I decided to make the switch to Tumblr with this blog so I am able to post videos and such easier. I know this might be kind of confusing, but this will be better for me in the long run. I am going to transfer my blog posts from here to my Tumblr as well.
So here is the link to the Tumblr blog account, please check it out! CLICK HERE!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Concert Review: Blessthefall, Chiodos, and more
I think it would incorrect for me to call this a Congregation of the Damned Tour review, which features Atreyu because I did not see Atreyu. I think honestly is the best policy in all situations, so here we go: I have been waiting three years to see Blessthefall and it was the only reason I went to the this show. Why I had not seen Blessthefall before I do not know, because the guys have been to Minnesota multiple times since 2007 when I began listening to the band. Now that being said, when I found out that Chiodos was playing I was pretty excited to those guys as well.
Anyway, I went to this show on Nov. 19, 2010 at the Cabooze in Minneapolis, Minn. I have been to this club three times now in the past month. Back in October I saw the AP Fall Tour 2010, which had five bands on the bill, this tour also had five bands set to play. Just thought I would mention that for reference to the reviews.
The first band to play was Endless Hallway who is from Los Angeles, Calif. The band started about ten minutes before the show was suppose to begin, which was suppose to be 5:30p.m. That being said, there was still a lot going on at the bar, on the floor, and the entrance as people were still filing into the building. The band put on an energetic show, with the limited stage space that was given and despite the uninterested crowd. I felt rather bad for the guys because they did do a good job with their performance, but it just seemed like the crowd was not entertained.
The next band was the Architects who is from Brighton, United Kingdom. Though it is not music that I would listen to on a regular basis, the vocals were quite amazing. If I had to describe the bands sound, I would say it sounds almost like metalcore and punk combined. A little strange, but nonetheless the performance they put on was energetic and entertaining. After a few songs, the vocalist Sam Carter went into a story of the bands adventures the night before and basically told the crowd that to make him and guys feel better that they were going to do better than what they were doing (which was no movement at all). The crowd must have been stimulated because from that point on the crowd did not stop moving. For the band's final song Beau Bokan, Blessthefall's vocalist, joined the stage for some guest vocas.
Now the moment of true judgment for Chiodos. As many people know, Chiodos had a distinct vocalist change, but they also had a drumming change, creating a very new lineup. This was going to be my fifth time seeing Chiodos, yes fifth, so there was a lot riding on the guys shoulders to impress me. While I very much enjoy the new lineup and believe that the new vocalist Brandon Bolmer is very good, it is unfortunate to say that the live performance was not what I thought it was going to be. This could be in part because all I could see was Bradley Bell's keyboards the entire time, which was very distracting. Bell is the most interesting person I have ever seen on stage, with the way his feet and legs move in all directions constantly. I did do my best to listen to Bolmer and watch his performance. By the way the crowd was lacking energy, I can assume that most everyone was doing the same as I was. I think the band has the potential to create just as energetic performance as they have in the past with a bit more touring with the new lineup. That being said, Chiodos is one of those bands that I listened to throughout high school and I did enjoy hearing the music live once again.
Finally, the last band that I saw perform was Blessthefall. The guys did all their own set up, which took some time. Once ready, with no hesitation the guys threw all their energy on stage. I went into a rather nostalgic moment during the song "Rise Up" before bringing myself back to reality. This was a band, that also, has gone through a vocalist change. While I loved Blessthefall with the band's previous vocalist I think Bokan does an extremely good job with what he is doing in the band. He is also very energetic running up and down the stage, jumping into the crowd, and at one point in the night hung upside from the piping in the Cabooze. It is a good thing he does not weigh much because the piping did not look like it was going to make it. Bassist Jared Wrath also put a good memory in my head spinning across the stage and hitting Matt Traynor's symbol with his hand mid-set. His screams were also spot on. Unfortunately, for some unknown time restraint, the band's set was cut by three songs, but that did not get them down as they finished the set with "Hey Baby, Here's That Song You Wanted". The crowd loved the guys, and Bokan I may add, very much and jumped high when told to jump. Overall, I was very impressed with them, which takes a lot at this point in my concert attending career.
As you may notice from the lack adjectives, I did not enjoy this show as much as the ones in the past month, my main let down being Chiodos. The opening band did not seem to fit the crowd and the crowd was not very receptive to their energy. As I said I did not stay to see Atreyu so I cannot judge the entire tour, but for the four bands as a whole that I did see I would have to give it a three out of five.
Anyway, I went to this show on Nov. 19, 2010 at the Cabooze in Minneapolis, Minn. I have been to this club three times now in the past month. Back in October I saw the AP Fall Tour 2010, which had five bands on the bill, this tour also had five bands set to play. Just thought I would mention that for reference to the reviews.
The first band to play was Endless Hallway who is from Los Angeles, Calif. The band started about ten minutes before the show was suppose to begin, which was suppose to be 5:30p.m. That being said, there was still a lot going on at the bar, on the floor, and the entrance as people were still filing into the building. The band put on an energetic show, with the limited stage space that was given and despite the uninterested crowd. I felt rather bad for the guys because they did do a good job with their performance, but it just seemed like the crowd was not entertained.
The next band was the Architects who is from Brighton, United Kingdom. Though it is not music that I would listen to on a regular basis, the vocals were quite amazing. If I had to describe the bands sound, I would say it sounds almost like metalcore and punk combined. A little strange, but nonetheless the performance they put on was energetic and entertaining. After a few songs, the vocalist Sam Carter went into a story of the bands adventures the night before and basically told the crowd that to make him and guys feel better that they were going to do better than what they were doing (which was no movement at all). The crowd must have been stimulated because from that point on the crowd did not stop moving. For the band's final song Beau Bokan, Blessthefall's vocalist, joined the stage for some guest vocas.
Now the moment of true judgment for Chiodos. As many people know, Chiodos had a distinct vocalist change, but they also had a drumming change, creating a very new lineup. This was going to be my fifth time seeing Chiodos, yes fifth, so there was a lot riding on the guys shoulders to impress me. While I very much enjoy the new lineup and believe that the new vocalist Brandon Bolmer is very good, it is unfortunate to say that the live performance was not what I thought it was going to be. This could be in part because all I could see was Bradley Bell's keyboards the entire time, which was very distracting. Bell is the most interesting person I have ever seen on stage, with the way his feet and legs move in all directions constantly. I did do my best to listen to Bolmer and watch his performance. By the way the crowd was lacking energy, I can assume that most everyone was doing the same as I was. I think the band has the potential to create just as energetic performance as they have in the past with a bit more touring with the new lineup. That being said, Chiodos is one of those bands that I listened to throughout high school and I did enjoy hearing the music live once again.
Finally, the last band that I saw perform was Blessthefall. The guys did all their own set up, which took some time. Once ready, with no hesitation the guys threw all their energy on stage. I went into a rather nostalgic moment during the song "Rise Up" before bringing myself back to reality. This was a band, that also, has gone through a vocalist change. While I loved Blessthefall with the band's previous vocalist I think Bokan does an extremely good job with what he is doing in the band. He is also very energetic running up and down the stage, jumping into the crowd, and at one point in the night hung upside from the piping in the Cabooze. It is a good thing he does not weigh much because the piping did not look like it was going to make it. Bassist Jared Wrath also put a good memory in my head spinning across the stage and hitting Matt Traynor's symbol with his hand mid-set. His screams were also spot on. Unfortunately, for some unknown time restraint, the band's set was cut by three songs, but that did not get them down as they finished the set with "Hey Baby, Here's That Song You Wanted". The crowd loved the guys, and Bokan I may add, very much and jumped high when told to jump. Overall, I was very impressed with them, which takes a lot at this point in my concert attending career.
As you may notice from the lack adjectives, I did not enjoy this show as much as the ones in the past month, my main let down being Chiodos. The opening band did not seem to fit the crowd and the crowd was not very receptive to their energy. As I said I did not stay to see Atreyu so I cannot judge the entire tour, but for the four bands as a whole that I did see I would have to give it a three out of five.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Interview: Skyline For Tomorrow
Skyline For Tomorrow comes from Nashville, Tenn., the bands hometown being Bowling Green, Ky. The guys have EP available called Parallels and plan on recording more music and doing planning a lot of touring for next year. The band consists of Justin Webb, Trevor Drish, Seth Webb, Brandon Hesson, and Kyle Vincent. I had some questions answered by the band's vocalist Justin Webb.
How did Skyline For Tomorrow get started?
Describe your sound.
Our sound is a unique one! We have such a wide variety of influences, so when you throw them all together and add your own personality to it, it comes out sounding very refreshing. We've spent years listening to Underoath, Chiodos, Blessthefall, Scary Kids, Scaring Kids, and bands in that genre. Some could call it metalcore, we prefer post-hardcore if we absolutely have to call it something.
What label are you guys on right now?
What are the band’s influences?
I noticed you guys are working on an EP, how is that coming along?
What plans do you have for upcoming tours?
What’s something funny or random your fans may not know about you guys?
Anything else you want fans to know about you guys?
You can check out the guys on all of the popular social networking sites. So check it:
http://www.myspace.com/skylinefortomorrow
http://www.twitter.com/skylineft
http://www.facebook.com/skylinefortomorrow
Monday, November 15, 2010
Concert Review: This Is A Family//Attack Attack!, Pierce The Veil, Of Mice & Men, In Fear and Faith
Once again, another show I went to in order to promote for the Alternative Press Street Team. I attended the tour on Nov. 14, 2010 at the Cabooze in Minneapolis, MN. I had listened to Attack Attack! for a short period of time which is why I wanted to go to the show in the first place, but my excitement went a little down hill over the past few weeks. Then after the departure of Johnny Franck, I really had lost a lot of excitement to see Attack Attack!. I have been listening to a little of Of Mice & Men over the past two weeks so there was some excitement to go to the show.
The show that I attended did not feature Emmure, who will be a on few dates later on the tour. I also was late for the show as I had other reporting that had to be done earlier that afternoon for an article I am writing; life as a journalist. Because I was late I missed In Fear and Faith, but I was told that the band was missing their vocalist for personal reasons.
The first band I saw was Of Mice & Men, who I mentioned I have been listening to. The guys were very energetic. Shayley Bourget, the singer/guitarist had an amazing voice live that closely resembled what it is like on the album, which I was pleasantly surprised by. After the first song, Bourget had to change a string on his guitar and the touring bass player Dane Poppin of A Static Lullaby and drummer, Valentino Arteaga, kept the crowd entertained with a few solos. Also in the middle of their set, the guys randomly, simultaneously fell onto the stage and kept performing (I will have a video posted on the APMinneapolis YouTube page later this week). It was different and made for good entertainment. Overall, they were a good band live.
The co-headliner was Pierce The Veil. While I am not a fan of Pierce The Veil I have seen them before and they do create good music. Their set was all that I thought it would and then some. Their drummer, Mike Fuentes, played a tambourine and then threw off the stage. It flew right in front of me and I briefly had it in my hands, but their tour manager or road crew quickly took it away from me, but it made for a good effect. The singer/guitarist, Vic Fuentes, has amazing vocals as well and the girls in the crowd seemed to float toward him. He also used a blow horn during the last song which I liked very much. Plus their guitarist, Tony Perry, is extremely energetic, and at one point I thought he was going to hit the security guard in the head with his guitar. They were very good live and if you are a fan of the band then they will certainly not disappoint.
Finally Attack Attack! came out for their performance. It began quietly, with a lot of smoke, with their guitarist playing soft riffs before the rest of the guys coming out on stage and beginning with loud and heavy breakdowns. Shortly into the set, Caleb Shomo, the bands vocalists, requested that the crowd have chicken fight during the song Dr. Shavargo Pt. 3; one girl remained on someone's shoulder's at the end of the song (this will also be posted on YouTube). Eventually, Shomo did address Franck's departure from the band in a short speech. He also mentioned that Sean Mackowski from My Ticket Home, who I interviewed last weekend, was filling in for Franck for the tour. That gave me a little giggle. Overall, the guys said they were happy with no hard feelings to Franck and they would continue making music, but their stage presence did have a lack of energy. That is to be expected, however, when you lose a band member and friend.
While it is too bad that Attack Attack! lost Johnny Franck I give them major credit for continuing with their headling tour with pride. I give the tour a 4 out of 5. The crowd seemed to be having an awesome time and for not being a huge fan of any of the bands, I was greatly entertained.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Before the Band Was Famous: August Burns Red-Thrill Seeker
I already admitted in a previous post that I am big fan of August Burns Red, but it is ironic that only began listening to them a few months ago. In May 2010 I decided to give August Burns Red another chance after trying to listening to them about three years previous. One of the best decisions I have made in a while. I will admit that it took me a while to get into their album Messengers after living off of Constellations for weeks. Messengers had been such a breakthrough for August Burns Red that I felt it was almost an obligation to like it, but I do find it to be hard to listen to at times. After finally learning all the songs off Messengers I decided to listen to their debut full-length Thrill Seeker. In all honesty, I was not looking forward to it. I was not expecting it to be anything special, just another first for a band that became so much more.
I was proven wrong. I could not believe what I was hearing.
The album resembles a lot of the sound of Constellations, released in 2009. Amazingly, before listening to Thrill Seeker I had never heard anything about it. Sure, I knew it existed, but I have never put it in my priority to listening to it because I never heard anything about it; good or bad. Now I find myself listening to it more often than Constellations and much more than Messengers.
Thrill Seeker was released in 2005, and as I mentioned is August Burns Red's first full-length album from Solid State Records. If you have heard their material off Looks Fragile After All, it is pretty amazing that the band turned out the way it is today (with all do respect of course). Even the jump that was made from their EP to Thrill Seeker is greatly apparent, which could be a quality of production issue. The biggest difference between Thrill Seeker and Constellations, I believe, is how the songs are arranged. Each song has its noticeable riffs, guitar-like-solos, and Matt Greiner's particular drumming. The tracks on the Thrill Seeker follow the odd time signatures that many August Burns Red fans are used to, but sometimes it sounds like there are two songs in one. It is almost as if the guys have learned that you do not need to put so much into a song for it to sound good. That being said, they are not simple in the least with what they write, even today, and it is apparent in this album that the guys knew from the beginning what direction they wanted their band to move towards.
I greatly encourage people to look into this album, which I believe is greatly underrated. Whether you are a fan of the band today or not, if you are a fan of metalcore this is an album you can appreciate. To me, Thrill Seeker is an album that was ahead of its time by about two years and therefore did not gain the recognition it deserved. I also could have just missed its recognition because as I said I only recently began listening to August Burns Red. Either way, this album needs more credibility within the metalcore community.
If there are any albums that you believe are underrated and need to be known about to listeners, leave a comment and I will look into the band and their albums. I would love to hear about albums I may not otherwise give the time of day, so please do not be shy.
I was proven wrong. I could not believe what I was hearing.
The album resembles a lot of the sound of Constellations, released in 2009. Amazingly, before listening to Thrill Seeker I had never heard anything about it. Sure, I knew it existed, but I have never put it in my priority to listening to it because I never heard anything about it; good or bad. Now I find myself listening to it more often than Constellations and much more than Messengers.
Thrill Seeker was released in 2005, and as I mentioned is August Burns Red's first full-length album from Solid State Records. If you have heard their material off Looks Fragile After All, it is pretty amazing that the band turned out the way it is today (with all do respect of course). Even the jump that was made from their EP to Thrill Seeker is greatly apparent, which could be a quality of production issue. The biggest difference between Thrill Seeker and Constellations, I believe, is how the songs are arranged. Each song has its noticeable riffs, guitar-like-solos, and Matt Greiner's particular drumming. The tracks on the Thrill Seeker follow the odd time signatures that many August Burns Red fans are used to, but sometimes it sounds like there are two songs in one. It is almost as if the guys have learned that you do not need to put so much into a song for it to sound good. That being said, they are not simple in the least with what they write, even today, and it is apparent in this album that the guys knew from the beginning what direction they wanted their band to move towards.
I greatly encourage people to look into this album, which I believe is greatly underrated. Whether you are a fan of the band today or not, if you are a fan of metalcore this is an album you can appreciate. To me, Thrill Seeker is an album that was ahead of its time by about two years and therefore did not gain the recognition it deserved. I also could have just missed its recognition because as I said I only recently began listening to August Burns Red. Either way, this album needs more credibility within the metalcore community.
If there are any albums that you believe are underrated and need to be known about to listeners, leave a comment and I will look into the band and their albums. I would love to hear about albums I may not otherwise give the time of day, so please do not be shy.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Interview: My Ticket Home
My Ticket Home, including vocalist Nick Giumenti, bassist Luke Fletcher, guitarists Sean Mackowski and Eli Ford and drummer Marshal Giumenti formed out of Columbus, OH about two years ago. The guys are excited to say that their debut EP The Opportunity To Be will be available this Tuesday Nov. 9, 2010 through Rise Records. The guys are looking to keep touring and work hard to create a full-length album in the near future. I got to exchange some questions with vocalist Nick Giumenti and find out more about My Ticket Home and their future plans.
Angela: How did My Ticket Home get started?
Our band got started because about two years ago when [guitarist/vocals] Sean and myself [vocalist] Nick, we taking bass and guitar lessons from the same teacher. My brother [drummer] Marshal was taking drum lessons at the same shop and one day our teacher suggested that we have Marshal learn a song with us. So we did that and continued learning to cover other songs and then eventually one night we tried writing our own. We started getting more serious about it, found additional members and then recorded our first song.
Angela: How did you sign to Rise Records?
Well we grew up watching our friends in Attack Attack! as their band progressed and got signed and we had heard nothing but good things about Rise from them so naturally Rise was definitely the label we were most aware of. We played Attack Attacks! CD release show and at the show [Attack Attack!] introduced us to a lot of important people at Rise that had shown up to support the show. Since the show, we remained in contact with them and they started expressing interest in us as a band. We were in communication with a few other labels but no one showed us the same amount of attention as Rise. So we discusses numbers etc., and we feel very fortunate to have such a solid label supporting our band.
Angela: Describe your sound.
Nowadays hardcore music is a genre that is grossly over populated and filled with too many bands all doing the same thing. Now I'm not going to claim that our band is some breakthrough new band that is amazingly unique or something. We just want to create music that we like to listen to, music that we are proud of. Our goal as a band is to create straightforward hardcore music that is tasteful and passionate, whether we accomplish that goal, as always, is for the listener to decide.
That's a tough question. For me my influences are constantly changing depending on what I'm most excited about at the time. Right now my current ones would be, Underoath, The Chariot, Anberlin, and Stick To Your Guns
Angela: What plans do you have for touring this upcoming fall and spring?
Well unfortunately we kinda missed the train for the fall/winter tours because they are all booked so unless a band drops off a tour or something like that we might be looking at waiting until spring to get chance to tour. Which sucks because that's our bands main goal at the moment, so if anyone there can help us out let us know!
Angela: Will your EP be available in stores?
The Opportunity To Be is going to be released digitally on iTunes on Nov. 9th (which is in 2 days!), but the only way to get a physical copy will be to buy them from us on tour.Angela: What has been your biggest highlight as a band thus far?
Well my personal highlight was playing shows and driving around with my friends in the van, but I suppose the highlight for our band would be getting signed and releasing our debut CD.Angela: What do you see in My Ticket Home's future?
Well our goal would be to start touring a ton, release our first full length, which we have already started writing for, continue to tour, see the country, meet friends and fans, and continue to earn our success as a band.Angela: Any crazy tour stories yet?
Well we weren't on tour, but we were at a venue in West Virginia, and Marshal and our friend Will Hash were messing around behind the stage, and they found a ladder that lead up to the top of the stage ceiling which was made of dry-wall. And Marshal being the sharp explorer that he is, managed to climb about five feet out on the ceiling before falling completely through it into the stage. There was debris everywhere it was really, really funny.
Not particularly, we are just a group of friends who love writing and performing music and we are very excited about the opportunities we've been given. So thanks for your interest and for reading this!
Make sure you check My Ticket Home out at http://www.myspace.com/mytickethome. Also make sure you get their EP The Opportunity To Be on Nov. 9 available through iTunes for $5.99 or if you catch them at a show you can buy a hard copy.
My Ticket Home's Twitter
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Album Review: Punk Goes Pop 3
The Punk Goes... collection has brought many amazing covers of some very distinct songs (Say Anything "Got Your Money", The Maine "I Wanna Love You", A Static Lullaby "Toxic"), but Punk Goes Pop 3 has not met its previous standards. While some of the performances are well done and even surprising for the artist that covered the song, some of the songs are downright awkward.
The songs I find to be the best on the album are "Bad Romance" covered by Artist vs. Poet, "Right Now" covered by Asking Alexandria, Miss May I's cover of "Run This Town", Sparks The Rescue's "Need You Now" and "My Love" covered by We Came As Romans. I thought that having Miss May I cover "Run This Town" would have been awkward, but the five men made it work. Also We Came As Romans cover I found to be almost better than a lot of their previous work, which could be natural and I hope it is reflected on their future albums. By far the song that is most cheerful is Of Mice & Men's cover of "Blame It." The guys did a very good job making the song their own, but keeping it recognizable.
The choice of the songs were for the most part good, but I believe there could have been better songs chosen. Such as the song "Airplanes" by The Ready Set, originally recorded by B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams. I find it to be rather strange that this song was covered because Paramore, the band Williams fronts, could have been one of the bands covering a song on this album. Also, the fact that there are two songs by T.I. and Justin Timberlake featuring one another on the album ("Dead and Gone" covered by Cute Is What We Aim For and "My Love" covered by We Came As Romans. Also there are two songs on the album which Kayne West appeared in on the album. The final thing I found to be strange is that Mayday Parade make an appearance on this volume while the band was also on Punk Goes Pop 2 covering "When I Grow Up".
This album was not the best of the Punk Goes... collections, but it is still something that fans of previous covers will enjoy. I hope that in the future, if the collection continues, that the Fearless Records works more to find different artists that have not done previous work on their collections. Also taking into consideration of the songs chosen to cover can help the album's credibility. I give it 3 out of 5.
Goals of this Blog
The main goal of this blog is to better my writing style. I am a journalist and practicing my writing is a key to my future. The other goal of this blog will be to talk about what I love most in life: music.
I hope to continue doing concert reviews, but also album reviews and even band interviews!
I hope to continue doing concert reviews, but also album reviews and even band interviews!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Concert Review: Enter Shikari Destabilize North America Tour
Once again, I attended this show because I handed promotions out after the show for the Alternative Press Street Team, but I also did not really want to see any of the bands at this show. Therefore, I think I went in pretty unbiased. The one band that I did want to see was Sleeping With Sirens.
The first band that played was LightGoBlue who are from the United Kingdom. I took a listen of them before the show and was very disappointed with what I heard, but the music that the duo performed was very good. I talked to the guitarist/vocalist/keys of the band and he said that they had just finished recording new music before traveling across the Atlantic. By the way, he was very sweet and they were giving out free stickers. Their performance was very good, but they were trying to the get the crowd to be more interactive and not doing a very good job. They attempted to get a circle pit going, but I do not find that their music is something that you can do a circle pit to.
The second band to perform was Sleeping With Sirens who are from Michigan. As I mentioned, this was the one band that I wanted to see, and I was not disappointed. Their show was not bad and they did a very good job talking with the crowd. The vocalist played well for the crowd and the band had better success in creating a circle pit on the floor.
The next band to play was Haste The Day who come from Indiana. I had listened to Haste The Day before the show for a short time, but do not considered myself to be a fan. The band put on one of the most energetic performances that I have seen in a long time. They have a heavy sound with good vocals, even live.
Of course, the headliner who was Enter Shikari who are also from the U.K. Enter Shikari have a very interesting sound. They are a mix of hardcore with very good breakdowns and dance music. None the less the crowd was very energetic along with the band. The guitarist climbed up on their amp which was raised to the ceiling. Overall, for not knowing any of the music, I was impressed and entertained.
The show was solid and entertaining and I am glad I got to go. The show however did not have a full house, which was at Station 4 in St. Paul, which was rather disappointing. I'll give it a 3.5 out of 5, if you want to see any of these bands the show will not disappoint you.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Concert Review: AP Fall Tour 2010
I attended the Alternative Press (AP) Fall Tour 2010 on Oct. 19, 2010 at the Cabooze in Minneapolis. The co-headliners this year are August Burns Red and Bring Me The Horizon, with supporting bands Emarosa, This Is Hell and Polar Bear Club.
I attended the AP Tour because I am a part of the Alternative Press Street Team in Minneapolis, so disclosure, I did attend the show for free. However, I worked handing out posters and free magazines and also helped with others subscribing.
The first band to perform was This Is Hell. This Is Hell is front Long Island, NY and plays hardcore punk. I had never heard of this band before hearing about the AP Tour and didn't take the time to listen to them before going to the show, however, they are one of the better bands I have seen live. Each player put their all into the show. I remember in particular the bass player, who I am unable to find the name of, had the highest energy of all them. He was spinning around in circles almost every time I had my eyes on the stage.
The second band to perform was Polar Bear Club. This band also is from New York and are classified as post-hardcore/indie, according to Wikipedia. This is also a band that I did not know of or had listened to before going to the show. Polar Bear Club was also the nightly signing band. I met them briefly and they were pretty quiet and very nice guys. Seeing as I am writing this about a week after the show, I do not quite remember everything from their set, but I do not have any bad memories. The band had high energy and put on a solid performance.
The next band to play was Emarosa. The band is from Lexington, Kentucky. I had heard of this band before, but never could get into their music despite their popularity. I can say though that they also put on a very good show. The singer Jonny Craig, who is the former frontman of Dance Gavin Dance, has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard, but I cannot move beyond the southern twang of his voice or the mullet he was sporting. Overall, however, the show was very good and the crowd interacted with Craig very well.
The second to last band was co-headliner August Burns Red. Co-headliner meaning both bands play the same set time and switch closing throughout the tour. August Burns Red comes from Lancaster, PA and are undeniably one of my favorite bands. I had been looking forward to seeing them since the tour was announce in, ironically, August. I had heard many things about the guys in ABR including doubts about Jake Luhrs vocals live to Matt Greiner being the best drummer live, but also being too good for the band. Their sound as a whole live is very good. They sound like they are playing their CD through the PA system. Luhrs vocals were spot on. I had seen videos on Youtube of his vocals and I also had my doubts, but his vocals seemed to have made some improvement. Luhrs was very good about performing to the entire club and getting the crowd involved with his performance. Their interaction of a band on stage was a bit strange however. Brent Rambler, one of the guitarist seemed to be disconnected from what I could see, but then again I honestly do not know how he was feeling. Matt Greiner also performed a solid drum solo, which is a part of their set, before going into their final song. Overall I was very pleased with their performance and hope to see them again and improve a bit with interaction with one another.
The final set was Bring Me The Horizon who is from Sheffield, Yorkshire, Great Britain. I used to listen to BMTH horizon, but lost interest sometime last spring. They were undoubtedly the band that most everyone in the club wanted to see. The band's stage presence was very impressive. Oli Sykes, the vocalist, was very solid on how his vocals were. His growls sounded near perfect each time he opened his mouth. He also did a very good job interacting with the crowd. At one point in the set, Sykes demanded that the circle pit go around the awkward bar on the side of the floor and they did as he asked. I was quite entertained (a video can be see here http://www.youtube.com/APMinneapolis). Their sound live was also very good. It sounded near perfect even the songs I did not know. They also were very loud, so my personal suggestion is wear ear plugs (I was) but also stand away from the speakers (I was standing at the AP table, however, and could not move). I was also very impressed with their guitarist (I apologize, I do not know which one but I believe Lee Malia), and it takes a lot to impress me with guitar. He played some parts that were very interested and sounded carefully played.
Overall, the AP Fall Tour 2010 was a very good show. I was only there to see August Burns Red, because I would have gone despite getting to work at the show, but I left very impressed with the other four bands. I will not start listening to the others, but I would suggest that fans check out the bands on the tour if they like them. I will start this blog out with a 4.5 out 5 for the entire show, near perfect. I hope every checks out the AP Fall Tour if it has not come through their city yet.
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