Blink-182 Concert Review! Aug 14th at The Post Gazette Pavillion

Incase you didn't know,I attended the concert of my life. My friend Alexis and I got there early so we could snag merch in our sizes (for some reason all the smalls sell out really fast). First thing that pissed me off was they wouldn't let us take in our draw string nike backpacks. Last year at warped tour they let us in with them but this time we had to pretty much throw them away (almost like throwing $20 away).

I'm gonna skip going in to every little detail about the concert, since I know you probably hate reading. I'm just going to do a "quick"review on each of the bands before I drop the pictures on you.

Cheaster French: I'll be honestly with you, I had never heard of this band before I saw them on the line-up for the concert. They suprized me by being good. Thier songs were up beat and danceable. I guess they made a rap cd too because the lead singer was talking about it but I did not hear them rapping. I actully think I'm going to check this band out, maybe they'll even be review worthy!

Panic(!) at the Disco: My history with Panic is alittle rocky. I felt indiffernet when I found out they were going to be playing this show. I really liked thier first cd when it first came out and no one knew about them. But then Pete Wentz had to run his mouth all over MTV and plug them and then at one point there were bigger than Fall Out Boy. That's when I stopped liking them. This was only more confirmed when they put out Pretty. Odd. After seeing them live at this show, my apperication for them was found again. Brendon Urie sang perfectly live. The band mostly played songs off of thier first album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. I think they only played two songs off of Pretty. Odd (one of those being the single "Nine in the Afternoon"). Brendon was funny and nice. Over all I thought they did a wonderful job and I would even concider seeing them again!

Fall Out Boy: I'm not even just saying this because I'm a hardcore FOB fan but Fall Out Boy have gotten so much better live. I was expecting alot less from them because I had seen TV performances where they sounded awful. But FOB has grown alot since I saw them two years ago at the same venue for the Honda Civic Tour. Patrick sang perfectly and didn't skip around with the words. Pete talked most of the time, typical Pete, but i enjoyed his little remarks none the less. I was very impressed by the setlist they chose to play. They picked alot of old favorites to play, even ones that weren't singles. The best part of thier show was when Pete had the audience decide on weather we wanted to wear "The Take Over" or a very old song. Not knowing what we were in store for, the crowd went nuts and picked the "very old song". Suddenly Brendon Urie came on stage and they started to play a cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' ". I don't even like Journey and I thought this was incredible. Fall Out Boy have always been known for bringing other bands out on stage with them to do a song. I remembered why Fall Out Boy is my favorite band after thier performance.

Blink-182: Somehow me and Alexis mangaged to seat hop up closer than we already were. The back ground for blink's show was neat (as pictured below). The had a large bunny set up near some of the amps (the bunny is blink's logo except this bunny was revamped from the 90's one we are so used to). They came out and ripped the stage apart with "Dumpweed" as thier first song. I have to say Blink's preformance was the best I have ever seen live. They choose alot of great songs, including all of thier hits and alot of fan favorites. Though the setlist seems like it might have been recycled from thier Greatest Hits tour before thier hiatus. I do wish they would have played more songs from Duderanch. Mark and Tom were as funny as ever. It reminded me of being able to experience TheMark, Tom, and Travis Show Live. I am still in awe. I am so greatful that I got to go to this show. It was way worth the $83.50 I paid for the ticket.

PICTURE TIME! I picked the best pictures out of the ones I took. Really these pictures don't do justice to where our seats were. Towards the end when Blink was playing my camera started to screw up and not focus in on anything.

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.editAlbumPhotos&albumID=2587071

Album Review: Four Year Strong "Explains It All"

I thought the combination of a band I merely liked and a cover album would be disastrous, but when I heard Four Year Strong’s Explains It All I was happily surprised! When my eyes rolled through the track list I smirked a little remembering all of the songs from growing up in the 90’s and spotting a couple from some of my favorite bands (No Doubt and Third Eye Blind). Maybe they are just following in the foot steps of another band almost in the same genre as them who like to cover 90’s hits that you would not associate them with (cough cough, New Found Glory).

Somehow, somewhere God (or whoever or whatever you believe in) shined upon this album and made it work. I would even say better than “work”. My personal opinion on Four Year Strong is that all of their songs sound the same. I like and can sing along with a couple of them but there are only so many variations of “Bada Bing! With A Pipe” my ears can withstand before my A.D.D. kicks in and I change to another artist. I wish you readers could have seen my face as I listened to the album. Seriously, my mouth was ajar the whole time. I was so taken aback that a band managed to stay true to the original songs but also make them their own. Often times, covers fall short of the original because you can not top the artist’s first intentions; obviously there was something that worked the first time around.

You have to chuckle to yourself a little bit when you see Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic”. I love that Four Year Strong had the balls to only change the song’s original lyrics a tad from “It’s meeting the man of my dreams and then meeting his beautiful wife” replacing “my” to “your”.

As hard as I am to please when some band is covering a Third Eye Blind song (BEDlight For Blue Eyes’s cover of “Jumper” on Punk Rock Goes 90’s is a perfect example of how horrible a TEB cover can be) Four Year Strong made the song explosive. They seem to have left out a verse, I’m sure it was intentionally, but as I was singing along I had to go back and listen to original to make sure I wasn’t going crazier than I already am.

I was blown away to find Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes featured on the song “Fly”. That definitely won brownie points in my book. Though McCoy’s “talking” throughout the song does not really do much.

I highly recommend you giving this cover Album a try. It is nice to see bands not taking themselves to seriously anymore. I think if you were a fan before Explains It All you’ll appreciate the humor more. Yeah, it’s kind of a joke, but we’re all here laughing right along with Four Year Strong.

Album Reivew!: Rancid's Let The Dominoes Fall

Hey Guys! Sorry for the lack of updates! My internet has been down for the past two or three weeks. I am currently updating from Panera Bread right now. I love wireless hot spots! Get in touch with me.


There are few bands that upon hearing the announcement of a new album I get giddy like a school girl: whether it is due to their dashing good looks or simply because they are a fucking awesome band. Betting on the latter (though Armstrong might be right up your alley), when Rancid dropped Let The Dominoes Fall my excitement was at a high. Six years after their last album, and with the gain of new drummer Braden Steineckert (who was formerly in the band

The Used) I have to say Rancid still has it.

Let The Daminoes Fall is a 19 track album. In true punk fashion most of the songs are under three minutes long (with the exception of the longest song being 4:11). The record starts off with

“East Bay Nights”. This song is nothing short of an anthem and is very catchy with out being too main stream. Lead singer and solo artist Tim Armstrong sings/snarls a picture in your head of the bay area from which the band is from.

“Up To No Good” has an insanely additive ska grove to it. The first time I listened to it I could not stop myself from nodding my head to the beat. The walking bass lines add a nice layer to the song without being over barring. Again, Rancid manage a chorus that will be stuck in your head for days.

My least favorite track on the album happens to be “I Ain’t Worried”. I dislike this song mainly because Armstrong sound like he has a mouth full of marbles while he is singing, though I am not claiming that any of the other times he sounds like Whitney Huston, his voice is just a little to mumble-y for my taste on this song. There are just too many things going on that become distracting.

The song the albums title was derived from is “Dominoes Fall”. This is a perfect example of why Rancid continues to be an amazing band. All of the parts of the song fit together perfectly. The only thing I wish they would have left out is the “Nah Nah” singing, eh you will understand once you listen to it.

Since I am a sucker for amazing bass playing “You Want It, You Got It” became my overall favorite. The opening reeled me in and stuck out the next couple of times I listened to the record. It is short and sweet and to the point.

“The High Way” rounds out the album by slowing things down for Rancid’s normal pace. Again Armstrong’s voice is not the first that comes to mind to be heard over an acoustic guitar, but it surprisingly works. The position of this song breaks it for me; I think it is too slow to end the album on.

With Let The Dominoes Fall Rancid shows us that they have not lost their touch. I do not this is their best work, but it defiantly stands its own in their discography. The record fills the six year void they left after Indestructible and hopefully will keep fans tied over until their next release. Hardcore fans of the band should look into buying the special edition version of the album that includes a DVD and acoustic CD as well as the full length and other goodies. I can safely say Let The Dominoes Fall will not disappoint.

Happy Half Birthday To Me!!!!

Wow! It's been 6 months of me reveiwing! How the time flies. I've decided to celebrate this occasion by writing an editorial-ish thing. I hope you like and maybe get some insight. I can't wait to plan things out for my one year!


I have been asked many times “Why don’t you want to play music?”
I shrug my shoulders. I have never had that itching feeling to go start a band of my own or to play music. I love music in a different way than most people who claim to love music. It’s so cliché’ to say “oh music is my life” but to me it is only the truth. When I am sad or upset, I can get my angst out through listening to song. Adrenaline rushes through my veins when that fist pumping sound comes on through my speakers. It is comforting to hear someone else sing a song that I can relate to. I love the feeling of being in crowd singing along. Looking up from the floor can be just as rewarding as being on the stage.

Tribute: The King of Pop

In music there are certain genres that people themselves defined. Paths have created by this man. Future careers and fortunes would not be had if it were not for this man. In the past decade, Michael Jackson’s tremendous influence on modern music has been over shadowed by his person life and court trials. Though many of you might not realize it, the music that he made shaped Pop music and many of your favorite artists today would not be here if it were not for him. His music video for “Thriller” paved the way for the flashy vids you (not very often anymore) see on MTV. So I suggest you go buy yourself a copy of Thriller (if you can even get your hands on one right at the moment) and pay your respects to the King of Pop.

Album Review! Taking Back Sunday- New Again

Sunday’s are great days to take back. Over the time period between Taking Back Sunday’s last album Louder Now and their new album New Again a lot has happened. The band went through a very public loss of a member, and words were exchanged as he immersed himself in his solo project. A replacement has founded. Band members tied the knot (though not with each other). It is no wonder this new album was entitled New Again.

Ironically enough, with all this talk of new beginnings and change, New Again sounds like a b-sides compilation to Louder Now. The track “New Again” starts off the record with a mediocre approach. There is nothing about this song that instantly stands out for me.

The next song however is my favorite, even upon the first listen to the album. “Sink Into Me” is musically more up beat than pervious TBS songs. My favorite thing about this song is the lyrics because even with the catchy music, the lyrics maintain a sense of desperation and pleading.

The rest of the album flies by under the radar. “Lonely, Lonely” might catch your ear with its appealing choruses. Though most of the songs fall through the cracks. My least favorite song off of the album is “Where My Mouth Is” simply because I do not think TBS fairs well with slowed down acoustic songs; this is definitely the sore thumb if there ever was one.

“Cut Me Up Jenny” is the last song that holds any punch. Lazzara’s vocals have always made girls (and some boys) swoon everywhere. This is the song that will be stuck in your head days after you have listened to it.

Over all Taking Back Sunday did not do too badly with New Again. I was disappointed though because I thought the band would have come up with something a little more creative because of the large time span between this album and the last. The only minor difference is most of the songs seem to be a bit faster than the majority of Louder Now. Original Taking Back Sunday fans might think of this as a snack just to keep them full for the next album.

You Can Check Out Songs From New Again and other Taking Back Sunday Albums by visiting thier myspace: http://www.myspace.com/takingbacksunday

Top Four Summer Albums! Summer Is Here Kids!

Top Four Summer Albums

Songs are dedicated to it. Kids in school fight each other off when the last bell rings to be the first one out. Teachers often dream of it too. All for three months of relaxation, tans, swimming, and vacations-- all in the name of Summer. Not one word has brought more joy to children since "Christmas". Below I have compiled a list of four albums I am encouraging you to go out and pump through your stero speaker this summer. Who knows, I might end up writing your summer soundtrack, I know I already have mine written.

4. 3OH!3- Want

This album is pretty much the definition of a party album. What's a bigger party than summer? 3OH!3 somehow mange to create thier own genre of music by mashing together thrash, electronica, and hip-hop. The smart lines they drop will leave you rethining what it means to be "dope as hell". Recommended Tracks: "Richman" and "I Can't Do It Alone".

You can listen to 3OH!3 by visiting thier myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/3OH!3

3. Death Cab For Cutie- Plans

To slow things down a bit I choose Plans. THis is the perfect ablum to put on during bonfires to chill the mood. Death Cab maintains a certain sense of laid back-ness without putting you to sleep. Nothing is more relaxing than this ablum through your headphone while you work on your tan. Recommended Tracks: "Soul Meets Body" and "Summer Skin".

You can listen to Death Cab For Cuite by visiting thier myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/Deathcabforcutie

2. Blink-182- Take Off Your Pants and Jacket

Nothing has made this album mean more to me than the recent announcement of Blink-182's summer tour with my favorite band Fall Out Boy, and they are coming near me! After this hiatus, the band got back together this year. Though this is not my favorite Blink record, I still appreciate its humor and pop punk sound. It is one of those ablums to turn your car speakers up while you are driving with the windows rolled down on your way to Warped Tour (see you there!). Recommended Tracks: "The Rock Show" and "Rollercoaster".
You can listen to Blink-182 by visiting their myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/blink182

1. Lady Gaga- The Fame

This, hands down, is the best pop album I have heard in a long time. Lady Gaga is so inventive and new she sometimes suprises herself. There is not one skipable track on this alum. The Fame represents everything summer is- fun and exciting. Each song on the album has dance beats and Gaga's singing make her a power house. While serveral tracks from this album have already produced hits for the singer, the album as a whole hits the mark and raises the bar. Recommended Tracks: "Summer Boy" and "Starstruck".

You can listen to Lady Gaga by visiting her myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/ladygaga

November Gentlemen! Songs Of The Day!

The sweet smells of chi lattes and chocolate peanut butter pies are all things that come to mind when I hear the sweet soundings of November Gentlemen, not to mention dashing good looks. November Gentlemen, Kevin Merrill’s stage name, has just released two new songs entitled, “Being A Gentleman…” and “I Can’t Bring Myself To Believing” on his myspace. Merrill may not be going by this birth name anymore, but we can certainly tell he has not lost his touch. Not only do these two songs contain the elements in November Gentlemen that we love such as great acoustic guitar playing and a raspy voice that boarders on pretty without being too over the top, but Merrill’s playing and music abilities have gotten better. The recording in both of these songs is crisp and clean. I enjoyed the very soothing guitar melodies on “Being A Gentleman…”, along with the lyrical content. The drumming and organ playing on “I Can’t Bring Myself To Believing” are a great a accompaniment and give the song a more light hearted feeling. Over all both of these songs are great, and I can not pick with one I like better. Hats off to you, November Gentlemen.

You can check out November Gentlemen by following this link: http://www.myspace.com/novembergentlemen

Album Review: Mutiny! by Set Your Goals

There are just some albums where every time I listen to them I get a new appreciation for the fine craftsmanship at hand, or in this case ear. In the masses of “everything sounds the same” music, Set Your Goals have managed to break free from the pack and create Mutiny! . This band from the city by the bay consists of Matt Wilson and Jordan Brown on vocals, Audelio Flores and Daniel Coddaire on guitar, Josheph Saucedo on bass, and lastly Michael Ambrose on drums. Set Your Goals released the EP Reset in 2006. Over the past couple of years the band has been growing in popularity while touring along side well established names as Anti-Flag and New Found Glory as well as playing the Vans Warped Tour.

Mutiny! Starts off with the song “Work in Progress”, which I think is a great, ear catching set off for the album. This tune show cases Set Your Goal’s talent for delivering songs that do not define themselves to one genre. The lyrics are up lifting and talk about how everything you start in life does not have to have a definite finish or end. One of my favorite parts of the song is the bass line that mimics the vocals.

“We do it for the Money OBVIOUSLY!” is basically a 53 second rant against bands calling each other out about selling out. Not much can be said about this song because it’s so short. I like the constant fastness to it and how it is so in your face.

The next track on this album makes me want to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney every time I hear it. I know nothing about drums but I really love the beat on “Dead Men Tell No Tales”.

The transition, or lack there of, between “Dead Men Tell No Tales” and the next song has to be one of my favorite moments on Mutiny!. Within the first three notes of this song you automatically get the urge to move your body in whatever way you fashion to the hypnotic music. “Mutiny!” is the title track to the record and the forth song on the album. The only thing I dislike about this song is the spoken word part towards the middle. The song could really do without it but at the same time it’s not a deal breaker.

"This Song is definitely not About a Girl” is the fifth song on the album. Lyrically the song is confusing, all we know is it is definitely not about a girl…or is it? I love the bass line on this song. I also really like the contrast between the faster parts and the slower, more singing parts.

“An Old Book Misread” is the next song. The lyrically content is controversial, expressing the band’s opinions on religious matters. Aside from agreeing or disagreeing with the subject matter, I think this song tends to sound too much like “Mutiny!”.

Next is my favorite Set Your Goals song “This Very Moment”. I love this track because I relate to it. The lyrics touch personally on my own experiences. This song is a great example, for me, why I love music so much. I can hear some one else’s lyrics and relate to them and it lets me know that somewhere someone else relates to me. I think that is the universal meaning behind music. Another one of my favorite moments on this album happens in this song with the bass drop in the middle. You better have some good speakers to get the full effect.

I like “The Flight of the Navigator” but I think it sounds too much like previous on this record. After listening to the album a couple of times I started to get a new appreciation for it, but it does not stand out at first.

“To be Continued…” is my second favorite. What makes this song so great is the combination of lyrics, instrumentals and energy. The beginning starts out pretty and slow while Brown and Wilson switch back and forth singing lines then everything else comes in with this burst.

Set Your Goal’s has a way with writing up lifting songs. This is true on the tenth song “Don’t Let this Win Over You”. Its lyrics stress to the listener that you can not always let every single thing get to you and stress you out, some things you can not control. I think everyone can relate to this message. Even though it is only one minute long exactly, I always think this song and the last song are just one big work.

Finally, “Echoes” rounds off the record. I think this song can easily be forgotten. I think the placing is why it kind of fades into the background. I love that this is probably the slowest song on the album (as slow as you can get with Set Your Goals). Ending the album with this song was a subtle. They did not exactly save the best for last but they did not let the album fade off either.

Set Your Goals really hit the mark with Mutiny!. The album is a great blend of punk, pop punk, and a more melodic hardcore. Every song on the album has the potential to stay stuck in your head all day long. I would recommend this record to anyone who likes to listen to albums all the way through without skipping any tracks. Set Your Goals have produced one of my favorite albums to come out in the past three years. You’ll be hardcore dancing in you living room well into the third song.

You can check out Set Your Goals by visiting thier myspace at: http://www.myspace.com/setyourgoals

Reader Request!

You spoke, and I listened. The first ever request for me to review a CD came from a myspace friend of mine named Chelsy. Upon her request I immediately searched the web to find Modest Mouse’s The Lonesome Crowded West. Coming into this experience I was very excited. I tend to find my reviews biased, because frankly I review things that I like. My main goal is all of this is to open people’s minds to something they may not be normally open to. So, when someone surprisingly asks me to review something for them, I feel a little out of my element. But I enjoy being pushed out of my comfort zone, writing wise that is.

The only song I’ve ever heard from Modest Mouse was that song they played non-stop on MTV with the really weird music video a couple of years back, you probably know the tune “Float On”. But I wikipedia-ed (yes I just made that word up) and had high expectations for a band with a guitarist from The Smiths in it.
My first initial reaction to hearing the first song was Wow this sounds nothing like that song I know them by. I really like the lyrical content of the album as a whole, even if I did have to look the lyrics up to understand what he was yelling about. The lyrics happen to be witty and are matched with eye catching titles. I felt lead singer Brock’s vocals/slurred screaming annoyed me and became redundant at times. The album really gave me the feeling of something Primuis-y for some reason. My favorite song on the album was “Jesus Christ Was an Only Child” because I enjoyed the fact that musically there was less going on in this song to trigger my A.D.D. I liked “Long Distance Drunk” for its striped down feeling also.

As a whole I mildly disliked The Lonesome Crowded West. I think it is mainly because I was expecting something completely different than what was delivered to my ears. When you have expectations, I find they easily get let down (Katie’s Life Lesson One). Another reason may simply be that, even though it is extendable, my personal music taste did not match up with this album. It was not the worst album, and maybe after a couple of listens I will change my mind, but I certainly would not run out to F.Y.E with my $20 in hand ready to buy.