Okay, so at this point, everyone and their mother has heard of the When We Were Young festival happening in October in Las Vegas. If you haven't, I can only assume you either have not been on Facebook or have actually outgrown your emo phase. In which case, I'm wondering how you found Immortal Music. I digress, I really just wanted to talk about a handful of things about this festival that are sketching me out. I, like every other 'elder emo', as the internet has taken to calling us, saw the lineup and after realizing it was actually real not an emo kids wet dream, freaked out and started planning how the hell I was going to swing a Vegas trip when I live across the country. Then I started diving in a little further, as did many others, and its given me a lot of pause. I'm just going to say it flat out, as much as everyone wants it to be this amazing, dream festival -I think its going to be a complete shit show. There is a few things that the internet is up in arms about that I am not bothered by, but there's a ton of red flags for me. First, I want to address the price, as I know a lot of people were offended over the price because, "Warped tour would never." That is true, when you compare it to Warped tour, $224 is ridiculous. However, if you consider a couple factors, one being most festivals with only 10-15 bands cost that or more, and the fact that just My Chemical Romance alone had nosebleed tickets for that price, its not that bad. I've been told that shouldn't matter, but in my head, it makes sense. There's 65 bands and 50+ of them are big, well established, iconic bands. Some coming from other countries as well, and they all come with their own crews. Its a lot of people to pay, nobody thinks of that really, but it takes between 200-400 people to run a festival, not even including the bands. Say what you will about all that, but that is one of many things on my brain. Another thing too, as controversial as this may be to say, honestly, Warped tour was a mess too. Everyone's glorifying it at this point because its over, and yes, there are tons of great memories connected to it. But it, like all festivals really, have their hiccups, downfalls, and just straight up messes. I can speak from experience of how badly Warped tour was run at some dates. This isn't about Warped tour, so I won't get into it too much, but no. Its just being glorified because its no longer a thing and especially with the world being the way its been for the past two years, its disheartening so people are clinging to the good times. And there's nothing wrong with that at all, I'm just saying it wasn't all good and certainly was not perfect. Something I'm sure everyone wondered about upon seeing such a star studded lineup was the set times. I saw something today that may be fake, but it definitely has the internet thinking and talking is the set times. A potentially fake set time list appeared on the internet today, and honestly it was total bullshit in my opinion. This had three stages, and most bands doing twenty minute sets, with all three stages active at once. This also didn't allow for any time in between sets, so you know that means everyone's sharing equipment. So that alone is going to cause problems because not everyone uses the same tuning, and if they don't have adequate time to tune their instruments and set up properly, you're already setting them up for failure. After some closer inspection, I am assuming the set times below are fan made and speculations, note the user name in the middle. I noticed that as I was editing this in order to post it, actually. If it was real though, its also going to cause so much disappointment. If there's always three bands playing, you're going to just have to pick and either stay hunkered down at one stage and hope your favorites are all on that stage, or constantly run around and still have to pick and choose. Again, this might be based off a false set list and in all reality, I really hope it is fake. But this set list had all bands playing from 11 am to 11pm, and at least for me there'd only be maybe four hours through out the entire day where I wouldn't be making a tough choice and feel slightly disappointed regardless of who I chose.
And the sheer AUDACITY of putting My Chemical Romance against anyone is just rude. Its unfair to literally everyone. This lineup had MCR, Paramore, and A Day To Remember playing all at the same time. You know damn good and well nobody is picking anyone over MCR, considering they 'returned' two years ago, played one technically small show in LA immediately after returning and then haven't been able to do anything since then. So right there, you just killed the crowds for two bands, and disappointed a ton of people because there's plenty that would watch all three bands. Hell, I was sold right off the bat when I saw My Chemical Romance, A Day To Remember, I Prevail and Pierce the Veil alone in the lineup, plus there were multiple other bonuses. So pinning two of the ones I was hyped up for against each other just was mean. It was also brought to my attention that at least All American Rejects were unaware of how many bands were playing. At first it came across like they didn't even know they were playing until it was publicly announced, so that rumor spread fast. That might still be true for some bands, that hasn't been determined yet, but it still feels just a little bit sketchy to me that any band wouldn't be informed of the sheer volume of a festival because that does affect them greatly in so many ways. I can understand not knowing every band playing, but you'd think they'd know they're part of a sixty-five band festival that's happening all in one day. That might be a management issue, but it did raise some red flags for me, and I already at this point was questioning it. It really made me wonder if there are bands in this lineup that were unaware of their performance being scheduled or the size of the festival as well. A lot of people have also said that they think this might be an attempt to make up for the Astro World situation, and pay for lawyer fees after all their lawsuits. I don't know about that, maybe so, I didn't want to delve into the legalities, I just wanted to talk about my thoughts here. I could see it though, Live Nation is under a lot of fire right now, and it would not be surprising at all if they're trying to rectify the situation. Its hard to say, for multiple reasons. Festivals take a lot of time to organize, for all we know, this could have been in the works long before Astro World occurred. My only hope is there is not a repeat situation. Festivals are meant to be fun, not deadly. In all honesty, as I said earlier, I expect it to be a shit show, sadly. I really think they'd be better off doing it as a two or three day festival. so they can spread everything out better, thus giving better balance for everyone -bands included. I knew it sounded too good to be true, and I hate to say that, I really do. What do you think? I'd love to hear all your thoughts, and excitements. If you're still down, and planning to go, by all means. Its going to be have awesome moments, and you're going to create awesome memories, but I definitely have my doubts. They're onto something, I just don't think the execution is quite there.
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Mayday Parade just announced a world tour with Real Friends, As It Is and Mongolia Park, for the eleven year anniversary of their self titled album. As It Is will be joining them on the European tour dates, unfortunately not the American ones.
This really resignated with me for multiple reasons. For starters, its mind boggling that this album came out ten years ago already. The even bigger reason though is because Mayday Parade was the first album I got sent prior to its release, and Mayday Parade was not only my first big interview, but they're the ones that gave me my first photo pass. This was in the early stages of Immortal Music, so much so that I had to hunt to find the original review, and in the process discovered the recap from that night was posted on Blogspot.com, not my website due to technical difficulties I was facing at the time. If anyone wants to read that recap, please click here. Looking back at it, I wouldn't say its my best work, but I'm very grateful to have the memories all written out. It was truly a night I will never forget, it started everything for me. And introduced me to my love of photography, which I previously hadn't really discovered. I still remember the email in which their manager gave it to me, which was not under a professional email, I might add. I had no idea what I was doing yet, and was completely winging it based off what I thought I should be doing. I probably should have started by making an Immortal Music email address, that came soon after though. Over email, their manager had asked me to send over my interview questions not long before the show. I had been under the impression it would be an in person interview, so I asked. Upon hearing that, he apologized but said they were going to be a bit busy that day, but offered me a photo pass and a meet and greet ticket. I polietly accepted, while personally going, "What the hell is a photo pass?" I honestly thought it was just part of the meet and greet, or some sort of VIP badge. It wasn't until we were at the show and I saw a girl with the same sticker I had been given come out of the pit. I asked her about it, and she asked why she didn't see me down in the pit. If I remember correctly, whatever band was next up, she ended up dragging me up to the barricade herself. Me and my tiny, hot pink $75 camera from Walmart. That night unlocked so much for me, it unleashed a rush I had never experienced before, and if I'm hoenst, that itch has been coming back. With Covid-19 still running rampant, the idea of a show has felt a little uncomfortable, despite there have been several I've wanted to go to. But this one just feels right. I was there for the first one.....why not be there for the 10/11 year anniversary? I sincerely want to just mask up, sanitize, social distance when I can, and just go. So in honor of this, before I request the pass, I want to revisit all the Mayday Paraade albums, as well as review the newer ones I never reviewed. I also plan to sit down and review some, if not all of Real Friends' work, as well as Magnolia Park, who I am not currently familiar with. This just feels right and I'm excited to potentially make a proper return. We've already begun, by bringing on a new writer Hali Neal, and are discussing a few other creative ideas as well. Hali actually just saw Real Friends' live as part of the Pure Noise tour, which frankly just makes this feel even more appropriate, due to timing. The original Mayday Parade tour I'm speaking about was called the Noise Tour, and that one just passed. Gotta love when things all line up. Please stay tuned, we're hoping to get a lot of things going here very soon. While you're here, please let me know what your favorite Mayday Parade album is, and if there's any concerts you're looking forward to attending soon. I'll be back soon with multiple reviews. Meanwhile, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. On September 25, 2021, State Champs, Real Friends, Four Year Strong, Bearings and Just Friends brought pop punk back and live music to Revolution Live. Bearings was the perfect way to kick off the night. Singer Doug Cousins commanded the stage with an energy that was hard not to like. His impassioned vocals complemented the drums, bass, and guitar well. The crowd screamed out the words to two of their songs, one of which was "Eyes Closed", off 2018's "Blue in the Dark". Just Friends was up next. They brought relaxing but fun energy with their blend of funk punk. Singer Brianda Goyos León brought the sultry, sweet voice and some sexy vibes by shaking her butt and gyrating. They had a well-done upbeat number with some serious drumming from Ben Donlon.
The band thrives on crowd participation with asking for hands in the air and turning on cell phone flashlights. The crowd responded to both of these by turning on their own cell phone flashlights and putting their hands up. Singer Sam Kless also dedicated a song to all the single people out there: "I Wanna Love You", off 2018's "Nothing But Love". They also did a new acoustic song where, unfortunately, Kless was flat at first but did harmonize well with Goyos León. The further they got into the song, though, it was clear that, on his own, he wasn't particularly attention getting. Four Year Strong followed Just Friends. They had a new song where the only requirement from the crowd was to "bang your fucking head". The crowd was into them, screaming when they played songs they knew and when the band asked if anyone had new album "Brain Pain". Overall, the set was pulse pounding with Jake Massucco's drums reverberating in chests across the room. Dan O'Connor's vocals featured both screams and passion. The band had technical difficulties during the set and handled it like seasoned professionals, using that time to talk to the crowd. They did "Get Out of My Head" off of 2020's "Brain Pain" and the guitars translated well to the stage with the heaviness making you want to bang your head. It made one person in the crowd want to crowd surf. Next up was Real Friends. This was the first tour for them without former lead singer Dan Lambton. As such, it's definitely weird hearing someone else sing "Mess", "Get Better" and "Me First", songs that are surely incredibly personal to Lambton as at least two of them deal with his struggle with bipolar disorder and substance abuse. New vocalist Cody Mauro did well though and he never missed a note. He even got the crowd into it by extending the mic for them to sing several times, which they did. The band also had some of their new songs in the mix with "Storyteller". "Storyteller" continues the soul-bearing tradition of Real Friends with mournful guitar and lyrics like "You're indifferent/I've been wearing thin/Starved of apology/This hunger's crippling/I can hardly speak/Lips are trembling/So far in disrepair/You put me here...". This writer loves it when music makes her feel things and Real Friends does that so well. Mauro also brought the energy that was contradictory to said lyrics. It's more than welcome, though, and makes for a great show. Next, the stage darkened and a "Family Feud" intro played over the speakers. Minutes passed. Then lights went up and lead singer of State Champs, Derek DiScanio, bounded onto the risers set up on the stage. Flanked by guitarist Tyler Szalkowski, bassist Ryan Scott Graham and drummer Evan Ambrosio, the band launched into songs ranging from new single "Outta My Head" to "Criminal" to "Secrets" to covers of "Stitches" and "Chicago Is So Two Years Ago". Sadly, the sound wasn't great. This writer heard the drums and backing vocals well but couldn't hear DiScanio's vocals clearly, if at all. The bits this writer did hear, though, were very well-done. Like in "Outta My Head", DiScanio brought some fun energy to the upbeat song. He also asked the crowd to jump and they obliged along with a lot of crowd surfing. They didn't make the crowd wait a long time for the encore either where they played "All You Are Is History" and "Dead and Gone". Hilariously, NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye" played over the speakers after the show ended. This show ignited a feeling of being alive and fulfilled for the first time since the pandemic started. Like this writer was exactly where she needed to be both personally and professionally. Pictures from this show are coming soon! Check us out on Facebook or Instagram to see them! Written by Hali Neal Immortal Music has teamed up with a good friend, and fellow music journalist, Hali Neal! We met back in 2012, at an All Time Low show in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and have been friends ever since, despite being on opposite sides of the state. Hali Neal is a writer and music lover based in Miami. She's written for Examiner, Miami ArtZine, Palm Beach ArtsPaper, Lifestyle Magazine and The Odyssey Online. When she's not writing or listening to music, she's getting boba tea or the latest seasonal coffee, reading or watching "The Bachelor" franchise shows. Her favorite bands are All Time Low, Bullet For My Valentine, Fall Out Boy, Yellowcard, Waterparks, Trash Boat, Bring Me The Horizon, and Wage War
For years, we have bounced writing styles and other ideas off of each other, but now we have officially teamed up! Her first article with Immortal Music is now up, regarding the Fort Lauderdale, FL tour date with State Champs and Four Years Strong. We are waiting on confirmation that we may have a photo pass coming our way. Stay tuned! If we get it, Hali will be going, taking pictures of the entire night, and writing about the experience after. Just like the old days before the world imploded. With all that possibly being in the works, I felt it was important for you to get to know her. Show her some love and give her a warm welcome! Pure Noise Records, a powerhouse independent record label, is bringing its Pure Noise tour featuring State Champs, Four Year Strong, Real Friends, Just Friends and Bearings to Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale, FL on September 25.
State Champs, a pop rock band from Albany, New York, consists of Derek DiScanio on lead vocals, Tyler Szalkowski on guitar, Ryan Scott Graham on bass, and Evan Ambrosio on drums. New single "Outta My Head" was released on September 8 and is upbeat with a chorus destined to get stuck in your head. The band brings an infectious energy to their live shows that's hard not to get down with. It shows in the fact that they're headlining the tour. Four Year Strong came back to music for the first time in five years with 2020 album "Brain Pain", which, according to a press release, has charted on "Billboard Charts at #3 [for] Vinyl Albums, #5 [for] Independent Albums, #3 Top Current Hard Music Albums, [and] #7 Current Rock Albums". In May, they released three remixes of that album called "BRNPN RMX", featuring tracks "Seventeen", "Talking Myself in Circles" and "Worst Part About Me". It's been a year of shake ups for pop punk band Real Friends. Riding on the success of 2018 album "Composure", the band parted ways with lead singer Dan Lambton in a mutual decision. According to a statement from the band at the time: "This is not the end of Real Friends. We have simply turned the page to the next chapter." 2021 found Real Friends with a new record label in Pure Noise and with a new singer in Cody Muraro, formerly of Parting Ways and Youth Fountain. They've released several singles since in "Nervous Wreck", "Storyteller" and "Teeth". On Sept. 17th, they released an EP called "Torn In Two". According to a press release, Muraro said, “I really liked how we were able to incorporate the Torn In Two theme throughout. The album artwork being people separated. The 5 main songs on one side and five alternates on the other. I think the past year has left a lot of us feeling torn, scrambling to reconnect with a sense of familiarity.” Just Friends is a funk punk collective from the Bay Area that consists of vocalists Sam Kless and Brianda Goyos León, Avi Dey on trumpet, guitarist Matthew Yankovich, Chris Palowitch on trombone, drummer Ben Donlon and guitarist Brandon Downum. The band recently released "JF Crew Vol. 3", which bore the single and video for song "Sunflower". They've shared the stage with likes of Rise Against and The Used at Four Chord Music Fest in Pennsylvania. Bearings is a Canadian pop punk band that consists of vocalist Doug Cousins, guitarists Ryan Culligan and Ryan Fitz, bassist Collin Hanes, and drummer Mike McKerracher. They released their most current record, "Hello, It's You" in 2020. They've had time to hone their sound and as such, have also gotten invited on tours with ska-punk legends Less Than Jake. The Pure Noise Tour has been running since 2014 and showcases both the label's most promising and established talent. Pure Noise Records was founded in 2009 by Jake Round. Tickets are $25.50 before fees and can be found on Ticketmaster or you can buy them from the Revolution box office, which can be reached at (954) 449-1025. For those not in Florida, interested in this tour, please check out the State Champs official website to find the event nearest you! This article was written by Hali Neal. Introduction coming soon, stay tuned! As as hardcore Disney movie, its a must for me to watch most, if not all big Disney or Pixar releases. With that in mind, of course I had to watch the movie Soul, which was released to Disney+ on Christmas day. The movie stars Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey, and it actually focuses on some incredibly deep topics. Disney knows how to hit you in the feels and that's why I will forever love them. I honestly didn't know how I'd feel about this one. Initially, when we start started hearing of it probably back in early 2019 or so, I loved the concept. Still was interested in the trailers, but I all along said it would either be incredibly depressing or incredibly inspiring. I won't lie, it has touches of both aspects in it, but you know what? That's just good story telling. And such is life, in all reality. Warning before you read anything further: SPOILER HEAVY. If you have not yet watched Soul, and would like to without having the entire plot ruined for you, please turn back now. I wrote this review as I was watching the movie, much like how I do most of my album reviews. Which speaking of, I'm aware that this is unlike everything I've ever done before, and no, I am not going to start suddenly doing a ton of movie reviews. Music is still my number one focus and always will be. I just started watching it, had some thoughts and said why not really? And you know what, still kind of counts since this is a movie about a musician. The lead role, Joe Gardner has a brush with death just as he's beginning to find a big break as a jazz musician so he can quit his job as a middle school music teacher that isn't quite fulfilling his soul. With this, he ends up in a much nicer purgatory and is ultimately assigned a soul to assist. His mission is to find a spark for this growing little soul, who happens to be extremely stubborn and wants absolutely nothing to do with life on Earth.
In just the first thirty minutes alone they crack some jokes and just flat out acknowledge some very strong life things that most adults face such as depression, anxiety and rejection. Going into this, I pretty quickly said this movie is either going to be incredibly inspiring or incredibly depressing, and that this is really not quite a movie for kids. Its not so dark that its inappropriate for children, but I do think it might not appeal to a lot of children either. I'm also shocked to say I've caught very few hidden Mickeys. In fact, I only caught one and that was when Number 22 was changing their form and changed their voice. They sounded exactly like Carl from Up, so I count that as a reference. I'm just an hour in though and haven't caught anything further -not even the Pizza Planet truck which surely is going to be easily hidden on the streets of New York, where this movie takes place. It takes a bit, but you do start to see some of the more light hearted, kid friendly humor. Like the Freaky Friday moment of Number 22 ending up in Joe's body and Joe ending up in a cat's for them to sort through everything to find Number 22's spark. 54 minutes in, and Number 22 is amazing. She may have absolutely no idea what the meaning of existence is and wants to just continue to exist between the planes of life, but she's really intelligent and deep. Which is fitting since she's had some of the most inspirational mentors of all time, such as Ghandi and Mother Theresa, and she's just having fun enjoying the little things. Like the way things taste, and reflections on windows. And she's really good at getting people to open up and feel confident in themselves. Perhaps she'll end up a therapist for children, or doing something else powerful for other humans. Either way, just being on Earth for what I'm assuming is only a few hours, she's lost her hatred of humans and life on Earth and seems to be finding herself genuinely having a good time. 59 minutes in -caught another reference! The subway they go to get on is labeled 2319, referencing Monsters Inc. Shame they didn't have some orange on the subway train, just to add to that reference. If you don't get it, we cannot be friends, I'm sorry. "This isn't about my career, Mom. This is my reason for living." That's a damn good line right there. Finding happiness in what you do, not just paying the bills. 22 really devels into the little things and its kind of beautiful in a way, and she kind of hit hard with a line she said. She said, "I always wondered if I'm not good enough for life." But then he showed her little things, she saw his mom sew his pants with just a small thing of thread, she appreciated someone giving her a lollipop to calm her down. Even said a guy yelled at her on the subway but she kind of liked it -kinky, good job Disney. I kid, I'm sure that was more of an adrenaline rush. 22 then finds her passion, and wasn't positive where it came from. He assumed it was because she was in his body, so he was really living off of her spark. But obviously that couldn't be the case, since its the soul that matters, not the body. And she hated music and pretty much everything, up until that point. "A spark isn't a soul's purpose, its your meanings of life. Its so basic." His spark is music, he's extremely sure of this fact. Meanwhile she has her last piece, but is lost and has no idea what her true purpose truly is. Just knows she's whole and doesn't quite know what to do with herself. Knowing Disney, he's going to end up realizing having a passion is meaningless without someone to share it with and somehow ending up back in the Beyond to find 22, because there's an obvious friendship forming. After he gets to actually play the show of a lifetime for him, with a critically acclaimed artist, of course. I completely called that. Which either means this speaks to my soul (pun completely intended) or I just know Disney that well. Both seems entirely likely. He got a taste of his dream and realized the dreams never add up to the reality, its no where near the same. As he's reflecting, he's understanding its the little moments along the way. Which when written down on paper, sounds entirely cheesy and dumb, but there is a lot of truth behind it. Its a fairly typical moral, but told in a different way. No two stories, lives, or souls are exactly the same. He starts playing his piano for fun, allows himself to be swept away with the music and finds himself back in the zone, so he can find the beyond and do exactly what I said. He's going back to find her, but now she's lost because she's practically lived but hasn't really. Lost souls in this movie are just people who have lost their ways, grown obsessed with something that's consumed their very being, or have been overwhelmed with anxieties. They get easily scared, and run, even if something might lead them to their true being. Sound familiar? Damn, Disney. They had such a strong visual representation of what it feels like to feel like you're not good enough, partly because of things people have said to you. Its a whirlwind of dark dust, and memories of people telling you what's wrong with you, of a voice telling you you just have no purpose. Telling yourself you just give up. That damn near made me cry, that was so well done. How sweet! He gave up his chances, so she could get a life of her own, and went as far as he could with her so she could feel ready. Then they gave him a second chance because of all his hard work, and his ultimate sacrifice. That was a beautiful ending. He might not know ultimately what he's going to do with his life, but he's going to live every moment of it. Ten out of ten, I definitely recommend it, especially if someone out there is in need of an inspiration burst. A spark, if you will. The only thing I wish is that we would have seen what happened with Number 22, and if they would have given her an actual name. That's my only real critique. You can watch it on Disney+ for free right now, and does not currently appear to be available for sale at this time. I'm assuming that may come at a later date. Greetings friends! Its been a little bit since I've made a formal post on the website again, but I promise I actually have not forgotten about you. Quite the opposite, actually! With the tenth anniversary of Immortal Music only ten days away, I've actually been thinking quite a bit about this whole community I've created. I've wanted to do something big to celebrate, but I didn't know exactly what to do. But, some ideas came to mind, and if you've been on the Facebook page lately, you might see that I have once again created some products.
I say once again, because back in 2015, I created some T-shirts and bracelets, and ultimately they weren't extremely successful. We sold one T-shirt, gave a handful to some friends and family, and had a ton of fun throwing the bracelets around at concerts. I am proud to say that Hollywood Undead, Bring Me The Horizon, and I believe A Day To Remember all got bracelets, as well as many strangers just enjoying the shows. We ended up having a lot of fun with those, and now there are only a small handful that are still going strong. Now this year, with quarantine and the pandemic going on, for some reason my creative juices began flowing again. I'm assuming it was due to the free time and being locked in our house without a job or anything to do for two months, but I started designing again. I started wanting to create again, which is something I actually haven't done in a long time. I took to photoshop and ended up designing multiple different stickers, drew up a new t-shirt design and ended up creating new bracelets. Those, in my honest opinion are so much cooler than the original ones, I might add. Better quality as well, these ones are embossed and should not fade much, if at all. I also did get one design of the stickers made, and while they did not turn out how I wanted them to, they are good quality, very clear and vibrant. So, I decided to list them anyway, after talking to several of you guys. I also went ahead and listed the T-shirts again, sizes are limited and I will never make these again. If I'm being quite honest, I do not even like the design anymore. That being said, since listing them, I actually have sold two shirts, which I know doesn't sound like much, but trust me, it was a big deal. Thank you to the two people who did purchase them, you're so appreciated. If anyone is interested in checking out what's for sale, click here. I am selling through Etsy, and am debating on doing a digital release for all the other sticker designs. They're all pride themed, and when I discussed them, people seemed rather interested. But such things are not cheap to make, and while I wanted to do made to order, it appears I will have to charge more in order to even break even. That didn't feel completely worth it just yet. I had the idea though I could release them as a digital art that could be used as a print out, a wallpaper for your computer, or whatever else you wanted. I'd really like to hear your thoughts on that matter. For what its worth, I have created pride flags with a twist for all of the following identities: Gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, trans, genderfluid, genderqueer, demisexual, asexual, and non-binary. Again, if you are interested, please let me know and I will figure out something from there. That was the main thing I wanted to talk about, but also wanted to just quickly promote all of the social medias. Facebook being our main one, then Instagram which is a lot of things actually. Its my personal Instagram, but its full of photography, my Funko Pop collection, and just whatever I want really. We also have a brand new Discord, which is only one month old at this point in time, and is still very small. Come to find out it is invite only, and every invite link is temporary, so if you're interested in joining, please message me, and I will send you an invitation. I am not extremely active on it but that's okay, its for everyone to chat and just hang out, it doesn't necessarily have to involve me at all times. Also have a YouTube channel, though I am not active on it currently and at this moment, do not have intentions to do anything with it. Still worth mentioning, as it has all my interviews, a lot of vlogs, and just some random fun stuff I've made over the years. That about covers it! Thank you so much for being here and being supportive and I will talk to you guys very soon. I just realized I said I wanted to start a new series where I put together playlists weekly or almost weekly, and that was almost a month ago now. Oops. At least I was honest and said I didn't know if that would actually happen.
If I'm honest, not much has changed. I'm still listening to basically the same things I already was, and I'm still not playing as much music as I do out of quarantine. But life is slowly getting back to normal, slowly but surely anyway. And to keep up with what I said I was going to do, it only feels right to come up with a new playlist. Some of the songs are still the same, because as I've said on the page, I've had four songs on a loop in my head for probably two weeks now. There's no real reason for any of them, but they're still looping no less. So, let's get into the quarantine playlist number 2. 1. Rise Above It -I Prevail 2. Popular Monster -Falling In Reverse 3. Monsters -All Time Low 4. Clumsy- All Time Low 5. The Lighthouse- The Used 6. Talk To A Friend -Slaves 7. Pretty Handsome Awkward -The Used 8. Lifelines -I Prevail 9. Tears Don't Fall -Bullet For My Valentine 10. Famous Last Words -My Chemical Romance 11. However You Want It Said -Beartooth I was thinking I could actually put some thought into this and add some depth. Really dig into how I've been feeling and make a playlist of songs that reflect that, but for now I kind of just named some random songs. Maybe the next one I do will have some depth to it. Some are just what I thought of as I was putting this together, a bit like the last one, but others are songs that have been heavily stuck in my head. By the way, I said at the beginning of this post that there were four songs on a loop for absolutely no reason. Those songs are "Rise Above It", "Popular Monster", "Monsters", and "Talk to A Friend." Well, and "Taste of Regret" from Of Mice And Men, which was not added into this playlist, just because I was trying to give some diversity. Some of the songs in this one were in the last one as well, so I couldn't be too similar. I'm running out of things to say for this one. I hope you guys are all doing well. Life is slowly going back to normal here, and I am kind of conflicted about it. I'm beyond ready, because I miss work and friends, and just some sense or normality. But I also am a little afraid of getting sick or getting someone close to me sick. There's been a lot of conflicting thoughts on the matter, and I guess its just taking it one day at a time. I'll talk to you guys soon. Thank you for being here, and please let me know what you're listening to or what's stuck in your head. So, I just posted the results for the 2020 Immortal Music Awards, and with every other year, to go with the results, I shared my thoughts. I doubt anyone really cares about that, but I do it because I actually don't vote at all in the polls. I don't give any input ever, and some opinions do get formed while I monitor the polls and other activity. So I always have something to say and just feel like sharing it.
There's a good handful with this year's results that I was quite happy with, but there are a few things I would have chosen that didn't quite make the cut. Before I get into my thoughts, please click here and check out the final results for the Immortal Music Awards. Once you see all of the winners, anything I say will no longer be a spoiler, and will make a lot more sense. Now that you've hopefully actually gone and looked at them, I can get into this. I first want to start off by saying I had absolutely nothing to do with the final outcome. I didn't even vote in any of the polls, despite how it might look. While these were in the suggestion stage, I had so many thoughts. First off, I was extremely happy to see how many suggestions were actually being provided. It was refreshing to see people actually participating, and kind of warmed my heart. Brought me back to before algorithms were basically a force-field against me. It was nice. The second thing was, "Well this is going to look rigged." Because its no secret that I am a massive I Prevail fan. I make that pretty clear, especially with the fact that I think I've shared "Bow Down" basically every single day since its release on the page. So many people suggested them for various different categories, and with the amount of suggestions, I just knew they'd probably win. I promise I had nothing to do with it. Already had a friend picking on me about that,and I hope nobody actually thinks that. That being said, while yes, I do agree that Trauma was hands down the best album to be released last year, and that the video for "Hurricane" is awesome, there is one thing I don't totally believe. They also won for the most underrated band of 2019, and at this point, I don't know if I'd call them underrated. Prior to Trauma being released, hell yes. I absolutely felt they were underrated, but not noq. Trauma has literally been nominated for a Grammy, so was "Bow Down." Underrated bands don't really get the attention of the Grammy's. I personally would have gone with Bury Tomorrow as the underrated band of 2019. I'm fairly new to them, but they're still relatively small and from what I've heard, they're absolutely wonderful. I also fully expected Slipknot to completely dominate the awards. For most of the time the polls were up, they were on top. There was just a last minute spark that set other bands ahead of them. I have always seen a ton of love for Slipknot through the page, but especially lately for "Unsainted." That was a very interesting music video, and I solidly expected that to win for best music video. Slipknot did however win for the best live band, and I can understand that. I actually have seen three of the four nominees live, with the only one I have not being As I Lay Dying, and they all were amazing. I think any of them were completely well deserved. However, the only one I saw live in 2019 was I Prevail, so I guess by default they won for me. Plus that show did something special to me, it was some time of tension release I desperately needed at the time. But that may have been more situational than band related, I don't know. In general though, I'd probably go with them or Bring Me The Horizon. I liked Slipknot live when I saw them in 2015, but I felt way more captivated by BMTH and I Prevail. As for the best song of 2019, I do understand why "Where I Belong" won, as it is a very sweet song, and I love the fact that it was such a big collab between three bands. But personally, I think I'd go with "Popular Monster" by Falling In Reverse. If I'm honest, I hadn't heard it all the way through until earlier this year when I saw them live, but I really think that might be their best song ever. It somehow slipped through the cracks for me prior, I think I might have heard the intro, assumed it was just Ronnie rapping and turned it off. I admit I didn't give it a proper chance, but then they played it live back in February and it proceeded to embed itself into my head for the whole next month. I don't really have that much more to say about all of it, but its tradition for me to give my feed back regarding the results so I decided to do it now. Please let me know your thoughts on the results, and if you did read the whole thing, be sure to send over some up and coming bands. I do have another semi small project in mine. Its just a way to hype up musicians that are not touring and still growing, and I thought it'd be fun. I know a lot of them, and personally really enjoy the local music scene. I absolutely love being part of it, and helping bands grow to the new levels. So send them over to the Facebook page, and be on the look out for that soon. Over the last two weeks, we've been working on a project. I started taking suggestions for the best musicians for 2019, and last week, we took the votes on those suggestions. This was all for a pre-existing event that has been hosted by Immortal Music several times over the years called the Immortal Music Awards. Now, the 2020 version is massively different from any other version I've ever done in the past. That is due to the fact that the world is completely different, and this time, it was brought back as an opportunity to combat boredom for everyone. In the past, it was an annual thing, done in the winter, typically between November -December, to recap the year. The first one dates back to 2011, the very beginning of Immortal Music. We did them every single year through 2016, then took a break. This is the first one since then, and since its just barely May, and 2020 has forced a lot of things to get postponed or canceled, all of this is based off of 2019. If anyone wants us to, if time permits and some sense of normalcy does come back to us this year, maybe we could do a second round of the awards this winter to recap 2020. Though I doubt anyone really wants to recap the hell fire that has so far been 2020. With all that being said, I'm hopeful the suggestion and voting periods provided some source of entertainment for everyone out there. Thank you so much for your participation, it means a lot to me. We got so many wonderful suggestions, and it sincerely felt like you guys were having a lot of fun with it. The voting felt a little light. but we still got a good handful, so I think we can semi-accurately determine the winners for ten different categories. Just to refresh your memory real quick, those categories are: Best Album, Best Song, Best Live Band, Best Music Video, Most Underrated Band, Best Vocalist, Best Unclean Vocals, Best Guitarist, Best Bassist, and last, but certainly not least, Best Drummer. We are going to go through them all in that order, and I just wish to remind you that these were all chosen by you guys! Every single nominee was suggested by someone who follows our Facebook page, and once again we thank you! Absolutely none of this was chosen by me, though if you would like to hear what I would have done, or my thoughts on the winners, please keep checking back, as I will be sharing my thoughts, as per tradition. Now, I know you're all probably skimming this, or have flat out scrolled down to see the winners. So, let's get into it, shall we?
So there you have it! Those are the winners for the 2020 Immortal Music Awards, as chosen by you guys. What do you think? Are you happy with the winners? What would you have done differently, if it was all up to you? Let me know. I'll be posting my thoughts very soon. Thank you again to everyone who provided suggestions and voted! A lot of suggestions were made that did not make it into the final running, but they all were much appreciated! If nothing else, I had fun seeing all the participation, and I hope you guys enjoyed taking part. Speaking of the suggestions, before I go, I want to quickly bring up something. I had a lot of people suggesting underground, up and coming, growing bands as nominees. They obviously would not be popular enough to win awards that are basically a popularity contest, but they deserve their own spotlight. So if you know any growing bands that aren't quite touring yet, please send them our way. I want to give them the attention they deserve. Please send them to via private message through the Facebook page, with the band or artist's name, social media and an example of their work, if you have a link. If not, I'm sure I can find it through their social medias. That's obviously going to be a project, but I wanted to quickly bring it up. I thought it was very sweet that several people were hyping up smaller musicians. Send them my way, and I'll speak to you guys very soon. |
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January 2022
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