Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Video Killed The Radio Star - 7/28/10

>> Earlier today, Cady Groves (@cadygroves) posted a video for her cover of "California Gurls" by Katy Perry.



>> Never Shout Never released a new music video for "Cheatercheaterbestfriendeater".

Never Shout Never "cheatercheaterbestfriendeater"

@christoferdrew (NEW SONG & VIDEO) | MySpace Music Videos



>> Carp & Francis from My Lady Four (@MyLadyFour) have posted a new video update on YouTube discussing Warped Tour, a transexual named Jimmy, and an infant.




*Added 7/30/10:

>> Hey Monday's new video for "I Don't Want To Dance" can be seen by clicking here.

>> Anarbor put out a new music video for "
Gypsy Woman" through mtvU.

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Sunday, July 25, 2010

Seen It Live: The Vans Warped Tour 2010

>> As soon as I got done with all things Bamboozle, the next big thing I had to look forward to was Warped. I had a list of bands I wanted to see, applied for a press pass, figured out who I'd want to interview, and imagined how my day would be. No matter how far in advance I started thinking about it, I couldn't have expected half the things that happened on July 17th in the Nassau Coliseum parking lot. This was my first time having a press pass for an event like this, and there were other random occurrences throughout the day. It was a day full of great surprises and opportunities from start to finish.

>> My uncle dropped me off at the venue a bit before doors, and as soon as I got out of the car who do I see standing right in front of me but my best friend. I wasn't expecting that to happen as perfectly as it did, and that's when I knew it was going to be a great day. There was a long line at the press tent where I had to pick up my ticket, so I said that I'd meet up with everyone once I had that all taken care of. I walked through the gate on my own, just taking in the atmosphere. This is the kind of thing I really live for, and I must have looked like such an idiot with a huge smile on my face. After running into Gunz from The Gunz Show, I actually wandered around the parking lot for a bit after I got my schedule. I didn't know where I had to go to actually sign up for my interviews for the day, but at that moment, I didn't care. I saw that it was almost time for Anarbor (@Anarbor) to play since they were first that day, so I ran over to the AP / Advent stage. I got there just in time to see them start, and that dumb smile on my face from when I walked in? Yeah, that got even bigger. I've loved this band for a long time now, and even though I met them last summer, I hadn't actually seen them live until this year. I was not disappointed. They played some new songs, including "Mr. Big Shot" and "Gypsy Woman" as well as some of their older songs like "The Brightest Green." I had requested a specific song 2 days before the show through twitter, and as promised, Anarbor played "Passion For Publication", my absolute favorite song by them. I was convinced that my day had peaked then & there, even though they were the first band to play. I was having so much fun that I forgot about meeting up with the rest of my friends, but for the duration of Anarbor's set, nothing else really mattered. Once they finished, Artist Vs. Poet (@ArtistVsPoet) started playing on the Glamour Kills Stage about 5 feet away. They opened with "Runaway", which is my favorite song by that band. I walked over to the main stage to find people, but I could still hear AVP's set. I managed to catch the last few songs they played as well. I'd been meaning to see them live for a while, and they sounded really good. I snapped a few pictures, and then I was on the move again.

>> One of the bands I had on my "must-see" list was Kelsey and The Chaos (@kchaosrock). I've obviously seen them before, but I hadn't seen them since the Cheap Date Tour in November. Also, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't go check out their set? I missed them playing last year, and I was determined to make up for it. I got there a little ahead of time, having overestimated the amount of time it would take to walk from the GK Stage to the Kevin Says Stage on the opposite side of the parking lot. No complaints though, it gave me time to get a good spot, and for the band to see me in the crowd. By this time, I met up with some friends and convinced them to come see KATC with me even though they didn't know the band. By the end of the set, my friends were glad they went. They played "Take Me Away", and of course, "Life Goes On" during their performance. One song that surprised many people in the crowd was a cover of "Your Love Is My Drug" by Ke$ha. KATC had played this at other dates of the tour, but most of the spectators at my date didn't see that coming. The band always has fun on stage, and you could tell they really enjoyed playing that song. The commentary between songs is always something to look forward to as well. They played an acoustic set later in the day, but unfortunately I showed up 5 minutes too late... I did get to hang out with Tyler & Corey at their merch tent periodically throughout the day, so it all worked out in the end.

>> After seeing Kelsey and The Chaos, I went back over to the GK Stage on the other side of the parking lot to see Sparks The Rescue. I haven't seen these boys since December 2008, so seeing them again was quite overdue. I absolutely love the song "Skeleton", and I hadn't expected them to play it, let alone first. They went on to play "We Love Like Vampires", which is one of the cutest songs I've ever heard, "Pine Tree State", and one of my favorites - "Hello Mexico." The crowd went crazy when the band decided to throw free t-shirts, which just added to the excitement in the atmosphere. Another pleasant surprise came in the form of an old song- every long-time Sparks fan freaked when they started playing "Nurse! Nurse! (I'm Losing My Patients)", a song from their 2007 EP. Towards the end of the set, it became apparent that half of the crowd was standing nearby in front of the AP Advent Stage waiting for The Rocket Summer, who came out after Sparks finished. Alex made a joke about it, and encouraged those fans to listen to his band while they were there. Between their stage presence and the comments between songs, you can really tell that the guys in Sparks The Rescue are genuinely great people. Their set was even better than the last time I'd seen them 2 years ago, and it just left me with a feeling of "Wow, they killed it." I don't typically use that phrase, but it perfectly described the set I had just witnessed. I'm glad that this was one of the 4 sets I got to watch from start to finish during the day. After they were done, I ran to catch the rest of Motion City Soundtrack's set. I've been dying to see this band live for years, and the fact that I was finally able to blew my mind. I love the fact that they played "Disappear", as well as a bunch of songs from their latest album. The obvious highlight for me, and what I assume to be most of the crowd, was the last song- one of my all time favorites. I had chills from as soon as I heard MCS play the intro for "Everything Is Alright" until they hit the last note. The video I recorded is really out of focus, but I wasn't even paying attention. I never thought I'd hear that song performed live, and that was an experience that any fan should have. I feel like the picture I inserted (left) pretty much sums up the set, and the overall Warped Tour atmosphere.

>> Just by reading that, it seems like I had a long day right? Motion City Soundtrack played at 12:55pm on the Main Stage. Everything I described so far happened within about 2 hours. I don't even understand how I managed that, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

>> At this point, I had already signed up for my interviews for the day. I would be interviewing Anarbor at 3:15pm (when The Cab played), and Sparks The Rescue at 6:15 (when Mike Posner played). I noticed these scheduling conflicts after I'd already signed up, but getting these 2 interviews with bands I truly love was definitely worth missing those performances. On my way to interview Anarbor, I overheard a familiar voice singing "In My Head" by Jason Derulo. Turns out, I was walking past Hey Monday's acoustic set. I realized that as soon as Cassadee started singing "Homecoming." I hadn't seen Hey Monday live since December 08, so I stayed for a bit, attempted to get a few pictures, kind of succeeded, then began walking to my first live interview. 3 of the 4 band members were preoccupied with other interviews, but I was more than happy to interview Slade. I told him it was my first live interview, and naturally he made a "first time" joke. Considering it was the first in-person interview I've done, I think it went pretty well. Slade is a great guy. You can watch the interview here.

>> Once I wrapped up the interview, I walked over to the Main Stage to see Face To Face. I never really planned on seeing them, I headed over that way because that's where my friend was, but once I got there he insisted I stay & watch the "fathers of punk." So I watched. I was impressed, and glad that I got to see a band I'd never really heard of. That's one of my favorite things about big shows like Warped Tour, there's always a ton of bands you don't know. Another thing I love is seeing random band members walking around the venue. I had seen a bunch earlier in the day, but my favorite random sighting was A Rocket To The Moon. If you've ever read anything on this site, it's pretty obvious that I've supported Rocket for a long time. (I was there the first time Nick Santino performed with a full band rather than by himself.) The last time I'd seen Rocket was July 2009 on the What Happens In Vegas Tour. I didn't get to see them perform because the acoustic set was limited to 20 people. However, as I was walking around, I saw Nick and Justin Richards walking past me. Naturally, I took the opportunity to talk to them for a few minutes before anyone else noticed they were there. Nick was impressed that I'd been supportive for so long, and both he and Justin were really glad to hear me say that. I got a picture with them before they walked away. About 2 minutes later, I realized that they were on their way to their signing at the Fueled By Ramen tent. All those girls were on line to meet the guys I just had a genuine conversation with. I was really glad about how that happened. Rocket is a band that I've been supporting since before the creation of this website, and truth be told, they were a contributing factor in its creation. Being able to talk to them at Warped, that was a really good feeling.

>> I really walked around a lot that day. I think that's because most of the artists I really wanted to see played early, minus a few exceptions. As I was roaming the parking lot again, I caught some of You Me At Six's set. I'd been interested in seeing them live, and they seemed to put on a good show. I didn't see the whole thing, but as I watched the time, Mayday Parade gradually consumed my focus. Mayday is one of my all time favorite bands, and I've loved them for years now. Any time they played a show nearby, I couldn't go for one reason or another. This day would be the day that I finally got to see them play, and the realization started to sink in as the day progressed. They were set to play on the Ernie Ball stage, one of the biggest mistakes I've ever witnessed. This was probably the smallest stage as well as the most awkwardly placed stage. It was in the corner of the parking lot away from everything else, and it was surrounded by trees, tents, & overall there was just not enough room for a crowd as big as the one that went to see Mayday. Getting there 10 minutes early was hardly early enough. I had a decent view thanks to standing on a large tree root, but honestly just hearing them would have been enough. They played "Kids In Love" as expected, but the rest of their set surprised me. It was almost as if they couldn't decide what to play, and ended up choosing the first 3 or 4 songs from their album A Lesson In Romantics, including "Jersey" and "Black Cat." (Yes. I memorized the track listing. It's a solid album.) This made me even happier than I could have imagined because that's my favorite album, and those are some of my favorite songs. I just about died & went to heaven when they played "Jamie All Over." They also played "Three Cheers For Five Years". Even though they were on a stage that was way way to small for the crowd they brought in, I couldn't have been more satisfied with their performance. If you haven't seen Mayday Parade live yet and you have the chance to do so, don't pass it up.

>> As much as I wanted to see the All American Rejects play from start to finish, I was not going to leave Mayday early just to see that happen. So I headed over to see AAR once Mayday finished. I caught a few songs, including "Move Along." I wish they played "Swing", but you can't always get what you want. They sounded really good, and Tyson went crazy between songs just rambling about whatever he felt like talking about. It created a fun atmosphere. I've always liked AAR, but not as much as Sum 41. So when Sum 41's set started about halfway into AAR's, I had no problem with walking away. The timing wasn't right however, as I only got to see them play "We're All To Blame." Granted, that's one of my favorite Sum 41 songs, but I would have loved to see more them play more than just that. Alas, it was not meant to be - I had to leave so that I could make it to my interview with Sparks The Rescue on time. I was really looking forward to seeing Sum 41, but in the end, it all worked out for the best. Like the first one I did, the Sparks interview was scheduled in a way that I couldn't talk to the whole band at once. I wasn't complaining because I still got time with Alex, Ben, and Mike. We were joking around even before the interview started, thus the faces being made once I started recording. They're a bunch of really great guys. Other than that morning, I hadn't been to a Sparks show since 2008, so I was really eager to talk to the guys & see what they've been up to since then. This interview turned out really well, but don't take my word for it- watch it here!

>> After the interview, I thanked the guys, talked to them about random things for a minute or two, then headed over to the Main Stage to catch the end of Andrew WK. I feel bad, but in all honesty "Party Hard" is and will always be the only song I know by him. So of course, I was ecstatic when I got there as one song ended, and "Party Hard" started. By the end of the song, the stage was in a state of utter chaos. I was too far away to identify anyone, but there were dozens of people on the stage with Andrew as he sang, and every single one of them was, well, partying. Hard. It was one of those moments that a person almost expects, yet they can't help but smile at. After the set was done, only one person that walked by me on their way to another stage was bleeding. I would consider that an accomplishment. I met up with two of my friends at this point, and from here on out, we spent the rest of the day walking around looking for something to do. There were still bands I wanted to see around this time, so I convinced the boys to come see Enter Shikari with me. They thought it was "interesting." I had seen Enter Shikari with ADTR in April, and it was one of the best performances I've seen in a while. They sounded just as good this time around. They're a band with a different kind of music, it's almost hardcore but with electronic beats. It translates quite well when they perform in person, but because it's so different, the band isn't exactly everyone's cup of tea. I love them, and I think that everyone should see them live if they have the chance. After a song or two, we continued roaming around for a while until we eventually ended up in the part of the parking lot dedicated to the tour buses, and where the famous Warped BBQ would later be held. It was entertaining to look around & try and guess which bus belonged to which band. While we were there, we saw Cassadee & Mike from Hey Monday, The Summer Set, Bryce from The Rocket Summer, Gunz, Oli from Bring Me The Horizon, Ryan from Envy On The Coast, Breathe Carolina, Brian from Stereo Skyline, and more. Everyone was hanging out at this point just waiting for the real party to get started. Everyone we talked to was great, and it was just a really relaxing atmosphere to be in after such a long day. We could eventually hear Reel Big Fish playing on the Main Stage, and they were the last band to play for the day. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to stay for the barbecue this year, but hopefully it'll work out better next time.

>> Throughout the day, I saw 13 performances. However, I only watched 4 sets from start to finish. There were a bunch of artists I really wanted to see, such as Alkaline Trio, We Are The In Crowd, I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business, Alesana, I See Stars, The Pretty Reckless, & Mike Posner.. But alas, it was not meant to be. I missed these bands either because of scheduling conflicts with other bands, they played at the same time as one of my interviews, or I just got distracted while walking around. Although I didn't get to see Alesana, I found videos of the band performing my 2 favorite songs by them - "Apology" (filmed by myzfit1214) and "Seduction" (filmed by Tapheroni). I would have liked to see all of these bands, but in the end, it all worked out for the best.

>> Looking back, I honestly couldn't tell you if my experience at Warped 2010 was better than Warped 2009. Although it was the same tour, different bands played, I spent time with different people, and I did different things. Every day at Warped Tour is unique, that's why it's something any music lover should really experience for themselves. A bunch of my fans & friends also went this year. Some attended the same date as me, others went in their hometown. A few people sent me their review of their day at Warped tour. You can read all of the full reviews on my Facebook page. Read them, then write your own!

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Friday, July 23, 2010

Get Hyped: The AP Tour 2010 Fall Ball

>> The line-up for this year's Alternative Press Fall Ball has been announced.

Bring Me the Horizon & August Burns Red will headline with support from Emarosa, Polar Bear Club, and This Is Hell.

Click here to see a video announcement from each of the bands!

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Monday, July 19, 2010

Live Interviews from The 2010 Vans Warped Tour

>> As a guaranteed highlight of my summer, I attended the 2010 Vans Warped Tour this past Saturday (July 17th) in Uniondale, New York. It was a long day full of great bands, friendly people, and tons of surprises. One of the best parts of my day at Warped Tour was the fact that I had a press pass. Aside from some obvious perks, this allowed me to interview two bands that I've loved for a while. I interviewed Slade Echeverria from Anarbor at 3:15pm, and Mike, Alex, & Ben from Sparks The Rescue at 6:15pm. This was my first time with a press pass, and therefore my first ever LIVE interviews. They're a bit dark at times, but keep in mind that it was really bright outside, and this was my first time using that camera. I think they went pretty well, and hopefully, these two interviews will be the first of many live ones I'll do in the future :)

>> Live Interview #1 - Slade from Anarbor

>> Live Interview #2 - Alex, Ben, & Mike from Sparks The Rescue


>> In addition to these interviews, I posted my other videos from Warped Tour on my YouTube page. Check those out, and get ready for my full review! It'll be posted within the next few days :D

XOXOX
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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

RIP Envy On The Coast

>> Envy On The Coast have split up. It's heartbreaking to report the separation of a group of such talented individuals. Here's a statement from front-man Ryan Hunter:


To anyone and everyone who's ever supported us:

The day has come to pull down that curtain down. Sal and Jer sat down with Brian and I about a week ago and informed us that they are leaving Envy on the Coast. They explained that they are no longer happy being a part of this, and there was nothing Brian and I could do or say to change that. Because Envy on the Coast was founded upon the musical and personal relationships between the four of us, Brian and I have decided that we would rather move forward rather than finding musicians to replace Sal and Jer.

I can't say I'm all that shocked by this, nor am I upset. At some point in your life, you have to stop saying, "But I never expected this to happen to me!?" For me, that day came when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately, after she beat it, I took with me the knowledge that anything and everything can and will happen to you...and you should welcome those hurdles because they will make you stronger. At the end of the day, some marriages fail, some people win the lottery, and some people get struck by lightening. You can trust someone with every ounce of yourself, but a lot of men are the center of their own universe, and that's something I've learned to cope with. I shouldn't have said I wasn't upset. There are aspects of this whole situation that have upset me, but there's no use in dwelling on that when we have so much to be proud of.

When we started this band, we had no idea what we were doing, nor what we wanted to accomplish. Like most bands, we hopped in a van and vowed to stick together and figure it out along the way. In a very short time frame, we decided we wanted to preserve integrity, credibility, and put our art at the forefront above all else. We knew turning down certain opportunities would sometimes leave us broke and maybe regretful, for some of us, but we knew it wasn't within our capability to compromise. Sure, we did a lot of things we were apprehensive about at first, but on 'Lowcountry', our most recent effort, I can proudly say we made something that was 100% us. We played ball for a few years, but not on that record; we did what we wanted. We wrote the songs we wanted to write, the way wanted to write them. We shot the video we wanted with the creative individuals who we entrusted to do it with. We did it all our way. I don't care how many copies it sold, because I've got a lot of acquaintances who have sold a shit-ton more records than I may ever sell, but they don't sleep as well as I do at night.

I've toured with the flavors of the week. I've watched teenagers place "band dudes" up on pedestals, not for the music they make, but for the aura they omit. I've seen the looks in our fans eyes. I know that this little band meant something to you. I know that all of our sacrifice, all of our struggle, and all of our hard work was worth it. I know that we didn't have to tweet what the fuck we were doing every hour of the day in order to stay connected with our fans. They stayed connected to us through our music, regardless of where we were or what we were doing. You understood. You got it.

Brian and I decided a long time ago that we wanted to be artists. That can mean a lot of things, but to us it just means we want to keep making art and music together. And that's what we plan on doing. I doubt anyone's mentally ready to swallow "what's next" yet, so we'll just leave it at that for now. In the coming weeks, we'll be announcing our three final shows and together, we will celebrate the the death of something beautiful. Thank you all for being a part of this.

-Ryan


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Saturday, July 10, 2010

Seen It Live: The Bamboozle Roadshow (6/26/10)

>> The Bamboozle Roadshow ran from 5/21/10 - 6/27/10, but no two shows were exactly the same. The bands playing varied from day to day, and so did the set times for each artist. The line-up for the date I attended consisted of Michael & Marisa, Mercy Mercedes, Drive A, Great Big Planes, Cady Groves, Vita Chambers, The Ready Set, & Stereo Skyline on the 2nd Stage. Forever The Sickest Kids, Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, Third Eye Blind, & LMFAO all played on the Main Stage. I didn't get to see the first few acts on the 2nd Stage because I went to All Time Low's In-Store performance at Looney Tunes that morning. Click the links below for pictures and videos from both the Roadshow, and the in-store performance.


>> Typically, waking up early to get ready and wait in line for over an hour in the hot sun isn't my idea of a good time, but being with my friends and knowing that I'd be meeting All Time Low made it all worthwhile. I hadn't seen ATL live since December 2008, so the thought of seeing them again, let alone twice in one day, was enough to guarantee a good time. Plus, I knew this set was going to be acoustic, and the other at the roadshow would be electric- so it was like seeing two completely different shows even if they played some of the same songs. So even as I was baking in the sun, I was just thinking about how the rest of the day was going to turn out. There were a lot less people there than I had expected, I'm assuming they reduced the amount of tickets sold because of the time constraint. Once the doors opened, my friends & I walked up to the front of the first row. We were close and had a great view, except there was a speaker right in front of us that blocked Zack. So in all of my pictures and videos from the performance, you see Jack, the speaker, Alex, and Rian. It was fairly unfortunate, but nothing could bother me at that point :) ATL is one of my all time favorite bands, and I'd been dying to see them perform songs from their new album. Here's a video of the band playing "Damned If I Do Ya" Acoustic at Looney Tunes.


> They played a couple of songs including "Damned If I Do Ya", "Weightless", and my personal favorite, "Jasey Rae". I've heard acoustic songs by the band, and I've seen videos of acoustic performances, but nothing compares to actually witnessing them. I'm a sucker for almost anything acoustic, but this performance was simply incredible. The band is obviously quite talented, but they're also very funny. Additional entertainment came in the form of a bra, and a rubber chicken that were thrown on stage. Alex even had the chicken sing a verse or two (right). The songs were amazing, the jokes between them were great, and the screaming fans were only slightly obnoxious. After the performance, everyone got back on line to wait to meet the band. They were really personable, especially Jack. He made sure he connected with each fan by not only talking to them, but also by holding everyone's hand for a few seconds. It's those little things that help show that bands really do care about their fans. I asked Jack if they could play "Stella" at the Roadshow. He said he really wanted to but couldn't, and then said he'd make sure they'd play it on tour in the fall. Can't wait for that :) As for the rest of the band, Alex complimented one of my friend's outfits, Rian had a big smile on his face, and Zack and I bonded over his tattoos. I probably would have been happy if my day had ended there, but fortunately, I had a whole lot more to look forward to.

>> The whole in-store performance and meet-and-greet took about an hour which was good because it meant that I wouldn't miss too much of the Roadshow, where doors opened at the exact same time as the ATL show I also attended. I missed Mercy Mercedes which broke my heart, but I've seen them 3 times already, so missing one show wasn't too bad considering why I wasn't there. Later in the day, I wanted to talk to them, so I actually waited on the line at their tent this time. (When the line to meet them was just as super long at Warped 09, I skipped it. Instead, I went back to the tent later & actually got to talk to them about how their lives have changed over the past 2 and a half years that I've known them. They're some of the sweetest, most down to earth people I've ever met.) I didn't get to talk to them as much as I would have liked, but I'll (hopefully) see them again soon. Mercy was the only artist that I was really upset about missing. I would have liked to see Drive A and Cady Groves, but I don't know their music all that well. I wanted to see them more for the experience, but the timing just didn't work. The first thing I did when I arrived at the Coliseum was to find my other friends, and to scope out the merch tents. I visited my friend Joe at the Juicebox tent, I met Marky at the Glamour Kills tent, and I picked up a sampler at the Victory Records tent. I also handed out some fliers along the way. After getting a feel for the small portion of the parking lot that was dedicated to the Roadshow, I walked over to the 2nd Stage in time to catch a few songs from Vita Chambers. Regardless of the size of the crowd watching her, she was going all out. Let me just say, that girl can sing. She caught my attention with what seemed like a rock sound infused with hip-hop beats. She then covered a song by Lady GaGa, which caused the crowd to go crazy. She had a really great set. The Ready Set played next (left). I'd already seen them at the actual Bamboozle festival back in May, but they always put on a good show. Aside from the performance itself, my favorite thing about seeing TRS again was the fact that they were representing Juicebox Clothing. This was the first time that the majority of people at a festival-type show were wearing something other than Glamour Kills. As much as I love GK, it was great to see so much Juicebox in one place, and especially on the stages. There's just something unique about Long Island, and I doubt I'm the only person who thinks so. I may be a bit biased in this respect, but I'm just proud of where I come from :) Stereo Skyline was the last to play on the 2nd Stage. I haven't seen them since October 2008 when my friends & I bonded with Kevin because he worked at a pizza place. Things have certainly changed since then. I knew the words to all the old songs like "Heartbeat", but most of the crowd knew that, plus all the words to the new songs like "Tongue Tied". It was quite strange to go from knowing them as a good local band, and then to suddenly realize how big they're getting. They have their own headlining tour now, being supported by acts like The Audition, Cash Cash, The Downtown Fiction, & Cady Groves. They put on a great show, and the new guy (Clayton) seemed right at home. Things are going quite well for Stereo, and who knows where they'll go from here.

>> Forever The Sickest Kids was the first to play on the Main Stage. This was my 3rd time seeing them live, and the second year in a row seeing them on the Bamboozle Roadshow. They're always great live, and they really get the crowd going every time. They played classics like "Hey Brittany", "Believe Me I'm Lying", and "Whoa Oh!" as well as some new favorites including "She Likes (Bittersweet Love)." Even though I've seen them before, FTSK does their best to make each show unique, and I'll say that they have succeeded. There is never a boring moment during an FTSK set, on stage or off.

>> The next two bands took me back to my childhood. Granted, I'm not that old, but I practically grew up listening to these artists. I always liked Simple Plan, but I was never a HUGE fan. I was more focused on Good Charlotte, they were basically my life in middle school. I was looking forward to seeing Simple Plan because they were there, but they weren't supposed to be one of the highlights. Their set reminded me of the time I saw Blink-182 last summer: I hadn't realized how much I truly loved the band until they got on stage. I knew a lot more of the songs Simple Plan played than I had expected. Everyone went crazy for songs like "Shut Up!", "Addicted", and "I'd Do Anything". I got chills when the band played "Perfect"; SP is a band that has lyrics everyone can relate to in one way or another. They got a good reaction when they played a new song called "You Suck At Love." Everyone seemed really excited to hear something new from the band that we've all grown to love. After Simple Plan finished, the highlight of my day started. I got chills as soon as Good Charlotte took the stage. I've loved them for years, and I never thought I'd be able to see them live. This was such a great opportunity for me, and everyone else in the crowd. They played some of their classics like "Girls & Boys", "The Anthem", and "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" as well as a new song called "Like It's Her Birthday." The new song sounded great, I can't wait to hear what Good Charlotte will put out next. They're the kind of band that, even if you haven't listened to them in a while, one note brings you right back to the last time you fell in love with them (musically, of course).



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Friday, July 9, 2010

What I'm Listening To - "Lotus"

>> I'm in kind of a weird mood, so I'm listening to songs that I normally wouldn't think of. This is my Genius Playlist for "Lotus" by Cage The Elephant. I didn't realize some of these songs were in my iTunes library until I made this playlist. It's different, and I like it so much I thought I'd share it with you guys. This mix has 21 out of the original 25 songs from the playlist.




>> In the comments, feel free to tell me which songs you like best, or if there are any similar artists you think I should look into :)
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Thursday, July 1, 2010

I Want Your Opinion: The 2010 Bamboozle Roadshow

Hey guys! I need your input.

>> One of the main things I do on this site is concert reviews. I don’t know if anyone remembers, but I posted some fan submissions with my review of the 2009 Vans Warped Tour. Basically, I asked anyone who attended any date of the tour to send me their response. All I wanted was to know their opinion on the line-up, the crowds, basically anything about the date & venue they attended. They could have sent a sentence, a paragraph, an essay- whatever they wanted, and I would’ve posted it.

>> Well, I want to do this again. I’ll ask about Warped Tour responses in a few weeks. For now, I’d love to see your thoughts on the 2010 Bamboozle Roadshow. Again, all you’d have to do is send me your thoughts on the date you attended- who you saw, who was good/bad, what you liked/disliked, & anything else you’d like to add. I’d really appreciate it if you guys could send me some responses :)

>> Email anything you’d like me to post to katerussellftw@gmail.com

Thank you so much! Remember, all of these will be posted with my review on this website :D

Can’t wait to read your responses!

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