New Again

There are two huge news issues with music that I love that I would like to address. First: B.o.B's new song 'Airplanes' featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore. AMAZING! When I first heard that Hayley was in a rap song, I said, Are you *&@!ing kidding me. But I listened to it and I love it. I actually don't mind B.o.B to begin with, he is one of the few hip hop/rap artists I can stand to listen to. The fact that Hayley is in it makes me love it even more. I STILL can't stop listening to it, and it's been out for a month now. The song is decent, not really vulgar and it doesn't talk about a lot of crap, he talks about real issues for him. He does have a 'Airplanes Part 2' with Hayley still in it, but also Eminem. I personally think it's wicked effing stupid and a bunch of garbage and I think Eminem ruined the song, but I'm just going to pretend that song doesn't exist. The album came out at the end of April; I bought it (not downloaded, I know, shocker) and it's pretty good. Highly recommended. If you haven't heard the song yet I demand you listen to it RIGHT NOW; I have a youtube link on the side of my page now where you can watch it right here.

The other huge piece of news: Taking Back Sunday is going back on tour WITH THEIR ORIGINAL LINEUP!!! I cannot express my excitement. For those of you who don't know, the original TBS members were the best and none of their songs can compare to their first ones, they are amazing. Through the years they've gone through a few members, people leaving, new people coming. But the original band is back together and going on tour!! Tickets went on sale this past Saturday for their Boston date at the House of Blues on June 25 (which just happens to be my bffs 21st birthday) and clearly I was online at exactly 10:00 am buying 6 tickets. FYI: Sublime is also back on tour after 14 years. I know, you're thinking, whaaa? They have a new singer. His name is Rome, and they are now going by the name 'Sublime with Rome.' I believe they also have dates at House of Blues.

Favorites

Regardless of what I write about, which bands I like, the style of music, etc, I could never begin to cover everything. Also, there's a lot of random songs that don't even fit into my taste in music, but I love them anyway. Here's a list of some songs that I absolutely love:

Janis Joplin: Piece of My Heart
Anberlin: The Feel Good Drag
Blink 182: Going Away to College
Bryan Adams: Summer of 69
Chronic Future: Memories in f Minor
City & Colour: I'm Comin Home
Dave Matthews Band: You and Me
Flyleaf: Fully Alive
Four Year Strong: Wasting Time (Eternal Summer)
Incubus: Azwethinkweiz
Jimmy Eat World: Futures
John Mayer: Why Georgia
Ke$ha: (anything, ha)
Kellie Pickler: Best Days of Your Life
LMFAO: Shots
Madonna: Crazy for You, or anything from that era
Paradiso Girls: Patron Tequila
Paramore: Stop This Song (Lovesick Melody)
Rusted Root: Send Me On My Way
Savage: Swing
Say Anything: Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too
Shiny Toy Guns: Ghost Town
Marcy's Playground: Sex & Candy
Sonny & Cher: I Got You Babe
Sparks the Rescue: Autumn
Sublime: Date Rape
Sum 41: Fat Lip
Taking Back Sunday: Cute Without the E
Taylor Swift: Forever & Always
The Almost: Lonely Wheel
The Doors: Whiskey Bar
The Maine: Into Your Arms
The Pierces: Secret
The Script: Before The Worst
The Spill Canvas: All Hail the Heartbreaker
Valencia: From the Second I Wake Up
Weezer: Say It Ain't So
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Heads Will Roll

Festivals

If I had the time and money, I think I would hit up every music festival I could. My top favorite: Bonnaroo. I actually planned on going this year until my friends and I began planning a month long cross-country road trip instead. This festival is pretty famous-it takes place every June for three days in Tennessee bringing together the “best performers of rock and roll,” according to its website. While it has become a little mainstream, this is the one to go to if you're looking for a festival. Some of the artists this year are DMB, Kings of Leon, Stevie Wonder, Weezer, Regina Spektor, Rise Against, The Flaming Lips, Jay-Z, and a bunch more. Another good one to check out is Bamboozle. Their main festival takes place in New Jersey for two days in May, coming up in a few weeks actually, with another smaller one for a day in Chicago, and then they go on the road. The main festival is pretty awesome and I would LOVE to go if I had the chance. Performing: Paramore, Weezer, Kesha, Say Anything, Saves the Day, The Maine, Chiodos, Relient K, Attack Attack, Motion City Soundtrack, and a ton more. Their roadshow has a few different performers, and I'll be attending in Mansfield on June 27th(?): All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, Good Charlotte, Cartel, Simple Plan, LMFAO, etc etc etc. Bamboozle is more my taste, and Bonnaroo is more of an experience that everyone should have.

If you lived in the 90's...

When I was little, my all time favorite “band” was the Spice Girls. To this very day, I think I still know the words to every single song. For those of you out there who are familiar, you will understand when I say how very heartbroken my best friend and I were when Geri Halliwell, aka “Ginger” left the group, and shortly after when the rest of the girls split up all together. The 90's had some pretty ridiculous music, but it's the music I grew up with and it's what I will always be accustomed to. Anyone who had their childhood in the 90's will remember what it was like to be a fan of N*SYNC or Backstreet Boys. You had to choose one, you could never like both of them. I'm pretty sure this decade was the time of the boy bands. Thank GOD that time is over, as fun as it may have been. Wait, did I just jinx myself? Let's hope the Jonas Brothers (gag) don't get too popular... I could also never forget the boy/girl band Steps, which most people actually don't remember. Anyway, I suppose there were a few decent artists of the 90s, including Alanis Morissett, Nirvana, Beastie Boys, and I guess we could even throw Missy Elliot in there too (haha).

Classics

Now for the real classics and oldies. There are three factors that contribute to my taste in this kind of music: 1. My parents were semi-hippies and my father forced me to listen to classic rock every day of my childhood. 2. One of my best friends should have been born in the sixties, as should another of my friends. 3. This music is awesome and had an intense influence on what I still listen to now. First, one of the most all-time classic bands: The Beatles. I really don't think it is possible to pick a favorite Beatles song, because there are SO many, but one that I particularly love is “Eleanor Rigby.” Again, that song has a history behind it for me and my friend, but either way it's a great song. That same friend, the one that should have been born in the sixties, has forced me to listen to the White Album so many times it would be impossible for me to NOT know it. The Doors are also the ultimate classic band, as are Pink Floyd. Both of these bands, especially The Doors, hold many memories for me and have definitely been placed in my life by my dad and my friend. My friend can't get in the car without playing at least one of their songs, and I love her for it. One band I love is Dave Matthews Band. They're not exactly classic, but they've been around forever and everyone loves them. If you don't like Dave Matthews, there's a problem. I know a few people that my friend called “Dave groupies” when we first met them—they go to about 8 shows a year. I'll be going to one this year and that will be enough for me.

Rising Artists

There are a ton of rising bands out there trying to make it that I really like. There are a few that I just happen to love. The first one: The Swellers. I know I've talked a little about them in the past, but I think they're worth mentioning again. They're a band from Michigan, I first heard about them when the came to Boston with Paramore, and they are on tour right now until pretty much the end of the summer, doing a show almost every single day. They are playing at, what looks like, every Warped Tour show. I'd like to take a moment to add that they will probably be one of the only bands at Warped Tour this year worth seeing, which is pretty sad as their headliners used to be absolutely amazing. Another really incredible band is Gone By Daylight, out of western Mass., the Springfield area. I've actually met one of them before; a friend introduced me to him at a Blink show last summer. They're really cool guys, and their music, to me, is awesome. Interestingly, I showed one of their songs to my friend one day, and her first reaction was to tell me the lead singer's voice sounded exactly like Fall Out Boy. Could be an insult, but it wasn't in this case. Listen for yourself:

http://www.myspace.com/gonebydaylight

Acoustic Love

I am a HUGEEEE fan of acoustic music. When I say huge, I mean huge. I have many friends that play acoustic guitar, one of whom is trying to teach me to play. Not coming along that great, but oh well-haha. Anyway. I love acoustic versions of almost any song. Paramore's acoustics are incredible, as are Flyleaf's. The Scene Aesthetic, Spill Canvas and Starting Line do mostly acoustic stuff, which is why I love them too. There are a few artists that are particularly freaking awesome. First, John Mayer: many would say he is pretty much the modern-day king of acoustic guitar. I have an old friend that can't even get over himself whenever he goes to see him live. The man is extremely talented; I don't think anyone could forget, way back when, the first time they heard “Your Body is a Wonderland.” That song, to this day, is still one of my favorites. Anyway, enough about him. Colbie Caillat: yet again, another really really good artist that has been taken away by main-stream radio. I remember the days when Colbie was trying to reach number 1 on the unsigned artists list on MySpace. Now everybody knows her name and she's all over the radio. Well, she's not as bad as some other bands and artists that have sold out, but I still don't like it. Her music is still awesome-My favorite by her is “Realize.” Possibly my very favorite acoustic artist is Dallas Green, aka “City and Colour.” Like I've said before, this artist was introduced to me by an old friend, who I still think of every time I hear his music. Not only is his talent on guitar amazing, his voice is absolutely indescribable. There really is no way to describe this music unless you listen to it. You'll probably find more under the name City & Colour. I recommend “Hello, I'm in Delaware,” “I'm Comin' Home” and “The Girl.”

All the Single Ladies

There are very few single artists on the radio that I am actually a fan of. One of my very favorites is rising music star Ke$ha. I know a lot of people think she's ridiculous, but I love her. I think she's so much fun to just listen to, jam out, or dance to. One of my best friends and throw her cd in the player every time we get in the car. She may be ridiculous, but she's crazy, and I love that. Another artist I don't completely hate is Lady Gaga. I used to dislike her a lot, actually, but a good friend of mine, who actually has picker taste in music than I do, brought up a very good point to me. Lady Gaga is a very unique, original person; she is not just a singer trying to get money and ratings. She is an incredibly creative performer. She lights things on fire, smashes glass boxes to play piano, and does all sorts of crazy things. She's definitely not your average artist. Another performer I'm learning to like is Missy Higgins. I actually don't think she's very popular in the US yet, as she is Australian, but she's very good. If you get a chance, download/buy some of her stuff. It's not anything like Kesha or Lady Gaga—it's a lot more mellow, along the lines of Vanessa Carlton. Who, by the way, I am a huge closet fan of.

My Oldies

There are some bands, songs and music out there that will always be classic to me. I'm not saying it's “classic” music, or classic rock, it's just classic to me. Bands like Sublime, Incubus, Sum 41 and Red Hot Chili Peppers will always be music that I love to listen to. It never gets old, never has, never will. When it comes to Sublime, how can you NOT love them? For those of you who don't know, the greatest tribute band to them is Badfish. They come around to Lupo's in Providence pretty often, and I always try to go, but it's never worked out. Incubus and Sum 41 are bands with the kind of music you just feel the need to jam out to. I have a friend who, whenever “Fat Lip” comes on, goes completely insane, and I join right in. I've been on a big RHCP kick lately—this is one of those bands that holds many memories for me. My favorites of their songs include “Can't Stop” and “Dani California,” currently my ringtone. Other bands, like The Starting Line, The Spill Canvas and Say Anything, started my taste in music when I was about fourteen years old, and I will never stop listening to them.

Oh hello, hardcore

A lot of people aren't into what is labeled as "screamo," or more hardcore music. They say most of it is just a lot of noise and obnoxious screaming. I think it depends on the band. There are bands out there just starting out that don't know any better, and just think screaming is fun--I personally don't think they're going anywhere. However, there are a few bands out there considered hardcore that I like. The main reason is that their songs aren't ALL screaming--they have actual voices, they know how to sing and how to write good lyrics, and the music isn't just a bunch of crappy noise.

Every Time I Die
--One reason I like this band is their lyrics. It mostly freeform, and they pretty much say whatever the hell they want. They're definitely screaming, but you can understand them-another reason I am a fan. Finally, their music is just fun if you need to let off some steam. These guys are angry. My faves: "Kill The Music" and "We'rewolf"

Atreyu
--Oldschool. These guys are nowhere near as hardcore as they used to be. I used to listen them about 5 years ago or so, and at them time they were still screaming most of their songs. One of my favorites was "Bleeding Mascara." Their music is still pretty good, it's just changed a lot; PureVolume classifies them now as rock/metal. Very different from hardcore.

Alexisonfire
--I was first introduced to this band by an old friend about a year ago, maybe a little less. I love this music. First of all, their lyrics are deep--gives you a lot to think about. Or just gives you poetry to bask in. Whatever. Second of all, one of the most interesting things about this band is their singers. When they scream the lyrics, they really scream. But one of the singers/guitarists sings some of the lyrics, and his voice is one of the most beautiful things you will ever hear. Seriously. It's amazing. If you can't stand to sit there and listen to a hardcore song with screaming, you have another opportunity to listen to this gorgeous voice. Dallas Green also goes solo--he goes by the band name City & Colour. YOUTUBE HIM, BUY HIS ALBUMS, DL HIM, do whatever you have to.
Fave Alexisonfire songs: "Boiled Frogs" and "This Could Be Anywhere In The World"
Fave City & Colour songs: "Comin' Home", "Hello, I'm in Delaware", and "The Girl"

You're as subtle as the brick in the small of my back

Obviously, a lot of bands have connections with each other. It could be something as simple as similar music, or the same singers for both bands, or something as heated as a bad history with a lyric rivalry. Want some examples?

Paramore/Renfue
--Comparitively, Paramore is pretty well-known. Renfue is not. Most people have never heard of Renfue. I ran into Renfue accidently: I was downloading some new Paramore stuff, clicked on a song later, and it wasn't the song it was labeled as. To be honest, I still thought it was Paramore, I just thought it was another unreleased song. The music, as well as this singer's voice, sounds similar to Paramore. I listened to it a couple of times and realized it wasn't Hayley Williams singing—so I googled the lyrics, youtubed the song, and found this huge thing that was going on. Apparently people on YouTube are getting pretty worked up about the fact that Renfue's music is getting labeled as Paramore's in the illegal downloading world. So watch out, if theres a tag that says Paramore, double check it.

Flyleaf/Fireflight
--I've been a Flyleaf fan for about a year now. They're definitely labeled as alt/metal rock, and they get pretty hardcore. Lacey, the singer, absolutely screams her lungs out in a lot of the songs. It took me a little while(when they released their new album out this past fall) to realize that they're also a little bit Christian rock, which I never would have expected. It's subtle, and not all of it is like that—either way, it's pretty good, and the lyrics are just plain good. A few months ago, my laptop crashed, because of downloading of course, so I switched to using Pandora for a while, and a band called Fireflight popped up. They're not quite as hardcore as Flyleaf, but definitely on the same level, and they are also Christian rock. What I like about these bands is that they don't throw religious views in your face with their music. They HAVE views, but sometimes they're hard to catch, because the music is just good.

Taking Back Sunday/Brand New
--Listeners of TBS and Brand New know that a feud existed between the bands for a long time. The best way to explain it is to copy and paste off of wikianswers:
The Long Island Rock legend goes that once upon a time, Jesse Lacey, now the lead singer of Brand New, was best friends with John Nolan, former guitarist/singer of Taking Back Sunday and current guitarist/singer for Straylight Run. As the legend goes, at some point during the duration of the close friendship, Jesse's girlfriend cheated on him with John. During their fight, Jesse allegedly said "You're as subtle as a brick in the small of my back so let's end this call and end this conversation." However, this is ironically close to the line in "Seventy Times Seven." This song was released on Brand New's first album, Your Favorite Weapon, originally released October 9, 2001.
While TBS was writing songs for their first album, Tell All Your Friends, originally released March 26, 2002, John Nolan heard the lyrics to "Seventy Times Seven." In response, TBS wrote the song "There's No 'I' in Team." Some speculate that the song was an apology of sorts to Jesse. Some say it was an explanation. But it seems that the best explanation is that it was TBS's way of giving the lyrical finger to Jesse. Lyrics such as "Wearing your black eye like a badge of honor/soaking in sympathy" and, most notably, in an interlude that also includes the lyrics "Is that what you call tact/You're about as subtle as a brick in the small of my back/so let's end this call and end this conversation/That's right he said it," seem to support this last explanation.

Lovelys

The following are some of my favorite bands that are not very well-known. Purevolume.com recognizes almost all of them as Alternative/Punk/Rock, some of them are more mellow, some of them are a little hardcore. If you're not into this kind of music, you've probably never heard of them and have never heard their music... But you should. Because it's awesome.

Valencia
--I started listening to Valencia the summer before I came to college. It was a summer I spent with 4 of my very good friends, and we were inseparable. I still remember when I first heard “From The Second I Wake Up,” on a mix cd that we called “Booty.” That track is a little depressing, but it brings back a lot of memories. Other songs by them that are amazing: “3000 Miles,” “Backs Against The Wall,” “The Space Between.” They've released two albums, the first is a lot better. Valencia is one of my favorite bands, and I'm actually really surprised they haven't gone further/done more with their music. Highly recommended.

The Scene Aesthetic
--If you choose to never listen to any of this music, please, please, please, listen to this song: “Beauty In The Breakdown.” It is one of my favorite songs of all time, once again in part due to the memories that go along with it. This is a song that I guess you could say needs “acquired taste.” Not everyone will like it, but I promise, you need to listen to it for your life to be complete. Seriously. It's acoustic, but not depressing or too mellow, and not all of the band's music is like it. They are similar to Valencia.

A few others:
Cute is What We Aim For-- Amazing live, different music, more like emo-pop-punk. First album very original, much better than the second, tried to sell out, didn't work. Orginial stuff still good.
This Providence-- See above.
The Swellers-- Only started listening to them recently, but they're pretty awesome. Alt/punk/rock, toured with Paramore for a while. I saw them play House of Blues in Boston and they were pretty good. Also, one of the guitarists is pretty gorgeous.

This world's an ugly place

SO.. to get started I'd like to talk about a few bands that, while are pretty well-known, are absolutely awesome. I'm the kind of person that becomes livid when a band I like all of a sudden starts playing on a popular radio station, and all of a sudden they become sellouts. If you're a person that only listens to radio music, popular music, rap or country, you probably won't recognize a lot of the bands I talk about. However, I think that the majority of people out there have heard these bands, or have at least heard OF them.

Paramore

--Paramore is one of my all time favorite bands. And I'd like to make it extremely clear that I was a fan pre-Twilight saga. While I am happy for the band that they received recognition for their music on the soundtrack to the first movie and as a result, pretty much doubled their fan base, I am against the idea of all the “teenyboppers” that decided to become obsessed with them because of the movie. I have loved Paramore since shortly after the release of their first album, All We Know Is Falling. The first song I ever heard by Paramore was “Here We Go Again,” and I pretty much fell in love from there. Personally, I like their first album best. Riot! was just okay, definitely not my favorite. They started to sell out, but hey, I can still jam out. Brand New Eyes is pretty sick and they definitely got back to their old style with it. My favorite songs are, by far, ones that have never been released on albums-- “Stop This Song(Lovesick Melody),” “Just Like Me,” “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” “Hello, Hello,” etc.

Blink 182

--Everyone knows Blink. Everyone. If you don't, shame on you. Hail to the ones that replaced cigarette lighters with cell phones at their shows. ...But seriously, even if you don't openly like Blink 182, you gotta be at least a closet fan, because whatever you say about them, they're awesome to jam out to in any setting, mood, or situation. Favorite songs: Going Away To College, Dammit, Mutt, Feeling This, Carousel... The list goes on. I had the pleasure of seeing them twice this past summer on their reunion tour, the first in Mansfield, MA, which was incredible, the second in Hartford, CT, which was a little emotional, as it was the day after DJ AM passed away... watching Travis Barker cry and walk off the stage is really not the coolest thing ever. But regardless, their live shows are awesome, their recorded music is awesome, and if you don't listen to them, you should.

Taylor Swift

--Let's get something straight: I HATE COUNTRY MUSIC. Despise it. Dislike with a strong passion. However... I like Taylor Swift. To me, she's not really country. ...Ok, so she is, but I still like her. It might make me one of “those girls,” but you know what, I think every girl out there can relate to the girl me and my friend and I like to refer to as “TayTay.” There's no denying she has an incredible voice, and she is very talented. If it means I've conformed, oh well. Believe me, I don't recommend country music to a single soul out there, but I was not Team Kanye after the VMAs.

Another plus to Taylor Swift: She's friends with Hayley Williams :)