From the Corner of My Empty Room

Owl City

2009-10-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

I really don’t understand what the big deal is with Owl City. If it’s a “new sound” that all the old folks are so impressed with, you’ve been completely blind to what I’ve been bitching about in my scene…for the past 3 years. Go check out A Rocket to the Moon. Same exact sound. If it’s the lyrics, I vote Andrew McMahon (who I’ve written about before). Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin have much better lyrics, and have the variety of fuck you attitude in SoCo’s “If U C Jordan” to the soppy love of JM’s “Mix Tape.” Just listen to the song they’re using in the movie about McMahon’s struggle with cancer, “Dark Blue,” with the lyrics,

I have (I have) you breathing down my neck (breathing down my neck)
I don't (don't know) what you could possibly expect under this condition so
I'll wait (I'll wait) for the ambulance to come (ambulance to come)
Pick us up off the floor
What did you possibly expect under this condition so

Slow down.. this night's a perfect shade of
Dark blue (dark blue)
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room when I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning (burning) down
Dark blue (dark blue)
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room well I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning 'til there's nothing but dark blue..
Just dark blue

This flood (this flood) is slowly rising up swallowing the ground
Beneath my feet, Tell me how anybody thinks under this condition so
I'll swim (I'll swim) as the water rises up, the sun is sinking down
And now all I can see are the planets in a row
Suggesting it's best that I slow down

Which reminds me, the movie finally got a release date. November 3. Everyone’s bitching that kids don’t spend money on entertainment anymore, but the special pre-order bundle (with a JM song download, autographed poster, and the DVD) sold out in days. With very little promotion outside the band’s website (at least, that I saw). Andrew is also doing three live viewings with a Q&A session after (New York, Chicago, and LA). Haven’t checked recently, but I’m sure these will sell out pretty quickly as well.

I don’t know…maybe I’m missing something. But really, is this something you want to see live?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI4JLa0hbUw

A Rocket to the Moon:

Or can we all agree that the better use of funds is “Dear Jack.” Hey, maybe if there are enough pre-orders we can get it into more theaters!

www.dearjackmovie.com

The End of The World Is Near

2009-09-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

I just saw the scariest thing in the world. Or perhaps the most telling of our times. I don’t really know. But there it was, as I was refreshing my twitter page…@DetMattParkman (for those who don’t know twitter-speak, the @ sign makes it link back to that person’s page…it’s like the hyperlink of twitter).

It was there, on actor Greg Grunnberg’s twitter account, a link to his character’s twitter page. Yes, his character. Heroes character Detective Matt Parkman has his own twitter page. Excuse me while I die a little inside.

OK, back. I joined twitter for the same reason I joined myspace: to keep up with the bands I love. They were using the site to announce new tour dates, special giveaways, and meet and greet times and locations (especially on Warped Tour). I also follow some real-life friends, though not that many. I follow a few actors…who am I kidding, it’s just Greg Grunberg and Kristen Bell. And I recently started following one of the main personalities from the Philly morning show I podcast.

But now, twitter has been taken over as the next marketing plan. And now is when it’s going to implode.

Once Myspace became popular, it was taken over by the biggest bands, comedians, actors, and ADS. It was started by the uncool, and suddenly everyone had a myspace, and thus it was the best place to market your newest album, show, or movie. And now no one uses it anymore.

Maybe twitter will last a few more months, but keep your ear to the ground – or in this case, to the nearest emo-teen. Now that twitter is being used to advertise and market the newest trends, it has become un-trendy. The only thing keeping it useful is the fact that it has no replacement. Yet.

Myvana

2009-09-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

On Thursday night, September 17th, I got to see a show I had been waiting for all summer. Since February at the Grammy’s. Since I was a teenager. At 23, I experienced “a place or state characterized by freedom from or oblivion to pain, worry, and the external world” (from Dictionary.com), I experienced nirvana.

Blink 182.

First, I have to point out that Weezer kicked ass. This is a band of uber-nerds in white jumpsuits and male pattern baldness, and I still fell in love with lead singer Rivers Cuomo. I mean, they had a *trampoline* on the stage! They had a constant stream of hits that night, and while a lot of the crowd was too young to remember some, I almost cried when I heard “The Sweater Song.” Weezer is one of the bands that I first heard when I found out that there was music *other* than shitty bubble-gum pop. A lot of what I do today, and my taste in music, is due to these guys.

Blink 182 broke up a few years ago – before I ever got to see them live – because of childish behavior (and they even admit it). Mark, Tom, and Travis, the best of friends, suddenly couldn’t stand to be in the same room together. Tour catering turned into a high school cafeteria, with separate tables for those in the Mark/Travis camp and those close to Tom. A year ago this past weekend, drummer Travis Barker was in a plane crash where he was one of two survivors (the other being DJ AM, who died recently of an apparent drug overdose). After his near death experience, all three realized that life is short, they were best friends once, and could not remember why they weren’t anymore. This February at the Grammy’s, they confirmed they were getting back together.

And thus the come-back tour was born.

Blink had a pretty big stage show, with lots of fog and a backdrop entirely made of lights and videos. But their energy stood up to the stage set-up: quite surprisingly, the production didn’t upstage the band. And even with all the space on stage (and the history of anger and fights), the small, three member band was one unit, not three individuals (something Fall Out Boy failed at when I saw them a few years ago in a similarly sized venue).

However, what made this show wasn’t the stage show or the sound. It wasn’t the on stage toys or the banter. What made this show great was being transported by music. For a few hours Thursday night, I was a teenager, sitting in my room, letting my stereo drown out the rest of my world. For a few hours I didn’t care about my current money problems or homework concerns of yesteryear; I didn’t worry about how much sleep I was going to get before work, or how much sleep I could sneak during school. For a few hours, I was listening to my favorite band, in my perfect world, my nirvana.

WATCH YOUR BEAGLE, VICK’S AN EAGLE!

2009-08-20T17:22:00.000-07:00

So, it’s been a week since the announcement of the addition of one soul-less human being to my precious, my love, my team, the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (insert eagles chant/fight song here).

I don’t like it. I don’t care what it does for our Superbowl prospects (I’m 23 and haven’t seen it yet, and I don’t expect to anywhere in the near future, and that’s fine with me). I don’t care that Donovan and Vick are like, omg totally so tight and Donovan wanted him there. He planned and funded the torture and murder of dogs. Period. End of story.

That being said, I figured I’d try my hand at a fair look at the pros and cons of Michael Vick joining the Eagles team.

PROS:

1. McNabb and Kolb have already had some pre-season injuries, so having the extra QB can only be good (to which I say AJ FEELEY!)

2.No doubt Vick is a very talented and versatile player, and his addition to the offense just makes it stronger.

3. Before he entered his legal and financial problems, he was involved in community outreach (for the most part trying to get and keep kids in school), and god knows Philly could use some more community outreach programs of this variety.

4. If he does well and gets past the PR nightmare, the city may (let’s face it, will) turn around and start supporting him in a way only Philly fans can, giving him a second chance at a career that he wouldn’t have gotten in some other cities.

CONS:

1. This is terrible PR for the team, who have in the past made a point of promoting how strong the teams’ character is (as Kathy from the WMMR Preston and Steve morning show pointed out, two players were traded for neglecting their own dogs). Now, not only are we giving up on our commitment to players and teams with integrity, but we are hypocrites for hiring someone after committing a crime worse than two players that got fired.

2. The move has angered fans – and they had to know it would have. People are saying they’re going to rip up or burn their tickets, they don’t want to watch the team, they’re not buying any merchandise. In terms of city morale, you took a nose dive. In terms of money, you took a nose dive. Good job. On top of which, you’re now saying that you don’t really care about what the fans think at all…which just makes me want to skip the games even more.

3. Other cities’ view of the Eagles and Philly fans (and Philly in general) is already terrible. Do we need to give the world another reason to look down on Philly and its people?

4. Again, in terms of money, this is a terrible idea. I have not heard anything official yet, but if I was an advertiser/sponsor of the Eagles, I’d have to think about pulling my funding. Not only is there a chance less people will watch, but now your company is attached to this team that hires animal abusers. Probably not the best image to put forward. Disagree with me? Two words for you: Michael Phelps.

The Eagles are in the spotlight, and people are giving them more of a chance to win the Superbowl now. Great. Is that worth the PR nightmare that’s going on right now in the city of Philadelphia? Not to mention the massive amounts of fans you’ve alienated, and the black spot now on the record of our beloved team? No. Disagree (or agree for that matter)? Let me know why. I really want to hear as many opinions on this as possible. I beg you: give me a reason to change my mind, I love the Eagles, they’re one of my ties back home. And it upsets me greatly that they’re upsetting me greatly.

HARRY POTTER (SPOILERSPOILERSPOILER)

2009-07-16T16:32:00.000-07:00

I should probably start this with a HUGE spoiler warning: if you have not read the books, leave now. I have read them all religiously, so if you don’t wanna know how it all ends, stop.reading.NOW.

Last night, I went to see Harry Potter again (I went at midnight opening night, but was so caught up in the story I missed part of what I love about movies – the stuff constructed behind the scenes, specifically costumes, sets, lighting, cinematography, etc). Though everyone I’ve spoken to *loves* it, one girl left saying “I’m so upset! That was terrible!!”

I knew some of what was going to be left out of this movie, and I did know one of the scenes being put in (when I first saw the Burrow on fire in the trailers I almost shit a brick), so I may have been more prepared for this movie than that girl. But her disappointment made me think: Half-Blood Prince is not for the uninitiated. Half-Blood Prince should not be taken as its own movie. Half-Blood Prince, by itself, is not really an exciting adventure the way the rest of the books/movies are. The entire point of book/movie 6 is to set up book/movie 7(a&b).

My high school English program was very focused on the Hero’s adventure (For anyone out there who’s a lit major, we had to highlight and annotate “Hero with a Thousand Faces.” That was a *great* summer.). A refresher: hero lives boring life, someone gives him a call to adventure, hero crosses a threshold, hero’s guide dies and hero is forced to finish adventure alone, hero grows, hero returns home. Look at some of the most famous adventure stories of all time; from Hollywood to Greek mythology, they all follow this pattern.

Most of the Harry Potter books/movies individually follow this pattern as well. Half-Blood Prince…doesn’t. There is no real “adventure.” Sure, he goes off with Dumbledore to get the Horcrux, and there’s the epic battle (which looks like a bitch-slap fight after book 7) for Hogwarts in the book, but purely in the boring-call to adventure-threshold-adventure-boring sense, none. Book 6 is entirely backstory. (Incidentally, part of what I think makes the end of HP most interesting is that you get so much more backstory, you start to see that there is more than black and white, good guys and bad guys. Voldemort’s backstory in book 6 is exactly what the three new Star Wars movies *should* have been.)

Steve Kloves (who I go back and forth on) I think did a pretty decent job on this script. There’s a line in Lord of the Rings (I wanna say Two Towers, but it may have been Return of the King) when people start talking about fighting overwhelming odds yadayadayada and someone says that the difference between the two sides isn’t size, it’s that they have “Something to fight *for*.” Look at movie 6 that way, and it becomes the perfect set up for movie(s) 7. Ron and Hermione finally start to look like their going to go out during the next movie. Harry falls for Ginny. Draco (played unbelievably well by Tom Felton…seriously, he goes from mental breakdown to kicking Harry’s ass in 0.5 seconds) stops being an asshat when faced with true evil (murder). One of the last lines of the movie is from Harry: “I never realized how beautiful this place was.” Steve Kloves wrote a script not about magic and the battle between good and evil, but about *people*, about love, about death (and he managed to be pretty funny as well).

In the “big picture” sense of the series, Half Blood Prince is the last part of set up for the final part of the adventure. If you chart out the storyline, it would go like this: Harry lives in a cupboard -> Hagrid tells Harry he’s a wizard -> Harry goes to Hogwarts, learns about magic and the evil force (Voldemort) he’s going to have to face -> Dumbledore dies, leaving Harry to fight Voldemort on his own -> Harry beats Voldemort -> everyone lives happily ever after (with lots of snogging). The whole point of Half Blood Prince was for Dumbledore to die, leaving Harry with the realization that he has to fight Voldemort alone, and he can’t count on the headmaster to explain everything now. And though it did leave a lot out in the backstory department compared to the book (especially when you consider what amazing actors they had to work with playing young Tom Riddle(s)), it did explain well enough what Harry’s going to have to do to continue Dumbledore’s work.

Now that I’ve gotten that rant out of the way, I had some other random thoughts I figured I’d throw out:

First, this movie interestingly put in something not in the book: when Harry touches the ring in Dumbledore’s office and the ring wigs out, Harry does his creepy neck-crack-thing from the last movie, and Dumbledore gives him a look. It was pointed out in the comments of a blog I read that this might be Dumbledore noticing Harry’s reaction to another part of Voldemort’s soul, and putting two and two together: Harry is the last Horcrux. How much does that make you want to see the creepy train station of death scene? Or is it just me?

Second, there’s a line in the movie that completely changes Harry’s relationship with Slughorn (and kind of Dumbledore), and I can’t decide which version I like better. About halfway through the film, Dumbledore explains that Slughorn once taught young Tom Riddle, which is why he wanted Slughorn back:
Harry: You said professor Slughorn would try to collect me.
Dumbledore: I did.
Harry: Do you want me to let him?
Dumbledore: Yes.
Dumbledore at one point does concede to Snape (I believe…this is one of the flashback conversations Snape shows Harry when he dies, unless I’m totally mistaken) that he has been using Harry to fight Voldemort from the start, something Harry realizes when he’s about to face his death in the last book. The *end* of the last book. Harry actually has to spend all of the next movie with the nagging suspicion that Dumbledore’s always been using him; even though at the end of book 5 Dumbledore tells him that he has to fight Voldemort because that’s the kind of guy he (Harry) is, now in his darkest moments, he can question whether it was all a lie, whether he’s always been used by Dumbledore. Assuming that’s how they write the last movie.

Snape. Where to even begin with Snape. Alan Rickman is genius. His most important scene, when he finally kills Dumbledore because Draco can’t, was perfect. I was a little unsure how I felt that Harry just let it happen, but someone pointed out to me that earlier in the film, Remus (the last of his father’s friends left to act as a father-figure) says that they must trust Snape, because they must trust Dumbledore and Dumbledore trusts Snape. So when Harry sees him on the tower, he thinks, “Oh, good, you’re here to fix OMGWTFYOUKILLEDHIM.” Alan Rickman made me forget about the scene re-write however, because the look he shares with Dumbledore will just break your heart. It’s love for the man, and hate for what he has to do; it’s the fear of killing the one person who understands him, and fear of what happens if he doesn’t. His eyes show total anguish, and though you don’t really understand why until the last book, Alan Rickman plays it perfectly.

My final thought is something not totally Harry Potter movie related. I just found out recently (in this past week) that Daniel Radcliff has dyspraxia, a developmental disorder “affecting the initiation, organization and performance of action” according to Wikipedia. For Radcliff, apparently it just makes it harder for him to tie his shoes, however it also supposedly accounts for his oft-mocked interview style, or lack thereof. I don’t know why I find that so interesting, but there ya go.

Please, if you didn’t like the movie, or *especially* if you haven’t read book 7, tell me your thoughts! I really wanna know!!!!!

Show Michael Giacchino a Little Love

2009-07-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to see Star Trek (yes again. What, I had a free ticket but the movie had to be more than 2 weeks old). ANYWAY, this time, as I already knew what was coming, I decided to spend a little less energy watching, and a little more listening.

First of all, as the only piece of pre-recorded music (not written specifically for the movie), The Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” was perfect. One of my favorite high school rebellion bands, with one of their biggest hits, was nice to hear in a major movie like this. Musically, the crescendo in the intro just got you ready for the joyride the rest of the move was going to be.

However, I’m not writing this about the Beastie Boys (though there’s tons that can be said there). I’m writing this for the composer, Michael Giacchino. JJ Abrams has had a string of successful shows and movies (including Alias, Lost, and Mission Imposible III), and he’s gathered a group of talented writers, directors, and producers he likes to work with (not to mention his “good luck charm,” Greg Grunberg). For music, he turns to Michael Giacchino.

Since the first episode of Lost, Michael Giacchino has been able to perfectly express the mood of any scene in the scoring, and he’s even used some strange and interesting instruments to do so (including hitting airplane parts). Some of the themes have become pop sound icons.

But Star Trek is different. Though it very much sounds like a Michael Giacchino soundtrack, Star Trek is much bigger, more intricate and interesting. The music is beautifully written and performed, and yet (except for a few exceptions, like the credits and the re-introduction of the original theme at the end), it is also very subtle.

Something interesting happened to me when I saw Star Trek again. When the full orchestra plays the same line as the Star Trek logo appears at the beginning, I realized I could have closed my eyes and been sitting and listening to a performance of the LA Philharmonic.

It doesn’t happen often that you can get people who would usually ignore a genre to really appreciate it. JJ Abrams has done that with Star Trek. And Michael Giacchino did it with his orchestra.

It's not Easy Bein' a Girl

2009-06-29T16:42:00.001-07:00

The first thing I did as a college student was a program for women in science and engineering (I was at the time an Astronomy major). There aren’t many women in science and engineering programs in schools, and many of those switch majors, so there are even less women working in these fields. The reason? Women don’t take failure well, so when (for example) you’re in a physics class for physics majors only, and the class average on the first exam is a 16/30 and you get a 15/30, you freak out, drop the class, and switch majors. This program was meant to be a support system for women in these male-dominated fields, so eventually the numbers will start to even out.

A few years later, after switching majors a few times, I found myself in a similar situation. I wanted to be a recording engineer and eventually producer. My classes at Temple in this field were all small, and the upper level classes were all taught by males. In the first level class, there were 3 girls in a class of 25; second level, 2 in 20; third level, 1 in 20. Yes, I was the only girl there. And though I can try my damnedest to be one of the guys, they still will never fart in front of me, and they watch their words when they talk about nailing some chick over the weekend.

Last summer, I came to LA for two months on an internship program, where I was the uber-minority. Though the program was pretty even male-female, I interned at a recording studio where I was the only girl, and at an indie label where there were three (now two) full-time female employees.

Women are still having a hard time being taken seriously in certain positions. Though I could go on a political rant, or go back into math and science, what I know most is music, so I’ll stick to that. I wasn’t taken seriously in my recording/mixing/mastering classes (even though I was consistently in the top of the class, if not the top), and there are times when I’m not taken seriously in my job (and in my past internships). And there a lot of tour folks who don't want girls on tour: they're not as strong and need to shower more than the guys.

My friends and I are trying to start up a promotions company that will help up-and-coming musicians, photographers, graphic designers, and any manner of other artists start up a fan base. Though the artists we work with are not necessarily all female, the people who are running the show are. A lot of us aren't taken seriously by friends and family, and it's going to be a while before we see how the scene treats us. But I'm not going to lie, I'm a little concerned.

Because the music scene in general doesn't like girls. And I think it’s something that needs to be discussed a little bit more.

MORE GREEN DAY

2009-06-23T15:57:00.000-07:00

Green Day released the video for their second single, “Twenty-One Guns” today. Thank god. Hopefully this means a whole lot less of “Know Your Enemy.”

I’m a big fan of the new album. When I first heard “Know Your Enemy,” however, I was getting ready to be disappointed. What a monotonous, boring, elementary song. I was expecting an earth-shattering revelation of what the future of my genre of music could be! When I heard in early May that the first single from Green Day was going to start playing, that they had just finished filming the video, I got my hopes up that this was going to be great: Green Day had revolutionized the genre before, and this new album was going to be a continuation of American Idiot, but BETTER! It would be everything I love about Warning AND MORE!

Then I actually heard the song. To say I was apprehensive about the album would be an understatement.

On May 15th, I went out after work to grab the album. It was Green Day, after all, it wasn’t an album that I was going to wait and see if I felt like getting it after I heard more. Even if their first single wasn’t everything I was hoping for, it was still a hell of a lot better than a lot of the other crap floating around the emo/pop-punk world.

I threw it in the CD player, holding my breath. And I got…. “Song of the Century.” Huh, okay. Radio sound effects, grainy sound. Something I could have put together after my first editing class (in fact, I did). Right into “21st Century Breakdown,” the album’s title track. This is more what I was expecting, sounds like it could have been a reject from American Idiot.

And then “Know Your Enemy.” In the context of the album, it works. However whatever A&R guy decided *this* should be the first single should be shot, because they know *nothing* about marketing a new album. A single is for promotional purposes. Get someone to like the single, they’ll buy the album. And though it’s a great arena song, it’s a terrible single. This song does not represent the best of the album, it shows the most boring, the most commonplace!

Cut down to the end of the album. The third to last song, the second single. One of my favorite songs on the album.

One of the classic Green Day recording stories is that during a lull in recording, Billy Joe pulled out his acoustic guitar and rolled tape. There was a slower song he had been playing around with, an emotional song about the bitter end of a good relationship. No one wanted that song on the album except the band. And it made it. And it turned out to be the biggest song on that album, possibly the band’s biggest single to date. That song was “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).”

“Twenty-One Guns” is slow. It’s pretty (well, for Green Day). It’s not the most complicated song Green Day has ever played, nor is it the most musically interesting. But it’s compelling. This is not a song that you can learn how to write in a three hour seminar. This is something that comes from an artist spending years honing his craft. It’s emotional. It’s powerful. It’s beautiful.

I can see them playing this song in front of sold out stadiums, giant screens with close-ups of Billy Joe’s face, fireworks and pyrotechnics exploding around the stage.

I can see them playing this song 10-15 years from now, being inducted into the hall of fame.

I did not see that video in any way, shape, or form. Them in a room? (Even though it was cool they finally had their other guitarist in a video.) Bullets shooting holes in the room (literal much?)? Two cute 20-somethings making out, echoing the front cover? It was boring, it was literal. It was worse than the video for “Know Your Enemy,” which was basically a live performance video to sell their upcoming tour.

I know videos mean less than singles, and I know neither matter all that much, but please, for the love of god, can we put some thought into it? I’m begging here.

Know Your Enemy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgvGPwEGoOI

Green Day - New Music - More Music Videos

Twenty-One Guns:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl5RTxtjfbk

One of my favorite performance-based videos, All Time Low’s “Circles” (fyi, it’s a student film, so cut it a lil slack):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzqTuGAC4lo&feature=channel_page

One of my favorite theme-based videos, Yellowcard’s “Rough Landing Holly”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLU5sNiaSpo

Yellowcard - New Music - More Music Videos

Mood Music

2009-05-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

On this past Saturday night, I was randomly checking my computer in between 15 other tasks I was trying to get done to get ready for this busy week. One of the websites I now constantly keep open is twitter (follow me @rustincolor). And when I checked Saturday night, I noticed quite a few tweets from the various members of All Time Low saying different versions of “Alex is fine now, thanks for the concern.” Going back through a few hours worth of tweets, I found that the lead singer had had a panic attack on stage, causing the band to play a few covers while he caught his breath and calmed himself down. This apparently is a recurring condition for him, this attack just came at a very inconvenient time.

Now, I have had a couple panic attacks in my time, though nothing too terrible (then again, I did quit one job once, and drop out of school for a semester, then transfer schools, so I guess they weren’t completely harmless). And many of my friends have also had some version of a panic attack or minor meltdown. Incidentally, the friends that come to mind all have similar music tastes as me.

This realization got me thinking: how much of our music taste has to do with our mental state? I have said time and time again that they are directly related: I know when I’m going into an extended state of depression because I unconsciously change my music playlists from the more pop, synth heavy music I have (Cobra Starship, Mayday Parade, new All Time Low) to more dark, rock based (old Yellowcard, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Linkin Park).

I can also affect my mood with music: on deeply depressed days, I know that I have to hit my low before I can come back up, and to do that all I have to do is listen to “When We’re Old Men” by Yellowcard and “Adam’s Song” by Blink-182. These songs are part of the healing process.

I often wonder if you can truly get into some of these emo/pop-punk songs and bands if you don’t feel some version of this way. All of my more shallow friends seem to be into more shallow bands (Brittany Spears, Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers – I gotta admit, I’m not even sure what they listen to, the last two were pure guesses).

I have also been wondering more recently to what extent music effects different people. I know for a small group of friends, we put music up with family and air as some of the most important things in the world to us. I have conversely discovered that there are many people who consider music low-level entertainment, background noise for cleaning or driving, but nothing that could be truly life-altering.

So here’s the question I’m left with: How does the music we listen to affect our mental health? And does our mental health affect the music we listen to? Or are they totally unconnected for the common man?

Green Day - Warning

2009-04-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

Recently, in a few random conversations with random groups of people, I have been saying that Green Day’s Warning is one of the most under-rated albums of all time. I realized, after repeating this assertion a few times, that I should (a) relisten to Warning, make sure it really is as good as I remember, and (b) actually look into how it was received. And once I came to these conclusions, I figured it was about time to stop being lazy and finally write another blog.

So, first things first, it wasn’t received exactly like I remember (it was released in 2000, my freshman year in high school, so I wasn’t quite up on the non-TRL world of music): I remember only hearing Warning a few years later, when my friend Dave and I bought tickets for the Bullet in a Bible tour, and I made Dave burn me some CDs of everything Green Day ever did. Even people who knew the non-American Idiot albums didn’t really talk much about Warning, with them it was mostly Dookie and Nimrod. In doing a little research for this blog, I saw that Warning actually did get *some* reviews, they just weren’t all that great.

Some excerpts:
The Village Voice: 9/10 “The whole thing breathes with neat ambiences.”
The Onion (AV Club): “Green Day has never made a record so slick and musically mature.”
Billboard: 7/10
Spin: 3 stars “By design, the band doesn’t rock as hard as it used to. Doesn’t punk as hard as it used to either.”Rolling Stone: 3 stars “Who wants to listen to songs of faith, hope, and social commentary from what used to be snot-core’s biggest-selling band?” (I knew there was a reason I stopped getting Rolling Stone)
MOJO Magazine: 1 star “Warning is the sound of three men growing old far too gracefully.”

Now, while none of that seems particularly bad (other than MOJO….and really Rolling Stone, 3 stars? Maybe it’s time to get out of Kings of Leon’s ass, that’s all I’m sayin), none of it was particularly outstanding either (though admittedly, I’m having a hard time tracking down Alt Press’ review…if anyone can send me a copy, I’d love you forever ;) ).

And to me (and most people I know who’ve heard most – if not all – Green Day albums), this is the best Green Day release to date, including their Grammy-winning release.

So why is that? Why was it not well received, celebrated like "American Idiot" was? Why is it only the people in the scene (either currently or at the time) who remember it, or for that matter love it and consider it one of the most under-rated albums of all time?

Well, for starters, it pissed off a lot of the old fans - which is where that Rolling Stone review comes in. Green Day burst onto the scene with Dookie and Kerplunk,
two albums titled after taking a dump. They were about teenage boys trying to get out of college and after-school jobs. Warning has a little more meaning than that, it was Green Day's first venture into social commentary, something they perfected with "American Idiot." It's also a whole lot more polished than their previous releases, something that the DIY punk scene in the Bay Area (where they started) wasn't a huge fan of.

So why do I love it? Start at the beginning- the title track "Warning" is simple, catchy, and still somewhat eerie. When a pop-sounding song has the lyrics "Is the cop or am i the one that's really dangerous?/Sanitation, expiration date, question everything/Or shut up and be a victim of authority" can you really still call it pop? Though they were definitely starting to change the sound of pop-punk, they weren't loosing the feeling. Follow that up with "Minority," the biggest song on the album:
I want to be the minority
I don't need your authority
Down with the moral majority
'Cause I want to be the minority

I pledge allegiance to the underworld
One nation under dog
There of which I stand alone
A face in the crowd
Unsung, against the mold
Without a doubt
Singled out
The only way I know

I want to be the minority
I don't need your authority
Down with the moral majority
'Cause I want to be the minority

Stepped out of the line
Like a sheep runs from the herd
Marching out of time
To my own beat now
The only way I know

One light, one mind
Flashing in the dark
Blinded by the silence of a thousand broken hearts
"For crying out loud" she screamed unto me
A free for all
Fuck 'em all
You are your own sight

I want to be the minority
I don't need your authority
Down with the moral majority
'Cause I want to be the minority

When you can get an entire stadium to start moshing, throwing up the middle finger, and screaming "Fuck 'em all," I think you can say that you have changed the minority, given them power, made them their own majority. Or, conversely, you've made the minority cool. With one song, Green Day gave the emo movement a shove into the limelight.

Past the feel of the songs lyrically, I love the musicality of this album. Green Day is lead singer/guitarist Billy Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool. And that works well when you're a couple of punk kids from the Bay Area. But with "Warning" they played around with different arrangements, for instance adding a whole circus soundtrack to "Misery." They also played with the feeling of various songs, going from upbeat and almost pop sounding (Jackass), to slow and thoughtful (Macy's Day Parade), to a more minor key slightly off, creepy sound (Blood, Sex, and Booze), to the straight up rock we're used to from Green Day (Church on Sunday). And somehow, they make *all* of it sound like Green Day. With the growing number of acts that all sound the same, it's great to pick up an album - old or new - that is so distinctive, so different, and yet so cohesive.

So, while some people who watched them grow in the scene may be upset, and those who expected the regular old 3-chord punk album were shocked, this is a classic album. This album showed the talent of a "snot-punk" band that no one expected to go anywhere. And look - they won a Grammy, and have one of the most highly anticipated albums of this year (out in May). This album defined not only the band, but the scene, and the future of pop-punk. Let's give it the respect it deserves.

Best. Marketing Plan. Ever.

2009-04-08T12:20:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's been a while, I've been keeping busy with work, parental visits, work, passover, work, my sister's wedding, and have I mentioned work? Anyway, I'm working on a Green Day blog (researched and everything!) but real life jumped in and made me write this email to Bob Lefsetz, so I figured I'd throw it up here as well. I give you, the BEST MARKETING PLAN EVER!!

This is how you make money if you're in a band, major label or not:
Jimmy Eat World recently did a 10 stop tour to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the release of "Clarity" in which they played the album in its entirety (and then played an encore of fan favorites and their singles). Tickets were $54 with fees. While there, I bought a Jimmy Eat World Clarity x10 hoodie, another 50 or so dollars. Yesterday, they put out a digital download of the final performance (just the live Clarity tracks), $8.99 on their website. To promote this, they played a 6 song encore in their home studio which they broadcasted on their website next to the link to buy the cd. They posted on their twitter account (and reposted and reposted) that they were going to take fan requests, the top 6 most requested songs they would play. They had hourly reminders to the release of the CD and the live performance. I stayed late at work to catch the feed...and by the time I got home, I was suckered in to buying the download. I bought the CD 10 years ago (at the time probably 15 bucks), and I'm buying it again for a few dollars less, after having just seen the performance live in person *and* online.

To do the math, Jimmy Eat World made $54 (tickets) + $50 (merch) + $15 (original album) + $8.99 (digital download of live performance) = $127.99 off of one CD from one person. And I'd do it again. Give something away, interact with your fans, do something fun and different that the fans want to see, they'll help you out in return. And my ultimate act of support? We had a half-hour discussion at the management company I work for talking about the band. I was twitting about Jimmy Eat World all day yesterday (and facebooking and im'ing and message boarding and any other kind of online conversation one can have). Now I'm sending this to you. Jimmy Eat World may not be as big as they were when "The Middle" came out, but they're being talked about again, so now a whole lot of people are waiting to see what they're going to do next.

fyi: follow me on twitter (I gave in finally) @rustincolor
Oh, and listen to Automatic Loveletter, "Let It Ride" www.myspace.com/automaticloveletter

The Perfect Venue

2009-02-18T16:44:00.000-08:00

What makes a good concert venue? Since moving out to California, I’ve been able to get to quite a few more than the limited amount in Philly, DC, and Baltimore. And though I’m sure this list will be completely subjective, it’s been floating through my head over the last few weeks, so here goes:

Lighting: You have to be able to see, this is true. But a venue that’s as bright – or brighter – than it is outside makes it feel like Disney Channel’s version of a rock concert. Leave the lights to the acts, keep the house lights somewhat dimmer, and waaaaay down once the show starts (even between acts). The only time it’s appropriate to bring them to full is well after the show, when it’s just the few groupies getting the last of their merch (and trying to flirt with security for a trip backstage), and the techies breaking everything down.

Décor: again, leave Disney Channel to designing the next High School Musical set *cough*House of Blues*cough*. One of my favorite venues in the world is the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. You know what’s on their walls? Nothing. On the floor? Trash…and old beer spills. Some old posters are cool, and of course the posters from upcoming shows, but there’s no need for you to have quilts and abstract art on the walls – the place should be dim anyway! The coolest design I’ve seen lately: Chain Reaction in Anaheim, CA. They’ve purchased tshirts from bands that have gone through in years past, and nailed them to the walls. Any wall space that’s not covered in thsirts is covered with bands’ stickers. And the bathrooms’ walls are covered with graffiti. Though most of it is stupid, it’s still pretty awesome seeing a really old All-American Rejects tshirt next to the sound guy, or an Anarbor sticker on the stall wall.

Layout: You should be able to see the stage from just about anywhere in the room. The best example of this is the Recher Theater in Towson (Baltimore). The entrance hallway is somewhat long, but once you get through, it opens out to the stage, directly in front of you. Along one wall is the bar, along the other is merch. Basically, once you hand your ticket over, you are three steps from being able to see the stage head on. Entrances on the side are understandable sometimes (you can’t always rebuild the building), but if it can be avoided, it should be. Long thin rooms like the Electric Factory in Philly don’t work – the people in the front have a great view, but the people in the back seem miles away, and there aren’t that many spots in front because of the width. The balcony (if there is one) shouldn’t obstruct the view of the floor below it, and there’s no reason why you should need TV feeds of the show playing in the same room *as the show*.

People: The people make the place, and the place brings the people. If the décor is too corporate or cheesy, the kids will be too. One of my favorite securities guards ever was “that guy” at the 9:30 club (so famous he even had a front-page article written about him in the University of Maryland campus newspaper). He had gauged ears, shaved head, full sleeves, and he scared the crap outta you…but he *made* the venue. The few shows I went to and didn’t see him up in front, watching for crowd surfers, I was actually kinda sad. I understand that you can’t hire people who don’t apply, but in a customer service industry, looks *do* matter (and anyone who thinks differently should look at the tips I made wearing tight jeans vs the nights I wore my men’s pants). So why not hire the person that fits the venue?

Prices: I understand that a lot of the problems with ticket prices have nothing to do with the venues, but if the choice is between, say, Sum41 (which would end up being $20 a ticket) and All Time Low (which would end up being $15 a ticket), why not book the cheaper band? Spend less on a ticket, you’re more willing to spend more on food and merch (which venues *do* get a cut of).

With all that being said, here are some of my favorites, some good ones, and the ones to skip:

The Best of the Best:
9:30 Club, Washington DC www.930.com
Small (1200 capacity) room, easily accessible by Metro, good layout, great grungy atmosphere, cool history, and a knack for booking a wide range of new and old (but all amazing) artists.
Random facts: won the Pollstar “Nightclub of the Year” honor four times, and for most of that time was Pollstar’s top ticket-selling club; was featured in multiple music videos and concert DVDs, including Jimmy Eat World (DVD), Bob Mould (DVD), and the Beastie Boys (“Triple Trouble” video features posters from their performance there).

The Recher Theater, Townson MD www.rechertheatre.com
Extra small (700 capacity) room, surrounded by free/cheap parking, good layout, good atmosphere, host plenty of local artists, even breaking a few into bigger venues.

Emo’s, Austin TX www.emosaustin.com
Extra small room, good layout, very accessible stage, cool local atmosphere, one of the main venues of the South by Southwest festival.

The Troubador, Hollywood, CA www.troubador.com
Small room, good layout (with a 2 seating areas good for parents), very accessible stage, laid-back atmosphere, has a *long* history of breaking artists, and is one of the places bands go when they need a 1 or 2 show break from the bigger venues. Plus, John Lennon got kicked out for heckling. ‘Nuff said.

First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA
Smallest room of all (literally a basement), no atmosphere, limited parking, the only good thing is that, well, it’s a church basement, therefore the max audience is 50. Help launch indie Philly/east coast bands. Extra cool: it’s on the National Register of Historic Places. *Held one of my personal favorite shows of all time: Alex Gaskarth and Zack Merrick acoustic, 6.13.07

Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ www.stoneponyonline.com
Small room, ok layout, very accessible stage, laid-back beach atmosphere (across the street from the ocean). The launch-point of Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi (the only good things to come from NJ).

The good:
Key Club, Hollywood, CA www.keyclub.com
Chain Reaction, Anaheim, CA www.allages.com
TLA, Philadelphia, PA www.livenation.com/venue/getVenue/venueId/1681
The Trocedaro, Philadelphia, PA www.thetroc.com
Starland Ballroom, Sayerville, NJ www.starlandballroom.com
Knitting Factory, Hollywood, CA/New York, NY www.knittingfactory.com
Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA www.chameleonclub.net
Croc Rock, Allentown, PA www.crocodilerockcafe.com
Festival Pier@Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia, PA http://www.livenation.com/venue/festival-pier-tickets

The bad:
House of Blues - Sunset Strip, Hollywood, CA www.hob.com
House of Blues - Anaheim, Anaheim, CA www.hob.com
Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA www.electricfactory.info

Ticketmaster and Live Nation (both suck)

2009-02-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

I have a question. Why don’t venues sell their own tickets? I’ve been reading a lot recently about the Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger, and yes, I agree, it would be a bad thing. But why are they the only options for tickets? Maybe back in the day, before every venue had its own website (and myspace, and Facebook fan page, and twitter account…) you would need to go to a different site to buy tickets online. But now, most venues have their own websites (and they’re flashier and better organized than Ticketmaster and Live Nation), usually with someone on staff who runs it. Knowing that these venues already have some way of selling tickets set up (they do still have box offices, right?), how much harder would it be to open up a Paypal account and sell tickets themselves?

The biggest problem almost everyone I know has with online ticketing is merely that the convenience charges are almost as much as the tickets themselves. I just bought $35 Jimmy Eat World tickets for $54. Get rid of Ticketmaster AND Live Nation, and start selling tickets yourself! I had no problem paying $54 (well, I did, but still…I wasn’t going to miss Jimmy Eat World!!!), and had the venue charged it instead of Ticketmaster, they would get *all* of that money, instead of giving it to other people. If venues are so concerned about the future of the live music industry in this crappy economy, they should get rid of as many extra charges as possible, and focus on keeping ticket prices low.

Now, granted, I don’t know how to set up an account with Paypal to accept money. I do know, however, that the 11:11am Charity (a bunch of emo kids who love Something Corporate) could do it, all while in school (aka not too much time to spare). You already have people who work the box office, and probably a webmaster as well. It would take at most one hour to set up a paypal account, and maybe another hour a day for one of the people in the box office to log into the account, print out all the new sales, and stuff the tickets into envelopes and send them off. So raise ticket prices 2 bucks (hey, it’s still going to be cheaper than the $8 per ticket service charges), and pay someone a couple bucks extra to be in charge of that. Even better, keep the ticket prices the same price, get rid of service charges, and hire an *intern* to stuff envelopes (and maybe let them into a concert or two in exchange).

I realize that this may not be the best solution for a 50,000 person venue (a couple interns, instead of just one?), but for a lot of venues – the 500-2000 person clubs – I honestly believe this will increase sales and bring in more money in the long term, and it’s not like you have to give up that much money to start.

So, remind me, why are Ticketmaster and Live Nation so amazing?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/05/ticketmaster.livenation/index.html

another rant

2009-01-29T15:03:00.001-08:00

as it has now been reposted and emailed around quite a bit, i figured i might as well post it here. this is a rant i wrote to bob lefsetz, a writer who has a music blog/email blast that a large portion of the music industry reads. he has been talking about how the music industry is going to fail because of no innovation coming from labels/bands, etc. this was my reply:

I gotta admit, reading your articles over the past few weeks, I've wanted to tear my hair out. Though you do have very many good points on some of the older, more established bands/record labels, you forget that in this economy one group of people is still spending money just as they did before: high school students. They don't really see how the economic problems affect them, they're still getting $20 a week from mommy and daddy for taking out the trash or running the dishwasher. And that money is going the same places it always has: music, movies, and clothes. Now, most of these students probably are downloading their music illegally, but they're still going to concerts, and they're still buying merch to get signed. And I have not heard one person complain about a $20 t-shirt, let alone another 5 for the band's bracelet, 10 for the shades, 2 for the pins, and a tip for the merch guy for the poster. And I think a large part of this is because younger bands work for every fan. The best example that comes to mind is a band I've been following for a few years, All Time Low (Hopeless Records). Valentines Day of their senior year of high school, they signed to Hopeless, having already done a few northeast tours (that their parents had to chaperone)....over summer break. The first time I saw them was a few months after, when they won the chance to open HFStival, the DC alt/indie rock stations big summer festival. After this show, they spent *over* their allotted hour signing autographs, asking fans to come to their CD release show in a few weeks, etc. When I went home and looked on their myspace, they had tour blogs, video journals, and other ways to get to know each and every one of them. There has not been one show in the almost 4 years I've been watching them that I have not seen them hanging outside the venue, signing autographs and taking pictures. And recently, those lines have been a few hours long. Alt Press Magazine just named them band of the year after several sold out headlining tours, and this spring they're going on tour with Fall Out Boy. They didn't get there by writing amazing, life altering music. They got there because their fans willed it to be. Currently, I'm doing PR for some older bands, and I wish every day that they would try as hard as the smaller bands did to gain and keep fans. If you want to be a successful band right now (and I judge successful as you can afford go on tour and not have a restaurant job when you get back), take a look at how some of the younger kids are doing it: interact with fans, sign autographs, take every opportunity you can to meet people and get your name out there (including taking every interview, talking to fans at shows, doing private concerts in fans basements...anything), set up (and visit) message boards, do shout-outs at shows for loyal fans. There are very few fans who care about the quality of the copy of the CD, audiophiles are one in a million in those under 20 or 25. And fans don't want Beatle-mania: if a band gets whisked from backstage to a car, they're going to be throwing eggs at you, not their bras. Forget the age of the untouchable rock star. If you want to make it today, be a part of your fanbase, be cool to them, and they will promote you for free.

NEW MUSIC: Eudora

2009-01-28T14:47:00.000-08:00

I have always found new music by listening to it live. Though I do sometimes listen to friend’s suggestions, and I used to hear new music on the radio or MTV, for the most part, new-found interests of mine come from recent shows I have seen. Eudora is no different.

A local Orange County band who did a one-off show with Anarbor and The Lives of Famous Men, Eudora shouldn’t have been anything special. Just a couple of kids, playing badly for a few minutes before the *real* bands showed up. But they were tight, polished, they had their live show down more than most local bands I’ve seen (even some touring bands). They knew how to work with the sound guys, and (for once) the vocals were balanced well with the rest of the band, instead of being overpowered. They may not have gotten the best out of their instruments (one of the guitars in particular was really grating), and they were a little too effect-happy: a new band likes to play with their new toys.

What really struck me about them, however, was their *show*. Not the performance, or the quality of music, but the fun that they were having, and the fun they brought the rest of the crowd into. When one member broke a string, the lead singer had fun with it: he made fun of the guitar player and made some other jokes, and even had the crowd sing happy birthday to one of their friends. In the middle of one of the songs, they broke into Journey (which made even the “cool kids” in the back of the room who were just waiting for the later bands stop and take notice). They had a few sing-alongs (once just some “oooohs,” and later a chorus, though that doesn’t work as well when people don’t know your music). They introduced each band member, and made sure to state the band’s name a bunch of times.

I went back on Monday to listen to their music on their myspace page. I wasn’t blown away, but it wasn’t bad. But the reason why they made such an impression on me was not because of their music. It was because they were having fun, and everyone else in the room was too.

www.myspace.com/eudoramusic
See them:
Feb 4, DiPiazza’s, Long Beach
Feb 15, Chain Reaction, Anaheim

HAPPY 2009! (yeah, I know, it's been a while)

2009-01-20T15:55:00.000-08:00

2008 was a big year for me: I graduated from college, moved out to California, got 2 internships in the music industry, got a job in the music industry. I went to see the last Yellowcard tour and All Time Low’s first headlining tour; I went to huge festivals and small art halls. This past year will go down as a major year in my own personal history.

So what do I really have to look forward to in the upcoming year? Well, it started big enough: All Time Low – a band I have been following for over 3 years now (and working for for a while, first with a promotions company, then with an internship at Hopeless Records) – was named Alternative Press’ “Band of the Year” for 2008, and they just announced they are going on tour with Fall Out Boy in the Spring. Green Day is going to be releasing a new album – the follow up to 2004’s “American Idiot” (FINALLY!!!). Jimmy Eat World is doing a tour for the 10 year anniversary of the release of “Clarity.” And I just found out that the Get Up Kids are playing Bamboozle Left (and as long as they play “Mass Pike,” I can die happy). I’m studying for my LSATs and looking at law schools in LA. I’m getting health insurance and car insurance, and registering my car as a Californian. And I just watched the first African-American president sworn in, a man that I had a picture of hanging up in my freshman dorm (the cover of Newsweek I believe, from December 2004/January 2005) which my Republican ex-boyfriend *loved*, a man that I think is smart, honorable, and hopeful, all at the same time.

So here’s my list, my expectations for 2009:

Bands to Watch:
Anarbor
The Scenic
A Rocket to the Moon
Hey Monday

Bands to Keep Watching:
All Time Low
Mayday Parade
Cute is What We Aim For
Cobra Starship
Paramore

Bands to Remember:
Get Up Kids
Green Day
Jimmy Eat World

Bands I Wish Would Just Go Away:
Fall Out Boy
Panic(!) at the Disco

Hey, Remember When These Bands Were EVERYWHERE:
Boys Like Girls
Plain White T’s
The Beatles (yeah, I wasn’t alive for it either….but man how I wish I was there for Beatlemania!)

Ripped from the Headlines (or from this morning's experience)

2008-12-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

Just in case someone randomly stumbles upon this and doesn’t already know, I need to start this by saying I do PR for a record label, management company, and booking agent. And by “I do PR” I mean that I’m running PR here. I have no assistant and no boss (other than the owner of the company), it’s just me. I’m in charge of setting up interviews (and making sure the band follows through), sending out promotional mailings for new releases, fixing and updating the websites, and sending promotional materials (including CDs, posters, pictures, etc) out to show promoters.

Now, this was basically what I was doing when I interned at Hopeless this summer (though I was more stuffing, and less planning who things were getting sent to. Oh, and I did less show promo as they had their own booking agents who did their own PR). It’s a very different experience now, however. And the reason is not because I’m in charge of it now, instead of just following orders. Or because I’m the one making first contact with radio stations and press, or talking to the band about what opportunities they have for press. The reason is the bands.

At Hopeless, they were mainly promoting All Time Low, The Human Abstract, There For Tomorrow, and Anarbor. Here, I’m promoting Kid Creole and the Coconuts, the Marshall Tucker Band, Blue Cheer, and a few others. The difference? Here, I work with legends. These bands put out their first albums before my parents even met. At Hopeless, I was working with new bands, who just got signed, or were putting out or touring on their first full-length release on the label. The newer bands were working their asses off to get any notice, even if it was just a local zine that 10 people read (or a 22 year old’s blog that 8 people read). The older bands don’t so much care. They’ve been around long enough to see the ebb and flow of the music industry, to see the good and the bad and everything in between. The newer bands are hoping to get enough notice so they can stick around for one more tour. The older bands don’t give a shit who’s at the shows, as long as they get to keep doing what they love, what they have loved for the past 30+ years.

So what does that mean for me? It means my life is a little bit more difficult now in some ways, but much easier in others. For one, I have to track down band members five minutes before the interview is supposed to start, then get an angry phone call five minutes *after* it was supposed to start from the interviewer, asking why his phone isn’t ringing. I also have to spend a little time convincing bands that they need the press, that this is good for them, and that they need to suck it up, as press is part of their job description.

On the other hand, it means that I have to spend much less time convincing radio stations and newspapers to take my call. These are bands that mean something, they’ve already proven their value, and proven they have staying power. It means that shows and albums sell themselves, the fanbase is wide enough and diverse enough that the kind of person that would go to a Marshall Tucker Band show or buy a Chris Hicks album is going to do it, whether I try to sell it or not. No one has to be introduced to some new band.

However, I still prefer the younger bands. Though they may take more work, they’re willing to do it. They’re gonna bust their asses, because they know if they can’t get the press now, they’re gonna have a difficult time trying to get an album – let alone a review – later. And that attitude is motivating. Much more than talking to a tour manager trying to track down a lead singer.

Digital Movies

2008-12-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

I just bought the Chronicles of Narnia on DVD. Actually, it wasn’t on DVD, it was on DVDs. Three DVDs: one with the movie (plus commentaries), one with special features, and one that was a digital copy of the movie, that I now have on my iTunes. And amazingly enough, I think this is one of my best purchases all year!

I’m not a huge Narnia fan. I’ve read the books a few times and quite enjoyed them, but they’re no Potter. The first movie was pretty good, but the kids were all so young that they were somewhat annoying, and they still hadn’t quite decided how they were going to translate the fantasy book to film. The second wasn’t all that much better (though it did add Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian, one of my top three British hotties with co-star William Moseley - Peter Pevensie – and Rob Pattinson – Twilight’s Edward Cullen), though they did work on some of the CGI, which is getting much better with time.

The reason this was my favorite purchase: the digital copy. Such a simple concept, something that iTunes has been doing forever. Put the DVD into your computer, and it automatically uploads onto iTunes (or windows media for non-apple people), then onto your iPod. I don’t particularly like watching something on my iPod, the screen is so small that it starts to hurt my eyes, and I never before felt any great need to have movies on my iPod if I have them downloaded illegally on my laptop.

But I realized this week…digital copies are the smartest thing ever! The movie company can charge a few extra bucks with the DVD if you’re getting two copies of the movie, and consumers aren’t going to complain if they’re paying $20 for the DVD instead of $15 (well, not yet at least). Digital copies exist anyway, why not charge a little extra, and give someone a good quality copy, instead of the crap you get off limewire.

And for people like me, who think they don’t need a copy of a movie on their 1.5 inch by 2 inch iPod screen, let me tell you, there is nothing better than sitting in rainy traffic in LA, listening to Caspian and Peter sword fight…seriously.

WARPED TOUR 2009

2008-12-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

I want to get a job on Warped Tour 2009. So if you know a band that's looking for a merch person for cheap, let me know.

When I tell most people this (friends, roommates, coworkers), most people don't get it. Why, when I already have a pretty good job in the city I want to live in, would I give it up to live in a van with a bunch of smelly boys for 2 months, eating crap, having to do manual labor for about 15 hours a day, sitting out in the heat with no ac and no break? Why would I give up a steady salary (plus benefits) for a job where the company I work for may or may not be able to actually pay me, where I might be working for tips from 16 year old girls…who don't tip unless you're a cute boy.

Many reasons. To be surrounded by the music I love, and other people who love it. To meet a whole new group of people who I would never get to meet living in the suburbs of Philly or LA. To see how other companies work, learn as much as I can for the future when I try to start my own company.

But mostly for the adventure. Two months on the open road, with nothing but music and music people to keep you company. I'd be meeting new people, new fans every day, as well as sharing something special with the other people on the tour, something none of us will ever forget. It's the perfect mix of hard work and parties, but it doesn't seem like work when you're doing what you love. It'd be a chance for me to see the country, even if most of the seeing I'd be doing would be from the backseat of a van in the middle of the night.

Even if I can't get a job, I still can't wait for Warped Tour 2009, Friday June 26-Sunday August 23...SO STOKED!

Jack's Mannequin vs. Something Corporate

2008-12-09T17:46:00.000-08:00

2005 was obviously a huge year for Andrew McMahon. He was diagnosed with leukemia and released his first album (Everything in Transit) with his side project Jack's Mannequin. But first and foremost, he took a break from his first band, Something Corporate. That's the part I remember most, as I had just seen them live for the first time and was immediately impressed; it was only when I looked at their website to find new tour dates a few months later that I heard about McMahon's medical troubles. At the time, no one knew who Jack's Mannequin was, for good reason: they didn't exist yet. And now they're showing up everywhere. So why didn't this happen for SoCo?

God only knows. I must admit, when I first heard the first JM album, I was upset. More than upset, I was freakin *pissed*. Why did they ruin such an amazing band like Something Corporate for a crappy pop band? SoCo was one of the bands that I used to define the best of the best of emo (up there with Dashboard Confessional and Jimmy Eat World): melody rich pop-rock with a powerful, emotional vocal and "deep" (for a teenager) lyrics about, well, being a teenager. Jack's Mannequin, was, well, not. "Mix Tape," the first single, was a very poppy love song. Not like the pained love of "Konstantine":

this is because i can spell confusion with a 'K'
and i can like it
its to dying in anothers arms
and why i had to try it
its to jimmy eat world
and those nights in my car
when the first star you see
may not be a star
im not your star
isnt that what you said
what you thought this song meant
…
this is to a girl who got into my head
with all the pretty things she did
hey ya know you keep me up in bed
this is to a girl who got into my head
with all these fucked up things i did

Compare that to the hopeful love of "Mix Tape":
Where are you now?
As I'm swimming through the stereo
I'm writing you a symphony of sound
Where are you now?
As I rearrange the songs again
This mix could burn a hole in anyone
But it was you I was thinking of

How could anyone honestly prefer that mushy shallow love to such honest pain? And how could such an honest and talented lead singer go from Something Corporate to Jack's Mannequin?

Having grown up a little myself since I first started to listen to SoCo (my first SoCo show was January of my freshman year of college; I have since graduated and moved cross country and am living pretty much as a grown up), I'm finally starting to get it. Don't get me wrong, I still love SoCo much more than JM, and the second SoCo goes on tour again, I'm singing up for whatever I need to to get the first presale tickets before they all sell out. But I understand the control of emotion that comes through in JM. He still feels mostly the same as he did before (though I'm sure his idea of "struggle" has changed immensely since fighting leukemia), you just get more of a handle on expressing it with age.

I have found – when going back through my itunes – that my own tastes have changed greatly since 2005. I would have laughed at myself if I knew then what I'd like now. Brittany and N'Sync still annoy the crap outta me (and yes, I still think Justin Timberlake looks like a cross between a monkey and a dog, and I'm even *less* convinced now he has any talent than I was then). But I would have been much more willing (and eager) to sit through a screamo band than I am now. In general, the music I listened to then was much harder than what it is now (then, it was more pop-PUNK, now it's more POP-punk). This trend is even clear in the bands themselves: compare Yellowcard's Midget Tossing (one of their earliest hardest albums), or even The Underdog EP to Paper Walls; how about All Time Low's Three Words to Remember against So Wrong It's Right.

This recent revelation has led me to this question: who's doing the growing? Do bands naturally begin to create more gentle pop-y music as they age? Or is it the fans' fault? Do bands tone it down to appeal to a more grown-up fan base (including their aging original fans)? Or am I being too naïve? Is it really the fault of the industry? The first (few) albums are made entirely by the bands, doing whatever they want with little supervision from the industry people who need to worry about the bottom line; after a while though, they need to broaden their fan base to pay for that next album, which leads them in a more pop direction.

I don't know what the answer is, I wish I did. That way I'd be able to predict more easily who was going to make it big next (and I could befriend them now – yay free concert tickets!). The only thing I know is that I'm still going to love Something Corporate no matter what. Oh, and I'll always hate Brittany.

PHILLY PRIDE

2008-12-05T16:27:00.000-08:00

I’m proud with very little reason to be. And I do this a lot. Watching All Time Low grow from being an unknown opener at the HFStival, having won a local band competition, to selling out headlining tours and having some of the biggest crowds at Warped Tour, it makes me proud. Sure, I may have told a few people about them, spread their popularity a little, and I did do some promotional work for them at Hopeless, but their success is due to their efforts, not mine. And yet, I’m still proud of them every time I remember them played Warped Tour in Scranton, PA in August of 2006.

A few weeks ago, I went to see Anarbor with some of the people I worked with at Hopeless. The headlining band I had never heard of, and at the time I figured I was just going to head home after Anarbor, as I had work the next morning. But while I was waiting for my tickets, I started talking to some of the guys in Anarbor, when one of the other band members came out. His name was Dan, and he let me know he was in the headlining band, The Scenic. After a few minutes of conversation, I found out he was from Doylestown, right near where my sister is getting married in May. Before he went back inside to watch the show, he asked me to stick around for their set, as their audiences had been somewhat lackluster the past few days.

The set was pretty good. They were obviously a very polished, practiced band, and they had some fun, catchy songs. Though the crowd wasn’t huge, they did have a decent amount of energy, and they were obviously having fun. So when I went up to talk to the guitarist I had talked to before the show, he was surprised and excited to see that I had stayed. He made sure to talk to me for a few minutes before I had to leave, and asked me to come out to see them when they came back to Hollywood for a Battle of the Bands in December.

Now, I talked to this kid for maybe 15 minutes before the show, and 10 minutes after. On top of that, a few weeks had passed in between our first meeting and the Battle of the Bands show last night. When I saw him walking away from the vans and towards the line, just checking out how many people were there, I figured I would go over and re-introduce myself, and after a few minutes of talking, he might remember me. However, when he saw me walking over to him, his face lit up. “Hey! I didn’t know you were coming tonight!” he screamed over to me. Not only did he recognize my face, but he remembered where he met me, and the conversation we had about Philly bands a few weeks back.

Some bands, when faced with a new level of fame (and therefore a new loss of privacy) shy away. They unfriend people on myspace and facebook; they stop signing autographs; they go straight from backstage to the tour vehicle. Now, these guys are still pretty small-time, and who knows what they’re going to do in the future, if they will become more reclusive. For now, however, having just been signed and done a pretty decent sized national tour, no one can complain that they were hard to reach. Not only were they all walking around the venue before the show, they stopped and talked to anyone who would talk to them, and thanked everyone who joined in for their mid-set conga line (because no one is too cool for a conga line). After the show, they were all at the merch booth, talking to fans (both old and new), shaking with joy: they had just been invited by Kevin Lyman (founder/owner of Warped Tour, Taste of Chaos tour, etc) to play the “Kevin Says” stage at warped tour this summer, as they didn’t win the battle of the bands competition (though they were his favorite).

This is the new music era. Before, it was all about the mystique of a band: they were gods, not real people. Though specific personal details might have been shared, bands weren’t there to interact personally with fans. Look at KISS, the very definition of mystique: how long was it before anyone knew what they looked like underneath the makeup? Now that has changed. Modern bands – and especially those bands aimed at the younger audiences, those under 25 – are all about personalization. The most popular bands are the ones that make an effort to get to know the audience, and let the audience get to know them. Every band has at least one video camera running at all times, and myspace pages are filled with band pranks and long tour ride videos. Fans today know exactly what the inside of the tour van looks like, without ever having been inside it. They also know all the girlfriends, tour crew, pets, favorite foods, most popular tour games, everything.

Many major acts are still trying to avoid this, but the truth is that secrecy just angers and annoys fans. The Scenic is not the best band I’ve ever heard, and I’m honestly not sure if they’re really gonna do anything more than what they’re doing now: small shows with mediocre crowds. But they found a supporter in me, just by being human.

www.myspace.com/thescenic

Yay Random!

2008-12-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

Happy (belated) Turkey Day!

I know, I took some time off for the holiday, wasn’t planning on it, but then the weekend just got away from me. I wanted to tie up a few odds and ends before writing a new blog on, well, music (cuz I totally said that’s what I’d be writing about in the first place).

So just to get it out of my system, I have a new lesbian crush. Her name is Cleolinda, and all I know about her is that she cracks up my inner 16 year old. She compares Twilight to porn without plot, staring emo-Bella, SPARKLEPIRES (that would be vampires who sparkle…get it….vamPIREs…who SPARKLE…I guess it’s funnier if you read her recaps), and Native American boys (and girl) who FURSPLODE! She writes about 15 different livejournal blogs in which she mostly just parodies things I love so that I love them even more: Harry Potter, Lost, Twilight, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, all of it. Basically, I really wish (a) I had her awesome sense of humor and (b) I could invent words like Sparklepire and use phrases like “omgsomeen.” She also invented (well, maybe not invented, but brought to my attention) the game “Horrify the Twilight Noob,” in which a Twihard (or slightly less obsessed fan) will talk about the awesomeness of the books to someone who’s never read them, and they will get so confused their head will explode. Her example:
“OH HOLY SHIT ARE WE GONNA PLAY HORRIFY THE TWILIGHT NOOB AGAIN? I LOVE THIS GAME!Yeah, he thinks Bella's killed herself (it's a loooong damn story), so he goes to the capital vampire city in Italy (look, don't ask me) and he's going to fling off his shirt and sparkle in public at high noon, because he knows the ruling vampire whoevers will tackle him first and kill him--you know that expression "suicide by cop"? Kind of like that. So of course Bella finds out, and she has to run across the city in a race against time to stop him. In my head, it happens in slo-mo, and there's a Big No ("NOOOOOOOOO") involved.”
http://cleoland.pbwiki.com/Twilight#HorrifytheTwilightNoob
Feel free to check out all things “in 15 minutes,” because I do occasionally quote them (“I think I saw a porno like this once…”)
http://community.livejournal.com/m15m

Second of all, I *finally* got caught up on my Preston and Steve podcasts, thus I’m on to catching up on AP podcasts. And you know what one of the first things they talked about on the most recent podcast was? LEAD SINGER SYNDROM. Yes, I have my finger on the pulse of America. Well, at least on the pulse of AP. For serious, when interviewing Anberlin, they talked about how RYAN KEY (and I’m gonna say it now because they said it first; for those who didn’t already know, yes, I was talking about Ryan Key, the asshole who began my hatred of all things LSS) was the most infamous example, and how he even admitted burning bridges by his asshole-ness. Boo ya grandma. Just sayin.

Finally, AP just put out their list of albums they’re looking forward to hearing in 2009. On the list? Green Day (which I almost shit myself when I saw, because you know any new Green Day album is gonna be amazing), All Time Low (which I have low expectations for, after hearing Alex’s song dissing…um… “the record industry,” plus I’ve heard the demos SUCK), and a whole crapton of people I don’t really care about. You wanna know why the music industry is failing? Because no one cares about the new album. It’s all about the new tour. Don’t believe me? I went to a concert (a *sold-out* concert) Saturday night, where half the crowd was just chillin outside for a large portion of the show. And almost everyone left with merch. So just put out your album online, and tour a crapton, cuz apparently shows are the new hangout (I’m not gonna lie, I kinda miss the days of just chillin at the mall, but every generation needs its own “Mallrats”).

Later this week I will for real write something music (and not Twilight) related. PSBTW, if you want me to listen to/comment about a band you like, comment with myspace link and I shall listen.

Lead Singer Syndrom

2008-11-25T14:14:00.000-08:00

In editing my first blog, I realized I mentioned – but never explained – LSS, or lead singer syndrome. As a hardcore fanatical fan of two bands (and two bands only), I don't have a wide-spread knowledge of this problem, its origins, who has it, and how much of a problem it really is. But also as a hardcore fanatical fan of two bands, I have seen it take down one, and start to destroy the other. For the singer's sake, I will try to leave out some details that I have heard (some of which I know are true, some I'm not too sure), including the band's name (though I'm sure it won't be too hard to figure this one out if I keep writing and you keep reading this blog).

As taught in my first term-paper-writing-classes, I should first define my terms. Lead Singer Syndrom is the condition a lead singer of a semi-successful to successful may get as they rise to fame. Symptoms include a new found egotistical and arrogant nature (and I'm pretty sure that this only occurs *after* people start to ask for autographs at shows and they get a little "famous" within the genre, though I can't be 100% sure, they may have had the ego to start with), and a general lack of interest in/anger at the fans, including being bothered by autograph and picture requests, and passing presents off to tour managers and other handlers in front of the gifter.

So what happens? Well, in my experience, it's the band dream come true: a hard working band gets signed (usually at a pretty early age, like 17-19), and they start touring. Soon, they're headlining, getting recognized walking around the mall the day of the show, getting 100+ myspace messages a day, and getting one or two freaky stalker fans in addition to the legion of teenies who declare (daily, and in a multitude of message boards, facebook walls, and myspace blogs) that they love said lead singer, and they want to get married.

For some band members, it's a dream come true which they obsess over and cherish, in case it doesn't last. Sometimes, however, the lead singer lets it go to their head. They would be famous even without the legions of teenies who promote them and force all their friends to go to the shows. They're talented on their own right, they don't need a label telling them what to do. Sometimes it's aimed at a specific group or person, sometimes it manifests itself as fear, sometimes as annoyance, and sometimes as anger.

The bottom line is this: it pisses off fans. Though I'm sure most people don't know - or care – why one of my favorite bands is currently not touring, there is a small but hard core group of us who have seen the lead singer shy away from fans, running onto the tour bus while the rest of the bands takes pictures, signs autographs, and just hang out (playing football, drinking in parking lots, watching a roadie do magic tricks…true story). There is a reason why we have arguments over who gives the best hugs in the world, Dez or smackin' Mackin, and why the lead singer of said band is not involved in that conversation. And we are upset with him for ruining something that was so important to us.

You want to be a rockstar? You want to get a fanbase to follow your every move, and therefore promote every little thing you do (like buying the most ridiculous merch in the world…honestly, pillow cases and dolls?!?!? What are you, Barbie?), BE NICE and BE INVOLVED!!! These days, it's all about how many posts you can make on your myspace blog, even if they are as dumb as "Today we're on the road, and I just had the most amazing Panda Express I've ever had." It's about how many pictures you can take making a goofy face, and how many people can tag you in those pictures. It's opening up about everything in your life, from arguments with friends to your favorite brand of cookie (because fans will bring you those cookies…if you doubt it, ask Alex Gaskarth how many things of Milanos he would get every show). This isn't the Wizard of Oz people, you are not all-powerful, and kids get annoyed when you think you are (myself included). So pull down the curtain, and admit the fact that you can't really perform magic…but that roadie can

TWILIGHT

2008-11-21T15:28:00.000-08:00

Suck it up, I’m gonna talk about it. People need to stop mocking teenies for loving things like Twilight while the WWE is still making money, that's all I'm sayin'.

It wasn’t quite what I expected. Though I’m sure all of my film major roommates and friends would disagree, I actually was impressed with the cinematography. It surprisingly felt like they thought about shots, angles, dream sequences and random flashbacks. Which is unusual if you were to compare Twilight to movies made for a similar age range *cough*High School Musical*cough*.

The acting wasn’t great. Some of Edward’s subtleties were made painfully obvious (ok, not that many, but the first Bio class when he first smells her…and *covers his nose*?!?!?!? Vamps don’t need to cover their nose, they just don’t breathe. Come on now.). And someone needs to teach Bella how to hyperventilate…or show any kind of emotion other than the shy awkward go-to emotion. Unfortunately, the best cast kid was Jacob (damnit, I hate that kid), though Jessica came in a close second (so nice to see her as the Alpha girl after being the blond’s bitch in Camp). And why is Angela suddenly a Jess-clone? She’s supposed to be the one *good* friend to Bella, which is why Edward sets her up with Ben in the book (well, in his version of the book).

And as it is with all movies that are made from books, they did change a few things: the bad vamps played a part much earlier in the movie, Jacob doesn’t tell Bella about the “Cold Ones,” and they cut out the awesome Bella faints in Bio when blood testing scene, which always cracks me up. The one that really pissed me off though, was that they threw in a line for Twihards that doesn’t really make sense in the context. When Bella confronts Edward about his vampiness, he comes right out with the line, “You are my brand of heroin.” Now, in the movie, it’s a total WTF moment, because it’s out of NOWHERE. In the book, they’re having a deep and emotional conversation about the possibility of a future for them, and Edward’s trying to tell Bella how dangerous he is.

He makes the comparison of putting an ex-alcoholic in the room with a glass of wine (or whatever it was), versus putting him in a room with a finely aged scotch. (Yes, I'm sure I got this wrong, but I don't currently have my book with me, so I'm relying on my memory, which we all know is crap. Correct me if you honestly care that much.) Realizing this isn’t an intense enough analogy, he changes our friendly alcoholic to a junkie in a room with heroin, from which comes the line, “you are exactly my brand of heroin.” The way he says it in the book is amazing: it sweet, and beautiful, and you love him even more for it, even though he’s saying it to push Bella away, to convince her of his danger to her.

And the growth of their relationship in the book is awesome: they go from not being able to sit next to each other, to barely being able to touch, to – after weeks of dating – finally kissing, a first kiss that most girls wish was theirs. Now, this is the one time that the movie kicked the book’s ass, though again if you hadn’t read the book, the reaction wouldn’t make quite as much sense.

In the book, it takes Edward great control to stop himself before he looses his “human” sense not to kill her, which is why he pushes Bella off of him when they kiss. In the movie, it takes probably 30-40 seconds between him leaning in to kiss her and him actually kissing her. It’s awkward, but you know it’s him testing his self-control, which is actually really endearing. They have a quick peck, then Bella attacks him…but in the movie, Edward attacks back…totally hot! And this is when every 16 year old girl in the audience squealed with joy, because honestly, who didn’t want to be in a t-shirt and undies in bed with Edward (though, I’m sure we all could have done without the phone call from mom which ended when Edward showed up, overhearing mom’s last bit of advice: “be safe!!!”)

Ok, so enough rambling about random bits and pieces. Overall, if I were a critic, I would give it something in the C range. Decent story, overall decent acting, decent script, nothing special. But as a fan, I give it an A. Why? Because for most of us, we don’t need the Oscars to approve to find something entertaining as hell. And it was. And I’m sure everyone in that theater agreed with me. There was a huge cheer at the end of the movie (not to mention the various giggles at awkwardness and squeals at kisses), and everyone left the theater laughing, joking, and excited about being able to talk about the amazing time they had in the last two hours.

So I say see it. Put aside expectations (both good from the book, and bad from the haters and in my case mockers), and spend two hours enjoying a good old fashioned fairy tale.

By the way, some things I noticed:
There were actually parents there without kids
There were guys without girls
I was in the minority – I don’t own *any* Twilight merch
In my quiet suburban town, they had three screens running for the midnight show, and they’ve got it running every half an hour tonight.
NPR just did a mini feature on the opening (so it’s gotta be a big deal)

Crap Culture

2008-11-20T11:04:00.000-08:00

I like crap. Not, you know, actual feces, but things that have little redeeming artistic value. I admit this freely. And I don't think it's a bad thing, as long as you don't try to pass it off as a work of genius.

Exhibit A: Gossip Girls. It's Dawson's Creek meets Cruel Intentions. Neither of which were good, but enjoyable. Gossip Girls doesn't have amazing acting, or great scripts. Even the premise makes me want to rip out my hair: a bunch of rich kids running around New York complaining about how their daddy took their T-Bird away…and instead *only* gave them a private limo and a vespa, a Guchi bag and a shopping spree at some Paris designer store. It says that the abuse of money is ok, and that our culture – so focused on the public and humiliating downfall of celebrities – is entertaining and worth our time. It's horrible. And I should hate it. But I almost cried when Jenny showed up for Thanksgiving dinner, and I could not speak when Blair had sex with Chuck. Because I am completely addicted to Gossip Girls.

Exhibit B: Twilight. Horribly written. I'm sure the movie's not gonna be much better. The plots are ridiculous, and the fact that the first book should really be two books, as there are two separate stories contained in the book (the love story and mystery of the Cullen family, then the hunt for Bella) drives me crazy every time I read it (and yes, I have read it multiple times, once while reading Edward's version at the same time). There is no amazing theme like the Harry Potter books, such as questioning the definition of good and evil. But I love me some Twilight, and I already bought my tickets for 12:01am Friday morning for the first movie.

Exhibit C: Pop-Punk, case in point, All Time Low. Though they have grown up a small amount since I first saw them, for the most part they're still the high-school pranksters that idolize the dick and fart jokes of Blink-182. They can play better than some crappy garage bands…but that's not saying much. They can write some fun and pretty lyrics, but they're no "Beatles" writing "Imagine." But I have seen them now 18 times, and have driven 3+ hours to see them.

I have been told – by more than one person - that my generation has great crap-detectors. The reason why people stopped paying attention to us was because they didn't know how to sell us stuff. But somehow, these crappy things are getting through. Because I watch Gossip Girl every Monday night, and I've spent probably more than 50 bucks on Twilight *before* the $10 movie tickets, and god knows I'm still spending money on All Time Low concert tickets (as well as Boys Like Girls, Valencia, Cobra Starship, Cute is What We Aim For…).

The only explanation I have is pretty obvious: because they're fun. I work in Beverly Hills, and live in Monterey Park. I'm out of my house from 8am to almost 8pm. Before that I was a full time student, trying to juggle internships and jobs and planning for my future while keeping up good grades. In high school I was called "the over-achiever" because of all my extra curriculars plus AP classes, plus picking up extra instruments just for fun. And as far back as I can remember, dinner table discussions were focused on anger: over Bush, the cost of my dance classes, or what my grandmother said to piss off my mom that week.

Our lives have been focused on fear-mongering. And no, I'm not going on a Bush rant now (though who knows, maybe some day I will). I'm talking about parents, teachers, family friends. My junior and senior years, everyone wanted to know where I wanted to go to college, and it was unacceptable to answer that I wasn't particularly looking forward to more school. My whole adolescent life was spent living up to other's expectations. And though it felt that way at the time, I know I wasn't alone in those feelings. We all needed an escape. Many (let's not lie, most) of the people I know turned to alcohol (yes, some of us as early as 8th or 9th grade). Escape the glaring, judging eye of the parents, and get wasted…then spend the rest of the evening joking about stupid shit you come up with while wasted (and some of those inside jokes live on today).

But we also turn to our own fantasy pop-culture (by the way, I include Gossip Girls and crappy music in fantasy). We want to see these perfect lives we could have…we could be dating the perfect gentleman, Nate Archibald, or the even more perfect (and even more gorgeous) Edward Cullen, even if we're as plain (or annoying) as Venessa or Bella; we could start our own business at 15, and run away and live with friends; we can start a band with our friends and tour the country (without those pesky parents), even if we aren't the next John Lennon.

So what's the point? I dunno. But I'm sick of people telling me the things I watch or read or listen to are crap. I know. But when I'm in the mood to feel like I'm 16 again, escaping the pressures of AP English, I'm still going to turn to them.

www.stepheniemeyer.com/
www.myspace.com/alltimelow

The scary first post...

2008-11-19T13:38:00.000-08:00

Saturday night, I went to a concert for two reasons: one was to see Anarbor, the band who's record label (Hopeless) I had interned for. The other was to see The Scenic, a Philly band who I just found out about, who play with another Philly band (The Great American Soundtrack) that I really like. I had seen this show Thursday night (with the Hopeless crew, a really cool group of 20-30 somethings who were nothing but welcoming when I worked there...just had to give them some props), which is when I heard about the Scenic.

Side note: Though this was not the story I intended to talk about, I was talking to one of the band members - Dan - before and after the show, and he had asked me to stick around and watch them, and after the show he came up to me and gave me a big hug when he found out I stayed. I mean really, how adorable is it that they gave someone a hug just for sticking around for their set. That's what gets you a hard core fan base of 16 year olds who will do nothing but promote your band. Anyway...This is when I found out that his old band had opened for All Time Low (another Hopeless band) when they did an acoustic tour a year and a half ago, back in the days when they were stoked to fill a Church basement, as they had only been to Philly once before. Small world.

Anyway, the point of this first post is this: as I was watching the opening band Saturday night, I had a thought. A revelation, if you will. And I called *myself* blasphemous for this thought. Because it really is pretty bad. The thought was this: the problem with Blink-182 is that they made every kid think he could start a band. And many of these kids did. And I was now being forced to sit through their crappy music, because there were no in-and-outs at the show.

Now, the blasphemy of this statement is the assumption that there was *anything* wrong with Blink-182. To anyone over the age of, say, 25, this does not seem blasphemous. In fact, most of them would probably say that Blink-182 was a crappy band, with an annoying lead singer, who broke up because they were whiney, and no one cared. This may be true, but that's not the point. The point, for those of us under 25, was that they were *us*. They made it cool to be a teenager and do stupid shit (like running down the street in your underwear). They made it ok to think about and talk about suicide. They made us stop and enjoy ourselves, our friends, our lives. Something that most of us didn't do, as we were stressed with school, getting into college, dealing with our parents, dealing with Bush.

The point of this whole ramble? Well, in having my revalation, I didn't have anyone to tell it to. My roommates don't like the music I like, my sister is over the whole pop-punk scene (she introduced me to Good Charlotte when I was about 13, then started calming down her tastes), my friends at home were all asleep by this time, and even if they weren't most of them wouldn't care.

But I wanted to get my ramble out. I ramble a lot, and like anger, I feel it unhealthy to keep all this bottled up.

A few weeks ago, my mom suggested I ask Bob Lefsetz (friend of the family and author of the Lefsetz letter, an email blog thing that gets sent across the music industry) to write a "guest collumn" of sorts for him, try to build up my name and credibility before I try to start my own label. I laughed her off - I am not the type of person with the balls to flat out ask for something like that - but the idea of writing a music blog has been stuck in my head ever since.

And so here it is. My strange version of a music blog. My random thoughts about new bands, shows I've seen, which band members are pissing me off this week (mostly because of lead singer syndrom....but that's for another time), and whatever the hell else I'll talk about (this week I'm sure it will be Twilight...and yes, I already have my ticket for the 12:01am show). My guess is, I'll write a total of 3 blogs, which no one will read, and I'll get bored and stop. But just in case anyone decides to read this, I figured the first post should explain (at least in a way that makes sense to me) why I started writing it in the first place.