My Current Addiction: I'm Yours Tonight

Hey Everyone!

I'm going to post again later, but just really quick I wanted to share this song. I was doing dishes to the "Lost In Pacific Time EP" by The Academy Is... and I remembered how amazing this song is. So beautiful. So check it out, see what you think! This was a limited physical release EP but it can probably still be purchased via Itunes and I would highly recommend doing that if you havent already. Its that good. If you like this track, you'll love the other 4 songs too!

"You know I'll stay, Even in your dreams, I'll pull the stars down from the heavens, To fill your empty skies... I'm yours tonight!"

Rock on!

- Girl At The Rock Show

A Shopping List For My Grandpa: The Albums

Hey Everyone!

Ok so, yesterday I posted a blog about my little experiment/deal with my Grandfather. To reiterate, I'm going to suggest three albums that I like and think he may like. He's going to go out and purchase these three albums and listen to them. Hopefully, he will then tell me what he thinks and I will be sure to share his thoughts with you! So here we go, here are my three choices!

1) North by Something Corporate

"If you're missing I will run away, Cause I find myself in you."

From the first breath of Andrew's soft voice to the last guitar chord fading out, this album is absolutely stunning. Seriously, I cant even put it into words. There is so much talent, passion and brilliance wrapped up into this 12 track album. You cant help but really feel involved with this album... the emotion becomes personal, it transcends the airwaves into your room in a very real way. You feel the album as you listen. Each track takes Something Corporate's signature piano pop/punk blend and mixes it with a variety of heavy emotion and poetic lyrics and lullaby-esque vocals. On this CD I highly recommend the tracks: Down, Me & The Moon, Ruthless, I Wont Make You

2) Letters by Butch Walker

"I cant live if you're not happy, I cant live if you cry... but I can live without you if it makes you smile"

One of my favorite albums ever I think... its that good. Most of it is really simple soft rock, but its beautiful in its simplicity... a little deceiving as well. Butch has this ability to make music sound easy. There is a flow to his records that suggests an ease... but that comes with a lot of hard work. Its the result of a long and difficult career. He is such a talented musician in every sense of the way and this album is a perfect representation of that. He writes the most stunning love songs I've ever heard. Seriously, if a guy wrote this for me, I'd be in love haha. Its like a walk through the duration a relationship... you feel and hear it as it happens. There's love, there's lust, there's loneliness... its the whole range. His voice is flawless- the way he is able to express passion in every note... its like he's singing your life back to you in the most beautiful way possible. Its mature rock... can I call it that? It hits you on a level that a lot of music just cant even reach. For that reason and SO MANY more... I think everyone should own this amazing album.

Listen to: Mixtape, Dont Move, Maybe Its Just Me, Promise

3) Pretty Odd by Panic At The Disco

"If all our life was but a dream, Fantastic posing greed, Then we should feed our jewelry to the sea. For diamonds do appear to be, Just like broken glass to me."

I know, I know... its NOT A Fever You Cant Sweat Out. That was a brilliant piece for what it was... but I find that this album is always passed off as "not that album" or "not Panic". Granted it sounds absolutely nothing like their first work, but I mean, cut them some slack, they were 16 when they started that recording process. People grow up! Its not all bad, especially if it results in albums like this gem. I really love it... its creative, its fun, its different. Brendon Urie's vocals on this album... just wow. Gorgeous and so pure. The overall sound? Very reminiscent of The Beatles. This album is just all over the board... you can hear influences of all kinds in the first 15mins of putting it on. There is 50s crooning, there is a heavy classic rock influence, there are even bits and pieces of country weaved in. This fabric is intricate and there to be appreciated by those who are willing to listen without a preconceived bias. 

Songs to check out: Mad As Rabbits, Northern Downpour, She Had The World, Folkin' Around

BONUS> if by chance you cannot find one of my other choices, then my alternative selection is 

Almost Here by The Academy Is...

"Always up or down, Never down and out. Dream of demons while you sleep, That make you stutter while you speak."

Again, one of my all time favorite albums. I've never forgotten the first time I heard this play... I was on the computer looking for some new music and the second I heard one simple song, I was hooked. Never looked back. William Beckett's eerily perfect vocals combined with the band's signature  brand of light hearted pop punk is a recipe that demands success. This album cannot be ignored, its a work of art. 

Check it out: Skeptics & True Believers, Down & Out, Almost Here, Classifieds

So Grandpa, now it is your move! You have my suggestions, and when you listen and tell me in all honesty what you think, we'll have a conclusion :) ... I also have to say, you will probably look like the coolest Grandpa ever (which you are, obviously!) to the people in the store!

HAPPY LISTENING!

Rock On!

- Girl At The Rock Show

Exam Dance Break Day 13

Hey Everyone!

Man, I cant believe its almost two weeks into exams... thats nuts. I had a good break last night. Roommate's birthday so obviously I had to put the books down and join the festivities. We had a great night. Felt so good to unwind after a long week and a half of writing critical essays and learning about physics equations for hurricanes haha. Well deserved I think. Anyways, lets get on with the subject at hand here... exam dance break song of the day! Today I have a great track by one of my favorite bands, The Academy Is. Its called Neighbors and its off their 2007 release Santi. Its fun, poppy and upbeat. A party song, a little different from their usual material and it certainly manages to separate itself from the rest of his album. Here you go all you study bugs out there. Keep trucking, only a week of the insanity left! YOU CAN DO IT!

Rock On,

-Girl At The Rock Show

Alternative Press Most Anticipated 2010 Issue Hits Shelves

Hey Everyone!

So I just got back from the store today with a fresh copy of Alt Press' annual "Most Anticipated" issue. Every year, they dedicate a block of pages to the upcoming year's most exciting prospected releases. This is one of my favorite issues because it gets me all hyped up for 12 months of new music from a lot of my favorite bands. It keeps you on track with who's writing, interviews about the albums writing/recording process from bands and producers, and allows you to start formulating ideas for possible tours of the new year. 

This year the big title of MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE was given to New Jersey boys, My Chemical Romance. After the 2007 release of Black Parade and constant touring, the band took a little break to have somewhat of a personal life. Getting married, having families, all that stuff. I think its about time they made a return, and from the sounds of it, a great one. They're reporting its a back to basics rock n roll album... no more theatrics, no more makeup, no more nonsense. Just pure, classic, rock. The inspiration behind tracks on the album are said to be Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, MC5, The Stooges, Judas Priest and Bon Jovi. Not bad. A little punk influence with classic rock style... so far it sounds pretty wicked. Combine this with song titles like "Black Dragon Fighting Society" and "Trans Am", its definitely a new direction for the guys. I'm interested to hear the final project, which is slated for a spring release date.

Other bands noted in the article include pop punk duo 3oH!3, poetic rockers The Academy Is, British hardcore group Bring Me The Horizon, breakthrough band Gaslight Anthem, techno nerds Hellogoodbye, young indie sensation NeverShoutNever and former Panic At The Disco boys new project Young Veins.

What albums are you looking forward to in 2010? Anything not listed here? Tell me!

Rock On,

- Girl At The Rock Show

Song of the Day: Our Lady of Sorrows by My Chemical Romance... forever my favorite MCR song. The first album I ever bought by them was I Brought You My Bullets. This is track five off that absolutely amazing record. A heavy melody, dark lyrics... its beautifully miserable. "We could be perfect one last night, and die like star crossed lovers when we fight... this riddle of revenge, please understand it has to be this way... We spark and fade they die by threes... Oh how wrong we were to think that immortality meant never dying" That last line is one of my all time favorite quotes. Can we say "to be inked" in the near future? haha.

The AP Fall Ball Tour 2009

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all had a good weekend. I know I did, I went to Toronto friday morning to check out the AP Fall Ball Tour 2009. I have to say, overall I was very impressed and had a good time despite being one of the oldest audience members haha. I've gotten used to this... even Green Day and Blink shows make me feel old when I look around at all the kids. Now, if you're unfamiliar with the tour, let me give you a few details. It was put together with the help of reader polls in Alternative Press magazine. The goal of the tour was to hype some new or upcoming acts that people might be interested in because, as it was repeated throughout the night, "you cant listen to the same stuff over and over again". So heres a brief overview of the acts from the tour, a couple examples of their sound and my thoughts on their performances!

The first band to take the stage was a UK group by the name of You Me At Six. They played a fairly solid half hour set of catchy pop punk songs that kept the audience's attention. The big hit of the night was probably their performance of Lady Gaga's Poker Face. All in all, it was a good set but nothing phenomenal. If you're a fan of groups like Forever The Sickest Kids or Boys Like Girls, you might like these guys. They have some potential, and I'm sure that after this tour they will experience a higher level of success here over seas.

Next up, the techno/pop punk brainchild of Luis Dubuc: The Secret Handshake. An interesting performance for sure. An auto-tune equipped mic, a Mac computer, and a couple instruments is all it takes to get a crowd of teenagers moving. Again, as for the point of this tour really, very few people seemed familiar with the act and it was perhaps only memorable due to yet another cover. This time it was the Cascada classic "Everytime We Touch". Not bad, but I cant say I was enthralled by the stage performance. If you like A Rocket To The Moon or Playradioplay, you might like this band.

The third band on the opening round of performances you may know... they go by the name Set Your Goals. This diverse six piece group hails from the San Francisco Bay area. I say "diverse" because although they also play that brand of radio friendly pop punk, they dabble in the hardcore genre as well. It makes for an interesting album. Anyways, I think they played a great set, but were not a prefect fit for the tour itself. The audience appeared more than a little confused for their 35 minute set. 

Up next was the co-headliner, Mayday Parade. Following theme, they are a pop punk rock from Florida. The power pop five piece released their debut album "Tales Told By Dead Friends" back in 2006 and recieved some fair reviews. They have played slots on the Vans Warped Tour as well as a few small tours. They have had an interesting time lately with the departure of their former vocalist/lyricist/guitarist Jason Lancaster. However, they never let that slow them down, having Derek Sanders take over full vocalist duties in the lineup (he used to share the job with Lancaster). He's a great vocalist. All in all, I was impressed by their ability to connect with their audience. It sounds cheesy, but it really is an important art form that is often lost. If you like The Maine or Every Avenue, give them a listen.

Finally, the other co-headlining act and the reason for my attendance- The Academy Is. Stunning performance as always. Personally, I was really happy with the set as it was a lot of material from their album Almost Here, which is what drew me to them in the first place. They also played Sputter off their recent release, the Lost In Pacific Time EP. This song plays live beautifully. William Beckett's voice was flawless as always, accompanied by the trained musicianship of the band. No one was left sitting through this set. It was well worth the wait. I have recommended this band time and time again, so I wont bore you with the details... just give them a chance because you might love them as much as I do. If you want to know more about them, check out my earlier blog: The Academy Is...?

So props to Alternative Press for coming out with this tour to help these up and coming bands to find some fans. This was a good set of bands to take out, a lot of potential in the group for sure. I'll leave you with a couple pictures from the show.

All of these live (6) photos above taken by me....

top row=Mayday Parade

2nd row Mayday Parade and Set Your Goals

3rd row=Academy Is

Rock on!

- Girl At The Rock Show

Song of the Day: Ocean and Atlantic by Mayday Parade... I like this song (maybe because it involves my name? :P) Its also guaranteed to get stuck in your head.

Bands Supporting Other Bands... How Influential Is It?

Hey Everyone!

So the other day I was flipping through some of my old magazines when I came across this issue of Alternative Press. The feature article in this issue (beyond the blatantly obvious Blink-182 reunion) is a piece called "The Band Who Changed My Life". In this multipage work, different members of popular bands take turns discussing bands or artists they admired. William Beckett (The Academy Is) cites the artistic and bold Robert Smith of The Cure as a major influence, while acts like the young All Time Low chose the 90s pop punk kings, Blink-182. The bands vary across the board... different genres, different generations, but the one thing they all have in common is an influence. 

Images Belong to Alternative Press Magazine

This got me wondering, to what level does this influence extend? If you think about it, a lot of the bands featured are inspiring the up and coming generation of musicians. I know that when I read about Green Day being fans of bands like Operation Ivy, I immediately pull up google and yahoo radio to check them out. I don't always like the bands (Operation Ivy, however, I love) but I am always curious to know what first made these people think "hey, maybe I could do that". So if I know that Green Day grew up listening to Operation Ivy, and I like them, I might wonder who had an impact on their career and so on, and so fourth.... taking artists of all kinds of genres and styles and intertwining them into one single web. 

Personally, I love this idea. It lets us all celebrate and appreciate music past and present. It brings me to bands I would have maybe never thought to dig up on my own. Its a way of bringing it to my attention. In reality, its not much different from the way a band will select an opening act for a tour. Sometimes this is done for them, but when they hand pick, there's usually a reason. Some people don't show up at a concert until just before the main acts, but if you ask me, that usually means you're missing out. As much as I love knowing who influenced them at first, its also cool to find out who they think has potential to carry the torch for a new generation.

 Its all about giving us new bands to listen to and love.  So what do you think? Does this have much influence on you? Do you care who made your favorite acts decide to pick up an instrument? Do you care who is asked to tour with your favorite acts? Does this make you approach listening to that group any differently? Let me know!

Rock On!

- Girl At The Rock Show

Song Of The Day: Knowledge by Operation Ivy... one of the first OI songs I heard- because Green Day released a cover of it on their album 1039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours. 

The Academy Is... ?

Today I want to share with you all a band that I've loved since the day I first heard them. I remember it clearly... It was late one night in early 2005, I was on Yahoo's LAUNCH player listening to music and doing homework when I heard this gorgeous voice through my headphones. Bringing up the screen immediately, I quickly penned the song's title: Slow Down by The Academy Is... Being a fan of Fall Out Boy (laugh all you want, I don't care, yes I'm 20 and I like Black Flag AND Fall Out Boy) I had heard of the name, but never the music. I couldn't believe I had waited so long to do so! By the time the three minute song had ended, I was already anxiously searching for others. I think I must have spent that night glued to my computer with their album on repeat. That was just the beginning, but things haven't changed all that much.

The band is currently made up of William Beckett (lead vox), Adam T Siska (bass), Andy "The Butcher" Mrotek (drums), Mike Carden (guitar) and Michael Guy Chislett ( lead guitar). They formed in the Chicago area in 2003 after Beckett and Carden (formerly of rival bands) joined together and began to write. Their unique blend of influences and styles, combined with catchy pop tunes made it easy to make a name for themselves. After a few member changes, they had found their sound. Each member contributing with their own quirks and talent. Beckett with his girlish appearance and soft exquisite voice, Carden with his shy demeanor and passion for playing, Andy with his artistic nature, Sisky with his youth and charisma. They were soon signed to Decaydance Records and released their first official full length album, Almost Here. This release earned them a spot on the 2005 Vans Warped Tour where I was able to see them perform for the first time. 

I'll never forget how excited I was. I spent the whole day waiting for it, and when their set finally started, I was in heaven. For 30 minutes, I held on to every guitar note, every drum beat, every eloquently spoken word that I could. After they finished, the guys hung around and talked to those of us who had stuck around in the sweltering heat. So down to earth, so unfazed by the celebrity that had been bestowed on them. Later on, I caught up with them again as they wandered the park spraying unsuspecting victims with water guns. They were all just average guys, looking to play music that people would enjoy. I think this impression made a lasting impact on me. They may not remember me, but every time I see or meet them, it hits me how much these guys haven't changed.

Since this early run on Warped Tour, they have gone on to play headlining shows and other festivals. Adding long time friend Michael Chislett to the band (formerly of Butch Walker and the Lets Go Out Tonites) releasing two more albums (Santi & Fast Times At Barrington High) and a couple EPs in the process. They are currently co-headlining Alternative Press' Fall Ball Tour with Mayday Parade in support of their latest EP Lost In Pacific Time. This tour passes through Toronto on Friday Novemeber 13th, get your tickets now, I know I have mine!

Albums:

The Academy EP (2004)

Almost Here (Feb.2005)

Santi (Apr.2007)

Fast Times At Barrington High (Aug.2008)

Lost In Pacific Time EP (Sept.2009)

Choice Tracks:

40 Steps, About A Girl, The Test, Rumored Nights, Sleeping With Giants, Skeptics And True Believers, Sputter (feat. Andrew McMahon), Down And Out,The Author

Hope you like it as much as I do :)

Rock On!

- Girl At The Rock Show