Photos of A Day To Remember, 3/28/13 at Stage AE in Pittsburgh, PA.

Photos by Judy Won. More photos on Facebook here.

Photos of Conditions, Dangerkids, Lions Lions, and Sleeping With Sirens on the Take it or Leave it Tour, 3/20/13 at Rocketown in Nashville, Tennessee.

Photos by Megan Keelan. More photos on Facebook here.

Photos of Nico Vega, 3/1/13 at The Filmore in Detroit, Michigan.

Photos by Judy Won. More photos on Facebook here.

Photos of Imagine Dragons, 3/1/13 at The Filmore in Detroit, Michigan.

Photos by Judy Won. More photos on Facebook here.

Photos of For The Foxes, Go Radio, The Summer Set, and We Are The In Crowd at the Wake Up And Be Awesome Tour, 3/14/13 at The Emporium in Patchogue, New York.

Photos and review by Hingwa Moy. More photos on Facebook here.

Review by Brody Coronelli.

“I’ve got troubled thoughts, and the self-esteem to match- what a catch,” was one of the last verses the teenage-soundtrack band Fall Out Boy uttered on 2008’s Folie a Deux. The story’s been told all of too many times, but after the band announced an indefinite hiatus in 2009 and nearly vanished off the radar, fans began to get scared. Pete Wentz formed the reggae pop duo Black Cards, and Patrick Stump embarked on an ambitious pop solo project which in the end proved to be a futile transition, and with all the buzz among the members it seemed that Fall Out Boy had taken themselves to their graves. But all the skepticism and suspicion was deemed correct in February 2013 when the band released a new single, announced a new record, and planned a US wide tour to hit in May/June. Fall Out Boy is back with the valiant effort Save Rock & Roll, and this album shows that they’re sure as hell intent on doing so. 

As with many of their past releases, Fall Out Boy experiments extensively with new styles and influences, and Save Rock & Roll is a new effort entirely. The band has settled into their sound achieving new heights while maintaining the integrity of their previous work. Patrick Stump sings with a new tinge of confidence, and so does the rest of the band. “The Phoenix” opens the album like a firework, Stump’s newly-aggressive vocals backed with cinematic, orchestral melodies driving the song straight into the chorus: “I’m gonna change you like a remix/Then I’ll raise you like a phoenix,” an attempt to expand the album’s theme to save rock and roll (and a comment on the modern music industry, no doubt). The lyrics on Save Rock & Roll are classic Pete Wentz- clever, personal, and intelligent. “Alone Together” is a quick carried track that leaves it’s verses in the dust, acoustic driven and uplifting with synthy gang vocals. 

“Just One Yesterday” is one of the best-written Fall Out Boy songs thus far and is brought along with vocals from Foxes, making it one of the album’s standout tracks. Big Sean lends vocals to “The Mighty Fall”, but the track is all over the place- halfway through the song you have to start questioning what it is that you’re listening to, and by then you’re already lost in the overwhelming riffs, while Big Sean’s way too hip hop contribution begins to distract from the idea of saving rock and roll entirely.

With sweet 80’s melodies and true ringing, classic Wentz lyrics “Miss Missing You” brings the record back up to speed. “Young Volcanoes” is an upbeat acoustic number that sounds like something with potential to complement a movie. “Tonight/The foxes hunt the hounds/It’s all over now,” Patrick Stump sings; this song is foot-tapping and catchy from the start. “Rat A Tat” features a questionable (and unnecessary) intro from Courtney Love, but it picks up and settles down into classic Fall Out Boy, featuring easily one of the best chorus’ on the entire album. 

Save Rock & Roll closes with the title track featuring musical legend Elton John, and the song is indeed the band’s best attempt to do their part at saving rock & roll. “You are what you love/Not who loves you/In a world full of the word yes/I’m here to scream no,” Stump explodes leading the song into the chorus. Every element of the record is present in this track, and with the help of Elton John it closes it on a wonderful note. While Fall Out Boy failed to “save rock and roll”, what they have done here is branded their own unique idea of what needs to be done to a genre that’s been deemed dead, and they’ve done so successfully (and made one hell of a comeback while doing so). Sure, there’s some loose ends and interesting directions on the album, but in all it’s a valiant and ambitious piece of work. Rock & Roll wasn’t saved, but we’re a little closer. 

Rating: 4/5

Listen to: “Miss Missing You”

Review by Stephanie Roe.

It isn’t unusual for bands to have growing pains and ugly-duckling moments in their career. Paramore has hit that stage in stride, akin to a young woman wearing her first pair of stilettos. Sure, it looks good, but it’s falling all over itself. To be fair, Paramore has seen a lot in their almost-decade-long run, with the loss of two founding members and accusations of the authenticity of Williams and the band itself. Giving credit where credit is due, Williams and current members, Jeremy Davis on bass and Taylor York on guitar, have “been through the wringer a couple times” and managed to survive and put out their self-titled, fourth full length album.

The album starts with “Fast in my Car,” a grungy ode to all the band has been through and a promising opening. “Now,” the first single and the poster-child for Paramore, is made of incompatible melodies and an unnecessary drawn out, one-word, half chorus. Unfortunately, it becomes a song that gets easily stuck in your head in an unpleasant way. We come back to “Grow Up,” a relatable song about moving on, tinged with synth-driven goodness and easily becomes one of the favorites on the album. “Ain’t it Fun,” an 80’s-inspired tune with a gospel choir bridge, is the fun, toe-tapping song that could easily make the short-list for potential singles. The album continues to meld together into less-than-memorable melodies until “Still Into You” shakes listeners up and reminds you of the songwriting prowess Williams possesses. This is the song that fans of old Paramore need to listen to first to help ease them into the new album with bass-drum lead ins and soaring vocals, reminiscent of “crushcrushcrush” and “Misery Business.” “Anklebiters” keeps it going with a fast-paced punk outbursts and well-done drums beats, sure to get you on your feet. The rest of the album moves along without much to-do and melts together into unnoticeable background music.

The oddest things about this album are the three minute-long ukulele interludes scattered throughout.  With only Williams singing along to the strumming, it feels out of place and stops whatever flow the album might have had. They aren’t badly composed or sung, but they feel out of place and far away from the maturity Paramore seemed to want to convey. The final track on the album, “Future,” includes some lyrics and mild harmonizing from Williams, but turns into something else near the end. What started out as a light and beautiful song becomes a five minute jam session, that is fun, floaty and an excellent way to end the album.

Undoubtedly, the music has reached a point of maturity for Paramore, lyrically and musically, where they have the pieces to create a work of art. However, this album has mismatched parts that do not complement one another and is a hard sell to fans. The sound and feel of Paramore is vastly different from Brand New Eyes, Riot! and All We Know Is Falling, so much so, I had to check and make sure this was still Paramore and not a new project from Williams. Certainly, with their past success in tow, the band will land radio and MTV spots, but it won’t be enough to sustain their popularity with much weaker songs to hand out this time around. However, I ask that fans not turn away from the Paramore just yet. The band has only hit a bump, not a wall, and certainly has the talent and toughness to bounce back.

Rating: 3.75/5

Listen to: “Still Into You”

Modern Day Escape have announced pre-orders for their forthcoming album New Life, which will be released June 11th via Standby Records. Pre-order the record here, and check out the tracklisting below:

1. 20 years
2. bound by blood
3. control
4. DRUGS
5. Gets me Higher
6. Leavin Home
7. Mi Demonia Amor
8. Saying Goodbye
9. Scared as Hell
10. Suicidal
11. This aint love

In the mood for extremely catchy, yet deep and meaningful pop-punk? Check out the new album by Virginia natives Random Holiday, Space to Grow, available for pay-what-you-want on Bandcamp now!

It’s Warped Tour Season

By Gina Marie.

I don‘t know about you all, but I look forward to Warped Tour like little kids look forward to their birthdays or Christmas- all the bands I get to see and all the merch I buy are like presents! It’s that time of year again when all the bands have been released and we are all making lists of who we need to see, so here is a list to really showcase my love of different genres, and share some suggestions about who I think you should include on your “must-see” list.

1.       “1985”- Bowling for Soup- I‘ve got two words to say about Bowling For Soup playing Warped Tour this summer: I‘m pumped! I know you’ve already heard this song before, but what a better way to get ready for this summer’s line-up than listening to some old favorites. Catch them on Warped Tour August 2nd- 4th.

2.        “Until The Day I Die”- Story of the Year- How old does a song have to be to be considered a throwback? I know this song is overplayed but it is one of my favorite songs by Story of the Year. Be sure to check them out on the tour July 9th- 23rd.

3.       “We Still Believe”- Stick To Your Guns- Can you tell I like a wide variety of music? But Stick To Your guns though, SO good! Their set never disappoints and the crowd gets nuts, so toss on your Vans and make sure you catch their set on one of the dates of the tour.

4.       “Pens and Needles”- Hawthorne Heights- Hawthorne Heights has come a long way since they released If Only You Were Lonely but I just had to include “Pens and Needles” since the song conveys so much emotion. You can catch them every date on the tour.

5.       “Daughters”- The Story So Far- As a college student this song makes me chuckle. The Story So Far just released a new album What You Don‘t See, and you can catch them at every date of Warped.

6.       “Front Porch Sunrise”- Forever Came Calling- “What’s it like to be honest, honestly happy?” Well, honestly, I love this song. (#poppunk jams for life!) On a serious note, if you‘re a pop-punk enthusiast like me, make sure you check out Forever Came Calling from June 15- July 3 and July 6- August 4.

7.       “Goodnight Moon”- Go Radio- I‘ve always been a Go Radio fan so when I found out they were playing Warped this year, I was ecstatic. This maybe a slower song, but it has a way of putting you in a good mood. They will be making all the stops on this year’s tour so make sure to stop by for their set.

8.       “American Cities”- Billy The Kid- Billy is an extremely talented artist from Canada. Her song “American Cities” is one of my favorites off of her latest album. Catch her between June 26 and July 6.

9.       “Hey Darlin’ Do You Gamble?”- Brian Marquis- Brian Marquis is the man behind the Acoustic Basement at Warped Tour, and aside from bringing together extremely talented acoustic acts, he himself is one heck of a singer/song writer. Make sure you stop by the Acoustic Basement Tent at Warped and catch listen to his set- he‘ll be around at all the Warped Tour stops.

10.   “Boy, You‘re In Heaven”- Vinnie Caruana- Okay, so maybe I‘m biased because I‘m a huge I Am The Avalanche fan, but Vinnie has some crazy talent and his solo project definitely highlights it. It was a difficult to choose which song I wanted to share with you guys off of his recent release, but if you like what you hear make sure to check out the rest of his songs off of his EP City By The Sea. He will be playing at the Acoustic Basement Tent from July 7 thought August 4.

11.   “I Don‘t Mind”- Defeater- Close your eyes and sit back as you‘re listening to this Defeater song. If lyrics had the ability to hug your ear drums, it would be the lyrics from this song that could. Defeater brings so much passion and experience to their music. I would not miss their set if you‘re attending a date between July 11 and August 4.