If you are what you say you are...

... a superstar, then have no fear...

Woodies last night. Living the dream. I can now say I was on TV, and unlike any dumbass on Reality TV, I can say I had a good time.

I was all over a couple of the performances. Lupe Fiasco - Superstar, The Academy Is... - Big Mess, and there was a quick shot of me in Spank Rock's performance. I made MTV News, too. Score.


Wow... so other than the woodies, what has been going on in my life since July?

Concerts, concerts, concerts, resulting in poverty, hunger and new friends.

Beautiful Disaster (locals)
Hanson
The Smashing Pumpkins
Sleeping With Giants Tour (TAI,TRS,Sherwood,AFS,CS) x2
Bright Eyes
Woodies

Hmm... is that all? It seemed like more.

They were all AWESOME. Enough said.

Concerts aside, I've picked up my brother's bass and started trying to play that thing again. So far, so good. But nobody cares about that.

End.

It's been a while...

In a little less than an hour, the MTVU Woodies are going to be premiering on MTVU (pardon my spelling, it's gone downhill a bit since school started and sickness has picked up).

Right, so they say they're the "only award show that matters" to college students, but I feel like that's a false claim. Almost everyone I've talked to doesn't even know what the Woodies are, much less the channel MTVU.

I won't lie, I'm pretty stoked for them, but I was also there. Even so, it was a pretty good show, aside from Spank Rock who scared me a little bit but I kept dancing (cameras were on me, I couldn't not... it was fun anyway).

The Academy Is... got me tickets in (along with a slew of other fans who overlooked Annie Lennox to watch the band set up...) and I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to go (it was in New York, I am in Maryland).

They performed along with Spank Rock, Tokyo Police Club (who I'd never listened to but found out that they were pretty good), Lupe Fiasco (who was joined by Patrick Stump on stage) and Rilo Kiley (who took the place of Amy Winehouse; win-win).

I tried several times to suggest a story for the Towson newspaper (The Towerlight), but they really didn't seem interested.

Sure, they're not the VMAs but college kids actually had the chance to pick the winners AND see live performances of real music (although, I can't actually recall the last time I heard anyone talking about the VMAs - outside of Britney - either).

Maybe it's the cynic in me but I'm feeling a little less than enthused about things right now. Everyone in my hall is getting ready for a night on the clubs (which they do every week) and I'm sitting here waiting on the Woodies to start so I can stream it on my shitty internet.

Half hour to go. I'M still excited.

We are Starz...

Anyone who knows me remotely well knows that I picked up Zeitgeist (the new Smashing Pumpkins CD) as soon as I possibly could.

Anyone else who knows me vaguely knows that I found the last limited edition copy in my local Best Buy and bought it no questions asked.

And it's fucking great.

this is the soundtrack to your life...

...or at least it's the Gap soundtrack.

I think I'm actually going to start posting names of the songs and artists I really like from the Gap Soundtrack. That's one motivation to keep my job. The good music they play.

Most of it's not even mainstream. If it is, it's either old, the Gap heard it first, or EVERYONE'S favorite band (which just happens to make me hate them {i.e. The Killers, The Fray and Snow Patrol}).

Moving on...

Gap Soundtrack - June '07.

Chemistry of a Car Crash - Shiny Toy Guns
Stand Back - Stevie Nicks
Suffering for Fashion - Of Montreal
Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs
Sunlight - Natalie Imbruglia
One Horse Town - The Thrills
I Spy - Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.
That's No Way To Tell A Lie - James Dean Bradfield
Lift Me Up - Moby
Relax (Take It Easy) - MIKA
I Don't Wanna Be in Love - Good Charlotte (I had no idea...)
Fidelity - Regina Spektor
Outside - Aqualung
I Can't Stop This Feeling I've Got - Razorlight

And those were just the songs that I REALLY liked.

previous soundtracks included:
Brooklyn Stars - Matt Pond PA
Rainy Monday - Shiny Toy Guns
In Your Arms - Mylo
Waiting on the World to Change - John Mayer
DARE - Gorillaz
Special - Mew
Naive - The Kooks
Sky is Open - The Long Winters
In the Snow - The Roman Numerals
Like Vines - The Hush Sound
Back in Black - AC/DC
This Charming Man - The Smiths
Chicago - Sufjan Stevens
Keep it Simple - Cobra Starship
Better - Regina Spektor
She Moves in Her Own Way - The Kooks
Annie - Guillemots

All that comes to mind at the moment. But there will always be more where that came from... As long as I keep working there.

Starts With One...

June 22, 2007. Baltimore, Maryland. Sonar. Shiny Toy Guns.

First off, happy birthday to my brother. This was his present, even though I wanted to go, too.

Currently situated in Delaware, I found myself on a road trip back to home sweet Baltimore. I still can’t navigate this city for the life of me, so in addition to traffic, we got pretty lost and ended up getting there a half hour late. For some reason, doors still hadn’t opened.

Sometimes, I get the strange feeling that Shiny Toy Guns are more trouble than they’re worth. Then you see them live and the show makes up for it tenfold. (Oh, and why do I get this feeling? Because four out of the six opportunities I’ve gotten to see them something came up on one of our parts and the show didn’t happen. Of the two shows that I did see, they were AMAZING.)

Well, somehow, even though we go there late and found ourselves around the corner of Sonar, we still managed to get in the second row. And after making friends with the girls in front of us, they made room so that I could be up front and my brother would be behind me. Shout out number two, to Sharpies_SmellGood and her girlfriend (who I accidentally forgot to learn their names, but maybe one day).

The Hourly Radio was the first band to play. They weren’t bad. Some songs sounded straight out of the 1980s. I liked them the best. Most of my attention was focused on bass and drums – maybe it was because they were the most prominently heard instruments, maybe not. The bassist, Tim Jansen was good. A lot of the lines were really simple, but others were pretty amazing. Drums were pretty good – I only remember one song well, and Vanderkolk played his heart out. I didn’t particularly like the vocals. Possibly because I couldn’t hear them, and when I could they sounded as if they were jumbled and really high pitched – kind of like a cracked out robot. The guitarist, Ryan Short, didn’t stand out to me at all.

They actually sound completely different on recording. Check out their myspace. The recordings aren’t bad.

Stars of Track and Field were fucking weird. I’m just going to put that out there. I only recorded one song, but one or two songs afterwards really weren’t bad. Honestly, that may not have been the best way to do things. Everyone around me was creeped out by the first two songs and immediately turned off. The lead guitarist was very drunk and my brother said he reminded him of the elf-man on the Starburst Berries and Cream commercial. Not a bad comparison if I may say so. Their lighting on some songs was enough to give a person a seizure. It wasn’t good.

The band performed with two guitarists, a drummer and a Macintosh Laptop. Their bassist “lives in a computer,” as the lead singer said. Why not just bring another person in to play bass? Why use a computer? I’m not sure how I feel about that.

As for their recordings the recording of Centuries is much more tolerable than the performance. Just a little less creepy. Almost pretty. But still weird. That was the song they opened with. With You might have been the third song they played. That one was actually really pretty. Albeit they were weird, but they did have some really pretty songs. I might actually pick up their album at some point when I have some money.

This is where I’m going to put a disclaimer. Before you go into a show, make sure you’re well hydrated and well fed. Otherwise you’re not gonna feel so hot. Take it from me I’ve learned it the hard way several times. Last night included.

“Shiny Toy Guns! Shiny Toy Guns!” Somehow chanting isn’t as epic when it’s a tiny venue. As the band set up, you could actually see drummer Mikey Martin backstage talking with one of the members of The Hourly Radio and smoking a cigarette. While we waited for the band to come out, my brother, the girls next to us and I sat down for a little “picnic.” Somehow I’d gotten really hot and couldn’t stand up (hence the disclaimer) and decided not to make it worse by standing and waiting. Set up took a bit and when the lights when out we were up and ready to go.

They look so different since I last saw them – except Carah. She pretty much looks the same. Chad looks like he hasn’t slept since I last saw them. Mikey’s lost a lot of weight. For some reason I feel like he had ‘chubby charm,’ or something, and that’s why I found him attractive… I’m not quite sure. And Jeremy has cut his hair. You can actually see his face. Well, Carah got more tattoos on her arms, but that doesn’t make her look any different.

Set List:
Starts With One
Jackie Will Save Us (Kennedy)
Rocketships
Stripped
Rainy Monday
Le Disko
Chemistry of a Car Crash
Don’t Cry Out
Encore
Shaken
You Are the One

Anyway, after a brief introduction, the concert started with Starts With One – one of the favorites, so there’s no complaining there. Followed by Jackie Will Save Me (Kennedy). Carah’s voice is stellar. She and Jeremy are so energetic.

After that, they played an old demo that I’d actually never heard before. Rocketships. It was epic! They followed with Stripped – a cover of the Depeche Mode song. Any way you hear it, it’s such a great song.

“Hey guys? Do you know what day it is today???” Friday? My brother’s birthday? No apparently it, it was a Rainy Monday. Silly Jeremy. He made me laugh. I like him. A lot. Afterwards, they played the song that is currently on the Gap soundtrack. Chemistry of a Car Crash. I still REALLY like that song.

Requests? Requests? The Weather Girl!!!! FREEBIRD!!!!!!!!! Chad won about 80 million points in my book for playing the beginning of Freebird. I knew I liked him for a reason. They actually started playing Don’t Cry Out a bit later and then left the stage.

The encore consisted of Shaken and You Are the One. Honestly, it wouldn’t be a Shiny Toy Guns show without You Are the One. Jeremy is my favorite person to watch during that song, for some reason, him kicking ass on the keyboards is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen.

Jeremy was a lot more talkative than I remember him being. It was actually as if he was the front man of the band, which was really interesting. Carah Faye was all over the stage – interacting with everyone. She was great.

Aside from the music, the light show was AMAZING. I can’t even explain. But they certainly have gotten their lighting right.

Great, great, great show. Click around for goodies. (This is a test. The quality may not be amazing. But it's good enough for now.)

Artist Watch: Vera Mesmer

I was approached on MySpace by yet another artist - Vera Mesmer of the Boston area.

Self-described as "Rock / Pop / Alternative," Mesmer provides an arrary of what I might describe as "dark pop" songs.

Purpose keeps toes tapping. The song is essentially about a friends with benefits-type person (although, probably more along the lines of a "no strings attached" deal, with less friendship), asking the question, "Do you serve a purpose, do you?" The main guitar riff is fun, like I said, it keeps your toes tapping. The chorus shifts, but the beat is still the same.

I'd like to say here and now, that I LOVE You and I. First off, it's pretty. It enters with a single line of piano, after which it's repeated with piano, drums and strings (and I think that everyone knows that strings make a song about ten times prettier. ... except in the case of the version of Hey There, Delilah, by the Plain White Ts that they play on the radio, because acoustic guitar is completely good on it's own and the strings just stand out in a not so good way. ANYWAY...). It might just be me, but I completely related to this song, and I think a lot of others would, too. It's essentially about having to grow up and being afraid about it.

Room With a View was the first song I heard when I approached is site. Immediately I was turned on but the piano, of course. This song absolutely reminds me of Silverchair. Lyrically, the song is pretty cryptic. The piano isn't quite music-box-esque, but they've got a tone I've got yet to describe. The guitars are empowering, not overpowering, and the vocal harmonies aren't quite haunting, but the almost drone-like lower line adds 10 times of the power to that song.

The final song on his MySpace is Stranger. The riff at the beginning is almost Foo Fighters-eque. Piano cuts through and gives the intro character. The second verse enters with the same piano line from the intro, alone this time. The song keeps jumping, but all the transitions work. The lyrics are a little repetitive. That's what you get with a pop song though.

Vera's voice is really strong. His chest range is relatively large and he can control it. His head voice matches his chest voice and he's really easy to listen to. Like I mentioned before, he's very similar to Daniel Johns. And that's not a bad thing.

Vera's MySpace.

I recommend you stop by.

strong enough to write

A+ on my rock music paper.
I could have published this a month ago, but where would the fun be in that?

Anyway. It's on Hanson and their struggle with their record label.
I impressed some people. Maybe you'll be impressed, too.

Independence Over Majority: Facing the Music Business the Hard Way

Musicians are entertainers, business people, but first, they are artists. Putting musical notes, instruments and, in some cases, words together is their way of personal expression. Creating something that sells is not their main concern, whereas that is exactly what many major record labels are looking for. In 2001, Hanson faced this clash of interests and dealt with it by creating their own record label. As record labels work to package music that sells, recording artists seek new ways to release their music; this has always been a motivation for the “Indie Movement.”

It is generally assumed that it is a necessity for a musician to be on a major label to be promoted to and well-received by the public (Caves, 83). Although the labels are meant for musicians to produce their music, they are also businesses which have to make decisions for their own benefit. Many contracts are one-sided and typically to the advantage of the label (79).

Record labels primarily rely on radio to promote their artists. In 2004, it was still the top promoter of mainstream music (Hull, 184). Since popular songs get the most airplay, labels are pressured to produce something that will get played (231). This is the conflict. True musicians create music for the love of the art rather than the money and do not consider what would be likely to get played. “Art for art’s sake” is a phrase used to describe the fact that artists profit from doing something creative (Caves, 74). Labels take advantage of this through artists who accept money for making music the labels want rather than what they would like to create (74).

Musicians also have the right to choose the label that they would like to sign with – depending on the offers given. Whether they would like to be on a big label or a smaller one can sometimes be the same decision as whether they want to record their own music over recording a record that is guaranteed to sell (Hull, 144).

Before recording, artists are granted an advance, which includes royalties the album is expected to make (Caves, 79). The money given is to encourage the artist to record efficiently, rather than have the end result the way they would like it (79). In some cases, labels can decide to stop artists from recording if they find another that is more exciting, or they can decide not to record at all (Hull, 143).
Labels are responsible for obtaining master copies of musicians’ recordings and to market them (Hull, 121). Once received, they can choose to accept and promote them or reject and drop them from the label (145). Labels have proven to be conservative in choosing what to release and tend to follow what has been successful in the past (137). Should they choose to sell the album, the artist is then expected to release another, and the cycle begins (Caves, 79). The royalties that the album initially makes are set to cover the advance supplied to record and the artist only sees the royalties after the advance is covered (79).

Hanson, who achieved huge success in 1997 with their song “MMMBop” and their corresponding album Middle of Nowhere, was a victim of their record label. The recording process of their third album took over 40 months and involved over 80 songs (Greyson). If they had not stood up for what they wanted the album probably never would have been recorded.

Placed on Island Def Jam after the Big Six (conglomerate labels) merged into the Big Five, this was to be Hanson’s first record with the label (Boehlert). Jeff Fenster and other producers at Island Def Jam did not believe that the proposed songs for the album included a profitable single and continually delayed the band from recording (Greyson).

Displeased with the sales results of Hanson’s second album compared to those of their first, Fenster continued to dismiss their songs saying they did not have the “Hanson sound” (Greyson). It had been four years since the release of their first album; the boys had grown physically and mentally and they were each at different points in their lives. The band was going in another direction and as a result, their music was changing (Greyson). Dan Keyes, of Young Love, describes the change well, “It’s growing and changing. You don’t listen to the same music forever – as a musician, or artist, you don’t write the same music forever” (Keyes).

Looking back, drummer, Zac Hanson, said, “It was like we went from trying to make a record to trying to get a record made.” In the summer of 2001, Hanson had produced 23 songs, but, according to Fenster, none were good enough to be on the album (Greyson). Tired of the struggle they were facing with the label they decided to put their foot down. Two years after beginning the process of recording Underneath, they left Island Def Jam and formed their own independent label, 3CG Records (Greyson).

“We felt that 3CG was the right artistic decision for us,” Isaac Hanson said. “We just wanted to be in control of the way our content was delivered” (Dansby). They produced an album that probably never would have been released under the major label and debuted at number 25 on the Billboard charts (Greyson).

The effects of this struggle show in their album Underneath. “Strong Enough to Break,” with lyrics such as “just a figure in a monopoly game,” and “I start feeling the walls close in,” provided an outlet for how the industry made them feel (Hanson).

In addition to their label, Hanson created an organization supporting music and independent artists called “Are You Listening?” The website’s message reads, “Great music is out there and people are finding it. … It is time for us as fans of quality, choice and trust to step up and say ARE YOU LISTENING? ... We need to say it to radio, TV, press and record companies and also to bands, because they need to know you want music that speaks to you.” (AYL).

Indie rock has several definitions – some confining it to being an obscure artist, others describing it as music that is not produced on a major record label (Hibbett, 58). It is the musical counterpart to mainstream, and is all-inclusive when it comes to subgenres. Indies view mainstream production as music that “masks a lack of substance or artistic creativity” with technology and what has proven to sell (Hibbett, 62).

As of late, independent record labels only account for 16% of all record sales, but are host to 66% of all artists (Hull, 136). Indie labels are smaller, self-sufficient labels which are not owned by any of the major corporate labels (Hibbett, 58). Some include Thrill Jockey, Victory Records and Hope Division Records. Unlike major labels, they provide more creative freedom and have a much better connection with their artists (Sprague, 1). Indies allow for musicians who do not follow the format perceived popular to produce records (Hibbett, 57).

Major record labels tend to produce what is popular, while independents create the opportunity for musicians to be heard. Hanson is a prime example of an independent group. Although their sound is not anything out of this world or “under-produced,” it is what they wanted it to be. They abandoned what would seem like an exclusive spot on the roster of a major record label to achieve that. They and many artists who “miss out” on the opportunity to be featured on a major label form a musical union (the independents), which gives every musician the chance to have their music heard.

References Cited:
Boehlert, Eric. 1998. “Industry: new owners for Hanson, Hole and Beck?” in Rolling Stone.
Caves, Richard E. 2003. “Contracts Between Art and Commerce.” in The Journal of Economic Perspectives.
Dansby, Andrew. 2004. “Hanson Leaves the Garage,” In Rolling Stone.
Greyson, Ashley. 2004. Strong Enough to Break. 3CG.
Hanson, Isaac, Taylor Hanson, Zachary Hanson. 2004. Underneath. 3CG Records
Hibbett, Ryan. 2005. “What Is Indie Rock?” in Popular Music and Society.
Hull, Geoffrey. 2004. “The Recording Industry.” New York: Routledge
Keyes, Daniel. 2007. Personal Interview.
Sprague, David. 2001. “Thrill Jockey’s Artistc Intimacy: Label Earns Identity as ‘Redfined’ Indie,” in Billboard.
n.a. 2004. “AYL: The Message,” on the Are You Listening Website.

Hey, let's KICK it...

-- Tony the Beat (the Sounds)

Anyway, I'm on a Pink Floyd kick right now (I wonder if anyone else even uses that term...). Meaning, I have this insatiable urge to listen to Pink Floyd.

My question is "Are musical kicks, as such, a good thing or a bad thing?"

Let's go through the pros and cons, shall we?

Pros:
+you get to listen to what you like.
+you find new things about what you like.
+you find new things thanks to it.

Cons:
-too much of a good thing.
-might not like what you'd found.
-may find you only like something so much.

Hmm, I MAY have to think on this more. But at current, they seem perfectly okay with me.

We have a winner!

For those of you with MySpace, I'm sure you've encountered a steady flow of music that you've never even heard of.

I used to delete all mine, but then I figured what's the use in that? It's actually a good way to find new bands and keep updated on them. Honestly, I don't take as much advantage of this as I could, but I'm pretty damn tired.

ANYWAY, a majority of these requests are usually musicians who's style doesn't really peak my interest OR bands are bombs that make me wonder why anyone being able to put music on the internet is even possible.

Then we get winners like Mew. This group just requested me a few days ago on MySpace and I was pleasantly surprised. Their song Surprise was actually on the Gap soundtrack a few months ago. I knew I'd heard the name before, but I thought I was just reminiscing to my PokeMon days. Nope.

Again, they're a band I can't exactly describe. They describe themselves as "alternative/indie/rock." I supposed I'd follow that, but you'd also have to throw a little bit of Imogen Heap to the mix and she chooses to not describe herself.

I wonder how these find people. There's got to be something. I guess I'll have to sift through the bad to get to the good. The winner's make the pain worth it.


(I'm sure this wasn't as good as it could be, but you try working two jobs and being witty.)

like a dream (at tempo 119)...

FINALLY (yea, another one of these).

last night (13 may, 2007) i saw silversun pickups. right up the street from my school. and to think i was going to go to canada to see them.

silversun pickups are a little band out of los angeles, california. they are like no band you've ever heard. they're slightly smashing pumpkins-esque, but with a lot more distortion. check out the review i wrote on their album carnavas.

because of previous line experiences, i decided to make a day of it. i brought a couple books and some other things to do, and sat down in front of recher theatre at 1 in the afternoon. i was bored to death. no one else showed up until 5 (my new friend nikolay). and the line only began to pick up at 6 (an hour before doors opened). shh. i'm dedicated. and outdoor sushi on the sidewalk was pretty amazing.

doors opened at 7. sea wolf (the opening band) didn't start until 8:30. needless to say, missy and i made new friends. tyler and amanda bynes who were behind us, and sammie, the door staffer from club 9:30. tyler likes music. he plays bass for circadian rhythm, and i want to hear them, because they sound awesome. for high schoolers. sammie likes french fries with ranch dressing. i like anything with ranch dressing.

sea wolf was great. we had keys, cello, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass and drums. they were folk/rock/something else. solid set. i was happy with it. you never know with those bands you haven't heard before. sure, i could have looked them up on myspace, but let's face it. i do not use the internet to my advantage, even with as much time as i spend on here. if YOU happen to look at bands online, you should check them out. they're pretty good (amazing).

give it another half hour and silversun came on. i was so excited. seriously. sammie and i talked for a while. smashing pumpkins, pink floyd, several species, stealing music and of course, silversun pickups.

hello nikki, joe, christopher and brian. brian amuses me, and i'm pretty sure there was eye sex. i'll never know though. recorded the whole show, can't wait to listen to it. they're all really great to watch in addition to listen to. christopher is nuts on the drums. brian loves distortion, cutting sound off and dancing. nikki and joe are really chill though.

(new hero. yea. i said it. you can check my myspace.)

brian is great as front man. he's talkative, interactive and silly. not to mention eye contact and smiles. he sang a bit from willy wonka before kissing families, and he also made up a song. the show was an adventure. plus it was intense. i'd love to see them live again.

i plugged the zine when i met them, and i think i'm christopher's new best friend. they're nice.

***
off topic. school's almost out (thank god!), and i was published in the towerlight again. feature story this time. that was april 30. i haven't written since, but why not plug myself?

see you soon! =)

get famous.

i'm published.

in the towerlight. my college paper. baltimore's number one college paper.

it's just a review. of 1997.
i don't think it's on the site.
but i'm on print.

and i might be doing something else.
i write for the arts.

hello future.

Tragedy

People write songs about bad things that happen.

Who's gonna write about Virginia Tech?

Slacking...

Right. So, I haven't updated. In a really long time.

School is a big hassle. Let me tell you. Actually, you don't care, so I won't tell you. But I'm pretty busy.

Had my first interview EVER with Young Love on Saturday. I'm still sort of on a high. Just because he's so chill. Unlike me. Yea. Interview should be up soon though.

Practise makes perfect, right? Professionalism and conversationalism are really hard for me to put together. Probably because I never talk about anything seriously.


Planning a roadtrip this weekend. Because I'm insane. But Dan's leaving ActionReaction and, of course, they don't have any dates close by, so who has to travel? Me. That's right.

People shouldn't be allowed to quit bands. Then again, we wouldn't have new bands if people didn't move on.

End.

(P.S. I think the name Dan should be outlawed. There are far too many.)

Killing the Cure

For lack of a better title, they're who I'm listening to right now.

Spring break and midterms have taken a toll on my life. Maybe that's why I've abandoned the perfectly laid out plan for this blog. (I actually do have interesting things planned for this).

Last Thursday I went to Taste of (death, ghey, neardeathexperience) Chaos, and I may or may not have broken a rib. Anyway, as I stood/sat/laid in line for, oh, eight hours, I met this guy (yea, he was cute, I'm not gonna lie).

We did a lot of talking, and somewhere in that eight hours, I mentioned my Kill Hannah tour. He said something to the effect of me needing to see more bands. I didn't really have a valid argument as to why I kept seeing Kill Hannah... maybe the fact that there haven't really been any shows I've been dying to go to (except Silversun Pickups which has been sold out for weeks, and Cold War Kids, which is actually tonight, which just sold out last week). Go figure.

Anyway, I just saw Kill Hannah again the other night, and was introduced to a really good "local" band from Virginia Beach, called Killing the Cure. This brings me to my point, I may be seeing the same HEADLINER over and over, but the opening acts are all different. I'm still finding new bands all the time... So who's to say it's a bad thing that I've gone to a lot of Kill Hannah shows?

Next entry: Possibly a comparison of two of my favorite bands.

enter rambling...

+ i like silversun pickups. a lot. they're one of those bands that will lift you out of that gloomy place if you need it. then again, they're good at keeping you there, too. i like that.

+ i've been sitting at this computer for several hours, just listening to music. trying to figure something out. i still haven't gotten it yet, but the music makes that a little bit more acceptable.

+ warped tour is really bringing me down this year. there are a few bands that i'd like to see this year, but most of them aren't playing my city. i think i've just determined that i am going on the trip to texas that i was contemplating. and i watch warped tour spiral down.

+ is it necessarily a good thing that ANYONE with a computer and recording equipment can start to put things on the internet? spare me, please. true, some acts are really good, but other things i'd really rather not waste my time with.

+ has anyone else every listened to something so spectacular that it made you feel like less of a person? i have.

+ i have the utmost respect for recording ARTISTS. anyone who has the guts to do what they love, and risk financial stability is more respectable than royalty in my opinion.

ramble over. for the moment.

on tour...

Back in January, I went on a nine day Kill Hannah spree.
This is the story:

Watching: Party Monster, That's So Raven, Suite Life of Zach and Cody

Reading: Trashy magazines, hotel Bibles, Arrive magazine

Listening to: Kill Hannah, Action Reaction, Love Arcade, The Pink Spiders, The Spill Canvas, The Sounds, The Smiths, The Faint, High School Musical Soundtrack, Placebo

Eating: Pasta Bowls, McDonald's Quiznos, Cup of Noodles - Creamy Chicken, Buffalo Chicken Salad, Pasta Afredo (with Broccoli)

Drinking: Candy, Jager Bombs, Andre, water, Gatorade, Bottled Cat Piss

This is the story of a

PUNK (me)


NERD (sammy)


FASHIONISTA (marni)


And their GIRLY MAN escort (Robert)


Who separately accompanied Kill Hannah on a nine-day tour. Whoever said, “What happens on tour stays on tour,” obviously didn’t realize that some things are too good to be kept a secret… This is one girl’s chance to be “Almost Famous,” so here we go.

Living a lie is not as easy as one imagined the Punk and the Nerd quickly found out. The two of them were hiding the entire trip from their parentals, even though they were completely legal. The Nerd was auditing a class, and the Punk was visiting her friends in New York City (which she would do later on in the weeks).

I was the last to be picked up, and I had to squish everything I had, essentially into one bag. Mama Bruiser did her best for this trip, and we love her for that. (I’m going to mention right here, that I really which my laptop battery would last for more than an hour… I need some Energizer right here.) First stop Pittsburgh. Lots of interesting sites on the way – If only we’d had time we totally would have visited Amish country. We did see one Amish man on the way, so I guess he counts.

Anyway, a road trip isn’t a road trip without some good music, pretty scenery and Dutch Wonderland. We had big dreams for this road trip. Partying like rock stars, finding the World's Largest Cup of Yogurt, being so smashed we wouldn't remember the trip and WAFFLE HOUSE.

The road to Pittsburgh was really windy and wonderful and we went through tunnels. After a .75$ toll, we found ourselves in HARMARVILLE, Pennsylvania. Who really names a place Harmarville? Moving on, we got our asses in gear for the first of a long line of shows. Mr. Small’s Funhouse was probably the most interesting of venues. Once a church, I couldn’t help thinking that where the bands were playing used to be a huge crucifix. And I laughed. I also felt like one of them (i.e. the scenesters at the venue), damn my two-colored hair. Rachael Barbash of Heroine Dreams was there snapping shots, so we met her briefly, she was very nice.











This is where we were introduced to The Love Arcade and The Pink Spiders. I definitely enjoyed both sounds – I can’t say they meshed very well, but I enjoyed them. The members of The Love Arcade proceeded to do their own variations of the robot while performing. I was enthralled to say the least.

Love Arcade was what could easily be described as dance rock, but would likely to be categorized as Pop-Rock in Entertainment Weekly. Snowhite, Thomas, Seth, Nathanael and Dorman light up the stage as they co-mingle with the music and each other, pulling the audience into their own little world.

The Pink Spiders, while a little too pretty for their own good, proceed to take the stage by storm with their 80s punk revival/pop-rock collaboration. As Matt Friction sings, teenage girls scream along and bassist Jon Decious punctuates with his own. Drummer Bob Ferrari keeps control on a leopard print drum kit. See them live before deciding whether or not to keep listening.

We got there late, but not late enough to miss an entire set, so we wondered where Action Reaction was (we later learn that they hit a cow, read their myspace blog for more details). The first of several surprises on tour, Kill Hannah played Kill Hannah and Cherub Rock, claiming they’d never played it outside of Chicago. It made my night, even though afterwards we proceeded to get lost in the corporate district of Pittsburgh for an hour and later I burnt my tongue on Cup of Noodles. At least I got to see the houses on the hills.

Day two brought us to Buffalo: An All-American City, New York. It was a three-and-a-half hour drive, but we made it. Broken mirrors and electrical tape made Mama Bruiser Awesome in ways you couldn’t even imagine. We were 20 minutes away from Canada, next door to a Guitar Center, across the street from You Go Girl! Handbags, and a few blocks down from a Friendly Hooters.

Taco Bells seem to be taunting us as we make our way to each hotel – and I promised myself no outside food except for New York pizza.











Slightly less obnoxious pink hair, a stained hotel room, a Blue Nun and some duct tape later, we’re ready to go to the Buffalo Icon, until Robert forgot his ticket. We completely missed the Love Arcade and half of the Pink Spiders set

Kill Hannah’s set was the same, minus Kill Hannah and Cherub Rock. They were replaced with Nerve Gas and a story about Mat’s first experience with marijuana. It happened in Buffalo, of course it was relevant.















That night, we somehow managed to be far more tipsy than we imagined for the little we drank. We had a photo session, feminized Mat Devine, watched Raven and had a battle with the toilet. We won.





































On the way to Hartford, Connecticut (day three) on Interstate 90, we all noticed the really pretty scenery around us – even Sammy, who was driving at 90 mph. She screamed at us to take some pictures, which is exactly what we did. The tiny little towns were cute and I wanted to visit and say ‘hello.’ Maybe go into a Mom and Pop’s General Store.













11:56 am. Onondaga, New York brings us into contact with State Trooper Riley. 97 in a 65. Sammy’s first ticket. As she searches for her wallet, she says, “Sorry, we packed fast this morning.” Trooper Riley: “Yea, you were driving fast, too.” Just a small damper on our good timing. Moral of the story: Kill Hannah and Shiny Toy Guns make you speed.





That night we realized how little of the rock star life we were actually living. Back at the hotel by 10:30 pm, buzz worn off halfway through the show. God, this trip was such a lame idea.

Then again, we danced our asses off in the front row of Webster Underground (Hartford, CT), met some cool non-scenester girls (DeAnna, Kyra and Tanya – they come back in New York), and made friends with the Love Arcade.









This was the first night that we saw Action Reaction, because it was the first night that they were playing. It was also the first night that we got to the venue on time. A rare occasion. Little did we know that Action Reaction would later become my best friends on tour – for the time being, they were the hippie band with the incense. I introduced myself to the lead singer, who used to sing for Further Seems Forever (NOT Chris Carraba), on my search for a bathroom.





Action Reaction, a three piece out of Northern New Jersey, is comprised of Jason Gleason (former lead singer of Further Seems Forever), and Bella and Salvatore (formerly of Element 101). The touring members of the band (Dan, Josh and Shawn) do not reserve themselves at all on stage and anyone could (and will be) fooled into believing that they have been with the band from the beginning. Of the four bands on tour, Action Reaction is the most intense, despite their serene presence. It’s easy to see that they love what they do.



By this point we had also established that we very much enjoy the Love Arcade. Dancing, the robot and angel wings are a very good combination in my book. After the show, we’d hung out at their merch table, where Dorman, the drummer, proceeded to tell us the life story of the band (i.e. Christian is the brain, the rest of them are Ninja Turtles – except for Tony; he’s just there for the ride). He, Marni and I became the Strange Name Crew. Dorman will henceforth be known as Dollar Bill.





The Toothless Roadie was a creep. He kept using me as a hand rest, which makes no sense because I have no balance. Since I felt like I kept getting in his way, I went to apologize and he kissed my cheek. I remain confused.

We meet Bob IV. Possibly the coolest drummer on tour.



This was the night we also decided that Kill Hannah needs to chill the fuck out with the fog. It’s nearly impossible to get a good picture A. because the fog takes over the flash, or B. I’m moving so much the camera isn’t steady enough to take a picture without flash.

Mat Devine was cracked out. He played with my hair, Marni’s necklace, and yelled at us for speeding.



I hate Connecticut. It really creeps me out with its inland beach houses. And you know things are bad when you consider McDonald’s to be real food.





A lonely Jew in Clifton. Day four was in a tiny little Christian town called Clifton Park in Upstate New York. Funny thing was that this little town had the most insane crowd of them all… I’m going to guess that this had to do with Saosin being at the show that night.

Pre-show we found a Quizno’s. Best real food ever. Afterwards we went on an alcohol run, and I got carded, even though I wasn’t buying. Just another good use for the college ID. Went shopping, tried on some ugly shit and ended up getting some really cool old man pants. Back at the hotel, we got ready and I introduced everyone to Candy. Needless to say everyone was enamored.









(I assume most everyone does not know what Candy is. It’s simply a mixture of Coca Cola and Buttershots Butterscotch Schnapps and it is probably the most delicious drink you will ever have).









Drunk in the car. Very, very happily drunk we went into the Northern Lights (in hopes of dancing), where we missed Love Arcade, so we hid in the bathroom and drank more. Met a cool mom who we talked to for a while. Also met a former stripper and believe that we’ve found our new calling in life. (It’s big money. Who needs dignity when you’re that drunk?)

I was convinced I looked like I wanted to be a Pink Spider. I took a picture with Jonathan for that very reason. This lead to me later on noticing that I wore the same sweatshirt and scarf just about everyday. It made me feel a little bit disgusting.

I bought a Pink Spiders belt from Jeremy (their tour/merch bitch) because mine was quickly dying.

(I can’t drive drunk in a video game, I’m never driving drunk in real life.)

Mat dedicated Goodbye, Goodnight to us, and, unfortunately, I completely missed it. I talked to Jonny for a while, and he told me he didn’t want me to look at his face. I also talked to Action Reaction and Dan made me take a signed poster.









Woke up to snow on the ground and wondered how Mama Bruiser would take to the roads.

Onto New York City. Back home… sort of. My friend Danielle came along and we stayed with my friend Marika who came to the show as well. Basically missed Action Reaction and the Love Arcade due to my horrible planning skills – things worked out though so it was all good. So, after getting ready in the Fordham bathrooms, we took the D downtown, walked in a circle and made our way to the Bowery Ballroom. The venue itself was one crazy adventure – I may have gotten lost once or twice.

We watched the Pink Spiders from the balcony, having not eaten all day the show was really a bust. Sam met up with a friend and the two of them and Marni left on the search for food. I wasn’t about to leave my friends in the middle of a show, but I ended up third row in the pit for Kill Hannah. I’m pretty sure that was the influence of DeAnna. After nearly passing out, I went and found my friends again, left and made my rounds around the venue. After commenting on Matt Friction’s pants and comparing them with my own, flirting with a drunken Jonathan Delicious, randomly conversing with Mat Devine and Bob IV and meeting Dave from Havok in Hollywood we left and went on a search for food.

Like I said, we hadn’t eaten and as it was post 11 pm, all the pizza shops were closed. So we did the next best thing. We went grocery shopping and bought all the necessary supplies for pizza. And I learned why you don’t go grocery shopping when you’re hungry.


This shit looked so good.




Even the bread crumbs looked amazing.




It was the best pizza ever.

Robert stayed for the after party and ended up sleeping at Penn Station. That man is insane.

HIGH SCHOOL MUUUUUUUSICAL!!!! Getcha Head in the Game.

That’s right. The next day I went home because I’d gotten tickets to see High School Musical: The Concert that night. I’m pretty sure I was the oldest person there, besides the parents and the actors. I had a blast.

While I was “Breaking Free,” Marni, Sam and Robert hit up Sketchville (aka Asbury Park, New Jesey). Robert had gotten food poisoning, so it was just the girls at the Stone Pony. I heard interesting stories about PacMan, McDonald’s and a Banana.

The next night I drove down to Towson, MD because our plans were all sorts of screwed up. Once again, home. We stayed at my apartment, so there was no fuss this time. Somehow we still managed to get to Recher late.

Being on home turf means you know people. It also means you don’t like people. Val, Bryan, Bacon, DJ Lemz and Dustin were of the good. The 12 year old scenesters and the massively warm temperature were of the not so good.









We missed Action Reaction again. I think the next tour we go on will be an Action Reaction Mini Tour just to make up for all the shows we’d missed.

Love Arcade was fabulous and I’m pretty sure we were the only people dancing. After the show, Christian was just chilling over by the merch table. He looked really sad, so I went to talk to him. (Note to self: When going to talk to someone, make sure you have the ability to hold a conversation.)

Pink Spiders still haven’t changed their set list. They didn’t come out after the show, either. Apparently, Jonathan was sick. Poor little Southern Boy.

Recher was so hot. Sammy and I each bought two bottles of water, at least. We were that thirsty.





We also ran into a guy with a tail. It was awesome, but I’m pretty sure he was a little scared of us…



Kill Hannah was fabulous, as always. Rebel Yell and Welcome to Chicago. Then Bacon proposed to Mat or something… He also told Thomas that he looked like someone he’d had sex with a couple years back. Strange thing was that Thomas didn’t mind.

I, on the other hand, had taken to talking with Action Reaction. First was Salvatore (who, at this point we still didn’t know his name). I said something about High School Musical, and we bonded over doing musicals in high school and being tenors. Jason wanted to join in, so he did. Then Dan came along and we talked about nothing in particular, I suppose, until he started talking about girls giving him a hard time, drinking and not remembering anyone’s name. I invited him back to my apartment for some absinthe, and then he disappeared. The war begins: NOW.

Afterwards, I had my first taste of absinthe. The historically accurate was much better than the second one I tasted, but it was a very interesting feeling – drunk, but not. As Robert and I ordered pizza, Marni and Sammy disappeared. Apparently they were getting food, but my selective hearing chose not to follow that.













The next day was the first day any of us could sleep in for once. Before we could head up to Philadelphia, PA we had to drop my car back off. Mom meets the crew. And we’re off again. But first we visited Claire at work and picked up a surprise for Greg.



Of course we’re in Philadelphia the night of an Eagles game. Let it be known, that I hate the Eagles, but I wasn’t about to say a thing, for I value my life. We were probably the only people in the hotel that weren’t wearing any green.

We’d gotten ready and began the night with a spot of Andre. Being classy with cheap champagne, because that’s how we do. Afterwards, we made ourselves a couple Jager Bombs, which were awful, due to warm liquid. Afterwards, we called a taxi and had a couple bottles of Candy to go – or so we thought. Our taxi driver was possibly the coolest ever. We called him Prince Ali, and we told him we were going to call him to pick us up, and he said that he would buy us alcohol. We decorated his taxi with a heart and Patrick the starfish.










Stereotypes



Finally, we’d gotten to a show on time. I drunkenly gave Matt Friction the wrong directions to 11th Street, and afterwards some girl asked us who it was and proceeded to scream giddily. Since we couldn’t take our bottles in, we chugged our Candy and went into the Trocadero, said hello to Bella, Marni bought gloves, and we made our way to the front row.

“WE LOVE YOU, BELLA!!!” We cried out as Action Reaction played.



After they played, Sammy and I went to use the bathroom. It was possibly the greatest bathroom ever, but I was too distracted by the fact that my stomach was going to explode, just deepening my hatred for carbonated beverages.



Cherub Rock part deux, and this time I called Danielle. She was a little angry when they didn’t play it in New York. And all was right with the world.

Afterwards, I proceeded to commiserate with the Love Arcade boys on how much their band sucked. Later Thomas came over and ranted about how someone slammed a door in his face. I never thought I’d see that boy angry, but he was pissed. He swears that he didn’t give me a dirty look from stage – I think he’s lying. Just one more reason to hate them.

Then there’s Action Reaction. I see Dan and Dan sees me. I yell at him and he yells back. I told him I wasn’t being stalker-y and he tells me I left. I told him I was right there, he says he didn’t see me so he went back to the van. Sal interrupts and tells us that we need a more stable relationship, so I latch onto him. Much better. And then Dan writes on my face. I glared at him and turned my attention to Jason, who was very interested in my hat (which I’d found in my car) because he said he had the same one. Mine’s from H&M. His is from Target. He made me smell fake flowers, and I made them into a pen and signed one of their posters for them. Honestly, who needs autographs when you can give them out yourself?

Afterwards, I was just walking around the venue and Dan from Kill Hannah offers me a sticker. Instead of taking one, I offered to hand them out for him. And I did. This one guy (I think his name was Mat) wouldn’t take one though. Dan told me not to worry. That the guy was a fag anyway.

Prince Ali didn’t pick up his phone, no taxis were driving by and it was starting to rain. It looked like we were fucked, but there was a Malaysian restaurant next door that was open, so we went in and got some dinner. We also took Robert’s sushi virginity. That food was so good, damn that Holiday Inn for not having refrigerators.



The next morning I awoke to a messy pillowcase. My markings had transferred from my face to the pillowcase, it was actually really amusing. We packed up quick and made our way to Lancaster, PA. Instead of stopping at tourist attractions (since there were none), we got to the hotel, got ready and stood in the rain for three hours. This was the only night that this happened, as it was DAY NINE. Our last show. Too bad it was in the Metropolis for the Amish. The only thing that was open was a McDonald’s. Not that we knew where that was, so Marni and I went adventuring for food. No burritos, no Subway, no anything else. We ran into Jeremy on the way. But no, Subway wasn’t open, so we had to wander more. Nathanael pointed us in the direction of the McDonald’s. We got it, and walked back and ran into Dorman who asked if there was a McDonald’s that way. No, Dorman. We shit Mickey Dee’s. Would you like a milkshake?







Finally, doors are about to open, and some fourteen year olds and their Amish mother decide that they’re VIP, so they can go in before us. Well, Marni’s got her ass-kicking boots on, and the rest of us who have been waiting all day just aren’t going to take any shit. Unfortunately, they did get in before us, but they wasted their chance to get up front by talking to people.

This night was insane. Add to the normal mix another local band called Le Baron and about 10 times more dancing. It was a really good night, and we were busted by the end of the show. Christian kept watching us as we danced to the Love Arcade. They also added Passenger to the mix. Jonathan was back and screaming, which made me happy. They played a couple of new songs from their old album, which weren’t too good. Kill Hannah made the night. They dedicated Kill Hannah to us, although we were supposed to choose the song… I think the video explains it a little better.





































After the show there was a bit of talking, but because Lancaster’s such a shithole, they kept trying to kick us out of the venue. And they wouldn’t let me go to the ATM downstairs and come back.

Anyway, we got the essential pictures and talked a bit. Bella promised me some gloves. Sal wrote a dot on my hand to "remember his existence." I got revenge on Dan. Bought a bunch of merch, thanks to Sammy and her wad of cash. Then we got kicked out, where we ran into Elias, who had never come out before. But of course I didn’t get to say hi, because Jason from Action Reaction pulls me aside and we start talking. It works, I guess.











































Eventually we got kicked out of the stairwell, too. So we went to the back, where we waited for Greg with his surprise.



Just after he called me a drama queen.

Greg came over to us when he had a spare moment and we presented him with eight bags of Pepperidge Farm cookies. His response: “Oh, man. Mat’s going to tear you a new asshole.” Apparently Mat hates the cookies, and it’s Dan that actually eats them. You learn something new every day (Reference to the Kill Hannah Tour Journal)

Robert met up with a friend, so the two of them decided to go drinking. Us girls were starved, so it was dinner time. Unfortunately we got lost in the ghetto of Lancaster – yes, that is possible. Of course, because Lancaster is such a horrible town, everything was closed except for a 24-hour grocery store. So we bought a bunch of frozen food to heat up. But it’s just our luck that our hotel has no microwave. And the grocery store wouldn’t let us return our food. Bastards.

We settled on the EatnPark that we found just after we’d bought our frozen food. Luckily it was fantastic, and they served the best food we’d ever eaten in our lives. The fifth bit of real food we’d had in NINE days.

The next day we all went back to Baltimore. We ate our frozen food in my apartment, dropped Sammy off at hers and I went to the bus station in the middle of nowhere. New York was my destination and I stayed with my Fordham friends again and visited Dad. A comic book artist crushed my dreams of being a pure artist. Thanks. I'm back in Delaware, though.

Life on the road is far too insane. It's a little cramped. A little smelly. But it's so preferable to the real world. The only question I have is, “When can I go back?”