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Posts Tagged ‘The Cab’

  1. Bamboozle Left Festival

    April 20, 2009 by Steph

    The Cab, source: myspace.com/the cab, Jackie Butler

    Bamboozle Left

    The sun was shining in the Golden State at the Verizon Wireless Ampitheater in Irvine, California for Bamboozle Left. A long line of teenagers twisted out of the venue entrance and around the parking lot wrapping in front of the empty water park next door. Once inside, these kids swarmed the grass and cement in jeans, shirts, skirts, heels, vans, beaters, fishnets, tutus, headbands, and tattoos. My plan for the day involved running all over the grounds from stage to stage in the hopes to see everyone I came for.
    Forever the Sickest Kids, source: myspace.com/foreverthesickestkids

    After checking out the layout, I wandered over to the Imagination stage to see The Cab play their set. The crowd was pretty stagnant except some peppered throughout the crowd mouthing along. The Cab boys on stage seemed to be performing a show that cast them as teenage heartthrob divas. Dancing and high tenor vocals interjected over simple guitar riffs and basic beats created a young rock-funk that was entertaining but seemed inauthentic.

    Forever the Sickest Kids performed next on the adjacent main stage and this is one of the bands that motivated my attendance at the event. Always full of dance-provoking beats, fun synth melodies and catchy guitar riffs, their set was everything I hoped for. They played songs off their year-old full-length Underdog Alma Mater, like “My Worst Nightmare” and “The Way She Moves” but also made sure to reward their fans that had followed them for their short two years of existence with songs like “Becky Starz.” With two guys on guitar, one on bass, one on the keyboard, a drummer, a lead singer and three mics between them, this sextet is a band made up of hard work, chance, and a good time.

    Having read their name floating around Myspace, I decided to check out Artist vs. Poet on one of the smaller stages. This techno-infused pop rock led by a typical pop vocalist seemed to catch the attention of a small crowd. Many of the teen girls that gathered knew the songs by heart and sang loud to the boys’ sideways bangs and head-banging. Songs varied along a spectrum of how much pre-recorded synth they included but all of them were relatively catchy, especially “Run Away,” a crowd favorite.
    Say It Twice, Steph

    Walking down the pathway I was scoping out the vendors as a band’s song caught my ear. It seemed like the real boy in a room full of dummies. It was a band called Say It Twice. Slow rock with ambient guitar melodies and strong, sweet, lonely vocals. Lead vocals John sang “I feel like you let down your heart” and this sincere sentiment echoed throughout their set. They sang about love and pushing for better—life’s strives—in an honest and open way. So open that after their set, they came to the edge of the stage to shake hands with the crowd—a pleasant change of pace.Valencia, Steph

    To fill up some time we caught Valencia’s set on one of the smaller stages. Essentially pop-rock teenage summer anthems, they played mostly songs off their newest album We All Need A Reason To Believe. The songs were perfect for the festival at sunset and would also make a perfect soundtrack to a coast drive with the music cranked loud.Valencia, Steph

    I was intrigued to see what kind of set Asher Roth would bring to the festival, but in the first five minutes he mentioned, “so I smoke pot” and then proceeded to enlighten the crowd about how pretty the hills were behind us and how they looked like teletubbies would descend from them any minute. His babbling sent me walking off in the other direction.

    The catchy tech-rap-rock pumping from the stage with Hollywood Undead had all the men in the crowd grabbing a beer and singing along. I wasn’t sure whether to head bang or lean back, but the men on stage in the masks were commanding the crowd’s attention with their beats and obscene but catchy lyrics. They took off their masks as their set progressed, but maintained their hard personae, demanding attention and the spotlight. It reminded me of something I would hear blasting in my college town on a Friday night.
    All Time Low, Catharine

    At the stage next door All Time Low emerged onto the stage to a mass of screaming teenage girls that filled the blacktop. Their vulgar jokes were reminiscent of the old Blink 182 days, but more vulgar, if that’s possible. The first words out of lead singer Alex’s mouth were, “We’re All Time Low and we’re gonna f*** your mouth.” They even managed to provoke one of the only guys in the crowd to whip it out when Alex later shouted, “Get out your dick and spin it like a helicopter. Shirts and towels are overrated.” They played only songs off their most recent release and popular hit So Wrong, It’s Right with the exception of their newest single “Weightless.” Songs like “Six Feet Under the Stars,” “Poppin’ Champagne” and “Dear Maria” had pretty much everyone singing and dancing along to their infectious pop rock.

    Cobra Starship was on next on the Imagination Stage and Gabe Saporta, former member of Midtown, put on an amazing show as usual, even though his voice sounded a bit hoarse. But I mean, how could a band with a keytar not win your heart? Apparently Jeffree Star and Ben from Sing It Loud agree because they joined the set for some singing cameos. A set filled with songs about movin’ and groovin’ and paparazzi, Gabe inspired some hip shaking. Declaring that he started Cobra Starship because he wanted to do whatever the f*** he wanted, he sure has put his freedom to good use.Fall Out Boy, source:http://waymofo-fobbamboozle09.buzznet.com/user/photos/fobbamboozle09-10jpg/?id=52022061#usersubnav

    The last band and the headliner of the night Fall Out Boy magnetically drew everyone in the crowd to become smashed up against their neighbor in the pit. Pete Wentz was perturbed that during The Get Up Kid’s set immediately before, people were rude enough to shout for Fall Out Boy. He rightly gave credit to bands like The Get Up Kids for the existence of Fall Out Boy and had the crowd start a “Get Up Kids” chant. The band opened with some newer songs off their December 2008 album Folie A Deux with pounding bass and a jazz-soul undertone and then jammed on some older fan favorites, ending with one of their first and probably best single “Saturday” from Take This To Your Grave to which the whole crowd went crazy and formed a circle pit. These guys are some hard-working musicians that give a lot to their fans. It was a sweaty lovely mess of people loving music that loves them back.


  2. Best Albums of 2008

    December 12, 2008 by Steph

    Okay, so we all have different tastes in music and there was NO WAY I thought we could come together to make a complete list for you.  Instead, I decided that each of us should make a list for you of our top five albums of 2008.

    Apparently our tastes converged because we have a few in common.  Our collective favorites were:

    Jack’s Mannequin’s The Glass Passenger

    Fall Out Boy’s Folie a Deux

    Forever the Sickest Kids’ Underdog Alma Mater

    And here are our top picks:

    Kristyn (writer):

    1. Fall Out Boy’s Folie a Deux
    2. Valencia’s We All Need A Reason To Believe
    3. Jack’s Mannequin’s The Glass Passenger
    4. John Mayer Trio’s Where The Light Is (Live)
    5. James Morrison’s Songs For You, Truths For Me

    Aimee (photographer):

    1. The Matches’ A Band in Hope
    2. The Cab’s Whisper War
    3. Jack’s Mannequin’s The Glass Passenger
    4. Sing It Loud’s Come Around
    5. Simple Plan’s Simple Plan

    Steph (writer):

    1. Panic at the Disco’s Pretty. Odd.
    2. Jack’s Mannequin’s The Glass Passanger
    3. Forever the Sickest Kids’ Underdog Alma Mater
    4. Ingrid Michaelson’s Be OK
    5. Joshua Radin’s Unclear Sky EP

    Catharine (photographer):

    1. Fall Out Boy – Folie A Deux
    2. Taylor Swift – Fearless
    3. Panic At The Disco – Pretty. Odd.
    4. Demi Lovato – Don’t Forget
    5. Metro Station – Metro Station

    Justin (writer):

    1. Disturbed – Indestructible
    2. Mindless Self Indulgence – If
    3. Kanye West – 808s and Heartache (having to put this on here makes me want to punch myself)
    4. Hollywood Undead – Swan Songs
    5. Flight of the Conchords – Flight of the Conchords

    Cassie (writer):

    1. Fall Out Boy – Folie a deux (even if just for the hype surrounding it)

    2. The Academy Is… – Fast Times at Barrington High

    3. ADELE – 19

    4. Charlotte Sometimes – Waves and the Both of Us

    5. Forever the Sickest Kids – Underdog Alma Mater


    Brianna (writer):

    1. Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things
    2. Gavin DeGraw – Gavin DeGraw
    3. Jack’s Mannequin – The Glass Passenger
    4. The Hush Sound – Goodbye Blues

    5. David Cook – David Cook & David Archuleta – David Archuleta


  3. Rock Band Live Tour in Los Angeles

    October 28, 2008 by Steph

    The Rock Band Live tour was one close to my heart. Having been a big fan of Dashboard Confessional for years and never seen them live, I bought two tickets as soon as they went on presale for over one hundred bucks and dragged along a lackluster friend on my dime. That’s how bad I wanted to go. It was a bit of a surprise to find out that Panic at the Disco was headlining over Dashboard Confessional, considering that these bands probably grew up listening to Dashboard just like I did. But you know, I guess that’s how things go.

    The Cab was the first band to hit the stage and I was a little taken aback. The last time I saw these kids was in Chain Reaction when they only had an EP. They weren’t much different than any other young band—lots of enthusiasm and a good sense of groove. This time, things went a lot differently. Apparently a year and a half of nineteen-year-olds being performing musicians creates a band full of divas. Lead singer Alex and his unkempt hair now reminds me of Russell Brand. [more]

    His vocals were over the top at points but the music had a good groove. They’re danceable and entertaining and although the lyrics lack much complexity, they’re enjoyable. They played the favorite jams—”Seventies Song,” “Bounce,” “Risky Business,” and my personal favorite, “I’ll Run.” To me, they’re the N*Sync of 2008; the dancier Jonas Brothers. If that’s what you’re into, go right ahead and get their LP Whisper Wars.

    The MC of the night ‘Ridiculous’ informed the crowd that anyone who wanted to “perform” Rockband on stage between sets need only compete in the lobby. That was pretty entertaining—between each set, “bands” came on stage and “performed” rock band. It definitely made the set changed pass more quickly.


    Plain White T’s came on stage next. Here’s the problem with Plain White T’s: they were a good band pigeonholed by one great song which has since determined their style. Revolving an entire style around one song that gets featured on two LPs and its own single… it forces the band down this rabbit hole to nowhere in search for the next “Hey There Delilah.”

    Their album Big Bad World came out this past September and they played songs off the album “Big Bad World” and “1, 2, 3, 4”. Both were misses for me. “1, 2, 3, 4” was like a child’s sing-a-long morphed into pop rock. I found myself singing along but with “1 thing 2 do, shoot me will you?” They did play an older favorite “Hate (I Really Don’t Like You)” which has some semblance of ingenuity. All in all, there was nothing wrong with their performance but all was swallowed up by their success with one great single. If you want to hear some pre-Delilah PWTs, check out Stop. It’s good stuff, I swear.

    Finally, it was magic. No, really. Chris Carabba, wearing his signature fedora, and band sauntered on stage and got down to business. There was a great mix of old and new favorites. Off of the newest album Shade of Poison Trees, Dashboard played “These Bones” and “Thick as Thieves” which Chris told us is about magic as card tricks played on the big screen behind the
    band.


    Some of the best and classics he played were “Again I Go Unnoticed,” “Saints and Sailors,” “Screaming Infidelities,” and “Vindicated.” Dashboard also played a great classic by a great band they toured with—”El Scorcho” by Weezer. It seemed that I was one of the few who knew the words. If you’re unfamiliar with Weezer’s Pinkerton, you should go enjoy this great ASAP. A favorite he’d never forget, he prefaced “Hands Down” with telling the crowd this is a song about the best day of his life. Fireworks and beautiful bright images flashed behind him through this uplifting song.

    This is what Dashboard Confessional has always been perfect at—music that you can sympathize with and then make you feel better. The music understands you and then reminds you of everything beautiful. Whether their acoustic guitar heart-wrenching ballads or their swelling big soft rock songs, Dashboard Confessional creates beautiful music only enhanced with their performance and the video playing behind them. It was fantastic and worth every penny.

    Panic at the Disco… oh boy. I have such mixed feelings about them. Pretty. Odd. and A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out are definitely two of my favorite albums. I would even place Pretty. Odd. on my top 5 of 2008. But live, they are never as good as you’d hope. I saw them in May of 2006 on The Academy Is…’s Truckstops and State Lines Tour and was so put off Brendan Urie’s strained and uncontrolled vocals, it took me two years to see them again. 

    So impressed by Pretty. Odd. I was certain that the Rock Band Live Tour would be a different story. While I definitely think Urie’s vocals have improved, he still has this tendency to go off-script, flailing the notes around and hoping to hit ones that work with the song. His vibrato can get a little wild, but generally his vocals were enjoyable. Famous for their stage theatrics, the boys seemed to have tamed those tendencies slightly and relied more on their music to impress. That it did. Clean and bright re-productions of the best of Pretty. Odd. and A Fever rounded out the last set of the night—”Northern Downpour,” “When the Day Met the Night,” “Lying Is the Most Fun…” and “Nine in the Afternoon” to name a few. Lead vocals Urie was even able to impress the crowd with his stint on the ivory keys and drums. They closed out the encore with a rendition of “Shout!”

    Overall the performance was fun, entertaining, and got plenty of people dancing. Musically impressive and vocally mostly, Panic at the Disco are not the best band live, but they did help make Rock Band Live a great tour!

    Stay Saavy, Steph

    *More photos available in the Rock Band Live album on our Myspace