This article was originally featured in The Good 5 Cent Cigar on Thursday, April 7th, 2016.
The Wonder Years came out swinging during their performance to a packed house this past Saturday at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel in Providence.
Playing at Lupo’s on April 2, this stop was one of the last three shows of the tour, making this performance a sentimental one for all the bands. The tour, which was in support of The Wonder Years’ latest release titled “No Closer To Heaven,” featured openers letlive., Tiny Moving Parts and Microwave.
Atlanta indie rock band Microwave was the first performance of the night. Microwave, currently signed to the independent label SideOneDummy Records, has been a band on the rise for the past few years. The band’s set consisted mostly of songs off of their latest LP, “Stovall,” including “Work It Out” and the title track, as well as a couple of songs off their split with Buffalo band Head North. Since it was Microwave’s first time playing in Rhode Island, the crowd was very excited to finally be able to welcome them to the state and support them.
Next to the stage were Minnesota natives Tiny Moving Parts. Infamous for their intricate guitar playing, lead singer and guitarist Dylan Mattheisen were all smiles while performing, often thanking the crowd for their support and positive responses. Mattheisen stunned audience members as he performed his unique tapping methods he uses to play the guitar. Using this method along with a mixture of looper and delay pedals, Tiny Moving Parts produced a sound not often heard without the help of editing and mixing. The three-piece emo rock band is signed to Triple Crown Records and will be releasing a new album titled “Celebrate” on May 20. One song, titled “Happy Birthday,” has already been released off of the upcoming album.
letlive., a Los Angeles post-hardcore band known for their chaotic and exciting performances took the stage next. Fronted by lead vocalist Jason Butler, the band put on a heavier performance than those Microwave, giving the show a nice change of pace. Butler interacted with the crowd throughout the entire set and shook hands and high fived with every crowd surfer who made it to the front of the barricades, often times handing them the microphone to sing along with him. He urged the packed crowd to get moving and create mosh pits, even telling them to form a “circle pit” where the crowd rushes around in a large circle. Butler is notorious for being crazy and energetic on stage, constantly jumping around, throwing microphones and instruments into the air and often times climbing on balconies and light fixtures. Throughout the night, the band, which is currently signed to Epitaph Records, performed a powerful set that energized and riled up the crowd.
Finally to the stage was The Wonder Years, a pop-punk band from Philadelphia. Throughout the night, the band played a mixture of new and old songs, but focused mainly on songs from their most recently released fifth album, “No Closer To Heaven.” The band played songs off the album, including “Cardinals” and “Cigarettes and Saints,” as well as “Stained Glass Ceilings” as their encore. Additionally, they played songs off fourth album, The Greatest Generation, such as “There, There,” “Passing Through a Screen Door” and “The Bastards, The Vultures, The Wolves.” Since it was the end of the tour, the band decided to listen the requests they had been receiving throughout the tour by playing a song from their “B side” off of “The Wonder Years Present: Suburbia I’ve Given You All And Now I’m Nothing” titled “Living Room Song.” The crowd was ecstatic to hear an older song like this, since people have been requesting it for a long time. The Wonder Years gained a major following within their 10 years as a band, been able to redefine pop-punk as a genre and create a full, mature sound while maintaining their original style.
On that night, New Englanders came together to enjoy some great music and a positive atmosphere. Being squished with no room to move was all worth it to see some incredibly talented bands perform together on one stage. All the groups left a great impression on the crowd and managed to exceed expectations.
Having spent the summer living alone in Los Angeles, I often found myself attending shows alone. I recently decided to put my two cents in on this topic, and had this article published in my University’s newspaper. Here is my experience with attending shows alone.
Attending shows has always been a social event that draws in fans from all over to share an experience. It brings a collective group of people together, creating a great atmosphere shared with people of similar music interests.
But what if none of your friends enjoy the same style of music as you? What do you do? Most people would understandably just decide to skip the show, never even giving a thought to the idea of going alone.
The first time I attended a show alone, I went to see mewithoutYou and Foxing at The Roxy in Los Angeles. I had recently moved out there alone for the summer, and didn’t have a friend to attend the show with. I felt uncomfortable at first, fearing that people would think I was weird for not going with anybody else.
Nervousness aside, I walked into the venue and soon realized that there were tons of people at the show who were also alone. It made me feel better about my situation, and I was able to let go of my hesitation. I began to enjoy myself and embraced the opportunity to really connect with the music and my surroundings. Without distractions, I had the chance to appreciate the performance and focus solely on the band and their music.
That night, those two bands put on one of the best shows I have ever seen, and I’ve seen more shows than I could count. If I hadn’t attended the show that night because I didn’t have someone to go with, I would have missed out on an incredible experience. After that night, I felt confident enough to go to shows alone, and ended up going by myself to three more shows that same week.
Looking back, I realize that I was put into a new situation and was forced to adjust to my surroundings. At first, I felt extremely overwhelmed by the amount of people in the small venue, given it was almost at full capacity. As time went on, though, my overwhelming emotions dwindled down and I began to feel this new sense of confidence and liberation.
After a little while of getting accustomed to my surroundings, I noticed that I began to feel less reliant on others and I was enjoying myself enough at the show, even if I didn’t have anyone to share it with. I would strike up conversations with other people around me, and I learned about new bands and upcoming shows in the area. These concerts gave me the confidence to be able to talk to a random person in the crowd, and in a way, I was able to network myself by making new connections.
Since returning to Rhode Island, my mindset on shows has changed drastically. I still love going to concerts with my friends, but I am more willing to experience things on my own. If an opportunity arises, I am not going to miss out just because I would have to be alone.
Chvrches has finally released their sophomore LP, Every Eye Open. The album is available now on cd and white vinyl. You can pick up a copy or digital download here, and you can stream the whole album below.
Chvrches begins a US tour with Mansionair on October 7. You can find tickets here!
After much anticipation, Modern Baseball finally released a new song titled “The Thrash Particle”. This song is available for free right now on bandcamp, and you can stream it now below!
Modern Baseball will be hitting the road soon with PUP, Jeff Rosenstock, and Tiny Moving Parts. Grab tickets here!
Allison Weiss recently released a new song off her upcoming album New Love, out October 2. The song premiered on Purevolume.com where they offered a free download of the song. That’s right, FREE!
Since then, SideOneDummy has released a lyric video for this song, which you can see below. The video contains clips from Allison traveling on the road. It has a summertime vibe that absolutely adds to the song. See for yourself!
Microwave, one of SideOneDummy’s newer signings, has just released a music video for their new song “but not often”. The video features some rad new music, as well as some adorable animals. Take a look!
The band is heading out on tour with Have Mercy, Transit, and Somos beginning October 14th. You can grab tickets for that here.
Microwave has also announced that they are releasing a split with Head North, available October 9th. Pre-orders for the split are available here.
Rumors have surfaced (starting on a trending Reddit thread) stating that Neck Deep’s guitarist, Llyod Roberts and bassist, Fil Thorpe-Evans have been sending nude photos and explicit messages to underage girls. One girl, who claimed to have received these photos when she was only fifteen, has posted screenshots on her tumblr. Whether or not these photos are authentic not yet been proved, but Roberts has exited the band due to the slander. He stated he wanted to “focus on his family, as he does not feel comfortable having his reputation, or that of the band sullied further by these accusations.” He took to twitter one last time to state the following:
(Photo courtesy of Alternative Press)
Following these posts, Roberts deleted his twitter all together.
Neck Deep has acknowledged the allegations and has posted this as a response:
While none of these allegations have been proven at this time, some bands have been sharing their thoughts about the situation on the internet. Somos posted this to their twitter page:
The band will continue with all their upcoming scheduled performances, including their performance at Reeding and Leads Festival, though no information has been given about who will take over for Roberts.
At this time, the story is still developing and I encourage readers to not make any judgements until all the information has been authenticated. Keep checking back on this post to see updates as this story progresses.
Just released via Spin, Joyce Manor performed a live session at Hurley Records. Included in this session was their song “Christmas Card” off their 2014 album, Never Hungover Again, which was actually #32 on Spin’s 50 Best Albums of 2014.
The band will play FYF Fest in Los Angeles, California tomorrow, August 22. Two day tickets and VIP are still available for the festival here. The band is then hitting Riot Fest in Denver, Colorado, followed by a full US tour.
Seaway has released a new song off their upcoming album, Colour Blind, which comes out on October 23 via Pure Noise Records. The fourth track off of this record has been released, titled “Freak”, along with a music video for the song.
In addition, the band has announced that pre-orders are now available. There are many bundles available, some including really rad vinyl (seriously, they are so cool). Take a look for yourself and pre-order Colour Blind here.
Silverstein and Senses Fail Kick Off Co-Headlining Tour
Starting this November, Silverstein and Senses Fail will be hitting the road together on a co-headlining tour. Supporting acts for this tour will be Hundredth and Capsize. This tour is heading all over the US, so check out the dates and see which venue is closest to you!
Both of the headlining bands have released new music somewhat recently, with Silverstein’s May release, I Am Alive In Everything I Touch on Rise Records and Senses Fail’s June release Pull The Thorns From Your Heart on Pure Noise. Both these bands have just finished playing Warped Tour, and are now out on the road to support their albums.
Tickets for both general admission and VIP are available, pick yours up here!
Courtney Barnett Releases Music Video For “Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go To The Party”
Taken from a live video shot in London, Courtney Barnett has released a music video for her song “Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go To The Party”. This song is from her album Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just Sit which was released via Milk! Records back in March.
Check out her website and pick up a bundle for this latest album! Items can be shipped internationally.
Coheed and Cambria have released a new music video for their song “You Got Spirit, Kid”. This song is off the bands upcoming album The Color Before The Sun which is set to be released on October 16. You can pre-order the album here.
The video, directed by DJay Brawner, portrays the band members as high school students who take down the mean jocks who have wronged them. It is a classic portrayal of revenge, mixed with some humor.
Fun fact about this video: it was filmed at a high school in Los Angeles on July 27th. They announced a casting call for extras and I got “accepted” to go, but couldn’t unfortunately. They asked extras to dress in 1980′s style clothing, and used Freaks and Geeks as a reference.
Hey east coasters! If you were feeling bummed because you missed your chance to grab a ticket to see Tigers Jaw this October, we have good news. Tigers Jaw has announced four more east coast tour dates that will kick off before they go on tour with Yellowcard and New Found Glory. They will be performing on this mini-tour with Petal beginning in October. No information about tickets has been released yet.
This summer, I have learned more about the music industry than I ever thought I would. I had the fantastic opportunity to live in Hollywood for the summer and work as an intern at SideOneDummy Records. The label treated me so well, with all the staff being one giant family. It is a small staff with just 8 people working there, making the experience that much more personal. Though for being such a small staff, they have some big accomplishments. I was able to see just how much all these people care about the well-being of the bands they sign, and I was able to have first hand experience in seeing how the business operates on day-to-day basis.
There is so much more planning that goes into the industry than you would ever realize, from planning what songs are going to be released as singles, to deciding what color vinyl will sell best. Every little detail has to be covered, and we as consumers and fans don’t realize the strategy behind everything a label does. This opportunity has given me so much insight to help further my drive for success in this industry. An internship is where you determine whether or not a job is right for you, and thanks to this internship, I have realized that I am right where I belong.
The Wonder Years Release “I Don’t Like Who I Was Then”
Anticipating the upcoming album, fans were excited when AltPress announced that The Wonder Years had released another new song. This track, called “I Don’t Like Who I Was Then” is the third single to be released off the band’s upcoming album, No Closer To Heaven. The album, produced by Steve Evetts, comes out via Hopeless Records on September 4th.
Head on over to AltPress hear “I Don’t Like Who I Was Then”.
First Pressing Of Modern Baseball’s EP “The Nameless Ranger” To Be Released
Modern Baseball’s debut EP, The Nameless Ranger and their first split, Couples Therapy with Marietta are finally being released on vinyl. The songs have been remastered and are now available for pre-order. The Nameless Ranger will be released on a 10″ vinyl, and Couples Therapy will be released on a 7″ vinyl. Along with these pre-orders, you will receive the first ever Modern Baseball shirt, which was designed by the bands own Jacob Ewald. All this will be released on Lame-O Records.
