Hawthorne Heights Release 'Silence in Black and White' Acoustic

Hawthorne Heights 

It seems as if the current trend among bands is to release an acoustic, 10 year anniversary album. Last year, Taking Back Sunday released an acoustic version of "Tell All Your Friends" and Yellowcard released an acoustic version of "Ocean Avenue." Hawthorne Heights is the next band to release an acoustic version of their debut album "Silence in Black and White." It will feature all of the original songs and can be streamed on the Alternative Press website.

The famed Hawthorne Heights album will be released on iTunes on April 15th and it won't be available on CD until May 20th and vinyl on July 1st. You can Pre-order "Silence in Black and White" through inVogue Records. Bundles range in price from $11 - $80 and include several different products. Vinyls, CDs, shirts, sweatshirts, and posters are available in almost every combination.

Artist Spotlight: Mean Little Blanket

Mean Little Blanket

Mean Little Blanket is a two-piece band from Brooklyn, NY known for their complex time signatures and heavy riffs. Formed by Corey Dozier and Jason Prushko in 2009, the band will constantly keep you guessing with what comes next. Their newest album entitled "Blast Off" features 10 tracks that will redefine hard rock.

The album starts off with with a 9 minute track that sums up their talents perfectly and sets the tone for the rest of the album. It shows exactly what the two are capable of doing together and they definitely find ways to compliment each other's talent. Each song seems to be carefully constructed unlike several of the popular rock songs known today, which seem to be thrown together and incredibly repetitive.

The track entitled "Samhain" is one of my favorites. It has an upbeat tempo that is interrupted by complicated instrumental breaks at unexpected times. Then just as you think you've figured out the scheme, everything relaxes around 2:45 only to pick back up where they left off.

"Power Wash" starts off as a slower track rich with emotional vocals. But that soon changes to something with more technical intricacies. Over the course of 7 minutes, the track occasionally revisits the slower tempo and melody it began with, a perfect balance of soft and hard in one song.

Overall, Mean Little Blanket is definitely worth listening to. With a fresh and innovative sound, the band has a long career ahead of them and I look forward to hearing more.

Although they are unsigned, you can listen to their entire album by clicking here.

Warped Tour 2014

noisetrend

With all of this cold, snowy weather it has put quite a damper on some tours. Several artists have cancelled dates and performances due to poor traveling conditions caused by the never-ending snow that has hit the east coast. Now that March has come, it seems as if this year's Warped Tour cannot come soon enough. Thinking of the summer and Warped Tour makes the current frigid weather a little more bearable and just what many of us need. 

So who's playing this year? Several of the well-known bands we love like A Skylit Drive, Bowling for Soup, Enter Shikari, Mayday Parade, Yellowcard, We the Kings, Devil Wears Prada, and many more (Check out the entire list).

Bayside Pre-order Bundles "Cult"

Bayside

Bayside, an alternative rock band from Queens, NY has announced the release of their sixth album, entitled "Cult." The 11 track album will be out on February 18th, 2014. The band posted several pictures on social media websites like Facebook and Instagram over the past week of symbols without captions. It was a clever way to make the announcement as fans tried to guess what the images meant.

Ashes Forever Release "All You Love Will Put You"

Ashes Forever

Ashes Forever, a New York band with their own genre, has been busy in the studio for the past several months. They have yet again surprised listeners with what they're capable of and have created something remarkable. It's definitely something worth listening to, if not to see how different this band really is. Ashes Forever writes their own rules when it comes to their songs and they don't mind going against the confines of one particular genre.

The newest release from Ashes Forever is due out August 2nd. I got a chance to catch up with drummer, Matt Dillon to get some more information on it.

Recent and Upcoming Album Releases

Recent and Upcoming album releases from your favorites:

Yellowcard Releases "Ocean Avenue" Acoustic

Yellowcard

It seems as if a current trend with bands celebrating 10 year anniversaries is to re-release their first album. Yellowcard is a band that was popular in the early 2000's with their unique sound and violin incorporation. Earlier this year, they released their newest album, "Southern Air" and now they have announced that they too are going to release "Ocean Avenue" acoustic. There is no word yet whether it is going to be a live recording or a studio recording of the album. Taking Back Sunday's release of "Tell All Your Friends" was released as a live recording (on digital formats only) and I was a bit disappointed when I found this news, they could have appealed to more fans had they done a studio release across digital and physical formats.

Taking Back Sunday Releases "Tell All Your Friends" Acoustic

Taking Back Sunday

Yesterday, Taking Back Sunday announced that they would be releasing an acoustic version their first album, "Tell All Your Friends." Last year, Taking Back Sunday celebrated the ten year anniversary of TAYF by going on a tour with Bayside and now the celebration continues with this release.

Pandora's Shares Streaming Data

Pandora

By now, most are familiar with various forms of listening to music on the go whether it be through downloaded content or through streaming websites like Pandora and Spotify. Internet radio websites have been criticized in recent years because several big name artists are concerned with the amount they are receiving in artist royalties.

Where Spotify allows users to create their own playlists, radio stations, and follow friend's playlists, Pandora is less interactive and only offers users radio stations based on an artist of their choosing. Based on user's likes and dislikes, Pandora generates a station that is custom to the user's preferences. Although Pandora has been under fire for artist royalties, it is in the process of offering an addition service to artists that could be extremely useful for their careers.

Sleeping with Sirens Pre-order Bundle

MerchNow

Sleeping with Sirens recently announced that their newest album "Feel," will be released June 4th in physical and digital formats. This will be the band's third full length album and possibly one of the most anticipated releases this year.

Fans can pre-order the album from MerchNow for $11. The band is also offering several other pre-order merch bundles including a limited edition colored vinyl, t-shirts, posters, stickers, and other items. Prices vary from $11-$74 depending on the bundle.

All Time Low, Pierce the Veil, Mayday Parade

This week kicks of Rockstar's Spring Fever Tour. From April 11th to May 12th All Time Low, Pierce the Veil, and Mayday Parade will be hitting the road and touring across the US. This is a great line up and the perfect way to start off the spring/summer for concertgoers. Several dates are already sold out so check Ticketmaster for the latest information on ticket availability.

Pierce the Veil has posted that the only dates with tickets available are the following:

4/26 Lowell, MA - Tsongas Arena

4/28 Towson, MD -Towson Center Arena

4/30 Rochester, NY - Main Street Armory

5/8  Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre

However, this may have changed since.

My Chemical Romance Break Up

My Chemical Romance

It looks as if rock and roll has lost another great band. My Chemical Romance called it quits today by releasing a statement on their website.

"Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a true blessing. We've gotten to go places we never knew we would. We've been able to see and experience things we never imagined possible. We've shared the stage with people we admire, people we look up to, and best of all, our friends. And now, like all great things, it has come time for it to end. Thanks for all of your support, and for being part of the adventure.
My Chemical Romance"

Through 4 great studio albums and 12 years of music, My Chemical Romance has been one of the most influential bands for alternative rock. Their concept albums gave listeners not only music but stories as well. It's tragic that it ended so soon. 

Artists Hurt From Digital Music

Digital Music News

It’s no secret that the music industry is struggling partially due to the economy and partially due to the rise in digital music. With iTunes and Youtube, there really isn’t a desire for consumers to go into a music retailer such as FYE. Not purchasing music and just downloading it or streaming it online hurts the artists. To prove a point, some artists are taking it into their own hands to show fans how it effects them. 

NoraStone Interview

NoraStone

NoraStone is an upcoming band from New York, well on their way to making their presence known nationally. Only about one year old with a few months performance experience under their belt, the band has already opened for Flyleaf and Drowning Pool and played venues in New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

NoraStone’s “Hopeless Lives & Lullabies” is a five-track album that expertly shows off each member’s individual talents. As a whole, NoraStone sounds polished and perfected despite being such a young band. Upon first listen, the guitar solos and vocals are reminiscent of Avenged Sevenfold and leave the listener wanting more. Hearing a band like NoraStone is refreshing considering the talent (or lack thereof) that is popular in today’s music industry. Because of their unique sound, the band is able to really differentiate themselves from everything that is out there right now. Having this advantage is really the best key in a successful career in the industry.

Fall Out Boy Saves Rock and Roll

Fall Out Boy

First emerging from Illinois in the early 2000s, Fall Out Boy became a well known band, not only for their long song titles but their stage presence as well. Their first album ‘Take This to Your Grave’ was released in 2003, with hits such as ‘Dead on Arrival,’ and ‘Grand Theft Autumn’ (Billboard). In 2005, Fall Out Boy released their second album, ‘From Under the Cork Tree.’ This album really put the band on the charts with ‘Sugar We’re Going Down,’ and ‘Dance, Dance.’ The album went double platinum and the band went on to play at The Bamboozle Festival and on the Vans Warped Tour. Third album ‘Infinity on High’ brought fans ‘This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race’ in 2007 and the album ‘Folie a Deux’ brought us hit song ‘I Don’t Care’ shortly after.

2013 Vans Warped Tour

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The Vans Warped Tour has added some new bands to their lineup this year, proving that this year will be better than the last. Although more bands are still being announced, confirmed artists include Hawthorne Heights, Chiodos, Sleeping with Sirens, Motion City Soundtrack, Blessthefall, We Came as Romans, and I See Stars among several others. The next band announcement is this Friday, February 8th. 

Tickets are now on sale for all the tour dates through the Vans Warped Tour website and Ticketmaster. Check out the Vans Warped Tour blog for more information.

Anthony Raneri and TWLOHA

Anthony Raneri

Last year Anthony Raneri, Bayside’s frontman, released his first solo album, “New Cathedrals.” For only $5 on iTunes, fans could pick up the five song album to see what the singer/songwriter is like without the talents of Jack O’shea, Chris Guglielmo, and Nich Ghanbarian. Needless to say “New Cathedrals” is very different from what Bayside fans are used to. It is lighter and upbeat, proving that Raneri must be drawing from different influences.

Matchbook Romance Reunites for GK! Holiday Festival

A Very GK! Holiday Festival

This weekend, A Very GK! Holiday Festival is coming to New York for it’s final show this year in Poughkeepsie. In October, the Alternative Press announced that Matchbook Romance will reunite to headline the GK! Holiday Festival for the New York Date. Matchbook Romance released two albums, “Stories and Alibis” in 2003 and “Monsters” in 2006 (Billboard). Among the band’s major hits were “Monsters,” and “Promise,” both were featured on MTV and VH1. In the past, they’ve toured with big names such as Yellowcard, Fall Out Boy, and Chiodos and have been members of the Take Action Tour. Originally from Poughkeepsie, New York, it made sense for Matchbook Romance to come back from hiatus for this show, it will be their first live performance in over 3 years.

August Burns Red goes Christmas

Blabbermouth.net

The holidays always provide an opportunity for artists to capitalize on merchandise sales by offering limited edition products, bundles, discounts, and other promotions. A great way to seize the season is to release a Christmas cover song album just as August Burns Red released “Sleddin’ Hill” this year. The album features 13 tracks by the Christian metal band, each one taking a familiar holiday song. “Sleddin’ Hill” redefines Christmas songs to include a double bass pedal, fast tempos, and technical guitar solos.

The first track of the album, “Flurries,” sets the tone for what is to come. August Burns Red uses the song to show the listener that although this is a Christmas album, it does not mean that there is going to only be sleigh bells and soft melodies. The song starts of with characteristic sleigh bells to set the mood and gradually progresses to a faster tempo adding in harder drums and guitar melodies. Throughout the entire song, August Burns Red effectively uses breakdowns and tempo changes to keep the listener guessing what is coming next. August Burns Red did a fantastic job of incorporating traditional Christmas elements with their well-known sound, especially in this song. The entire album can be streamed on Youtube.

Bayside's Hurricane Sandy Benefit Shirt

Bayside

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, several people are still without power while others are left with nothing, trying to rebuild their lives. There are a lot of unanswered questions about the future; how will those affected continue to live their lives and how will they fare without electricity, food, water, and other basic needs? Volunteers have come together to try and help out by bringing donations or contributing monetarily to the American Red Cross.

Some musicians are using their national reach to get fans to help out in any way possible. Bayside, a band I wrote about just a few weeks ago, has always called New York “home.” Although they are on the road touring now with Taking Back Sunday, they are still looking to help any possible way they can. And now, through their merchandise website, they are offering a Hurricane Sandy Benefit shirt to their fans. All of the proceeds from the sale of this shirt will go to the Greater New York American Red Cross (Bayside).