EVENTS!

I'm happy to announce my first vending event!

Upstate New York Metal & Hardcore Festival

I'll have t-shirts (which haven't been shown to the world yet), new samples I've been working on and sale items! I wish I could be bringing more, but due to the recent problems I've had with my spine...as a designer whose clothing is currently all handmade, I was unable to sew for the past month.

But that doesn't mean we're not going to have a good time at this event.
July 8 - 10th
Saratoga Springs at Lee's Park
Pricing was $30 last time I checked and is for the whole weekend and includes free camping for the weekend.




And then if you haven't heard...

Reflections 2011!!!

Scheduled for September 17, 2011
www.ReflectionsProject.com

It's going to be bananas - I'll be posting updates as I hear anything and I'll be posting preview of the items I'm bringing along to the festival mentioned above. Get ready.

I Went Where?

Oh yea...I hung out with the cool kids last night at the Suicide Silence / Mychildren Mybride / The Tony Danza Tap Dancing Extravaganza / Molotov Solution show at Starland Ballroom.

There were seven bands on the bill and I knew that 5:30 doors was not going to be early enough - even arriving at 8pm, I walked in with 4 1/2 bands to go and I forgot my earplugs.

It turned out to be a good night though - cool people to hang out with and make fun of the crowd, not a sold out show, but the floor was full and a good amount of people at the back bar.

Molotov Solution was good, though I don't really remember much else about them. I've been dying to see Tony Danza... just b/c the name is rad as hell, but it's definitely 'guy's only' music. Mychildren Mybride REALLY got my attention and hello, their one guitarist was cute and the bassist was Asian (I like them kind of boys).

Seriously though, great performance and the music was a bit more girl-friendly, so I got into it, with those small melodic moments and it wasn't just 'rawr rawr rawr!'

Suicide Silence cracked me up. I love this shit!

After MCMB's set, it was like a mass exodus out the venue, which I thought was strange, but I guess the kiddies needed fresh air, merch or smoke a cig b/c they're 'so cool.' The majority of the kids came back for Suicide, but I was surprised that quite a handful left. Hm.

The singer of Suicide is crazy - it's like his mouth doesn't even move and he's with the pterodactyl screams and then switches to the growling and yea. But I noticed, he had the audience sing a lot - I guess someone can't do both live, haha. I honestly really don't know what was up with that b/c I really don't know their music.

It was an hour set and I was kinda done after half an hour, but I stuck it out and decided upon finding my own super tall, really skinny, covered in tatoos, some-kind-of-core band's screamer to kidnap. Or become friends with, whatever comes first.

Get Me Away from Punknews!

Haha, I love that site.

It's just that's one of the sites I scan in preparation for interviews and it's that time again...

So I'm looking up on a band and the comments totally put them down like 'whoa' in regards to the line-up of their current tour. I saw them once or twice and remembered their set won me over and was pretty damn cool.

It was like all the late twenty-somethings on that damn site are complaining about how one of their 'man crush' bands got on the bill and so I FINALLY check out this band they're in love with...Polar Bear Club. Long time coming b/c it's damn good.

But what is it with boys and only liking music where the lead singer sounds like an older dude who's smoked a bunch and comes across as the dude you kick back a few beers with talking about nonsense?

haha - It's music like Against Me!, Hot Water Music, Four Year Strong...oh wait, Against Me! are now 'sell outs' for some reason and I think FYS are appealing too much to the younger crowd, so they suck too. But you get the type of bands I'm talking about.

(For the record...I enjoy any of those bands listed above, but that's basically the shit I read about them).

Back to setting up shoots and researching and I think I'll revisit Street Dogs. I'm a little scared though, going to a Suicide Silence show this weekend - what did I get myself into?

BAMBOOZLE - The Final Day

What a LONG day for me Sunday was!

Got ready to go...huffed and puffed about the rain...and when I got to my door - UGH! Pouring rain. Luckily, it did taper off a little making the day totally barable, but sucky.

Ok! So yet again - $20 to park - screw you Giant's Stadium's people. Tickets were free, so I guess I should shut my mouth...

Saw THE SOUNDS. They are AWESOME! Can't wait for the new album. Their singer (isn't her name Mia?) had on the coolest Blondie/old punk chick outfit - leather jacket, ripped hosiery, short shorts and a tucked in bigger blouse.

We headed over for ULTRAVIOLET SOUND and they were fun as hell and just amazing. I really need to see them perform at a club environment and dance my ass off. They're working on a new album. yay!

3OH!3 was retarded, but not in a bad way. A lot of people crowded the stage for them and most of them came running back when the dance pits started. Whatever.

Saw like three songs by HASTE THE DAY. Again, decent set is all I can say as I don't know their music.

I did hang around the 'hardcore' stages for the most of the day and witnessed some of the most rediculous bahavior ever. Kids are silly. It did make each of these 'on the verge of being huge' bands seem bigger than they were b/c the pits opened up in front of BOTH stages (the two were right next to each other).

Case in point - A DAY TO REMEMBER. They ARE amazing and great - go listen to them! I think they deserved to be on a main stage. Just great music, mainly from the new album HOMESICK but one or two oldies.

Ok, the end of the night - I had lost my original group, but caught up with my lovely sister and her friend. They wanted to see this one song by a horrid band Brokencyde. I usually do not mention acts I do not support, but I just want to say that I can see the draw in one or two songs, but really this band is nonsense.

While they danced all crunk-like, I went to see TAKING BACK SUNDAY. I walked over for one song and left. The main stages were TOO TOO TOO PACKED I coudln't deal. The same with NO DOUBT. One song, but the acoustics were lost from so far away and it just felt fake. You need to be by the stage to enjoy.

Example: MOTIONLESS IN WHITE. I caught their set and yea, new pick for favorite post-hardcore/goth/emo band of the moment. Maybe it's the look and mood they present on stage that keeps my attention, but there's a few songs that stand out and are great. Let's see what direction they go in for the next album.

I was standing around, waiting for my people to come from No Doubt, so I saw this band set up - thought maybe they were an Anti-Flag type deal. Turned out to be teens from California who take a stab at punk. Name: DRIVE A. Cute and the crowd was mainly teen girls taking photos...

All in all one of the best times I've had in awhile. I like that you can go into the Stadium and sit, use the bathrooms, stare at the field. I don't like being FORCED to throw out water bottles if you thought you could bring one in HOWEVER...weed is allowed in and not snuffed when smoked.

So if they can sell it - you can't bring it in. I need to find a music event that's there to support the bands AND pay grounds workers/the venue's facilities WITHOUT raping the fans' wallets.

Bamboozle: DAY ONE

Where to start?

Well we almost didn't get in - but the lady at the ticket booth got eevrything worked out and I got 'listed.' haha, whatever

Let's see...Heard "Shake It" by Metro Station - Danny Devito and a deformed Cyrus, fun times.

Turned to the left and started to watch Bloodhound Gang. We left after the first song. Why? The sound people had the vocals down and you couldn't hear him and we really didn't feel like sticking around the whole time just to hear that animals song.

Caught a bit of Artist vs. Poet - cute and fun music.

Then looked for band merch. Ok, WTF is this? They basically hearded all the artists for the respective stages into ONE tent, with a few exceptions. I can see how it was a somewhat 'ok, maybe this is cool,' BUT no. No no no

ALL the other tents at the place were fucking tshirt designers. NOW I can't hate on all of them, but seriously, shouldn't this be about the music? Whatever, can't knock the hustle, but I wasn't thrilled about it.

OK!

We get back to the music - waiting for Dance Gavin Dance, we get to see Young Love. Fun dance music. He's dorky on stage, but charming. Like it.

Dance Gavin starts with the first track off the new album (remember, I don't do song titles well) and it's GREAT. Then they start doing those songs I know, but am not uber familiar with. The idiot kids open the pit up and it gets annoying. They do Track 7 from the new album and end with "Rock Solid." So not too impressed, but a decent set.

Turned out two of the most enjoyable sets were Kid Cudi and Asher Roth. Kid Cudi is like what hip hop needs and Asher is just a white boy who is going to be pegged forever as a college/stoner rapper. Both were great.

Ok, BEST SET of THE WEEK - THE HORRORPOPS!
I saw them off to the side before the tech guys set everything up and it seemed like they were a little disgruntled. But they came out and just killed it. Perfect perfect. Music on point, vocals sounded great and they were smiling and Patricia is the one of the best front women ever.

"Freaks in Uniforms," "Where They Wander," "Walk like a Zombie," and a few other ones filled the set and we danced the whole time. They even went to do a signing after the set and being dorks, felt weird going over, but in buying the cd gave a thumbs up on the set as they walked away.

We went over to see Gwar and they were crazy. And the music is pretty darn good. haha. We only stuck around for three songs and yea, they're definately the show stoppers.

Fun times. Day two later...

Show Review : Greeley Estates

Crocodile Rock Cafe
April 9, 2009



Bands: Greeley Estates, Iwresteledabearonce, Memphis May Fire, Fact

Horrid, intolerable traffic made an hour and fifteen minute drive take close to three and a half hours. Being that we left early to get dinner beforehand, we still got there with time to see another band and the headlliners or so the website said.

We get there and the dude at the door is like - No, FACT's up next.

So all that paranoia that I wouldn't make it to see the band I'm to review was for nothing. But we walk over the 'underground cafe stage' and laugh b/c it's like a hole in the wall, maybe 200 people? Probably less.

There's some hardcore and annoying local band (i'm guessing) playing. Eh. Their friends at the bar were having fun. This was an hour after the show was suppossed to start. I think the promoters added two local bands, which screwed over the rest of the show...

FACT was on at 8pm. They played 4 or 5 songs. They're from Japan! Interesting...it's like they take what the American post-hardcore bands are doing and add hip hop, electro and something of a Japanese sensibility to the music.

It was like Hellogoodbye and a typical hardcore/screamo band. Plus their drummer was so excited and mainly only knew curse words, but was happy nonetheless.

We still didn't understand the line up and figure GREELEY ESTATES is next. I'm like - All the roadies are really cute.

Turns out it's the band MEMPHIS MAY FIRE and they're good, but we left for the set to eat.

Come back and think now it's GREELEY. Nope. Southern looking boys start on stage and we hear screams. Whoa! They have a girl singer/screamer. The band - IWRESTLEDABEARONCE.

Really really impressed and the crowd went insane for them. However, the novelty wore off that it was a girl singer - she's like a combo of the metalcore dudes and Bjork - and then I started thinking whether they're good or not. Pretty good.

Now is it time for GREELEY? It's almost 10:30pm. Yes, that's right...10:30pm is when they took the stage. And apparently Allentown has a curfew - curfew? what the hell is that? I say: kick the minors out and they can play for me and a few of the remaining barflys.

They did like 6 or 7 songs. Throw back to "Y'all with the Vampire Squad"! Very nice. They stuck to the new album, the first being one I didn't recognize at all. It was a good set, but I was pissed as hell they got screwed over and barely had 30mins to play. They were so on point with the music too.

Things that were weird -
-The flyer has IwrestledaBearonce above Greeley...so who was the headliners?
-Did their drummer bulk up and gain a bit of weight and grow his hair? It sorta of looked like him, but now wikipedia says there's another drummer, but I can't confirm anywhere else
-Why does this venue suck?

Come back Greeley boys!