My first vlog on my YouTube channel

Hi guys, I just wanted to let you know I have my own YouTube channel now.

I will be posting vlogs all about what I get up to. My first video is a shopping haul from a recent trip to buy clothes. I also got some make-up which will be my second video so look out for that coming soon.

I'd love it if you would subscribe to my channel, here's the link: www.youtube.com and leave a comment with suggestions of videos you would like to see.

My first video is below. Enjoy!

My interview with the band R5 including Disney Channel's Austin & Ally star Ross Lynch

By Amber Jennings, age 10.

R5 is an American pop/rock band. The band members are Ross Lynch, Riker Lynch, Rocky Lynch, Rydel Lynch, and Ellington Ratliff.

When Amber met R5, left to right: Rydel Lynch, Riker Lynch, Ross Lynch, Ellington Ratliff and Rocky Lynch

When Amber met R5, left to right: Rydel Lynch, Riker Lynch, Ross Lynch, Ellington Ratliff and Rocky Lynch

You may have noticed that four of the five band members have the same surname. They are brothers and sisters, and along with their best friend Ellington they make up the band R5.

Ross Lynch currently stars in Austin & Ally daily on Disney Channel. I love to watch Austin & Ally so I was so excited to be meeting Ross Lynch and the band.

Disney Channel's Austin & Ally starring: Calum Worthy, Laura Marano, Raini Rodriguez, Ross Lynch

Disney Channel's Austin & Ally starring: Calum Worthy, Laura Marano, Raini Rodriguez, Ross Lynch

Ross plays Austin Moon, who became an overnight internet sensation. The show is about the relationship between two very different musicians, Ally Dawson played by Laura Marano is a great singer but has stage fright. Austin recorded one of Ally's songs without her knowing and that's how his internet success took off.

We are used to watching Ross Lynch in our house, he was in Disney's Original movie last year called Teen Beach Movie which was brilliant. He stars in the new Muppets Most Wanted movie in cinemas now.

Muppets Most Wanted starring Ross Lynch and Kermit The Frog

Muppets Most Wanted starring Ross Lynch and Kermit The Frog

Imagine my delight when I got the chance to interview not only Ross, but Riker, Rocky, Rydel and Ellington, all of the band!

This is from their website: www.r5rocks.com. The R5 story actually begins almost a decade ago in Littleton, Colorado, the Denver suburb the Lynch siblings grew up in. Riker, the eldest, showed a knack for singing and performing early on while Rocky was the first to take up guitar. Thanks to a steady diet of Elvis, Beatles and Rolling Stones served up by their parents, and a healthy dose of sibling rivalry, the Lynchs started taking music seriously.

“We were always meant to be on stage together. When we were really little, we’d put on shows in the basement,” remembers Rocky. “Our mom would get on the phone and invite all our relatives to come over. We charged family members a dollar to watch us.”

We saw R5 on their European leg of their Louder Tour at Indigo2 inside London's o2 Arena. The R5 EP 'Loud' is out now and so is their album 'Louder'.

The concert was electric, so many fans. It was brilliant. I was dancing and singing, it was a great atmosphere. The band have so much energy and are so engaging with their fans.

I was lucky to get an interview with all of the band and here's how it went.

Interview with R5

I started off by asking them if they could do an English accent. It was funny to hear them all try, they were really good! Check out the video, and let me know what you think of their English accent.

I play the piano and would like to learn guitar, what other instruments do you like to play apart from the ones you play in the band?

Riker: I like to play ukelele, it's really fun.

Ross: I wanna play saxophone, I like piano too.

Rydel: I like to bang around on the drums but I'm not that good at it.

Rocky: I like to play piano, I'm alright at it. I like to write with it and programme mini drums with piano.

Ellington: I have a restaurant so like playing with spoons, and glass things (they all start making some great sound effects).

What’s your favourite band/artist?

Rydel: My favourite artist is a band called Neon Trees and Walk The Moon.

Riker: My favourite band is McFly and Maroon 5.

Ross: Mine changes probably every week (Ellington says 'What is it right now'). Right now it's The Killers, last week it was Jack White, the week before that was INXS.

Ellington: I like Jack White.

Rocky: I like Bruno Mars.

I have a little brother and he annoys me sometimes, do you ever fall out with each other?

Rydel: The boys can get a little annoying, but I still love em! I'm used to it, we have great times.

Ross: When we were younger we probably argued a little bit more than we do now. When you get older you just kind of come to an understanding with each other.

Riker: We have arguments every now and then but that's normal, families are like that.

Ross: It's always resolved.

R5 band members: Rocky Lynch, Rydel Lynch, Ross Lynch, Riker Lynch and Ellington Ratliff

R5 band members: Rocky Lynch, Rydel Lynch, Ross Lynch, Riker Lynch and Ellington Ratliff

Do you still have to do chores when you are back home with your parents?

All together: Yes, oh yeh!

Rydel: I do the dishes all the time.

Riker: No you do not!

Rydel: Yes I do, they like claim that they never see me do it, that's because I wake up before them and get it done.

Ross: When we were younger we always used to clean the house, of course, cos you always have to clean the house but, Rydel's excuse all the time is when mom says Rydel, do the dishes, Rydel's like I'm cleaning my room, then she's up there playing Club Penguin. It's hilarious, but kinda annoying at the time.

If you could travel back in time which famous person would you most like to meet?

Ross: Elvis.

Riker: Elvis.

Ellington: I'd like to meet the Beatles all together in their prime.

Ross: If I could be the kid that snuck into John Lennon's hotel room and interviewed him. There's an animated film called 'My interview with the walrus', if I could be that kid that snuck into his hotel room and interviewed him, that would be the most amazing thing, it'd be mind-blowing.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you want to take with you?

Rydel: I would take these guys, the band.

Ross: A guitar, the band, and our instruments.

Riker: The band.

Ellington: A music catalogue, some kind of way to list music.

Rocky: I'd take a dirt bike, so I can make a dirt park and go off jumps, stuff like that.

Ross: I'd take Six Flags Magic Mountain with me (it's a theme park in California).

Rocky: Maybe a boat so I can get off the island when I feel like it.

Riker: Victoria's Secret models!

group1.jpg

What is your favourite tune/lyrics from R5?

Rydel: My favourite song off the Louder album is Love Me Like That.

Riker: My favourite song on the album is '(I Can't) Forget About You', but I think my favourite lyric is 'When you think of me, you'll smile and I'll smile.' It's from 'One Last Dance.' It's so true because I want you to remember good things about me.

Ross: It's cool because it's like you want her to think of you, and if she's thinking of you, you're gonna smile. There's a lot of cool moments in that song. I like 'If I Can't Be With You', I like the concept of that song a lot, just because it's about living in Hollywood but not really caring about all the necessities and things like that because all you really want is love.

Ellington: My favourite is 'One Last Dance' for the reasons Riker was saying in the beginning for the lyrical content.

Rocky: My favourite song is 'Ain't No Way We're Goin' Home' because the production is awesome but lyrically, I like 'If I Can't Be With You' the chorus lyrics are very well put together.

Riker: In a way there's another good lyric is 'get strange with the stars together', that's a really cool lyric. There's a lot of great lyrics in that song that don't get notified as much. And we can do what you wanna do, but what you wanna do we can do it better. I think there a lot of great, well written lyrics in that song that don't get as much credits as they deserve.

In one word how would you describe R5?

Rydel: Loud!

Riker: Rock 'n' Roll!

Ross: Versatile!

Ellington: I'm gonna say cool, spelt Kewl!

Rocky: Ambitious!

If you weren’t an actor or musician what job do you think you’d have?

Rydel: I would continue choreographing.

Riker: I would want to be in the National Hockey League, so I'd be a hockey player.

Ross: I'd probably resort to other jobs within the music industry or entertainment industry. But if I couldn't do that, I would love to be in the AirForce or an aeronautical engineer.

Ellington: I'd like to do something with food, and just make weird food, things that are really delicious.

Rocky: I'd also play a sport of some kind.

What is the strangest or coolest thing a fan has done or given you?

Rydel: The strangest thing we've ever been given was a goldfish, like a real live one, in a glass bowl and everything. But we had to give it away to a nice family because we are on a bus and we couldn't keep it.

Do you have an iphone or a Android phone?

All together: We all have iPhones.

Rocky: I have an iPhone with an Angry birds case stolen from Ross, but don't try that at home with your other family members.

Riker: I don't have a case on mine, which is a beautiful but dangerous thing.

What’s your favourite app or game on your phone?

Ross: Jet Stunt Car.

Riker: Cut The Rope or Subway Surfers.

Ellington and Rydel: Spotify.

Ross: Why do all the most popular games involve birds? Flappy Birds, Angry Birds.

Riker: App, I'd say Spotify.

Rydel: I like World Atlas by National Geographic.

What do you like better, singing or acting?

Rydel: Singing!

Riker: Singing!

Ellington: Singing!

Rocky: Singing, yep!

Ross: (Kept quiet - I guess it's difficult for him to choose).

 

Do you all drive and if so what car have you got?

Riker: ooo, this is cool, I don't think we've ever got this question.

Rydel: I was the first person to get a car in the family, saved all my pennies. Cos I used to teach dance and I saved every dime I got and I'm not a big spender and it was a Toyota Yaris. I named it chub and it was really cute but my brother just sold it, my other brother, cos he felt like it.

Riker: I also have a Toyota, it's a blue FJ Cruiser 2007.

Ross: I cruise around in my mums Prius.

Riker: Oh Toyota's up top (high-fives all round).

Ellington: I also have a blue car too.

Ross: Seriously though, Prius is environmentally friendly and economical.

Ellington: And it can take a hit from a truck too!

Ross: Yeh, I got a hit and run in that thingy.

Ellington: I drive a Jeep Patriot.

Rocky: I got the newest edition of the BMW 7 series.

Ross: That's not the newest!

Rocky: I'm kidding, it's really old, 2002, everything's broken on it, and the battery doesn't work, not even kidding!

Ross: It's literally 12 years old.

Ellington: It has a cd stack that goes in the glove compartment.

Rocky: That's broken too! Headlights broken. My dad talked me into it, I regret it.

Who’s your best friend?

All together: That's easy, these guys

Ellington: My dogs! Yeh, sorry guys, they don't talk too much.

What’s your hobby when you're not acting or singing?

All together: Ice Hockey.

Rydel: Yoga.

What’s your favourite food and drink?

Ellington: Sushi and water.

Riker: Cheeseburgers, Root Beer is my favourite soft drink, and thai iced tea is so good.

Rocky: Mac and cheese and Root Beer.

Rydel: I like water too, thai tea, and chi tea.

Ross: Water, I've got a mad obsession with water.

Have you had chance to do any sightseeing in London?

All together: We have, we've seen Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Tower Of London, The London Eye, Abbey Road, Big Ben, Tower Bridge.

Do any of you have any bad habits?

Riker: I snore!

Rydel: Riker snores really bad.

Ross: I can't not play a guitar if I have a guitar in my hand, I have to play it!

Rydel: Even if we have to be really quiet, he can't be (pointing to Ross).

Riker: Ross overthinks.

Rocky: If you ask him a question, he won't answer you!

Ross: it's because I'm so invested into the guitar.

Rocky: (Jokingly) Ross you have a lot of bad habits, you need to fix those.

Do you prefer McDonald’s or Burger King?

Rocky: Ooh, McDonald's.

Ellington: Burger King.

Rydel: McDonald's, but I do like the Burger King breakfast.

Ross: I'm gonna say Burger King breakfast cos I like the French toasties and I haven't eaten McDonald's in like 4 years!

Riker: Only breakfast but at both places.

Are your mum and dad musical?

Riker: They love music but they're not musical.

Rydel: They can't play any instruments.

Riker: They can kinda sing.

Ross: They dance!

Rocky: They groove!

Rydel: They both try and dance and they both try and sing. Mom goes around the house (as their mum - Stormie Lynch - who is sitting in on the interview starts to do some dancing). She always sings 'I am beautiful, no matter what they say'. She goes around the house in the morning singing that.

Ross: There was a time when mom would go around, and we'd listen to a lot of Beatles, she would sing..

Ellington: While you think about it Ross, my parents are musical, they are both in the theatre.

I can't wait to catch R5 when the come back to the UK. Thanks for a fab interview.

www.r5rocks.com

www.disney.co.uk

Follow us on twitter: @OurFamilyLifeUK