Bizzare Cubiques

Long before you were putting your unmentionables in a box, and even before Natalie rapped, Andy Samberg brought Lonely Island into the mainstream with "Lazy Sunday" and Chris Parnell on SNL. And now we all know that Mr. Pibb + Red Vines = Crazy delicious.



Four years later, Andy and Lonely Island's digital shorts remain some of the lone bright spots in a bleak post-Tina Fey SNL lineup. And now you have a chance to own them all. Out today is Lonely Island's first studio album, Incredibad. It features all of the SNL short hits, including "Jizz in My Pants" and "I'm on a Boat," with T-Pain, plus some more originals and a host of celeb cameos. The CD also comes bundled with a DVD of the shorts.

It's hard to top "Dick in a Box," but the full album is well worth the listen.

Twenty years ago, The Beastie Boys dropped Paul's Boutique. I was only three at the time, but in the interim, Boutique has managed to become one of my top 5 favorite albums of all time - not to mention that it's a critical darling and regularly makes Top Blankity Blank Albums of Blankity Blank lists. The masterful production by the Dust Brothers and the sharp lyrics are packed onto the album from end to end. I personally love entire Beastie Boys catalogue but Paul's Boutique is without question their best work.

In honor of the 20-year landmark, the Boys have launched paulsboutique.beastieboys.com, a place to download the remastered 20th Anniversary Edition, plus watch videos and even download a free audio commentary track for the album from the Boys themselves.

The physical copies of the Anniversary Edition won't be out until next Tuesday, but you can check out the free stuff right now.

The long-anticipated Folie a Deux drops tomorrow and Fall Out Boy are storming New York City with events for their fans. The secretive gathering in Washington Square Park this afternoon, something at the Virgin Megastore at midnight and the simulcast concert tomorrow night from the Nokia Theater. Plus, FUSE is premiering the Dec. 2nd Chicago Theater concert at the same time tomorrow night. Read more...

On Friday night, a band - Man Like Machine - became the prime example of everything not to do if you ever want to achieve success. So small bands and people who know small bands, take note! Don't be these guys. You don't want to be these guys.

Lesson #1: Be on time
Being in a band is a lot like having a job. Showing up late is one sure-fire way to lose your job, no matter how qualified you might be. A band relies heavily on punctuality. Shows are scheduled, sometimes down to the minute. Pulling up in your van long after the show starts not only delays the other bands, but makes the people in the crowd - your customers - pretty grumpy. Don't do that.

And definitely don't take your sweet time setting up so that by the time you start your set, you're already eating up the next scheduled band's set time.

Lesson #2: Be polite
Be nice to the people you work with, especially the venue staff. You don't have to like them, but don't show open contempt. That doesn't make people want to work with you. And if you piss off venue staff, you might find that the sound guy has wandered off and nobody else knows how to work the board. So don't act like you're too good to tell the person working the door your name. You're still playing a church in the suburbs. You're not actually a rockstar.

Lesson #3: Be respectful of your surroundings
Don't come to play a show at a church and drink alcohol on stage during your set. Just don't.

Lesson #4: Be able to handle criticism
Not everyone will like your band. And some people will tell you so to your face. Should you be in the middle of your set, I would advise that you to ignore it and deal with it at a later time. I do not advise that you stop your set and try to start a verbal and physical fight with the heckler.

Lesson #5: Complete your job
Don't try to start a verbal and physical fight and then throw such a fit that you can't keep yourself under control and get asked to leave mid-way through your set. You end up looking pretty unprofessional.

Lesson #6: Leave with poise
Even if something goes wrong and you can't follow the other lessons, try to leave with some amount of dignity. Not a slew of obscenities for the venue, venue staff, the other bands and everyone who paid to see the show. Especially when you are still standing on the stage. That's really not the lasting impression that you want to make.

Also, you're still in a church and calling everyone "pussy faggots" does not reflect well on your character.

In conclusion: Don't be Man Like Machine.

Bonus Lesson!
When you get home, continuing your diatribe on your myspace blog doesn't make you look any cooler or any more in control. Deleting that blog hours later only solidifies your lameness.

Is your life sadly empty now that Bronx Mowgli Simpson-Wentz is here and you can't follow every moment of a celebrity's pregnancy? Fear not. We've got a new bump watch for you! Gerard Jr.

If you were one of the hundreds of people who showed up at 27th & Poplar after 2 o'clock last Friday, hoping to score a ticket to the rare and tiny Fall Out Boy club show, you were out of luck. If you were like me and won tickets a week beforehand through their fanclub, you were REALLY GRATEFUL. Or you were just like my friends, and camped out at 11AM and managed to grab one of the 250 spots inside the small Philadelphia venue.

Now, I've seen rather a large number of shows at the Northstar. Some are anemic, local bands with the audience consisting of friends of the local bands. Others are pretty packed with enthusiastic crowds for established bands like the Loved Ones or Butch Walker. But that was nothing compared to the sheer crush of humanity that took over the Northstar Bar on this particular Friday in early November.

The lucky few ran the gamut of Fall Out Boy fans: old fans who'd seen the band before their first major album release, the die hards who had driven up from Virginia or Florida determined to do anything for a band that meant so much to them, the young fans who skipped school in the hope of seeing their first Fall Out Boy show in a venue where it would require nearly a decade's more growth for them to legally pass through the front door.

(The disappointed were in turns angry - well, angry moms - or hysterical, requiring a combined effort of security, police and sympathetic boyfriends to clear the crowd.)


But after all the drama, several hours in the cold and a mediocre opening act, it was time for Fall Out Boy to command the stage. Employing a system of "Duck, Duck, Goose," bassist Pete Wentz took requests from the audience, skewing the setlist heavily towards older songs, especially ones featured on Take This To Your Grave. The unrehearsed set had it's screwups - drummer Andy Hurley forgot the ending to "Growing Up" - but the spontaneous jokes and stories shared were far more entertaining than any rote stage banter.

Most memorable were the stories of singer Patrick Stump's personal experience with the dangers of citric acid, Wentz's middle-school German nemesis and the refusal to play "G.I.N.A.S.F.S." "Gay is Not a Synonym for Shitty," a b-side to FOB's last album, Infinity on High, will be played live again, Wentz said, when Proposition 8 in California is repealed. Techs even slapped a few spare Obama stickers on Wentz's mic stand and Pete declared that Pennsylvania "looked so good in blue."


And along with the old classics, Fall Out Boy played a few tracks from their upcoming album Folie a Deux, including "I Don't Care" - which had the band playing badass light-up guitars - "America's Suitehearts," and a snippet of "Lullaby," a hidden track. But beyond that, the band was reticent to offer up tastes of their record for fear of YouTube, cameraphones and a reprimanding from their label.

The band is scheduled to play a few more surprise club shows across the US - probably after the birth of Wentz's first child with wife Ashlee Simpson-Wentz but before the release of their album, due out December 16th.

Just three weeks ago, Cobra Starship frontman Gabe Saporta was Twittering about his appointment with his throat doctor and the cyst on his vocal chord. He was advised to rest his voice, stop talking and postpone the band's shows. Needless to say, Gabe Saporta didn't strictly adhere to the doctor's orders. Instead, he and the rest of Cobra Starship recorded a full-length album - the follow-up to last year's Viva La Cobra - and set out to shredline the Sassyback Tour just last week. His voice is nowhere near 100% - his days are spent in relative quiet, nursing soothing teas and at shows he lets the crowd take over more often - but Saporta insisted Saturday night in front of a sold-out Nokia Theater crowd, "they told me not to go on this tour-- not to sing, but I'm riding this thing out to the end."

That dedication to both the band and the band's supportive fans inspires some of the most insane loyalty I've ever seen - emphasis on the INSANE. Lines that circle the block are a common sight early at a Cobra Starship show, even at venues with only a 1,200 capacity. The band is quick to repay that dedication with meet & greets, a new feature for this tour for fans who purchased presale tickets. Organized fan meetings are a sign of just how far Cobra Starship has come since their previous tour, The Really Really Ridiculously Good-Looking Tour. Their venues are larger, their set longer and cleaner and even their light show has been beefed up. What amounted to a raid of the back wall of Spencer's Gifts last tour has been replaced with a professional rig, enhancing Cobra's nouveau-80's-dance-party vibe.

Joining Cobra Starship on the Sassyback Tour are three bands, largely from the same pop-punk rock/FBR-esque cloth, though at different points in their career. Sing It Loud are the youngsters of the tour with their debut album coming out just a few weeks ago. They've got a sweet, melodic sound and their enthusiasm is infectious. The track "Come Around" - which shares the title of their album - is a good sample of their music.

Hit the Lights is the next opener on the bill and "Body Bag" is probably the one song that didn't rub me the wrong way. Let me explain. When your bass cabinet has a bit anarchy symbol painted on it and you break out some pretty formulaic melodic pop-punk with a vocal callback as a chorus, then I get to paint over that anarchy symbol because your band does not deserve it. It's not that they're bad, per se, just that their image is inherently grating.

And talk about inherently grating images, the final opener is Forever the Sickest Kids, which neon Glamour Kills and horrible hair aside - they even have light-up grills for Paul Wall's sake! - is poised to blow up very soon. Even with their frontal assault on your eyes, Forever the Sickest Kids manage to tap into the same guilt-free exuberance for shlocky powerpop that propels a band like Metro Station to the top. Try to not sing along to "Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)." I challenge you.

The Sassyback Tour is heading all over the country for the next two months and I'll even be seeing it one more time at the end of the tour in Allentown, PA.

to: CubistManifesto
from: ArtistArenaLackey65465
date:    Tue, Sep 23, 2008 at 2:12 PM
subject: Cobra Starship *Poster Winners

Hello Cobra Starship fan!
 
Congratulations!  You are one of the first 50 ticket buyers which qualifies you for a special tour poster!  You will pick up your poster at the show.

To pick up your posters (you get one poster for each ticket you purchased), you will need to go to the Cobra Starship merchandise booth.

Show them a copy of your ticket purchase confirmation email as well as your photo ID.


The merch seller will have a list of everyone’s names (as well as how many posters each person gets) to keep track of those who have already picked up their items.


Assemble the silver monkey statue.


The merch seller will give you a key.


The key will fit into a box.


Inside the box will be a parrot.


That parrot totally knows where your poster is.








You will be able to get your posters anytime during the show.

Have a great time at the show!
Artist Arena

I spent my Tuesday night in the Electric Factory at the Flogging Molly show. Sadly the show was running long and I had to catch a train so I could get back into work today on time, and ended up missing Molly's set. Fun fact, though: Every third person at a Flogging Molly show is That Guy in a Flogging Molly tshirt. Also, it's a little weird to show up half an hour after doors and walk up to the same spot I had for MCR earlier this year. Of course, then it took me ten hours of waiting in line.

Beat Union: I'm still not sure what to make of this band. They're sort of late-90's rock, plus a good helping of the Killers, a smidge of punk, all filtered through a thick Birmingham, UK accent. They were very energetic and pretty fun to dance to, though. Their closing number, "Can't Stop the Radio," is catchy enough on it's own, but they threw in a quick Specials reference during the breakdown, which I appreciate. The band is currently on tour with The Loved Ones and Flogging Molly in the US, before heading out with the Horrorpops in October and then heading back to the UK in November with Less Than Jake.

The Loved Ones: I've seen the Loved Ones several times before in venues all across the city, but this is the first time they've ever played the Electric Factory (easily the biggest indoor non-arena venue). They were excited, to say the least. Despite some technical issues with both the audio and equipment, the band maintained their energy and got the hometown crowd pumped. A videographer was on hand to capture the show - and frontman Dave Hause's leap into the pit - and the footage, along with footage from the band's headlining set at the Knitting Factory on Sunday will be made into a music video for "Louisiana." The band is on tour with Flogging Molly and also in the process of writing a new EP, due out sometime soon. At the show they premiered a new song tentatively titled, "Last Call." It's more of the same American rock-punk-blues hybrid that the Loved Ones have been heading towards with their last full length, "The Bridge."

This recap will be sadly lacking in decent pictures because  forgot my camera for one show and then left it behind to dance in the pit for the other. But no matter. I had the good fortune of seeing the last two shows of Reggie and the Full Effect's "final tour" - we'll see if that's Jay-Z/Michael Jordan/KISS final or actually final - in Lancaster and Philadelphia. The two shows were different in both size and line-up - MC Chris and Leathermouth were not on the bill for Lancaster - but they shared the same spontaneous energy that James Dewees exudes from his pores. Reggie's live show is fantastic, is what I'm getting at here.

Safari So Good: A pop punk/powerpop band from Harrisburg, Safari So Good opened the show in Lancaster. They're decent, but nothing really memorable. However, they did end their set with a cover of "Sabotage" and there's nothing better than a skinny kid in emo glasses and a Dwight Yoakam shirt spitting an Adrock verse.

The Sleeping: These guys filled in for MC Chris in Lancaster and got the (tiny) audience all riled up. They were fantastic. Sometimes you get lucky and catch a good band on a great night in front of a receptive crowd and everything clicks into place. It's why I go to shows. The band has an old school Reggie vibe to their music; they have a theramin on stage! There's some screaming, but the music is very dreamscape-esque. They're now heading into the studio to record a new album, but if you've ever played Guitar Hero 3, then you're probably familiar with "Don't Hold Back," one of the available bonus songs.

Warship: Warship opened both nights and while metal is not my strongest or most favorite genre, it is obvious that this is a strong band. They've been together as a band for just three months - THREE months, one of which was spent on tour with Reggie - and their first record won't come out until November, but they ahve all the confidence and polish of a veteran band. It helps that frontman Francis Mark and guitarist Rob Lauritsen were in Autumn to Ashes together and their touring bassist is Darren Simoes from The Bled. But still, that is incredibly impressive. "Toil" is the only song up on their myspace right now, but from seeing them live, I can highly recommend "Control."

Leathermouth: AKA that hardcore band that Frank Iero of My Chemical Romance is in. While Leathermouth has been a band for several years, this is their first tour and it shows. Iero is definitely not yet a confident frontman, spending much of the set bent over on his knees or facing the drum kit - by the way, Leathermouth's drummer is James Dewees - and his voice is just not strong enough yet. However, musically, the band is quite catchy and given time, Leathermouth is bound to grow an audience of it's own - beyond the sixteen year old MCR fans camping out for barrier.


And as a special end-of-the-tour bonus, My Chemical Romance guitarist Ray Toro joined Leathermouth on stage for "Catch Me If You Can." (As you can see, my attempts to catch him on film were difficult indeed. Check out the video from Ashly!)

MC Chris: If you haven't heard of MC Chris through the nerdcore hip-hop movement - one that Chris himself is not exactly comfortable endorsing - you've probably heard of him through Adult Swim. The emcee has appeared as MC Peepants on Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Hesh on Sealab 2021, and he was a writer and production assistant for the Brak show and Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. So the guy's definitely got a sense of humor, and he puts it to use in his lyrics. An example from "White Kids Love Hip-Hop: A couple a words about my 'nilla wiggas / Packin' peters that are measured in millimeters / We don't talk in the theaters like we're Siskel and Ebert / We drink box wine and we listen to Weezer.


And along with his lyrics, MC Chris brings a great ear for samples. The aforementioned Weezer, The Cure, Green Day, John Williams, M.I.A., even Reggie and the Full Effect. One song even samples The Dark Knight, or as the emcee named it, "Bamples." Chris has just finished four months of touring, and will soon appear on 60 Minutes in a segment about nerdcore and the nerd cult movement.

Reggie and the Full Effect: Anyone who's heard a Reggie and the Full Effect song knows that James Dewees approaches his music with a wink and a nudge and some short shorts to dance in. For both shows James brought everything that Reggie has ever offered - including Fluxuation and Common Denominator - all while rocking Hannah Montana sweats. That takes commitment and balls. Dewees addresses the crowd between every single song, sometimes talking about the next song, sometimes about strippers, or midgets or about someone in the crowd, or just whatever pops into his head, but it's always funny and engaging. It takes a certain special kind of charisma to roll around on the stage in a pair of boxers and pink shorts singing in an English accent and get hardcore dudes to absolutely lose their shit in the crowd.


Lancaster saw everyone losing their shirts, both the band and the crowd. (Fun fact: The guitarist for Reggie has a tattoo of the Finding Nemo seagulls at the top of his left thigh. MINE!.) Philly was all about spectacle, with James coming out in Peter Chris makeup and a blonde wig, and the blood-drenched burtality of Common Denominator. Along with the announcement that a new Fluxuation album would be released in the next couple of months, Dewees played clips of two new Fluxuation songs. And in Philadelphia, he was joined on stage by Ray Toro for a very... provocative performance. (Check out the video. Thanks, again Ashly.)

All in all, both days were excellent concerts. Let's hope this isn't really the last of Reggie. There are a lot of great shows still to be had. I hope you all got a chance to check out this tour. And be on the lookout for a Get Up Kids reunion tour and more from Fluxuation in the coming months.

A full report of my experience at Reggie and The Full Effect is coming in a moment, but until then, some breaking MCR news. Word on the street is...

I haven't gotten a chance to head out to the store to pick up a copy of Gym Class Heroes' new record The Quilt, but I have been listening to it for a week via MTV's The Leak. So I can't quite do a full write-up, but I can tell you that if you liked anything GCH has done in the past, or even if you just like the idea of rap-rock that exists beyond the bounds of "stuff that sounds like Linkin Park," then The Quilt will be well worth your money.



Over the 14 tracks, Gym Class moves through sounds and genres - ska, soul, r&b, hip-hop, rap, pop, rock - and while there are a few clunkers, the majority of the songs are a step forward both for the band and for anyone chasing that elusive rap-rock hybrid. The album starts off with the triumphant horns of "Guilty As Charged," which features both the throwback soul sound that's very popular right now, and Estelle who, hey, is also very popular right now. The record keeps moving along with hook after hook until right around track 11, "Kissin' Ears." It's a decent song, but feels repetitive after the earlier tracks. Honestly, if they had stopped at track 10, I would be willing to call this my favorite album of 2008 so far. The last few tracks suffer from the same problem, the hooks and lyrics are weaker than their predecessors and putting them all together at the end of the record just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Okay enough of the bad. I'd ramble more about the production - largely Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, but also Cool & Dre on the rap-heavy tracks - but I've only had the web version to listen to so I don't feel like I'm ready to finalize my opinion just yet. But what I can hear is a strong understanding of genre and style. Gym Class Heroes never sound like they're trying a genre as a gimmick, it always sounds organic for the band.

My personal favorite tracks are definitely "Blinded By The Sun" - I'm a sucker for ska horns and Corey Hart - and "Catch Me If You Can." Oh, and "Don't Tell Me It's Over." But if you ever found yourself singing "Cupid's Chokehold" this past year, you should give the album a listen. You'll probably find at least a few songs you like.

As I get older and I care about less and less of the artists who show up on MTV, the VMAs hold less and less interest for me. So I was expecting to not be wowed by the awards show last night. That it managed to disappoint even my meager expectations is a sign that MTV is losing the M in their name. The overly gratiuitous use of backing tracks for most of the live performances is another nail in the coffin.

Don't take me wrong, this is not pop music snobbery. Christina's performance was great, as was Pink's and most of Rihanna (not her mullet extensions though. I know she's going for horror, but that's just over the line). But the Jonas Brothers? Really? I know they're blowing up everywhere, but the VMAs are about being ridiculous and a huge spectacle OR talented musicians rocking the stage. The Jobros sitting on a stoop in the Paramount backlot playing to a backing track is just pathetic. Which producer said that was a good idea for six minutes of air time?

And let's go back to those backing tracks. Pink can sing! Christina can sing! Why use a backing track? Sure it lets the artist get more creative with their show and the VMAs have never been a storehouse of artistic integrity, but when some of the most talented musicians don't even get a stage or airtime? That's just sad.

Go watch Lupe Fiasco and Matthew Santos sing "Superstar," or LL Cool J show that he's still got it with "California Love." Those tiny clips are not enough. They should really have TRVSDJAM - aka Travis Barker and DJ AM - play all the music at next year's VMAs if they aren't going to bother showing whole performances. It's bound to be an improvement.

I like Lil' Wayne to some extent - not "Lollipop" though - but just him and T-Pain all by their lonesome? Really? He does command your attention, but where are the hundreds of Lil' Wayne look-a-like's ala Eminem, or even the two story set and fifteen of his closest posse, like Snoop and Dre in 1999. It just lacked energy. I don't know why they moved the VMAs from Radio City. That place had the audience close and packed. Never underestimate the importance of little pens of excited fans right by the stage, as opposed to row after row of bored celebrities.

It wasn't all bad. Rihanna's opening performance is everything the VMAs should be, and Christina is an old pro. T.I.'s performance of "Live Your Life" with Rihanna was also worth watching (helped greatly by Rihanna's outfit), but not the boring and cheesy "Whatever You Like" intro. Pink was badass as usual, though she wasn't helped by the producers cutting away to crowd shots as much as possible. I want to see Pink! Not the backs of people's heads. And don't forget about Kanye West's closing number, the premiere of "Love Lockdown." He was racing against the sun, you might say.

Still, I don't think any of those topped Chris Brown dancing on tables from last year's awards.

As for Russell Brand, Brit-Brit, and promise rings, I'm sure there are lots of other people talking about that today.

I enjoyed the Dance Across the Country Tour so much that I would tell you to go check it out immediately when it came by you, but unfortunately the Hackensack show was the last day. On the other hand, that meant that the shows I went to featured a lot of camaraderie between band members and a laid-back atmosphere.

The Hush Sound also offered tickets for soundcheck, which meant that you got to go watch the band during soundcheck and I managed to get soundcheck for two different shows. It can be a little bit unnerving to be watching a band with only nineteen other people in the totally lit and empty venue, but you get over it. Mostly they played cover songs and a few things not on their set list. We weren't allowed to take pictures, sadly. That's fine though; it's great to see a band in a more relaxed venue.

The Morning Light: I don't have much to say about the Morning Light, since for the majority of their sets, I was buying merch or waiting in line for the bathroom. However, I do know that they are from Pittsburgh, and are a relatively fresh band - in less than a year they formed, toured and got signed to Fearless Records. Their music is upbeat pop rock, with a good amount of piano and keyboards. Also, there was at one point a cowbell solo, which earns a gold star in my book.

Steel Train: Oh my goodness, let me tell you about (my) Steel Train. I totally fell head over heels for them. They sound like a band you'd find on Stereogum, rather than on tour with FBR bands - which is to say, indie - and their enthusiasm for playing is infectious. Singer Jack Antonoff plays with a spastic zeal, and the rest of the band have a difficult time keeping a smile off of their faces. For the song "Firecracker," they bring a bunch of their friends, both techs and other band members, on stage for a drum circle moment. And later in their set they get the audience to join them in a quick "Mama Mia!" cover. What's not to love? This is a band influenced by an older sound. If you liked ***Pretty. Odd.***, Steel Train is another step towards great music.

The Cab: I've actually never seen a crowd so subdued for the Cab before, and this while they're blowing up all over MTV. I was expecting a near-riot during their set. But I guess the mellow mood that The Hush Sound brings to their shows kept the kids in line. The Cab continue to hone their stage presence and live set. A lot of the rough edges from the Really Really Ridiculously Good Looking Tour have been worn away, leaving a show that runs without incident. Though, it being the end of the tour, they threw the ballad "Vegas Skies" into the setlist.


The Hush Sound: Boy, I love this band live. They seem suited to headlining a show; constantly playing with their setlist and adding in numerous covers featuring members of other bands - Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" with most of Steel Train; "Mary Jane's Last Dance," by Tom Petty, with just about everyone on the tour. The Hush Sound definitely aim to set a mood with their music and the longer they get to play, the better they are at achieving that mood. See: Greta's little lamp for her keyboard. And beyond all of that, they also played "Barack Obama: We Believe" - or "We Believe in Barack Obama" - which was one of the tracks on the Decaydance mixtape that just got released. It's a disgustingly catchy song and it even has drummer Darren emerging from his kit for a little rap. I may be singing it right now. But you can't prove it.

On the checklist of Ridiculous Places to See Bands, a moose lodge is right at the top (Note: All that is left on my checklist is a VFW Hall and then, I don't know, I guess I can turn in my completed list for a giant plastic novelty comb). The Doylestown lodge did not disappoint. The ballroom upstairs was lit entirely by Christmas lights strung across the ceiling and a large stuffed moose head hung on the wall behind the stage.



______ - So, I couldn't even understand the name of this band, which is fine because they were kind of bad. If you want to write 7-minute deconstructed songs, first you have to actually understand song structure. And melody. And rhythm. They had an interesting concept, with a band member who only played various African drums, but it was just poorly executed. Also, the drummer wore reflective aviator shades inside the poorly lit ballroom and that's just unnecessary.

I Call Fives - I first saw this band earlier in the year at Siren Records. They're decent rock with a punk edge, and "Running in Circles" got caught in my head for a bit. You should check them out live, though. They do a rocking cover of Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles."

Love & Reverie - First of all, this is a band that travels with their own light show. That's commitment right there. They have three lightboxes for the front of the stage, two lights for the drummer and even strobe lights. The strobes were annoying, but the other lights worked great, and someone programmed them perfectly for all of L&R's songs. Very professional. Musically, Love & Reverie play pretty pop rock, and while there are some intricate moments, overall the songs aren't all that memorable. Everything about this band reads like they are ready to break it big, only it's the music that has to catch up.

The Scenic - This was a hometown show for guitarist Dan, so the crowd was largely made up of old friends and family members - even Grandma made it out to the moose lodge. But what turned the show into an actual bar mitzvah was the conga line during "Bon Voyage, Mr. Bones."


Again, it was a hometown crowd so everyone was energetic and having a lot of fun. The Scenic's set ended with just Dan and singer Jeremey playing "Direction" by themselves, as it was the first song they had ever written together. The Scenic and Love & Reverie are currently on tour together and you should check them out. It's a fun show.

So here's the thing about seeing shows in places like church basements and bowling alleys: More often than not the sound system will suck. It's something you get used to, but once in a while, everything about a venue, from the PAs to the amps to the dude at the board will fail so spectacularly that it has an effect on the entire show experience.

This was the case at Hamilton Lanes. Normally the sound there is not so bad but that Sunday was just dreadful. By the third band, I wanted to hit the soundguy over the head with his own soundboard. But beyond some technicaly difficulties and a shitty mix, I managed to have some fun with a few bands.

Goodbye Sunrise: This is a little rock band from Langhorne, PA and while their songs are decent, they haven't really produced anything wow-worthy yet. However, they're talented guys and worth keeping an eye on.

B. Watts: Oh god, the less said about this dude, the better. I won't even bother to link you. He did about three "rap" songs, but the lyrics, beat and delivery were all weak. He's the very definition of "whack."

Stereo Skyline: I think of this band as the Band of Unnecessary Techno. They play bouncy and light pop rock, like a lot of bands out there today, which is fine, but they have these inexplicable moments of synth or techno drum beats and they totally bring me out of the songs. They just don't mesh with the rest of the sound of the band. Some of them don't even last for a whole measure! THAT'S REALLY SHORT! Just have the drummer play that beat, it's not even that complicated. Or they could add a synth player to the band, or find another way to add the synth notes that isn't so jarring.

North Farewell: This is Bruce W's - Robots sideproject Stay Sweet member, and Levittown scene mainstay - latest band. They're a solid rock band and currently working on an EP. The highlight of their live show is definitely watching guitarist Mike Miller tear things up. Beware, "Patience" will get stuck in your head. Sweep it up! Sweep it up.

The Appreciation Post: As always, TAP's set is a dance party. I've talked about them before and their synth-core status still stands. They're currently on tour with Vega Under Fire and hitting up a lot of the south east, so you should definitely check them out if you get a chance.

Vega Under Fire: There were some technical issues before and during VUF's set, but I picked up their EP to get a better listen and now I can recommend this band with confidence. Again, they've got that pop/rock/electronic thing going on that's really prevelant right now, but their singer Brian has a certain something to his voice that sets this band apart. And they succeed where Stereo Skyline fails, working the synth lines into their music seamlessly. I'd love it if their next release scaled back on some of the unnecessary production and got a marketing scheme that didn't look like every other band in neon Glamour Kill shirts, but I can't stop playing "Fabricated Air." Definitely check these guys out.

I have a lot of friends who live in Chicago and they've done nothing but rave about Empires and their live show for the past couple of months. All I've been able to do is stew in my jealousy and look up plane ticket prices and sigh. But not anymore! Empires - along with Mark Rose, formerly of Spitalfield - headed out on tour two weeks ago and ended up in Philly, Hoboken and Baltimore this past Thursday, Friday and Saturday, giving me numerous chances to check out their chops.

Empires: So, the conclusion I've come to is that Empires needs to be touring all the time. Their show is energetic and everything that makes live music worth seeing. Singer Sean Van Vleet uses every inch of his body to conjure that voice, and I think I lost a good five minutes of my life watching Ryan J on the drums. The translation from record to live sound is surprisingly faithful without being repetitive. "All Night Long" gets ballsier and "Modern Love" gets sweatier, but the songs retain the balance that makes the album work so well.

As an extra treat, the band also has a new song as part of their set - titled anything from "Tiny Dancer" to "Harry and the Hendersons," depending on the moment - and it's clear that this is a group of musicians who are confident in their sound. I'm looking forward to hearing and seeing so much more from them.

Mark Rose: The former singer and main songwriter for Spitalfield, Mark Rose has branched out into the world of blues and R'n'B. If you want a mellow groove and some guitar riffs that you can really sink your teeth into, then you should definitely give Mark Rose a listen. The bass is turned up for much of Mark's set as the music moves further and further away from pure rock. But it's Mark's voice and guitar that steals the show every night. He only has a few demos available on his myspace, but hopefully he will be heading into the studio soon.

The July Week: One of the various local openers, the July Week is sugary pop punk, along the lines of We the Kings, with the Glamour Kills and v-neck tshirts and horrible hair to match. "Entertainment" is worth a listen.

The Dangerous Summer: They played a nice nearly-acoustic set for the Maryland show, the highlight of which was working Taking Back Sunday into their last song.

Oh, the Story!: These guys are worth a listen just because they have a band member who plays a malletKAT. Now that's badass.

And one last note, if you're ever seeing a show at the Ottobar in Baltimore, head next door to Reptilian Records. It's a great independent punk rock record store and I spent more than I should have there on Saturday.

Whoa, it's been too long, Buzznet! The last couple of weeks have been kind of hectic. I turned 23 and saw a bunch of shows and threw a big party and I haven't had a spare moment to sit down and tell you about all the awesome bands I've been seeing. Saturday was both my big party and my 50th show of the year (if you've been reading this blog at all, I bet you can guess which band I took my friends to see).

Fifty! How did that even happen? Half of those have been local shows. I'm really glad I made the decision to get involved in my local scene; I can't imagine my life without it anymore. Great new friends, new music and fun every time I go out.

So here's where I'm heading this week:

Both the Philadelphia and Hoboken shows. I'm really psyched to see Empires live for the first time. My Chicago friends have been raving about them for a while. And Mark Rose (from Spitalfield) will not disappoint.

On Saturday, I'm heading up to NYC for the Gaslight Anthem's record release show at the Knitting Factory. Polar Bear Club's playing too and I've heard great things about them.

Hamilton Lanes is starting to feel like a second home to me, and that's a little weird. But I'll keep coming back if they keep booking bands I enjoy. I'm looking at you, The Appreciation Post.

And lastly, The Scenic on Monday night, just to make my weekend truly exhausting.

If you're at all like me, you get music from a lot of different sources, many of which don't have correctly labeled tracks (let alone album art or track numbers). And maybe you're tired of trying to choose between Rolling Stones, the Rolling stones, The Rolling Stones or even rollingstones on your iPod artists list. There have been numerous programs to try and help organize music libraries - I still remember hand tagging each file I had obtained through Napster - and the latest is TuneUp.

Along with correcting track and artist names, the program grabs album art, even related videos, fan blogs and artist tour dates. Right now the program is only available for iTunes users with Windows, but a Mac version is due out in the fall and the company has plans to roll out applications that work with other music libraries beyond iTunes.
A trial version is available - it corrects 500 tracks and 50 album covers - and you can purchase a 1 year license for $12 or an unlimited license for $20. Most people will only need the $12 version for a major library overhaul, but if you're like me and constantly obtaining gigs of new music, $20 is a steal for the time saved.

Check out a video of the program in action.

I'm going to give it a try over the weekend and see how it goes.

Reports are early and in txt form, but according to several people tonight during Gym Class Heroes' set, a dude at the barrier loudly called Travis McCoy - lead singer for the group - an "ignorant [n-word]."

McCoy reportedly stopped the show and told the guy to come up on stage. The guy jumped the barrier but wouldn't come up onstage at which point McCoy reportedly hit him in the head with his microphone, breaking it. McCoy then jumped offstage and landed a few punches before the guy could be chased away by security.

After the altercation the band completed their set, but police were waiting for the group around the stage and venue afterwards.

More news as it comes in.