Monday, January 18, 2010

Album Review: 3 Short Reviews

>>I did 2 of these back in October, and one in December. I posted them as notes on the Fan Page, but they never made it to the actual site. Well, not until now anyway...

1) Brand New Eyes - Paramore
Long before their appearance on the Twilight soundtrack last year, Paramore has always been a band with strong lyrics and a killer chorus in practically every song. Their previous records both have songs you can’t help getting stuck in your head, so naturally their 3rd is no different. The first single, “Ignorance”, is crazy addictive. The track listing starts out strong with “Careful” and “Ignorance”, two songs that draw you in from the get-go. It flows through several great songs, ending with “All I Wanted”, a song that starts out soft and sweet, but soon becomes very powerful and emotionally charged. Hearing it, you can tell that a lot of feeling went into it from both the lyrics, and the way Hayley sings them. As a whole, Brand New Eyes shows a more mature Paramore as they’ve developed a more serious rock sound. Long time fans of the band will be far from disappointed. (Original Note)

2) Ignite EP - The Reserve
Although they might remind you of Angels and Airwaves at times, The Reserve has a sound that’s really all their own. Their new Ignite EP has 5 songs on it, and they’re all just as addicting. My personal favorites are “Ignite” and “Man Of Your Dreams”, but you’ll soon find yourself singing along to every track. The EP starts out strong with “In Your Eyes”, and it only gets better from there. “Man Of Your Dreams” has more of a rock edge to it, and the band went all out with “Lay With Me”; the chorus is pretty rad. “She Said” is a genuinely sweet acoustic track. “Ignite” closes out the EP, and with its pop-punk vibe, ends things with a bang. Best part, the songs are more than just catchy pop tunes- they’ve got a message behind them too, making it the total package.
Check out their EP, available on iTunes now! (Original Note)

3) This Is War - 30 Seconds To Mars
The guys in 30 Seconds To Mars have recently released their first album in four years, titled This Is War. This record is a good example of what happens when alternative rock music is combined with a bit of a new wave vibe. Aside from that mix of genres, the incorporation of fan input is undoubtedly the most unique aspect of the record. The members of 30STM called for fans to be a part of their album, inviting them to what they called "The Summit" at the Avalon club in Los Angeles. Fans from all over the world came out to contribute, and the result was incredible. There are either background or group vocals recorded at The Summit on almost every track. The album starts with “Escape”, a wordless introduction that helps to set the tone. There is a great transition between tracks, one flowing into the next. The sixth track “Hurricane” features Kanye West. Not surprisingly, this song is different than most of their others, and one can certainly pick up on Kanye’s influence. The beauty is, even with the collaboration, 30STM stay pretty true to themselves, thus having that song still fit in with the rest on the record. The song ends with some electronic effects, and flows nicely into the next song, “Closer To The Edge.” Some other highlights from this record are “Night Of The Hunter”, “Kings And Queens” (the single), and “Vox Populi.” This Is War is far different from their most recent album (2005’s A Beautiful Lie), but long time fans of the band will not be disappointed. The band went into the studio aiming to do something that had not been done before. After listening to this record, one can see that this goal has definitely been accomplished. (Original Note)


Comments? Suggestions? Requests?
email- katerussellftw@gmail.com
Or just leave 'em in the comments :)
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Free Music ; Part 2

Seriously, who doesn't love free music?

Know of anyone else giving out freebies? Let me know!

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Friday, January 15, 2010

Interview: My Lady Four

>>I sent My Lady Four some questions, and Francis recently took the time to answer them :)
Make sure to check out the band on iTunes, MySpace & Twitter.

Introduce yourselves- Who does what in the band?
Brian Schwarz (Vox, Rhythm guitar, Keys), Peter Iversen (Bass), Carp (Drums), Francis (Lead Guitar)

If you could be any person (alive or dead) for a day, who would you be & why?
Probably Michael Jackson, to have all the sweetest dance moves. Who wouldn't want to dance like him?

What are some of your earliest memories that made you want to get into music?
Going to my first big concert at the Target Center in Minneapolis to see Eminem, Limp Bizkit, and Papa Roach really just gave me chills. I almost felt like I was on stage with them like apart of the show (don't ask why) but ever since then, I've always wanted to write music, be on stage and be apart of such a cool experience.

What kind of music did you listen to growing up?
I listened to a lot of hard rock and pop. Growing up, my mother influenced my pop sensibilities of music being that she was always listening to the top 40 stations. My rock side came from pops and he always had a Metallica, Guns 'n' Roses, or Nirvanatape playing in the car and at home. After that, I've really reached out to anything from Michael Jackson to many Indie artists.

When/how did you know you wanted to be in a band?
By the age of 12 I persuaded my dad to buy me an electric guitar so I could start a band with anyone who had an instrument. Once I got the guitar I was jamming with everyone who had instruments in school and started writing music right away.

How did you guys get together to form this band?
Believe it or not, the whole band came together through craigslist ads. Brian had tried out many people and went through quite a few members until we came to us!

Who named the band? How’d you come up with that name? Brian named the band, so I'll let him take it away.... "It seems like we make up a new story every time we get asked this question... which happens a lot.. sometimes I have trouble remembering how it really happened.. :) If anyone really wants to know, you'll have to ask me in person and if i'm feeling up to it, I will tell you all about it!"

Describe your Stickam sessions:
We do a weekly chat on a popular webcam site called Stickam. We do them at 6pm CST every Tuesday. Our video chat is also featured on the front page of Stickam at that time every Tuesday, so it's easy to find us!

What’s your favorite part about being in this band?
Being a completely DIY band is something that couldn't make me happier about being in this band. My favorite part would probably be that and it just helps us to appreciate our own hard work, work our hardest, and makes us ten times more excited every step we take.

Is it hard having five people in the band?
Well we now have four people in the band. We have parted ways with former guitarist Brandon Rimmey. We still love him and are still the best of friends. Getting back to the question, five people was not hard, more people for us usually means more ideas. But being a four person band is not hard either, we can pair up for stickam sessions which works out nice as well as pair up for numerous other activities. When we're all together on the road, we're all constantly working together, so the sky is the limit when it comes to our work, ideas, and productivity.

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

Do people ever compare you to other bands?
Yes, those three would be Panic At The Disco, Taking Back Sunday, and Kings Of Leon.

You guys definitely have some interesting song titles. How’d you come up with those?
I'll let Brian take this one again..... "I don't even really know. I just come up with titles that fit the mood and the idea of a song. :)"

There are a few songs on the record with female vocals. (At The Gate & Even Apologies Have Enemies) Who’s that singer?
A friend of ours, Liz Akhavan, she's amazing and you can find her solo music here.

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment so far as a band?
Probably sustaining ourselves in every aspect, alwaysbeing ourselves, and makingall the friends we've made on and off the road is our biggest accomplishment to me.

Do you guys have any shows coming up?
Yes, they are Jan. 16th at The Garage in Burnsville, MN w/ Take Cover, Jamestown Story, Lights Out Dancing, Dustin Phillips, and An Honest Lie. The next show is Feb 4th at The Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, MN where we'll be playing a Red Hot PartyBenifit Concert for Children's Heartlink. The next show is April 16th at Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI w/ See The World.

How would you describe your stage presence?
With high volumes of energy in the set opener and through out the set, we feel the musicin our bodies.We bring the zest and like to refresh the set with soft numbers like "At The Gate" and we like to end the set with some Zing in "Sometimes The Bear Eats You".

Favorite song to play live?
And Suddenly I'm Somebody, and that song is our set opener most of the time so it's like a premature climax for me.

Best/craziest tour story?
On our last tour, Peter wanted to work on some of his harmonies and vocals. It is was a rainy night in Leavenworth, KS. We were staying down the street from Leavenworth Prison. Peter takes a walk and proceeds to sing while walking onto a Buffalo field next to the prison. There's two possible fatal outcomes he could have experienced and one being that one of the (non-tame) buffalo take him out or get picked off by a Prison watch tower sniper who could have thought that he was an escapee. Instead, in the blink of an eye he was surrounded by five squad cars with 6 officers shouting at him and half of them pointing guns at him. The officers thought Peter might have been an escapee. Peter couldn'thear them that well while they were saying "don't step any closer!". Well they eventually let Peter approach them and soon enough they had him in handcuffs, ran his license and let him free being that he wasn't wanted in KS or MN. I am just glad Peter made it back alive!

Do you guys go to concerts a lot? If so, who would you like to see/who have you seen recently?
When we're home, yes but not really on the road, as weird as that may sound. Recently we've gone to a lot of local shows such as Quietdrive's annual holiday show, a few hardcore shows, and a few funk shows by my friend's band The Disposable Panchos. I would love to go to the Motion City Soundtrack show at First Ave here soon but it's sold out. Otherwise we all would love to see Jimmy Eat World.

Who would you love to tour with?
I think we would all love to tour with Jimmy Eat World, Broadway, A Day To Remember, and Paramore.

Who would you want to collaborate with?
A fun band would definitely be Say Anything. Other solo artists would be John Mayer and Lil Wayne.

Where would you want to play in the future?
As cliche as it may sound, we'd love to play the bigger venues such as first ave. Myself, I've always pictured what it would be like to play arenas and big stages but we'd really just like to keep playing anywhere and everywhere.

As a band, how do you guys find new music to listen to?
We all get itunes giftcards every now and then. We usually spend those on new releases that we've been looking forward to. On the road we'll buy a new cd for the van every once in a while for us to listen to. We also meet a lot of bands/artists on the road and do a lot of cd trades with them.

What have you been listening to a lot lately?
Relating to the last question, we ran into the guys from Broadway in Milwaukee at The Rave and I must say they are really nice and cool dudes. We did a cd trade with them (they gave us their cd "Kingdoms"), and we definitely have a spot in our hearts for their music. Another cd would be A Day To Remember (Homesick) which we bought while on the road and we really dig that one.

What are the best and weirdest gifts you’ve received from fans?
Best - cookies, Weirdest - a plastic bag full of 3D glasses.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?
We're throwing some different ones around right now, but we like the four-man hand hug.


Bonus Round:

Favorite:
Movie? Superbad
CD(s)? Prince "Purple Rain", A Day To Remember "Homesick", Justin Timberlake "Future Sex Love Sounds"
TV show? The Office
Video game? Road Rash 64
Sports team? The Vikings

This or that:
Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi
VMA or Kids’ Choice Award? VMA
Twitter or AIM? Twitter (mostly)
Calling or texting? Calling
Albums or Singles? Albums

Behind The Scenes: What else should we know?
Special talents? Drawing
Age? 22
Pet peeves? When someone chews with their mouth open.
Nicknames? Fish, Fisher, Fishy, Francis, T.I.M. (the ideas man)

Members Only: In the band, who is:
Funniest? Peter
Craziest on stage? Peter
Laziest? Peter
Most organized? Carp
Strongest? Carp
Has the best hair? Francis


Thanks to Matt Nistler, Francis, & the whole My Lady Four crew :)


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Thursday, January 7, 2010

Name Dropping 101 ; The Binghamton Crosbys

>>I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time today- I got to see The Binghamton Crosbys perform. Check the bio listed on their site:
"The Binghamton Crosbys are an all-male a cappella group at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York. They are a four time national championship finalist and also 2003 winner of the ICCA, International Competition for Collegiate A Cappella Championships. They are more commonly referred to as simply, the Crosbys. "

Apparently, the group has been established for about 27 years, holding auditions for new members as others graduate. I've never seen anything like this before, and I was honestly blown away. So was everyone else who saw them, I'm sure. Not only are they all crazy talented, but they perform with such passion that you can really tell they love what they do, and it makes you love watching them just that much more. They don't just stand there while singing either, they move around & really get into it. According to their tour calender, looks like they're going to be performing at various High Schools on Long Island until the 12th. Check them out if you get the chance... so if you live on Long Island and go to high school, I'd suggest looking at the calendar.

Here's a video of the Crosbys performing "Zappa Medley". [Their YouTube Channel]




>>Also, you can find a bunch of Crosby albums on iTunes. Just search The Binghamton Crosbys, or click the picture below for the link to their 25 Year "Best Of" compilation. I bought it today, and it's just awesome.
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Saturday, January 2, 2010

Interview Mania

In the past 2 days, I’ve had 3 bands tell me they’re interested in being interviewed for the site, & I’m already in the process of working on one right now. Anybody else as excited as I am? :)

The artists to be interviewed include Jacob Vanags, Rorschach, Pretty Boy Beatdown, and As Time Stands Still. Check em out :)

Best part about this is I’m letting you guys come up with the questions. Obviously I’ll have my own thrown in there too, but both I and the artists want to hear from you, the fans. So if you’re not yet familiar with them, take a look at their MySpaces by clicking on their names, and take a listen. You can email me any questions you come up with at katerussellftw@gmail.com . They can be serious or funny questions- whatever you want to ask.

Can’t wait to see what you guys think of :)


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Friday, December 18, 2009

A Look Back: The Shows of 2009

>As cliche as this may be, this past year seems worth taking the time to reflect on. But I'm not going to be the only one looking back.This post is dedicated to reliving the shows and tours of 2009. I've done a bunch of concert reviews throughout the year on shows I've attended.
Here are some of the highlights:

>> I'm pretty sure the first show I attended in 2009 was The Bamboozle Roadshow on April 30th. It was the last show on the tour before the actual Bamboozle Festival that weekend in New Jersey. I saw We The Kings, Forever The Sickest Kids, Mercy Mercedes, The Cab, and NeverShoutNever.

>>W A R P E D ! 0 9 - I attended on July 18th in Uniondale, and I loved every minute of it. I met & hung out with more bands than I saw play, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I saw Kelsey and The Chaos, Anarbor, Lights, The Maine, Escape The Fate, and many more. It was a long & eventful day, but it was a day I'd waited 4 years to experience. Click here for my detailed review. [Pics]

>> 3 days later, I got to see one of my favorites, A Rocket To The Moon, for the third time. I attended the What Happens in Vegas Tour featuring Rocket, The Cab, The Summer Set, My Favorite Highway, & Eye Alaska on July 21st. For me, that show was mostly about seeing a band I hadn't seen in 9 months (along with their merch guy/bestfriend :D), hanging out with friends, hearing some bands live for the first time, and just the overall thrill of being at a show in my favorite venue. [Picturesss]

>> TBS Week 09: I was fortunate enough to see my second all time favorite band live not just once, but twice in a matter of 4 days this past August. I saw Taking Back Sunday first with Blink 182 & Weezer on August 25th, then again on the 28th when they headlined a show with Envy On The Coast and Underoath. The shows were pretty different as a whole, but both were just as amazing.
>The show on the 25th at the Nikon Theater at Jones Beach was sold out, which was to be expected since it was Blink's reunion tour. Chester French played before & as doors opened, so I missed their set. I also missed TBS's first song because they played right after. (No worries though, I made up for it a few days later<3) New Again. I just wish it was longer :) I had expected Weezer to be the one band I wouldn't really focus on since I don't know as much by them. I couldn't really understand why everyone went crazy when they came on stage, never acknowledging how big they were. I was blown away- they put on a hell of a good show, and the matching outfits just made it more fun. PS, I got videos of "Pork and Beans" and "Beverly Hills." After they finished, it was time for Blink. I told myself I was going mainly to see TBS, but I got chills as soon as Blink hit the stage. They played songs you'd expect like "The Rock Show" and "First Date", but also ones I'd been hoping for like "Anthem Pt 2", "Feeling This", and "Always." Overall, it was an incredible night. [Pics]
>Night 2 of my TBS Week happened on August 28th at the new general admission Bay Stage at Jones Beach. This show both renewed and intensified my love for Underoath & Envy On The Coast. Some of the people I was with said this wasn't Envy's best show, but to me, someone who hadn't seen them live beforehand, they were great. The crowd was awesome, everyone was stoked to be apart of this show. That includes the bands, 2 of which call Long Island home.

>>9/2/09 - I SAW THE USED at Looney Tunes on Long Island.
Click here for the full review :)

>>I went to the Back To School Brodown at The Broadway Bar on September 12th. Bands who played that night include Patent Pending, Kelsey and The Chaos, Pull The Pin, The Reserve, Table 21, and more. Here's my detailed review !

>>I attended the Cheap Date Tour on 11/11, just a sign of the awesomeness that was to take place. When I went, the line-up included Forever The Sickest Kids, Kelsey and The Chaos, The Rocket Summer, Sing It Loud, My Favorite Highway, and Down With Webster. Check out my full review here. [Picturesss]



>Now it's your turn. In the comments, let me know which shows/tours you attended this past year. Talk about the best shows, the worst, and every one in between. Also, feel free to include your dream tour- bands you would love to see play together in the future. I feel like I don't ask for your opinions enough as readers and show-goers. Here's one way I plan on changing that.
Can't wait to hear from you guys.
xoxox
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Get Hyped: Upcoming Tours in 2010

It's never too early to start planning, right?


>> The Revolutions and Resolutions Tour, running from January 20th - February 19th, features The Audition, The Dangerous Summer, Sparks The Rescue, Runner Runner, and The Right Coast.

>> The Once It Hits Your Lips Tour will run from January 22nd - February 13th, 2010. The tour features The Friday Night Boys, Anarbor, The Bigger Lights, and The Ready Set.

>> The line up for this year's Take Action Tour consists of We The Kings, Mayday Parade, A Rocket To The Moon, and There For Tomorrow. It runs from January 25th - March 1st, 2010.
>> The Used will be touring with Atreyu and Drive A between 1/27/2010 - 2/27/2010.

>> Muse will be on tour in the United States between 2/27 - 4/14/2010.

>> The 2010 AP Tour, running from March 19th to May 8th, features Hey Monday, The Summer Set, Every Avenue, The Cab, and headliner NeverShoutNever.
>> Owl City's North American Spring Tour featuring Lights runs from March 30th to May 2nd, 2010.
>> Bamboozle 2010
New Jersey- May 1st & 2nd, 2010.
California- March 27th & 28th, 2010
>> Vans Warped Tour 2010 (June 24th - August 15th, 2010)

_Vans Warped Tour


>> I'll add to this list as new ones are announced. If you know of any other tours I missed, let me know & I'll add them! So, which tour are you guys looking forward to?


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Friday, December 4, 2009

Seen It Live: The Cheap Date Tour (11/11/09)

The tour ran from 10/25/09 - 12/5/09. That's a quite a few of shows.
But there was just something special about the one I went to.
[Pictures] [Videos]

>> Assuming your taste in music is similar to mine, just looking at this line up basically ensures a good time. When I attended the tour on 11/11, I got to see Forever The Sickest Kids, The Rocket Summer, Sing It Loud, My Favorite Highway, Down With Webster, and Kelsey and The Chaos. Some bands dropped off while others joined all throughout the tour. (Some of the other bands who were on the tour at some point include Artist Vs. Poet, Vita, & more.) The show I went to was different for a bunch of reasons, I'm sure it really stood out from the rest. Doors opened at 6pm, FTSK finished around 11pm, but I didn't leave the venue until around 12:30am. (Did I mention this was on a Wednesday?) It was a great show, and an overall amazing night.
>The only complaint I have is how early I had to get there to get a decent spot on line before doors opened. I was there about 1&1/2-2 hours early, and there were still a solid 150 people in front of me. A little ridiculous, but I got to hand out a bunch of the Fearless Records Summer 09 Samplers I have. Oh, and it gave me plenty of time to talk to Corey DeVincenzo (KATC), so those factors pretty much outweighed my general annoyance at the 12 year olds around me. I'm not entirely sure if the show sold out, but either way it was packed. That only added to the hype in the atmosphere.

>> Once doors opened, the venue started filling up fast. Good thing I got a spot riiight in the front near the 'barricades'. Kelsey and The Chaos played first, making the waiting on line & rushing to get a good spot worth it. Just by watching them, you could see how stoked they were to be on the tour, this being the first of 6 shows they played on it. (They played between 11/11/-11/18) When they started their set, the crowd generally seemed interested in hearing someone new, most of them being there solely for the headliners. But by the end of their performance, I'm sure KATC had earned a bunch of new fans. They played songs from their Shut Up And Deal EP , as well as some new ones. This is one of the videos I got during their set. This is when they played their new single "Life Goes On", which is slowly taking over radio stations all over the place. Be on the lookout towards the end of the video when Corey 'punches' Tyler mid-song.
Life Goes On :

It was a good way to start the show, and the night just kept getting better from there.
If you haven't already, get a copy of their Shut Up and Deal EP, featuring songs they played at the show like "Wrapped Around Your Finger" and "Against The Wall". Also, their new single "Life Goes On" will be available on iTunes on 12/15/09. You can get that, and their cover of "Santa Baby" - 2 songs for $0.99 :)Pre-order now, it's a pretty sweet deal.

>> Realize that at this point the band I initially came to see had already played. (Kelsey told me about this show when I saw them in September. I didn't realize that the rest of the line-up consisted of bands I absolutely adored until later.) Now I was waiting for the hype band to play. I'd honestly never heard of Down With Webster until I saw the line-up for this tour. I'd only heard good things about them once I knew who they were, and I was interested in seeing them live after Tyler Lyons (KATC) had me listen to the songs on their MySpace. I'm pretty sure he was the one who said they could be the next 3OH!3, & this became apparent at the show. There are 7 guys in DWW, and they know how to bring the party. The comparison to 3OH!3 makes sense because they both have such incredible energy on stage, DWW simply having 5 more people to help crank it up. Also, both artists mix 2 or more genres, 3OH!3 being a sort of electro-rap whereas DWW mixes electronic beats & a hip hop influence with an overall rock base. Sounds like a lot, but somehow it works. I thought they were pretty good just listening to them the first time, but I think they were even better live. The energy, the genre, and their obvious intensity in what they do made the best first impression possible for people who weren't familiar with them. Even if some aren't really big on their musical style, they have to admit those guys put on one hell of a show.

>> It was kind of a strange transition going from such a crazy, energy-filled performance to My Favorite Highway's sweet & calmer set. Another reason this show was so unique? This was the only acoustic set MFH played on the whole tour. I'd seen them play full-band in July, so I was looking forward to seeing them acoustically for a change.
Say So (Acoustic):

MFH has great stage presence, both playing with the full band and acoustically. They make you laugh and smile, all by just making comments between songs. They are genuinely talented, and everyone should be able to experience that live.

>>Next up was another band I hadn't seen since July, but most people know them as Sing It Loud. They also put on a good show. Their set was another reason this show was especially unique. During their song "Come Around", Joe Ragosta from Patent Pending joined the SIL on crew & sang with them on stage. It was truly an amazing thing to witness, you could just feel the excitement between such good friends on stage. The Patent Pending fans in the audience went crazy, which only made for an extra special night. Considering how much I love "P-Unit", seeing this was seriously an epic bonus. This picture is one of my favorites from the show, and it's pretty obvious why. (Pat Brown of Sing It Loud on the left, and Joe Ragosta on the right)

>> I hadn't seen The Rocket Summer live since the first time at Bamboozle 08, so naturally seeing them again was long overdue. They played several songs from their album So Much Love,




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