April Showers & a Fount of New Info

While homework and studying have been eating my life for the past couple weeks, a few random things have happened. Here's a post to get you all up to speed...

A few weeks ago, I fell totally completely hopelessly madly in love with Owl City's album Maybe I'm Dreaming. I actually listened to it in its entirety every day for about two weeks. Seriously. If listening to "On the Wing" and "The Saltwater Room" doesn't add a little beauty to your world, no electronic music will.

I've been planning to do a longer post about Owl City and several other similar bands, but there are these silly little things called AP tests I should be studying for over the next few weeks, so look for some updates after his show at Jammin' Java on Saturday, May 9th... I won't be going to the show, but I will spend the whole night obsessing over how someone so amazing is less than 20 miles away from me. But you should go to this show and experience the magic for yourself.

But if you're looking for a good concert, you really have no excuse not to see one soon. Fall Out Boy, Cobra Starship, Hey Monday, Metro Station, AND 50 Cent will all be coming to the Merriwether Post Pavilion this Saturday, April 25th. It actually looks like it will be the biggest assembly of talented pop-rock-punk-rap-techno artists to hit Merriwether Post this year, eclipsing Warped Tour, whose headliners are just kind of lame. General Admission tickets are still available, and because this tour has a funky ticket policy, it means you could be buying $36 lawn seats. But really, even 50 Cent will be there. This assembly of talent is certainly worth enduring a nosebleed.

Truly hardcore patyhoppers could try to attend Towson U's big TigerFest-ish thing before the FOB concert. The All-American Rejects, along with Ace Enders, Shiny Toy Guns, and that other band they're touring with will all be playing, probably throughout the afternoon. And I've heard there will be a mechanical bull.

The All-American Rejects themselves probably won't play until the evening, long after the FOB concert extravaganza has begun, so AAR fans might be better off skipping the beer garden (oh, and the rest of Towson U's party) and heading over to AAR's in-store appearance at Wet Seal in Towson Town Center. Give the store a ring at (410) 825-3736 for more info.

And if you want to spend every minute of your weekend listening to live music, be sure to stop by the Change for China benefit concert at Montgomery Blair High School on Friday night. They're boasting four professional bands, which has nothing on Fall Out Boy of course, but is quite impressive for a student-run benefit concert. And they're giving out an electric guitar as a door prize. They can't promise you a mechanical bull, but it's totally the next-best thing. More info on their Facebook page.

Oh, and don't forget that Cash Cash will coming to Sonar on Friday, May 8th, along with Kevin Rudolf, who is actually more of a big deal. But Cash Cash is ditching the northeastern leg of Warped Tour this summer, so you'll want to see them while you can. I still maintain that they're going to hit it fairly big one of these days...

[*EDIT* Uhmmm jaykayy... The Kevin Rudolf tour has been canceled. So Cash Cash will now be in Baltimore supporting Sing It Loud at Fletcher's on April 29th. A Wednesday... Guess I'll see them someday...

But if you're interested in the Sing It Loud tour, Virginia band The Friday Night Boys will also be opening. At least one of their members went to Sandy Spring Friends School, which is a pretty cool place, fyi. So I'd really like to see them in concert sometime. Darn you, school nights...]

And in case you haven't noticed, Sonar is hosting concerts by tons of awesome artists in the near future. Everyone from The Ting Tings to Lady Sovereign to Kate Voegele will be stopping by, so you should stop by their website to check it out.

That covers just about everything on my concert radar. As for other events, you probably don't need me to keep you up-to-date on all the latest Jonas Brothers news, what with their zillions of fans dedicated enough to create crazy fansites, but in case you forgot, their news series JONAS premieres Saturday, May 2nd, and their new album Lines, Vines, and Trying Times drops June 15th. Check out their hilarious attempts at sexy facial expressions on the album cover! Well, Kevin and Joe are trying to be sexy anyways. I think Nick just has the sun in his eyes.

Also, if you thought those JB updates were silly or trivial, you'll be glad to know Joe wore the same outfit to the airport and the 17 Again premiere. Isn't the Internet a fabulous educational resource? There is just so much useful information out there...

Anyways, with prom season fast approaching, girls might feel the desire to deny that they are still single or convince everyone that the random guy who asked them really is cool! And what's more impressive than dating an Internet music sensation? Act fast if you want to be able to tell the world that you are dating a member of Oh, Hush! Pink tank tops proclaiming that MY BOYFRIEND IS IN OH, HUSH! don't go on sale every day, you know. But they do go on sale tomorrow at 8:00 EST. And if you think everyone who sees your shirt will be able to call you on the fact that your boyfriend is not in Oh, Hush!, you clearly aren't in on the secret behind Oh, Hush!'s unique success. (Okay, maybe their awesome dance-rock tunes are their secret to success, which isn't really the best-kept secret...) Either way, stop by their MySpace or Facebook pages to check out their music and shirts. The sale ends on Monday, so you might want to hurry!

And finally, Meg & Dia's new album came out today! I would love to review it for you, but homework calls, so you'll have to listen to it and decide for yourself.

So that's about everything that's happened in the past month. Oh, and I've been told that Hottub's album sounds better than their live performances. I don't know how any music could top their angelic voices, but if you say so...

Upcoming Concerts to Spring for

Wow, was that title lame or what? It's so hard to come up with good puns using the word "spring"... Anyways...

Having just been to a concert (Ting Tings & Hottub, craziest night of my life; all the dirty details coming soon to a computer screen near you), it's time for a quick look to the future because lots of bands have announced their late-spring tours since my last big concert posts.

First up, you might have to act quickly if you want to snag tickets to the biggest indie dance show to hit the 9:30 Club since tonight's sold-out Cut Copy concert. Mates of State and Black Kids will be playing, along with Sunbears. Black Kids are one of my favorite new bands, and I've been meaning to write a post about their musical awesomeness and hot lead singer. For now, I'd advise you to check out their video for "Look at Me (When I Rock Wichoo);" it's pretty much the bomb. I haven't heard too many Mates of State songs, but several reliable sources tell me they're great.

They're coming to the 9:30 Club on Saturday, April 4th, so if you're looking for a great way to kick off your spring break, I'd suggest you pick up a ticket here.

And what better way to end your spring break than with a free concert by swing rocker Derek James at the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC on Friday, April 10th or Sunday, April 12th? I actually can't remember why I'm friends with him on MySpace, but his music is quite possibly the best rockabilly I've ever listened to, and you can't beat the price or the view at the Cherry Blossom Festival.

James will also be playing at pretty much every other venue within 50 miles of us between now and April 12th, so you can also catch his free show at Teavolve in Baltimore on April 11th, and shows in Baltimore and DC this week. But, uh, his music can get obnoxiosly twangy, so you might not want to see all 5 shows. FYI.

And did I mention that The All-America Rejects and Ace Enders will be coming to Towson University on Saturday, April 25th and to the 9:30 Club on Tuesday, April 28th? I did? All right then. No use beating a dead horse, no matter how excited you are for it...

May is a pretty big month for my favorite lil Baltimore club, Sonar. On Saturday, May 2nd, Sum 41 will be playing there with Inward Eye and American Taxi. Never heard of either of those bands, but I've been dying for a good pop-punk show to attend, and since Blink-182 hasn't announced their reunion tour yet and Bowling for Soup still seems to be on house arrest, only playing shows in their home state of Texas, Sum 41 just may be your best bet. Check their flier here, then pick up tickets here.

Then the next weekend, the real party gets started with The Let It Rock Tour. Kevin Rudolf is headlining, and if you're wondering who he is, we're on the same page. But I'm pumped for his opening acts, the addictively adorable Metro Station/Jonas Brothers wannabes of Cash Cash, and the... unique... electropop band Hyper Crush. Hyper Crush's logo may be cooler than their repetitve music, but Cash Cash is the real popstar deal. Also supporting them as The Audition and Go Crash Audio. I would check them out, but this concert had me at "Cash Cash."

They'll all be partying at Sonar on Friday, May 8th. Check the snazzy flier here then grab your tickets here.

Finally, Kate Voegele finishes up Sonar's month of magnificence on Sunday, May 17th, with Angel Taylor and a soon-to-be-announced special guest. Well, that's really only half of the month, but none of the other bands playing at Sonar really jumped out and said "buy tickets to see me!!!!"

Anyways, I saw Kate open for Natasha Bedingfield and The Veronicas last summer in Baltimore, and she gave a really solid performance. I also got to meet her before the show, and she was suuuper nice, so I'd advise you to check her out at Sonar if you get the chance. You can get your tickets here, and sadly, the link to her show's flier is not working.

Speaking of that dynamic popstar duo The Veronicas, they're coming back to the States (from their native Australia, source of their adorable accents) for another tour this Spring. The closest they'll come to the DC area is Pittsburgh, which is not very close to the DC area at all, but the girls are really sweet and definitely worth seeing sometime. Their show in Baltimore was plagued by mic problems that made them sound like they were performing a duet the Alvin and The Chipmunks, so it'd be nice to hear them with decent audio. And I'm sure their show at PA Diesel Club Lounge will go spectacularly. You can find more info on the show here.

And then, of course, you can pre-order Warped Tour tickets starting April 1st, but we'll save that annual conglomeration of coolness for a summer concert post...

Bringing Back Love

Need a new cute musician to fall in love with? (When don't we?) Now is the perfect time to check out the ah-dorable Ace Enders, who totally stole my heart and Facebook profile picture when I saw him open for Hellogoodbye last November.

I was pretty excited that Ace would be playing at another sketchy Baltimore club this April, opening for Craig Owens, but alas, that show has been canceled. But, when a door closes, a window of beautiful sunlight opens: that date was canceled because it conflicted with Ace's tour with The All-American Rejects (<3333)!!!!! style="font-style: italic;">two shows, one at Towson University in, duh, Towson, on Saturday, April 25th, and another at the 9:30 Club in DC on Tuesday, April 28th. Of course, April 25th is also when Fall Out Boy and the rest of the Fueled by Ramen gang comes to the Merriwether Post Pavilion, so you might have to make some tough decisions about who your fave pop-punks are... But even if you don't get to see Ace in concert, you can still snag his autograph if you pre-order his new album When I Hit the Ground, which is going to hit stores this Tuesday 3/17. But that still gives you 29 hours to pre-order it from Newbury Comics and receive a free autographed CD booklet! I pre-ordered Cash Cash's fabulous album from them a few months ago, and they ship really quickly but might have led to a slight increase in the spam levels of my inbox.

Or, for an additional $3, you can pre-order it from Vagrant Records and get a t-shirt. I personally am quite conflicted. I already bought a "Bring Back Love" tee when I saw him in concert and got my picture taken with him, but I didn't get an autograph or this specific shirt... Decisions, decisions...

Oh, and as for the album itself, I can't find the free stream of it that he claims is on his MySpace page, but then again, I just can't really work MySpace's new music players. Why do social networking sites feel the constant need to change themselves?

Anyways, I can figure out how to listen to "The Only Thing I Have (The Sign)," "When I Hit the Ground," and a new rock version of "Bring Back Love," and I am loving all of them. They're more guitar-driven than Ace's last album, The Secret Wars, which you can still download for free at Fuse.tv. These tracks are a lot closer to the rock sound he had on the Hellogoobye BBQ tour. I am super-psyched for the rock version of "Bring Back Love." I'm still crazy about the piano version on The Secret Wars, but I fell in love with it as a rock song, and I've been wishing Ace would record a live version from one of his concerts.

But old fans, don't worry about this talk of rock n roll - Ace's voice is still as smooth and sweet as maple syrup. If these tracks are representative of the album as a whole, When I Hit the Ground will definitely be playing tug-of-war with your heartstrings.

The Album Project has a review of the full album here, and they "can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t fall in love with this music." So get ready - Ace is going to back back love again.

Your Dream Spring 2009 Concert Schedule

Well boys and girls, it's that magical time of year again. That time in the dead of winter when people start opening their hearts and their wallets, when kids get down on their knees and beg their parents to give them what they want, when parents start freaking out about what exactly it is their kids want... Yes, it's the time when bands announce their spring tours.

This weekend is a great time to buy tickets (Quick! Fall Out Boy tickets have been on sale for over 5 hours!!!!), so I've decided to try to give you the best possible list of acts coming to the DC area over the next 4 months (sorry, rest of the world, I can't do everything...)

Now, coaches always say it's important to stay in shape during the off-season, so I think everyone should take their advice and practice their best moves at the Millionaires concert at Rock n Roll Hotel on Thursday, February 5th. My newest favorite pop act Cash Cash will be opening for the girls, along with I Set My Friends on Fire and Watchout! There's Ghosts. I think this show might actually be considered a comedy performance rather than music; those Millionaires girls are always laughable. And with a name like the Just Got Paid, Let's Get's Laid Tour, you KNOW it's gonna be a party.

[I will spend the night listening to my Cash Cash CD and crying my eyes out because my parents won't let me out on school nights (plus it's called the Just Got Paid, Let's Get's Laid Tour), so if you attend, please try your hardest to meet the guys from Cash Cash and tell them Meredith thinks they're the coolest kids ever and would like to ask for all of their hands in marriage; they can play rock-paper-scissors or whatever to decide who gets her.]

And for those of us who need a winter pick-me-up that's not on a weeknight, Ludo will be at Rock n Roll Hotel on Friday, February 20th. I've never actually bothered to listen to any of their music, but I've heard good things about their set when they toured with Relient K last year.

Another Friday night option is Ben Folds, performing at George Washington University on Friday the 13th of February (a good alternative for those of us who don't think we can stomach Valentine's Day weekend's gooey rom-coms/crazy gory Friday-the-13th slasher flicks). I'm having trouble finding specific ticket info - the show isn't listed on his official site - but I saw it on Eventful...

Ben will also be playing at Ram's Head Live! in Baltimore on the 12th, if there are any hardcore piano rock fans who want to see him twice.

All you hipsters had better mark your calendars for The Ting Tings' show at the 9:30 Club on Friday, March 20th. Or maybe you hipsters will sneer about how you already caught them there in July when they were, like, still cool in an unknown kinda way.
But my friend and I will still be in attendance, hoping to squash the stereotype that no one dances at cool DC indie shows. Because kids who are too cool to dance aren't cool at all.

The real hipsters might be holding out for Cut Copy, coming to the 9:30 Club just 3 days after the Ting Tings (that's Monday, March 23rd, for you non-math whizzes). Matt and Kim will be performing that night as well. Never heard of them before, but their name brings to mind a certain NBC Thursday night sitcom...

After all these indie shows, I'd advise you to take a dip in the mainstream, just to make sure you can remember what Top 40 sounds like. And where better to find mainstream Top 40 pop than at a Britney Spears or Pussycat Dolls concert? You Britney fans are in luck because The Circus Starring Britney Spears 2009 North American Tour is hitting the Verizon Center on Tuesday, March 24th. [I guess the Pussycat Dolls are just a sideshow act?] iLike sent me an email saying tix are still available! (I was tempted to reply with a little WTF??!)

If Britney tix are a bit out of your price range, you could always see new Top 40 dance darling Lady Gaga at 9:30 Club on Thursday, April 2nd. No, wait, actually, you couldn't. Her show's already sold out.

Similarly, if you're going to see Katy Perry at the 9:30 Club on Friday, April 10th, you probably already knew she was coming. Hopefully you did, since all the tickets for that show sold out about 5 seconds after they went on sale. Or at least in the same weekend. 5 seconds, 48 hours, same diff for us soft-core Katy fans.

For those of you hoping for a bit more of a rock show (just a bit), I've said it before and I'll say it again: Craig Owens of Chiodos, Ace Enders, The Color Fred, and VersaEmerge will be at Ottobar in Baltimore on Thursday, April 9th. It's not quite as hot as the Katy tickets, but it's been pretty buzzed-about.

I've also already mentioned NeverShoutNever!'s two upcoming shows, one in West Springfield, VA, the other in Towson. I'd check it out in my previous posts if I were you. [Then I'd wonder if I just used "my" correctly since I said I'd do it if I were you, and they're not your posts...]

I think this Dream Concert Schedule is getting nightmare-ishly long, so I'll close it (for now) with what may be the hottest concert here: the Believers Never Die Part Deux tour, featuring Fall Out Boy, Cobra Starship, Metro Station, and Hey Monday! It'll be taking the Merriweather Post Pavilion by storm on Saturday, April 25th. Since I'm not too fond of FOB, I'm cringing at the $36 ticket price (no cheap-o lawn seats? really?) but it may be worth it to see my fave Gossip Girl fan, Gabe Saporta... or I could just sit in the parking lot hoping he makes good on his kick-it-in-the-parking lot promises in his blog.

Oh, and if you're one of those kids who isn't allowed to go to concerts, don't despair too much... The Jonas Brothers 3D movie (coming at ya February 27th) will give you way better seats than I had when I was on the lawn for their show at the Nissan Pavilion last year :)

DsCene & Heard: Hellogoodbye, Ace Enders, NeverShoutNever!, & PlayRadioPlay! at Sonar

Okay, be honest: is the DsCene & Heard title the lamest thing ever? It sounded so much cooler in my head...

Anyways, a few months ago, I saw Hellogoodbye, Ace Enders, NeverShoutNever!, and PlayRadioPlay! at Sonar, this little club in Baltimore, and wrote a review of it for my guitar class. Reviewing it was really fun, so rather than just writing a crappy little list of who performed & how they sounded, I tried to make the review good. And I wanted my review to be read by more people than just my guitar teacher, so I thought I'd post it here [more people than just my guitar teacher will read this, right?]

On November 7, 2008, I saw Hellogoodbye, Ace Enders, NeverShoutNever, and PlayRadioPlay perform live at Sonar in Baltimore. The show had a diverse group of performers and was overall the most enjoyable live performance I have ever seen.


NeverShoutNever, alias Christopher Ingle, performed first. Ingle’s acoustic pop songs were very pleasant to listen to and told heartwarming stories of love, insecurity, and growing up in a small town. Ingle sang and played tambourine accompanied by a man on acoustic guitar. NeverShoutNever was a huge crowd pleaser. Ingle said we were “the best crowd ever” which may have been true, considering that he is a newcomer to the music scene and already caused hoards of girls in the crowd to scream “I love you!” at the end of each song. The audio quality was not world-class, but Ingle demonstrated an impressive vocal range and the set overall was, like its lovable performer, absolutely adorable.


The next act, PlayRadioPlay, bore a freakishly similar name to NeverShoutNever but had virtually nothing else in common. PlayRadioPlay, alias Dan Hunter, performed electropop music that was as different from NeverShoutNever’s sunny acoustic pop as day and night. Like Ingle before him and Hellogoodbye after him, Hunter seemed like a bit of a geek; unlike the other acts, he seemed cold and emotionally distant from the crowd. He thrashed around with a variety of good-looking guitars, apparently oblivious to how silly he looked. His singing was virtually inaudible, even though he bent over the microphone like some sort of monster poised to devour the mic and the audience after it. Hunter was accompanied by a drummer and keyboardist, neither of whom ever addressed the crowd; Hunter barely said a word to the audience either. His audio quality was extremely poor, and all of his songs suffered from a lack of a discernible melody. Most of the crowd clearly disliked the set; my favorite part of it was watching people move away to the bar and merchandise tables so I could take their spots closer to the stage. It was evident that even among this group of geeky pop bands, Hunter was an outcast. The show would have flowed better without him.


The concert regained its momentum with the next act, Ace Enders and a Million Different People. Enders’ rock music was the most mainstream music of the night, but it just as well-received as Ingle’s and Hellogoodbye’s more eclectic tunes. Enders sang and played guitar on some songs, accompanied by a bassist, guitarist, and drummer. The four were very popular with the crowd, many of whom appeared to be personal friends of Enders and his bassist. Enders played faster, louder versions of the songs on his EP “The Secret Wars”. Their songs were fun and catchy, prompting jumping, moshing, and even some uncoordinated attempts at break dancing and crowd surfing in the audience. Bassist Sergio Anello got into it as well, jumping around, making funny faces for the crowd, and trying to climb up the wall. Enders’ set was probably the most fun live performance I have ever seen.


It seems necessary to mention that Sonar is a very small club, and the crowd was very tightly packed. The heat by this point in the show verged on unbearable, causing Enders and Anello to sweat visibly. One girl in the audience even fainted from the heat. The bar offered free glasses of ice water, but few audience members dared venture away from their spots near the stage. Although it was easy to forget the heat and smell during the sets, the waiting periods between sets were awful.


Nearly three hours after the show began, Hellogoodbye performed. Lead singer Forrest Kline was sick, so his vocals were fairly awful, but that only added to the fun, unique feeling of the show. Kline had to sing one song entirely in falsetto, which was absolutely hilarious. He talked to the crowd, commiserating with another girl who was sick and inviting another girl to freestyle rap on stage. The other band members mostly stayed silent, except for guitarist Ryan Daly, who inexplicably and repeatedly told the crowd that his father pronounces Baltimore like “Baltee-more.” The crowd’s love was mostly aimed at Kline, the only member who has stayed with the band since its creation in 2001. Hellogoodbye’s audio quality was not great, and they only played two songs from their upcoming album, but Kline’s magnetic personality more than made up for their less than perfect musical performance.


The night ended with a truly grand finale in which Kline invited Ingle and Enders to help him sing Hellogoodbye’s most popular song, “Here (In Your Arms).” Hunter did not join them; he has been known to perform additional acoustic shows after his sets. Enders was at the merchandise table when the song began, and he crowd surfed the length of the club to reach the stage. The song was fairly chaotic; Enders repeatedly forgot the words and had to be reminded by Kline, and fans jumped on stage to join the performers. Still, the song exemplified the show: three eccentric pop bands performing sets that were not airtight but were tons of fun, pleasing fans and offering a truly unique musical experience, while PlayRadioPlay played alone out in the cold November night.

Why is this review still relevant? Well, although Hellogoodbye seems to be skipping the spring tours to record their next album, Ace Enders and NeverShoutNever! both have upcoming tours.

NeverShoutNever! is heading out on tour again with The Scene Aesthetic, The Honorary Title, and The Bigger Lights + Carter Hulsey. He'll be playing in the DC area at Jaxx in Springfield, Virginia on Sunday, March 8. Jaxx is a little club in a strip mall with a trashy-looking website. Their newest bartender is named Emily, and you can see pictures of her in a bikini here.

I'll probably spend that night dying inside because my parents won't let me go to concerts on school nights, but you should try to go and join the hoardes announcing their love at the top of their lungs.

After that tour, NSN heads out on the Bamboozle Roadshow, which will be stopping at the Recher Theatre in Towson, Maryland on Tuesday, April 28. He will be joined by We The Kings, Forever The Sickest Kids, The Cab, and Mercy Mercedes. In case I get reincarnated inside between this show and his show at Jaxx, I will be dying inside again that night because I cannot go.

More info about both these shows can be found on NSN's MySpace.

In other NSN news, his ukelele EP is now available on iTunes for those of you suckers who missed the free download week, and his song "Your Biggest Fan" will never get out of my head. Ever.

PlayRadioPlay! has not announced any future tour plans on his MySpace. Not that I would see him again anyways.

Ace Enders is also headin gout on tour again soon. This time, he will be supporting Craig Owens of Chiodos. The Color Fred, and VersaEmerge. His closest stop to the DC area is at Ottobar in Baltimore on Thursday, April 9, which is right in the middle of spring break for some of us. This much-anticipated show is rumored to be a hot ticket, so it's recommended that you make plans to go soon. My parents aren't too keen on the B-more club scene, but I'm trying to go.

More tour info on Ace's MySpace.

Also, if my smugness about downloading NSN's EP for free makes you want to punch me in the face, i'd like to offer you the link to downloa Ace Enders' album for free as an appeasement. It's right here, and it's totally jsut as good as NSN's...

I could burn you a copy of NSN's EP if you still want to punch me in the face.

[P.S. Sorry for the weird font changes; I'm having some HTML trouble with this post...]