Loud Music Review

October Concert Picks

2009-10-04T19:03:00.002-05:00

The Dead Weather - Oct. 5 - House of Blues
Thursday - Oct. 15 - The Door
KMFDM - Oct. 21 - Granada Theater
Senses Fail - Oct. 23 - Granada Theater
Tiesto - Oct. 24 - Palladium Ballroom
Brand New and Thrice - Oct. 30 - Palladium Ballroom

September Concert Picks

2009-09-10T17:03:00.001-05:00

She Wants Revenge - 9/10 - Granada Theater
The Mars Volta - 9/16 - Palladium Ballroom
Billy Talent - 9/30 - The Loft

July Concert - Picks

2009-07-04T14:24:00.003-05:00

Warped Tour - July 5 - Superpages.com

Rise Against, Rancid, and Billy Talent – July 16 – Palladium

Poison the Well – July 19 – The Door

Nekromantixs – July 25 – House of Blues

VNV Nation - July 27 - Granada Theater

Rancid - Let the Dominoes Fall

2009-06-08T13:24:00.003-05:00

Since the day Rancid's latest album "Let the Dominoes Fall" came out it hasn't left my cars cd player. "Let the Dominoes Fall" isn't going to when you over if your not already a fan of the band. But if you are "Let the Dominoes Fall" will be everything you are looking for in a new Rancid album. This albums represents everything I like about Rancid. Catchy, up beat, fast songs that make you want to sing along and jump around. Most of the songs have something to say about the state of the world today. They cover everything from the war in Iraq to the struggling economy. Some particularly strong songs are Disconnected, East Bay Night and my personal favorite You Want It, I Got It. All I can say is that if like punk rock go out and buy this cd right now!! For info on Rancid visit the bands myspace page at www.myspace.com/rancid

RANCID: "Last One To Die" video

Marilyn Manson - The High End of Low

2009-06-04T12:40:00.005-05:00

Marilyn Manson has been one of my favorite musicians since I was in high school. I own all of his albums and have seen live multiple times in a number of cities. So I could hardly wait to get my hands on his newest release "The High End of Low." The album had been hyped quite a bit on the internet because of the return of Twiggy Ramirez and a quote form Manson comparing it to the "Antichrist Super Star." Sadly the "The High End of Low" does not live up to the hype. Its not a horrible album by any means. It is just not all that good either. Twiggy's influence on the sound of the album goes along ways. The thing that weakens the album in my opinion are the lyrics. A majority of the album's lyrics are about having your heart broken and the pains and anger that comes along with it. I hate to say it; but Manson has gone a little "emo" with this album. There are a few gems on the album that rank among Manson's best. "We're Americans" and "Leave a Scar" are two songs that come to mind. "The High End of Low" may be Manson's weakest album; but there is still enough for hardcore fans to warrant a purchase. For more enough on Marilyn Manson you can go to www.myspace.com/marilynmanson

June Concert Picks

2009-06-03T17:41:00.002-05:00

June Concert Picks

New York Dolls - June 3 - House of Blues
Peaches - June 12 - Granada Theater
Chuck Ragan - June 21 - Prophet Bar
Futurefest - June 27 - Austin

May Concert Picks

2009-05-03T12:09:00.002-05:00

Mad Sin - May 6 - House of Blues
Edgefest - May 9 - Pizza Hut Park
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult - May 11 - Granada Theater
Fischerspooner - May 15 - Granada Theater
Isis - May 20 - Granada Theater
Benny Benassi - May 23 - Lizard Lounge

The Faint & A Little Bit of Ladytron @ the Granada

2009-04-23T14:20:00.009-05:00

We arrived at the show kinda of late. I was a a little worried that we might miss the beginins of Ladytron's set. We lucked out and arrived when the were walking onto the stage. It wasn't long after though that things took a turn for the worst. Just as Ladytron was about to start there third song (it might have been there second or fourth) they started having technical difficulties. After a couple of minutes of trying to get there equipment to work they just walked off the stages. This is when I knew we were hosed. Sure enough after a couple of minutes later a roadie walked on to the stage and informed the crowd that Ladytron would not returning. Man that was a downer. I have been a fan of Ladytron for awhile now and this was my first opportunity to see them live. But hey, a little bit of Ladytron is better than no Ladytron at all. I figured the crowd would be a little out of it for The Faint. Luckly I was wrong. The atomosphere in the place was still realativly positve. The Faint played a really good set. The crowd was really into them and the bands energy reflected the crowds excitement. Their preformance made up for Ladytron having to cancel. For more info on the bands go to www.myspace.com/ladytron and www.myspace.com/thefaint

Taproot @ Wasted Space in Las Vegas, NV

2009-04-18T13:09:00.006-05:00

After four days of saying we were going to go the Hard Casino; we finally did it. We went with the intentions to just drink and gamble. As well admire some of the music memorabilia they had on display. The coolest two items were a guitar used Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols and a suit worn by Prince on the Purple rain tour. Prince is a tiny man. While we walking around checking out the music memorabilia we learned that Taproot was going to play the club Wasted Space located in the casino area of the Hard Rock. I hadn't seen or heard anything new by Taproot since they were on tour for Gift many years ago. We were really more interested in checking out Wasted Space and Taproot gave us the excuse we needed. I have also always enjoyed experiencing the concert crowds in other cities. Wasted Space is a pretty awesome place. It has a tattoo parlor thing going on. As well as some pretty awesome designer art hanging on the walls and ceiling. The club was created by Carey Hart. The ex husband of the Pink. The show was packed. Everybody there seemed really into the bands. Taproot hadn't really changed that much since I saw them back in the day. Overall I enjoyed the show. I recognized a few of the songs form Taproots set. But for the most part it was my first time hearing many of the songs. For more info on Taproot visit there myspace page. www.myspace.com/taproot

Miyavi @ Anime Matsuri in Houston, TX

2009-04-18T13:05:00.010-05:00

Miyavi is by far my favorite Japanese musician. As well as being one of my favorite all time guitarist. I was very surprised when I learned that Miyavi was a playing one of the smaller anime conventions in Texas. I never thought I would ever see him at a con. They only other time I have been able to see him preform was as the guitarist in SKIN at the Long Beach Arena a few years ago. This was my first chance to see him preform any of his solo material. As far as I could tell a majority of the people at the convention were to his him. The was really really long. As you can see form the video I found on YouTube posted below. You can even see me lying on the ground towards the end. We waited in line for close to five hours to get in. Its a good thing we did because they stopped letting people in to the hall once they hit the 2000 people max capacity. They pulled a little trick on every body once they got into the concert. Every body was all excited for the concert. Chanting Miyavi and what not. Then some goofy guy came on stage and told every body we had to watch the Showdown fighting game championships before Miyavi was gong to come on. I like fighting games so I thought it was kinda of neat to watch. Most of the people in the crowd didn't though. Finally after suffering through an incredibly boring Sagat vs Sagat match of SF4 it was time for Miyavi to come on. It was well worth wait and standing in line all day. Miyavi rocked the place. Well as much as you can "rock" an anime con. He played good mix of songs form through out his electic career. He knew a fair amount of English and chatted with crowd quite a bit. The only thing I was disappointed by was that he didn't play any of his acoustic stuff. He Miyavi had a very charismatic and flamboyant stage presence. Which is in lines with what I expected. For more info on Miyavi check out is myspace page. www.myspace.com/miyavi

April Concert Picks

2009-04-01T13:15:00.003-05:00

It is a pretty good month for shows. Especially at the the Granada.

Miyavi - April 11 - Anime Matusri - Houston
The Faint & Ladytron - April 22 - Granada
The Horrors - April 25 - Granada
Dope - April 25 - Palladium Ballroom
Gaslight Anthem - April 28 - Granada
Napalm Death - April 29 - Ridglea Theater

Live Music Review: Senses Fail @ The House of Blues

2009-03-26T15:37:00.004-05:00

I had been debating back and forth with my self on wither or not I wanted to go to this show. On one hand I really wanted to see Senses Fail. But they were not the head liners. On the other hand I really could care less about any of the other bands on the bill. I don't like The Hollywood Undead and Brokencyde is one of the worst bands I've ever heard. Haste the Day isn't too bad though. After talking it over with my brother we decided Senses Fail was worth siting through some really bad bands to see. We were right. Senses Fail was awesome, the crowd was awesome and the band talked mad smack about how bad the other bands on the tour were. Which was awesome. Senses Fail played a really long set for not being the head liner. Well over an hour. The band played all the songs I wanted to hear off of last years "Life Is Not a Waiting Room." Which made me happy because this was my first chance to hear these songs preformed live. They also played a good mix of songs of off there previous albums as well. If your interested in seeing Senses Fail for your self they will be coming back through town in July on this years Warped Tour. Which shaping up to be an awesome day. www.myspace.com/sensesfail

Live Music Review: Tricky @ The Granada

2009-03-17T13:21:00.005-05:00

The middle of March is a good time to be a music fan in Dallas. A number of good bands play here either going to or from South by South West down in Austin. This is the case with Tricky. I have been aware of Tricky for a number of years. But never really paid much attention to him. I even saw him open for Tool many years ago in San Antonio. Over the last couple years I begin listening to more and more electronic and experimental music. During this process I rediscovered Tricky. If your a have fan of either Massive Attack or Portishead then you will probably be into Tricky. He played quite a long set. Much longer than I expected. He had a full band backing him which added to the experience. It was a pretty mellow show overall. Which was nice break form the wilder concerts I tend to go to.

March Concert Picks

2009-02-26T22:31:00.002-06:00

Here are the concert picks for March. Enjoy!!

The Quakes – March 4 – Ridglea Theater
Infected Mushroom - March 7 - The Lizard Lounge
Tricky - March 16 - Granada Theater
Thursday - March 23 - Palladium
Senses Fail - March 25 - House of Blues
Mudvayne - March 28 - Palladium

Live Music Review - Bleeding Through @ The Ridgelea Theater

2009-02-24T16:21:00.003-06:00

There are a lot of things I could say about Bleeding Through. I have seen them open for a number of bands including AFI, HIM and Marlyin Manson. But I have only seen them head line a show one other time. This time they were on tour for there newest album Declaration. An outstanding metalcore album if you haven't heard it yet. The lineup for this tour was supposed to quite good from what some friends told me. I didn't know very much about the opening bands but was pleasantly surprised by As Blood Runs Black. I went out and picked up there album the following day. The show was at Ridglea Theater. One of my favorite venues in the DFW area. Even though it is kinda of a dive. But thats the charm of the place. Bleeding Through played an awesome set. Not as long as I would have hoped. But they managed to play all the songs I wanted hear though. www.myspace.com/bleedingthrough

Thursday - Common Existence

2009-02-24T16:17:00.007-06:00

Thursday is considered by many to one of the pioneering forces in the late 90's post hardcore scene. They were also one of the first bands to blaze a path for future emo bands in the mid 00's. I haved followed Thursday for many years now and I have found there albums to be hit or miss. At times they are brilliant and at times they are rather mundane. "Common Existence" is the Thursday album I have been waiting for. It has solidified the bands reputation as being one of the best. www.myspace.com/thursday

February Concert Picks

2009-02-05T15:54:00.001-06:00

Here are this months concerts picks. Hope to see you there!

Gen-XX - The Church - 2/13
Cradle of Filth - House of Blues - 2/17
Bleeding Through - Ridglea Theater - 2/20
Ferry Cortsen - The Lizard Lounge - 2/21
Son of Sam - Red 7 in Austin - 2/27

Jeffree Star - Cupcakes Taste Like Violence

2009-02-04T23:22:00.003-06:00

The subject of Internet phenomenon has always interested me. If Jeffree Star is anything; he is defiantly an Internet phenomenon. His latest outing "Cupcakes Taste Like Violence" is a mash up of him talking about being an Internet celebrity and his normal bisexual rants. The sound of this album has came a long ways since his first ep. The songs are sturctured better and have a more developed ectronic sound. You only need to listen to a couple of songs to find out if its going to be something you want to continue to listen to. www.myspace.com/jeffreestar

Live Music Review - Combichrist & Black Light Burns @ The Granada Theater

2009-01-21T14:19:00.009-06:00

Combichrist has come along way since I first saw them open for KMFDM in 2006. Since that time the band held up a ruthless touring schedule. Building a loyal allegiance of fans across the world. Each time I have gone to see them the number of people at their show have doubled. The best way to describe a Combichrist show is energy. Not just from the band but from the crowd as well. The crowd knows the words to every song and is not afraid to sing along. The band that preformed before Combichrist was Black Light Burns. Fronted by Wes Borland. My brother turned me on to this band a couple of months ago. At first I was expecting to much from them. Mainly because I wasn't to impressed some of Borlands previous outings such as Limp Bizkit and Big Dumb Face. I was completely caught have guard by how good it was. The band has been in rotation on my Zune ever since. I have to give it to Borland though. He can put on a show. The opening band is also worth noting. Retard-o bot. I never thought I would see a band that was heavily influenced by Mindless Self Indulgence. At first I wasn't to into them. But as the set progressed the singer showed some charisma and me over. I forget to check how free memory was on my sd card before the show. Which wasn't much. Unfortunately we only able to recorded a couple songs from Black Light Burns set before we ran out of memory. I have post the videos below. Enjoy!!!

Top Ten Albums of 2008

2009-01-03T12:05:00.006-06:00

Here they are my top 10 albums of 2008. When I first started putting the list together I had a hard time. I didn't really think 2008 was that strong of a year for new music. It was an amazing year as far as concerts go. But after going over my most listened to cds on my Zune I realized that a number of really good albums came out this year. In the end I even had a few that didn't make the list.

My Top 10 Albums of 2008

1. The Matches - A Band in Hope
2. Dir en Grey - Uroboros
3. Senses Fail - Life is Not a Waiting Room
4. Cradle of Filth - Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder
5. Alkaline Trio - Agony and Irony
6. Miyavi - This Iz Japanese Kabuki Rock
7. Bleeding Through - Declaration
8. Nine Inch Nails - The Slip
9. Thrice - Air and Earth
10. Mindless Self Indulgence - IF

My Top 10 Albums of 07 and 06

2008-12-16T11:44:00.004-06:00

Over the last couple of years I have posted my top ten albums of the year on MySpace. While preparing this year's list I decided to go back to my two previous list and see if I still agree with my choices. For the most part I still agree with my earlier choices. With the exception of a few glaring omissions. I should have defiantly placed Nine Inch Nails "Year Zero" on the 2007 list. I can remember that at the time the album was released I wasn't really feeling it. But over the last year I have listened to album quite a few times and become very fond of what Reznor has done lyrically with the CD. The other CD that should have been on the list but wasn't was "Tenshi no Revolver" by Buck-Tick. The CD came out late in the year and being a Japanese band it took me awhile to get the CD. So I can see how I missed it.

My Top CDs of 2007

1. Against Me! - New Wave

2. Poison the Well - Verisons

3. Blaqk Audio - Cex Cells

4. The Horrors - Strange House

5. Daft Punk - Alive

6. Between the Buried and Me - Colors

7. Marilyn Manson - Eat Me, Drink Me

8. She Want Revenge - This is Forever

9. Tiger Army - Music From the Regions Beyond

10. VNV Nation - Judgement

My Top 10 New CDS from 2006

1. AFI – December Underground

2. She Wants Revenge – She Wants Revenge

3. Placebo – Meds

4. Miyavi - Dokusou

5. Tool – 10,000 days

6. Heavens – Patent Pending

7. Mastodon – Blood Mountain

8. Brand New – The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me

9. Bleeding Through – The Truth

10. Against Me! – Americans Abroad!!! Live in London

Cradle of Filth - Godspeed On The Devil's Thunderl

2008-12-09T15:58:00.005-06:00

I found Cradle of Filth albums to hit or miss with me over years. One album will blow me away the next will make me wonder why I bought it in the first place. "Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder" reminded why I like this band. The CD is a concept album about Gilles de Rais. The infamous serial killer who fought along side Joan of Arc. The songs on this CD are much more cohesive than past Cradle of Filth albums. All of the songs flow well together to tell a pretty intertwined story. The album should please long time Cradle of Filth fans as well attract some new ones. I highly recommend the tracks "The Death of Love" and "The 13th Caesar". The band will also be playing the House of Blues in Dallas on Feb. 17. www.myspace.com/cradleoffilth

December Concert Picks

2008-12-02T15:24:00.004-06:00

December is traditionally a slow month for tours. There are few things going on this month that would like to try to make. But I am pretty busy this month with finals and what not so I probably won't be able to make it to that many showes. This December is really heavy on the electronic acts. So if your a fan of that style of music it should be a good month for you.

Gwar - December 4 - Palladium Ballroom
Eagles of Death Metal - December 12 - The Door
The Crystal Method - December 13 - Lizard Lounge
Oghr - December 18 - The Granada Theater
Darude - December 20 - Lizard Lounge
Unsilent Night - December 28 - Plano Centre
Fischerspooner - December 31 - Lizard Lounge

Live Music Review - Dir en Grey @ The Palladium Ballroom

2008-11-28T15:31:00.005-06:00

Dir en Grey is a very interesting band. It amazes me that have such a large fan base in the United States. Given it is mainly anime fanboys and fangirls who love all weird things that are Japanese. But hey, if it wasn't for the support of these people I would probably never have been given the chance to see the band preform live. This isn't first time I've seen Dir en Grey preform. I saw them a couple of years ago when they were on tour for the "Marrow of the Bone" album. I was blown away. Dir en Grey gives one of most intense live preformances I've ever seen. I was a little disturbed also because they kept looping video footage of the atom bomb drooping on Japan. That seemed like a strange thing for a Japanese band to be showing an American audience. This time around they didn't show any thing quite that messed up. But they did show some pretty bad ass pictures of Ukiyo-e style samurai's committing seppuku. I was really impressed by the set the band played this time around. They played a good mix of heavy songs and some of their more experimental songs. They played every song wanted to hear but Jesus Christ R' n R'. My understanding of the Japanese languge is very minimal. This allows me to focus on the singers voice as another instrument. Which adds more to the over all experience. He has very impressive vocal range and can produce a varity of sounds with his voice. Hopefully Dir en Grey will continue to have success in the United States because over the last couple of years they have become one of my favorite heavy metal bands.

Dir en Grey - Uroboros

2008-11-20T00:03:00.005-06:00

Dir en Grey are back again. This heavy metal has become one of the most popular bands to come out of Japan. Dir en Grey has built up a allegiance of fans across America and Europe. The band's newest album "Uroboros" won't disappoint those fans. "Uroboros" shows the bands more experimental side. While the songs are as heavy as ever. The band uses a wider range of sounds such as the mandolin. Even the singer Kyo's vocals a little softer on this album. This isn't a problem. All the songs flow well together. I'm always happy when I see bands try different things and evolve there sound. I've never been a fan of artist that just keeping making the same the CD year after year. I feel as though the band is cheating themselves when they don't try new things. If your already a fan of Dir en Grey "Uroboros" is a must buy. If you've been interested in them and haven't listened to them yet I would suggest starting with album "Withering to Death." For info on Dir en Grey checkout the bands Myspace. http://www.myspace.com/direngrey

Live Music Review: Chuck Ragan & Tom Gabel @ The Prophet Bar

2008-11-10T00:55:00.007-06:00

This show turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. For many different reason. First I was surprised by how many people showed up. We had to wait in line for nearly an hour and half to get. The Prophet Bar isn't a very big place. There for a little while it didn't look like we were going to get. There was so many people at the show that the bar ran out of all beer on tap before we even got in. This show was a little different than the typical concert I like to attend. There were no electric instruments. Only people with acoustic instruments and there voices. I which I liked because one person with a wooden instrument, something to say and a voice can be just as powerful as an entire band on a stage with lots of flashing lights and a elaborate set. There really wasn't set times. The musicians would rotate between group performances and solo performances. While I am a Chuck Ragan fan the main reason we wentto the show was to see Tom Gabel (the lead singer of Against Me!) preform his solo stuff. I had only heard a handful of his solo songs. So I was really looking forward to hearing some stuff I had never heard before. His performance was awesome. LIke I mentioned earlier its amazing how much energy one man with a aucustic guitar can produce. Now on to Chuck Ragan. I've heard a lot about Chuck Ragan over last couple of years. I have a couple of his cds. But after seeing him prefrom live I understood why I had to wait in line for over an hour to get. He is that good. He has a very distinctive voice that people can gravitate to. Plus he plays the harmonica. You can't go wrong with that. Below are some videos of the show we recorded. Enjoy!!!!

Live Music Review: Danzig @ the Pallidum Ballroom

2008-11-02T19:57:00.009-06:00

I cant even begin to count how many bands I have seen over the years that have been influenced by Danzig. The Misfits themselves spawned the horror punk genre. This was the second time I have seen Danzig live. The first time was many years ago in San Antonio. Unlike that time Danzig actually had some good bands opening for him. Moonspell was alright. Nothing to great. Dimmu Borgir on the other hand was a band I had been hearing a lot about lately. They are very big with fans of Norwegian death metal. They were quite good. Dimmu Borgir gave quite a spirited performance. The perfect warm up the crowd needed before Danzig came on the stage. Danzig's performance was I expected. He played all of his hits like Twist the Chain and Mother. Danzig had gotten a little older and a little bigger. But that didn't take away from his stage presence one bit. One thing that did surprise me was how aggressively security was going after people who took pictures with there phone. They would grab you and drag you out of the crowd. If you are a fan of punk rock or metal you should really try to see Danzig next time he comes around. Like I mentioned earlier he is getting older and probably doesn't have many tours left. You owe it to yourself to see one of the most in influential performers of punk rock and metal of all time.

November Concert Picks

2008-11-02T18:39:00.007-06:00

These are my picks for the best of shows in the DFW area this November. Hopefully I will be able to attend them all. See you there!!!

Chuck Ragan & Tom Gabael – November 8 – Prophet Bar

H20 - November 10 – the Door

Ill Nino & Walls of Jericho - November 22 - Ridglea Theater

Dir en Grey – November 26 - Palladium or The Misfits @ the Granada (haven't decided yet)

Live Music Review: The Matches @ The Loft

2008-10-30T14:35:00.009-05:00

I believe that The Matches are one of the best bands that no one knows about. They are one of countless bands I have stumbled across at Warped Tour while looking for some shelter form the heat. Since that Warped Tour performance The Matches have gone on to become one of the few bands to hit the scene in the last couple of years that have really grabbed me. There music is a little odd and jumps around a bit. But its hard to find a band that gives as much as they do when they perform. I have never been to a Matches show were the band didn't play their hearts out on stage. Even there roadie comes out and plays guitar and the triangle on a handful of songs. It didn't matter if there was ten or a hundred people in the crowd The Matches played like there was thousand people in attendance. I would like to take a moment to talk about the venue. This was the first time I had ever been to the Loft. Its the venue above the Palladium Ballroom. It could hold may be 200 people. The perfect size for a Matches show. The most impressive thing about the venue was the view of the Dallas sky line from the balcony. I kind of wish they would have more shows at this place. Now back to the Matches. They were on fire this night. They played there best set list by far. I think it was because they had a 40 minute set which gave enough time to play all the songs people wanted here. They played all my favorite songs from E. Von Dahl Killed the Locals, Decomposer and A Band in Hope. Every other time I have seen them they had much smaller set times. I'm telling you the Matches are the best band no one knows about. If you don't believe me check them out for yourself. http://www.myspace.com/thematches

Live Music Review: Alkaline Trio and Thrice @ Red 7 in Austin, TX

2008-10-28T18:30:00.011-05:00

A couple of friends and I embarked last Sunday on the trek down to Austin. Hoping to catch the Rise Against, Alkaline Trio and Thrice tour. When we walked up to the Austin City Music Hall a sign on the front door said tonight's show was canceled. during the long walk back to the car we met a couple who said that Alkaline Trio and Thrice were going to play at Red 7 a few blocks away. So we jumped in the car and made our way to the club. First thing I would like to point out is that Red 7 is not a very big place and there was no way was no way every person who wanted to was going to get it. Luckily after standing in line for about 45 minutes we were able to get in right as Thrice was walking on to the stage. This is the first time I'd seen Thrice preform live. I had tickets to see them once before but my appendix ruptured and I had to give them away. They were awesome. They lived up to every thing I had heard about there live show. The Alkaline Trio gave an amazing performance as well. The Alkaline Trio are one of my favorite bands of all time and I have seen them a number times before. Overall the show was awesome. It was a rare treat to see two such amazing bands in a small intimate club environment.

Live Music Review: Polysics @ The Prophet Bar

2008-10-25T17:55:00.009-05:00

I've managed to see a hand full of Japanese bands over the last couple of years in various cities. The thing I've noticed about Japanese bands is that no matter what style of music they are playing they give great live shows. Always happy to be preforming for you that day. This show was along those lines. The Polysics have this strange electro-clash pop punk sound that would only come out Japan. The band had outstanding stage presence. Any band who is popular enough to travel the globe has to. They used a variety of unique dance moves and talked to the crowd quite a bit through out there show. I was especially entertained by the keyboardist Kayo. Whose performance was similar to that of a robot's. If you are in the mood for some music that's a little different I highly recommend you see them live if you can. That might be hard for some because the band doesn't make to many American appearances. At the very least you can check out some of the bands music on there myspace page. www.myspace.com/polysics

Bleeding Through - Declaration

2008-10-12T21:36:00.010-05:00

I have been of a fan of Bleeding Through since I saw them open for AFI down in Austin in 2003. While I was a fan of the the groups previous album "The Truth" it didn't grab me quite the same way that there metalcore masterpeice "This is Love, This is Muderous" did. Bleeding Through amped up the aggression on this album. The lead singer Brandan Schieppati used his growl more than his medolic voice this time around. The patent Bleeding Through melody is still there on a couple of songs. But not as many as there previous album 'The Truth." When I first put the album in wasn't expecting such a fierce sound. I found it freshing to hear a band become harder as grew older. Instead of the older the softer. This album is a must for any Bleeding Through fan.

Senses Fail - Life is Not a Waiting Room

2008-10-12T00:00:00.008-05:00

I when I tell my friends that I’m a fan of Senses Fail I always get puzzled looks. The reason being I’m not normally a fan of screamo/emo type bands. But Senses Fail manages to infuse the screamo sound with a steady dose of post hardcore rifts. Which makes their music a little more aggressive than your average screamo band. The bands lyrics are the one of the first things about Senses Fail that caught my attention. They are about things that just about every body has experienced at some point in their life. This cd slows things down a little bit more (but not a whole lot) than its predecessor "Still Searching". The band takes a more introspective look at the changes a person goes through as they grow older and begin to look at life differently. I don't think this cd will win you over if your not a fan already. But if you are fan and you haven't picked up "Life is Not a Waiting Room" you need to.

Live Music Review: Against Me! at the Ridglea Theater

2008-10-09T19:28:00.001-05:00

Against Me is one of those bands I stumbled across by accident. They were playing support for the Alkaline Trio a few years back. Man, am I glad I showed up early to that show. Since that day Against Me has gone on to become one of my favorite bands. I have seen them five times in three different cites over the last couple of years. One of those shows being a very memorable show in Chicago last year. This time around Against Me was on tour for their outstanding album “New Wave”. The thing the gravitated me to this band was how energetic their live show was. Their songs are tailor made to jump around too and sing along with. They also have something to say. Something that I believe missing from most bands these days. Their performance on September 27 at the Ridglea Theater in Ft. Worth had all these attributes. The crowd was far more entertaining than one they had at Warped Tour earlier in the year in Dallas. But Dallas has been know to disappoint. If you haven't heard Against Me yet I highly recommend you give them a listen. You can sample a some of their songs on their MySpace page. www.myspace.com/againstme. If you’re a fan and you haven’t gone to see them live yet; your missing out. Here a couple of videos my brother recorded from the show. Beware though the sound quality isn't so good. Enjoy!!!