic has happened, but too large a portion of our society’s population is crippled by depression or anxiety that is not correlated to a reasonable cause.

Performing music, which can start with professional and fun music lessons at your local music shop, is perhaps the most helpful strategy if you’re inclined, since it requires you to coordinate your mind and body in a focused manner to create something beautiful. It also encourages you to get together with friends and have a few laughs. Often, for people who are chronically depressed or stressed, just being around other people doesn’t help, because they can still retreat into their own minds. When you work on a focused, fun artistic project with good people, it helps to flush the negative thought cycle from your brain.

Furthermore, singing stimulates deep breathing from the diaphragm, which has been proven to calm the nervous system and help with bodily tension and pain. Who knew that simply belting out Where the Streets Have No Names could change your life!

If you’re having trouble, therapy can be great, but consider supplementing it with an engaging hobby to nourish your brain and change it for the better!

It’s that time of year again. We are rounding up the best of the best, the coolest of the coolest, the most unique of the unique gifts for our 2016 Holiday Gift Guide.  We’d love to  have you be a part.

I’m keeping it simple this year. The categories are below. In order to be part you will need to send a full size product for review. You will receive a full page review, shares on all social media platforms and inclusion on the gift guide page in your category of choice.

The gift guide goes live on November 15th with products being added daily until the end of the year.

Here are the options:

Product Review

Send a full size product for review. Includes 250+ word review with photos. Social media shares on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Product Review & Giveaway

Send a full size product for review. Includes 250+ word review with photos. Social media shares on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. I will host a 1 week giveaway on the product page. You are responsible for sending product directly to giveaway winner

Inclusion Without Sending Product

If you would like to be included in the gift guide but, cannot send product there is a small fee of $30 via paypal. It WILL NOT be a review. It will be a general write up with information you send about the product and you must provide pictures. Social media shares on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest are included.

If you’d like to be included please email me at [email protected] and include the following:

• Product Name
• Price
• Purchase Link
• Gift Guide Category
• Giveaway: Yes or No

Looking forward to featuring your wonderful product in our 2016 Holiday Gift Guide.