Act VII: Angels & Airwaves

What does it sound like when members from bands like blink-182, The Offspring, 30 Seconds to Mars, and The Distillers come together? Well, just listen to Angels & Airwaves to find out.

Angels & Airwaves started with Tom DeLonge, from blink-182, in 2005 when blink announced that they would be taking an indefinite break. He formed the group with friends from The Offspring (drummer-Atom Willard), The Distillers (bass player-Ryan Sinn--later replaced by Matt Wachter from 30 Seconds to Mars) and Box Car Racer (David Kennedy). Their first single was The Adventure.

Tom DeLonge was quoted saying that the new Angels & Airwaves music would be, "much more powerful, emotional and melodic than Box Car and blink put together" and in many ways it is with some deeper more mature lyrics than blink-182.

Lyrics like:

Even if your hope has burned with time

Anything that is dead shall be re-grown

And your vicious pain, your warning sign

You will be fine

Hey oh here I am 

And here we go 

Life's waiting to begin

These lyrics are obviously more mature and powerful than lyrics (from one of my favorite blink songs) "What's My Age Again":

Nobody likes you when you're 23
And are still more amused by TV shows
What the hell is ADD, my friends say I should act my age
What's my age again?

Here's video for "The Adventure" from Angels & Airwaves

sources:

http://www.angels-and-airwaves.com/

http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-adventure-lyrics-angels-and-airwaves.html

http://www.lyrics007.com/Blink%20182%20Lyrics/Whats%20My%20Age%20Again%20Lyrics.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_&_Airwaves

Act VI: Jack Johnson

Although Jack Johnson is well known, I can’t help but feature him on here because of how much I love his music. I have so many good memories and people associated with his songs. When I’m at Eastern, it reminds me of my best friend back home and all the fun, ridiculous times in her car. Whether I’m trying to get to sleep or I’m having a bad day, the combination of the music and those memories relaxes me and makes me feel better. He has a new album coming out June 1, 2010 called To The Sea.

I don’t think I can pick one of his songs as my favorite but the song most played in my iTunes library is Do You Remember (which is pretty much one of the cutest songs).

Act V: Paolo Nutini

Paolo Nutini is a 22 year old singer/ songwriter from Paisley, Scotland. I chose him for this week because of his music’s soulful quality and honest lyrics. His relatable lyrics allow him to reach out to many people while sharing his own experiences.

Paolo’s debut album, These Streets, is a good example of his sincerity because he describes it as being “...an autobiographical journey, a diary if you like, of my last three years.” He lists his grandfather, who loved music, as one of his biggest inspirations and decided to make a career of music in his memory. His most recent album is Sunny Side Up which was released in the summer of 2009.

ACT IV: The Early November

Indie rock is a type of rock music that began in the UK and the United States around the 1980s. Most indie rock artists release their music on independent record labels which gives them a majority of the control over their music. Being under an independent record label means that they typically have to depend on touring and promotion from fans for advertising.

The Early November is one example of an indie rock band. TEN started in Hammonton, NJ with Ace Enders, the lead singer and guitarist, recording music in his basement (as many great bands begin). The band signed with Drive Thru Records in 2002. In 2003, the band had a total of five band members: Ace Enders, Jeff Kummer, Joe Marro, Sergio Anello, and Bill Lugg and released their first full length album. The Room’s Too Cold was released in 2003 and their triple albumThe Mother, The Mechanic, and The Path was released in the summer of 2006. This was their last album made together as a band because they decided to take a hiatus. A few of the band members pursued different projects. Ace released an album and started a record label with his wife called Regular Music. Two members from the group, Ace and Sergio, got together during their summer 2009 tour and played some old songs from The Early November. Other than that, there has not been an official reunion and the band members have continued working on their own projects.

sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Early_November

http://www.purevolume.com/theearlynovember

Act III: Greg Holden

Greg Holden!

A singer/ songwriter from England who has classified his music as folk/rock. He began promoting his music online in 2008 through his account on youtube with The Living Room Series where he performed acoustic versions of his songs. Since then he has moved to New York and has also released an EP-Sing for the City and his album A Word in Edgeways.

Greg’s music has been an inspiration to me because of his heartfelt lyrics and his genuine desire to reach people through music. His ambition and dedication to his dreams and music are really admirable qualities that are hard to find among many aspiring musicians today who are just out for an awesome paycheck. He’s also British--and who doesn’t love a good accent?

This is Greg doing The Not My Living Room Series (which he started after The Living Room Series ended) This song is called "I Ask You This":

Another one of my favorite songs by Greg is "The Art of Falling" check it out on iTunes :)

sources:

http://www.youtube.com/user/gdholden#p/u/72/yWb_y8ZQqPQ

http://gregholden.tumblr.com/page/2

http://www.flickr.com/photos/swtlilangjo/4067867804/

Act II: Danger Radio

Pop, rock and funk. Yes, these are very large and broad genres. Although I wanted to chose genres that were not as well known as pop and rock, I picked the band I am about to introduce you to because of their ability to maintain a unique sound while falling into two very mainstream categories.

Danger Radio is a band of six guys from Edmonds, Washington. Andrew de Torres (who also sings with Eric Bowley in The Scene Aesthetic), Nico Hartikainen, Andy Brookins, Spencer Phillips, Elan Wright, and Robbie Cochrane.

Andrew and Nico met in middle school and performed some talent shows and small gigs together. From there, the band was slowly formed and recorded two EP’s and then their most recent album, Used and Abused. Their newest album combines upbeat, energetic music (a funk/disco/rock-pop sound), distinct vocals and lyrics that offset their quirky, fun music style with weighted meaning.

Danger Radio has been one of my favorites since I found them featured in a magazine a few years ago. I love how they incorporate tons of different instruments and really try to be original. I've also liked Andrew de Torres since I heard him in The Scene Aesthetic so, they were an awesome find for me.

This video is an acoustic version of their song “Your Kind (Speak to Me)”

The song opens up with a shot of the band and Elan on guitar. He starts playing and sets the mood for the whole song. The short, low notes are predicting the serious, somewhat melancholy first verse. After lead guitar opens, bass, drums and tambourine are added shortly followed by Andrew singing. As they build up to the chorus, the keyboard is incorporated creating a lighter mood to go along with the slightly more upbeat lyrics and vocals. This pattern is repeated for the next verse and chorus. The first part of the bridge included the keyboard’s light, airy tones but, the second part (where they whisper “speak to me”) uses the vocals, guitars, bass, tambourine and drums to build suspense for the chorus and final finish. The dynamic vocals throughout the song help to build and relieve anticipation. I liked this video because of the way that the music and vocals accompanied the story of the lyrics.

sources:

http://www.redefinemag.com/music/interviews_music_2.php?artist=Danger-Radio&id=105

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danger_Radio

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38520072@N02/3543436443/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rC5XE-NLQk&feature=channel

Act I: Hadouken!

Hadouken! is a band from London. (Just knowing this makes me love them automatically.) It’s hard to classify them under one genre because their music is a mix of a few different genres. When I was looking up how to classify them I found that the best genre to put them under was grime.

Grime is a genre that developed in London in the late 2000s. It’s a mix of garage and electronic music that uses synthesizers and MCs instead of singers. Grime has an aggressive, fast beat with lyrics to match. Most bands that make grime have their own labels or work promoting themselves independently.

Hadouken! consists of five members. James Smith on vocals, Daniel Rice playing guitar and assisting in backup vocals, Alice Spooner on synths, Chris Purcell playing bass and Nick Rice on the drums. James Smith and Daniel Rice meet while in college and started their own label, Surface Noise Records. The name Hadouken comes from an attack move in the “Street Fighter” video game. Their most recent album For the Masses came out on January 25, 2010.

Now I realize not everyone is going to like them but this blog is about exploring different genres of music and keeping an open mind. It is different from the average American dance/pop music but I think it’s fun and I love their accents :)

Watch the video below before you decide to write them off. If all else fails and you hate it, hopefully you’ll get a laugh from the video.

sources:

http://www.last.fm/music/Hadouken!/+wiki

http://www.myspace.com/ukgrimemusic

http://www.myspace.com/hadouken