Pete Wentz and The Black Cards

Hey Everyone!
Seems like everyone's favorite egotistical emo boy is back in the music game... not such a long break between FOB and his apparent new project: The Black Cards. Not much is known about this band, only what Pete has shared with us so far via online messages. The cryptic webpage, though it claims to be a non-viral campaign, is pretty much the definition of such- including only links to social networking sites and a catchy uncredited pop song. Pete claims that in the coming weeks, information will be linked and shared in a "controlled" manner for fans to make a judgement on. Personally, I am VERY worried that this could be a husband/wife collaboration. Remember folks: NEVER mix business with pleasure. Ok?

What do you think Pete is up to? Share your thoughts!
Rock On,
-Girl At The Rock Show

It Was Just A Pop-Rock Kind Of Day...

Hey Everyone!

The weather here is just gorgeous today! Its FINALLY feeling like spring, and I'm loving it. As soon as I woke up, I opened blinds and windows to take advantage of the sunshine and fresh air. I suppose I shouldn't complain about snow and such because honestly, winter was not even that long this year. This is a relatively early spring. I just adore warmer weather though... something about it just puts me in a great mood. I went on a walk downtown this afternoon, just to get out in the sun for a few hours. I walked by a bunch of restaurants, hoping that maybe a patio somewhere would be open... not that I have any money to be spending on lunch downtown right now, but I think today is the kind of day where McDonalds in the park would totally cut it haha. Any excuse to be outside.

Anyways, I feel that days like this have a certain soundtrack to them... Its different for everyone, but I absolutely need pop-rock music for spring days like this. I need something light, happy, upbeat you know? The punk tracks on my ipod were just not cutting it... they're too angry and aggressive for days like this. We The Kings, Fall Out Boy, early Good Charlotte (very high school, I know), Something Corporate, All Time Low, Maroon 5, Rocket Summer... these are my choices for sunny spring days! They just totally reflect the happiness I feel with the warm winds and blue skies. I know they all seem somewhat juvenile and young, but maybe thats why they fit so well- Spring feels like a young season. Most of these bands sing about things like youth, love, new beginnings, and friendship- themes that I feel definitely embody my idea of spring. What do you think, is it just me or do you see my point of view here? Haha

What are your choices for the first few days of spring? Any favorites?

Rock On!

- Girl At The Rock Show

Patrick Stump To Perform At SXSW

Hey Everyone!

So as most of you know, Fall Out Boy have taken a break... an "indefinite hiatus", whatever that means. Even they dont seem to be too sure haha. Anyways, the guys are taking this chance to try their hand at new styles- including Patrick Stump's new solo career which looks brilliant. He has now revealed that he plans to take his one man band live at this year's upcoming SXSW Music Festival in Austin Texas.

Now, some younger fans may be a little discouraged as this event is listed as a 21+ only, but for those of you planning to attend who are legal, I highly recommend going to check this out before it takes off. The show will take place at the Dirty Dog Bar, Friday March 19th at 11pm. This will be the debut of the solo career, so who knows, maybe a few years from now you can talk about how you saw Patrick when he was fresh out of Fall Out Boy! I was lucky enough to see FOB play for a crowd of less than 40 on the Warped Tour a couple years before the smash hit "Sugar, We're Going Down". Its pretty much public knowledge that Patrick was originally reluctant to be the band's frontman. He's not a flashy guy, so I'd like to see how he handles a setting where theres no Wentz to distract the crowd... all eyes are going to be on him. Definitely a little bit of a different setting... 21+ bar, music he composed entirely alone... he's gonna do great!

If this video is any indication of his talent, I cant understand why you WOULDNT go see this!

ps. have to say I love the way Wentz is just sitting there while Patrick plays :P

Thats right, you twiddle your thumbs

Rock On,

- Girl At The Rock Show

American Idol Contestant Fails To Impress Judge With Acoustic Fall Out Boy Cover

Hey Everyone!

What a shocker, eh? Who would have guessed that participants on American Idol are frequently criticized by the judges? What a cruel world we live in haha.

Twenty three year old Andrew Garcia, a finalist in the top 24 of the popular reality series took to the stage this week with an acoustic rendition of a Fall Out Boy favorite, "Sugar We're Going Down". Simon Cowell, as usual, had some less than impressed words for the performance, but fans are supporting his choice. Was it a critique just for the sake of upholding the image? Or a valid comment? Who knows.

Andrew auditioned in LA and has done well in the competition so far. He hails from Moreno Valley, where he plays with his band The Adrian William Project.

What do you think of the performance? Share your thoughts!

Rock On,

- Girl At The Rock Show

Patrick Stump Goes Solo!

Hey Everyone!

As the debate around the Fall Out Boy "hiatus/breakup" rages on, lead vocalist Patrick Stump has only intensified the rumors of a split with his latest video post. A few days ago, Patrick took to the web with announcements that FOB is not his primary concern right now stating "I'm not in Fall Out Boy right now". This statement has been clarified by the recent video post shown below which shows Stump recording multiple instrumental tracks and vocals for his upcoming solo efforts.

Personally, I'm pretty excited about this. Patrick is an absolutely genius musician and vocalist. He writes amazing music and this solo will give him a chance to showcase his abilities outside the simplistic pop rock songs he is typically associated with. This is a great opportunity for him and I think he knows that.

Patrick Stump from Patrick Stump on Vimeo.

So what do you think of Patrick going solo? Excited or no?

Rock On!

- Girl At The Rock Show

HELP: I Cant Stop Singing Along!

Hey Everyone!

Ever have a song that just wont quit? You hear it once in a random shuffle and next thing you know, you're stuck humming the chorus, tapping the rhythm and just generally trying to avoid serious embarrassment by belting it out in the middle of class or a crowded mall? Yeah, I'm having this issue right now and its BRUTAL! No matter how many times I listen to this song, it just wont leave me alone. Its been about two days now, but its so darn catchy that I cant win haha. I also think it rings fairly reminiscent of my life right now in a strange way so perhaps thats why I have become so taken with it. I dont know. In any case, its super catchy and I dont think I'll ever stop singing it haha ...

"I wanna scream I love you from the top of my lungs, But I'm afraid that someone else will hear me. You can only blame your problems on the world for so long, Before it all becomes the same old song".

ENJOY.

Rock On!

- Girl At The Rock Show

Limited Pressing Auction Off Vinyl Test Pressings For Haiti Relief

Hey Everyone!

In light of the devastating earthquake that shook Haiti last week, many bands, artists and organizations are taking to their fan bases to raise some much needed money for to send aid to the country. One of many doing so is limited pressing, a site which offers auctions for limited edition vinyls. Among their typical postings, there is now a section (marked in pink) of impressive first pressing vinyls for which most or all proceeds (depending on the album) will go to organizations like Doctors Without Borders and other efforts in the disaster stricken republic. There are some fantastic albums up for grabs on this site, with some serious potential for any collectors out there. I will definitely be keeping my eyes on this site, watching some of the albums I would love to add to my personal catalog. Have to say, I'm mildly amused by the way one Mr.Pete Wentz has hiked up the selling costs of Fall Out Boys albums rather successfully. At first he indicated on his Twitter that he wished only to own them himself, but he later stated that if he indeed won the auctions, he would have the band sign them and re-auction them. He also claims that if someone manages to outbid him by a cent, the album(s) will be signed before shipment if you'd like. So theres some incentive. Just think, you could have an FOB autograph collection on a limited first test pressing vinyl... honestly, like them or not it would be worth a small fortune in the future. So check out the auctions here and see if something catches your eye. Yet another cool way to do something good for humanity. Help out Haiti, there are lives at stake here. We hold the power to help these people, lets do it!

How have you shown support for Haiti? Let me know!

Rock On!

- Girl At The Rock Show

Alice In Wonderland Sountrack Track Listing Revealed

Hey Everyone!

So Alternative Press has revealed the track listing for the upcoming Alice In Wonderland soundtrack, and it appears that many familiar names grace the list. We already knew that Mark Hoppus (Blink-182) and Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy) collaborated for a song, which we now know to be called "In Transit", but they are only one notable pair of the 16 artists/groups who make an appearance. The album will be called "Almost Alice" and has been slated for a March 2nd release date. The film is set to be released the same week, on Friday March 5th.

Here is the suspected soundtrack listing:

1. "Alice (Underground)" by Avril Lavigne

2. "The Poison" by The All-American Rejects

3. "The Technicolor Phase" by Owl City

4. "Her Name Is Alice" by Shinedown

5. "Painting Flowers" by All Time Low

6. "Where's My Angel" by Metro Station

7. "Strange" by Tokio Hotel & Kerli

8. "Follow Me Down" by 3Oh!3 & Neon Hitch

9. "Very Good Advice" by Robert Smith

10. "In Transit" by Mark Hoppus & Pete Wentz

11. "Welcome To Mystery" by Plain White T's

12. "Tea Party" by Kerli

13. "The Lobster Quadrille" by Franz Ferdinand

14. "Running Out Of Time" by Motion City Soundtrack

15. "Fell Down A Hole" by Wolfmother

16. "White Rabbit" by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

Like I said, some pretty decent names on that list... Robert Smith even! Not a bad soundtrack... this could be one to contend with the awards. Heres to hoping that the songs are as good as the artists.

What do you think of this track list?

Rock On!

- Girl At The Rock Show

On The Radar: Possible Pete Wentz/Mark Hoppus Collaboration?

Hey Everyone!

I dont know how many of you are Twitter users, but I know I am! Not to say I'm an addict like a lot of people, but I mean, I do have an account. And it serves a great purpose... it keeps you in the loop with all your favorite bands. Lately, there has been a lot of interesting conversation between Mark Hoppus of Blink-182/+44 and Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy. It seems that the two may be collaborating on a studio project in the future. The two have been friends for many years now, and even toured together over the summer for Blink's reunion. I'm not much a fan of Pete himself, but I think Mark is an incredibly talented musician and producer so I'm sure whatever they come up with will be pure gold. Mark tweeted "Me and Pete W's collab soon" on monday and internet fans have been eagerly discussing the possibilities ever since. Prior to this, the two had been discussing at length "collaborating on sandwiches" and Pete teching for Blink's European tour so they could keep working on it.

Photo Credit: Rolling Stone Magazine

These two have always had an interesting friendship that involves a lot of pranking and jokes... wonder if their music will reflect that same playfulness? Two bassists as well... interesting. Who knows what to expect with these guys? Last time they collaborated on anything, it was a worldwide scavenger hunt for hidden "Octopus Drives". I guess we should all be prepared... anything could happen if Wentz and Hoppus are behind it!

Blink-182 reunited this past summer and plan to release an album sometime in the future. No date has been set yet, but studio time is said to be in the works as soon as drummer Travis Barker, completes work on his solo album. Fall Out Boy announced a hiatus following their placement on Blink's summer tour. Wentz is currently in New York while his wife, Ashlee Simpson works on Broadway.

What do you think of a possible collaboration? What would you expect it to be?

Rock On!

- Girl At The Rock Show

Song of the Day: Little Death by +44.... always forgotten about, but always amazing. +44 may have been short lived, but there is something so right about this band. Dont get me wrong, I am a Blink fan through and through, but given the choice between this and AVA, I have to say, this won me over. Mark's deep voice is just stunning. The song is so simple in construction, but so meaningful. Check it out, Enjoy! ...Fall Asleep With The Windows Open, Come To Me With The Worst You've Said And Done

Exam Dance Break Day 11

Hey Everyone!

So I meant to post this earlier, but its been a long day! Lets just say its rather late in the evening now, and I'm still sitting at the computer with a paper in front of me... seven pages in, three pages to go! I can feel the finish line approaching and I'm just about ready to leap those last few meters, hoping to land on my feet. This paper, its for my Culture of Celebrity class. The premise is to take a well known celebrity and analyze a wide variety of media created representations of this person. My selection? Fall Out Boy bassist, Pete Wentz. I know, I know, you're asking "Jess- why would you pick this guy out of every celebrity out there?" right? My explanation: I have to analyze every text available. Aka if I chose someone like Johnny Depp, I'd have to watch a couple hundred movies and television shows. Pete... a handful of music videos, a few CDs and some tabloids. Not too bad, nothing too intensive, gives me lots of time to do it well... in theory anyways haha. So as a result, I've been listening to a bunch of FOB music, trying to dissect it and talk about how it relates back the the media construction of Pete himself. Now, thanks to this, I WAS going to give you another FOB song even though I left you with one on Saturday... but I decided against this. Instead, I'm going to leave you with label mates, The Cab. I really enjoy this song, I can see it being great in clubs. Hope you like it, here you go! Enjoy!

Rock On!

- Girl At The Rock Show

Exam Dance Break Day 9

Hey Everyone!

I'm crazy busy studying for my physics exam tomorrow... just cannot seem to focus at all! I've never really been a math/science person so this just is not my piece of cake. Western makes students take a class from each category, one of which happens to be math/science. Just my luck. Oh well, as long as I pass this exam tomorrow, I get the credit so I just have to force myself to pay attention and get it over with, right? Keep your fingers crossed for me! Anyways, moving along, I have another music video for all you study bugs out there. Today I have a Fall Out Boy song called Fame Infamy off their album Infinity On High. Sorry, for some reason it refuses to let me post the actual symbol, seems to think I'm trying to insert an html code. Computers are fun like that! Oh well. Its a great song, wicked beat that just makes you want to get up and dance the night away. Check it out and see what you think! 

Keep at those books fellow exam takers, the vacation is almost here!

Rock On,

- Girl At The Rock Show

Burning Empires Take Over Myspace Airwaves

Hey Everyone!
So last I mentioned, some of the members of Fall Out Boy are taking the band's hiatus as a chance to diversify and try new things. Andy Hurley, drummer, being one of them. He and some friends from Misery Signals are working on a side project called Burning Empires... and they are on fire! They have already posted a few songs to their myspace and Spin, and twitter is in an uproar. Apparently no one thought the soft spoken, easy going drummer had it in him. The hard, fast, political tunes seem to be a hit so far. A long way from the poppy emo lyric tunes he produced with FOB. He is also working on a 2nd project with members of Anthrax and Every Time I Die called, The Damned Things. I personally like it, what do you think?


Rock On,
- Girl At The Rock Show

Fall Out Boy Go Metal...?

Hey Everyone!

So as I mentioned a few posts back, Fall Out Boy recently announced a hiatus. For the first time in 8 years the boys are taking a break from their draining tour and recording schedules. In the mean time, drummer Andy Hurley and guitarist Joe Trohman have announced that they will be teaming up with members of Every Time I Die and Anthrax to form a metal band. A different direction, thats for sure, but honestly, it has the potential to be a great album I think.

When people think FOB, its often Pete and Patrick who come to mind... but Joe and Andy are also really amazing musicians. Like the band or not, there is no denying that they have talent. Both are educated on their instruments well beyond the four chord pop punk songs played in their band. Combine their skills with members of Anthrax and ETID, how can you lose really?

Rock On,

- Girl At The Rock Show

Song of the Day: Safe Home by Anthrax... I love this song.

Fall Out Boy Announce Hiatus

"everyone, when i said fob was on hiatus, i didnt mean hiatus. i meant break. which is what i understood hiatus to mean...according to dictionary.com 1.a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc...2.a missing part; gap or lacuna: Scholars attempted to account for the hiatus in the medieval manuscript. 3. any gap or opening....that being the definition of hiatus."                                                 -Andy Hurley's Twitter Posts

So again, through the wonders of Twitter (who needs mainstream media outlets when you have this new technological wonder online? *side note: I HATE Twitter actually haha) another band has made a big announcement. It seems there will be no touring in Fall Out Boy's immediate future as the band have called a hiatus. Drummer Andy Hurley broke the news and was greeted to swarms of fans flooding his replies in fear of a hiatus turning into a breakup. A common enough occurance for sure, but Andy is currently trying to calm the twitterverse down with assurance that this is not the end of the band. They just need a break, kids. Calm yourselves, take a deep breath, and go back to your homework. 

Personally, I cant say I'm shocked by this. Like them or not, you have to respect their dedication. Fall Out Boy have been touring relentlessly for quite some time now, and its probably beginning to take its toll. The boys have families and friends that deserve some attention after all this time. They also want to take time to "rediscover" their creativity according to bassist Pete Wentz. The boys will take some time out to dabble in different interests and relax away from the road. They recently wrapped up an opening slot on the highly anticipated Blink reunion tour and released a greatest hits album chronicling the past 7 years of their career. 

Personally, I'm excited to see what they come back with... and I'm curious to see how Andy does with his return to hardcore (his side project for the hiatus, he's recording with some friends according to his twitter!)

Rock On!

- Girl At The Rock Show

Song of the Day: What A Catch, Donnie by Fall Out Boy... the third single released from Folie A Deux. I have to say, I LOVE this song. Patrick's voice is absolutely gorgeous. So unique, a combination of various influences and teaching styles (his father was a folk singer which is likely a factor in his not so traditional rock vocal style). I love how this song so beautifully captures his range. The lyrics are also stunning... "They say the captain goes down with the ship, So when the world goes down will God go down with it?... And all I can think of is the way I'm the one who charmed the one who gave up on you". All in all the song is brilliant in my opinion, even though it is a far cry from their earlier work. It also features a number of guest vocals by William Beckett, Gabe Saporta, Travis McCoy, Brendon Urie and the one and only Elvis Costello.