El Corazon. Seattle Washington 11/6/10
Posts Tagged ‘All Time Low’
-
All Time Low/A Rocket To The Moon
November 14, 2010 by Charitie
Category Uncategorized | Tags: A Rocket to the Moon,All Time Low | Comments Off on All Time Low/A Rocket To The Moon
-
Best Albums of 2009
December 31, 2009 by Steph
We’ve got our top albums of 2009! Instead of compiling one big list, each of our writers and photographers have submitted their own top 5 list. We invite all of you to send in your top 5 list of albums for 2009 too!
Steph:
There were a number of good EPs that came out this year, but I decided to exclude them from my list to make this tough decision a little easier.
1. Say Anything (Delux Version) by Say Anything
Slightly different than their first two albums, Say Anything still has the raw honesty and catchy rock beats that I expect and love from Max Bemis and gang. By far my favorite album of 2009, I’ve listened to each song on the upward of 20 times. There’s not a bad one in the bunch, including the bonus tracks.2. Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson
Ingrid always brings it with her smooth vocals and the whole album is great. “Soldier” was one of my favorite songs of the year.3. Not Without a Fight by New Found Glory
I wrote a full review about my love for Not Without a Fight but to put it simply, this album combines the best of old NFG and new NFG.4. Ratitude by Weezer
I had to include this album because A. Because of this album, I have a renewed faith in Weezer’s talent post-Blue-Album and B. Their incorporation of diverse genres makes this album genius! (What other rock band does Bali-wood?)5. It’s Not Me, It’s You by Lily Allen
The reason I chose this album is similar to the reason I picked Ratitude. Not only does Lily push the envelope with her feisty lyrics, but she tries interesting things musically and doesn’t box herself in with the pop song “standards”Catharine:
1. Brand New Eyes – Paramore
I absolutely love all their albums, and this is no exception. Next to All We Know Is Falling, this album was the right progression. Riot! was fun, but this album is genius!2. The Fray by The Fray
My favorite ‘feel good’ album of the year. I never tire of listening to this album and although most can agree a lot of Fray songs sound exactly alike, it’s an amazing sound and I could listen all day!3. It’s Not Me, It’s You by Lily Allen
What’s not to like about Lily Allen? Haha! She’s a kickass girl with a truthful mouth. This is an awesome album. My favorite track has got to be “F**k You”.4. Fearless Platinum Edition by Taylor Swift
The re-release of this album made it even better. With 6 brand new songs, it made it feel like a totally new Taylor Swift album. Her music is a guilty pleasure I will proudly announce to the world. She makes falling in love, breaking up, and getting revenge sound so good!5. Nothing Personal by All Time Low
This has got to be my favorite ‘work out’ album of the year. The fun and upbeat songs kept me going for hours at the gym and on long walks!Jackie:
1. Strict Joy by The Swell Season
The sophomore release from the dynamic Oscar-winning duo of the movie “Once,” this record is simple and poignant. There’s no huge, overproduced mumbo jumbo. It’s piano, it’s guitar, and it’s Markéta Irglová and Glen Hansard’s amazing harmonies. By far my favorite album of the year. It’s still on constant rotation in my car even though I bought it months ago.2. Abbey Road (2009 Stereo Remaster) by The Beatles
If this had been a brand new release, it would have been my number 1 by about a million miles. The last record The Beatles would ever release together, this album has such a diverse collection of songs, it’s hard to even really begin to describe its brilliance. It’s a great representation of the talent of all four Beatles, not just John and Paul. The band definitely “went out with a bang” with this one.3. The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga
Knock her antics and insane outfits all you want. The one thing you can’t say about Lady GaGa is that she’s not original. On her second release she combines a little bit of Abba, a lot of club/dance instrumentals and her usual sexually-infused, woman-empowered lyrics. I was a huge fan of “The Fame” and GaGa didn’t disappoint again with this record.4. The Script by The Script
I had never heard of this band before I saw them on a TV appearance one night. Hailing from Ireland, the band recently opened for U2. Though they may not be extremely original, there is no doubt this is a well-written, diverse and emotional record. If you’ve just been through a breakup, check out “Breakeven” and you’ll find yourself exclaiming “exactly!” throughout the entire track. The lead singer’s voice is also exceptional and surprisingly soulful.3. Uplifter by 311
One of my favorite bands for as long as I can remember, I realized a dream and saw them live this past summer. This band has continued a long line of great records with “Uplifter.” A slightly harder album than some of the past, they still don’t lose their infectious positive message and reggae-based vibe. Nick Hexum and S.A. Martinez have some of the best combined voices I’ve heard. You wouldn’t think their voices would mesh well together but they do, and that’s showcased on this album. This is without a doubt, my “Summer Album” of choice.Cassie:
First of all…I think this is probably a little biased because the albums that came out recently are going to be remembered more…but
1. Battle Studies by John Mayer2. Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson
3. Fearless by Taylor Swift (don’t deny it)
4. Say Anything by Say Anything
5. Brand New Eyes by Paramore
J-Man:
1. Billy Talent III by Billy Talent
I could pretty much listen to Billy Talent’s entire library all the way through without skipping a song. These guys have given me no reason to stop loving them.2. The Resistance by Muse
When you listen to Muse’s new album, it makes you feel like you should be watching something epic and awesome happen. This is the definition of good music.3.Welcome to the Masquerade by Thousand Foot Krutch
Thank you TFK, for not sucking anymore. I’m going to pretend that this and Phenomenon are your only two albums.4. Act II: The Father Of Death by The Protomen
This is the second album in their concept rock opera about Mega Man. You heard me. Rock Opera About Mega Man.5. Raditude by Weezer
Weezer has made another awesomely sing-along-able pop rock album. They are amazing at being mediocre, and I love them for it.J-Man’s (dis)Honorable Mentions:
Ocean Eyes by Owl City
I hadn’t heard of Owl City till this year, and since first listening to “Fireflies” on XM radio in a sprint store I worked at, he has become one of my favorite artists. The only reason he doesn’t get an official spot is because The Postal Service called and they want their sound back.Part Six by MC Chris
I was listening to Chris before it was the cool thing to do. INDIE CRED. The guy is an absolute emo douchebag, but I can’t stop listening to his awesome brand of hip hop. He got bumped off the list because, seriously, he’s an emo douchebag.The Fame Monster by Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta
Somewhere, along my path of absolutely hating Stefani Germanotta, I managed to accidently become a Stefani Germanotta fan. It may have something to do with the numerous amazing covers of her music on youtube, culminating in Cartman doing the best rendition of “Poker Face” in existence. It may have something to do with her amazingly produced catchy music. Either way, she doesn’t make the official list because of her STUPID STUPID STAGE NAME.Category Albums | Tags: 311,All Time Low,Billy Talent,Ingrid Michaelson,John Mayer,Lady Gaga,Lily Allen,Muse,New Found Glory,Paramore,Say Anything,Taylor Swift,The Beatles,The Fray,The Protomen,The Script,The Swell Season,Thousand Foot Krutch,Weezer | Comments Off on Best Albums of 2009
-
Glamour Kills Tour feat. All Time Low and Hey Monday
November 19, 2009 by Steph
Glamour Kills Tour with…
All Time Low & Hey Monday
November 7th, 2009
Hollywood, CA
House of Blues, SunsetEven MORE photos available on our myspace: Glamour Kills Tour Album
Category Uncategorized | Tags: All Time Low,Hey Monday | 2 Comments
-
Warped Tour Interview with All Time Low’s Alex and Jack
September 14, 2009 by Steph
Our first (and last posted ha!) Warped ’09 interview, we went with almost entirely questions submitted from YOU GUYS! We asked Alex Gaskarth and Jack Barakat, both guitarists and vocalists for All Time Low, some random fan questions about their fears and fantasies.We unfortunately weren’t able to get audio that was worth sharing, so this one you guys are going to have to read. Enjoy!
Alex: You ready?
Me: Yeah!
MSO PR organizer: This is Alex and Jack from All Time Low.
Me: How was it having some of your favorite musicians in your music video?
Alex: Uh… phenomenal. It is really really cool that, you know, first of all, our favorite musicians have become somewhat of our friends and it’s also really really cool that they uhh, they’re down…
Jack: Yeah it’s really cool that they agreed to do it.
Alex: It was cool and it us helped us a lot, bigger bands to [help us out]. It’s really cool that they were willing to do itSteph: If you could have anyone dead or alive be on your next album, who would you pick?
Alex: Um…
Jack: Ooh I think it would be cool to have Mark Hoppus on the record
Steph: That’s a possibility.
Alex: Unfortunately he’s dead, so…Steph: What bands this year really impressed you on Warped Tour?
Alex: I love Less Than Jake. I love them I think they’re great live. There For Tomorrow is awesome.
Jack: Underoath is one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen.
Alex: I agree. Underoath is one of the most entertaining bands to watch.Steph: When was the last time you did something for the first time?
Alex: Oo. That’s a tough one. I went tubing for the first time a couple of days ago.
Steph: How’d that go?
Alex: It was awesome.
Jack: I had my first orgy.
Steph: Wow. Five people with their shoes off?
Jack: Yeah, it was all the band on that.Steph: If you were Kevin Lyman and you got to pick five headlining spots for next year’s Warped Tour, who would you pick?
Jack: Blink 182, Jimmy Eat World, Third Eye Blind…
Steph: Two more.
Alex: Jack’s Mannequin?
Jack: Jack’s Mannequin.
Alex: And uh…
Jack: How about Underoath?
Alex: Underoath, yeah.Steph: Has anyone ever pulled a really cool prank on you guys during tour?
Alex: Oh yeah, all the time.
Steph: What was your favorite?
Alex: Uh… I remember one, every single band in the tour wore tighty whities on stage and they danced around.
Steph: I like it.
Alex: It was kinda silly.Steph: How do you feel when fans ask you to marry them? Have you ever considered?
Alex: Uh, yeah I marry all of them. I marry each and every one of them.
Jack: We’re Morman.Steph: If you guys were to cast a movie about yourselves, who would you have play you?
Jack: Tom Cruise for me.
Alex: Uh… Wanda Sykes for me.
Alex: Jack! Jack! [trying to sound like Sykes]
Jack: Yes, Alex.
Alex: Jack!
Jack: Stop saying my name!Steph: Do you have any phobias?
Alex: I’m afraid of needles
Steph: No tattoos for you?
Alex: No I don’t mind tattoos guns but just like…
Jack: Injections.
Alex: Injections.
Jack: Yeah, I don’t like injections
Alex: Yeah like if I have to get blood drawn
Jack: Yeah.
Alex: I faint every time I get blood drawn.
Steph: Really?
Jack: I have to get blood drawn next week so…
Alex: I’m always fine while they do it and then they pull it out and I’m like “Awh f*ck.” It’s not blood so much it’s just the fact that this thing stabs me. Yeah it’s weird I dunno.Category Interviews | Tags: All Time Low,Warped Tour | Comments Off on Warped Tour Interview with All Time Low’s Alex and Jack
-
Warped Tour Los Angeles 2009
September 6, 2009 by Steph
All of Catharine Acurso’s photos can be found hereInterviews, Round 1! can he found here. More coming soon…
The day started off with some downtime so photographer Catharine and I headed out to a few bands that we might have otherwise skipped over. The Maine’s audience was filled with screaming girls jumping and singing to songs like “Everything I Ask For” and “I Must Be Dreaming.” It was already scorching hot, yet it didn’t seem to effect anyone’s excitement for the band. The Maine’s music was perfect for the weather—summer songs that only made me wish I had a popsicle. They closed out the set with a cover of Dead Leopard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me” with a funky bass line and heavy drums.
We stopped off for a brief glance at a couple of bands. The first: We the Kings. Catharine grabbed a couple of shots of the band while I hung in the back to tell people about the site. The band sang their hearts out to their songs “Whoa” and “Secret Valentine” (a song frontman Travis claims is “entirely about sexual intercourse” so he shouts for the crowd to have intercourse.)
On the way back, we caught a bit of Saosin. The fans were crazy and the bass was pumping so loud I could feel it across the blacktop. Tons of crowd surfers were up for “Voices” and it seemed pretty intense.
Instead of joining the crowd, we decided to head over to see You Me At Six sing for their hot, sweaty pop punk set. With heavy bass, rock distortion, and hangovers from the night before, You Me at Six played “Finders Keepers” to a huge crowd—much bigger than I saw the rest of the day at the Kevin Says stage.Forever the Sickest Kids was, as always, a huge, fun, sweaty dance party. Jumping right in with “Hey Brittany,” the guys told the crowd that Los Angeles is their favorite city outside of Dallas (their hometown) and encouraged the kids to make the crowd look as if its on a trampoline (essentially jump as high as they possibly can). After playing the crowd against each other as “side good-looking versus side better-looking” and “boys versus girls” they jammed out upbeat renditions of “Believe Me I’m Lying” and “She’s a Lady.”
The next band was one I hadn’t heard before, but caught my ear. Single File from Denver, Colorado had vocals similar to Max Beemis of say anything, but their pop punk style was all their own. They played their songs “September Skyline” and “Velcro” while one of the guys encouraged fans to come meet them at their tent after and the other to “pat him on the butt. He likes butt stuff.”
This Providence from Seattle (with accents that might suggest otherwise?) were the next band we checked out on the Kevin Says stage. If it’s possible to shred with a tambourine, This Providence did just that. In “Playing the Villian,” the lyrics are viscous: “I hate who you’ve become, I don’t know you anymore.” You’d never know so much rock came from men with such baby faces. Everyone clapped along to “That Girl’s a Trick” and everyone shouted the lyrics to “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” with their hands in the air.
As the sun started to set, the bands only kept getting better. All Time Low hit the stage to “I’m getting fucked up…lets get drunk.” The ATL crew kicked off their set with their newest single “Weightless” jetting quickly into their foul mouth antics: “This is not a g-d damn concert, it’s a revolution… filled with dicks and titties, blood and sweat and tears… and cats that I hit in my car on the way to work… which is not true because I’ve never had a job in my life.” They played all their favorites—“Jasey Rae,” “Poppin’ Champagne” (with a rock thrash interlude), “Lost in Stereo” (off their newest release Nothing Personal), and “Six Feet Under the Stars.” Someone threw a pair of boxers on stage dripping with sweat and later Alex yelled that we all needed to get “a little more naked.” All ages of women (and men in women’s pants) were singing along to the poppy pop punk hooligans.And now for my favorite part of the day: A Day to Remember. A band I’ve recently fallen in love
with, ADTR’s set quickly stole my heart. Super high energy and a sea of moshing and fist throwing. The air seemed to cool down just in time for the set so that we could mosh especially hard. The guys on stage seemed so genuine and earnest. The band shouted from the stage that “LA has been here from the start.” They sang an equal number of songs from their newest release Homesick and older songs like “I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?” and “Show ‘em the Ropes” with intense lyrics and even more intense guitar shredding. I felt the music through the crowd and it was a great feeling.Watching Bayside is always like being in on one dark joke about yourself. It takes a true Bayside fan to shout at full volume back at Anthony, “I swear I can’t stand this place and what’s becoming of me the longer I have to stay.” Bayside’s lyrics are self-deprecating, but far from defeatist. The rebellious attitude comes out through shredding guitar solos and bass that make fists fly. This is what made Bayside’s set so exciting to watch. Most fans in the crowd knew every word and were yelling them with their rock faces on. The band played a good mix of their two
most recent releases Shudder and The Walking Wounded and a few of some oldies. “Devotion and Desire” set the mood for the set as Anthony’s smooth vocals wailed “I know the spark inside your eyes was just the match I use to set myself on fire.” Playing other favorites like “The Walking Wounded,” “Carry On,” and “Head On a Plate” caused the few who weren’t singing along to mosh in a circle pit.Hit the Light’s style always surprises me a little. The guys look pretty tough—the lead singer is a white dude with a shaved head and looks like he could lift me over his head—but their style is more pop than punk and some of their songs even have a dance beat. They hit the stage to Christina Millian’s “A.M. to P.M.” (“Somebody hit the lights so we can rock it day and night”) and then some pretty hardcore screams came out of frontman Nick. I was surprised at the amount of moshing to songs like “Breathe In” and “Back Breaker” (although to be fair, “Back Breaker” has some heavy breakdowns and screaming). They remind me a bit of New Found Glory if not for the style and high energy, then for the way they command the crowd. Hit the Lights played “309” per request of a couple of screaming fans and closed their set with their popular “Drop the Girl” and a hardcore cover.
We briefly checked out Meg & Dia before heading over to 3Oh!3. They sound exactly how you would expect two 5 foot 120 lb girls to sound—high pitched and sweet. We didn’t stay for my favorite song of their’s, “Monster,” but their funky groove on “Going Away” was pretty cool.
It’s rare that I stay till the end of the day at Warped Tour but this year it seemed as though over half the attendees had the same reason to stay–3Oh!3. 3Oh!3 has managed to confuse people into liking them. Not that their music isn’t awesome, but they defy categorization and therefore manage to cross over some thought-to-be impenetrable divides.– Are they serious or are they making one big joke?
– Are they rock or hip hop? Or something else entirely?
The last performance at the last warped tour date of its 15th year, a couple thousand people stuck around not to discuss what 3Oh!3 means, but to raise their “3O3” hands and shake their booties, mosh, and crowd surf. From “Punkbitch” to “Rich Man” to “Colorado Sunrise” to some new material, there were hardcore 15-year-old boys moshing alongside preppy 18-year-old sorority girls dancing next to some metal dudes. The two white guys on stage doing choreographed “crump” dancing singing “Choke Chain” to heavy guitar and three drum sets (they invited a couple of guest musicians) seemed odd, but fun. It didn’t make sense, but maybe that’s why everyone loves it so much. Myself included.
At the end of the day, Warped Tour’s 15th anniversary was pretty successful. Lots of great bands, some I heard for the first time, some I saw live for the first time. I came home with a bunch of posters, a backpack full of flyers, and a tape recorder full of interviews…
Category Interviews, Live | Tags: 3Oh!3,A Day to Remember,All Time Low,Bayside,Forever the Sickest Kids,Hit the Lights,Meg & Dia,Saosin,Single File,The Maine,This Providence,Warped Tour,We the Kings,You Me At Six | Comments Off on Warped Tour Los Angeles 2009
-
Bamboozle Left Festival
April 20, 2009 by Steph
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Category Live | Tags: All Time Low,Artist vs. Poet,Asher Roth,Cobra Starship,Fall Out Boy,Forever the Sickest Kids,Hollywood Undead,Say It Twice,The Cab,Valencia | Comments Off on Bamboozle Left Festival
-
Believers Never Die Part Deux
April 2, 2009 by Charitie
Believers Never Die Part Deux
Wamu Theater, April 10, 200
Hey Monday, Metro Station, All Time Low, Cobra Starship, Fall Out Boy
Photos taken by Charitie Myers
For more photos, go to our Believers Never Die Myspace album
Category Live | Tags: All Time Low,Cobra Starship,Fall Out Boy,Hey Monday,Metro Station | Comments Off on Believers Never Die Part Deux
-
2008 Warped Tour, Los Angeles. Photo + Interviews + Reviews!
August 22, 2008 by Steph
11:15 The Academy Is…
12:05 We the Kings
–Interviews with All Time Low, Forever the Sickest Kids, and The Academy Is… available on our iTunes Podcast—
3:15 ORESKABAND
3:55 Forever the Sickest Kids
4:20 All Time Low
5:45 Relient K
6:45 Say Anything
7:00 Four Year Strong
7:15 Katy Perry
7:45 Angeles and Airwaves
8:15 Gym Class Heroes
We managed to arrive just in time to check in at the press tent, sign up for interviews, and make it back over to main stages to catch The Academy Is… go on first thing in the morning. They opened with “Neighbors” to an unusually mellow and stagnant crowd. The played some classics—”Slow Down” and “Classifieds”—mixed in with their new singles released this past Tuesday on Fast Times at Barrington High—”Summer Hair” and “About a Girl.” These new summer anthems were perfect for getting started a long hot day at Warped Tour.
We the Kings were the next act of (moderate) interest and we sauntered over there to catch a few pictures and a few songs. They sounded like Boys Like Girls with more elementary lyrics and less catchy hooks. “Cause if you jump I will jump too. We will fall together from the building’s ledge never looking back at what we’ve done. we’ll say it was love cause I would die for you” is cliché emo through and through. As we walked away, we heard Travis Clark, lead vocals, tell the crowd to “spread the love” about their new album. So if you consider the album “love” you have Travis’ permission to share it.
Back over in the press tent, we waited around for our interviews. They all went amazing and we ended up getting even more than we hoped for – All Time Low followed by Forever the Sickest Kids and The Academy Is… with Charlotte Sometimes later on in the day. You can listen to all of these interviews on iTunes – Addicted to Shows Podcast .
After a couple of hours in the press tent, skipping way too many good sets, we caught ORESKABAND’s set. They’re an all-girl ska band from Japan and they RULE! Aside from them being adorable and bursting with anime-like bubbly excitement, they kick ass as a very legit group of musicians. They shouted for us to sing along (which was a little hard since I think most of us don’t know Japanese) but the oo’s and ahh’s were definite sing-along, skank-along material and they put on an altogether fun set.
Forever the Sickest Kid’s set was almost as good as their set at Warped Tour in Pomona—full of dancing, moshing, and sweatiness. Their music really has this great energy and fun about it that it’s impossible not to get excited about it. Songs like single “Whoa Oh!” and “She’s a Lady” got the entire crowd moving and a constant launch of crowd surfers. I can’t possibly give the Kids more praise than I already have in previous reviews so I’ll quit while I’m ahead. LOVE.
The closer we got to the Hurley stage, the more dense the crowd got until we finally reached the staging area overflowing with kids—the ones farther out were observant, the ones closer in ready to get their effin’ dance on! Some of the younger more novice kiddos weren’t quite prepared for what was about to go down – lots of people falling, crowd surfers falling through, and people upset about losing sandals (please don’t wear sandals to a show). All Time Low’s set was fun, energetic, and definitely dance-worthy. There was a dancy, sweaty mix out there on that black top with even a little bit of circle-pit action which is great to see at Warped Tour. They played Poppin’ Champagne (without the bleeping. Take that, MTV!), Six Feet Under The Stars and the rest of their fun, sing-along teenage anthems. Fun, sweaty times.
Heading over to the main stages, we were up front and ready for Relient K. Where were all the die-hards? I only saw people mouthing (not even singing) along for a few of the more recent releases. But the crowd was in no way a reflection of their performance. Matt gracefully floated between the piano and his guitar amidst xylophone-littered pop rock melodies with fantastic harmonies.
Totally contrary to their normal rock genre, they busted out Kanye’s “Good Life” followed by their “The Best Thing.” Off their new The Bird and the B-Sides (with 13 new and 13 old songs) they played “The Scene and the Herd” which sounded more Mhmm than Five Score. Matt sang, “I see you magically got this song for free… Doesn’t bother me. I’m gonna sing what I want. It might not be what you want to hear.” which seems appropriate because Relient K has always done exactly what they wanted to, from the contemplative Five Score to the playful “Sadie Hawkins” which they played next (although Matt admits to be sick of it, it’s still a crowd favorite). They segued their silliness into a song about The Office and then got a little more serious with “Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been” and promotion of the charity Blood, Water, Mission. They ended with “I Need You” – heavy and buck! Haha.
We stuck around to try to split the next half hour between Say Anything and Four Year Strong but Rise Against made Say Anything start late and I was only able to see one of Say Anything’s songs – “Alive With the Glory of Love.” They had good energy, great vocals and a crisp sound that drew a huge crowd. Fans had sat there through the last 4 sets just to get a good spot for them. Dedication, and for a good reason.
Hustling over to Four Year Strong, I caught the set mid-first-song. This set… FANTASTIC. They have the fun and energy of Forever the Sickest Kids and the heaviness of Set Your Goals creating this fun, dancey, head-banging, moshing monster. There isn’t enough praise I can give Four Year Strong. And their straddling between hardcore and powerpop-rock allows them to appeal to just about anyone – you WILL like them.
They played my favorites off their album Rise or Dye Trying – “Prepare To Be Digitally Manipulated,” “Catastrophe,” “Abandon Ship Or Abandon All Hope,” and “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Hell.” Listen. Now.
Katy Perry was on the stage just to the left and we caught a few of her songs. While I have to admit a guilty pleasure for the beat of “I Kissed a Girl” and her music is pretty great to play at a party, having to stand and watch Katy shake her booty around the stage was only mildly entertaining and probably more suitable for a male audience. I caught “One of the Boys,” “If You Can Afford Me,” and “Hot n’ Cold.” Impatient for cherry chap stick and “Ur So Gay” I decided to find our M.I.A. photographer.
Unable to find Catharine, I ended up shooting Angels and Airwaves with my camera. Being up front and center for Tom Delong & band was really incredible. Him and former band Blink-182 probably influenced over half the bands on Warped Tour 2008. Their sound is so epic and inspiring. The fans were so into it they were practically climbing over the barricade in hypnotized enthusiasm. While this (not really that) new direction for Tom is exciting, it can be a little strange for all us Blink fans to see Tom so serious. Just for us, Tom threw in a “fuck, shit, poo poo, pee pee” for us before submerging into a personal favorite “It Hurts” and closing the set with the single off their first release “The Adventure.”
Gym Class Heroes closed out the night, walking on stage to “End of the Road” which is pretty appropriate – the last act on the last date of Warped Tour. A little sad… but they picked up the mood immediately with the obvious crowd-pleaser “Clothes Off” which brought on dancing and singing along. Travis announced that their the successor to As Cruel As School Children is called The Quill and will be released September 9th.
Off their new album they played a song with a chorus “Put up your peace sign, put your index down” and then their School Children slow jam “Viva la White Girl.” To introduce their new fans to their excellent first release The Papercut Chronicles, they played a medley of “Simple Livin'” and “Taxi Cab” (my favorite). Stealing a note out of Relient K’s book (or maybe the other way around) they busted out an amazingly clean rendition of metal band Lamb of God’s “Laid to Rest.” They closed out the night, and the Warped Tour, with “Cupid’s Chokehold” with Katy Perry, Forever the Sickest Kids, and a female bunny costume on stage with them.
2008 Warped Tour finished in Los Angeles after another long summer out on the road. Some bands we got to see for a second time and some picked up somewhere in the middle and helped close it off. Some bands we missed completely (sorry about that). But this year was great and it was awesome to be able to see some new favorites on the stage for the first time. If you guys don’t take anything else from this, I hope that you listen to our interviews and listen to FOUR YEAR STRONG.
There are a ton more photos on myspace.com/addictedtoshows including other bands not included: Cobra Starship and Ludo. Check them out!
Stay Saavy,
Steph@A2SPhotos by Catharine Acurso
Category Interviews, Live | Tags: All Time Low,Angels and Airwaves,Forever the Sickest Kids,Four Year Strong,Gym Class Heroes,Katy Perry,ORESKABAND,Relient K,Say Anything,The Academy Is...,Warped Tour,We the Kings | Comments Off on 2008 Warped Tour, Los Angeles. Photo + Interviews + Reviews!
-
All Time Low Interview
August 17, 2008 by Steph
All Time Low
Warped Tour, Carson, CaliforniaAugust 17, 2008
To listen to the All Time Low interview click on the link.
Category Interviews | Tags: All Time Low | Comments Off on All Time Low Interview
