New Kids on You Block tour

This July Rockstar Energy drink and Epidemic Music will present the New Kids on You Block tour with Tysen, Thieves and Villains and The Real You. Making a loop around the United States in just three weeks, the tour will reach Seattle on July 19 at the Showbox. Until then, fans of melodic rock and post hardcore should listen to these bands. Below you will find links and videos on each band, as well as information on the Seattle show.

The Real You
MySpace Page
Web site



Tysen
MySpace Page
purevolume





Villains and Thieves
MySpace Page
purevolume



Click here fore more information on the July 19 show in Seattle!

RIAA recent legal action against music downloading

It has recently come to my attention that since late February the RIAA has threatened more than 1600 university students in the United States with lawsuits accusing them of illegally downloading music.
Now I must say in this day and age where you can buy a song on iTunes for 99 cents and most albums for $10 I cannot see justification for stealing music. And furthermore, illegal downloading is stealing so who can justify that? Still, I'm not sure that the RIAA is handling the situation best. For one, rather than seeking out so many college students, perhaps they should look for a creative, new way to profit from young peoples in music consumption. This seems like a much more realistic option than stopping music downloading one person at a time.
Lastly, the damages per copy right file can range from $750-$30,000, an enormous amount if you ask me. These values have kept many infringers with less financial means, or less knowledge of the law, out of court and paying settlements to the RIAA.

Read up on the RIAA's actions at their website
Read my article about the issue on The Spectator's website
Read another article in The Seattle Post Intelligencer

Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

pop-punk, emo-fest tomorrow night might be worth checking out!

Tomorrow night The Audition, My American Heart, New Atlantic, The Graduate, 1997 and Bobby Darling (Of Gatsby's American Dream)will be playing at El Corazon. I myself will not be able to go, but there are several reasons why you should!
My American Heart:
The soon to be released record, Hiding Inside The Horrible Weather,has some great tracks that you can only hear live until it's release on June 26. I LOVE "Boys Grab Your Guns!"

Listen to them on their MySpace page here!

Watch their latest music video for "The Process" here!


New Atlantic:
Powerful vocals and melodic guitars will make this band a joy to rock out to tomorrow night. Plus, their intelligent lyrics will allow the listener to reflect and appreciate the message behind New Atlantic's songs. Fans of Cartel and The Starting Line should enjoy.

Listen to them on their MySpace or Pure Volume account.



Check out the rest of the artists MySpace accounts to hear their stuff!
The Graduate
1997
Bobby Darling

The Used's new record is on it's way...

Check out the new music video for one of my favorite tracks, "The Bird and The Worm"



Also, here is the video for an awesome instrumental track, "Paralyzed." This video is awesome because it was made from photos, not video. Plus I love that when Bert wakes up in the video he is wearing a "Burn Your Friends" T Shirt.

Bayside's Walking Wounded

Although this record was released back in February, it is excellent and if you haven't heard it you had better check it out. After experiencing a terrible tragedy in their band, losing one member in a terrible car crash, Bayside put out an uplifting and inspirational album that celebrated life.
The opening track, "Walking Wounded" is as unique as it is energizing. In the least, this tune will get you excited about life's challenges. At the most, it could guide you through struggles. I love Vinny Caruana's guest vocal as he cries out "Scientists they, couldn't fix me I'm so tired of getting out of bed!"
The track "Dear your Holiness" is an interesting venture into spirituality and a higher power. I find it thoughtful and relatable.
Another one of my favorite tracks is "Landing feet first." While it is slower with a romantic theme, this song still boasts the excellent lyricism that Bayside is known for.

Definately give this record a listen at

Bayside's website

or MySpace page

Bayside will be on Warper Tour this summer. I know I'm looking forward to hearing these songs live!

Watch Bayside on the Conan O'Brien Show, Feb 27:

Search/Rescue

I recently heard a new Seattle band, Search/Rescue for the first time. Comprised of members from Acceptance and Gatsby's American Dream, this trio has recorded a couple beautiful, peaceful songs that really resonated with me. I encourage you to give it a listen. They will be playing May 26 at El Corazon.

Search/Rescue MySpace page


I was also able to interview a member of the band, which you can read below:

Rose: When did Search Rescue get together? What are your musical backgrounds?

Ryan: We started writing together in July of 2006. Bobby and I (Ryan) were in a band called Gatsby's American Dream. Gatsby's decided to take an indefinite hiatus and so we started talking about doing something different musically. Bobby was friends with Kaylan who was in a band called Acceptance that had just broken up. We wanted to start a band based on friendship and musicianship. It just seemed to click well together.

Rose: How would you describe your sound?

Ryan: We try to provide an atmosphere with our music. We want it to rock because we are all used to playing in those kind of bands. However, we are trying things musically that we've haven't before such as writing slower songs and having solid structures to them.

Rose: Who are your influences?

Ryan: Cold play, U2, The Killers.

Rose: What do you write about?

Ryan: The lyrics are more on the obscure side so people can take many different views and feelings from these songs. It is important to make each person feel like they can connect with every song in some way.


Rose: Your favorite think about being in this band?

Ryan: My favorite thing about this band is the people. I like going to practice because I like being around these guys. I also love doing something different musically than we did in our old bands.

Rose: What are your live shows like?

Ryan: Well, our first live show is May 26th at El Corazon in Seattle. I can tell you that as we continue to play shows we want to create an atmosphere with a great light show and make sure fans are entertained. We don't want to be boring!

Rose: Do you have a record out yet?

Ryan: No, but if not by the end of this year we will have one out next year.

Rose: What are your plans for the future?

Ryan: Make a record and tour non-stop. Then repeat that same cycle.

Blue Scholars new album: Bayani

I was recently lucky enough to hear Blue Scholars latest record "Bayani," which will be out June 12. Fans of Blue Scholars self titled album will enjoy this CD even more. The beats are more diverse and dancable, while the lyrics are both personal and political. Overall, the record is exactly what you'd expect from Blue Scholars, only better. I really enjoyed the references to other cultures as well as the polished feel this album has.

Besides listening to a great record, I was also lucky enough to interview DJ Sabzi. Below is transcript of the interview:

Rose: You seem to be really connected to college students across the country; do you think this is the case? Why do you think your music resonates with that audience? Is it important to you that they appreciate the music?

Sabzi: Well, there is a certain “academic” element to our music, though the music is not exclusively for college students. Also, most of our first shows in each city were at colleges, so it would make sense that most of the word has spread through that medium.

Rose: How do you think your music has developed since Blue Scholars formed in 2002?

Sabzi: It’s developed a lot!

Rose: How will Bayani compare to the Long March EP and Blue Scholars LP?

Sabzi: This record is probably the most cohesive in theme. We discussed the content of this record in theory for 8 months before even really getting to work on the verses or recording. The beats and the rhymes are significantly more sophisticated than the first two.

Rose: Could you explain the title Bayani?

Sabzi: “Bayan” in Farsi, an Arabic root word, means “utterance” or “speech.” In Baha’i history, there was a holy book titled The Bayan, which loosely translated meant the “divine word.”

In Tagalog, the language of the Philippines, “bayan” means “the people.”

“Bayani” is a term we kinda made up for this record, which is a fusion word that’s a nod to both of our cultural heritages. It’s supposed to mean “voice of the people.”

Rose: What did you write about on this new record?

Sabzi: It’s mostly a collection of stories shared from the perspective of individuals at the grassroots level set against the context of the large world issues we face today.

Rose: Can you describe your writing process, how much does each of you contribute?

Sabzi: I make the beats, then Geo writes to the beats. We each give input on each others work.

Rose: What should people expect from your live show?

Sabzi: A good performance. We have a 9-piece live band we’re playing with at the release party on May 11.

Rose: What are your favorite places to perform?

Sabzi: Every venue is different. We do small large music festivals, small club shows, large club shows, college shows, high school shows, and community center shows. Each show is different and yet similar. My favorite shows are the ones where we get a chance to kick it with the folks in the crowd.

Rose: Are you looking forward to playing the new music live at your CD release shows?

Sabzi: Yes.

Rose: How did you go about launching Mass Line Media on your own? Why did you decide to? What is the future for that label?

Sabzi: We hope to develop MassLine into an powerful cultural force in the city of Seattle in order to support the community development, and educational initiatives we intend to implement in the next few years.

Rose: This will be your first release to Rawkus, why did you decide to make that move? What will that mean for the future of the Blue Scholars?

Sabzi: This is a collaborative distribution and marketing deal. MassLine has the resources to make the music, produce the records and make moves here in Seattle, so we partnered with Rawkus to help expand our efforts nationwide/internationally.

Rose: How many more records do you expect to release on Rawkus?

Sabzi: Right now, the deal is to release Bayani and see how it goes.

Rose: Did you expect Blue Scholars to get this big?

Sabzi: No, not exactly. At least, not this quickly. Up til very recently, we’ve been just playing catch up to the demand we’ve seen for our music.

Rose: How have your lives changed as Blue Scholars became more popular?

Sabzi: I get recognized more often around the town. In the U District and Capitol Hill neighborhoods, people roll up on me like “holy crap dude, it’s blue scholars” and in the South End and CD people say “sup.”

Rose: How does Blue Scholars compare to your other side projects like Common Market?

Sabzi: Different styles, different approaches to touching on the same issues. The lessons might change but the essence of the message is the same.

Rose: What are your plans for the future? What will you be doing this summer?

Sabzi: Touring the country! Meeting people, playing music, livin’ life.

Click here to listen to "North by Northwest" and "Back Home" from Bayani.

Click here to visit Blue Scholar's web site

*Photo courtesy of the Blue Scholars

Amber Pacific and genres

I am sure that when many read this first posting they might dismiss this blog entirely because it is about a - gasp - pop-punk band! So I guess this post is for those who are not adamantly apposed to pop-punk as a genre. I myself do not recommend opposing or claiming to dislike any entire genre of music. You could be surprised what will come out of exploring different styles with an open mind.
Any how, for those who can appreciate feel good, energizing music when they are in the mood to listen to it, this morning (or afternoon?) I would like to recommend a quick listen to Amber Pacific. A pop punk band from Federal Way, WA who, to my knowledge, has never tried to confirm to any genre but instead write the music that stirs true within them. It has come out as true pop-punk, but good pop-punk, in my opinion. What do you think? let me know. I have enjoyed listening to their last record, "The Possibility and the Promise" lately as the sun has began to shine. They also have a new record coming out May 22.
Check out their music at their MySpace page: http://myspace.com/amberpacific

I recommend older songs "Save Me For Me" and "Poetically Pathetic".
New track, "Fall Back into my Life" is very polished, with nice guitar lines, and vocals, despite what some might call, very "emo" lyrics I enjoy it when I'm in the mood for an uplifting, feel good tune.

What do you think?

Who do you recommend?