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.

Watch this! "Womanzier" cover by All-American Rejects (& some by other ppl too)

Hey kids, it is absolutely mandatory that you stop everything you're doing and watch The All-American Rejects perform a cover of Britney's "Womanizer" RIGHT NOW.

This video's been around for about a month, but I just now got around to watching it and wish I'd looked ti up the second I read Entertainment Weekly's review of it (A-? stingy little critics...)

I also suggest you watch in full screen and turn the sound way up. You need to get the full miniature accordion experience.



I wasn't too thrilled with AAR's new album (excluding "Gives You Hell" and "Mona Lisa (When the World Comes Down)," which are brilliant), but I put them back on my list of favorite bands the second I heard Tyson Ritter sing "maybe I could be your girl." And the random verse from "Happy Together"? LOVE!!!!

P.S. For those of you looking for some serious music, the aforementioned Entertainment Weekly article also led me to Ladyhawke's amazing cover of "Womanizer." She makes that song more beautiful and haunting than any Britney song should ever be...

Lily Allen's cover is also quite nice. A very refreshing deviation from Britney's version... I'm not sure if I'd recommend listening to these three in a row, though. I survived it, but then, I like to listen to Ashley Tisdale's songs from HSM3 on repeat...

P.P.S. After those three great covers, Sliimy's cover songs awful. It's not that bad intrinsically, and the video is quite cute, but I'm suffering from Britney cover overload. Headaaaache....