Saturday, April 17, 2010

Interview: Tru Fam

>> I've been meaning to broaden the genres of music I write about, and what better way to do that than by talking to an artist like Tru Fam ? It's not just their pop spin on good hip-hop songs that sets them apart, but the fact that they're twin brothers making music together certainly helps them stand out as well. Read the interview, then listen to their music to see for yourselves how real and unique they are :)


Introduce yourselves.

We are a twin pop/Hip Hop group called Tru Fam from New Jersey. Our names are Young Sha and Just-I and we are guys who love music and it shows thru our own music and our performances.

Where are you from? What's the local music scene like there?

Tru Fam is from New Jersey. The music is usually Hard core Hip Hop but we are here to change that and show everyone that its more than the streets.

Who are some of your biggest influences, in music and in life?

Well God first and our Manager who is our mom had a lot to do with how we turned out…In music we were influenced by Kanye West ,Will I Am , Jay Z and any of the Pop Icons in today’s World.

How long have you been making music together?

Going on about five years …Now

What made you decide that you wanted to pursue a career in music?

Lol for us really just seeing Puff Daddy and Mase and the whole Bad Boy records, Got us..We loved the shiny suits ,the energy that they brought and how the made it look fun..People said we reminded them of those guys so once we realized we had some talent..The Rest was history..

What’s it like working with your brother? (What are some of the pros & cons?)

To me our pros is that we think alike and we are so innovative when we are together. Our vibe is so crazy together. We are so focused when we are together and to put it in a small phrase we are a perfect team who complement each other..A con is that if you arguing with him over the music your basically arguing with your brother..Not Good…Lol

For those who haven’t heard it yet, how would you describe your sound?

If you haven’t heard our music be prepared for a Electronica /pop beat with some good Lyrics..The energy on the songs are incredible and you and your friends can enjoy the music..

What makes your music stand out?

Our music stands out because its simply Just who we are..You can tell its real and sincere..You can feel the vibe between the two of us and girls just love it..

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment so far as musicians?

Getting a distribution deal with Sony/RED..WAS HUGE..We are our own bosses so we feel great about that..Really ,Really good about that..

How has your affiliation with Sony/Red Records helped you?

We are able to get our music out there faster and just gain exposure and get way more shows…Anytime Sony is backing you up, your pretty good..

Do you have any shows coming up?

Always doing show but from now thru October we are on A Summer Festival tour in New Jersey..Actually it starts this Sunday in Maplewood N.J..

Best/favorite/craziest experience at a show?

Loved the Six Flags show..Just to see the crowd enjoying us and asking for auto graphs was crazy…The craziest show was actually recently and it was when a guy thought he was a superstar and lets just say the audience and I disagreed..I never saw a more funnier performance in my life..via TV ,INTERNET YOU NAME IT..LOL

Who would you love to collaborate with?

Too many to name..But Will- I-AM ,Justin Beiber ,Jay-z …..Jump out at me

What are some goals that you want to accomplish with your music in the future?

Just to be able to do more shows and show everyone our talent..Would to meet more ppl in the industry and learn from them..Possibly perform at the MTV Awards and grace the pages of some top Magazines..Also touring the world ..Would be great


Favorites:

Album(s)? Usher Confessions, Kanye West 808s and Heartbreaks, Lil Wayne Carter 3, and too many others to name

Movie?

Paid in Full , Juice ,40 Year old Virgin, Step Brothers and America Gangsta

Video game?

Madden games and Nba 2k

Song to perform live?

That’s my Ish ..Really gets the crowd going..

Thanks for the interview. Just want everyone to know that we are thankful for the support and to promote us to your family and friends

Thanks again to Tru Fam :)

www.myspace.com/trufam

www.trufamusic2.blogspot.com

http://trufamusic.com/fr_download.cfm

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Get Hyped: The Maine, WTK, Cartel, AVP, Stereo Skyline Spring Tour 2010

>> The Maine are on tour with We The Kings, Cartel, Artist Vs Poet, and Stereo Skyline now through May 7th.

RSVP here!
Click the links at the bottom of the event (& this post) for FREE EXCLUSIVE DOWNLOAD PACKS with music, videos, and photos from the bands!

Dates:
4.11.10 - Nashville, TN @ Rocketown
http://musiccitybooking.com/shows/
4.12.10 - Augusta, GA @ Sector 7G
4.14.10 - Charleston, SC @ The Music Farm
http://allinent.com/typography-mainmenu-28.html
4.16.10 - Birmingham, AL @ WorkPlay Theatre
http://www.workplay.com/purchase-ticket

4.18.10 - Pensacola, FL @ Phineas Phogg’s
http://glorydays.musictoday.com/GloryDaysBooking/calendar.aspx
4.20.10 - Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre
http://allinent.com/typography-mainmenu-28.html
4.21.10 - West Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
http://allinent.com/typography-mainmenu-28.html
4.23.10 - Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock
http://www.crocodilerockcafe.com/concerts.asp
4.24.10 - South Hackensack, NJ @ School of Rock
http://beasley.wsu.edu/buy-tickets.html
4.25.10 - Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon
http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/16471
4.27.10 - Baltimore, MD @ Bourbon Street Ballroom
http://www.missiontix.com/index.cfm?venue=-bb
4.28.10 - Farmingdale, NY @ The Crazy Donkey
http://www.concertideas.com/#/search/ticket
4.29.10 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Altar Bar
http://www.altarbarpittsburgh.com/
5.01.10 - Portland, ME @ Deering Grange
5.02.10 - Providence, RI @ Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
http://www.lupos.com/Splash.html
5.04.10 - So. Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
http://www.highergroundmusic.com/
5.05.10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts
5.06.10 - Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street
http://www.nbotickets.com/
5.07.10 - Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall
http://www.waterstreetmusic.com/tickets.htm


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Thursday, April 15, 2010

Interview: Our People Versus Yours

>> Remember a while back when I mentioned that I'd be interviewing Our People Versus Yours ? Well, the emails finally went through and now I can finally say that I have interviewed a band from another country :) OPVY is a group of guys straight out of the UK who love Thrice & fried chicken. Read the interview and, who knows, you may just fall in love with the band.


Hi, I'm James and I'm the founder of OPVY, for no reason other than practicality I shall be answering questions on behalf of the band.

Introduce yourselves. (Who does what in the band?)
James Sweeting; Guitar and vocals, Steven Ralph; Guitar, Dan Clark, Bass and vocals, Harvey Freeman; Drums, Joe Miles; Vocals

Where are you from? How would you describe the local music scene there?
We're from Romford/ which is in essex in the UK. Although there are some good Venues around Essex as a whole, our home towns have nowhere you could really call a "venue" and although the scene is ok, it is quite small.

Is there anything specific to your hometown or country that inspires your lyrics? (Maybe something not as popular in the States.)
Not really in all honesty, we don't sing about where we're from because nothing paticularily interesting happens here haha

What are some of your earliest memories that made you want to get into music?
For me (James) it was hearing Linkin Park on the radio in America. I was getting into metal before but hearing something a little different to the usual dross they play made me realise that there is a market for it.

What kind of music did you listen to growing up?
As a kid we were all brought up on the usual hits (spice girls ftw) but i thi
nk we all started on the usual alternative stuff: Blink 182, Slipknot, Linkin Park, Green Day, Korn, Metallica etc etc. It's only when you start growing up a bit you realise theres a lot of better less mainstream bands out there.

How’d you guys get together to form this band?
It all started when I was in a band called severance, we only played a few local shows and weren't really serious, but Levi came to one of the shows and enjoyed the music. Me and Levi decided to form a band as Severance were breaking up (the others were leaving for uni) after doing a bit of searching on social networking sites we found enough members to form a real band. Levi's left now, and many people have come and gone but I'm the only original member.

Who named the band? How’d you come up with that name?
The band was named by our old vocalist James Davenport in about january 2008. Basically it's a lyric from an architects song, it doesn't have any inherent meaning, we just thought it sounded cool

Have you ever heard a song and thought, “Wow, I wish I wrote that!” ?
we've never discussed this as a band. I'm sure everyone of us have
an opinion on amazing songs that we should have written. For miles by Thrice is probably one of the best songs i've ever heard, but we should have wrote something like bohemian rhapsody by queen so we could be raking in the millions haha

Do you have a certain process you always use when it comes to songwriting?
Usually one of us picks up a guitar and writes a song and brings it to practice and says "hey check it out" it's that simple really. Then Joe or someone else in the band will start writing lyrics for it and we just practice practice practice, add bits, remove bits, tweak it till we think it's good enough to record or play live.

Out of all the songs you've written, which are you most proud of?
it might sound arrogant but all of them. Bands grow up and change so of course we look at some songs and think "oh i wish we hadn't done this" but we wouldn't actually finish, record and perform songs that we weren't proud of.

What’s your favorite part about being in this band?
Writing music and jumping around on stage with your mates. It really is quite a bit of fun.

For those who haven’t heard it yet, how would you describe your music?
I think it's quite hard to describe the band, we have so many different infl
uences at work i don't really think we sound like one paticular genre. Obviously over all we are under the "metal" branch, but we have songs that are slow and epic and beautiful, then songs that are fast and heavy and strange time signatures. We don't want to limit ourselves to one genre. The last song on the new EP "Southern Colours" is an accoustic song with very personal lyrics. I'd simply describe our music as "good" haha

Have you been compared to other bands?
No not really, it's frustrating trying to tell people what we sound like in all honesty so if you have any suggestions be our guest!

Do you think some people expect your music to sound a certain way because you're from the UK?
We've never heard any comments about the fact that we're british, in fact the majority of our sales from iTunes are from America. Maybe they expect us to sound English? haha I don't know to be honest

How do you respond to negative criticism?
We don't get too much in all honesty, all the criticism we do get is about the way we look about our fringes or whatever. It's ironic how the people say that it's about the music are the ones that turn round and start insulting people based on their appearance. Mind you if it's constructive criticism we'll happilly listen.

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment so far as a band?
Hmm, this is probably just managing to stay together. So many weaker bands will break up after 6 months or something, they'll do a few shows and just split. The thing is with bands is that you have 5 or maybe more members all with different opinions on how things should be done and it really can get a bit nasty. We've had so many people leave and stuff that i'm amazed that we're actually still going and stronger than ever.

Do you guys have any shows coming up?
yes just a couple at the walthamstow standard which is a really good venue. We're gonna hold off gigging for a bit so that we can write loads of new material for our tune coming up in june

Have you played in the States before? If not, would you like to?
no we haven't unfortunately and yes i really really would! the states gets a lot of criticism but I love it there and being able to go over there to play would be awesome

How would you describe your stage presence?
Epic
we understand shows aren't just about the music, but about the spectacle, we flip our guitars and headbang and all sorts, we don't just stand there and look bored

Do you guys go to concerts a lot? If so, who would you like to see/who have you seen recently?
I personally don't go as much as I used to, i think Harvey goes to a lot of hardcore shows. The last band i saw was brand new with thrice supporting. I really love Thrice

Who would you love to tour with?
I'd like to tour with thrice haha, just because they're my favourite band, although i don't know if we'd really fit the bill, but we'd probably fit in with someone more like Architects.

Who would you want to collaborate with?
Probably have Sam Carter from Architects doing guest vocals, i think he's one of the best screamers in the business and has an awesome singing voice too

Where would you want to play in the future?
everywhere and anywhere! love to headline big venues like wembley and also to play in countries like Japan America and Australia

How do you guys find new music to listen to? What have you been listening to a lot lately?
Usually word of mouth, or i look at suggestions on iTunes. I've been listening to a lot of Holly Springs Disaster, a southern rock band from canada haha

What are the best and weirdest gifts you’ve received from fans?
Unfortunately fans very rarely give us gifts :( we'd love some chocolate or something though!

Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Eat fried chicken!

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you do there?
Probably Japan because it's culture is so different, and play a massive show

If there was a television show about your band, what would it be called?
Our People Versus Yours on the loose haha
check that out and see some of the shit we get up to

Does it ever bother you when people try to imitate your accents?
when we play shows far away we're the ones imitating them! haha

If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?
flying.... or maybe invisibility ;)

Fan Submissions:
What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you to sign? - Dublin
nothing too strange, our fans must be boring! we had to sign a page from kerrang once for someone because we were in it, that was more surreal though than weird...

How would you spend your time if you weren't in this band? - Pete Lawnes
I'd be playing xbox. bit of a geek!

Bonus Round:
Favorite:
Movie? Anchorman, 300, watchmen or something more sensitive like forest gump
CD(s)? My favourite album is probably vheiussu by Thrice.
Song to play live? Probably "New Beginings" because it's an awesome song!

TV show? South Park
Website? Cracked.com
Sport? Probably English football
Food? Chips
Quote? "The south will rise again"

This or that:
Plugged in or Acoustic? Plugged In
Summer or Winter? Summer
Calling or Texting? Texting
Albums or Singles? Albums

Behind The Scenes:
What else should we know? We're nice guys and we'd appreciate it if you bought some merch as band makes you super poor www.ourpeopleversusyours.bigcartel.com
Special talents? Steve can play Hand Flute.... it's basically what it sounds like, he uses his hands and blows in it like an instrument. it's mental
Age? I'm 21, Steve is 21, Joe is 18, Harv is 17 and Dan is 18
Pet peeves? people saying we're shit when we're clearly not...
Nicknames? everyone used to call steve stig back in college so i call him that
a lot, i'm not sure why though.

Members Only: In the band, who is
Funniest? Steve, he's the joker
Most creative? Maybe Dan? he's good at drawing as well as a few other things
Most organized? Probably me now and i'm pretty damned disorganised
Biggest flirt? Probably Steve again, Joe used to be quite bad but he has a girlfriend now haha
Strongest? That one will have to go to me ;)


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Seen It Live: TOURSICK (4/9/10)

>> There's something about being in New York City that makes everything better, but I have the feeling that it would've been an amazing show no matter which date of the tour I attended. 'Toursick' ran from 3/31/10 - 5/16/10, and I caught it on the first of 2 nights at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square. The tour featured Veara (@veara), Enter Shikari (@entershikari), Silverstein (@silverstein), August Burns Red (@abrband), and of course, A Day To Remember (@WhereIsADTR). The atmosphere was intense, the pits were insane, and the performances were amazing. It was an incredible show, and I'm sure anyone else who attended would agree.

>> Upon arrival, my friends & I received VIP passes that allowed us access to the balcony in front of and above the sides of the stage (It's hard to describe it, but you'll see what I mean when you look at my pictures.) I got a lot of great pictures, but if I only have a few of a certain band, well that's because I didn't bring my camera into the pit ;) I got a bunch of videos as well, you can see all 14 on my YouTube Channel. I'm not sure if it was because I was in NYC with my friends, that I had a VIP pass to see bands I love, or some combination of the 2, but on April 9th, I attended one of the best shows I've ever been to.

>> I had never heard of Veara until I saw them on the line-up for the tour. I didn't have a chance to listen to them before the show, so I was really interested in seeing them that night. They played first, and really started the show off right. It was clear that a good amount of people were hearing the band for the first time like I was, but Veara got the crowd moving after a song or two. It was almost like a warm-up; a great pop-punk band helped get the crowd pumped for the heavier bands playing after. The audience had a great response for a good reason, the band obviously had fun while they were playing, and it encouraged us to do the same. Their set was upbeat & full of energy. They were probably the least known band on the tour, but I'm sure they gained a lot of fans thanks to that great first impression. They have great off-stage personalities as well, but I'll talk more about that later :)

>> Before the show, I had only listened to at most 2 songs by Enter Shikari, and I liked what I heard. I was looking forward to seeing them live as well... but I can, and probably will say that for every band haha. Their sound is unlike pretty much anything out there right now. Their songs have screamo/hardcore roots with a kick of electronic flavor. It's a combination you wouldn't expect, but ES certainly makes it work. Not only were the mosh pits getting crazy, but a good percentage of the people in the audience were just dancing. Enter Shikari created what seemed like one big energetic dance party set to alternative punk music with singing, and screaming. It was a similar atmosphere when I saw 3OH!3, but something about this crowd was even better. I bought their album Common Dreads when I was there, and I probably listened to it for a week+ straight after. They have catchy songs that won't get old after a while.. trust me, I know :)

>> After the first two bands, everyone was stoked to see Silverstein perform. This is a band I've known for years but never saw live. I loved that they played "Smile In Your Sleep", my favorite song by them. According to Shane, they play it at every show, but this was the first time I was seeing them live so I was unaware haha. I didn't get too many pictures or videos of their set because I spent most of my time in the crowd. This is where the pits really started getting intense, and the insanity of it only increased from here. Silverstein has been around for a while, so the long-time fans took great pride in belting out the words whenever the band played one of their older songs. As the night progressed, the crowd only got more and more intense. I only have one video of Silverstein's performance because I spent 90% of the set in the chaos taking place in front of the stage :)

>> I only caught the first song that August Burns Red played. I don't know the band well, but they sounded good from what I heard. Their set was the point in the night when I walked around the venue meeting up with friends, scoping out the merch tables, and hanging out with Veara. Apparently I was asking a lot of interview - style questions without realizing, but it was simply a fun conversation. I learned from Bryan (Bass/vocals) that the band has been together for about 7 years, and about 2 with the current line-up. They're releasing their album What We Left Behind on May 25th through Epitaph / Running Man Records. I don't want to say much else just in case I remember something incorrectly, if I haven't already haha. I spoke with the other band members as well, and the four of them seem like really sweet, funny, and determined people. I'd really love to see them go far. Help the cause & get their album!
After hanging out with them for a while, I walked around a bit more before going back up to the balcony to get ready for the headliner.

>> A DAY TO REMEMBER
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Thursday, April 8, 2010

Interview: Last Nights Vice

>> For my latest interview, I sent some questions to Last Nights Vice, a group of 5 guys from St. Louis who "like to get loud." Be sure to check out their music after you read this because their songs are as fun as their answers :)

Introduce yourselves.

Joe Fitzsimmons - Guitar - 25
Jordan Phoenix - Guitar - 23
Chris Blake - Bass - 25
Brandon House - Vocals - 28
Andrew Ghiassi - Drums - 24

Where are you from? Describe the local music scene there.
We’re from St. Louis MO. It seems like our scene is making a comeback, a lot of new venues are opening and you can find a good show any night.

What kind of music did you grow up listening to?
Blues, Punk, Metal, Pop, Funk, Glam Rock, Michael Bolton, M.C. Hammer. Over the years I’m sure we’ve been obsessed with every genre.

How long has the band been together? How did you get together to form the band?
Last Nights Vice has been a band for almost 4 years. A lot of us have been playing together in previous bands for a long time though, close to 8 years.

How would you describe your music to someone who hasn't heard it yet?
Dance Pop Rock with a lot of energy and emphasis on the “Rock”. We like to get loud.

According to your tweets, you're “working hard on the record,” haha. How's that going? When can we expect it to be finished/released?
It’s basically complete . At the last second we wrote a new song and rushed into the studio to record it. We just finished it last week and it’s sounding good. We are looking to book its release 3-4 months from now. We want to promote it and get some press around its release. Right now we have 15 songs recorded. We are thinking about putting 10 or 11 on the CD and use the other tracks as exclusive downloads. The artwork for the album is near complete and the tentative title for the album is “Perfect Little Noise” which is also a track on the CD.

Out of all the songs you've written, which are you most proud of & why?
Brandon - I love them all like my little children. But if I had to pick one and kill the rest, I still love "The Power Cosmic"
Jordan - Rags to ruins. My girlfriend drives around town with the sunroof open blasting it. Andrew - All I, because it sounds really pretty

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment so far as a band?
We think recording this CD will be big for us. We’ve spent a lot of time on it and feel as if every song could be a single.

Do you have any shows coming up?
We have a big show on April 27, 2010 with Foxy Shazam at Off Broadway in St. Louis. We will be spending most of our time promoting this show. We will also have a big release show at Pop’s in Sauget, IL sometime this summer.

Do you have any specific pre-show rituals?
Andrew likes to do push-ups. Joe has to stretch out before each show. We like to get active on stage. I usually tweak my knee and neck each show. Brandon always sings “Shout” by The Eisley Brothers before each show. Jordan drinks gasoline level booze.

Who would you love to tour with someday?
A collective list would probably be The Killers, Blink 182, Jay-Z, David Bowie, Green Day, George Clinton, The Used

Do you have a specific method or process when it comes to writing?
One unique thing about our band is that we don’t have songwriters in the group. We are really able to go to our practice space, jam on one little idea and form it into a song. Our singer, 90% of the time, comes up with the vocal melody and lyrics, but everything else kind of happens organically. Somehow it comes out as a Pop song. I think we are able to do that because we have been playing together for so long.

What are some goals that you want to accomplish with your music in the future?
Our one goal is to tour full-time and do this for a living so hopefully everyone can hear at least one song by us. Also, a tour bus would be sweet.

If there was a reality show about Last Nights Vice, what would it be called?
Joe - Dick Jokes with Mort Weinstein
Jordan - The Fantastic 5
Brandon - Making the Band 30

Fan Submissions:

Is Jordan a grandpa pigeons model; I believe he models Timberlands®? - John Mathieson
Only a dirty old man would make a grandpas reference. Is this Johnny?

Joe, was that you last Saturday driving a 92 LeBaron with the top down and no shirt singing Cher? - John Mathieson
The top was up and you weren’t meant to see that.

Brandon, remember when you described Karen from Will and Grace as "fabulous"? - John Mathieson
She IS fabulous! Now she's got a job singing about butter... Poor woman.

Chris, remember that time you auditioned for Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, and you started crying when I refused to rehearse lines with you? - John Mathieson
I do remember that time Johnny. Is there something in particular you wanted to know about it?

Andrew; True or False: Banana Republic has THE best khakis?- John Mathieson
True

What motivates you to keep going when times get rough? - Amy V
It seems like every couple of months if things seem to get rough, we usually have a band practice were instead of rehearsing, we just talk things out and figure out what we need to work on. It’s quite the sob fest but it works.

How would you spend your time if you weren't in this band? - Pete Lanwes
Joe would be a web designer. Brandon would be a comic book writer. Blake would be playing bass somewhere.


Bonus Round:

Favorite:
Song to play live? Our big song right now is “All I”. It’s kind of our ballad and we’re always surprised at how many people sing it at our shows.

Thing about being in this band? Writing songs and playing shows makes being in a band all worth it. Also, free drinks at the bar.

Album(s)? At the Drive-in “Relationship of Command”, Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On”, Rage Against the machine “S/T”The Used “S/T”

This or that:
Mac or PC? Jordan and Andrew are Mac. Joe, Chris and Brandon are PC

Digital downloads or Physical albums?
Digital Downloads. I haven’t bought a CD in a while. I might buy the new Coheed and Cambria CD though.
Acoustic or Plugged in? Plugged in and loud.

Behind The Scenes:
What else should we know?
Facebook | Myspace | Twitter | Youtube | Flickr |

Pet peeves?
People who ding your car door, Loud TVs, Oversized trucks

Nicknames?
Andrew – G, Heli-Vice
Jordan – Mort, Jojdan
Chris – Guitarasauras Plex, Hulk
Joe – J-Feezy, Hose
Brandon – Duke (The Duke of Vice)

Additional interests?
Andrew – Remote Control Helicopters
Jordan – Graphic Design
Chris – Space
Brandon – Cartoons
Joe - Computers

Members Only: Who in the band is most:
Outrageous? Andrew (believe it or not)

Creative? Jordan or Brandon

Organized? Joe


Thanks again to Last Nights Vice :)

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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Name Dropping 101: Anarbor, The Used, & more

>> The guys in Anarbor have posted 2 new songs, called "Mr. Big Shot" & "Useless", on their Purevolume page. Their latest album, 'The Words You Don't Swallow' is set to be released on April 20th, 2010.


>> Contest Announcement from The Used (Posted 4/2/10):

"Want to win free tickets to see The Used in your area? The Used is going on Tour with Chiodos and New Medicine and we want you to make a Promotional Tour Poster for the show in your area! Be sure to include the tour date, venue and location! One Winner will be selected to receive a pair of tickets to the show in their area. Once you've made your promo poster send a photo of it, with your full name and what show you'd like to attend to theusedcontest@gmail.com. Winners will be selected one week prior to their show date and notified through their email address. All photos will also be featured on The Used myspace and facebook! Be sure to share yours with your friends as well!
For Tour Dates go to theused.net/tour"




>> The band Sick Puppies has released their Live and Unplugged EP. This is what the band sent out through their mailing list yesterday. (links below the message)



>> $5.00 TOURSICK Sale at AmazonMP3 (via the Victory Records newsletter)
"A DAY TO REMEMBER and SILVERSTEIN kicked off TOURSICK last week and now you can get both of their newest albums for just $5.00 each at AmazonMP3 in the '100 Albums For $5.00' Sale.
Get Homesick [Special Edition] and A Shipwreck In The Sand for ONLY $5.00 each throughout the month of April, and come see both bands on tour together, now.




>> We Are The In Crowd has launched a new online merch store. This is what they said about it on their Tumblr page earlier today:

" I know some of you have noticed that our online merch store has been down for a few weeks :( BUT We just launched a brand new online store! The store includes the merchandise we had up before, AND a few brand new designs!
We also guarantee super awesome fast shipment!




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Get Hyped: MGMT 2010 Tour Dates

MGMT has announced their full tour plans for 2010:

04/07 - Sydney, Australia - Metro Theatre
04/12 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
04/13 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
04/17 - Indio, California - Coachella
04/29 - Toronto, Ontario - The Mod Club
04/30 - Durham, NH - University of New Hampshire
05/02 - East Rutherford, NJ - Bamboozle
05/28 - San Luis Obispo, CA - Avila Beach Bowl
05/29 - Santa Cruz, CA - Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium
05/31 - George, WA - Sasquatch Festival
06/01 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
06/02 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
06/04 - Salt Lake City, UT - In the Venue
06/06 - Austin, TX - Stubbs
06/07 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
06/08 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
06/11 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks
06/13 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
06/14 - Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
06/15 - Columbus, OH - LC Pavilion
06/16 - Detroit, MI - Fillmore
06/18 - Chicago, IL - Rivera Theatre
06/20 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theatre
08/08 - Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza
09/16 - Dublin, Ireland - Olympia
09/20 - Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowland Ballroom
09/23 - Birmingham, England - 02 Academy
09/24 - Bournemouth, England - 02 Academy
09/26 - Manchester, England - Manchester Apollo
09/29 - London, England - Brixton Academy
09/30 - London, England - Brixton Academy
10/03 - Brussels, Belgium - AB Café / Resto
10/04 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
10/07 - Paris, France - Bataclan
10/08 - Paris, France - Bataclan
11/29 - Dusseldorf, Germany - Stahlwerk
11/30 - Hamburg, Germany - Docks
12/02 - Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene
12/03 - Stockholm, Sweden - Berns
12/04 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
12/06 - Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
12/07 - Munich, Germany - Tonhalle
12/08 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
12/10 - Prague, Czech Republic - Archa Theatre
12/12 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
12/13 - Zurich, Switzerland - Maag Hall
12/14 - Lyon, France - Le Transbordeur
12/16 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz
12/17 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
12/18 - Lisbon, Portugal - Campo Pequeno

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Get Hyped: The Maine - Coming to a Six Flags near you

The Maine: Summer Shows at Various Six Flags Parks

7/20 - Six Flags Great America Gurnee, IL
7/21 - Six Flags St. Louis Eureka, MO
7/23- Six Flags Fiesta Texas San Antonio, TX
7/24 - Six Flags Over Texas Arlington, TX
8/2 - Six Flags Great Adventure Jackson, NJ
8/4 - Six Flags America Upper Marlboro, MD
8/6 - Six Flags New England Agawam, MA

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Get Hyped: "Last Girl On Earth" Tour (Rihanna + Ke$ha)

> Last Girl On Earth Tour 2010: Rihanna, Ke$ha, & Nicki Minaj

7/2 – White River Amphitheatre - Seattle, WA
7/4 – General Motors Place – Vancouver, Canada
7/6 – Pengrowth Saddeldome – Calgary, Canada
7/9 – ARCO Arena – Sacramento, CA
7/10 – Shoreline Amphitheatre - Mountain View, CA
7/14 - Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque presents The Pavilion – Albuquerque, NM
7/15 – Denver, CO @ Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
7/17 – Mandalay Bay Events Center – Las Vegas, NV
7/21 – Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA
7/22 – Cricket Wireless Pavilion – Phoenix, AZ
7/28 – Philips Arena – Atlanta, GA
7/30 – Ford Amphitheatre – Tampa, FL
7/31 – American Airlines Center – Miami, FL
8/3 - Verizon Wireless Music Center – Indianapolis, IN
8/5 – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre – Toronto, Canada
8/7 – Bell Center – Montreal, Canada
8/8 – Comcast Center – Boston, MA
8/11 – Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT
8/12 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
*8/15 – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY
8/18 – Susquehanna Bank Center – Camden, NJ
8/20 – Jiffy Lube Live – Bristow, VA
8/21 – Hersheypark Stadium – Hershey, PA
8/22 – DTE Energy Music Theatre – Detroit, MI
8/25 – United Center – Chicago, IL

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Get Hyped: "Back To The Roots" Tour (TDWP + Miss May I)

> Back To The Roots Tour: The Devil Wears Prada, Miss May I, & Your Demise

6/28 – The Basement, Columbus, OH
6/29 – The Basement, Columbus, OH
6/30 – Subterranean, Chicago, IL
7/1 – Subterranean, Chicago, IL
7/2 – Summerfest, Milwaukee, WI
7/3 – Cornerstone Festival 2010, Marietta, IL
7/5 – The Shelter, Detroit, MI
7/6 – The Shelter, Detroit, MI
7/9 – Valentine’s, Albany, NY
7/10 – Valentine’s, Albany, NY
7/11 – Xtreme Wheelz, Buffalo, NY
7/13 – Vaudeville Mews, Des Moines, IA
7/14 – Vaudeville Mews, Des Moines, IA
7/15 – Pop’s, St. Louis, MO
7/16 – Bottleneck, Lawrence, KS
7/17 – Sonshine Festival @ Willmar Civic Center, Willmar, MN
7/19 – Mesa Theatre, Grand Junction, CO
7/21 – The Underground, Reno, NV
7/22 – The Boardwalk, Sacramento, CA
7/23 – The Boardwalk, Sacramento, CA
7/25 – Chain Reaction, Anaheim, CA
7/26 – Chain Reaction, Anaheim, CA
7/28 – SOMA Sidestage, San Diego, CA
7/29 – SOMA Sidestage, San Diego, CA
7/31 – Heaven Fest, Union Reservoir, Brighton, CO
8/2 – The Door, Dallas, TX
8/3 – Emo’s Alternative Lounge/Inside, Austin, TX
8/4 – Emo’s Alternative Lounge/Inside, Austin, TX
8/5 – Rock The Desert Fest 2010, Midland, TX
8/8 – Summer Sonic Festival, Marine Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
8/11 – Orpheum, Tampa, FL
8/12 – Orpheum, Tampa, FL
8/13 – The Social, Orlando, FL
8/14 – The Social, Orlando, FL
8/15 – The 7 Venue, Atlanta, GA
8/17 – The Brewery, Raleigh, NC
8/18 – The Ottobar, Baltimore, MD
8/19 – The Ottobar, Baltimore, MD
8/20 – First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA
8/21 – First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA
8/25 – Harpers Ferry, Boston, MA
8/26 – Harpers Ferry, Boston, MA
8/27 – Crocodile Rock, Allentown, PA
8/28 – Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH
8/29 – Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH



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Friday, April 2, 2010

Name Dropping 101 ; Part 25

  • On Sunday March 21st, I had the honor of having The Bay State play a show for my friends & me at my house as a part of their Couch Tour. My friends immediately understood why I love them so much, and you'll get a good idea by watching the video of the band covering "Stand By Me" (below). You can see more videos from their performance at my house on my YouTube channel. Make sure to check them out on Purevolume, and if you like what you hear, go ahead & pick up their Let's Turn This City On & Haunted EPs on iTunes :)


  • Taking Back Sunday has experienced some major changes lately. Bassist Matt Rubano & guitarist Matt Fazzi announced that they were leaving the band a few days ago, and it is now official that former TBS members John Nolan & Shaun Cooper have rejoined the band. The band is returning to the original line-up they had at the time of Tell All Your Friends' release in 2002.

  • Mayday Parade has recently released their new music video for their song "Kids In Love." It's a documentary style video depicting, well, kids in love. It's real, raw, fairly explicit, and overall nothing I would have expected from Mayday. Click here to see the video.
  • Juicebox Clothing wants to send YOU to The Bamboozle Festival! Click the picture for more information :)

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