Seems like the last few thousands downloads of Aly & AJ's "Potential Breakup Song" were trickling in more slowly than the splattered paint running down the walls in that song's video. But I guess it's better late than never: "Potential Breakup Song" just went platinum this week, nearly 2 years after the single was released.
That seemed newsworthy just because of how belated it was. I mean, I know Aly & AJ were never the two-for-the-price-of-one Hilary Duffs Disney Channel would have liked them to be, but going platinum after 2 years? I've never heard anyone brag about that... But it is great for them; don't get me wrong. They didn't even need to release a deluxe edition of Insomniatic like they did for Into the Rush. But Into the Rush went platinum in less than a year... Oh, how the mighty mouseketeers are fallen.
Oh, and the other reason the Platinum certification is newsworthy is because it's the only real news Aly & AJ have had in months. Sure, they're both off starting their feature film careers, AJ in The Lovely Bones, Aly in Bandslam (a movie that might stand a chance, now that its title has been changed from Rock On!) and they want their next album to be, you know, good. Because they do more than just vacation in Aruba and dye their dogs. They swear.
I feel kind of bad writing so cynically about the girls I saw at my first for real rock concert, but I wish they had some proof that they've done something productive in the past few years besides being featured on My Super-Sweet 16. I feel like they always tried to be such serious artists when they were all over Disney Channel, but now they just come off as a few spoiled blondes who think they're hippies...
But maybe Bandslam won't be as cliche as it sounds. Maybe their new album won't get pushed back anymore. Maybe the song they wrote with Rivers Cuomo of Weezer will be on the album and will rock as much as it sounds like it will. Maybe their blog entries will consist of more than just home videos of them as 5 year-olds. Cuz, um, talk about living in the past...
So I guess it's good that I can at least report on the rather belated Platinum certification of "Potential Breakup Song." It sure beats talking about their dog's dye job...
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
All Around the World
I bet this is one of the those things where if you care, you already know, but if you can bear to read further: the Jonas Brothers announced the dates for their upcoming World tour yesterday.
I was sure Disney would save the coveted opening act slot for their next attempt to clone Miley Cyrus, but I guess they're willing to hire artists whose success won't directly profit Mickey Mouse - or else Jordin Sparks is thinking of switching labels. Oh wait, maybe she is. Her official site still mentions her old label at the bottom of the page, and all information I can find on her split with Zomba links back to the same Reality TV Magazine article. I can't even find the blog entry cited in the article, so maybe it's a false alarm...
Whether or not Hollywood Records plans to snatch up this Idol winner, they are giving her the opening slot of the Jonas Brothers' world tour. Even if no record deal is in the works, Disney has really taken a liking to Jordin. So far she's performed at Disneyland... more times than I want to count. And why wouldn't like a good purity ring-wearer like Jordin? If Russel Brand comes to any of the shows, Jordin can beat him up for the JoBros.
But since Jordin Sparks can't just come on stage without an opening act having warmed up/ticked off the crowd, pop-rock band Honor Society will be opening as well. Since hearing this, I have not been able to stop bashing my head against the keyboard because I was stupid enough to watch a few of their live performances on YouTube, read that they were basically BFFs with the JoBros, briefly admire their tie-filled wardrobe, then decide they weren't good enough to hit it big anytime soon. Their album was produced by the freakin Jonas Brothers. Of course they're major contenders for the title of Next Big Thing.
I mean, it's not like they're bad; they just... sound like the Jonas Brothers' wimpy little stepbrothers. They're heavier on the pop than the rock and accurately describe themselves as sounding like a rock project by Justin Timberlake. Entertainment Weekly knows more about them than I do; check out EW PopWatch's insightful review here.
But, um, also, they're old. Not like Rolling Stones old, but still graduated high school before Kevin Jonas, and people complain that at age 21, he's too old to be a tween pop star... Plus, like, their name is Honor Society, which exudes almost as much lameness as Son of Dork... But then again, I am madly in love with Son of Dork's album Welcome to Loserville because of everything but its name... For one brief second, I thought Andrew Lee of Honor Society was either Son of Dork's David Williams or James Bourne, but no. Hey, Bourne used to produce for the Jonas Brothers; it's not toootally crazy to think he could open for them.
Hey, speaking of that tour, want some dates? The JoBros will hit the Verizon Center in DC on Monday July 13th. That's after they tour South America and part of Europe (who tours South America? props for actually including more than half the continents on your world tour, guys!) but before they get to the rest of Europe, Asia, and Australia. A complete set of dates can be found here. No ticket info yet.
I was sure Disney would save the coveted opening act slot for their next attempt to clone Miley Cyrus, but I guess they're willing to hire artists whose success won't directly profit Mickey Mouse - or else Jordin Sparks is thinking of switching labels. Oh wait, maybe she is. Her official site still mentions her old label at the bottom of the page, and all information I can find on her split with Zomba links back to the same Reality TV Magazine article. I can't even find the blog entry cited in the article, so maybe it's a false alarm...
Whether or not Hollywood Records plans to snatch up this Idol winner, they are giving her the opening slot of the Jonas Brothers' world tour. Even if no record deal is in the works, Disney has really taken a liking to Jordin. So far she's performed at Disneyland... more times than I want to count. And why wouldn't like a good purity ring-wearer like Jordin? If Russel Brand comes to any of the shows, Jordin can beat him up for the JoBros.
But since Jordin Sparks can't just come on stage without an opening act having warmed up/ticked off the crowd, pop-rock band Honor Society will be opening as well. Since hearing this, I have not been able to stop bashing my head against the keyboard because I was stupid enough to watch a few of their live performances on YouTube, read that they were basically BFFs with the JoBros, briefly admire their tie-filled wardrobe, then decide they weren't good enough to hit it big anytime soon. Their album was produced by the freakin Jonas Brothers. Of course they're major contenders for the title of Next Big Thing.
I mean, it's not like they're bad; they just... sound like the Jonas Brothers' wimpy little stepbrothers. They're heavier on the pop than the rock and accurately describe themselves as sounding like a rock project by Justin Timberlake. Entertainment Weekly knows more about them than I do; check out EW PopWatch's insightful review here.
But, um, also, they're old. Not like Rolling Stones old, but still graduated high school before Kevin Jonas, and people complain that at age 21, he's too old to be a tween pop star... Plus, like, their name is Honor Society, which exudes almost as much lameness as Son of Dork... But then again, I am madly in love with Son of Dork's album Welcome to Loserville because of everything but its name... For one brief second, I thought Andrew Lee of Honor Society was either Son of Dork's David Williams or James Bourne, but no. Hey, Bourne used to produce for the Jonas Brothers; it's not toootally crazy to think he could open for them.
Hey, speaking of that tour, want some dates? The JoBros will hit the Verizon Center in DC on Monday July 13th. That's after they tour South America and part of Europe (who tours South America? props for actually including more than half the continents on your world tour, guys!) but before they get to the rest of Europe, Asia, and Australia. A complete set of dates can be found here. No ticket info yet.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
December's Over
When Kelly Clarkson released "My Life Would Suck Without You," reviewers everywhere rejoiced that the Kelly of "Since U Been Gone" was back and proclaimed that their lives sucked without her for the past two years since My December's sales were colder than its namesake. I thought their response seemed slightly inconsiderate. I always thought that you could only buy a one-way ticket to becoming a serious, pained artiste, and that once you ticked off the head of your label, you wouldn't go back to doing things the way he liked them without a fight. I thought Kelly's return to rockin' pop balladry signified her surrender to the evil forces of the industry and that she would be more of a shell of herself than she was on My December - except this time, she'd be cocooned in layers and layers of synths. (Hey, it usually works for Britney.)
I'd love to know how Kelly's been in the few years since her last No. 1 hit , but since I can't exactly call her up and ask how it feels to stop being America's Fave Pop Star, we'll just have to see what we can glean from her new album.
It seemed like Kelly spent the last two years in hibernation, licking her wounds after the world told her "personal break-up album? We don't listen for your feelings; we listen for your hooks!"
Album openers "My Life Would Suck Without You" and "I Do Not Hook Up" are as catchy as any of Kelly's previous songs, which could be a sign that she's given up on innovation, or that she just... likes pop music. She sounds as independent and happy as she did on "Since U Been Gone." Way more than she did on "Don't Waste Your Time"...
In fact, forget about comparing All I Ever Wanted to My December. It's like the strong pop-rock of Breakaway with an extra sugar coating. "Don't Let Me Stop You," "Long Shot," and "Impossible" all would have fit in well on Kelly's sophomore album, even though "Long Shot" was written by Katy Perry, Glen Ballard, and Matthew Thiessen (yes, that's THE Matthew Thiessen of Relient K. My mind was kind of blown when I found out he worked with Katy Perry... Actually, this knowledge made me totally disappointed in the song. Matty T and Katy are pretty much my songwriting dream team. Sure, they were young and inexperienced back when they recorded it in '05, but still. This should be some witty, insightful brilliance. I expect better next time.)
But, oh, um, back to Kelly. Girl tries on some different personas throughout the album, which are most notable in the juxtaposition between treacly ballad "Save You" and hard rocker "Whyyawannabringmedown." Yeah, Kelly Clarkson tries her hand at some serious rock, guitar solo included. It's not necessarily pretty... But not a complete embarrassment. Mostly just mind-blowing. I doubt I'll know what to think about it for a while...
Then again "Save You" isn't all that pretty either. It may boast a Mozart-inspired "experimental bridge," but gosh, it sounds like every other song on the world that has lyrics like "I wish I could save you/I wish I could say to you/I'm not going nowhere/I wish I could say to you/It's gonna be all right." I'm sure it's fine for what it is, but treacle tunes just aren't my thing.
Speaking of treacle tunes - "Cry," "Already Gone," and "If No One Will Listen" also contain as much sap as a gallon of maple syrup. But not in a really bad way, and not in the totally depressed style of her previous album. "Cry" sounds more like she's soaring through a cloudy sky than crawling up in a hole. And I actually really like "If No One Will Listen." It has the sparse production and great vocals I love in ballads by Marie Digby.
"If No One Will Listen" showcases Kelly's vocals well, unlike many other songs in the album. The slight vocal effects didn't bother me until I heard the beginning of "If I Can't Have You." I mean, she's Kelly freakin' Clarkson; she has one of the best voices Simon Cowell will ever discover.
Then I heard the rest of "If I Can't Have You" and realized that it suffered from a mild case of overproduction because, well, it's a 21st-century pop song. Love it or hate it, hyperproduction is to catchy pop as jelly is to peanut butter. There are some delicious peanut butter and banana sandwiches out there, but most kids are munching PB&J.
Yes, Kelly Clarkson is a pop star again. "If I Can't Have You" is a pop song with killer instrumentals and a chorus that can really only be described as dance-ilicious... Okay, I'm sure there are many real words that could describe the chorus, but really catchy dance pop makes it hard for me to remember vocab words. All I can say is, next single? Pretty please??
"Ready" and "I Want You" are more surprisingly sunny songs for Kelly, proving that spring really has sprung after the cold desolation of her December. And if the 14 songs on All I Ever Wanted haven't convinced you that Kelly and pop music have kissed and made up, look no further than the deluxe edition bonus tracks. "Tip of My Tongue" has a dash of Latin-pop spice that's just the recipe for sweet Top 40 success, and "The Day We Fell Apart" is pure pop fun with another dance-ilicious chorus. I was always a fair-weather Kelly Clarkson fan, and while my life might not have sucked without her, it certainly would suck without catchy, fun tunes like many of the ones on this album.
I'd love to know how Kelly's been in the few years since her last No. 1 hit , but since I can't exactly call her up and ask how it feels to stop being America's Fave Pop Star, we'll just have to see what we can glean from her new album.
It seemed like Kelly spent the last two years in hibernation, licking her wounds after the world told her "personal break-up album? We don't listen for your feelings; we listen for your hooks!"
Album openers "My Life Would Suck Without You" and "I Do Not Hook Up" are as catchy as any of Kelly's previous songs, which could be a sign that she's given up on innovation, or that she just... likes pop music. She sounds as independent and happy as she did on "Since U Been Gone." Way more than she did on "Don't Waste Your Time"...
In fact, forget about comparing All I Ever Wanted to My December. It's like the strong pop-rock of Breakaway with an extra sugar coating. "Don't Let Me Stop You," "Long Shot," and "Impossible" all would have fit in well on Kelly's sophomore album, even though "Long Shot" was written by Katy Perry, Glen Ballard, and Matthew Thiessen (yes, that's THE Matthew Thiessen of Relient K. My mind was kind of blown when I found out he worked with Katy Perry... Actually, this knowledge made me totally disappointed in the song. Matty T and Katy are pretty much my songwriting dream team. Sure, they were young and inexperienced back when they recorded it in '05, but still. This should be some witty, insightful brilliance. I expect better next time.)
But, oh, um, back to Kelly. Girl tries on some different personas throughout the album, which are most notable in the juxtaposition between treacly ballad "Save You" and hard rocker "Whyyawannabringmedown." Yeah, Kelly Clarkson tries her hand at some serious rock, guitar solo included. It's not necessarily pretty... But not a complete embarrassment. Mostly just mind-blowing. I doubt I'll know what to think about it for a while...
Then again "Save You" isn't all that pretty either. It may boast a Mozart-inspired "experimental bridge," but gosh, it sounds like every other song on the world that has lyrics like "I wish I could save you/I wish I could say to you/I'm not going nowhere/I wish I could say to you/It's gonna be all right." I'm sure it's fine for what it is, but treacle tunes just aren't my thing.
Speaking of treacle tunes - "Cry," "Already Gone," and "If No One Will Listen" also contain as much sap as a gallon of maple syrup. But not in a really bad way, and not in the totally depressed style of her previous album. "Cry" sounds more like she's soaring through a cloudy sky than crawling up in a hole. And I actually really like "If No One Will Listen." It has the sparse production and great vocals I love in ballads by Marie Digby.
"If No One Will Listen" showcases Kelly's vocals well, unlike many other songs in the album. The slight vocal effects didn't bother me until I heard the beginning of "If I Can't Have You." I mean, she's Kelly freakin' Clarkson; she has one of the best voices Simon Cowell will ever discover.
Then I heard the rest of "If I Can't Have You" and realized that it suffered from a mild case of overproduction because, well, it's a 21st-century pop song. Love it or hate it, hyperproduction is to catchy pop as jelly is to peanut butter. There are some delicious peanut butter and banana sandwiches out there, but most kids are munching PB&J.
Yes, Kelly Clarkson is a pop star again. "If I Can't Have You" is a pop song with killer instrumentals and a chorus that can really only be described as dance-ilicious... Okay, I'm sure there are many real words that could describe the chorus, but really catchy dance pop makes it hard for me to remember vocab words. All I can say is, next single? Pretty please??
"Ready" and "I Want You" are more surprisingly sunny songs for Kelly, proving that spring really has sprung after the cold desolation of her December. And if the 14 songs on All I Ever Wanted haven't convinced you that Kelly and pop music have kissed and made up, look no further than the deluxe edition bonus tracks. "Tip of My Tongue" has a dash of Latin-pop spice that's just the recipe for sweet Top 40 success, and "The Day We Fell Apart" is pure pop fun with another dance-ilicious chorus. I was always a fair-weather Kelly Clarkson fan, and while my life might not have sucked without her, it certainly would suck without catchy, fun tunes like many of the ones on this album.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Slightly Speechless
...I had planned to post a review of the Mixed Unity Stop the Violence concert in Downtown Silver Spring last Saturday, but I really don't know what to say about a nonviolence concert at which a fight breaks out in the audience and the police start macing people...
I wasn't there for the fight (too busy playing dress-up with the sequined XXXL tops at Burlington Coat Factory), but I was there for a great set from Those Guys and several of the freestyle rappers. Some of the rappers were really talented; others were pretty mediocre. Props to the guy who rapped about how he believes in Jesus rather than sex, drugs, and clubbing, and to the guy who rapped about how he got into drugs then quit. It takes guts to say you disapprove of marijuana in front of an audience of people with smoke clouds visible around their heads...
I didn't catch the names of any of the rappers (yes, the only name I heard was "Those Guys"), but I got a (slightly amateur-ish) flier for a band called Class 6. I missed their set, but I figured I'd go to their MySpace anyways, and to my surprise, they're actually really good. One of the best hip-hop/rock bands I've ever heard. [Because, you know, I listen to soooo many other hip-hop/rock bands, so I totally know good rocking/rapping when I hear it...]
Some good pictures of the concert (and the names of more of the bands) at Silver Spring Town Center, Inc's blog. They don't mention the fight, making it sound like simply a nice little community event... if only it was...
I wasn't there for the fight (too busy playing dress-up with the sequined XXXL tops at Burlington Coat Factory), but I was there for a great set from Those Guys and several of the freestyle rappers. Some of the rappers were really talented; others were pretty mediocre. Props to the guy who rapped about how he believes in Jesus rather than sex, drugs, and clubbing, and to the guy who rapped about how he got into drugs then quit. It takes guts to say you disapprove of marijuana in front of an audience of people with smoke clouds visible around their heads...
I didn't catch the names of any of the rappers (yes, the only name I heard was "Those Guys"), but I got a (slightly amateur-ish) flier for a band called Class 6. I missed their set, but I figured I'd go to their MySpace anyways, and to my surprise, they're actually really good. One of the best hip-hop/rock bands I've ever heard. [Because, you know, I listen to soooo many other hip-hop/rock bands, so I totally know good rocking/rapping when I hear it...]
Some good pictures of the concert (and the names of more of the bands) at Silver Spring Town Center, Inc's blog. They don't mention the fight, making it sound like simply a nice little community event... if only it was...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
How to Get Happy
When the temperature is well below freezing and there are 6 inches of snow on the ground and you need more than just hot chocolate to keep warm, may I suggest you try some heart-warming music, such as NeverShoutNever's fresh-out-of-the-oven single "Happy," just released today.
You can hop on over to iTunes and pick it up RIGHT THIS MINUTE (my recommended course of action), or give it a spin on YouTube first. Actually, I recommend seeing the fan video on YouTube first because it is packed with pictures of that bundle of adorableness known as Christofer Drew. I might feel guilty about encouraging you to listen to it illegally, since Chris hasn't put it on his MySpace yet so I don't think he really wants people hearing it without paying for it, but once you hear it, you'll definitely think it's worth $.99.
I don't really have too much to say about the song except that it is hands-down the most feel-good thing I have heard in my life. "Heart-warming" is an understatement. It made my heart so hot I melted into a puddle on the floor.
I suppose I ought to mention that it features a ukulele. I'm glad Chris's fondness for ukuleles extended beyond his recent ukulele EP, Me & My Uke. If you missed out on that ukulele fabulousness, you can download the whole 3-song EP on iTunes or pick up a free download of one of the songs, "Did It Hurt,"on the PureVolume page for his current tour, the Let's Get Happy tour. I strongly suggest you take advantage of this opportunity to own the only song that has ever successfully made girls swoon with the line "Did it hurt when you feel from heaven?"
Now that you've heard two of NSN's songs and probably want to buy an I Love Christofer Drew tee and wear it every day for the rest of you life, you can meet Chris & confess your love for him (er, say that you love him, not that you're in love with him. There's a difference.) at his show at Jaxx in West Springfield, VA this Sunday, March 8th. More info in my post here.
Before the show on Sunday, Chris will be signing autographs at Hot Topic in Springfield Mall in Springfield, VA at 3:00. Just purchase some NSN merch at that store to get a sticker to meet Chris. All the deets can be found here. I suggest you get your sticker in advance, since there was kind of a mob of teenage girls permanently glued to Chris when I saw him open for Hellogoodbye. Meet & Greet tip: he hates camera flashes, but he's generally wayyy too nice to say anything.
Oh, and be sure to stop by NSN's MySpace & check out his new profile picture. Hawtt.
You can hop on over to iTunes and pick it up RIGHT THIS MINUTE (my recommended course of action), or give it a spin on YouTube first. Actually, I recommend seeing the fan video on YouTube first because it is packed with pictures of that bundle of adorableness known as Christofer Drew. I might feel guilty about encouraging you to listen to it illegally, since Chris hasn't put it on his MySpace yet so I don't think he really wants people hearing it without paying for it, but once you hear it, you'll definitely think it's worth $.99.
I don't really have too much to say about the song except that it is hands-down the most feel-good thing I have heard in my life. "Heart-warming" is an understatement. It made my heart so hot I melted into a puddle on the floor.
I suppose I ought to mention that it features a ukulele. I'm glad Chris's fondness for ukuleles extended beyond his recent ukulele EP, Me & My Uke. If you missed out on that ukulele fabulousness, you can download the whole 3-song EP on iTunes or pick up a free download of one of the songs, "Did It Hurt,"on the PureVolume page for his current tour, the Let's Get Happy tour. I strongly suggest you take advantage of this opportunity to own the only song that has ever successfully made girls swoon with the line "Did it hurt when you feel from heaven?"
Now that you've heard two of NSN's songs and probably want to buy an I Love Christofer Drew tee and wear it every day for the rest of you life, you can meet Chris & confess your love for him (er, say that you love him, not that you're in love with him. There's a difference.) at his show at Jaxx in West Springfield, VA this Sunday, March 8th. More info in my post here.
Before the show on Sunday, Chris will be signing autographs at Hot Topic in Springfield Mall in Springfield, VA at 3:00. Just purchase some NSN merch at that store to get a sticker to meet Chris. All the deets can be found here. I suggest you get your sticker in advance, since there was kind of a mob of teenage girls permanently glued to Chris when I saw him open for Hellogoodbye. Meet & Greet tip: he hates camera flashes, but he's generally wayyy too nice to say anything.
Oh, and be sure to stop by NSN's MySpace & check out his new profile picture. Hawtt.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
This Summer's Hottest Ticket? No Doubt About It...
Hey hey hey, I saw the Jonas Brothers 3D Concert Experience this weekend, and it was quite the experience (and this time, I am not just calling it "an experience" because I don't want to say it sucked. It rocked. Go see it. Right now. Even if you saw a show on the Burning Up tour. Even if you think Joe is a jerk for breaking up with Taylor on the phone - you'll love his duet with her.)
But anyways, I would love to write more about that terrific piece of concert-movie magic, but my brain is kind of stuck in crazed fangirl mode (it's a miracle I've managed to write this many coherent sentences) after I found out that the No Doubt reunion tour I've heard rumors of
is happening
this summer
Paramore's opening
(so are The Sounds)
It's coming to Nissan Pavilion
June 14th
Details at No Doubt's site and LiveNation
Tickets go on sale this Saturday (March 7th)
So I am suuuuuuper psyched!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And lucky me, I only have 2 final exams this year, and the concert is the night before the last day of exams, and lucky, lucky me, that just so happens to be the day of one of my exams. Yes, approximately 7 hours after Gwen & the gang quit rocking the DC area, I will be taking my Spanish exam.
Plus, um, tickets will sell out in like, 10 seconds. And they'll probably cost a million bucks anyways. So log on right at 9:00 AM this Saturday if you want to stand a chance. Or join the tour club, but then your tickets will cost a million and fifteen bucks.
Oh, and, um belated warning about reading the reviews on LiveNation's page: they are very favorable reviews. They will make you feel even crappier if you cannot see the show because it is right before your Spanish exam...
.....................................................................................................................
Okay, I've collected myself enough to dig up some dirt on the rationale begind this Tour Club thing, and apparently it's a way to prevent scalpers from getting the bet seats, accordign to the LA Times. No Doubt's manager told them the system is scalper-proof, but Ticket Liquidator has already proven him wrong. $54 lawn seats, anyone?
I'd love to give you a general idea of what tickets will cost (mostly because I'd like to have a general idea myself), but Ticket Liquidator appears to have no system for pricing its tickets. Don't ask me why an $82 lawn seast beats a $54 lawn seat or why a front row seat is only $311 while seats in the farther away section 103 go for $896...
StubHub has lawn seats rangin from $58 to $101, but their prices for section 103 make $896 look like a steal. For First Tier 103, they're asking for - brace yourself - $1,175.
But at least you're getting more than jsut tickets to a possibly once-in-a-lifetime event. with the purchase of tickets, you also get access to free downloads of No Doubt's entire collection. Um, yeah, like, all their songs. Like, 10 years of music. Makes those $54 lawn seats look like quite a deal...
But anyways, I would love to write more about that terrific piece of concert-movie magic, but my brain is kind of stuck in crazed fangirl mode (it's a miracle I've managed to write this many coherent sentences) after I found out that the No Doubt reunion tour I've heard rumors of
is happening
this summer
Paramore's opening
(so are The Sounds)
It's coming to Nissan Pavilion
June 14th
Details at No Doubt's site and LiveNation
Tickets go on sale this Saturday (March 7th)
So I am suuuuuuper psyched!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And lucky me, I only have 2 final exams this year, and the concert is the night before the last day of exams, and lucky, lucky me, that just so happens to be the day of one of my exams. Yes, approximately 7 hours after Gwen & the gang quit rocking the DC area, I will be taking my Spanish exam.
Plus, um, tickets will sell out in like, 10 seconds. And they'll probably cost a million bucks anyways. So log on right at 9:00 AM this Saturday if you want to stand a chance. Or join the tour club, but then your tickets will cost a million and fifteen bucks.
Oh, and, um belated warning about reading the reviews on LiveNation's page: they are very favorable reviews. They will make you feel even crappier if you cannot see the show because it is right before your Spanish exam...
.....................................................................................................................
Okay, I've collected myself enough to dig up some dirt on the rationale begind this Tour Club thing, and apparently it's a way to prevent scalpers from getting the bet seats, accordign to the LA Times. No Doubt's manager told them the system is scalper-proof, but Ticket Liquidator has already proven him wrong. $54 lawn seats, anyone?
I'd love to give you a general idea of what tickets will cost (mostly because I'd like to have a general idea myself), but Ticket Liquidator appears to have no system for pricing its tickets. Don't ask me why an $82 lawn seast beats a $54 lawn seat or why a front row seat is only $311 while seats in the farther away section 103 go for $896...
StubHub has lawn seats rangin from $58 to $101, but their prices for section 103 make $896 look like a steal. For First Tier 103, they're asking for - brace yourself - $1,175.
But at least you're getting more than jsut tickets to a possibly once-in-a-lifetime event. with the purchase of tickets, you also get access to free downloads of No Doubt's entire collection. Um, yeah, like, all their songs. Like, 10 years of music. Makes those $54 lawn seats look like quite a deal...
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