Dreams are needed in life. Dreams, dedications, hobbies -whatever you want to call them. They're needed. There's more to life than just to live, and if you're not working toward something you feel strongly about -you're not living. You're just existing.
Which is fine, sometimes its totally necessary to simply just exist. Sometimes we need to just be for a while, to collect our thoughts, to sort things out, to relax, to grieve, ect. But many strive for more than just existence. Some don't, and that's great. Live your life for yourself. When you find something you're passionate about something, it becomes a huge priority in your life that somehow you always have time for. Its hard work, but its hard work that you like doing. And, its something that will give you a sense of purpose, and that is something incredible. Mine is this website. In early 2011, I had the realization that I could write about music, not just write and love music. So I started trying it, and didn't tell anyone really. I just started writing on a little blog, and eventually found the web host you see my website through today. I never really thought a little thing I did just to fill up my time would become such an important thing to me, but it did. New things have always scared me. I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was eleven years old, because I knew I'd fall along the way. I didn't learn to swim until I was almost thirteen years old, because I was terrified of the idea of drowning. So, rather than try, I'd be the one sitting in the shallow end, or keeping my feet on the wall, with an ring around my waist. I always see the danger in everything -and generally let fear stop me. This was different though.... I had no fear! Nothing about what I was taking on scared me, it intrigued me. As the bigger ideas reached my mind, those didn't scare me either. They intrigued me. I started writing down details plans and designs, and hid them away for safe keeping. I got my first interview in May 2011, with the rhythm guitarist of a band who no longer exists, and it made me want to try more. The first 'big' interview I got was Mayday Parade in November 2011, and when I sent the request for the interview, I told no one. I just sent it and hoped ot hear back. It was the first interview I ever asked for in person. Four days after I sent it, I got a response saying yes, I could interview them. That was the first time my mom heard about what I was doing, and she recently pointed out to that my website is the first thing I ever did without talking to her about it first. My mother and I are extremely close, but I also have been taught to live my life for myself, and I knew what I was trying to do sounded impossible, and I knew if I told anyone what I was doing, I'd be talked out of it. I'd be told, "Oh, don't bother them...They get a thousand emails a day, don't add to it for nothing." So, I just did it without any expectations. The interview did happen, but not in person. There was a misunderstanding, the interview was for email, not in person. This horribly disappointed me and their press person, to make up for the misunderstanding, gave me my first photo pass. My God was that a life changing experience. When she told me she was giving me a photo pass, I had never heard of such a thing. I didn't want to ask, so I just waited til the day of the show to figure it out. After that, I started trying to get a photo pass for every show. There's something unexplainable about the experience of being in front of the barricade. And to think I have now gotten to do so many incredible things all because I sent an email, blows my mind. That's the thing -sometimes, little things end up being big things. The entire first year, I actually was doing this, and making a portifolio for Alternative Press magazine. They never acknowledged me, and for a little while, that discouraged me. That's what lead me to doing my own thing, and now I couldn't be happier that I did. And I feel like its come almost full circle, in just a few years. I got the press request form for the 2015 APMA's, and its possible that I might get to go up to Cleveland, OH this year to cover them. This has been one hell of a journey so far, and the most insane part? This is only the beginning.
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January 2015 is already coming to a close! Man, does time fly when you're having fun. Or when you're extremely busy, and in this case, it happens to be both.
I don't mean to brag here, but I do have to say this has been one of those months that make me step back and go, "Wow, this is my life." Between things involving Immortal Music, Remedy X and my normal day job, I've done quite a lot! For reasons I cannot fully explain, I felt like doing a 'recap' of it all. I have never really done this before. Its always just at the end of the year, but I feel like doing it this time. Part of it is just for myself, so I can look back and see it all linked neatly in one place, but part of it is for you guys as well. Maybe someone out there is interested in knowing what's been going on, and has seen some of the content but not all of it. If you're not interested, that's fine! I certainly do not blame you, and encourage you to click off now if you are uninterested in the events of this month. If you are interested, read on! And don't hesitate to chime in on anything -whether its to tell me something you have been up to this month, or something involving something I did. Its all totally welcome! The year started off with one of the best shows I have ever seen Remedy X put on. And one of the weirdest shows I've ever seen them put on. Apparently this year is about new experiences, and this was one that I honestly should have vlogged because it was quite the experience. I helped turn one of my closest guy friends into a woman for a night and that's an all day process! Kudos to these drag queens that go further than we did, and in limited amounts of time! I don't know how you do it. We had to dye extensions twice, and his hair to match them, go shopping for the outfit, put it all together, straighten the hair and do the makeup. This was all for a contest, which he won with absolutely no competition. Pictures that night can be found all over their Facebook page, if you're interested. Then on January 10, I got to cover the sold out Papa Roach and Seether show at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Florida. That was an interesting experience. So interesting that I had to write two reviews, and it took me four days to get it all out. I had a lot to say, but none of it was good enough. The first review was far too vague, and the second one was fully detailed, but slightly wordy. If you wish to read about it, you can read the very vague blog by clicking here, and the more detailed one here. The detailed one really showed more than most concert recap blogs I write as I showed it all. There's always a lot of stress and emotions that happen when I have passes, because it is a process to get everything to work but I never show that online. This time, I did explain everything and it seemed to be received fairly well. You can also see all the pictures over on Facebook! I got some of the best pictures I ever took that night, and most of them were of Shawn Morgan of Seether for some reason. The interviews have just poured in this month. The first one was Seether's drummer, John Humphrey, and I was so happy with that! Especially that he got to answer the interview questions because it seems like drummers don't get to give a lot of input when it comes to interviews and they let him do it. I also interviewed a couple other bands, High & Mighty, Stealing Eden, The End At The Beginning, and there is another one pending for Firestarters. The questions have been sent, just the answers have not found their way back to me just yet. This month I have also reviewed several things this month. There has been F.E.A.R from Papa Roach, High&Mighty's entire discography, Forget The Past from Firestarters, Tragedy In Truth from Stealing Eden, Appearances from The End At The Beginning, Reincarnate by Motionless In White, and the Turning Leave EP from Strange Groove. The favorite, hands down though is F.E.A.R by Papa Roach. Its an incredible album. The Stealing Eden album though was quite special, but I explained why in both the review and interview so you'll have to go read it to find out why! News wise, tours for Fall Out Boy, and All Time Low have been announced, Hellyeah announced that they are out for blood on their new tour, Danny Worsnop left Asking Alexandria, as did Tom Delonge from Blink 182, although he denied it. All Time Low released their album artwork, along with the pre-orders for their brand new album Future Hearts, and the first single for it the album, "Something's Gotta Give." I also reviewed the video for "Something's Gotta Give" in a more fan based manner. I forgot to mention that I a video for "Everything Man" by An Honest Year, because it was sweet and it also reminded me of the video for "Time Bomb" that All Time Low put out several years ago. The announcement for Danny Worsnop departing from Asking Alexandria came as a surprise to some, but to Immortal Music, it came as no surprise. Plus, we felt directly connected to this announcement. The timing of it was simply too perfect, because the day before We are Harlot released "Dancing On Nails" and we posted about it. We sent the article to We Are Harlot, who retweeted it soon after it was posted. In the article, I questioned if We Are Harlot could be the death of Asking Alexandria and stated that We Are Harlot is a much better use of Danny's talent. While this announcement happening the very next day was probably nothing but a coincidence, I can't help but wonder if Danny read it and then felt comfortable announcing what he clearly already was thinking just because someone else finally said it. Its possible! Unlikely, yes, but possible. Not a lot of blog posts were posted this month, just the two recaps for the Seether and Papa Roach show, a requested review of the Sabaton video/ song, "To Hell & Back", a review of "Scars" by Papa Roach, which was originally intended to be an application to Alter The Press. Earlier this month, they were accepting applications and I did apply, but did not get accepted. None the less, I really enjoyed their application, because they wanted you to explain yourself as a writer and music lover. Along with that, they also asked people to write a review of their favorite song. This was on the heels of finally seeing it performed live, so I did use that as part of it. I also wrote a goals list for the year. The goals included things like reaching 35k on Immortal Music, 2k on Immortal Music, releasing T-shirts finally, and many more things. Anything done in the last few days of January will not make it to this list, but there are only a few days left, so I think its alright. I am thinking of trying to do monthly recaps and then doing the year recap would be a lot easier because the whole year will be written out. Well, in regards to Immortal Music, that is. Its been a great month, and currently there is not a ton planned for February. I am hoping to do a photo shoot with Remedy soon, as well as another band. Details will be coming soon on that, the information regarding it all is not currently known. I also plan on keeping up with the interviews and reviews. For every band I interview, I do plan on doing a review for, and vice versa. I will be giving the up and coming bands a lot of love too with that. Another thing that happened this month had nothing to do with Immortal Music or Remedy X, but is definitely worth mentioning. As many know, on top of Immortal Music and Remedy X, I also do have a day job at a retail store. With any store, comes inventory time. I experienced that for the first time ever and I think it went very well. I got asked to travel to another store out of town with my head manager to help out with another store's inventory, and then at my own store actually did something that was quite the feat for me. I am terrified of heights, and have been my entire life. Since starting this job last summer, I have faced this fear quite a bit. They still make me highly nervous, but I can tolerate it in small doses. Before I started working there, I couldn't even get on a ladder. Now, I can! And this month, I was able to spend two hours on the top of a ladder scanning things. I can't say I wasn't afraid, I was, and I can't say I didn't end up terrifed and crying but it took two hours and having things fall down three times before it got to be too much. That won't matter to anyone else, but I wanted to talk about it because I'm proud of myself for that! It was a big deal for me, and it just was worth mentioning. Just to wrap everything up in a neat and organized manner, I have linked everything that was previously mentioned in their own categories. This way, you can see all the blogs, reviews, news, and interviews from this month in one area, even though they were all linked before. This just made sense, I don't know. Also, the first video of 2015 has been posted on the YouTube video! It was just me opening a late Christmas package from a friend of mine, but in it, I also explained what is now going on with the YouTube channel. You can watch that by clicking here. This month I have really been enjoying Papa Roach and All Time Low. Particularly their songs, "Face Everything And Rise" and "Something's Gotta Give." Interviews: Seether / The End At The Beginning / Stealing Eden / High & Mighty Reviews: F.E.A.R from Papa Roach / High&Mighty's entire discography / Forget The Past from Firestarters / Tragedy In Truth from Stealing Eden / Appearances from The End At The Beginning / Reincarnate by Motionless In White / Turning Leave EP from Strange Groove News: Fall Out Boy & Wiz Khalifa tour / All Time Low tour/ All Time Low album artwork and video / Hellyeah is out for blood / Danny Worsnop Left Asking Alexandria / Tom Delonge left Blink 182 / We Are Harlot -"Dancing On Nails" video Blogs: Vague recap of the Papa Roach and Seether show/ Detailed version of the show / Review of Sabaton's "To Hell & Back" /Review of "Something's Gotta Give" by All Time Low video / "Scars" review / 2015 Goals / "Everything Man" -An Honest Year video review So tell me, what have you been up to this month? And what have you been listening to? Let me know in the comments on this post or over on Facebook. An Honest Year is an alternative pop band from Philadelphia, PA. On this particular track, they are reminiscent of We The Kings and Artist Vs Poet. The video for their song, "Everything Man", tells the story of a young man who is head over heels in love with a girl that doesn't seem to share that feeling. While the topic is entirely cliche', there are truths hidden behind the word cliche' and it does happen all the time. When the video starts off, it looks quite reminiscent of the video All Time Low did for "Time Bomb", but that's just because it starts with them on a rooftop. The song even says, "I want you, but you don't see it." and "She's looking for her everything, but she don't notice I'm the perfect hand." We see this boy, and this girl go through several things, from just hanging out, to him trying to comfort her. At a party, she fights with her boyfriend and almost kisses him, but then walks back inside to her boyfriend. He follows her in there, and punches the guy straight in the face and finally gets his kiss. Thus proving that sometimes, you do get out of the friendzone, which is a reminder more people need. And to get it from a really good, pop rock song and video? Even better! If you haven't heard this song, or An Honest Year in general, please be sure to check them out! If you are a fan of We The Kings, Artist Vs Poet, Blink 182, Boys Like Girls or anything along those lines, you are sure to like An Honest Year! Be sure to check them out on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, and their Official website. Also, don't forget to check out the video for "Everything Man", you most definitely will not be disappointed in it, as it is a wonderful video. Disclaimer: This is very long, and probably a bit disjointed. What you are about to read was written over the time of four days, and frankly, I stopped trying to make it perfect, proper or professional. I just started rambling, and hopefully you like reading about the memories that came out of seeing Seether and Papa Roach. This is the full story, for the most part.
Despite the fact that I did write a recap of the show I went to at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Florida, I honestly was far too vague for even my own liking. Frankly, I think by the time I got the draft that you guys saw online, I was far too exhausted and slightly brain dead to be diplomatic and explanatory all in one article. I stated that I didn't like the Hard Rock Live, and expressed my gratitude for Papa Roach and Seether's performances, but I didn't explain anything. That fact bothers me a bit, because not only are the bands slightly aware of what I said this time around, but I always tell you guys everything or vlog! You -the people reading this right now- are the reason I get these incredibly unique experiences and telling you all about it or filming it all are the only ways I can share it with you! I can't actually bring everyone with me, but what I normally do is damn close. This time, I didn't film anything. I had my 'vlogging' camera with me, but never pulled it out, partly out of respect for my mother, who is not comfortable being in front of the camera. The other part, the bigger part, was simply because I was trying to enjoy it. I've gotten out of filming for YouTube recently, and back into writing. I didn't want to vlog about it, I wanted to write about it! And if it was filmed, there was very little point in writing about it, because most people would rather watch a video over reading a long post. Luckily, a lot of people do still read, and for that I thank you greatly. If you have been around for a while, you know that my show recaps are rarely normal. They jump all over the place,but you still get the full story, for the most part. I felt the post I previously did about this show was simply inadequate, so now you're getting a better one. Now that I've explained why I feel compelled to write a second review of the same show, when I normally just write one, share the pictures, and that's that, I will begin telling you everything. This is still going to be different, just like the first one, because what I said still stands. I went to this show as a fan first and a journalist second. Because of that, I went a bit deeper with this one, I think. Rather than just telling the journalism side of things, I talked about the emotional rollercoaster too. This show had a lot of up's and a lot of down's too. In the moment, it felt like there were more down's than anything, but in retrospect, that's not true. It was an adventure, and while it was stressful, it was a great one that I am still honored I got to have. If you read the first blog, you will be getting some of the information over again because this time I'm telling it all. Feel free to skim over what you have already read, I won't be offended. I just wanted to get it all out, like I usually do. I honestly feel like I owe it to myself, you guys, and the bands to do it the right way. The day this tour with Seether and Papa Roach was announced, I decided my mother and I had to go. Seether is one of her favorite bands, and Papa Roach is one of mine. She had missed seeing Seether a couple of times, and I had missed Papa Roach a handful of times as well. I was determined this time, we were not going to miss it. It was sort of fate, actually, because the day the tickets went on sale, I got paid and had work. I work in a mall, and there is a Ticketmaster kiosk right down the hallway from my job. As soon as I got out of work that day, I went right to that Kiosk and purchased two general admission tickets. My mom still to this day claims I'm the 'best daughter in the world' for buying her a ticket, and calling it a Christmas present. I've argued that many times, simply because I wanted to go too, and if she had a ticket, I had a guarenteed way there. When it came down to it though, and I had my mom hugging me and thanking me again for buying her the ticket, with tears in her eyes as Seether played "Broken", I'll admit, I felt pretty great right then. I don't think I ever saw my mom so happy in my entire life. She later told me that she cried during Seether's first song, just because she was finally seeing them. Neither one of us can tell you what song they opened with, she was emotional and just happy to be seeing them, and right then, I was stressed out and upset with a really bad headache. The reason for my mood at that moment actually stemed off of several things. When we got parked, we were parked on the roof of a five story parking garage, which is nothing to some people. I, however, was born with a massive fear of heights that I have only recently been able to slightly deal with. Six to ten foot ladders only make me slightly weak at the knees now, but being higher up than the tree tops? That was too much for me to handle. At first, I thought I would be okay, as long as I didn't go near the edge. Well, apparently I overestimated myself. Getting back down to the ground seemed to take an eternity, and I did not even get five feet from our car without bursting into tears. Something interesting happened though, and it was just ironicly perfect timing. Just as the car was put in park, my iPod started playing, "Scars", by Papa Roach. That just so happens to be my favorite song, and it was the main song I was looking forward to seeing that night. It was like my iPod knew exactly what was going on, and how to fix it. Admittedly, in an attempt to keep myself calm, I probably restarted that song five or six different times before we got back on the ground. The song did sort of help though! Between blasting it in my ear as we walked and reminding myself over and over that I was there partly to finally see that song played live, it kept my feet moving and me from being a full blown puddle of tears on the floor. On top of that, my photo pass was late to the venue, and that scared me. I thought I was going to get last minute screwed over, and having just relaxed from the whole parking garage terror, I was slightly emotionally unstable. I stood by the Will Call just waiting for the passes to get there, and couldn't decide whether I was more worried or mad at that moment. Then a friend of mine sent me a screenshot of a Tweet she posted on the Immortal Music Twitter account. The Tweet just stated that I was excited to finally see Papa Roach, and they had Tweeted it. That made me feel better in the moment, and just moments later, the pass showed up. All was good again. Fast forward to when we got into the Hard Rock itself. The first impression, initially was wonderful! It was smaller than I thought, and personally, I love small venues. You feel connected to the band everywhere in them, and they're just great. That being said, the Hard Rock Live in Orlando needs to learn a thing or two about hosting a concert. My only real disappointment was the venue. Their sound system for the first two bands was awful, so were their lighting. I can't help but feel like they had their sound boards set wrong on purpose, just to make the other two bands look better. That's not fair in the slightest. Never before had I ever actually felt bad for the bands performing before, but I felt bad for Islander and Kyng. Thanks to the Hard Rock doing them a major injustice by making them only sound good to the front row or so, and making sure to use the evil red light so very few photographs could turn out properly, both bands were probably cost many new fans that night. That's a shame. Between that, and the fact that they seemed to only care about serving alchohol to those who were far past their cut off point, you could tell they didn't really believe that "Music is life", like their employees shirts said. They just wanted to make money. That's honestly shameful, if you ask me. That being said, from what I could hear of Islander and Kyng, they were very talented bands. I am still getting familar with both bands music, so I don't have a full opinion formed yet but live, they are good. Had they had proper sound people to back them up, they probably would have been great. Islander, honestly is a perfect match for Papa Roach. I decided that in the car on the way up to the show as I listened to their album. They just compliment their sound perfectly. Kyng, while great, seemed a bit heavier for this tour! They did compliment the other two bands very well though, they just were definitely heavier than the rest. That can be a good thing though, that just makes them stand out from the rest. I already told the best part of Seether's performance -and its going to sound so fake, but it was honestly just how happy they made my mom. I enjoyed their set, don't get me wrong, but honestly, that was the best part. They did make me very happy as well. Thus brings me to the moment I started to tell you about before hand! As I said, I was not in a good mood when they got on stage. At that point, I was convinced that the lights were going to stay awful, and so would the sound. I walked up in front of the barricade wiping tears from my face, because I was just that fed up right then. I actually had said to my mom if we hadn't driven four hours for two reasons that hadn't taken the stage yet, I'd just want to go home. Obviously, we didn't leave, and I'm glad I stayed now, but that was how I felt about it in the moment. Their set was great though, and they helped turn my mood around a lot. They were using the same red light that had been used all night, and that did not ease the concerns I had. Then about half way through their first song, they stopped using it and suddenly, the pictures were turning out! Thanks to that, I got some of the best pictures I have ever taken during their set. I am extremely proud of the pictures I got that night, and it meant the world to me to have that pass. By the time Papa Roach took the stage, I was in a great mood and was finally feeling the excitement again. As I was standing in front of the barricade, talking with other sleepy press people, and people on the barricade, a lady suggested that I take a 'selfie' with the crowd. I declined at first, because I normally don't do such things, but she said it'd be really cool, and it got me thinking. I always think pictures like that are cool when bands take pictures like that from the stage, with the crowd behind them, and I was capable to do that. Security wasn't even protesting, and they were hearing this whole conversation that did involve me standing on the barricade step. So, I decided not to pass up the chance and took the picture. I must say, I'm glad she talked me into it. Its a great memory, and for a moment there, I felt like a 'rockstar', even though I'm far from one. And then, the lights got cut and the crowd erupted as the band started to come out. Nothing else mattered then! They came out playing, "Face Everything And Rise", and for the first time in a very long time, almost every person in front of that barricade, were singing along. That's rare! Most of the time, they either are too focused on taking pictures to sing along, or just are not into the band at all. Same goes for security! This almost always happens and I always seem to be the only one, or one of the only ones in front of the barricade singing along. It was refreshing hearing so many people singing a song that has grown to be one of my favorites. Plus, I was just geiunely happy to finally be experiencing a Papa Roach concert. I don't want to give away their set list, but I will say that I knew every song they played. Both Seether and Papa Roach played a good mix of their entire discographies, so chances are everyone who goes will not be disappointed in the set list over all. I certainly was not. The best part of Papa Roach's set for me though, was "Scars." I had worked my way as close to the barricade as I could get, and when it came on, all I could think of was singing along and trying to see right where I was. I wasn't planning on trying to get closer or anything, just was standing on my tiptoes and trying to crane my neck around people. My mom tapped a guy that was next to us on the shoulder and explained what the song meant to me, and motioned to my forearm, where my tattoo referencing the song is and asked if I could get in front of him so I could see better just for this song. He said yes, and let me in front of him, and seeing that live was everything I hoped it would be. Everyone has songs that speak to them, and just seem to define them. For me -that is "Scars", and this was my first time ever experiencing it live. After the stress from the day, this was what I had waited for. As I was standing there screaming every lyric back at Jacoby, with my eyes going back and forth between him and their guitarist, Jerry Horton, tears were forming in my eyes. On some level, I almost feel weird admitting that, because it sounds like a 'fangirl', but its not that. That's just the power of music. About half way through the song, the dams broke and I honestly was that person in the crowd that was screaming lyrics with everything they had, with tears streaming down their face. The guy that was standing with us had somehow ended up back next to me, and I saw him look over at me with this very understanding smile on his face. The entire time, I heard him belting it out just as much as I was, and it made me wonder -does that song mean a lot to him too? Either way, he seemed to understand the power of music right there. This was an unforgettably crazy night, that I am so glad I finally got to talk about. As I said, I have been trying to get this out the right way for a few days now, and I finally did it. I'm sorry if it didn't make sense, or if it was dysjointed, but this was the only way I could do this. Thank you again to all the bands for being amazing, my mom for driving me to the show, and Seether's press person for helping me with everything. The biggest thank you really does go to Seether, because I meant what I said -I had never seen my mom so happy before, except during their set. A friend of mine said he wanted to hear my thoughts on this video, since its highly different from what I normally listen to and watch. So, here it is. I left it rather unfiltered, and did not edit it into something 'proper.' I left it as is, and wrote it as I was watching the video. The video I am talking about is "To Hell & Back" by Sabaton. The video is nearly a year old now, but this was my first time ever seeing it. The intro of the song is very Scottish. The voice is very unique. And Wow....the video really does perfectly depict the mental issuses soliders usually have when coming home from war. Any solider out there that's trying to explain what's got them so 'messed up' after they return home from a tour should show people this video. Maybe then people would get that its not that simple to just shut their brains off just because "they're home, they're safe now." You wouldn't be okay either if you were in a literal war zone, and did see people die. Sometimes in very brutal, awful ways. Honestly, its a damn shame that war exists at all. Its destructive and for what? And then it tears people who are involved (and manage to survive) apart mentally. Its brave yes, but a lot of people do end up with drug addictions or massive disorders just trying to cope with what they saw while in combat. This probably could serve as a great tool for anyone trying to explain PTSD, or any other sort of anxiety problem as well. This is the video, by the way, for anyone interested in seeing it. WARNING: This 'review' will give the entire video away for you. If you have not seen the video, please do so now! Otherwise, you will have the entire thing spoiled for you! Not only does it recap the entire thing in text form, but there are plenty of thoughts surrounding the video in this article. Watch the video first and then read on. You've been warned! Slappy Joe's Burgers is 'open for business'. however, you cannot actually eat there. Everyone was speculating what was going on with that. Everyone assumed that it was maybe a co-owner ship like what Jack Barakat currently has with The Rockwell in Baltimore. Well, that's not quite the case, and even if it was, its possible that you might not want to eat the food there.
It appears as though it turns you into a zombie. All Time Low has officially out done themselves in the weird music video department. We all thought, "Backseat Serenade" was weird, and then "Somewhere In Neverland" was a bit strange. Well, this one takes the cake. Erm....fries? Flesh? It starts off with Alex in a French Fry mascot suit, in the street. And at first, you find yourself thinking, "Damn, French fries never looked so good." Then he sees a girl, who starts running from a now very baffled Alex. He starts chasing her, and frankly, it appears as though she was just scared of people in mascot costumes. Then he gets a glimspe of himself in a store front window and suddenly is a zombie. The whole video concept starts over, where you can see the zombie part. He goes an takes a chunk out of Jack's arm, and then starts going after the rest of the band. As Zombie Alex is standing there eating All Time Low guts, the girl shoots him, and now he is dead too. WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS VIDEO? This doesn't go with the song at all. Unless you're trying to say this whole 'zombie apocalyspe' thing has got to end. Who came up with the concept for this video? I can't help but feel like it was Alex, since he's the one who went crazy and ate parts of his friends. He was a zombie, so he turned all of them into zombies. "We go together or we don't go down at all", keeps coming to mind here. However, notice that Jack had the least damage done to him. Alex did chew up his arm quite a bit, but look at Rian! He got his guts ripped out. One can't help but wonder if there's some sort og hidden metaphor behind why Jack got the least damage to him, and why he was attacked first. Zombie or not, Jack is still Alex's best friend, and he clearly didn't want to hurt him. Just the zombie side took over some. Very weird video, but a great song. I would have done it totally different, but to each their own. What do you think of the video? Let me know! Don't forget too to check out the pre-orders for the new album, Future Hearts and all the tour dates for their upcoming tour here! I got word that Alter The Press is hiring, and frankly could not resist applying. I was turned down, but in the most polite, respectful, and kind of heartwarming way ever.
I sent in my application, which was a short explanation of myself as a journalist, why I wanted to write for Alter The Press and a review of my favorite song. Not two hours later, I received an email in return for it. The email said we were not the right fit for one another, but then the lady went on to acknowledge that clearly I am very dedicated to music and a go-getter. She said that is something to be proud of, and said that a lot of people with the skills never create as much as I have with my website, and said to feel free to stay in touch. Never before had I been so proud of a rejection before. I was so happy with that answer, I don't think I was even upset that she turned me away. Instead, I told two friends to go apply, and I am telling you guys to do the same. If you want to write about music, go check it out! They answer back very quickly, and its worth a shot! The details on what to send, and the email address to send them to, are right here. The reason I am telling you all this is actually because I felt like sharing what I sent in. They ask you to write 1- 4 sentences about who you are a music lover and writer, and why you would like to write for Alter The Press. Then, they want you to review your current favorite song in 200 -500 words. I don't know why I felt like sharing what I sent them, I just did. So, without further ado, here is my review of "Scars" by Papa Roach, and my short explanation of myself. I am a 'professional' music journalist in training, who only started doing this because I had a passion for both writing and music. It only made sense to combine the two. I would like to write for Alter The Press because the content they put out, perfectly harmonize with what I naturally like to write about in regards to music. My favorite song is Scars by Papa Roach, and it might be ten years old, but it speaks to my very soul. My weakness is that I care too much, and that applies to everything in life. From friends, to dreams and goals. Compassion's in my nature, and the song perfectly depicts that. When I heard it for the first time, it was far from new, but it didn't matter. Its one of the first songs to ever say exactly what I was feeling. What they say is true, when words fail, music speaks. This spoke volumes, and it continues to do so for me. Its all about trying to make yourself let go after you did so much for someone who didn't deserve it. We've all been there before, and because of that, this song hits home with quite the force. Any song that can touch your soul, and still mean the world to you several years later, is well worth your time. If you haven't heard, "Scars", not only are you living under a rock with no internet service or radio waves, but you are missing out on something truly incredible. What's even more incredible is finally hearing your favorite song live. You know a song is good when it can turn a horribly disappointing night, filled with tears of frustration, fully around, and turn the bad tears into happy ones. If that's not magical, I don't know what is. This show review is going to be a bit different from my other ones. It took me all day to write it, because frankly, I couldn't decide how I wanted to go about this. I said a lot, and this one is very different simply because I went into this show as a fan first and foremost, and a journalist second. Hopefully you like the insight to the other side of things for Immortal Music.
I bought tickets for myself and my mom to go see Papa Roach and Seether at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Florida. We were both expecting this to be one of the best concerts either one of us had ever been to, because she had been dying to see Seether and I had been dying to see Papa Roach. Then I was granted an interview over email with Seether, as well as a photo pass for the night. That just made everything more exciting. However, part of the appeal was the fact that it was at such a legendary venue, and frankly, the Hard Rock we went to, was a total let down. Perhaps other Hard Rock locations would be better, but the one connected to Universal Studios in Orlando isn't quite up to par. It became obvious very quickly that a concert venue should just stay totally separate from an amusement park. Period. The two just don't mix much. One is just for sheer entertainment, and does bring in great money -one can bring in great money, but should fully be about the music. For some, music is just entertainment, but its so much more to most people. At a glance, it looked like the Hard Rock and their staff felt that way about music. From the framed photos of various band members, to the gold guitars on the door handles, to the staff uniforms that say "Music Is Life." Just makes you believe that they truly love music, musicians and fans, right? Apparently its all an act, because the first two bands got totally screwed over. The sound was so off that unless you were by the barricade, they sounded like noise, and you could tell it geniunely was not their not fault. Or at least, some people could. Sadly, between the poor sound, and awful red lights that simply just hate cameras, the Hard Rock basically cost Islander and Kyng tons of new fans. Had they been given a fair chance just like Seether or Papa Roach, and been treated like they should have, they wouldn't have been out anything. From what I could hear of both bands, I thought they were great. I wish more of my pictures had turned out for them, but a lot of them didn't. Be on the look out soon for reviews of albums from both bands, I want to give them a little shout out. They deserve some credit too. Annoyance with the sound quality, lighting and overly drunk people who were still being served alcohol long after they should have been cut off, it was a good show! Seether and Papa Roach made up for it all. Seether made myself and my mom very happy with their set actually. They made me happy because they only used the red light a very limited amount, and because of that, I got some of the best pictures I have ever taken that night. The way they made my mom very happy was just by performing. For the first time in probably four years, I actually put away my camera and just enjoyed the show. The thing about being a music journalist, concerts are never just for fun anymore. They're opportunities. Fun opportunities, none the less, I never just go to a show just as a fan anymore. This show was the first show I ever bought tickets for the day they went on sale, and this is the first show in just under two years that I had intended on going to just for fun. Yes, the pass changed that, but it didn't take away from all the fun. Was I frustrated? Absolutely. I'll be perfectly honest, I was in tears because of how frustrated I was. We drove four hours to a bad venue, that made two of the bands look horrible, and there was nothing the bands could do about it. It wasn't looking promising for Seether and Papa Roach, and at one point, I was debating on just asking if we could go home just because I was that fed up with everything. I didn't though, because we had driven all that way for two reasons -and those two reasons had not taken the stage yet. Now that I am looking back at it all, I'm glad I stayed. I won't go back to the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, and I wouldn't want to book the band I manage there either, but I can't say I regret going either. This show as a Christmas present to my mom, and she finally got to see Seether live, and I finally got to see Papa Roach. More specifically, I finally got to see my all time favorite song, "Scars" performed live in person by Papa Roach themselves. Despite all the drunk assholes that had far too much to drink, there were still a ton of great people. Several of them were close to the barricade, where my mom and I found ourselves when "Scars" started to be played. I was too focused on just trying to see right where I was, but my mom asked the guy I was standing next to if I could get in front of him and explained that the song means everything to me and motioned to my tattoo of some of the lyrics on my arm. He let me in front of him with no question, and actually let me stay up near him until I decided to leave the pit. Experiencing that song live though meant everything to me. The fact that I was able to see most of the band during the song as well, just made it all the more memorable. That was everything I could have asked for, and just as I expected, I did cry. Everyone deserves that moment, where they finally hear their favorite song live, and I finally got that. After missing changes to see them, sometimes narrowly missing even, several times, it finally happened. Thank you, Papa Roach and Seether for making it all worth it, and for reminding me that sometimes you just need to stop and enjoy the music. For everyone else, if you want more information on the show -let me know. I will tell all, if you want it. There's plenty more where that came from. You can also check out all the pictures over on the page -and I recommend checking them out, many of them turned out fabulously. We are just over one week into the new year and its already started off with new experiences, and boy, have they been interesting. Started off at a local show on new years with some old friends and a new found one. Then soon found myself helping a friend hands down win a contest, where he ended up cross dressed.
The year is definitely off to new experiences when you consider that start. Also, to go along with that, interview questions have been sent to Seether and in just two days, Immortal Music will be seeing them live for the second time. With them, will be Papa Roach, who frankly, we could not be more excited to finally see. A vlog may or may not be filmed the day of the show, we will see. As it stands right now, event wise, there's not much going on. That being said, there are a lot of goals for the new year. All may not get done, but go big or go home right? We're not promising anything, but we have had several ideas for things we would like to do in 2015 that do directly involve Immortal Music. Some of it involves Remedy X, as well. There's not a ton of things on the list, but everything on this list does count for something. This list is in no real order, and I want to stress yet again that these are just ideas for the year. Some may actually happen, others may not. These are just the things I've been thinking about doing and wanted to share those ideas with you. Without further adue, let's get into that list -shall we? I want to get the content on this website back on a schedule. No idea if anyone will remember this, but there once was a time where things were posted on somewhat of a schedule. News was posted daily, and blogs and album reviews had their own set days as well. Interviews have always been up in the air, as its not so much up to me, but rather up to the bands and when they agree to them. A schedule hasn't been determind for this just yet, but we're thinking news will be posted as often as there is something to talk about, album reviews can go up every Monday and a blog can go up every Friday. Extra content obviously will be posted here and there, but it'd be nice if there were certain days you could just expect content to be up on. Those days might be set to change -what days do you think would be best for what content? Let me know! Your input would be wonderful.
For some reason, its proven to be a lot harder to get a band recognition, than it is to get Immortal Music attention. Either way, I want to see them steadily grow more. To go with that, i want to get their Twitter account more active as well, so I am working on that as well. Speaking of Twitter, a lot of people are unaware of the Immortal Music Twitter account. It is not run by me, but run by a very close friend of mine who is helping me so much! She's actually been helping me a lot by reaching out to smaller bands and getting album review offers and interview requests out there. Not a lot has been worked on yet, but we're discussing it and are trying to get into the routine of making all these things more frequent. She has run the Twitter account for a while now, and I appreciate her help so much. Be sure you go follow that, and I also made an Instagram account finally. Its just Immortal Music, and Twitter is @Musicvamp527. Which is my YouTube channel name, by the way. Since I brought up YouTube, I might as well explain what's going on with that. Some of you may be aware that I haven't uploaded a video in a while. I've kind of lost interest in that. I started YouTube as a time filler really, and it was fun but as I got busier I found myself trying to make time to do it and it was beginning to feel more like a chore. So, I decided to just stop making videos on a schedule. I do plan on vlogging here and there on days that seem like they're worth filming, and I might every now and then make a video just for the hell of it but I'm no longer going to be making three videos a week. I don't have the time for that anymore, and even when I do have the time, I don't have the drive to do it. My heart is in Immortal Music and Remedy X, so free time tends to go to those and watching YouTubers, not making videos. Hopefully you guys understand. Which surely you do, because its not like I'm going anywhere. I'm still active online, just not on YouTube. Let's see....what else is there to mention? I think that about covers everything Immortal Music wise. There's big things coming this year with Remedy, but those are going to be classified until further notice. I might attempt to do the 2015 Warped tour Battle Of The Bands with them again, but at the same time, I might not. We're going to discuss that closer to when the Battles restart and then go from there. Only other thing I feel I should mention is that I also might be contributing to a brand new, local magazine. The first issue is tentatively coming out next month, and I'm excited that I got asked to be part of it! Hopefully that goes far as well. I think that about covers it! Let's recap really fast -Shameless self promotion for both Immortal Music and Remedy needs to be done, T-shirts will be made one way or another, content will become more frequent on the website in 2015, and more interviews will be done. With that comes a couple questions for you guys. Its not much, so don't worry too much. I just want to know a couple things. Are you ready? Here they are; -What goals do you have for this year? -What days do you think would be best to post blogs and album reviews? Be sure to answer those questions -I really want to know! Thank you very much for your input, if you choose to give it to me. I'm going to get to work now! Thanks for reading! |
What's this?Blogs of various topics go here, and all are written by Immortal Music's creator. You never know what you may find here, so have a look around. Archives
January 2022
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