The Band Bloggers

BY LIV SLABY

Let's be honest: There's no money in music anymore. If you actually manage to make good money selling physical or digital copies of your songs, you're either a marketing genius or of One Direction caliber. This leaves all the young artists trying to make it in an incredibly harsh industry to do one thing: Hit the road. And that's definitely not a bad thing for us as fans of music. Being at a show is an incomparable experience, fleeting but overwhelming while it lasts.

It's the difference between mainstream and alternative shows that make the latter so amazing. You can't buy your way closer to the performers. When you lose your friends
in the crowd, you make new ones with the people right beside you. The stage is often yours to jump on and dive off of. The performers might actually look right at you, and it's your job to keep them in the air when they crowd surf. No one's going to judge you if you start dancing like crazy or doing cartwheels in a mosh pit. You might get kicked in the head or knocked to the ground, but people will help you up and later you'll say it was awesome. It's intimate, supportive, and it's where you feel loved and accepted by not only the performers but everyone in the audience because every person in the room can relate to the band's music.

BY LIV SLABY

After much deliberation and careful planning, we have decided that these are the commandments of showgoing.

1. Do not cut in line. If there is a line to get into the venue, don't be the guy who thinks it's okay to push right past the people who have been there for hours. This goes for the merch line too.
2. Do not film the entire show. Pay attention to your surroundings! Stop waving your phone around, trying to catch every movement of your favorite band member. Not only are you basically ruining the experience for yourself because you're preoccupied with saving the memories for later, but you're also blocking people's view. Not to say that some pictures or videos aren't okay!

What a catch, Fearless Records. With the help of quasi-famous YouTuber Patty Walters as their frontman, As It Is had huge potential and a built-in fan base from the beginning. The band definitely came out swinging with a summer soundtrack of upbeat pop-punk anthems and sizzling hooks.

"Never Happy, Ever After" gives an extra shot of adrenaline to the modern emo-tinged pop punk scene. Although their sound isn't necessarily original, these Brits add another layer to pop punk, incorporating a Man Overboard-esque vocal duet dynamic with catchy choruses perfect for radio.

The album is a reflection of this generation, the sound bright with youthfulness despite an edge of sadness in the lyrics. "Dial Tones" and "Cheap Shots & Setbacks" stand out with anthemic choruses and a general get-up-and-dance sound. "My Oceans Were Lakes" is mostly an acoustic ballad, Walters' vocals almost whispered at times. It provides a positive message and showcases a different, gentler side of the band.

This successful debut means it only gets better from here for As It Is. Although they are still finding their sound, this band has proven that they are talented, hardworking and don't have any intentions of stopping until they reach the top.

You can (and definitely should) catch As It Is on Vans Warped Tour this summer. Check out "Never Happy, Ever After" here!

For all you kids who claim you really aren't just emo
BY LIV SLABY

Arizona Tea/Monster Energy Drink: Who needs water?
Basement show: They usually suck, but I go anyway because they're the coolest kind of show.
blink-182: The Founding Fathers
California: The promise land
Circle pit: This genre is too easycore for real mosh pits anyway.
Crowdsurfers: Hate them. Except when I do it at every show.
"Enema of the State": Basically the Bible.
Flannel shirts: Often worn over a band t-shirt.
Friends: One of the most overused words in this scene. Often spoken/sung as "with my friends".
Girls: I complain about them all the time. I'm so sexually frustrated.
Hometown: I hate it when I sing about it, and then print it on all of my band's t-shirts.
Hot Topic: So scene and lame. Half my closet is from there.
Local scene: I'll support it till the day I die!
Man Overboard: Provided us with life's mantra, "Defend Pop Punk".
Pants: Black skinnies ONLY. Maybe khakis.
Parker Cannon: God.
Pierce the Veil: They're pop-punk, right?
Pizza: Watch me survive eating only this.
Pointing: How to show that you're getting really into a song during a show.
Poser: Anyone who can't name every single song Real Friends has ever released.
Posi: Honestly, does anyone actually say this anymore? Often seen as "posi jump".
Sellout: Basically every band that has 100k+ on any social network.
Sick: See "tight".
Shoes: Vans. That's it.
Show: Only old people say "concert".
Skateboarding: Even if I can't, I pretend I can.
Snapback: Acceptable only when worn backwards. Essential wardrobe item.
Soupy: A prophet.
Stagediving: Probably my favorite activity.
Stoked: One of my only emotions other than sad.
Tattoos and nose piercings: The best accessories.
Tight: Can be used to describe anything.
Tour: Forcing my friends to come to out of state shows so it looks like my local band can pull in other cities.
Tumblr: Sold out years ago. (I update every day, please follow me).
Vans Warped Tour: The lineup has sucked since 2006, but I still go every year.
Vinyl: The cool way to play music. Cause, you know, it's totally practical.
Voice cracks: A common affliction suffered by pop punk vocalists.
Weed: Definitely not a drug. It's a plant! Straight edge for life!
Whiny: The adjective most commonly used to describe pop punk vocals.

Disclaimer: I mean no offense to the pop punk scene or anyone involved with it. I consider myself pop punk and often find myself fulfilling some of these stereotypes. But isn't it fun to make fun of yourself sometimes?

Pop-punk bassist goes indie rock
BY LIV SLABY

You might not know who Ryan Scott Graham is, but you probably know the band he plays bass in, as it is none other than State Champs. Although State Champs is defined by a clear, upbeat and stereotypically pop punk sound, Graham's solo project Speak Low If You Speak Love is the polar opposite. Self-described as "emotional indie rock", Speak Low If You Speak Love brings a fresh sound to the acoustic scene.

BY LIV SLABY



I think I’ve found a new soundtrack to my adolescence. In a collection of songs that all seem meant to be played while driving late at night with the windows down, All Time Low recaptures a youthful sound in their sixth album, "Future Hearts".