Cubistmanifesto's Journals

Put Something Extra in That Box for Valentine's Day

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.

Makin' Love in the Back of My Coupe De Ville

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.

Keep Up With Breaking Fall Out Boy News on Twitter

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. [cut=Read more...]

If that's just not enough Fall Out Boy for you, or you just want to follow the band's every movement, use Twitter to keep up. Just search for #fobnyc or go here to get the information straight from the fans. You don't even need a twitter to follow along.

And if you're going to be at any of these events, just add #fobnyc to your tweets to keep us in the loop. I'm going to be at the concert tomorrow night, so keep an eye out for me reporting live from the show in real time.
[/cut]

Lessons from the Local Scene

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.

Gerard Way and Lindsey Ballato Expecting First Child

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! [cut=Gerard Jr.]

Well, you're in luck! The Associated Press is reporting that Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance is expecting a child with his wife of just over a year, Lindsey Ballato of Mindless Self Indulgence.

The baby is due in early summer 2009. Let me be one of the first to say Congratulations to the expecting couple!

ETA: Mindless Self Indulgence have posted a Myspace blog about the Two New Additions To The MSI Family!

[/cut]

Show Recap: Fall Out Boy @ The Northstar 11/07/08

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.

Show Recap: The Sassyback Tour, Philadelphia & New York City

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.

Dealing with Artist Arena: An Exaggeration

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 everyoneâ�™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

Show Recap: Not Flogging Molly @ The Electric Factory

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."

Show Recap: Reggie and the Full Effect @ The Chameleon Club & The TLA

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.