This week Blessthefall released a music video for "The Reign" off their 3rd full length album Awakening and if you ask me this video perfectly captures the energy and intensity of one of their live shows. As I said before, Blessthefall is one of the best bands to see live. Their shows are packed full of energy, brutal pits and crazy moments. One of the craziest moments I can remember from a Blessthefall show is that at one of their shows, vocalist Beau Bokan climbed up to one of the balconies in the venue and did a front flip into the crowd. Jumping off the highest part of the stage into the crowd is something that Bokan is known for and is a reason why their shows are so crazy. The video for "The Reign" has moments like Bokan diving into the crowd, some moshing and even a line of fan girls running on stage to kiss guitarist Elliot Gruenberg. I can't stress this enough but Blessthefall is one of those bands that I fell everyone should see live before they die because they are that incredible live and you always leave their shows knowing you had a good time and that is what going to shows is all about. So if your going to Warped Tour this year then be sure to catch Blessthefall's set or you will miss out on one of the best live bands and a great time.
If fans thought last years Scream It Like You Mean It was good, then just wait to you see what Scream It Like You Mean It has in stores for 2012. Last years show was like an ordinary tour and had about 5-6 bands on it. The show was headlined by Chiodos and Breathe Carolina and had I See Stars as one of the support bands. I'm not going to lie all the bands put on a great show last year and I felt that SILYMI 2012 would have a hard time topping last years show. For 2012, SILYMI was completely revamped. This year the show features 18 bands and is to be formatted like a festival probably like Warped Tour or The All Stars Tour. Let me tell you this I am completely stoked for this show based on the lineup. The two main headliners are Attack Attack! and We Came As Romans which are to incredible bands to see live ( last year at Warped Tour Attack Attack! almost caused a riot during their set when they shot AA! dollars into the crowd. The AA! dollars could be used to get free merch from their merch tent and caused a lot of fighting). To make the lineup even more insane, Woe Is Me, In Fear And Faith, Secrets, Abandon All Ships, For All Those Sleeping and Like Moths To Flames were announced as part of the tour. This lineup is one of the heaviest lineups and is going to be one hell of a show if you ask me. One new band that is on the tour that I'm curious to see is Glass Cloud. Glass Cloud is the new band of ex-Of Mice & Men vocalist Jerry Roush and based on the two songs they released so far sounds pretty sick. I know they're going to be incredible live because when I saw OM&M live with Jerry as vocalist, the show was crazy. One thing I like better about Roush then current OM&M vocalist Austin Carlile is that Roush has more energy on stage. Roush is spazzing out on stage and it makes the set that more enjoyable. For more information on Scream It Like You Mean It 2012 like the complete lineup click here. As of right now dates and tickets are not available but when they are I'll be sure to post them here. With three killer summer shows, this is going to one unforgettable and brutal summer! Check out For All Those Sleeping's music video for "I'm not dead yet" below.
Since its getting warmer out and summer is almost upon us, that means it's almost time for the start of the Vans Warped Tour, which is my favorite thing about summer! As someone who has been attending Warped Tour every year since 2006, I decided that I should help those who are new to Warped so that they can make the most of their day.
1) Dress accordingly- I'm not going to lie as funny as it is to watch that guy dressed in a teletubbies costume mosh with a guy in a gorilla suit, on hot days it's not the smartest idea to be one of those guys. Its best to wear light comfortable clothes so you don't pass out from the heat.
2)Bring bottled water and a small backpack- Since its the middle of summer, it can and will get really hot out so you're going to want to stay hydrated. I would recommend bringing a small backpack filled with bottled water to the venue since water can be expensive at the venue.
3) Bring sunscreen and apply it regularly- Bringing sunscreen is a necessity since you're out in the sun all day, you will get burned pretty easily out there. I learned this lesson the hard way at my first Warped Tour and came back with massive sunburns. It's also important to apply it regularly to prevent sunburns. Last year I got lazy and as a result came home with wicked sunburns on my arms and shoulders.
4) Get to the venue early- I highly recommend that you get to the venue early so that you do not have to wait on that long line to get in. Most venues open around 10:30 or 11, so get there early. If you end up having to wait in the long line because you got there late, there is always the possibility that you could miss your favorite band's set.
5)Check out at least one band you never heard before- While many people are there to see the bands that they like, it is highly recommended that you check out a band that you never heard of before. This is a great opportunity to check out new music and you never know you might find one of your new favorite bands. This is how i discovered the electro-rock band Breathe Carolina and I've been a fan since.
6)Check the merch tents for signings- One of the best thing about Warped Tour is that basically all the bands have signings for the fans. By taking advantage of this you have the opportunity to meet some of your favorite bands. Last year I met former Woe Is Me members Michael Bohn and Ben Ferris who were just chilling at their merch tent and they have to be the nicest and most down to earth musicians that I met.
7)Look out for crowd surfers- One thing about Warped is that there are crowd surfers everywhere in the crowd. If your not paying attention, someone can get hurt. You don't want to let the surfer fall or you don't want to get dropkicked in the face by one (like i was two years ago).
8)Don't go into the pits if your not comfortable- Take it from me, the pits can get wild. You have people moshing and going crazy and if you don't know what your doing in one you can get hurt. I've seen people get knocked out, start to bleed and even hit girls ( not everyone hits girls, but there can be that crazy guy who doesn't care who he hits) in mosh pits. So if you do not feel comfortable going in, then I wouldn't recommend going in. Also do not bring a camera or a phone in the pits as they will get broken.
9) Have fun- The most obvious piece of advice is to just have fun and enjoy yourself and all the awesome music.
For more information on Warped Tour including the lineup and where to buy tickets click here. I'll see anyone coming to the July 21st date at Nassau Colosseum in the pits.
There are a lot of new bands hitting the scene each year and I personally feel that one of the hottest new bands on the scene right now is Make Me Famous. Hailing from Ukraine, Make Me Famous was able to make an impact in the United States thanks to sites like Youtube and Facebook. The band started when Vocalist/guitarist Denis Shaforostov decided to post videos of him singing to Youtube and gained a fanbase from those videos. Using the fame that he got from Youtube, Shaforostov decided it was time to form a band and that's how Make Me Famous was formed. The band then used Facebook to gain a lot of attention and become one of the quickest rising unsigned bands since Woe Is Me. Make Me Famous have not been touring for a long time, and I have had the pleasure of seeing them twice already. The first time I saw them was on their first tour ever with I See Stars back in January and I just recently saw them this past Friday when they came to New York City with A Skylit Drive. I was impressed with these guys the very first time I saw them back in January and I could tell how passionately they wanted to make a name for themselves just by watching their performance. Another reason why I feel that Make Me Famous is going to make it in this music scene is because of their sound. Make Me Famous combines elements of hardcore, metal and electronic to create a sound that is unique and nowhere near generic ( I'm not going to lie a lot of bands in the heavy genres sound alike, but Make Me Famous is able to stand out). For more information on Make Me Famous click here. Also if you're heading out to the Bamboozle music festival this year, then you should check out Make Me Famous who were just recently added for Saturday May 18th.
This weeks honor of being band of the week goes to pop rock band Mayday Parade from Tallahassee Florida. I'm not going to lie, Mayday Parade is the softest band that I chose for band of the week but that does not take away from how awesome they are. Mayday Parade is one of those bands that has songs that will make you want to sing along (especially while driving, I'm not going to lie I'm guilty of this). Songs like "Jamie All Over", "Oh Well, Oh Well" and "Jersey" are perfect examples of feel good pop rock anthems that are to be blasted and sung along to. There is something about vocalist Derek Sanders voice that makes listeners want to keep listening especially female fans. When I saw them at Warped Tour back in 2010, some crazy fangirl was screaming crazy fangirl things to Derek that included wanting to have his babies, her address and when her parents would be away (yeah I know pretty creepy right). Eventhough some fans prefer their earlier works which include co-lead vocalist Jason Landcaster to their newer stuff, I like all their stuff regardless of the vocalist.
Members:
Derek Sanders-Lead Vocals/Keyboards/Piano
Brooks Betts- Rhythm Guitar
Jake Bundrick-Vocals/Drums
Alex Garcia-Lead Guitar
Jeremy Lenzo-Bass/Vocals
Discography: Tales Told By Dead Friends EP (2006) (Self Released) A Lesson In Romantics (2007) (Fearless Records) Anywhere But Here (2009) (Fearless Records) Valdosta Ep (2011) (Fearless Records) Mayday Parade (2011) (Fearless/Atlantic Records)
I would highly recommend checking out Mayday Parade especially if you're a fan of pop rock. Their live shows are incredible and in my opinion are one of the best pop rock bands live. Also if you're attending Warped Tour this summer, then you better take some time out to catch their set because it will be insane. Below check out their music video for their hit single "Jamie All Over" and click here for more information including tour dates.
Two upcoming albums that I'm really excited for are Miss May I's At Heart and The Word Alive's Life Cycles. Both of these albums are looking to be brutal and some of the heaviest material released by both bands. I have had the privilege of being able to see both of these bands live and they both know how to put on a killer show. Judging from their past releases and their live performances I have a feeling that both of these albums are going to be insane and can't miss albums. Miss May I's blend of brutal metal is what caused the band to rise to the top of the metal scene and is also the reason why the band was selected to play this years Warped Tour on the main stage. The Word Alive and their blend of metal, melodic vocals and electronics have made them one of the best bands to see live ( I've seen them multiple times and each time they keep on getting better and better). The tracklist for At Heart is currently unknown, however the following is know about Life Cycles. There are to be two versions of Life Cycles both released at the same time, the standard version will include 14 tracks while the deluxe version will include 17 tracks. One known track off Life Cycles is entitled "Wishmaster" as it was performed recently at the Extreme Thing festival in Vegas on March 31st and last night on the This World Is Our Tour in Buffalo. I know for a fact that both of these albums will be incredible and that if you miss picking both of these albums up you're going to regret it. At Heart drops on June 12th while Life Cycles will be available on July 3rd.
