I'm just Killin' Time

Hellogoodbye released a new song, "Killin' Time," today, and I'm enjoying it right now.  It's kind of got this 50s happy-go-lucky feel to it like something you could pay a nickel to hear out of a jukebox or something.  I can even picture a self-made music video with a vintage look...cruising down an empty road on a Vespa, walking along the beach, and other relaxing activities.  The sound of the song is definitely different from the type of sound I associate with Hellogoodbye which is the electronic pop (famously "Here In Your Arms"), but I still like this new release!  I wonder when they'll be touring again.  Last time I saw them was last fall in San Antonio when they were touring with 3OH!3.  Hopefully they'll announce some good news soon!

Hellogoodbye - Killin' Time by itshellogoodbye

Great news!

One of my lovely friends, Vicci, recently got added to the staff at Line In a Song and wrote her first "Artist Spotlight" for the site and even has her own snazzy bio too!  You should check it out because I think she's a fabulous writer and her passion for music really shines through her words.  I love reading all of her stuff!

From what I can see Line in a Song is a music site with lots to play with.  On the home page there's news updates about different bands from different genres of music.  Along the tabs there are interviews, a photo gallery, and album reviews.  The site is fairly new, but I think I might add this to my favorites on my computer.  Not only because Vicci is a part of the writing staff now but also because just from skimming through the various tabs and scrolling through the news updates, the site appeals to me and my music tastes.

We were just Kids In Love

Night number two was another success!  Got to see all five bands perform, and I'm pooped.  The bands that played tonight were The Make, There For Tomorrow, You Me At Six, We Are the In Crowd, abd Mayday Parade.  What do these bands have in common?  Their pop rock and alternative sound and they all have had albums released recently.

The Make, hailing from Chico, California, embarks on their first tour.  If you're looking for a good pop rock group, this is it.  Generally all of their songs are upbeat, but it wasn't quite upbeat enough to cause the crowd to get rowdy.  Lead singer, Jeff, even addresses the awkwardness that is silence among the audience.  The crowd tonight was much less than the previous night, but the bands still taunted it for more screaming.

The best part of their performance was the female guitarist, Sarah Ann.  In lamest terms, she is a bad ass.  She sang, played electric and acoustic guitar, played two keyboards, and messed with the mixer.  She juggled all these different instruments flawlessly, so I was impressed.  I'd say that these guys have a good chance to break out into the pop rock and alternative scene if they stick to their catchy tunes and quirky performance.

Second to play were Florida natives, There For Tomorrow.  I wish these fellas were more popular because they always put on a great show.  I love their music  a lot because their songs have infectious beats and vocals that could make you melt.  Visually, they all get into the zone, and whenever they play, the audience feels out of their element because the intense bass vibrates your entire body.  My personal favorite thing about this band's performance is watching the drummer, Chris Kamrada.  He alone really gets into his drumming almost as if every stroke is an explosion of energy.  He even does cool drum stick tricks while he's playing - an entertaining observation.  They played a mix of old songs and new songs from their latest album, The Verge, and they sound really good.  I can't wait to listen to the album in its entirety.  Don't know which song to listen to first?  I'd go with "Hunt, Hunt, Hunt."

This band right here came all the way from the UK.  They call themsevles You Me At Six.  Signed with Virgin records, these guys exert a rock sound that makes you wanna jump up and down to the drumbeat.  All their songs made me wanna dance because of their incredible catchiness.  On a side note, I'm personally a fan the lead singer's accent and the quirky character he plays onstage because that added more fun to the performance.  I think it's awesome when bands interact with the audience because it shows how much they love being onstage performing.  Especially if the band is from overseas, that's a great deal to be touring with US bands.  After this tour, they'll be coming back to Austin in January 2012, and I can hardly wait!

The band to play before the headliner was We Are The In Crowd.  What's cool about these guys is that there are two vocalists: a girl and a boy - Taylor Jardine and Jordan Eckes.  When they perform, they sing duets and they sing in a conversational way in which their lyrics respond back to each other.  We Are The In Crowd is another pop rock band, but I'm not quite sure how I feel about them.  I can't deny that their songs are good and somewhat catchy, but I did not react to them.  Usually whenever I'm at a show, I'm always moving to the music whether it's a simple nodding of the head, jumping, or maybe even dancing, but when they were performing, I was completely still.  I started spacing out and that never happens, so I guess my conclusion is that I'm not into them.  They didn't WOW me enough to push me to listen to more of their music.  Although their presence is similar to the band, Hey Monday, I simply couldn't get into We Are The In Crowd.  With Hey Monday, I'm captivated by Cassadee Pope's amazing vocal performance where as with Taylor Jardine, I could barely hear her and when she needed to soar in the stratosphere with her voice, she pulled the mic too far from her mouth that ultimately we didn't hear any vocals.  In essence, I was not too impressed with We Are The In Crowd.

Finally, the headliner of The Noise Tour, Mayday Parade.  Mayday Parade never ceases to amaze me.  They know how to perform and always deliver.  Words can't even describe how awesome they performed last night.  I hadn't seen them since...I can't even remember the last time I saw them, but now I remember why I listen to them.  Not gonna lie, I was not crazy about their last self-titled album, but after last night I think I might give it another chance.  They too played a mix of old songs with the new, and for this set, I was dancing like no one was watching.  The crowded was jumping, fist pumping, cheering, singing along, and going crazy.  Even when they slowed things down with a couple of ballads with just Derek (lead singer) singing and playing piano, the performance was phenomenal.  Lighters went up in the sky and we all sang along with him.  They played an encore of two more songs before they left the stage, and I felt as if their set was so quick.  I didn't want them to leave!  Needless to say, last night was another great show, and I will definitely go see them again whenever they decide to drop by Austin again!  If you're interested, go listen to "Anywhere But Here" or "Kids in Love" - you won't be disappointed.

Welcome to The End of the World Party

Another successful show tonight!  Only saw three out of five bands due to me having class until 7PM:  I See Stars, IWRESTLEDABEARONCE, and Of Mice & Men.  According to the That's Outrageous' drummer, Max Wrye, they played first, and they have a sound that's similar to I See Stars - pop mixed with hardcore.  I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed to have missed their set, but I will take a listen to their music and write about them for my next "New Band of the Week."

Disregard the blurred quality

When I arrived at Emo's East, I See Stars was finalizing their stage setup.  Perfect timing.  Unfortunately, these guys only played four songs due to technical difficulties.  After talking with several people, the situation was that their mixer/sampler was not working therefore they "couldn't play" their songs.  I realize their sound effects and whatnot are important to them, but I think they still could have played their set without it.  They have fans there who paid money to see them, and the band's gonna cut it short because they couldn't get their laptop to sync up?  Well, they made that decision, and what's done is done.

Regardless of the shorter set-list, they still did an awesome performance.  To go on with the show, they performed three songs off their first album and closed with their hit single from their second album (and my personal favorite), "The End of the World Party" (below).  As always, I See Stars had great energy on stage.  Devin (lead singer) did cool microphone tricks, and the rest of the band played their instruments and danced in sync with each other, which is a common performance technique utilized by Michigan bands.  With much disappointment, their performance was cut short, but they will be back headlining in January with an hour and a half set!

("The End of the World Party")

The next band to perform was IWRESTLEDABEARONCE (I Wrestled A Bear Once).  They brought utter chaos to the venue.  All their movements onstage were incredibly intense - I thought the guitarist was going to fling his guitar at me.  In all honesty, I probably wouldn't listen to this band on my own time, but there's no denying that they put on a great show.  What impressed me the most is that their lead singer/screamer is a girl, which I've never seen before.  She can seamlessly change from singing with a pretty voice to a hardcore scream in a second.  That's pretty awesome. 

An interesting aspect to their music is that it can be unpredictable.  Sometimes when a band plays, even if you're not familiar with their songs, you can figure it out as it progresses, but with IWRESTLEDABEARONCE, it's completely different.  For the most part, you can figure out the songs, but sometimes they'll play a fast section of the song then instantly transition to a slow section.  They even included elements of (what I wanna call) "Louisiana" sounds, which is where they're from.  I have to say that they did strike a chord with me, and I wouldn't mind seeing them again.  I feel as if I can only see them live and completely forget about buying or downloading their music.

Last but not least, Of Mice & Men.  I wrote about them in my previous post for "New Band of the Week," and they definitely did not disappoint me.  Seeing them live is a whole different experience than just simply listening to their albums, which could also be said about many other bands, but it holds extremely true to Of Mice & Men.  They too brought an immense amount of energy and their performance was insane.  They literally controlled the crowd and told them what to do, and everyone in the audience was pumped up.

My friend and I were not close to the pit but close enough to see it, and we still managed to get pushed and shoved and ran into.  That's how intense these guys made the crowd feel.  The bassist and vocalist, Shayley Bourget, has a phenomenal voice that will make you think, "Damn, he can really sing!"  What's amazing as well is that he claims to not being able to hear himself as they were performing because he didn't have the right earplugs, and I have to give him props for singing without them.  They really know how to perform, and it shows.  Even a little choreography was incorporated to their playing as well.  You can tell they're giving it their all onstage and can see they love doing what they do.

Tonight was genuinely great to say the least.  It's been awhile since I've been to a hardcore show like this...probably since the "Scream It Like You Mean It" tour, but this one was a lot more intense.  I can't wait for the show tomorrow night (or tonight I should say) and definitely can't wait to see another full performance by I See Stars in January!

Of Mice & Men

23 hours until I see these guys, Of Mice & Men.  I was supposed to see them perform at SXSW last year, but as soon as my friends and I got into the venue, they had literally just finished their set.  It was quite disappointing, but that all changes tomorrow night!  After eight months, I'm finally seeing this band.  The first song I heard from them was a cover song of "Blame It" (below) they recorded for Punk Goes Pop Vol. 3, and it isn't bad!

If you're not a fan of hardcore or screamo music, I suggest you skip this post.  Reigning from southern California, Of Mice & Men will be hardcore-ing it up as the headliner at Emo's East with my favorite band, I See Stars.  It's a win-win situation!  Their sound reminds me of Breathe Carolina (mainly because of the vocals) except heavier with a rock sound and more screaming.  I guess I shouldn't make that comparison considering Breathe Carolina has a more electronic feel, but I can't help feel a sense of them during certain parts of Of Mice & Men's songs.  The songs are very upbeat, and it will definitely get some mosh dancers dancing their asses off.  Not sure what to listen to first?  I recommend "Second & Sebring."

I know some people might think hardcore and screamo music as being scary - believe me, I used to think that - but it's really not as scary as you think.  If anything, hardcore and screamo music can help vent anger and emotions out rather than keeping it bottled up inside and explode later, and in my opinion it's better than listening to "emo" music and slitting wrists (no offense intended).

Of Mice & Men is currently on the "Outbreak Tour" sponsored by Monster Energy until November 29th and then will set off on the "A Decade of Destruction" tour by Alternative Press right after. Be sure to check the dates and see them if you can!  They also released a new album titled The Flood, so check that out as well!

To end on a lighter note, I am excited to see what these guys can do.  I have no doubt that I See Stars will be phenomenal as always, so I hope that Of Mice & Men will be up to par or even better.


("Blame It")

Summer Medley 2011

I don't know how many of you know these two YouTube music fellows: Kurt Hugo Schneider and Sam Tsui.  They're notorious for making awesome cover songs and videos together.  My favorite songs that they post are mainly the medleys.  The medleys can be numerous songs by one artist compiled into one or summer song medleys that fuse all the popular summer hits into one song, and the summer 2011 medley is up for download.  Not only do Kurt and Sam make videos of cover songs, but they have filmed music videos for original songs too - I recommend watching those too!

Aside from the music aspect of their work, they have been filming College Musical, which I want to believe is a somewhat parody of High School Musical.  The songs written for this musical are absurd and incredibly exaggerated, but they're hilarious!  If you want a good laugh, I'd go watch the first episode right now!  I've been patiently anticipating the release of it, but it still hasn't come out yet...what gives?!

Amely break up

On Tuesday, November 1st, Florida-based boy band, Amely, announced their unfortunate breakup.  They posted the disheartening message on Facebook:

"Dear friends, family, and dearest fans,

We regret the news that many of you have feared, but the time has come where Amely is no more.

This decision did not come lightly and was the effect of a great ... number of things that seemed beyond our control. It has been a more than amazing journey with our best friends and this destination we've now reached is not an end, it is a new beginning. Although we have been extremely discouraged by the discourse that fell upon us, we have not let it knock us down and we hope that you can stay strong with all of us.

Since the start of this year and even before that we have been writing for what we intended to be our first full-length album. As the chance to professionally produce our music appeared to grow further in distance we took it upon ourselves to record the songs that we had poured our hearts into. After combining the diverse and plenty skills of all 4 of us, these home recordings are all that's left of Amely. We believe this is some of our greatest work and we want to be able to share it with you. Though it may come as a parting gift, we hope this collection of songs finds you well. It may be the remains of Amely, but we hope it reminds you, this is not the end.

- Petie, Brandon, Patrick, and Nate"

 Along with this, the guys also posted a farewell video reminiscing about all the memories they've made as a band.

Before Amely takes its final bow, they're releasing an EP on iTunes and Spotify November 21st titled The Raliegh Sessions.  As a teaser for the album, they released a single, "Back to Love," (below) which will be on iTunes on Monday, November 7th.  If you're a fan of pop rock, I definitely recommend this band.

I never got the chance to see or hear these guys live, and I'm saddened that I wlil never be able to. In general, it's upsetting when a band decides to call it quits. I've seen it happen so much, and it's disappointing.  Though I disagree with the decision to call it quits, I hope the guys of Amely continue to keep music alive and never stop chasing their dreams.


("Back to Love")