To tie Lewis University into the production, we interviewed the Economics professor, William Marker.  Despite the hardships that we dealt with creating the video, our discovery wasn’t very surprising.

Rose gave us a reality check that small businesses have a hard time withstanding the season and many go under due to lack of sales.  Marker predicted holiday sales and told us about how people just are not going to spend much this year due to the recession that we are still in.

According to CNN Money, 49% percent of people will spend less on Christmas gifts than they did last year and 51% will donate less to charitable contributions.

People tend to lose sight of what Christmas  is really about. It’s about surrounding yourself with the people you love and care about the most.  By doing that, people are still able to feel the love and comfort aspect of the holidays without using credit cards and emptying their wallet to do so.

Have a Happy Christmas everyone!

The band primarily used the social networking website MySpace to promote themselves and due to their popularity they landed a spot on The MySpace Records Volume 1 CD. 

They were signed under TVT records, after declining an offer from Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy’s Decaydence Records Label. 

The band released first self-financed and self-produced debut album entitled “My Dear” in May 2007 featuring collaborations with Reel Big Fish and Motion City Soundtrack. 

Tracks on “My Dear” would serve as the perfect remedy for anyone dealing with a tough situation involving a lover.  The lyrics are easily identifiable and it is an easy listen from start to finish.  New Years Day  is one of the better female-fronted bands in this genre. 

Ashley Costello's "emo princess" stature has magnetted girls to her style.

This is their first video for their single:  “Ready, Aim, Misfire.“  This video won an award on the  MTVU “Freshman Face” poll and was added to the channel’s playlist.

The crowd gathered, and eventhough this wasn’t a sold-out show-the fans were ready for a good time. INEPT [www.myspace.com/ineptband] opened the show, they are a local band from Plainfield, IL that I’ve followed for a few years now and they have always been a crowd pleaser and they have been amazing live.  Sadly, they only have a few shows left because they are going onto other things.  Check out their MySpace, if you like what you hear then be sure to check out one of the few shows that they have left before they are done for good.   They have a final concert in December at the Beat Kitchen.

After their set, the members of Bayside cleared their throats and hopped on stage.  They opened the set with “The Walking Wounded,” one of the band’s most recognized songs in their ever-growing catalogue. 

Anthony Raneri’s voice sounded outstanding live.  It was exactly how he sounds on the studio releases. 

Regardless of appearing to be slightly intoxicated, Jack O’shea’s lead guitar work was flawless.  He was throwing around his guitar charismatically without missing a single chord.  The definite highlight of the set (and even the night) was when they played their song “They’re Not Horses, They’re Unicorns.”  The crowd got really into the song, and it happens to be a personal favorite of mine.

Bayside closed the set with the brillant and popular “Devotion and Desire.”  The only flaw in the set was that it was too short, and I was left with wanting to hear more, eventhough they did come back for a double encore. 

But, this concert has been the best concert I’ve seen in a long time, so I felt the urge to blog about it.  I’ve missed bands that are raw and just use real rock instruments to project their sound.  It seems like now everyone else is hiding behind synthesizers, but it’s good to know that Bayside is a band that is still real. 

On Friday, November 6th, 2009, they are playing with a Chicago band called The Bouncing Souls at the Metro.  The show isn’t sold out yet and it should be a great time.  If you’re interested in their sound, come and enjoy the show!!

“They’re Not Horses, They’re Unicorns”

I was able to record the high light of the night on my digital camera.  I apologize in advance for the camera movements.  Enjoy Bayside doing what they do best.

Megan

A mellowed Anthony Raneri covering “Megan” by The Smoking Popes.

Always trying to reinvent their sound, Brand New recently released their most experimental album yet. Entitled “Daisy.” the record portrays a new sound that has seems to have taken some older fans some time getting used to.

Brand New has always been known for redefining their style.  Their debut album, “You Favorite Weapon,” is a definitive pop punk record, with heavily distorted guitars, fast paced drumming, and catchy hooks.  The lyrics written on that record created the foundation of the “emo” music sensation.

The sophomore album, “Deja Entendu,” was taken into another dimension.  This album was definitely a more matured version  Brand New with acoustic guitars and lyrics that made this album memorable and made it to the “favorite album of all time” lists for many people saturated in the emo/grunge scene.

The third album, “The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me.’ was their darkest record yet.  The music was more relaxed and contained more ballad-style progressions played over emotional, pessimistic lyrics.

Now on to their fourth album, “Daisy” that was just released at the end of September— nothing on this album sounds like Brand New.  This means that fans will either love or hate this album.  Brand New’s first three albums were something to be cherished and there were a lot of high hopes when this record was released to the public.

It was a little disappointing to the fans.  The titles of the songs are simple and short, unlike previous titles like “Okay, I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don’t” and “Jude Law and The Semester Abroad.”  Past songs seemed to be lyrically inclined and the new songs on this record seem to be repetitive with the same messages woven throughout.  Many fans feel “shorted” on this record and also feel that something may be missing.

While this album has it’s ups and it still pleases the listener with Lacey’s seductive voice, I’d say that based off of the band’s album catalogue this one would be at the bottom.

to listen to the newer songs, visit www.myspace.com/brandnew

this is the title track off the new record.

“Daisy”

The Color Morale posing in front of the city of Chicago.

The Color Morale, which contain former members of The Killer Apathy
fit well into the mold of the Christian post-hardcore scene. These five men:
Garett Rapp (vocals), Ramon Mendoza (guitar), John Bross (guitar/vocals),
Justin Hieser (bass/vocals) and Steve Carey (drums) come from Rockford, IL
to satisfy every die-hard fanatic’s needs. Steadfast guitar melodies, deep bass,
and barbarous cadency are fronted by a contrasting mix of vocals that go in and
out of appreciated well-sung pitches to brutal yelling.

We All Have Demons is the first full-length released under their label
Rise Records. The Color Morale’s style seems to be native amongst the other
acts housed there. However, a downside to this particular genre is that
there isn’t much diversity. Nine times out of ten, it’s tough to differentiate
which band is which because for the most part, they all sound virtually the
same.

Most of the songs on this album feature similar styles of singing. There
unfortunately isn’t much grey area between the on-key notes that are
beautifully belted out and the aimless growls that are almost overwhelming.
However, regardless of slipping into the scene like a fitted glove, The
Color Morale takes their writing and presents their messages very
seriously. In track five, Resource: Recourse, Rapp is addressing fans directly
by saying “so why are we here for the sake of the sound when the sound is
falling upon deaf ears?” The idea behind that lyric is to decipher between
fans of the music or fans of the hard-ass metal-core lifestyle.

Personally, I enjoyed the opening track “The Sage of Washington
Oaks” the most because the screaming sections were appropriate, and it
gave more of an emphasis on the high-powered voice, rather than the
screams. Sadly, the duration of the song was only 1:51. Some songs seemed
to tease and not give enough, while others seemed a bit drawn out.
There’s no doubt that they all know how to play their instruments
well—but, I think they’d be a lot more marketable if they beefed up their
tracks with original guitar solos to help them stand out and become more
memorable. The music, for the most part is textured under hard hits on the
drums and full-mouthed vocals.

For fans who are already fixated on the likes of Underoath, Bring
me the Horizon, and The Devil Wears Prada—The Color Morale is right up
your alley. They will begin a tour in October with Attack! Attack! So, if you’re up for releasing some built-up aggression, give them a listen.

To hear their music, go to www.myspace.com/thecolormorale

Just Left gets their dream of making it to California.

Remember when bands like Fenix TX, Midtown, Finch, Aliister, The Early November, and The Starting Line dominated the main stages at the Warped Tour? Think back to when fans safety-pinned canvas embroidered logos to promote their favorite bands on their backpacks, and bought their music the old-fashioned “hard copy” way—-when the lyric pamphlet placed inside the album served as a memorization manual to sing along and make a lasting impression. This was before the craze of MySpace and during the birth of the iPod that the genre of Pop-punk was at its high.

The scene has since been modified and saturated.  Right before we thought that the bright fish net tank-tops, tight neon zebra printed jeans, and the over-sized sunglasses accessible in every clothing store would influence young listeners to adapt to more of an 80’s-style electronica sound and completely wipe out any last hopes of a positive, passionate, power-pop punk band to re-surface again — I’m happy to introduce to you the newly signed, ambitious, and now critically acclaimed band, JUST LEFT.

Just Left was birthed from Chicago, [more specifically the Rolling Meadows/Mount Prospect area].  The band contains Aaron Hill (singer), Tom Nunes (bassist), Tim Weglarz (guitar) and Bobby Weglarz (drummer).  Being from the Chicago-land area myself, I can say that this band has definitely made a name for themselves and they have played with the likes of The Audition, All Time Low, Hello Goodbye, and the ever-so popular, Fall Out Boy.

They were just recently been signed to Stand By Records, which is a branch off the family tree of Victory Records. Also, by hearing their sound on their MySpace site, it came as no surprise to learn that these boys are managed by Richard Reines, the owner of Drive-thru Records. Regardless of their achievements thus far, this band definitely knows the right people in the right places to help them along their path to success.  Popular players in the music scene such as Ace Enders, formerly of The Early November and Chris Badami  [the producer of The Starting Line] have teamed together to take Just Left under their wings to polish them up and produce their second album, “Think Fast” which is set to hit the shelves on October 27^th worldwide.

“Ace Enders is the coolest dude-man ever!  Great to work with and totally knew the sound we were going for.  Chris Badami is also a super nice dude and knew the sound we wanted, he worked great with Ace and us,” said drummer, Bobby Weglarz when asked on his experiences on the recording process.  It’s not everyday that bands are given the chance to work with such popular names in music, but Just Left made it happen for themselves when they reached out.  “We contacted Ace about producing us and the next thing we know is we were in New Jersey writing songs in Ace’s studio!  Ace got us hooked up with Chris, they made a great combo,” Bobby explained.

When asked who the parents would be if two bands got together and had a baby named Just Left, Bobby replied, “The Starting Line and A New Found Glory would have conceived Just Left.  What a coincidence…both former Drive-thru bands!” I couldn’t agree with him anymore.    The songs have the pep and passion to fit in well under that association.

The first three songs on their MySpace have a good hook to them to say the least.  It’s almost difficult not to bob my head a bit while I type this as “Starting Now, I’m Starting Over” plays faintly in the background.  The song flows well, the lyrics are refreshing-hence the title of the song.  The build-ups and break downs are in all the right spots.

During the beginning of “I Call it Like I See it,” I can almost envision someone in the band yelling: “JUMP, JUMP” as the crowd obeys and moves to the beat.  The song gets fast and has dramatic pauses, which are always a key aspect for great crowd interaction.

“These Are the Days” has a bit of a change up from the two previous tracks.  It’s a bit more of a mellow, yet passionate type of song. As I listen to the energy that projects from the tracks, I can be sure that these guys would be good time to see live.

Next on the list was a song called “Memmi.”  This song features piano, which shows that the band can be diverse and welcoming to different instruments to help get their point across. It’s not the strongest track I’ve heard but, I still appreciate that they don’t want all of their songs to sound the same like most of the bands that play this type of music.

The ending track was a cover of Chris Brown’s “With You.”  I have to say that they did good job with making a woman beater sound good!  Most bands cover opposite music styles as a joke, but they seemed to cover this song with a sense of seriousness, and singer, Aaron Hill portrays a demeanor and delivers a voice that is sure to win over young girls’ hearts easily.

As for the promising future of this band, they have some shows set up in the mid-west states now like their home state of Illinois, and also in Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, and Iowa within the next recent weeks and months.  But, they are keeping you on the edge of your seats by promising that around this time next year they will be touring with some known national acts.  Make sure to frequent their MySpace to be updated on where and who they are playing with. Also, as a reminder, their new album “Think Fast” is to be released everywhere on October 27^th.  If you like what you heard from their MySpace page, make sure to pick up the album and enhance your collection.

to check out their music, go to www.myspace.com/justleft

That was probably the best twenty-three minutes that I have spent in far too long. This new love of my life is to be officially released on September 1st under their new label, Dreamt Records—a subsidiary of Facedown Records. [side note: you can even pre-order it right now AND receive a snazzy new t-shirt out of the deal for under $13 bucks!] Get on it.

Okay, now that I’ve told you how great they are, let me elaborate on WHY they are so wonderful. First off, the band consists of Kevin Kneifel (vocals & guitar), Alex David (bass & vocals), and John Rell III (drums), which is surprising in its own right that just three individuals have created a well-crafted five song EP that goes above and beyond what most quintets can accomplish. This multi-talented trio is versatile and they incorporate other instruments in their songs to give them a diverse, yet solid sound. Also, they come from Poughkeepsie, NY which is home to other favorites like Just Surrender and Matchbook Romance.

Their fresh EP, entitled “The Honest Love” has been engineered brilliantly—not your typical “I want to be a rock star, but I’m never leaving my garage” kind of recording. These guys definitely are going places. Kneifel’s voice flows beautifully over their indie/ballad style progressions. He is able to pull you in with subtle seduction during songs like “The Honest Love” and “Dressed Like A King.” A favorite off the disc would be “The World Sings.” Its six minutes of pure bliss. His voice is soothing and the amplification is set perfectly to crawl into bed and stare into nothingness—all while listening to pretty music. The lyric that repeats most during the song is “I’m not like Christ at all” which I feel sounds similar to Jesse Lacey from the band, Brand New—brownie points for sure.

Abel’s “The Honest Love” sets a tone—sort of a melodic trance where when one listens to them—it’s almost in a dream-like state and the music flows freely on the inside to take them from a bad day. Well, that has been my experience at least. Music is powerful and Abel contains that capability to really make a difference.

To hear their music, go to www.myspace.com/abeltheband.

Enjoy!

“FELT” is the first record released on Christian’s own label, WOODWATER Records. All eleven songs on this debut were written and saved while Christian was touring and working on Anberlin’s albums. This entire record is compiled of songs that allowed Christian to have complete control and personal freedom as an artist. He was able to dig deeper into his life and pull out personal elements that he felt he couldn’t introduce to Anberlin’s style. He also felt that he wasn’t prepared to become that personal on such a mass platform.

“FELT” features the collaboration with another popular front man, Aaron Marsh of Copeland. Marsh produced, mixed, engineered and even lent some vocals on the project in the track “Forget Love.” Christian’s distinctive voice delivers lyrics about regret, personal joy, and future aspirations which are masked over nicely by toned down acoustics, piano accents, and orchestral melodies.

Usually, when a successful band has members branching off into their own projects, fans tend to become a little nervous and think that maybe the songs were originally written for their main act, but they just didn’t make the cut. However, that is not the case with Anchor & Braille. “FELT” is both beautiful and impressive. The entire production not only showcases Christian’s diversity, but it also makes evident that Marsh is multi-talented in his own respect.

Christian has said that this album is like “exploring a museum with all the lights off.” I would have to agree. The poetic wave of his lyrics embed a relatable, yet calming message to listeners. Even though the feel of this record is greatly contrasted with the sound of Anberlin, I feel that they will attract more fans that really appreciate music and the versatility of artists. Fans of Anberlin will still hear Christian’s familiar voice to remind them where he came from, but this record contains a mellow beauty that is distinctive in its own right and I believe, will appeal to a larger base.

This record definitely serves as a testament of what this artist can really accomplish. Songs like “Summer Tongues” and “Like Steps in a Dance” put me into a mellow trace and this album would definitely serve a favorite for a long drive into the twilight.

Anchor and Braille have joined Copeland’s US tour in with Sherwood, Meese, and Barcelona and will continue to tour and then this month Christian will go to Australia for a tour with Anberlin.

Enjoy a track of  Anchor & Braille’s NEW album “FELT’

This song is called:  ”Mary Agnosia”

The Modern Elite outside Harper's Ferry posing for a promo shot.

This Boston-based quintet has accomplished much within a three-song EP that they have so far unleashed to the market. Without a doubt, the anthemic lyrics from The Modern Elite serve as a vent sing-a-long for girls alike coping with angst and mending a broken heart.

With tantalizing guitar solos accompanied by the lead of an aspiring sultry rock princess, The Modern Elite surely has potential to make it on a favorite mix CD, but could be much more after they tweak up a bit. However, regardless of the labeling, they do outshine most of the current female-fronted bands on the scene.

“Come Around” was a track that stood out most on the EP. I thoroughly appreciated the melodic rock riff that was belted out ten seconds into the piece. This song embodies a renewed sense of starting over and encapsulates independence to shine light that there might not be a fairy-tale ending after all.

But wait boys, just before you shun away and think that this young 20-year-old empowered front woman is just trying to put you to shame with her dagger-like lyrics, focus on the fierce quad behind her supplying the rock. The Modern Elite has compiled a fine group of instrumentalists to separate themselves from the typical Paramore-esque wanna-bees. The musical arrangements are unique, new, and energetic. The band, in its entirety incorporates many of their own personal influences in their techniques spanning from The Foo-Fighters to Bruce Springsteen. They successfully mash together unlike sounds to create a fresh style all their own.

Currently, the band is crafting an ambitious full-length album entitled “Blind,” in which they are recording and producing all themselves. The album is set to drop this summer. If you like bands like the MySpace phenomenon New Year’s Day [with extra edge], make sure to check them out.