Name Dropping 101 ; Feels Like July and My Cardboard Spaceship Adventure

>>I suppose I'll start with Feels Like July, since I'm listening to them right now. They're a band I found on Bam's List, and like all bands from that source, they have a great sound. "We Found A Home" is a free download, so get it while you can :] All of their songs have links to their lyrics, something I think is really cool for a band to do. Here's a sample from "We Found A Home" :: "Whispers like gunshots in the air, She shivers in the wind, The last leaf of a dying tree, The hour approaching midnight, We're taking flight ; Our hands against the cold, Breaking barriers, Made in the olden days, And the tips of our fingers, Growing numb with the night..." Can you say wow? More great songs by them include "I Love It On The Railroad" and "Remote Control of Loathing For", which has even deeper lyrics than the sample I provided. Go check them out, and let them know what you think :]

>>Here's a band that's pretty much as adorably amazing as their name :: My Cardboard Spaceship Adventure ! I love their music, especially "Warning Signs". It has a great upbeat, fun sound to it. "You Equals Awesome" is another one of my favorites, and it's also the subject line of the message - conversation we had around July 22nd. So I gave them a listen, and discovered their musical greatness. I added them, told them how awesome I think they are, and they asked me to spread the word about their music. I casually mentioned this here blog, and when I said I'd give them a shout out, they said :: "that would be awesome!.. it would be real nice if you could add that we just got a bunch of stuff stolen (about 1500 dollars worth) and we need to sell our ep to make up for it... its available at amazon or rhapsody! thank you so much.. xoxoxo" How crazy nice are they ?! Well, you read what they said, so go listen to their stuff on their MySpace page, then buy their EP on Amazon or Rhapsody! You'll be helping them earn their stuff back, and you'll get a great EP. I'd say it's a win-win situation :] Get going!

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Name Dropping 101 ; INTMY!B

Here's the official list of my "I Need To Mention You!" bands, as of today ::

1. Everly 
   
2. To Be Juliet's Secret
   
3. My Cardboard Spaceship Adventure 
4. The Fastest Kid Alive 
5. Cory Lee 
   
6. Holiday Parade
   
7. Van Atta High 
8. The Great Valley 
9. Light The City
10. A Clear Blurr
11. The Goodnight Anthem 
12. Bam's List ::
1. Feels Like July 
   
2. American Civil War
3. Brighten
   
4. Man in a Blue Van
13. Capital Lights 
    
14. Jonas Sees in Color 
    
15. Linden 
    
16. Honor Society 
    
17. Nevershoutnever 
18. Ugly Colors

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Name Dropping 101 ; Sederra

There's a list of bands I've been meaning to mention for quite some time now. Somehow, I've been distracted by the newer bands that have requested me and such, and I never got around to talking about these great ones. Let's get started then ? :]

>>First on my list of "I Need To Mention You!" bands is Sederra. I should probably start off by mentioning they put up all of their songs as free downloads .. take advantage!


>>They're really great to talk to, and they love to hear from their fans. Not only do they love the fan feedback, but they've got a great sound that doesn't exactly make it hard for anyone to love them. My three personal favorites by them are "Crystal Clear", followed by "Fly To The Sun" & "Erased in a Moment". Go check them out, and don't forget to tell them how much you love 'em :]

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What I'm Listening To #1

I don't know if I'm going to do one of these everyday, but I was thinking I should at least do one on the days I don't have a legitimate post. So, here's a list of the songs that have been in my head. All day. :]

1. "Seconds From Falling" - Everly
2. "I Can Pretend Too" - The Great Valley
3. "Her Eyes Will Tell You Everything" - Lansdowne
4. "Tomorrow's Hero Yesterday's Villan" - Love Letter Radio
5. "Hello Love Goodbye" - To Be Juliet's Secret
6. "Never Enough" - Holiday Parade
7. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" - Kelsey and the Chaos
   
8. "More To Lose" - The Goodnight Anthem
9. "Warning Signs" - My Cardboard Spaceship Adventure
10. "Letters" - Roark

I'm pretty much in love with all of these songs ;; Check them out.
You won't help but fall in love with them, too. :]

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Name Dropping 101 ; Part 6

I didn't realize how large the first post was until I checked it over. That might be the longest one yet. Oh well, that just means the bands gave me a lot to say :]

>>This guy Bam gave me a list of bands to look at.

[ His blog is pretty much about whatever he wants to write about, and that's why I love it. He's the merch guy /best friend of A Rocket To The Moon, the amazingly fun guy I said I met at Bamboozle when I saw the band perform. Good times. ] One of the bands he listed was Ellington. They're two guys from Australia who make possibly the most adorable music I've ever heard. Every song makes me smile with their melodies and lyrics. "Wide Awake And Smiling" is currently my MySpace song, in case you were wondering :] The way it starts out is a bit misleading; even I didn't like it at first. It changes, losing that 'boxed-in' sound early into the song. It's upbeat and overall wonderful :] All of their songs are crazy nice. If it wasn't just for the sake of their music, I've completely fallen for these Aussie boys due to what they have written under their 'About Me'. It's absolutely amazing; and even if you don't like their sound, I suggest you read it just to get a better feel for them and for what they're all about. It might be one of the deepest, most sincere things I've ever read. I love them, and I'm super glad Bam showed them to me.

*>>There are a bunch more on that list, but I don't have time to review them all, plus the bands I promised I'd mention. For now, check out Sederra [ who has free downloads! and a killer personality ] && My Cardboard Spaceship Adventure. 

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Name Dropping 101: Jaded Son, The Bigger Lights

>>Two Words :: Jaded Son.  They're looking for a drummer, because they've lost theirs. They've got a great sound musicallyl. They recently added the song "Orange Afternoon" to their MySpace. It has a soft - rock sound, but you never get bored. The vocals ever so slightly remind me of Weezer, as does the general vibe of the song. The next is called "Broken Words", and I like this one a lot more. This song, as well as "Leave It Up To Me" & "Trial And Error" (The other songs on their page) are all free downloads and they have the lyrics up too! They're only a click away. :] I like "Broken Words" the best because it has the perfect balance of soft rock, a more 'intense' sound at the chorus, amazing vocals, and insane lyrics. Here's a sample:: "All these secrets you keep, All these angels I’ll never see; Scream their secrets in broken words; Pleading with me, To just be heard." I love it when there's such a deep meaning behind the words; I'm a fool for poetic lyrics :] Seriously, you can't deny their awesomeness. Check them out, and take advantage of their free downloads! Oh, and if you're interested in being their drummer, let them know. [ They're from Mt. Bethel, Pennsylvania, so plan accordingly. ]


>>Straight out of Virginia City, Va comes The Bigger Lights ! They've got a sound that's completely different, and practically opposite of Jaded Son. They're just as fan friendly, of course.
My favorites are "Goldmine Valentine" and "Revved and Ready". They're crazy good, especially the second one. The beginning of "Goldmine Valentine" reminds me of Panic! At The Disco on their first CD on songs such as "Camisodo". Can't figure out what they're saying? They have the lyrics to their song posted as links under their 'Influences' section. Good thinking, right? :] To better help communicate with their fans, they have a FAQ going on [ Frequently Asked Questions, with answers of course.
*>Or, like me, you can post stuff like this onto your small and probably unheard of blog, hoping someone reads it and heard about the incredible band :] Check them out, and tell them what you think. They'll love you for it.

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Name Dropping 101: Justin Nozuka, Can You Keep A Secret, and more

>>I don't know if anyone watches VH1 as obsessively as I do, but earlier this morning on the Top 20 Countdown, I heard "After Tonight" by Justin Nozuka. I'd heard a clip of the song before, but I never really listened to it. It's soft and acoustic with a smooth sound. His voice is sweet and amazing. The song is extremely adorable ; I don't think you can listen to it without having it stuck in your head for a day or two. Then again, who's complaining? So I just looked him up on MySpace, as I do with pretty much every artist, and he considers his music "Soul / Acoustic / Alternative". I realize it's pretty easy for me to type in the genres the artist uses to describe themselves, but does anyone else know what they mean? Soul music, to me, has a soft sound with a tougher vibe; smooth melodies accompanied by words with a deeper meaning. Acoustic is stripped-down; usually a guitar, vocals, and the bare minimum [ Like "Hey There Delilah" by The Plain White T's. ] Alternative is my personal favorite. I can't really explain it; it's like Rock music but with a Punk-y attitude. Back to Mister Justin Nozuka. The first song that played on his page was "Golden Train". It's super soft and has a vibe similar to Colbie Cailat's "Bubbly", at least in its beginning. It's just one of those songs that makes you smile and think happy thoughts every time you hear it. Towards the middle-end of the song, his vocals become more intense, reflecting the Soul aspect of his music. Check him out, he's got a genuine sound anyone would love.

>>While I was gone, I got a whole bunch of friend requests from various bands on MySpace, one of them being Can You Keep A Secret. One of the members, Alan [ the bassist ], sent me a MySpace comment asking me to tell some friends about them, aka spread the word; hopefully this will do the trick. Oh, figured I'd mention it, but I love it when bands can have conversations with their fans, or at least make the effort to connect. It shows that they don't think they're so much more important than everyone else. It's a really nice thing to do, and we all appreciate it :] So anyway, Can You Keep A Secret : They call their music "Powerpop / Rock". [ I looked up 'powerpop' on urbandictionary.com, and basically it's considered rock mixed with an underlying emo vibe. It's pretty much intense pop music. ] So I'm pretty sure my favorite song by them is "The End of the Story". It's really good, and I love the lyrics. Here's a sample: "And I’ll remember all times that we shared; For you I would do the impossible. And my dear friend, I’ll extend out my hand, when you need to fall into my arms." Can you say adorable? They are really good, and they have that rough sound, especially in the vocals, that one almost always finds with unsigned bands. If they sound appealing, check em out at the link I've added to my list.

>>Now, on to a band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina :: En Serenade. They have three songs on their page: "Mile Markers", "Come What May", and "North Carolina". They're all similar, and somehow different. I think "North Carolina" is the best one, and the one that sounds more unlike the other two. It starts out with a piano, and a smooth sound. It's soft, but not dull; it still makes you want to listen. En Serenade also has rough vocals, for the same reason as the last band, I'm sure. [ When I say rough vocals, I don't mean that the singing is bad; I mean that it hasn't been polished and perfected in a studio; that it's real and not overproduced. ] Curious? Then look them up, you won't be disappointed.

Lansdowne have free song downloads on their page!  Go check 'em out, and take advantage ! Great Songs for Free ?! Don't miss out ! 

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Name Dropping 101: Lansdowne, Love Letter Radio

>>Let's start by talking about the band who's page I'm looking at right now: Down For The Count . The first song they have on their page is "Make My Day". It starts out soft, then kicks it up a notch. It really has a soft-upbeat-rock sound. I'm actually really fond if it :] The second song they have is "Paperback Novelty". This song, compared to the last, doesn't start out soft. Instead, it gets right into the lyrics. It sort of has that rough sound that makes it even more appealing. They're really good, and I highly suggest anyone who's into upbeat rock to look them up.

>>The next crazy good band I've been introduced to is LANSDOWNE. They consider themselves "Rock / Alternative / Pop". The first track on their page is a mix of other songs. "Her Eyes Will Tell You Everything" is really, really, really good. It's different than a lot of other stuff that's been circulating lately. The chorus has a really smooth sound, and it almost reminds me of a song you'd hear from Staind. Next up is "Anatomy of a Symphony". It's a bit more toned-down than the last, but it's still got a certain kick that makes you want to listen. They've got a great sound, and they're always looking for feedback from the fans. I've actually been talking to them for a while now, and they seem like really cool people who love their fans. As they've told me, you can find them on iTunes as well. So if I've successfully made you curious, check them out and tell them what you think :] Oh, and make sure you watch the video at the top of their page called "I'll See You Again". It's wonderful.

>>Now, on to Love Letter Radio, a band with a name that made me fall in love. The first song is "A Place Called Home". It's definitely punk with a lighter, brighter, more 'pop' sound. (As soon as you hear it, you'll understand what my rambling means. Rest assured.) The song itself makes me smile and the lyrics are wonderful. It's a really great song. The second is "Let's Dance My Dear", which is almost as adorable as it's name. It's more 'intense' pop, than the last. Love Letter Radio has songs that make me smile, and just feel happy. Their music is adorable without the typical softness. They've got a sound that I'm sure almost anyone could appreciate, especially people who like pop music with a bit of attitude. Check them out, I promise you'll love them :] 

*>>Oh, if you want to find more bands that I haven't gotten around to mentioning yet [ not because they aren't amazing, but because there are so many!], look at the bands featured on my MySpace. Click "View Complete Profile" under my picture on the right side of the screen & click on "My Web Page", or check out the links under 'My Favorite Artists." You won't be disappointed. If you have something to say about a band I've reviewed, or one I haven't gotten to yet, let me know. Just like my new friends LANSDOWNE, I love the feedback :]

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