Tired, but not asleep...Yet! part 2

   Last night I was have trouble sleeping, and I seem to find myself in that same position right now. Tonight I will continue my thoughts on my recent band discoveries; all this letting out my feelings about the music that is on my mind seems to make it easier to sleep. I'm still zombie brain, but getting better as the days go by!
   It's really time for me to talk about Downtown Fiction. Once again, this band is not new to me, but I had underestimated them until I saw them perform live. I was completely blown away! They are really very incredible; although they are an insanely attractive group of guys I promise I did not let that cloud my judgement... At least not too much. I have been following their work since about the time they started two years ago, but I never really took a liking to them. Well that's not entirely true, I have always loved their music, but I had a hard time believing they had real talent and that it wasn't just the work of a fantastic producer that made them sound the way they did. Boy, was I way off! Now that I know how talented they really are I have a larger amount of respect for them. They are also some of the nicest guys I've ever talked to. I was put off, at first, with how full of himself Cameron Leahy, the vocalist, came off in their music videos and on stage at the concert. After the concert I met every member of the band, and I couldn't have been more wrong about Cameron. Even though he had tons of girls crowding him it seemed to me like he took time to actually have a short conversation with each of them and tell them how much he appreciated their support. When I talked to him he seemed like a genuinely good guy, as well as the other three guys in the band. All of them seemed very humble, kind, and appreciative of their fans. Now enough about their personalities and more about their music. It seems like all the work they've done for the past two years is paying off. They have released two EPs in the past two years, and now they are working on their first full length album. Keep an eye out for it, because I'm thinking it's going to be pretty impressive. My favorite thing about their music is that it's the kind of music you want to blast in your stereo to feed off the energy of the beat. It's good stuff! Also, if you take time to listen to the lyrics you find that they are actually quite well written, and you may start to notice you relate to them very easily. Their lyrics are very, I don't even know how to word it... They leave me speechless, or I'm just too brain dead to come up with a descriptive adjectives at the moment (I'm going to stick with their lyrics leave me speechless, it sounds better). But, my point is, don't make the mistake of judging them as just another guy band with meaningless music and fake talent, because you would be making a bad judgement call. I personally think they are very underrated, and you should all check them out on iTunes, Facebook, or Youtube.
   That's all for now, because I need to attempt to sleep! Listen and love Downtown Fiction just as much as I do!

Tired, but not sleeping... yet! Wanted to share with someone a few of the bands I have recently stumbled upon!

   Heeeelllllllo everyone! I'm still on a concert hangover from Sunday's Glamour Kills adventure, but do not fret for a blog explaining every detail of that "really ridiculously good looking" concert (virtual high-fives if you got that Zoolander quote!) will be posted as soon as I can make my brain work well enough to write something that would do the show justice! Here's a teaser for those of you who can't wait: I brought my friend Vanessa, we got there maybe an hour and a half before the show and saw someone that works at Valley Fair Hot Topic whom I know from my way too frequent visits to that wonderous store(she has my email address memorized... Yeah if that's not sad, I don't know what is)-- she had been there since 10:30 that Sunday morning, we slipped in line with a group of people behind her who had been there since noon, waited very impatiently outside of Allstar Weekend's -- I had no idea they were gonna be there, and it weirded me out because they are a Disney band-- tour bus, said "hey" to the Allstar band members as they headed to their bus to chill before the show, and then we waited some more scoping out all the hot band guys that were walking by us for the last hour before the show. Let me just say, I'm more than almost positive that was a run on sentence, but like I said... concert hang over, brain functioning like zombie. I like zombies, but enough with my rambling!! To here more about my concert experience keep checking the blog for entire post devoted to the insanity that is a concert full of teen-aged girls!!
   Moving on to the real topic I wanted to discuss: my discoveries of some pretty fantastic bands that are worth a listen!! First band-- I will explain more about the band, as people, in my blog about the concert; this is based solely on the music aspect-- We Are the In Crowd. I might have been lying when I said that I had new bands to discuss, because I've listened to this band before I've just never given them the credit they deserved. I am actually listening to their CD right now! It's a very good CD over all; the band consists of Cameron Hurley, Jordan Eckes, Tay Jardine, Mike Ferri, and Rob Chianelli. Here's an equation that will only make sense to some: Paramore + Mayday Parade + All Time Low = We Are the In Crowd. What that means is that they are like a much more kick-butty version of Paramore, but only in the sense that both bands have strong female leads and that the rest of the band consists of dudes. The instrumental part is where the reference to Mayday Parade comes in, for WATIC's music has the wonderfully powerful presence of the bass guitar and drums which always makes the music better (and louder :p). The part that reminds me of All Time Low is the way the lyrics are written to abruptly, and automatically, get your full attention. The male vocalist of We Are the In Crowd, also, has an Alex Gaskarth (All Time Low) meets Derek Sanders (Mayday Parade) tone to his voice which makes him such a perfect match for Tay's-- female lead of We Are the In Crowd-- powerful vocals. They are definitely worth listening to.
   My next victim is, North of the City. I was on Facebook just now and came across them, so this description will be pretty breif until I start to learn more about they're music. My first impression of them = very talented band! They seem to really love what they do, and all the fans who support them. They make an effort to make a real connection with their fans. Their music is very addicting to listen to, and very catchy. They seem like they are honest in what they are doing, and not putting up a "rock star" front; they come across as genuinely talented and happy with who they are as a band and what their music is. That is something that always strikes me as a little scarce with people in bands these days, but these guys have real talent and not just the fake out kind.
   I need sleep now... There are many more bands I would love to tell you about, but how about I tell you after I sleep?

Wishing you merry music listening, until next time,
Emily

Interview with Luke Renoe of Inexorable

If you're a Christian and you like screamo music, then look no further than Colorado's own Inexorable. With influences like Underoath, August Burns Red, and The Devil Wears Prada it's hard to go wrong, but when I watched the videos of them performing live it was beyond my expectations! I am very happy to say that I was able to interview Luke Renoe, the vocalist of Inexorable, thanks to one of my friends who helped me get in contact with him. The interview was made possible via Facebook message, and here's how it went down:

1. When did you first become interested in music?
"I don't really remember when I first became interested in music. It was probably around age 10 or 11, even then I wasn't a big fan. I started buying my own CDs around age 13 or 14. The first one I remember buying is Mhmmm by Relient K."


2. When, and how, did you and your bandmates meet and decide to form Inexorable?
"I attended an August Burns Red concert over this past summer with the lead guitarist of Inexorable, Shawn, along with a few others. Apparently, I was screaming along with the lyrics, not even knowing I was even doing it well at all. I got a message from him a few weeks later and he asked if I would join him and Alex, our rhythm guitarist in a band. We started practicing and it took off from there."

3. How, and why, did the band come up with the name Inexorable?
"I was in the middle of researching for a literature paper on A. A. Milne when I found a quote of his: 'Time goes on inexorably...' I posted that phrase as my status because I liked it. Shawn saw it and said it was ideal for our band name."


4. What are your musical influences?
"We have so many musical influences, it's ridiculous. We love so many different bands it would be impossible to list them. However, at the top of the list would be Underoath and The Devil Wears Prada. We covered songs by these two artists for a school chapel."

5. What is the writing process like for Inexorable? Is there one songwriter, or do you work as a group?
"Ha! The writing process...We only have about five songs written lyrically. I've written three, Shawn wrote the others. We haven't recorded yet because of every one's busy schedules. We are, for the moment, a cover band. Until we put these songs together and pound out some mp3s, that's what we'll remain."
6. What are your hopes for the future of Inexorable?
"Right now the future of Inexorable is hoping for the chance to put together an EP. Until then we're planning on another concert at Waterstone Community Church, (that's my church) and a Battle of the Bands at another church. The Battle of the Bands will be a wonderful way to get our name out there and perhaps win some support money and fans."

7. What bands/artists would most like to collaborate with?
"An artist to collaborate with? Well that depends on whether we're talking realistically or not, haha. Our top choice would probably be either Underoath or The Devil Wears Prada. But really, any band, any gig, and venue we ever get to play would be a blessing."

8. It's wonderful that your faith in God is the inspiration for what you do! How have you seen Him work through you guys as a band, and through your performances?
"I think the biggest way we've seen God at work in our efforts is at our chapel concert. I, personally, was worried that all these things were going to go wrong: lights, mics, amps, lack of crowd participation. I was sure that I would sound like crap. I knew all the other guys would be amazing, but I was worried deep down. The day came, and we'd prepared for hours. We nailed the first song, I mean NAILED it. I was so happy. To my disbelief, I actually sounded good. I know it was God working in that auditorium. I remember so many people after that came up to me and said: 'Wow! I hate that kind of music, but you guys were amazing!' I was thoroughly stunned. I hope we can reach people, like that, with out music; influence people who normally wouldn't be influenced, like the people who told me they usually hate that genre."


There you have it! I really enjoyed reading Luke's answers, and I hope you all do too! Even if you aren't a fan of screamo music, you have to go look at Inexorable's Facebook page, and like them (I read somewhere that if you type something in the form of a command, then people are more likely to do it, so I thought I would try it out)! But in all seriousness I hope that whoever you are, whatever kind of music you enjoy, and whatever you believe in, you still see how God is working through Inexorable; I hope you appreciate what they are doing and I hope you are encouraged by how they feel God working through them.
I would love to, one day, be able to see them perform, whether in Colorado, or, when the time comes for them to go on their first tour over here in California! As you can probably tell, I am very hopeful for the future of Inexorable, and can't wait to hear the original mp3s that they are working on!

Special thanks to Luke Renoe and Inexorable for the interview, as well as my friend Alex for all the help! Thanks guys!

Already working on three interviews!!

Hey friends,
I'm working on writing one interview, with a band called Inexorable; waiting on the answers to the interview question (which I will hopefully get over the weekend, as soon as they are all able to answer!), from another band, Key to the Midway; and working on setting up an interview with a band entitled, Too Soon to Say! So be patient with me while I'm working it all out! I'm very excited and grateful for all of the interviews that I have been given! These three bands are going on my list of new favorite people!! And, of course, their music is great, too; I highly recommend checking them out!! I will be posting all of the interviews on my blog as soon as they are finished for you all to enjoy, and to get to know a little bit more about the bands!
Thanks everyone,
Emily

Don't panic... Panic! at the Disco has returned!!

    So as most people know, I am a huge Panic! at the Disco fan! So this post will be mostly about my excitement and expectations for their new album Vices & Virtues. But first off, a history lesson!

    To get those of you who aren't familiar with Panic! at the Disco caught up, Panic! was formed in 2004. The four boys started working together straight out of college; Brendan Urie the vocalist/lyricist/front man, Spencer Smith on drums/percussion, the bassist John Walker, and Ryan Ross lead guitar/lyricist (also vocalist on their second CD Pretty. Odd.). Their first CD, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, was delivered with a pop-punk/emo-core feel. Although it was not immensely popular when it first came out, it resulted in some of the most incredibly committed fans that I have ever seen. The intensely unique lyrics and the catchy hooks that Urie and Ross placed in all the songs on this album is what makes it one of the only albums I have yet to become bored of. It really never gets old; I could listen to it for a week, on repeat, and still be in love with it. But it wasn't until a few of their music videos for songs off of A Fever You Can't Sweat Out started being released, that Panic! at the Disco became increasingly popular with the emo scene. They were known for their over-the-top, theatrical approach to their videos and concert performances. After a long break to write and record their next album, Panic returned only to cause incredible controversy over parting with their ever-so-famous exclamation point. Ryan Ross, who wrote all the songs for their second CD, had apparently embraced his inner Beatle and popped out fifteen psychedelic tunes that would become known as, Pretty. Odd. Now, you see, by this time Panic! had gained quite a large following from their uniqueness, creativity, and their lack of maturity in a way. When Panic! became Panic it was a sign of their growing maturity, and that made everyone, well, panic... (Yeah I know, bad pun, but I had to! I couldn't resist!) People literally did not know what was happening to their once favorite, young and crazy, band. But the true PATD fans knew it was still the same band, especially since Brendan Urie sang it to us on the first track of Pretty. Odd. entitled, "We're So Starving." The Pretty. Odd. CD is very, very good, but not as fantastical as Panic!'s first album. It lacks the enticing lyrics and bold beats that Panic! produced with there first album. Although I am not as in love with this release as I was with the first one, I still will never fail to be a fan of every member of Panic(!) at the Disco. This is slightly hard now as Panic has split right down the middle over "musical differences." So, Panic! at the Disco now consists of Brendan Urie and Spencer Smith, and, in case you didn't notice, they have regained they're beloved exclamation point. Ryan Ross and John Walker are now the band known as, The Young Veins; basically they have a Beatles' cover band feel to them. Even though they do sing their own songs, it seems as though they may have stolen something from the Beatles... If you want to understand what I mean a little bit better I encourage you to look up their video for a song of theirs called Changes, you may notice there's something that seems similar to an important moment in Beatle history. With that said I would like to make it perfectly clear I do enjoy listening to music by The Young Veins and I am happy for Ryan and John, but I might love Panic! just a small amount more (alright to be honest, I'm quite happy to have Panic! at the Disco back. Sure I cried a lot when I found out they split, but I realize that it obviously was for the better). I am hopeful for both bands as they are working on their new careers! And that concludes the history portion of my blog, now to move on to what I really wanted to talk about.

      It seems as though Panic! at the Disco's rejuvenated career is off to a wonderful start! They have performed a few shows in Europe to get the word out for their new CD, which has recently been put up for pre-order, in case anyone would like to know. I am so extremely looking forward to the masterpiece that is Vices & Virtues and I do not base this solely on the fact that they have regained that b-e-a-utiful exclamation point in their name, but also from the sounds I have been wanting and missing from Panic on the sample tracks I have recently heard. The one thing that has reminded me of what Panic at the Disco was missing when it dropped it's exclamation point was the..... How do I describe this video? It was so amazing and incredible!! It was everything you look for in a Panic! at the Disco video; it was fantastic, crazy, over the top, well directed, beautiful, haunting, intense, and it leaves you wanting to watch it again. It is sheer awesomeness! I, myself, have already watched it at least twenty-five times. It is just that wonderful. Oh, I should probably tell you the name of the video... I got so caught up thinking about it I almost forgot! This wonderous video is for a song called, "The Ballad of Mona Lisa." The title alone screams beauty and creativity to me; it was written by dear Mr. Brendan Urie before the band split and he just left it sitting on his computer not expecting anything to come from it. Well, eventually he sent it to one of his producers, who loved it, and it has set the bar way up high in the sky for this new CD!! I am so confident that Spencer and Brendan will make this album the best of Panic(!)'s career so far! They have been co-writing pretty much everything and they just kept writing and writing until they had far too many songs for the album, so now there are bonus tracks and B-sides. I am so ready for this!! Fellow Panic! fans be prepared for greatness! 

         Well, I hope this post didn't sound too much like an over excited fan... But this blog is just as much about my feelings on these subjects as it is about informing you of great music, my dear readers! I have been following Panic(!) at the Disco's work since about 2006/2007 and I don't think I have ever been more excited about their work than I am now, from everything I've seen or heard I know this is going to be one of the best works they have created. It is unfortunate that it came after the split, but I'm not going to let that make me less enthused about it! Thanks for reading this post that I will call an intense, yet quite informative, rant about the lovely Panic! at the Disco. Thank you, and goodnight, oh wonderful readers!!