Running Behind and Music News!

I'm sorry I missed Monday, I'm still trying to get the blog up and running smoothly. So I'll start with today because I have some music news...

30 Seconds to Mars soaking in the success of This Is War

30 Seconds to Mars announced yesterday that they will be releasing their fourth album to follow up This Is War from 2009. Here's the full new update courtesy of Alternative Press Magazine...

http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/30_seconds_to_mars_working_on_new_album

-Emily

Band of the Week: Mayday Parade

This weeks band of the week is Mayday Parade! This fun pop rock band has lyrics for lovebirds, heartbreak, and everything in between. Theirs sound is clean and precise and full of life. They're sure to win your heart if you like the sounds of I See Stars, Hey Monday, or Saosin. Some of my Mayday Parade favorites...

Jamie All Over

The Silence

Oh Well Oh Well

-Emily

The Used: Vulnerable

On March 26th, The Used released their fifth studio album Vulnerable. The album is an incredible combination of the band we all know as well as some pleasant new influences stemming from types of rap and pop. I see only good things coming from the recent switch to the independent label, Hopeless Records and the band has said in interviews that they have more freedom to do what they really want to with their music. I highly recommend the album, I have nothing but good things to say about it. If you want to listen before buying, The Used has posted the entire album as streaming on youtube. Some key tracks to listen to are I Come Alive, Hurt No One, and Together Burning Bright.

Album Stream: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL50DD798D86F4F4F3

The Used- I Come Alive

-Emily

The Charm The Fury: The Interview

It is Monday and that means it's time for some new music. The Charm The Fury is a female fronted metalcore band out of Amsterdam. The band consists of vocalist Caroline Westendorp, Mathis Parent on guitar, Rolf Perdok on guitar, Lucas Arnoldussen on bass, and Mathijis Tieken on drums. Their sound is anything but ordinary as they pair melodic vocals with plenty of screaming and growling. Don't let Caroline's beauty fool you because she can scream and growl with the best of them. While the band is still in the process of making a big name for themselves, they have a good start thanks to a lot of talent, practice, and a growing fan base. I was lucky enough to ask the band a few questions about different aspects of being a band, recording, fans, and much more.

The Charm The Fury: The Interview

How and when did the band start? 

The band started out in the summer of 2010. Caroline, Math, Lucas and Mathijs found eachother through the internet and immediately started writing songs. The search for a second guitar player was a long one, but in the end we found Rolf. We only knew him as a old school rock musician, but he proved to be much more than that!

Did you know each other outside of the band?

Lucas and Mathijs were friends since high school, and we already vaguely knew eachother because we were in the same scene, but of course we were not as close as we are now. Yes, we're a band, but we're a bunch of friends as well!

Who are some of your influences? 

Our main influences are bands such as Underoath, Stray From The Path, Memphis May Fire and a lot more actually… There are a lot of inspiring bands out there, and we take small parts of everything we hear and like to our own music.

Who are your favorite artists?

The bands I stated before are definitely favorites. Some others are Architects, For Today, Everytime I Die and August Burns Red. 

Has music always been a part of your lives? 

We all have a different musical background, but I think I speak for all of us if I say that we've loved music right from the start. Actually, 3 of us study or have studied music. Right now, it basically ís our life!

Regardless of what critics/magazines/television say, how would you describe your sound?

We always describe our sound as a mix of metalcore and post-hardcore with a little bit of southern and a hint of electronics! Some bands hate being labeled. We don't. Label us anyway you want! It's nothing but handy that you know what to expect when you go listen to a band, right?

What is the atmosphere of your concerts? 

I don't think it differs a lot from other metal concerts. People going crazy, hardcore dancing, moshing etc.

Maybe it's a little more mellow because we have some mellow parts in our songs.

What do you have that other live metal acts don't?

Boobs. 

But seriously, I think the fact that we have a girl singer matters. Guys finally have something to look at and girls like the fact that there's a girl on stage. 

I love female fronted metal bands because I feel as if they bring something really different to the metal scene. What is like for you having a female vocalist in a somewhat male dominated genre? Have you faced any negative feedback because of it?

We've only had positive feedback on the female fronted thing! People often don't believe that it's a girl screaming, and when they do believe it, people assume she's ugly, fat and scary. 

I love the look on their faces when they find out that isn't the case!

So: only positive aspects to having a girl screamer!

For Caroline: What is it like for you specifically being a woman in this genre? Are there any experiences you'd like to share?

Metalcore mainly consists of a male environment. It's actually funny to see guys not expecting this as all. They often think of women in metal either as very bad, gothic or as fan girls. I've often been criticized based on the demos, because people don't expect a female to pull this kind of things off. But: this only gets me to work harder and harder, to show to everyone that women are equal to men, even when it comes to growling or screaming. You just have to practice practice practice!

And: I don't mind being surrounded by tattooed, bearded, hot guys hahaha.

How would describe your fans?

We love our fans! We haven't been around for that long yet, but people have been really supportive from the start! I still can't believe that we have actual fans. That there are people on the other side of the world listening to and liking our music!

The EP album drops April 24th. What was the recording process like?

It was a long one! We didn't have a full-time studio available, so we recorded everything at home.

In the meanwhile we all had to go to our jobs or school. That definitely slows down the recording process!

If you could choose one band or artist in the world to tour with who would it be and why?

Wow, that's a hard one. There are so many band we'd like to tour the world with! Our biggest dream is to be part of the Vans Warped Tour. A lot of bands at once ;) 

Do you have any future plans of touring in the United States at all?

'Plans' is too big of a word. A lot of people are asking us to tour the US and we'd really love to! Unfortunately our budget isn't sufficient yet. But when we get the chance: count us in!

Do you have any advice for kids just starting out in rock and metal?

What really helps our songwriting is the fact that metal isn't the only music we listen to. Of course we love it, but it's always good to get inspired by thing that have nothing to do with the music you want to write. You can come up with more surprising, unexpected stuff that way!

The Charm The Fury- Family Values

You'll like The Charm The Fury if you like: Underoath, Parkway Drive, Bring Me The Horizon, The Agonist.

Support The Charm The Fury, buy their EP "The Social Meltdown" Available 4/24/12!!!

You can check out The Charm The Fury on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Tumblr.

http://www.facebook.com/thecharmthefury http://www.twitter.com/thecharmthefury http://www.youtube.com/thecharmthefury http://thecharmthefury.tumblr.com

-Emily

What to expect and everything in between

I've come up with a schedule type of thing so that you'll know what to expect each week however there will always be the things you wouldn't expect so don't worry!

Monday: New Music 

Wednesday: Reviews and/or News (album releases, new singles, upcoming tours, etc)

Friday: Band of the Week

And for the days in between:

-Interviews both from youtube, links, and my own interviews with bands

-Some flashbacks of older music and bands

-Behind the scenes and backstage antics

-Photo favorites

-Random ipod picks (I will randomly select a song or artist from my ipod to feature)

And of course any of this can change if need be, otherwise this is how the blog will run 98% of the time. Remember to click the share button in the top corner for Facebook and Twitter and share with your friends.

-Emily

Wash away the Monday blues

So tomorrow is Monday and of course no one is thrilled about going to class or heading to the office unless of course you enjoy Monday's then you can disregard this statement. I'll post this now so those of you with early schedules can get this as soon as possible. As you get out of bed your foggy mind reminds you to go to the store, pick up the dry cleaning, and walk your dog here are some somewhat older tunes to help you get going whether you're cramming before an early morning exam or sitting in an office cubicle bored out of your mind.

Paramore- Brick By Boring Brick

Angels and Airwaves- Everything's Magic

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Confide- Such Great Heights (Cover)

Flyleaf- Again

Happy Almost Monday!

*Stay tuned for my review of the new Used album available on itunes. Also available as an album stream on the band's channel at youtube.com*

-Emily

New Releases Coming Up!

Here are some new releases for April and May be sure to check them out.

4/17 Evans Blue- Graveyard Of Empires
4/17 Dragon Force- The Power Within
4/24 Eve 6- Speak In Code
4/24 Rocky Loves Emily- Secrets Don't Make Friends
5/1 Pennywise- All Or Nothing
5/15 Shadows Fall- Fire From The Sky

Support your favorite artists, buy the albums!

-Emily

Band of the week!!!

Black Veil Brides

I chose Black Veil Brides as the band of the week because I've been really into their music lately. They mix hardcore screaming vocals with a more deep melodic voice to create a unique sound. The band is not like most bands in the screamo genre because instead of wearing the typically indie clothing; skinny jeans and tee shirts they wear leather, leather, and more leather along with heavy eyeliner, face paint, and black hair with more hairspray than you can imagine. Basically you get a show within a show and the band isn't afraid to go above and beyond with their looks. I really love this band because they took a genre and made it their own as something I like to call melodic goth screamo. You'll like BVB if you like Bullet for My Valentine, Bring Me The Horizon, and Suicide Silence. These are some of my favorite BVB songs as of now.

Knives and Pens

Perfect Weapon

Legacy

More to come! Still getting things together!

-Emily

Some of my favorites (a few)

These are just a few of my alternative favorites so you can see a sample of what's to come...

Broadway- Same Thing We Do Everyday Pinky

Paramore- Ignorance

Black Veil Brides- Perfect Weapon

Breathe Carolina- IDGAF

Bring Me The Horizon- Alligator Blood

These are all songs/videos from alternative rock and metal. While some have a more pop feel to them they still maintain some of the main rock and metal elements we love so much. Look forward to more in depth posts, soon to come!

-Emily

To begin...

My name is Emily, I'm in college working towards a career in the music industry. I'm a huge music fan and I have been for as long as I can remember (thanks to my dad and older sister). This blog will incorporate different sub genres of rock and metal so there will be a  lot of variety giving you some music you may love and some you may not care for all too much but it is a chance to expand your music horizons a bit. I want to keep this blog as professional and as fun as possible so I want to have somewhat of a schedule of events I guess you could say. I've decided Fridays will feature the band of the week. Mondays will feature new music both singles and albums. Wednesday will have upcoming artists. And during the week I'll add in interviews, backstage footage, photos, flashbacks from older music, and album release/tour dates. Of course all of this is subject to change, you have to expect the unexpected. So to start off the blogging I'm just going to post some of my favorite songs (from youtube) and tomorrow the real blogging will begin. Enjoy!
-Emily