Band number two on my "Bands to Listen to" list: Audrey Fall. The first thing you should know about them is that they're from Latvia! Congrats to them for being the first Latvian band that I'm listening to! Again, because I disabled myself from my Facebook, I searched them on YouTube and listened to the most played songs: "Ghosts," "Love is Profession," "Cartesian Coordinates."
The first thing that I noticed and probably one of the most interesting things I've heard from this post-hardcore band is the screamer - the screaming sounds more like chanting to me and I kinda like it! It definitely took me by surprise but I think it works well with their sound. My ears could be playing tricks on me but in some aspects, Audrey Fall sort of reminds me of We Came As Romans as far as drums and guitar goes, and sometimes they exhibit the same type of contrast between the screamer and the singer similarly to WCAR, which I'm not complaining about ("Cartesian Coordinates" is where I heard this). One thing that I really like about Audrey Fall is that sometimes they don't have any vocals and focus on the music track itself ("Love is a Profession"). It gave me time to really listen and appreciate the music, so in all honesty, I feel as if I would only listen to their music more than acutally going out to see them although if I was invited to go see them somewhere, I wouldn't object to it.
No indication on whether these guys will be in the US, let alone Texas, anytime soon, but they do have an EP out called Daylight Owls where you can hear these lovely tracks!
Happy belated Easter everyone! I hope you all had a joyous holiday and celebrated with loved ones! I have very exciting news that's preceding all of the blog posts I need to catch up on! This past weekend, Empire Holiday announced that they will be releasing new music April 24th 2012!
Why am I stoked? Because these guys have been MIA for about two years, but they're back and ready to tackle on the music scene again! I would consider them electronic pop-rock overall with some hints of screamo. All I know is, when you listen to their music, their infectious beats will get you moving on your feet. You can jump, you can dance, you can do the splits (okay that might hurt but you get the idea). Don't believe me? Go take a listen to an old song by them that was my personal favorite, "Your Kiss is a Death Wish." While you're at it, listen to everything else too, but for sure listen to that one.
In my opinion, I think the guys are some of the most ambitious people I know because they don't do anything other than music. Primarily the guys decided to "call it quits" to focus on real life, but evidently they couldn't resist the urgency of music streaming through their veins. Music is always on their minds. For almost the past month, they've been in the studio nonstop working on new jams, and now they're ready to share them with the world! You may recognize Christopher Shelton (pictured right) from Cut Down Trees and his work with Boy Epic, but now he's back to working on Empire Holiday! So mark April 24th on your calendars people - you won't regret it!
Finally. I'm starting to crack down on my "Bands to Listen to" list due to the amount of bands that started following me on Twitter since spring break! The first one up is Memphis May Fire. Currently I'm temporarily deactivated from Facebook, so I searched the band's name on YouTube and listened to the first three songs that popped up: "The Victim," "The Sinner," and "Ghost in the Mirror."
Overall, their sound is a mix between I See Stars and Pierce the Veil - both good hardcore/screamo/pop rock bands that I also recommend checking out. The vocalist from Memphis May Fire takes on both roles as a singer and screamer, and I think he does a good job at it. From just listening, you'd think there are two people working on vocals similarly to I See Stars Devin-Zack dynamic, but it's just one guy. Sometimes in one lyric he'll sing and scream at the same time - he may start the line singing then transitions into screaming and back into singing again. Because singing and screaming resonate in every song, the heavy/non-heavy sound balances out; some songs are heavier than others, but in general, it's not hard to listen to. I can see these songs being rocked out to on stage, and there's definitely potential for head banging and a rowdy crowd.
And just my luck, these guys will be playing at this year's Warped Tour! Fun fact: this will be my first ever Warped Tour, and I'm stoked beyond belief. Anyways, I'm intrigued to see these guys live. I have no doubt that they won't disappoint!
After a fun-filled hectic night Friday night, Saturday March 17th 2012 was much more chill and mellow. The main event that I saw was the Alternative Press tour, and I only saw Forever the Sickest Kids and Breathe Carolina.
I've seen Forever the Sickest Kids the most since I started going to concerts my freshmen year, and they still get the crowd pumped. Even when they played a mall show in Houston with acoustic instruments, they still got the crowd going. They played old and new songs, which I could appreciate. I never knew that people could mosh to their music, but apparently it's possible and I saw it with my own eyes! Honestly I would have more to say, but I was more focused on the fact that some inconsiderate dude decided to be a creeper and hoist a teenage girl on his shoulders ... point being, her ass was literally in my face. I couldn't enjoy the show as much because of that jerk.
This was my second time in a row to see Breathe Carolina at SXSW, and their performance never got old. I do have to say, though, that the Fearless Records showcase performance was much better, and it's probably because these guys were most likely tired and hungover from partying too much the night before - heyyyyy! But regardless, they still did an awesome job and got crazy. Sean (pictured left) even climbed up onto the wooden planks on the cieling (it was an outdoor venue so I don't know if it's really considered a ceiling). If you have spare time, you should check out their last album Hell Is What You Make It, and in my opinion, "Blackout," that you hear on the radio a lot doesn't do them much justice. Take a listen!
Ladies and gentlemen, I have survived my hell week and am returning to the blogosphere! Prepare for many blogposts. Here's where I left off...Friday March 16th 2012 was the third day of SXSW, and it was the best one out of the entire week. Due to the massive amount of content that happened on this day, I will only write about stuff that stood out to me.
Interview with Go Radio The day started off with an interview and acoustic session with Go Radio, and I think it's important to mention it was my first time being on a tour bus - you can't imagine how stoked I was. Vicci and I sat down and talked with front man, Jason, and guitarist, Alex, and they were fun and nice to talk to. The interview is now up on the Rock Edition website, but I will mention that they have a new album on the way - probably being released sometime in the summer - and they're currently on tour! They'll be in Texas April 19th - April 21st. In the meantime, watch the acoustic version of "Hold On" I filmed for Rock Edition down below.
Equal Vision Records Showcase At the Lucky Thirteen venue, Equal Vision Records showcased some of the bands under their label - the bands played were mainly hardcore screamo except the headliner, Say Anything. The first band I saw play when I got there was Life On Repeat, and they're pretty good.
Glass Cloud
Next on stage was Glass Cloud, and they mentioned that this was their second show to play ever. If you heard a band say that to you, you would assume they wouldn't perform as well as the other bands, but in actuality, I think they got the crowd the rowdiest. Everyone was moshing, opening the circle pit, crowd surfing, and this one guy even got on stage and lunged at Vicci and me from the stage. Ouch. After the show, I found out that the lead singer was the former front man of Of Mice and Men but was let go due to heart problems, but he's back in shape in a new band that knows how to get the crowd going - kudos to them. They had a lot of energy and definitely rocked the stage.
We Came As Romans
We Came As Romans was probably the best discovery of my entire SXSW experience ever because I instantly fell in love with their music. That includes my previous two years at SXSW as well. I had heard about them before and even had their version of Justin Timberlake's "My Love" for a Punk Goes Pop album, but I had never really listened to them or seen them live...that is until the third day of SXSW. Their performance really got me pumped up the most with their great amont of energy. Looking at each member of the band, I felt the energy being channeled into my body, and I really got into their music. I was dancing, I jumped, I head banged, I got a little crazy! In my personal opinion, I think the lead vocalist (not the screamer), Kyle, knows how to get the crowd moving on their feet just by chanting the word, "Bounce!" over and over again. Performance wise, I think the bassist, Andy, was really into the music. He literally would not stand still - he kept moving and jumping and head rolling and stomping around the stage and yelling at the audience. He gave me goosebumps.
Say Anything
The headliner, Say Anything, had quite a bit of a fan base anticipating their performance. Not that any of the bands didn't have an existing fan base, but I only say this because my sister and her friends had seen Say Anything that morning and came to this show too just to see them again. They're big fans and kept talking about them when they stayed at my apartment, so I was curious to see them. Even though they weren't hardcore/screamo, they still were awesome to see live. Their music is impossible to stand still to because you just have to move and dance, so I would rank them as a close second to We Came As Romans.
Fearless Records Showcase The Fearless Records showcase was one of the few shows that I stayed committed to from my SXSW plans post. After waiting in a long line outside the Dirty Dog Bar, Luis, his friend, and I arrived inside anticipating Breathe Carolina. We missed the first set, so the first actual performance we saw was The Static Jacks. Honestly, I wasn't feeling them. The music they played was good and the vocalist's voice was interesting, but unfortunately the two didn't blend well together. Eve 6 was making their return from a ten year hiatus, and I think they did a great job! You should go listen to "Lost and Found," and you won't be disappointed. Jason and Alex from Go Radio told Vicci and me to see them perform at this showcase, so we did. They didn't disappoint either. Hearing them perform acoustic was good on its own, but hearing the full band was awesome too. They had a bass that made you feel out of your body and tickled you a little bit, but it was worth it. I hadn't heard it before until that night, but I thoroughly enjoyed their version of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" on the last Punk Goes Pop album. Right before the headlining performance of Breathe Carolina was Every Avenue. I remember from my freshman year in college, I listened to a couple of songs by them and enjoyed them but didn't pursue their music dedicatedly. I guess this was my second chance to immerse myself in their music. They put on a great peformance that kept me dancing in my little spot near the stage, and I enjoyed listening to the lead singer serenade to me.
Breathe Carolina
Last but not least to close the night was Breathe Carolina. This was my second time seeing them, but this time I was much much closer to them than at the "Scream It Like You Mean It" tour, which proved to be a more awesome experience. They played all my favorite songs from their latest album, Hell Is What You Make It, such as "Wooly" and "Sweat It Out," and they even played the first song I ever heard by them, "Hello Fascination." I'm not gonna lie, when they played "Hello Fascination," I head banged hardcore. I don't know what came over me, but I just felt this sudden urge to do it. The song "Last Night" was a part of the set and I wasn't too crazy about this song when I first got the album, but after seeing them perform it live, I haven't stopped listening to it. It makes you wanna go to the club and not remember "Last Night." My favorite part of the set was when they performed "The Birds and the Bees" as a tribute to the Emo's that closed down downtown. I thought it was a nice sentiment to the venue that everyone loved. Needless to say, they put on an amazing performance, and I wish it didn't have to end.
I am so sorry if you sat at your computer to read every single word of my ramble. Like I said, Friday was the best thing that ever happened to me in my concert world, and I wish I could relive that day over and over again. So enough about me, what did you guys do for SXSW (I know it's been awhile since it passed) and did you enjoy it?!
Long story short...hell week is this week, so no blog posts till after this weekend! Here's what you can look forward to reading about:
1. SXSW 2012 Day 3 2. SXSW 2012 Day 4 3. Houston We Have a Problem festival 4. Rock Edition 5. Bring One Direction to the US in Frisco/Dallas 6. 10 new bands to check out 7. Boy Epic on Teen.com 8. We Are the In Crowd "Kiss Me Again" music video featuring Alex Gaskarth
Hang in there my lovely readers! Siri will return!
It's been a week since SXSW 2012, and I haven't wrote about the last two days of the music festival yet. It's coming soon I promise! I have a lot of school work to attend to, but I plan to write about everything on Sunday!
In the meantime, I suggest you look up the band We Came As Romans and discover who they are!
