So I made this mix yesterday and thought I'd share it with everyone. It's a little less lighthearted than my past two mixes I posted here but I feel as though it is a good collection of songs that are worth checking out even if you would not necessarily go for the heavy/moody stuff on a regular basis. Though there are the simply heartfelt songs (Panic, Elliott Smith), essentially the mix is on the more intricate side of the musical spectrum and the songs I picked are what I perceive to be meditations or reflection on relationships with entities that are not easily seen, always fleeting or difficult to understand. Some, like Pelican, Juliana Theory, or Russian Circles, substitute lyrics for musical intricacy. Some people have a difficult time relating to music without lyrics but these are a good crash course. I hesitate to describe them as religious or even spiritual because I think that can be interpreted somewhat hastily. Decide for yourself and comment if you would like! I want to hear your opinions. Enjoy.
"sugar in the sacrament":
1. thursday -- sugar in the sacrament (A City By The Light Divided, 2006)
2. brand new -- you stole (Daisy, 2009)
3. mewithoutYou -- messes of men (Brother, Sister, 2006)
4. paramore -- ignorance (brand new eyes, 2009)
5. russian circles -- new macabre (Enter, 2006)
6. portugal. the man -- oh lord (Church Mouth, 2007)
7. circa survive -- travel hymn (On Letting Go, 2007)
8. elliott smith -- alphabet town (s/t, 1995)
9. mae -- brink of disaster (Singularity, 2007)
10. pelican -- lost in the headlights (City of Echoes, 2007)
11. the juliana theory -- emotion is dead, pt. 1 (Emotion is Dead, 2000)
12. panic! at the disco -- do you know what i'm seeing? (Pretty. Odd., 2008)
13. glassjaw -- trailer park jesus (Worship & Tribute, 2002)
<3 maggie, promotions coordinator, inklingstv
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Oh Hot Damn: These Are My Jams (vol 4: Summer Songs 2000)
Summer is always a great time for music. Those are the songs you make memories to- hanging out at the beach, driving around with your friends, bonfires in your backyard. Summer songs always have the ability to take me back to certain years as if they were yesterday.
I've been making "best of summer" mixes so long, I used to make them on tapes, and I made covers for said tapes by drawing palm trees with markers, scanning them and formatting them in ClarisWorks (remember clarisworks??)
The best thing about these mixes (besides being mildly horrified at some of my choices) is that you can look at them and see the evolution of my musical taste, and also tell what I did that summer. I'm going to post all my lists, one each week, leading up to August when I'll make a list of all my favorite songs from this summer.
I give you my list from 2000. I was 15, and this was a time before ipods (or atleast a time before I had an ipod.) I spent my days babysitting the kids down the street from me and watching TRL with them so they could track the progress of NSync's "It's Gonna Be Me" as it climbed up the charts. I was experiencing the resurgence of my love for Hanson, and the beginning of my love for Eve 6.
The Best of Summer 2000
Everclear: Wonderful
B-44: Get Down
Dr Dre/Snoop Dogg: Next Episode
Lit: Over My Head
Eve 6: Promise
Matchbox 20: Bent
Vertical Horizon: You're a God
Barenaked Ladies: Pinch Me
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Otherside
Incubus: Stellar
KEF: Hottie Boombalottie (I totally still like this song.)
Papa Roach: Last Resort
Soul Decision: Faded
Hanson: If Only
LFO: Veronica
Christina Aguilera: Come On Over
I've been making "best of summer" mixes so long, I used to make them on tapes, and I made covers for said tapes by drawing palm trees with markers, scanning them and formatting them in ClarisWorks (remember clarisworks??)
The best thing about these mixes (besides being mildly horrified at some of my choices) is that you can look at them and see the evolution of my musical taste, and also tell what I did that summer. I'm going to post all my lists, one each week, leading up to August when I'll make a list of all my favorite songs from this summer.
I give you my list from 2000. I was 15, and this was a time before ipods (or atleast a time before I had an ipod.) I spent my days babysitting the kids down the street from me and watching TRL with them so they could track the progress of NSync's "It's Gonna Be Me" as it climbed up the charts. I was experiencing the resurgence of my love for Hanson, and the beginning of my love for Eve 6.
The Best of Summer 2000
Everclear: Wonderful
B-44: Get Down
Dr Dre/Snoop Dogg: Next Episode
Lit: Over My Head
Eve 6: Promise
Matchbox 20: Bent
Vertical Horizon: You're a God
Barenaked Ladies: Pinch Me
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Otherside
Incubus: Stellar
KEF: Hottie Boombalottie (I totally still like this song.)
Papa Roach: Last Resort
Soul Decision: Faded
Hanson: If Only
LFO: Veronica
Christina Aguilera: Come On Over
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
is that what you call a getaway? tell me what you got away with. [maggie' mix # 2]
I started this mix back in March when I was having a terrible day. Generally speaking, I'm a pretty placid individual. I don't let too much get to me. But every so often, like most of us... something or someone sets me off. So I made this mix as kind of an "f- you" to the things that are making me feel angry! Listen to all these songs and you'll instantly feel like kicking some ass! Check it out:
1. Midtown - Empty Like The Ocean
2. Gym Class Heroes - Peace Sign Up/Index Down
3. The Donnas - Fall Behind Me
4. The Academy Is... - 40 Steps
5. 311 - F*** The Bull***
6. Paramore - crushcrushcrush
7. Taking Back Sunday - Carpathia
8. Lily Allen - Knock 'Em Out
9. Jawbreaker - Face Down
10. Brand New - Seventy Times Seven
11. Alexisonfire - 44 Caliber Loveletter
12. Bayside - Devotion & Desire
13. Pierce The Veil - I'd Rather Die Than Be Famous
There are wayyy more but I'm cutting myself off at 13. Some are more recent additions, others are long-time "f- you" ones (like Brand New's Seventy Times Seven). What are yours?
<3 not pissed off maggie
1. Midtown - Empty Like The Ocean
2. Gym Class Heroes - Peace Sign Up/Index Down
3. The Donnas - Fall Behind Me
4. The Academy Is... - 40 Steps
5. 311 - F*** The Bull***
6. Paramore - crushcrushcrush
7. Taking Back Sunday - Carpathia
8. Lily Allen - Knock 'Em Out
9. Jawbreaker - Face Down
10. Brand New - Seventy Times Seven
11. Alexisonfire - 44 Caliber Loveletter
12. Bayside - Devotion & Desire
13. Pierce The Veil - I'd Rather Die Than Be Famous
There are wayyy more but I'm cutting myself off at 13. Some are more recent additions, others are long-time "f- you" ones (like Brand New's Seventy Times Seven). What are yours?
<3 not pissed off maggie
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Oh Hot Damn: These Are My Jams (vol 3: Alarm Clock Songs)
The Matches said it: It's the alarm versus me and the snooze button wins.
Maybe it's the fact that I tend to stay up until 4am most nights, or the fact that sleeping is just so damn great, but I end up hitting snooze on average about 6 times per morning. One of my alarms uses itunes to wake me, and I've learned the importance of finding a good song to wake up to in the morning.
You might think it sounds like a good plan to wake up to your favorite song. Bad idea-- after it rips you from sleep for the 3rd or 4th time, you're really just going to start resenting it. You can't pick anything too upbeat or loud, or you'll hit snooze as a reflex before you have a chance to realize you're awake. Pick something too mellow and you might not wake up at all.
If you use some itunes-based alarm clock, what's YOUR favorite song to wake up to? I'm always looking to build up a good morning playlist!
These are 3 of my favorite alarm clock songs. I discover new ones from time to time, thanks to shuffle, but these are the 3 best ones I can think of:
1. Four Year Strong "The Takeover"
Most FYS songs will just make you fall out of bed if played loud enough early in the morning, but the first 10-12 seconds of this song will lull you awake without making you want to hurl your computer across the room. This made me realize the key to a good alarm clock song: slow build of volume/intensity.
2. Nate Dogg/Warren G "Regulate"
In addition to being one of the best songs ever, this fits my previously established criteria. Be careful though, hit snooze too many times and you'll be having early-morning mini-dreams about playing dice in an alley and/or gunfights.
3. The Dangerous Summer "The Permanent Rain"
I woke up to this the other day and I'm pretty sure it was atleast partially responsible for my day-long good mood.
Maybe it's the fact that I tend to stay up until 4am most nights, or the fact that sleeping is just so damn great, but I end up hitting snooze on average about 6 times per morning. One of my alarms uses itunes to wake me, and I've learned the importance of finding a good song to wake up to in the morning.
You might think it sounds like a good plan to wake up to your favorite song. Bad idea-- after it rips you from sleep for the 3rd or 4th time, you're really just going to start resenting it. You can't pick anything too upbeat or loud, or you'll hit snooze as a reflex before you have a chance to realize you're awake. Pick something too mellow and you might not wake up at all.
If you use some itunes-based alarm clock, what's YOUR favorite song to wake up to? I'm always looking to build up a good morning playlist!
These are 3 of my favorite alarm clock songs. I discover new ones from time to time, thanks to shuffle, but these are the 3 best ones I can think of:
1. Four Year Strong "The Takeover"
Most FYS songs will just make you fall out of bed if played loud enough early in the morning, but the first 10-12 seconds of this song will lull you awake without making you want to hurl your computer across the room. This made me realize the key to a good alarm clock song: slow build of volume/intensity.
2. Nate Dogg/Warren G "Regulate"
In addition to being one of the best songs ever, this fits my previously established criteria. Be careful though, hit snooze too many times and you'll be having early-morning mini-dreams about playing dice in an alley and/or gunfights.
3. The Dangerous Summer "The Permanent Rain"
I woke up to this the other day and I'm pretty sure it was atleast partially responsible for my day-long good mood.
Monday, April 13, 2009
VERSAEMERGE questions up on FOE!
Hey all. We just put up some exclusive fan questions with VersaEmerge up on FOE. Ch-check it out at http://inklingstv.friendsorenemies.com!
But you want more, right? Well, we've got the full interview up as well.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
preview of versa pix
hey kiddies.
Here's a couple shots from our interview with the good guys and girl in VersaEmerge. We had a lot of fun and they were really eager to answer our questions! And destroy our property...
sierra is biting one of our "classy" (index card) interview cards, A+
jerry's face makes the entire picture:
that's the "i can't believe you right now"... people give it to me all the time!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the small preview of photos from last night's shoot. There's many more where that came from. The video, an FOE exclusive fan questions video, and more pictures from the interview will be up ASAP!
Versa were pros! their live show was great as well... we had a blast rocking out to their last night on the Craig Owens/Color Fred tour at Highline Ballroom in NYC. I feel like we need to save the epic rest of the show for the rainbows, sunshine, and puppies edition of "shoot stories"...
<3 maggie, promotions coordinator & photographer
Here's a couple shots from our interview with the good guys and girl in VersaEmerge. We had a lot of fun and they were really eager to answer our questions! And destroy our property...
sierra is biting one of our "classy" (index card) interview cards, A+
jerry's face makes the entire picture:
that's the "i can't believe you right now"... people give it to me all the time!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the small preview of photos from last night's shoot. There's many more where that came from. The video, an FOE exclusive fan questions video, and more pictures from the interview will be up ASAP!
Versa were pros! their live show was great as well... we had a blast rocking out to their last night on the Craig Owens/Color Fred tour at Highline Ballroom in NYC. I feel like we need to save the epic rest of the show for the rainbows, sunshine, and puppies edition of "shoot stories"...
<3 maggie, promotions coordinator & photographer
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Oh Hot Damn, These Are My Jams (Vol 2: The Best Songs Ever)
I'd like to start with the disclaimer that these are NOT the best songs ever. They are MY best songs ever.
I used to make a lot of mix cds in college (yes, my first two years of college were pre-ipod). After getting sick of listening to my ska mixes volumes 1-4 I started making one called "The Best Songs Ever." It was supposed to be a mix of all the songs I'd ever called my favorite. That was too long to fit on one cd, so I narrowed it down to just the songs I'd never gotten sick of. I could only think of 4.
Now there are a few more added to the list, but I've realized that this mix can only be completed on my deathbed (then I hope someone will burn it and play it at my funeral) because any of these songs have the potential of being kicked off the list if I get sick of them in the next year, or decade, or five decades.
My challenge to you is to start your own "Best Songs Ever" list. These are the songs that you wouldn't even THINK of skipping when they come up on shuffle on your ipod/itunes/zune (do zunes even still exist?) The songs that, when you're out in public and you hear them, you grab whoever's closest to you and say "I LOVE THIS SONG," even when you're sober. If the day comes that you skip one of these songs, or don't bust out a huge smile when you hear the first chords/riff, the song's gotta go. Even as I wrote this blog, I realized I had to take a song off my list.
Songs aren't eligible to be added to your list until you've known them for atleast a year. You can't know if something's the best song ever if you've only been listening to it for a couple months. Also, no pretending to be cool in this game. No one's judging, least of all me (hell, half my list was once featured on a VH1 "worst songs ever" countdown. Seriously.)
The Best Songs Ever (as of 3/28/09)
1. The Temptations "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
2. The Jackson 5 "I Want You Back"
3. Warren G/Nate Dogg "Regulate"
4. Mr Big "To Be With You"
5. Michael Jackson "The Way You Make Me Feel"
6. Spin Doctors "Two Princes"
7. Third Eye Blind "Semi-Charmed Life"
8. (tentative) Green Day "Welcome to Paradise"
9. (tentative) Hanson "Where's the Love"
I used to make a lot of mix cds in college (yes, my first two years of college were pre-ipod). After getting sick of listening to my ska mixes volumes 1-4 I started making one called "The Best Songs Ever." It was supposed to be a mix of all the songs I'd ever called my favorite. That was too long to fit on one cd, so I narrowed it down to just the songs I'd never gotten sick of. I could only think of 4.
Now there are a few more added to the list, but I've realized that this mix can only be completed on my deathbed (then I hope someone will burn it and play it at my funeral) because any of these songs have the potential of being kicked off the list if I get sick of them in the next year, or decade, or five decades.
My challenge to you is to start your own "Best Songs Ever" list. These are the songs that you wouldn't even THINK of skipping when they come up on shuffle on your ipod/itunes/zune (do zunes even still exist?) The songs that, when you're out in public and you hear them, you grab whoever's closest to you and say "I LOVE THIS SONG," even when you're sober. If the day comes that you skip one of these songs, or don't bust out a huge smile when you hear the first chords/riff, the song's gotta go. Even as I wrote this blog, I realized I had to take a song off my list.
Songs aren't eligible to be added to your list until you've known them for atleast a year. You can't know if something's the best song ever if you've only been listening to it for a couple months. Also, no pretending to be cool in this game. No one's judging, least of all me (hell, half my list was once featured on a VH1 "worst songs ever" countdown. Seriously.)
The Best Songs Ever (as of 3/28/09)
1. The Temptations "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
2. The Jackson 5 "I Want You Back"
3. Warren G/Nate Dogg "Regulate"
4. Mr Big "To Be With You"
5. Michael Jackson "The Way You Make Me Feel"
6. Spin Doctors "Two Princes"
7. Third Eye Blind "Semi-Charmed Life"
8. (tentative) Green Day "Welcome to Paradise"
9. (tentative) Hanson "Where's the Love"
Monday, March 23, 2009
This Week In Austin, TX!
Greetings everyone! It's been a wild week in the big ATX, and while I couldn't update daily I do want to bring you some highlights from my experiences at both SXSW and RedGorilla Music festivals.
If you haven't heard of RedGorilla, it's a renegade festival started by Brian Waymire and Chris York or Dreamscapers International. The pair is based out of Nashville and Austin, and focus on discovering and promoting the best in independent music today. While RedGorilla is in no way associated with SXSW, they do have an unmistakable large presence in Austin during the same week as the mother festival with 11 venues and over 500 bands playing up and down 6th St. This year the RedGorilla lineup was killer, and featured The Matches, The Effects, The Hollywood Kills, Luna Halo, AutoVaughn, Dizzy Balloon, and many more.
As you know, the week started off strong with The Matches playing a killer set for SXSW, and then two secret shows for RedGorilla. All three were incredible and even in the Texas heat people were dancing their little hearts out to staples like, "Papercut Skin" and "Sunburn Vs. The Rhinovirus." Complete with new bassist Dylan Rowe these Oakland rockers brought a taste of nor-cal to Austin in all the right ways.
I caught some incredible pop/rock from The Hollywood Kills Friday and Saturday night at RedGorilla. This little band from Nashville is making big waves thanks to a polished sound that has evolved from garage rock to commercially shiny, alternative pop/rock. There's an element to their live performance that instantly draws you in and, whether you like it or not, keeps you dancing to their tunes all night long. If you haven't heard of THK yet, make sure to check out CakeOrDeath Productions for a FREE DOWNLOAD of four songs off their new record Idiot's Guide To Desertion.
One of the many surprises I encountered over the week was Ace Enders' set at the Photo Finish Records Showcase for SXSW on Friday. Formerly of The Early November, Ace played some new tunes for the Audience for the Recover Reunion show and had everyone's ears on him. It was great to hear the new project and get a tast of what's to come from such a talented artist. Make sure to check out Ace Enders And A Million Different People's new record When I Hit The Ground asap. You'll love it!
Another high point of RedGorilla was Tulsa, Oklahoma rockers The Effects. Now, these guys wouldn't usually fall into a category of music I normally keep on shuffle, but after seeing them live all that has changed. These boys are 100% rock 'n roll. They've put a sparkly millenial twist on classic rock with screaming guitar solos, and beats that keep your eyes fixed on drummer Erin to see what he's going to lay down next. The one drawback to The Effects is that they don't currently have recordings that do them justice. This is a live band through and through, and to truly experience the magic of their music you have to see them live. So...make sure you check out their MySpace for a complete list of upcoming tour dates near you.
One final experience i'd like to share with everyone was a set by a somewhat unknown band called Dizzy Balloon. Hailing from Oakland, CA this five-some is everything I could have ever asked for in a new band. They've got the looks, the sound, the stage presence, and the personality to take them straight to the top. With their Beatles-inspired sound and insanely catchy tunes like, "Raise A Glass" and "Chinatown" Dizzy Balloon kicked ass this week at RedGorilla. I was most impressed by a cover they did of "I Want You (She's So Heavy" by the Beatles. At first listen you wouldn't think their poppy sound fits with the appropriately named, heavy tune, but DB pulled out all the stops on this one, mimicking the iconic song effortlessly, while still putting a signature twist on the classic riffs and turn-arounds that define it. There's a clear Beatles influence in Dizzy Balloon's sound, and this was a perfect cover to round out their phenomenal set this weekend.
Whether you were in Austin for SXSW, RedGorilla, or even Texas Rock Fest this week, all the music on 6th St. was amazing. Live music has the power to move people, bring people together, and keep them coming back for more long after their first listen, and that's what all these festivals are about. A good band is a good band, but a good band that is also good live automaticlaly becomes a great band, surpassing the hordes of wanna be's and has beens chasing fame without a prayer. Thanks to all the amazing bands for playing your hearts out at all three festivals, and making the trip to Austin to share your music with people that truly appreciate it.
Peace
If you haven't heard of RedGorilla, it's a renegade festival started by Brian Waymire and Chris York or Dreamscapers International. The pair is based out of Nashville and Austin, and focus on discovering and promoting the best in independent music today. While RedGorilla is in no way associated with SXSW, they do have an unmistakable large presence in Austin during the same week as the mother festival with 11 venues and over 500 bands playing up and down 6th St. This year the RedGorilla lineup was killer, and featured The Matches, The Effects, The Hollywood Kills, Luna Halo, AutoVaughn, Dizzy Balloon, and many more.
As you know, the week started off strong with The Matches playing a killer set for SXSW, and then two secret shows for RedGorilla. All three were incredible and even in the Texas heat people were dancing their little hearts out to staples like, "Papercut Skin" and "Sunburn Vs. The Rhinovirus." Complete with new bassist Dylan Rowe these Oakland rockers brought a taste of nor-cal to Austin in all the right ways.
I caught some incredible pop/rock from The Hollywood Kills Friday and Saturday night at RedGorilla. This little band from Nashville is making big waves thanks to a polished sound that has evolved from garage rock to commercially shiny, alternative pop/rock. There's an element to their live performance that instantly draws you in and, whether you like it or not, keeps you dancing to their tunes all night long. If you haven't heard of THK yet, make sure to check out CakeOrDeath Productions for a FREE DOWNLOAD of four songs off their new record Idiot's Guide To Desertion.
One of the many surprises I encountered over the week was Ace Enders' set at the Photo Finish Records Showcase for SXSW on Friday. Formerly of The Early November, Ace played some new tunes for the Audience for the Recover Reunion show and had everyone's ears on him. It was great to hear the new project and get a tast of what's to come from such a talented artist. Make sure to check out Ace Enders And A Million Different People's new record When I Hit The Ground asap. You'll love it!
Another high point of RedGorilla was Tulsa, Oklahoma rockers The Effects. Now, these guys wouldn't usually fall into a category of music I normally keep on shuffle, but after seeing them live all that has changed. These boys are 100% rock 'n roll. They've put a sparkly millenial twist on classic rock with screaming guitar solos, and beats that keep your eyes fixed on drummer Erin to see what he's going to lay down next. The one drawback to The Effects is that they don't currently have recordings that do them justice. This is a live band through and through, and to truly experience the magic of their music you have to see them live. So...make sure you check out their MySpace for a complete list of upcoming tour dates near you.
One final experience i'd like to share with everyone was a set by a somewhat unknown band called Dizzy Balloon. Hailing from Oakland, CA this five-some is everything I could have ever asked for in a new band. They've got the looks, the sound, the stage presence, and the personality to take them straight to the top. With their Beatles-inspired sound and insanely catchy tunes like, "Raise A Glass" and "Chinatown" Dizzy Balloon kicked ass this week at RedGorilla. I was most impressed by a cover they did of "I Want You (She's So Heavy" by the Beatles. At first listen you wouldn't think their poppy sound fits with the appropriately named, heavy tune, but DB pulled out all the stops on this one, mimicking the iconic song effortlessly, while still putting a signature twist on the classic riffs and turn-arounds that define it. There's a clear Beatles influence in Dizzy Balloon's sound, and this was a perfect cover to round out their phenomenal set this weekend.
Whether you were in Austin for SXSW, RedGorilla, or even Texas Rock Fest this week, all the music on 6th St. was amazing. Live music has the power to move people, bring people together, and keep them coming back for more long after their first listen, and that's what all these festivals are about. A good band is a good band, but a good band that is also good live automaticlaly becomes a great band, surpassing the hordes of wanna be's and has beens chasing fame without a prayer. Thanks to all the amazing bands for playing your hearts out at all three festivals, and making the trip to Austin to share your music with people that truly appreciate it.
Peace
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The Matches At SXSW!
Hello everyone, Alex here with your SXSW festival update for Wednesday, March 18, 2009.
Wednesday was the official start of SXSW’s music portion of the festival. With bands playing up and down 6th St. it was difficult—to say the least—to choose who and where to spend my time. With the help of my trusty program guide, however, I finally settled on a late afternoon dose of Oakland, Cali rockers, The Matches, and their MTV Rock Band set at The Troubadour Saloon.
I got to The Troub. just in time to catch the opening notes of “Their City.” Even though the venue was small, and packed with fans of all ages Shawn, John, Matt, and Dylan—with special guest, road manager, and Triangle player Ben—played an absolutely perfect set, complete with two new songs, “Wicked Walk” and “It’s My Day.” The new songs brought out the dancer in everyone, inspiring a waltz-like head banging session courtesy of the guy in the stripped shirt, front and center.
The Matches rounded out their set with the fan-favorite “Papercut Skin” which is always amazing live. Ben came out to play triangle on the bridge, as usual, and left everyone applauding after his brief cameo on stage as “the triangle guy.” If you’ve seen The Matches before you know how infectious and inspiring their live shows can be; this one, luckily, was no exception to that rule. They started my night off right, and re-energized my musical spirits after a long day of work in the Austin heat.
If you missed The Matches’ set today fear not. You can catch them several times throughout SXSW including the following:
Thursday: 3/19 4:00 pm at the Rock Band Lounge (SXSW performers and guest list only)
Friday: 3/20 11:00 pm at The Wave
There are also two other secret shows you can check out this week that I can’t announce just yet, but you can check MiscPause for further details to be released later in the week. You can also check The Matches MySpace for show times and venue listings.
As for today, it was absolutely amazing, and I thank The Matches for starting it off right. Remember, this is only the beginning so if you’re in Austin this week DO NOT miss any of the action down on 6th St.
See you tomorrow,
Alex
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
If you’re not already familiar with the music festival South By South West (SXSW), let us introduce you. For years, SXSW has been bringing the newest and hottest bands, artists, DJ’s, etc to Austin, TX for a week-long celebration of alternative music. Everything from rock to reggae to jazz and country can be heard up and down 6th St. (the Burbon St. of Austin) from March 18-22 every year. Thousands of industry professionals converge on the “weird” city for compelling panels and a heavy dose of networking, all with the goal of exploring what’s new and hot in music today. Day parties, label showcases, interactive panels and intensive networking sessions make SXSW the destination for anyone working in, or interested in music.This year’s festival is no exception. In addition to some special guests that haven’t been announced yet, artists playing include: Fastball, DD/MM/YYYY, Auqualung, Ten Out Of Tenn, the Hymns, The Decemberists, The Avett Brothers, Peter Bjorn and John, Cold War Kids, Erin McCarley, Tori Amos, Ida Maria, Monte Negro, Brooke Waggoner, Paper Toute, The Features, Shwayze, Jim Bianco, Cary Brothers, Ben Harper, Riverboat Gamblers, The Devil Wears Prada, Forever The Sickest Kids, Lady Sovereign, Margaret Cho, Camera Obscura, Tinted Windows, Cursive, The Pink Spiders, The Shys, Shiny Toy Guns, Jason Reeves, The matches, Cage The Elephant, The Urgency, Marcy Playground, and Third Eye Blind to name a few.
(There have also been rumors of a Billy Joel and Elton John show sometime during the festival, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.)
Inklings will be keeping you updated on festival happenings throughout the week, so make sure you check back everyday to get the scoop on performances by your favorite bands, as well as a few profiles on some new talent we think you should check out.
Peace!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Butch Walker rules
Sometimes we ask bands the question "If someone is hearing your band for the first time, would you rather their first impression be listening to your album, or seeing your live show?" Sometimes there's an obvious answer, sometimes they have to think about it. I saw Butch Walker last night for the second time ever, and I decided that he's definitely someone you need to see live.
I can't say enough good things about Butch Walker. Maybe I'm just trying to make up for being late to the party, since I really only started listening to him a couple months ago. There's just something about his live show that sounds simultaneously intimate and bigger-than-life. He played Webster Hall, and I was standing pretty much all the way in the back of the balcony, but it still just felt like we were a bunch of people in a room hanging out, and some of them were playing music. At the same time there are songs that, when they're played live, there's not really a way to describe it except to say that they sort of fill up your heart.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that if I had to choose only one song to hear performed live for the rest of my life, I'd be satisfied to choose Butch Walker playing "The Weight of Her." (I don't know under what circumstances someone would make me choose that, but play along. And since you asked, my runner up might be Envy on the Coast "Sugar Skulls" or The Graduate "Justified".) Back in November when we were setting up for our interview with Butch at the Blender theater, they started sound checking The Weight of Her and I stopped what I was doing to watch sound check on the monitors downstairs because that song is too ridiculously good live.
As an encore, Butch leaped off the stage and dragged his mic to the middle of the venue and sang Hot Girls in Good Moods from the middle of Webster Hall while partying with the crowd. Unbelievable. Such an absurdly good show.
Friday night I went with Maggie and Sarah (who shot most of our Warped Tour stuff, and now works at Newsweek.com on an awesome webseries called "The District," among other things) to see Vinnie and Mike from I Am the Avalanche play acoustic solo sets at Angels & Kings. So good. Check out Mike's solo stuff HERE and go HERE to find out about more shows like this.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
the constellations remind me i am home [mix 1]
Hey everybody,
So I realize I haven't properly introduced myself... I'm Maggie. Carrie & Naomi brought me on to fill the position of "Promotions Coordinator" which is essentially a fancy way of saying that I'm supposed to hustle people into coming back for more Inklings related goodness after each visit. You'll see me posting bulletins and tweets and pictures and all the stuff that the Inklings staff have been previously doing - but we're really going to be kicking it up a notch!
I could use your help, too! Posting banners or bulletins about our site and interviews is a great way to spread the word about your favorite bands we've had on the site. :) In addition, we hope to be giving back more to you as fans - our current contest is the chance to win schwag from the Pop Goes Punk 2 crew! Tomorrow is the last day to enter, so head on over to http://www.inklings.tv/features/contests/ to do so.
And finally, the crux of this blog post: the mix. A lot of times I just think or articulate via some weird soundtrack that makes sense to very few people but me. However, this time I'll share - maybe you can find a new band/song YOU like.
1. versaemerge - past praying for
2. hot water music - flight & a crash
3. four year strong - bada bing wit a pipe
4. anarborrrrr anythiiing
5. thursday - time's arrow
6. versaemerge - moments between sleep
7. this providence - chasing the wind
8. this providence - sand in your shoes
9. neko case - middle cyclone
10. the receiving end of sirens - this armistice
11. a replay in my mind of pierce the veil's michael jackson cover from taste of chaos...
So I realize I haven't properly introduced myself... I'm Maggie. Carrie & Naomi brought me on to fill the position of "Promotions Coordinator" which is essentially a fancy way of saying that I'm supposed to hustle people into coming back for more Inklings related goodness after each visit. You'll see me posting bulletins and tweets and pictures and all the stuff that the Inklings staff have been previously doing - but we're really going to be kicking it up a notch!
I could use your help, too! Posting banners or bulletins about our site and interviews is a great way to spread the word about your favorite bands we've had on the site. :) In addition, we hope to be giving back more to you as fans - our current contest is the chance to win schwag from the Pop Goes Punk 2 crew! Tomorrow is the last day to enter, so head on over to http://www.inklings.tv/features/contests/ to do so.
And finally, the crux of this blog post: the mix. A lot of times I just think or articulate via some weird soundtrack that makes sense to very few people but me. However, this time I'll share - maybe you can find a new band/song YOU like.
1. versaemerge - past praying for
2. hot water music - flight & a crash
3. four year strong - bada bing wit a pipe
4. anarborrrrr anythiiing
5. thursday - time's arrow
6. versaemerge - moments between sleep
7. this providence - chasing the wind
8. this providence - sand in your shoes
9. neko case - middle cyclone
10. the receiving end of sirens - this armistice
11. a replay in my mind of pierce the veil's michael jackson cover from taste of chaos...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Shoot Stories: Thieves and Villains
This is the first in a series of blogs I'll be posting from time to time. Ridiculous things happen on our shoots sometimes (usually due to outside cirucumstance and/or third parties...), but all you ever get to see is the interview. Some of those stories are too good not to be told.
This isn't so much a "shoot story" as it is a "driving story," but it's mildly ridiculous nonetheless. In September, Naomi and I ended up taking a road trip to Chicago with Thieves and Villains. I forgot to tell my roommates I was even going until the day before. One of my roommates asked me how we were getting there. I said, "We're driving there with one of the bands we're shooting...we met them the other day, they seem ok." She gave me the same look that she gave me in college when I told her I'd hitchhiked to class because it was snowing and we lived really far from campus. She asked who we were staying with, and I told her "This guy...a friend of a friend. We haven't actually met him though." She blinked and said "Yeah, I'm not feeling so good about Chicago."
We left work early to head to Suffern to meet up with the guys on Thursday night. We drove for a few hours, stopped to sleep, and started driving again in the morning. After a long day of driving and multiple stops, we were an hour or two outside Chicago. It was quiet until Sergio asked us, "Were you nervous taking this trip with us?" We laughed and said no. He went on to say, "Because me and Justin were talking about it, and we definitely could've killed you guys in your sleep. " Our laughter turned into nervous laughter. I was hoping my roommate wouldn't say "I told you so" to my corpse when we were found buried behind a motel in Pennsylvania.
But wait. There's more. Stopping every few sentences to clarify that they WOULDN'T have actually done it, they revealed that they'd discussed at length exactly how they would've gotten away with it. "At first we figured we couldn't do it because we already talked to our manager and told him we'd picked you up, but then we could just call him back and say we were kidding, and you'd decided not to come," they explained. "But then we thought, 'what if they texted their roommates or something?' So we'd have found your cell phones and looked at all your sent texts, then just texted them again to say you changed your minds and headed back to New York."
I think the most ironic part of this whole story is that, as we were pulling up to our friend-of-a-friend's condo, we mentioned to them that we hadn't actually met him yet. All of a sudden our would-be killers didn't want to leave us there because they were convinced that HE was going to kill us.
Oh, and for the record, their proposed murder weapon: sock full of quarters.
I also wanted to clarify that this story is meant to be hilarious, not creepy. OK, a little creepy. But I wouldn't be posting it if we weren't all pals. Thanks, Thieves and Villains, for not murdering us EVEN THOUGH you totally could've gotten away with it!
Road trip video, in case you missed it:
This isn't so much a "shoot story" as it is a "driving story," but it's mildly ridiculous nonetheless. In September, Naomi and I ended up taking a road trip to Chicago with Thieves and Villains. I forgot to tell my roommates I was even going until the day before. One of my roommates asked me how we were getting there. I said, "We're driving there with one of the bands we're shooting...we met them the other day, they seem ok." She gave me the same look that she gave me in college when I told her I'd hitchhiked to class because it was snowing and we lived really far from campus. She asked who we were staying with, and I told her "This guy...a friend of a friend. We haven't actually met him though." She blinked and said "Yeah, I'm not feeling so good about Chicago."
We left work early to head to Suffern to meet up with the guys on Thursday night. We drove for a few hours, stopped to sleep, and started driving again in the morning. After a long day of driving and multiple stops, we were an hour or two outside Chicago. It was quiet until Sergio asked us, "Were you nervous taking this trip with us?" We laughed and said no. He went on to say, "Because me and Justin were talking about it, and we definitely could've killed you guys in your sleep. " Our laughter turned into nervous laughter. I was hoping my roommate wouldn't say "I told you so" to my corpse when we were found buried behind a motel in Pennsylvania.
But wait. There's more. Stopping every few sentences to clarify that they WOULDN'T have actually done it, they revealed that they'd discussed at length exactly how they would've gotten away with it. "At first we figured we couldn't do it because we already talked to our manager and told him we'd picked you up, but then we could just call him back and say we were kidding, and you'd decided not to come," they explained. "But then we thought, 'what if they texted their roommates or something?' So we'd have found your cell phones and looked at all your sent texts, then just texted them again to say you changed your minds and headed back to New York."
I think the most ironic part of this whole story is that, as we were pulling up to our friend-of-a-friend's condo, we mentioned to them that we hadn't actually met him yet. All of a sudden our would-be killers didn't want to leave us there because they were convinced that HE was going to kill us.
Oh, and for the record, their proposed murder weapon: sock full of quarters.
I also wanted to clarify that this story is meant to be hilarious, not creepy. OK, a little creepy. But I wouldn't be posting it if we weren't all pals. Thanks, Thieves and Villains, for not murdering us EVEN THOUGH you totally could've gotten away with it!
Road trip video, in case you missed it:
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Taste of Chaos
Last Wednesday, Maggie and I spent the day hanging out and shooting interviews at Taste of Chaos. The last time we shot at Nokia Theater, we were jammed in the catering room: a lovely white abyss with a loudly humming fridge. This time we were shown to possibly the coolest room ever, full of orange couches and those folding wooden screen/room dividers.
First we talked to Josh and Jake from Four Year Strong-- between the red walls of the room, red pillows on the couchs, their red shirts, red hair and red beards, the shot was a huge wash of red except for their faces (see here). We talked about Taste of Chaos and also asked them some fan questions (which will be posted excusively on FriendsOrEnemies.com)
We also talked to Pierce the Veil and Bring Me the Horizon (two bands who we somehow missed out on during our time covering Warped Tour this summer!) as well as Liam from Cancer Bats, who is one of the most friendly, chatty and positive people I've had the pleasure of interviewing.
We returned our cameras (unfortunately missing Cancer Bats' set in the process) and headed back for the show. We got there right in time for Pierce the Veil, who put on one hell of a show. In general, any band that plays a Michael Jackson cover is probably going to be ok by me. Four Year Strong killed it as usual. Maggie shot photos of FYS, BMTH and Thursday, so keep an eye out for some of those coming soon.
Somehow I'd made it this far in my life without seeing Thursday. I didn't think that could be true, but I checked, and Taste of Chaos was my first time seeing them. Sick show. The audience batting around those huge black balloons was possible the coolest thing I've ever seen at a show.
Look forward to Taste of Chaos coverage coming soon to Inklings. In the meantime, we just posted a new interview with Breathe Carolina. Interviews with Anarbor, This Providence and The Hoodies to follow shortly. Also, enter our Punk Goes Pop 2 Trivia Contest and check out our new blog feature on Stuff Scene Kids Like
I think this week I'm going to start a series of blogs called Shoot Stories. Sometime ridiculous things happen, and some of those stories exist here already in abridged form...but some need to be retold.
First we talked to Josh and Jake from Four Year Strong-- between the red walls of the room, red pillows on the couchs, their red shirts, red hair and red beards, the shot was a huge wash of red except for their faces (see here). We talked about Taste of Chaos and also asked them some fan questions (which will be posted excusively on FriendsOrEnemies.com)
We also talked to Pierce the Veil and Bring Me the Horizon (two bands who we somehow missed out on during our time covering Warped Tour this summer!) as well as Liam from Cancer Bats, who is one of the most friendly, chatty and positive people I've had the pleasure of interviewing.
We returned our cameras (unfortunately missing Cancer Bats' set in the process) and headed back for the show. We got there right in time for Pierce the Veil, who put on one hell of a show. In general, any band that plays a Michael Jackson cover is probably going to be ok by me. Four Year Strong killed it as usual. Maggie shot photos of FYS, BMTH and Thursday, so keep an eye out for some of those coming soon.
Somehow I'd made it this far in my life without seeing Thursday. I didn't think that could be true, but I checked, and Taste of Chaos was my first time seeing them. Sick show. The audience batting around those huge black balloons was possible the coolest thing I've ever seen at a show.
Look forward to Taste of Chaos coverage coming soon to Inklings. In the meantime, we just posted a new interview with Breathe Carolina. Interviews with Anarbor, This Providence and The Hoodies to follow shortly. Also, enter our Punk Goes Pop 2 Trivia Contest and check out our new blog feature on Stuff Scene Kids Like
I think this week I'm going to start a series of blogs called Shoot Stories. Sometime ridiculous things happen, and some of those stories exist here already in abridged form...but some need to be retold.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Oh Hot Damn, These Are My Jams (vol. 1)
The title of this blog is what I originally wanted to call our new "Industry Spotlight" feature, but once we added more questions to the survey besides "Current Top 5 Albums" it didn't make much sense. I figured I shouldn't let that name go to waste (<3 u Flo Rida) so I'm figuring out a way to write a series of blogs under that general theme.
First edition: My Current Top 5 Singalong Jams
Ever since I started working on Inklings full time, I've been working out of my apartment. Office space is rather pricey in NYC, plus if I work from home I can be in my pajamas until like 2pm. My roommates, on the other hand, have these things that I like to call "jobs." These "jobs" typically cause them to be out of the apartment for large chunks of the daytime. With the place to myself, I tend to walk around singing at the top of my lungs all day (sorry, stay-at-home neighbors.) These are the songs I like to sing most this week:
1. Take Cover "One More Shot"
2. Hit the Lights "Cry Your Eyes Out"
3. Demi Lovato "Get Back"
4. The Temptations "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
5. Hanson "Where's the Love"
I'll be writing more of these, probably with different themes, from time to time. I mean, unless I get a "job."
Also, check out our two newest features-- Industry Spotlight (featuring a different musician, industry-person and music fan each week) and Write On! (highlighting a different music-related blog each week).
In the past week we've shot interviews with Breathe Carolina, Anarbor, This Providence and The Hoodies. Stay tuned to see those on the site very soon! In the meantine, check out our myspace photo albums and you can look at behind the scenes pictures from our shoots with Breathe Carolina and The Hoodies.
First edition: My Current Top 5 Singalong Jams
Ever since I started working on Inklings full time, I've been working out of my apartment. Office space is rather pricey in NYC, plus if I work from home I can be in my pajamas until like 2pm. My roommates, on the other hand, have these things that I like to call "jobs." These "jobs" typically cause them to be out of the apartment for large chunks of the daytime. With the place to myself, I tend to walk around singing at the top of my lungs all day (sorry, stay-at-home neighbors.) These are the songs I like to sing most this week:
1. Take Cover "One More Shot"
2. Hit the Lights "Cry Your Eyes Out"
3. Demi Lovato "Get Back"
4. The Temptations "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
5. Hanson "Where's the Love"
I'll be writing more of these, probably with different themes, from time to time. I mean, unless I get a "job."
Also, check out our two newest features-- Industry Spotlight (featuring a different musician, industry-person and music fan each week) and Write On! (highlighting a different music-related blog each week).
In the past week we've shot interviews with Breathe Carolina, Anarbor, This Providence and The Hoodies. Stay tuned to see those on the site very soon! In the meantine, check out our myspace photo albums and you can look at behind the scenes pictures from our shoots with Breathe Carolina and The Hoodies.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
take action tour 2009
Hey everyone. Thought I'd take a second to introduce myself to you all. My name is Maggie and I'm the new promotions coordinator for Inklings! This year we really hope to make the site bigger and better for you guys, the fans. Lots of ideas are beginning to take shape, I'm crossing my fingers for a possible street team. We want to interview your favorite bands, as well as ones we think could be your favorite. Hope you'll keep visiting our website and supporting what we do!
That said, I wanted to take a minute to talk to you guys about the 2009 Sub City Take Action Tour, which stops by NYC tonight, where we're going to interview some of your favorites: Anarbor, Meg & Dia, and Breathe Carolina. The tour also features Cute is What We Aim For and Every Avenue. We can't wait to show you the footage. In the meantime, I'm going to encourage you all to read up on the Take Action tour and the message behind it:
"The annual nationwide charity tour, now in its eighth year, raises funds and awareness for youth involvement in charitable action. For the second straight year Take Action has chosen not-for-profit organization DoSomething.org to benefit from the funds raised and to help spread the message of action to young people across the country. DoSomething.org is a national not-for-profit that believes that young people have the power to make a difference. They inspire, empower and celebrate a generation of doers: young people who recognize the need to do something, believe in their ability to get it done, and then take action."
More information can be found here.
At Inklings, we are all involved and passionate about non-profit work, and hope you are too. Thanks for reading! See you at a show.
<3 maggie
That said, I wanted to take a minute to talk to you guys about the 2009 Sub City Take Action Tour, which stops by NYC tonight, where we're going to interview some of your favorites: Anarbor, Meg & Dia, and Breathe Carolina. The tour also features Cute is What We Aim For and Every Avenue. We can't wait to show you the footage. In the meantime, I'm going to encourage you all to read up on the Take Action tour and the message behind it:
"The annual nationwide charity tour, now in its eighth year, raises funds and awareness for youth involvement in charitable action. For the second straight year Take Action has chosen not-for-profit organization DoSomething.org to benefit from the funds raised and to help spread the message of action to young people across the country. DoSomething.org is a national not-for-profit that believes that young people have the power to make a difference. They inspire, empower and celebrate a generation of doers: young people who recognize the need to do something, believe in their ability to get it done, and then take action."
More information can be found here.
At Inklings, we are all involved and passionate about non-profit work, and hope you are too. Thanks for reading! See you at a show.
<3 maggie
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Take Cover video posted!
Check out a brand new interview and acoustic performance from Take Cover -- head to the videos section on InklingsTV to hear about their EP, writing process, and their favorite songs to play live. Watch an acoustic video of "Dangerous" here, then head over to iTunes to pick up their EP!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Belated '08 Wrap-Up
I'm terrible at those wrapping-up-the-year lists that people make, top 10 songs/albums, etc. Usually I end up putting fall releases higher on the list than they ought to be, just because I'm listening to them at the time I'm writing the list. I can, however, do a pretty decent concert wrap-up. I probably spent atleast 20x more on shows than CDs last year, anyway, so it seems appropriate.
I went to 76 shows and saw 135 different bands (and saw 86 bands for the first time).
I saw these bands atleast 5 times:
I Am the Avalanche, You Me and Everyone We Know, Four Year Strong, Lannen Fall, Socratic, The Graduate
I saw these bands atleast 3 times:
Farewell, Forever the Sickest Kids, A Loss For Words, Danger Radio, Every Avenue, Hit the Lights, Holiday Parade, Just Surrender, Mayday Parade, Paper Rival, Paramore, The Scenic, This Is Hell
Top 5 shows this year:
1. Inklings Birthday Party (The Graduate, Socratic, Lannen Fall)
Imagine that you're watching one of your favorite bands, and you and pretty much everyone around you are completely shmammered and shouting along to every word (and those that aren't are thanking you for introducing this band into their lives). Also you put on the show. I think Naomi and I spoiled ourselves a little with this show.
2. The Starting Line final hometown show (w/ Bayside, Four Year Strong)
Not only was this definitely the best Starting Line show I've ever seen, it was one of the best shows in general. I hadn't seen them play The Drama Summer since the first time I saw them back in 2002.
3. Long Island Warped Tour
Maybe it's cheating to list a festival tour, but sooo many bands killed it at this date.
4. Butch Walker
I'd never seen him, or really listened to him much before this, but he is to Naomi what Michael Jackson is to me. The first 20-30 mins of his set were acoustic & piano songs, which were unbelievable, and the rest of it was full band, and all those songs sounded HUGE. This is what musicians need to aspire to...and it doesn't hurt that he's one of the most sincere & laid back people we've worked with for Inklings.
5. Four Year Strong/I Am the Avalanche/This Is Hell/A Loss For Words tour
We saw this tour twice in California-- once at the Knitting Factory, once at a Veterans Hall. So different, both shows so solid.
Band I travelled the most/furthest for this year: You, Me, and Everyone We Know
Technically this should go to FYS/IATA/AL4W because we saw them in California...but YMAEWK gets it because I saw them 6 times, but not once in NYC. Also because of the pain-in-the-ass transportation issues coming home from most of those shows...like when I got home from our first shoot with them at 3:30am to find out I locked myself out of my apartment (I slept on the couch at work for an hour until Naomi took me in to sleep on her couch), or the time when there was no EZpass in the car we'd rented to go see them with The Dear Hunter and they tried to charge us an extra $100 for returning it late. Good times.
Best venue I went to in 08: The Electric Factory (Philly)
Worst Venue I went to in 08: Vibe Lounge (Long Island)-- aka Death Trap. I would like this place to get shut down asap...I always feel like I might die every time I go there, plus every band sounds TERRIBLE there. I worry that now that the Knitting Factory's gone/moved, MORE bands will play there :(
2009 has started off a little slow for Inklings, but have no fear, things will be picking up immediately!
I went to 76 shows and saw 135 different bands (and saw 86 bands for the first time).
I saw these bands atleast 5 times:
I Am the Avalanche, You Me and Everyone We Know, Four Year Strong, Lannen Fall, Socratic, The Graduate
I saw these bands atleast 3 times:
Farewell, Forever the Sickest Kids, A Loss For Words, Danger Radio, Every Avenue, Hit the Lights, Holiday Parade, Just Surrender, Mayday Parade, Paper Rival, Paramore, The Scenic, This Is Hell
Top 5 shows this year:
1. Inklings Birthday Party (The Graduate, Socratic, Lannen Fall)
Imagine that you're watching one of your favorite bands, and you and pretty much everyone around you are completely shmammered and shouting along to every word (and those that aren't are thanking you for introducing this band into their lives). Also you put on the show. I think Naomi and I spoiled ourselves a little with this show.
2. The Starting Line final hometown show (w/ Bayside, Four Year Strong)
Not only was this definitely the best Starting Line show I've ever seen, it was one of the best shows in general. I hadn't seen them play The Drama Summer since the first time I saw them back in 2002.
3. Long Island Warped Tour
Maybe it's cheating to list a festival tour, but sooo many bands killed it at this date.
4. Butch Walker
I'd never seen him, or really listened to him much before this, but he is to Naomi what Michael Jackson is to me. The first 20-30 mins of his set were acoustic & piano songs, which were unbelievable, and the rest of it was full band, and all those songs sounded HUGE. This is what musicians need to aspire to...and it doesn't hurt that he's one of the most sincere & laid back people we've worked with for Inklings.
5. Four Year Strong/I Am the Avalanche/This Is Hell/A Loss For Words tour
We saw this tour twice in California-- once at the Knitting Factory, once at a Veterans Hall. So different, both shows so solid.
Band I travelled the most/furthest for this year: You, Me, and Everyone We Know
Technically this should go to FYS/IATA/AL4W because we saw them in California...but YMAEWK gets it because I saw them 6 times, but not once in NYC. Also because of the pain-in-the-ass transportation issues coming home from most of those shows...like when I got home from our first shoot with them at 3:30am to find out I locked myself out of my apartment (I slept on the couch at work for an hour until Naomi took me in to sleep on her couch), or the time when there was no EZpass in the car we'd rented to go see them with The Dear Hunter and they tried to charge us an extra $100 for returning it late. Good times.
Best venue I went to in 08: The Electric Factory (Philly)
Worst Venue I went to in 08: Vibe Lounge (Long Island)-- aka Death Trap. I would like this place to get shut down asap...I always feel like I might die every time I go there, plus every band sounds TERRIBLE there. I worry that now that the Knitting Factory's gone/moved, MORE bands will play there :(
2009 has started off a little slow for Inklings, but have no fear, things will be picking up immediately!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Inklings.TV is looking for more team members!
A few weeks ago, Naomi left New York City to return to North Carolina to drink sweet tea, say y'all, walk slowly ("mosey"), and not eat sushi. I (Carrie) will remain in the city, enjoying sushi and walking quickly, among other things. Both of us are still working on Inklings, but we're looking to include more collaborators as we spread out across the country.
I will be looking for people to come on shoots with me in NYC - an ideal candidate would have television or film experience, specifically shooting. Owning or having access to your own camera is a huge plus. An intense love of music is obviously a must. Living in NYC is strongly preferred, though Long Island or New Jersey may work also. Shoots tend to be scheduled outside typical "work hours", i.e. mostly evening/weekend shoots. Naomi's looking to head up an Atlanta team in the near future, as well as an LA team when she moves out there early next year.
If you think you fit the bill, please send an email to staff@inklings.tv and let us know what kind of experience you have, where you live, and why you'd like to join our team! If you don't have any shooting or production experience, but think you have something else to bring to the table, let us know that as well.
I will be looking for people to come on shoots with me in NYC - an ideal candidate would have television or film experience, specifically shooting. Owning or having access to your own camera is a huge plus. An intense love of music is obviously a must. Living in NYC is strongly preferred, though Long Island or New Jersey may work also. Shoots tend to be scheduled outside typical "work hours", i.e. mostly evening/weekend shoots. Naomi's looking to head up an Atlanta team in the near future, as well as an LA team when she moves out there early next year.
If you think you fit the bill, please send an email to staff@inklings.tv and let us know what kind of experience you have, where you live, and why you'd like to join our team! If you don't have any shooting or production experience, but think you have something else to bring to the table, let us know that as well.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Thieves & Villains videos posted
Today we posted not one, but two videos from our little road trip with Thieves & Villains. You can watch them both in the video player, but we recommend heading to the downloads section to download an alternate version of one of them.
This has never happened before, but we had a very creepy experience trying to upload the road trip video to our player last week-- it blocked the upload because it recognized that the video had Thieves & Villains music in it. It sent us an email with the track names and everything. We've since sorted it out and have permission to post the video with that music, but as of yet no one from Brightcove has returned our phone calls so we still can't get it up on the site. I re-cut a version with generic music so we could get it posted so check that version out on the site, and download the original one for your ipod.
This past weekend we made another reluctant trip out to the worst venue ever, Death Trap (aka Vibe Lounge on Long Island) If good bands would just stop playing there, we wouldn't have to keep going, but as it stands we'll probably be there again in a matter of weeks. We were there to shoot an interview with Farewell, who I've been wanting to shoot with ever since 6 months ago when I was watching Music Videos On Demand at 4am and saw their video for First One On the Blog. They were a lot of fun, and their interview will probably be up in the next week.
Two free shows to check out tonight-- Thieves & Villains, and then I Am the Avalanche acoustic. Good times.
This has never happened before, but we had a very creepy experience trying to upload the road trip video to our player last week-- it blocked the upload because it recognized that the video had Thieves & Villains music in it. It sent us an email with the track names and everything. We've since sorted it out and have permission to post the video with that music, but as of yet no one from Brightcove has returned our phone calls so we still can't get it up on the site. I re-cut a version with generic music so we could get it posted so check that version out on the site, and download the original one for your ipod.
This past weekend we made another reluctant trip out to the worst venue ever, Death Trap (aka Vibe Lounge on Long Island) If good bands would just stop playing there, we wouldn't have to keep going, but as it stands we'll probably be there again in a matter of weeks. We were there to shoot an interview with Farewell, who I've been wanting to shoot with ever since 6 months ago when I was watching Music Videos On Demand at 4am and saw their video for First One On the Blog. They were a lot of fun, and their interview will probably be up in the next week.
Two free shows to check out tonight-- Thieves & Villains, and then I Am the Avalanche acoustic. Good times.
Friday, September 26, 2008
MXPX & LAGWAGON
Last week we got a chance to check out the Lagwagon and MxPx show that came right through NYC in Times Square at BB Kings Blues Club. It was the first time Carrie and I had been to this venue, and though the venue felt a bit awkward at first, it ended up being a solid show. We got to see and spend some quality time a concert buddy and friend Erick, and Jered who took photos for Inklings last year. We ended the night with ice cream from Cold Stone which was an interesting experience and a first for me.
Make sure you catch this solid punk rock show when it comes through your town. The remaining dates are below:
much love,
Naomi
Make sure you catch this solid punk rock show when it comes through your town. The remaining dates are below:
| In The Venue | Salt Lake City, Utah | ||
| Jillian’s | Las Vegas, Nevada | ||
| House Of Blues | West Hollywood, California | ||
| The Clubhouse | Tempe, Arizona | ||
| Loserkids | San Marcos, California | ||
| House Of Blues | San Diego, California | ||
| House Of Blues | Anaheim, California | ||
| Phoenix Theatre | Petaluma, California | ||
| Henry Fonda Theater | Los Angeles, California | ||
| The Dome | Bakersfield, California | ||
| The Warehouse | Carson City, Nevada | ||
| Icon | Pocatello, Idaho |
much love,
Naomi
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Chicago!
This past weekend we took a little Inklings trip to Chicago for the first Platform One emerging artists showcase. We hitched a ride there with our new friends Thieves & Villains-- you can expect a little video roadtrip documentation action coming soon.
The show itself was a lot of fun, all solid bands. I hadn't heard much about NeverShoutNever!, but WOW. He drew in a TON of kids who sang every single word to every song he had. To hold the crowd like he did, up there all by himself, takes a ton of personality & stage presence and I was really impressed. We also did a quick interview with him earlier in the day. In any case, check out NeverShoutNever!, because that kid is going places.
The Graduate headlined the show...they are a band that makes me feel good about the state of music. Pretty much every time we see them, Naomi turns to me and says "Fucking shit!" and that's pretty much all that needs to be said. At this show, they had these sweet lights behind them that made the whole thing look like a music video shoot, it was awesome. They also came back out after their set and played Justified, which is always a lot of fun.
It's always fun to go to shows outside NYC and see what the scene is like in other places. We went to The Starting Line's last hometown show at the Electric Factory in Philly and LOVED it (the show, the venue, the crowd & the atmosphere.) Chicago had a really cool scene as well, the show on Saturday was completely sold out and full of really enthusiastic music fans. I can see now why bands seem to like playing in Chicago so much.
By some awesome coincidence, You, Me and Everyone We Know had a headlining show just outside Chicago on Sunday night, so we stuck around and flew back to NYC first thing Monday morning. The YMAEWK show was UNREAL. Their set was so much fun, and at this point I don't really understand how they continue to get even better every time I see them. They played a new song I hadn't seen them play yet (a demo of which is up on their myspace now). We headed back to Chicago after that to get about 2.5 hours of sleep before our early morning flight.
We've got a lot coming up this fall. Still more Warped tour videos to post, Thieves & Villains/NeverShoutNever! interviews to be posted, upcoming interviews, and we're really happy to be hosting the video blog updates from the XO/Shanti/Paper Mache/Smile Smile tour happening later in the fall. Stay tuned for more info on that really soon!
The show itself was a lot of fun, all solid bands. I hadn't heard much about NeverShoutNever!, but WOW. He drew in a TON of kids who sang every single word to every song he had. To hold the crowd like he did, up there all by himself, takes a ton of personality & stage presence and I was really impressed. We also did a quick interview with him earlier in the day. In any case, check out NeverShoutNever!, because that kid is going places.
The Graduate headlined the show...they are a band that makes me feel good about the state of music. Pretty much every time we see them, Naomi turns to me and says "Fucking shit!" and that's pretty much all that needs to be said. At this show, they had these sweet lights behind them that made the whole thing look like a music video shoot, it was awesome. They also came back out after their set and played Justified, which is always a lot of fun.
It's always fun to go to shows outside NYC and see what the scene is like in other places. We went to The Starting Line's last hometown show at the Electric Factory in Philly and LOVED it (the show, the venue, the crowd & the atmosphere.) Chicago had a really cool scene as well, the show on Saturday was completely sold out and full of really enthusiastic music fans. I can see now why bands seem to like playing in Chicago so much.
By some awesome coincidence, You, Me and Everyone We Know had a headlining show just outside Chicago on Sunday night, so we stuck around and flew back to NYC first thing Monday morning. The YMAEWK show was UNREAL. Their set was so much fun, and at this point I don't really understand how they continue to get even better every time I see them. They played a new song I hadn't seen them play yet (a demo of which is up on their myspace now). We headed back to Chicago after that to get about 2.5 hours of sleep before our early morning flight.
We've got a lot coming up this fall. Still more Warped tour videos to post, Thieves & Villains/NeverShoutNever! interviews to be posted, upcoming interviews, and we're really happy to be hosting the video blog updates from the XO/Shanti/Paper Mache/Smile Smile tour happening later in the fall. Stay tuned for more info on that really soon!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
WARPED PHOTOS
Head over to the "PHOTOS" section of inklings.tv and check out all of the amazing photos taken by the inklings team at Warped Tour '08 including new friends and family Tom Falcone and Donny Tsang. Here are two that I've been using as my wallpaper lately.
Updates!
So, I realize I never actually wrote anything about day 4 of Warped Tour. It was over a month ago, but my memory is eerily sharp so I might still write a blog about it.
We have probably about half of our Warped Tour videos posted so far. If you haven't checked them out yet, head to the video player for interviews, Warped trivia, a look into the lives of tour managers, plus a whole lot more. Lots more coming as well, so keep checking back.
We went to a bunch of shows the last week or so. Last Thursday we headed out to my all-time least favorite venue, Vibe Lounge on Long Island (or as I like to call it "the death trap." Normally I wouldn't feel the need to say anything negative about a venue, but I'm pretty sure within a year this place will be the site of one of those club fire stories where kids die at a poorly staffed/overcrowded show. Seriously.) We went to see Socratic, along with Thieves & Villains. Thieves & Villains will be playing a show with The Graduate in a couple weeks that we'll be heading to Chicago for.
Saturday we posted a new interview with You, Me, and Everyone We Know, then drove to School of Rock in NJ to see them. It was the last night of their tour with The Dear Hunter. Last-night-of-tour shows are always a lot of fun, and this was no exception. Also we'd never been to School of Rock before, I liked it except for the fact that it was a bit of a sauna. All the bands got up onstage near the end of The Dear Hunter's set-- video here.
Last night we headed to School of Rock (again) for a last-night-of-tour show (again), this time for The Hush Sound tour. We shot our interview with The Cab right at the beginning of the tour, but couldn't stay for the show that night so I was glad we got to catch the tour before it ended. We missed The Morning Light, but we did get there in time to catch Steel Train. I've seen them a bunch of times and they're always fun. Their Mamma Mia sing-along cover was pretty great. I hadn't seen The Cab before-- they definitely have some of the catchiest songs I've heard this year. Not that I didn't enjoy the bands playing their own songs, but my favorite part of the show was The Hush Sound/Steel Train's 8-tambourine cover of the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back." I've been listening to Michael Jackson since before I was born (seriously) so I'm partial to any MJ/Jackson 5 covers. The more, the better.
We've got a lot coming up BESIDES the rest of the Warped videos, so stay tuned...
If you feel like helping people, check out the links below:
You, Me, and Everyone We Know Van Explosion Recovery fund (read about it here)
Get You, Me and Everyone We Know free Denny's food
Jet Lag Gemini trailer theft info
We have probably about half of our Warped Tour videos posted so far. If you haven't checked them out yet, head to the video player for interviews, Warped trivia, a look into the lives of tour managers, plus a whole lot more. Lots more coming as well, so keep checking back.
We went to a bunch of shows the last week or so. Last Thursday we headed out to my all-time least favorite venue, Vibe Lounge on Long Island (or as I like to call it "the death trap." Normally I wouldn't feel the need to say anything negative about a venue, but I'm pretty sure within a year this place will be the site of one of those club fire stories where kids die at a poorly staffed/overcrowded show. Seriously.) We went to see Socratic, along with Thieves & Villains. Thieves & Villains will be playing a show with The Graduate in a couple weeks that we'll be heading to Chicago for.
Saturday we posted a new interview with You, Me, and Everyone We Know, then drove to School of Rock in NJ to see them. It was the last night of their tour with The Dear Hunter. Last-night-of-tour shows are always a lot of fun, and this was no exception. Also we'd never been to School of Rock before, I liked it except for the fact that it was a bit of a sauna. All the bands got up onstage near the end of The Dear Hunter's set-- video here.
Last night we headed to School of Rock (again) for a last-night-of-tour show (again), this time for The Hush Sound tour. We shot our interview with The Cab right at the beginning of the tour, but couldn't stay for the show that night so I was glad we got to catch the tour before it ended. We missed The Morning Light, but we did get there in time to catch Steel Train. I've seen them a bunch of times and they're always fun. Their Mamma Mia sing-along cover was pretty great. I hadn't seen The Cab before-- they definitely have some of the catchiest songs I've heard this year. Not that I didn't enjoy the bands playing their own songs, but my favorite part of the show was The Hush Sound/Steel Train's 8-tambourine cover of the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back." I've been listening to Michael Jackson since before I was born (seriously) so I'm partial to any MJ/Jackson 5 covers. The more, the better.
We've got a lot coming up BESIDES the rest of the Warped videos, so stay tuned...
If you feel like helping people, check out the links below:
You, Me, and Everyone We Know Van Explosion Recovery fund (read about it here)
Get You, Me and Everyone We Know free Denny's food
Jet Lag Gemini trailer theft info
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Warped Tour Day 3!
(as written on Thursday)
Day 3 of Warped, in Scranton, was our longest drive of the weekend. My roommate's fiance was kind enough to loan us his car for the 3-ish hour drive. Naomi and I left bright and early, along with our new friend and Inklings associate Shannon, at 8am and after getting sent in the wrong direction several times by the venue staff, finally found parking and were able to start looking for the press area.
Once we set up (also, this was my least favorite Warped venue so far-- it took almost 45 minutes to get from one end to the other because the walkways were so narrow and we had so much crap to carry) we pretty much didn't stop to eat, drink, breathe or take a bathroom break for the next 5 hours or so. We had back to back interviews with 21 bands. I would probably forget someone if I tried to list them all, so I'll talk about a few. There were only 3 on our crew Sunday, so the only picture I took all day was of Shannon and Naomi doing calisthenics in the Dunkin Donuts parking lot at 10am when we stopped for coffee.
The day started off with Alex from Cobra Starship, then John from Relient K, followed by a few others. We had a long chat with Forever the Sickest Kids, who were apparently very amused by the foam covers on our microphones. It started raining towards the end of the interview so we retreated into the tent.
We did a few interviews on the couch in there while the rain started to let up (or so we thought.) Around the time Jeremy from Mayday Parade showed up to talk to us, a monsoon started. We helped batten down the hatches in the press tent and made sure that nothing important was getting wet. Rivers of rain started pouring through the tent and soaked everyone's feet, but Jeremy was an incredibly good sport even though it was thundering and lightening through the entire interview.
Once the rain let up for good we went back outside and talked to Keith from Every Time I Die (a western new yorker, like me). The sun continued to dry the rain when Greg from The Bouncing Souls and his wife Shanti stopped by. Shanti joined the tour a week or two ago, and Greg has been playing drums for her set. She has some of the most creative promotional materials I've ever seen-- including a postcard with a great picture of her as a little girl with her mom. Greg cleared up the conflicting answers I was getting for one of my Warped Tour trivia questions that I'd been asking everyone (they also later fed trivia answers to Mike from Street Dogs...they were very sneaky!)
Among the last interviews we did that day were Settings, Alex from All Time Low, Juliet from Automatic Loveletter, and Adam from The Academy Is. I chatted with most of the guys in Settings about being from Buffalo, and Shannon and Naomi chatted with Donny about being from Georgia. I've been listening to the stuff on their myspace a lot lately, so I was glad we got the chance to cover them. Alex and Juliet showed up at the same time, so we interviewed them together. Adam from The Academy Is... talked about their upcoming new album and bringing his cat to Warped Tour. He was incredibly well-spoken and sincere.
After our last interview in the press area, we took a few minutes to breathe and finally grab some food, then headed out into the venue to find our pals in The Scenic. Once they took off to head to their video shoot, the three of us ran over to Mayday Parade's set. They're a great band live, and so much fun to shoot photos and video of. They played last, so once they were done we headed back to the car for the long drive back to NYC.
More to come, and lots of pictures from Warped Day 4...
-Carrie
Day 3 of Warped, in Scranton, was our longest drive of the weekend. My roommate's fiance was kind enough to loan us his car for the 3-ish hour drive. Naomi and I left bright and early, along with our new friend and Inklings associate Shannon, at 8am and after getting sent in the wrong direction several times by the venue staff, finally found parking and were able to start looking for the press area.
Once we set up (also, this was my least favorite Warped venue so far-- it took almost 45 minutes to get from one end to the other because the walkways were so narrow and we had so much crap to carry) we pretty much didn't stop to eat, drink, breathe or take a bathroom break for the next 5 hours or so. We had back to back interviews with 21 bands. I would probably forget someone if I tried to list them all, so I'll talk about a few. There were only 3 on our crew Sunday, so the only picture I took all day was of Shannon and Naomi doing calisthenics in the Dunkin Donuts parking lot at 10am when we stopped for coffee.
The day started off with Alex from Cobra Starship, then John from Relient K, followed by a few others. We had a long chat with Forever the Sickest Kids, who were apparently very amused by the foam covers on our microphones. It started raining towards the end of the interview so we retreated into the tent.
We did a few interviews on the couch in there while the rain started to let up (or so we thought.) Around the time Jeremy from Mayday Parade showed up to talk to us, a monsoon started. We helped batten down the hatches in the press tent and made sure that nothing important was getting wet. Rivers of rain started pouring through the tent and soaked everyone's feet, but Jeremy was an incredibly good sport even though it was thundering and lightening through the entire interview.
Once the rain let up for good we went back outside and talked to Keith from Every Time I Die (a western new yorker, like me). The sun continued to dry the rain when Greg from The Bouncing Souls and his wife Shanti stopped by. Shanti joined the tour a week or two ago, and Greg has been playing drums for her set. She has some of the most creative promotional materials I've ever seen-- including a postcard with a great picture of her as a little girl with her mom. Greg cleared up the conflicting answers I was getting for one of my Warped Tour trivia questions that I'd been asking everyone (they also later fed trivia answers to Mike from Street Dogs...they were very sneaky!)
Among the last interviews we did that day were Settings, Alex from All Time Low, Juliet from Automatic Loveletter, and Adam from The Academy Is. I chatted with most of the guys in Settings about being from Buffalo, and Shannon and Naomi chatted with Donny about being from Georgia. I've been listening to the stuff on their myspace a lot lately, so I was glad we got the chance to cover them. Alex and Juliet showed up at the same time, so we interviewed them together. Adam from The Academy Is... talked about their upcoming new album and bringing his cat to Warped Tour. He was incredibly well-spoken and sincere.
After our last interview in the press area, we took a few minutes to breathe and finally grab some food, then headed out into the venue to find our pals in The Scenic. Once they took off to head to their video shoot, the three of us ran over to Mayday Parade's set. They're a great band live, and so much fun to shoot photos and video of. They played last, so once they were done we headed back to the car for the long drive back to NYC.
More to come, and lots of pictures from Warped Day 4...
-Carrie
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Warped Tour Day 2!
(as written on Tuesday...)
Saturday's Warped Tour in Uniondale was a little closer to home. Naomi's brother was in town, so he drove us to Nassau Coliseum. We weren't able to shoot video because of venue rules, so we spent the day watching bands and shooting photos. Tom Falcone (who shot this picture of All Time Low that I'm sure you've all seen, among many others) joined up with us, so keep an eye out on the site for some of his photos, too.
Mayday Parade played super early in the day, so we ran over to the Hurley stage as soon as we saw the schedule and managed to catch almost all of their set. We headed over to one of the mainstages next for Story of the Year. I think I've only seen them one other time before, and it was probably 3 or 4 years ago, but those guys put on a SOLID show.
The Academy Is played right after SOTY, on the other mainstage. I'd caught a bit of their set the day before, but other than that I hadn't seen them play in a while. I really like the first new song they played. I didn't hear the other new song they played, because we ran over to the myspace tent to hear Forever the Sickest Kids do an acoustic set. That band is just so damn catchy, it was pretty much a rule that we had to listen to their cd atleast once per drive, each way, all weekend.
We found our friends in The Scenic working the crowd and hustling CDs. We unsuccessfully attempted to help them sell, but we were terrible at it. We managed to sell one, but it was to Naomi, so I don't know that that counts.
I went to the Kevin Says stage after that to watch A Cursive Memory. The only song of theirs that I really knew was Everything (if you haven't seen the video for that yet, youtube it-- it's so genius), but their set was a lot of fun.
You, Me and Everyone We Know played the same stage right afterwards. I'd missed their set the day before, so I was really glad to catch them on Saturday. Naomi had only ever seen them play acoustic before, so it was her first time seeing them play a regular set. They were great, as usual.
We ran over to catch the second half of Family Force 5's set as soon as they were done. Those guys are INSANE and put on the most entertaining show I've ever seen. If you watch them play, you can't help but smile and dance.
Later we caught Set Your Goals (A Cursive Memory came out at the end and played a Blink182 song at the end of their set, there was much toilet paper thrown around and silly string sprayed everywhere) and then listened to Mayday Parade play acoustic at the Myspace tent.
After all that, we headed to the Ernie Ball stage for Forever the Sickest Kids. That stage is WAY too small for those guys. It was crazy! There wasn't even enough room in front of the barricade for all the photographers. I bowed out gracefully (I'm not a real photographer, I just like taking pictures) and watched from next to the stage. I left before they finished their last song to run over and shoot the first few songs of All Time Low's set. I missed their set on the AP tour, so this was my first time seeing them.
Four Year Strong was one of the last bands I saw on Saturday. Their shows are always SO much fun, and so insane. We saw a girl who got knocked into by a crowd surfer and hit her face on the barricade, possibly breaking her nose. People were coming over the barricade faster than the security guards could catch them. This was the only set of the day that I got kicked while I was taking pictures. Also the only set of the day that I was singing along while taking pictures. 
Say Anything was last. The crowd was HUGE and went crazy. Definitely one of the best sets I saw all weekend.
After that, we met up with a couple friends and headed home to go to sleep. Day 3 coming soon....
-Carrie
Saturday's Warped Tour in Uniondale was a little closer to home. Naomi's brother was in town, so he drove us to Nassau Coliseum. We weren't able to shoot video because of venue rules, so we spent the day watching bands and shooting photos. Tom Falcone (who shot this picture of All Time Low that I'm sure you've all seen, among many others) joined up with us, so keep an eye out on the site for some of his photos, too.
Mayday Parade played super early in the day, so we ran over to the Hurley stage as soon as we saw the schedule and managed to catch almost all of their set. We headed over to one of the mainstages next for Story of the Year. I think I've only seen them one other time before, and it was probably 3 or 4 years ago, but those guys put on a SOLID show. 
The Academy Is played right after SOTY, on the other mainstage. I'd caught a bit of their set the day before, but other than that I hadn't seen them play in a while. I really like the first new song they played. I didn't hear the other new song they played, because we ran over to the myspace tent to hear Forever the Sickest Kids do an acoustic set. That band is just so damn catchy, it was pretty much a rule that we had to listen to their cd atleast once per drive, each way, all weekend.We found our friends in The Scenic working the crowd and hustling CDs. We unsuccessfully attempted to help them sell, but we were terrible at it. We managed to sell one, but it was to Naomi, so I don't know that that counts.
I went to the Kevin Says stage after that to watch A Cursive Memory. The only song of theirs that I really knew was Everything (if you haven't seen the video for that yet, youtube it-- it's so genius), but their set was a lot of fun.
You, Me and Everyone We Know played the same stage right afterwards. I'd missed their set the day before, so I was really glad to catch them on Saturday. Naomi had only ever seen them play acoustic before, so it was her first time seeing them play a regular set. They were great, as usual. We ran over to catch the second half of Family Force 5's set as soon as they were done. Those guys are INSANE and put on the most entertaining show I've ever seen. If you watch them play, you can't help but smile and dance.
Later we caught Set Your Goals (A Cursive Memory came out at the end and played a Blink182 song at the end of their set, there was much toilet paper thrown around and silly string sprayed everywhere) and then listened to Mayday Parade play acoustic at the Myspace tent.
After all that, we headed to the Ernie Ball stage for Forever the Sickest Kids. That stage is WAY too small for those guys. It was crazy! There wasn't even enough room in front of the barricade for all the photographers. I bowed out gracefully (I'm not a real photographer, I just like taking pictures) and watched from next to the stage. I left before they finished their last song to run over and shoot the first few songs of All Time Low's set. I missed their set on the AP tour, so this was my first time seeing them.
Four Year Strong was one of the last bands I saw on Saturday. Their shows are always SO much fun, and so insane. We saw a girl who got knocked into by a crowd surfer and hit her face on the barricade, possibly breaking her nose. People were coming over the barricade faster than the security guards could catch them. This was the only set of the day that I got kicked while I was taking pictures. Also the only set of the day that I was singing along while taking pictures. 
Say Anything was last. The crowd was HUGE and went crazy. Definitely one of the best sets I saw all weekend.After that, we met up with a couple friends and headed home to go to sleep. Day 3 coming soon....
-Carrie
Monday, July 28, 2008
SO SUNBURNED
Naomi suggested that I should not blog, because it wastes precious time when I could be sleeping this weekend. She is probably right.
SPEED UPDATE!
Yesterday- watched lots of bands, took lots of pictures. No amount of SPF50 could keep me from FRYING in the sun.
Today- we shot 21 bands. I don't know if you know this, but that is a feat. Look forward to seeing all that footage soon.
Tomorrow- our last day covering Warped :(
Time for bed.
-Carrie
SPEED UPDATE!
Yesterday- watched lots of bands, took lots of pictures. No amount of SPF50 could keep me from FRYING in the sun.
Today- we shot 21 bands. I don't know if you know this, but that is a feat. Look forward to seeing all that footage soon.
Tomorrow- our last day covering Warped :(
Time for bed.
-Carrie
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Warped Tour Day 1!
Quick blog! I gotta go to bed because I'm getting up in 6 hours to do this all over again :)
Today was day 1 of 4 for me on Warped Tour (ok it doesn't really count as being on warped tour because I am driving back to brooklyn to sleep in my own bed every night, but whatever.)
First we met up with Mike from the AKAs. He had a lot to say about their time on Warped so far. We had a chance to catch some of their set later and it was a lot of fun. Hopefully I'll get to catch more of them in the next few days.
We split up for a little while and Sarah and Andrew (our awesome shooters for the day) went to film some bands' sets.
After that we met back up and talked with You, Me and Everyone We Know. They're the first band that we've interviewed for Inklings more than once, and I've now interviewed them 3 times in 3 months.
We finally had a break to grab some food around 4, so we enjoyed some $8 slices of pizza (sadly, I'm not kidding. But I'd been up since 5:30 and hadn't eaten all day, so it actually tasted like it was worth it) We sat down and recharged our batteries (our metaphorical batteries, not real batteries) before splitting up again.
Andrew and Adaria (my right-hand woman for the day) went to shoot bands' sets, while Sarah and I caught up with some of the guys from A Loss For Words. They weren't playing today, but hanging out and selling a bunch of CDs. Great guys, great band, so if you see them around at Warped the next week or so, please go buy a CD from them.
Later we caught up with Billy and Ross from Confide, as well as Aaron and Ryland of Reel Big Fish.
There's some A+ stuff with Reel Big Fish...but you'll just have to wait and see. I WILL say that Ryland is hilarious.
We dashed over to the press area after that to catch A Cursive Memory, who were a combination of ridiculous and hilarious. Tomorrow's their last day on the tour, so hopefully I'll be able to catch their set.
Time to hit the hay. More updates tomorrow! Huge thanks to Sarah, Andrew & Adaria!
-Carrie
Today was day 1 of 4 for me on Warped Tour (ok it doesn't really count as being on warped tour because I am driving back to brooklyn to sleep in my own bed every night, but whatever.)
First we met up with Mike from the AKAs. He had a lot to say about their time on Warped so far. We had a chance to catch some of their set later and it was a lot of fun. Hopefully I'll get to catch more of them in the next few days.
We split up for a little while and Sarah and Andrew (our awesome shooters for the day) went to film some bands' sets.
After that we met back up and talked with You, Me and Everyone We Know. They're the first band that we've interviewed for Inklings more than once, and I've now interviewed them 3 times in 3 months.We finally had a break to grab some food around 4, so we enjoyed some $8 slices of pizza (sadly, I'm not kidding. But I'd been up since 5:30 and hadn't eaten all day, so it actually tasted like it was worth it) We sat down and recharged our batteries (our metaphorical batteries, not real batteries) before splitting up again.
Andrew and Adaria (my right-hand woman for the day) went to shoot bands' sets, while Sarah and I caught up with some of the guys from A Loss For Words. They weren't playing today, but hanging out and selling a bunch of CDs. Great guys, great band, so if you see them around at Warped the next week or so, please go buy a CD from them.
Later we caught up with Billy and Ross from Confide, as well as Aaron and Ryland of Reel Big Fish.
There's some A+ stuff with Reel Big Fish...but you'll just have to wait and see. I WILL say that Ryland is hilarious.
We dashed over to the press area after that to catch A Cursive Memory, who were a combination of ridiculous and hilarious. Tomorrow's their last day on the tour, so hopefully I'll be able to catch their set.Time to hit the hay. More updates tomorrow! Huge thanks to Sarah, Andrew & Adaria!
-Carrie
Monday, July 7, 2008
Powerspace & other stuff
Here is something I learned about my phone the night we shot our interview with Powerspace. When on autotext, my phone still does not know the word "inklings." I have a friend named Carmelina, and after 2 years my phone still tries to type "Barnelima." However, when I type the letters P-O-W- in my phone, the rest of the word "powerspace" automatically pops up. I also learned that if I try to abbreviate the word "equipment" to "equip", my phone doesn't understand and tries to type something else. I learned that the hard way when I almost sent someone a text that said "I'm standing in the back with all the drugs."
The night of the interview was also the first time I'd actually seen Powerspace play. I've been to 3 or 4 shows that they've been playing at, but somehow we're always shooting an interview (or just late) and miss their set. On a mostly unrelated note, Cute Is What We Aim For also played that night, and it's always very bizarre for me to see them play big venues in new York. They're from my town, and some of those guys used to play in a band that opened for my brother's band when I used to go see them play at Backstage Pub or Showplace when I was in high school. Also they were chilling outside the Icon at pretty much every show I went to senior year of college.
In any case, we've got a lot coming up this week/month. We're talking to The Cab and Lannen Fall this week, and we shot an interview and some acoustic songs with Rosematter last week that will be posted soon. Right now you can check out our interview with Powerspace in the video player and on our front page.
Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. I went home for my friend's wedding, it was a raucous/nostalgic/awesome time.
-Carrie
The night of the interview was also the first time I'd actually seen Powerspace play. I've been to 3 or 4 shows that they've been playing at, but somehow we're always shooting an interview (or just late) and miss their set. On a mostly unrelated note, Cute Is What We Aim For also played that night, and it's always very bizarre for me to see them play big venues in new York. They're from my town, and some of those guys used to play in a band that opened for my brother's band when I used to go see them play at Backstage Pub or Showplace when I was in high school. Also they were chilling outside the Icon at pretty much every show I went to senior year of college.
In any case, we've got a lot coming up this week/month. We're talking to The Cab and Lannen Fall this week, and we shot an interview and some acoustic songs with Rosematter last week that will be posted soon. Right now you can check out our interview with Powerspace in the video player and on our front page.
Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. I went home for my friend's wedding, it was a raucous/nostalgic/awesome time.
-Carrie
Sunday, June 22, 2008
YMAEWK
I feel like I've spent the weekend with You, Me, and Everyone We Know. Friday and Saturday were a big edit-fest to finish up their interview & acoustic performances, and then today I headed to Starland ballroom to see them play with Just Surrender, Rookie of the Year, and approximately 29 other bands. (also, the first sentence I wrote sounded funny in my head, but just looks creepy now that I've typed it.)
For the record- Starland ballroom: not so easy to get to. Their website makes it sound like a breeze, but it required a 40 minute subway ride to Penn station, an hour train to Jersey, and then an $18 cab ride to the venue (then reverse all that to get home). Whatever, now I've learned not to go there unless I can dupe someone into picking me up at the train and chauffeuring me to the venue. The show itself was pretty sweet. I thought that You, Me, and Everyone We Know were pretty solid when I saw them at Bamboozle, but tonight's set probably blew Bamboozle's set out of the water.
As I mentioned, all the stuff we shot with You, Me, and Everyone We Know is posted on Inklings now, so go check it out. If you think that the spider that crawled onto Ben's arm in the middle of Do It Again was distracting, I will tell you that it doesn't come close to the random guy who almost walked into the shot while they were playing Dirty Laundry (the first time.) A guy was riding his bike by, and decided to come check out the huge tree/bush that the guys were sitting in front of. We were literally in the middle of shooting an acoustic performance when the guy walks up maybe 5 feet from Ben and Ryan, and leans over to read the plaque behind them. I got really confused, but they kept playing so I kept shooting. After the guy walked away, Ben lost it and we ended up starting the song over. It was by far the weirdest thing that's happened during one of our shoots. Naomi missed the whole thing because she was so focused on getting good shots. She was very confused when everyone just burst out laughing and they stopped playing.
In any case, if you are one of the (estimated) 4 people who actually reads this blog, and you somehow have not already heard You, Me, and Everyone We Know, go do yourself a favor and download their EP. Seriously.It's been a long day. I don't think I've ever been at a show for more than 6 hours when it wasn't Warped Tour/Bamboozle.
I think this week I'm going to see Goldfinger for the first time since I was 17. I'm pretty excited.
Later!
-Carrie
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Birthday Party Pictures: posted!
Naomi and I both promised more notes on the birthday party once we were a little more rested, so it seems like a good idea to let you all know that there's a slew of pictures from Sunday up on our myspace, here
Also, I found out after the last blog I posted that after I went to bed Sunday around 3am, my brother and his friend (who were supposed to be crashing on my couches) left my apartment and went back into the city, where they wandered around until it was light out, and also ate an entire pizza.
Naomi's gone for the week to California (rough life, I know) but I'll be talking to Danger Radio on Thursday before they play Highline Ballroom, and I think I'll probably venture out to Jersey to see You, Me, and Everyone We Know again on Sunday. Hopefully getting home will be less of an ordeal than the last time I saw them (after our shoot with them last week I got home at 3:15 to find that I'd forgotten my keys, and my roommates were all in Connecticut. I almost had to sleep on a couch at work, but luckily I was able to crash at Naomi's.)
Our interview with Socratic will be posted tomorrow morning, and I'll hopefully also be posting You, Me and Everyone We Know's interview + 2 acoustic songs ASAP!
Completely unrelated, but I'm watching 30 Days on FX right now, and this episode they take a hunter and have him live with a family of vegan PETA activists. It's interesting, but so far they're just preaching at each other and getting mad.
Oh, also, happy birthday to Dan from The Scenic, and Danny from National Product! :)
-Carrie
Also, I found out after the last blog I posted that after I went to bed Sunday around 3am, my brother and his friend (who were supposed to be crashing on my couches) left my apartment and went back into the city, where they wandered around until it was light out, and also ate an entire pizza.
Naomi's gone for the week to California (rough life, I know) but I'll be talking to Danger Radio on Thursday before they play Highline Ballroom, and I think I'll probably venture out to Jersey to see You, Me, and Everyone We Know again on Sunday. Hopefully getting home will be less of an ordeal than the last time I saw them (after our shoot with them last week I got home at 3:15 to find that I'd forgotten my keys, and my roommates were all in Connecticut. I almost had to sleep on a couch at work, but luckily I was able to crash at Naomi's.)
Our interview with Socratic will be posted tomorrow morning, and I'll hopefully also be posting You, Me and Everyone We Know's interview + 2 acoustic songs ASAP!
Completely unrelated, but I'm watching 30 Days on FX right now, and this episode they take a hunter and have him live with a family of vegan PETA activists. It's interesting, but so far they're just preaching at each other and getting mad.
Oh, also, happy birthday to Dan from The Scenic, and Danny from National Product! :)
-Carrie
Monday, June 16, 2008
GRACIAS ... MERCI ... DANKA ... GRATSI
As Carrie said below, I will also have a more coherent blog after another coffee...OR a nap.
I can't thank everyone enough for coming out. The night was already complete with amazing performances by Lannen Fall, Socratic, and The Graduate. I can't tell you how much we appreciate all of those guys for playing and celebrating with us! It was so awesome to have my mom, brother/donation man, Bethany, roommates, upstairs mates, work friends, Carrie's bro and friends, Amena, Matt, Alex, Josh, Sean, Jamie, Carmelina, Pat, Bruuuce, and every single person who came. It was a wonderful way to celebrate 1 year! OK, so maybe a few too many soco & lime shots....ehhh nahh.
Happy for real birthday to my mom...Love You! (She rules!) Looking forward to posting the pictures in a few!
Carrie...oh yeah thank you for showing up too...and being the shit.
Here's a picture of my favorite part of The Graduate show:
as usual - lots of love,
naomi
I can't thank everyone enough for coming out. The night was already complete with amazing performances by Lannen Fall, Socratic, and The Graduate. I can't tell you how much we appreciate all of those guys for playing and celebrating with us! It was so awesome to have my mom, brother/donation man, Bethany, roommates, upstairs mates, work friends, Carrie's bro and friends, Amena, Matt, Alex, Josh, Sean, Jamie, Carmelina, Pat, Bruuuce, and every single person who came. It was a wonderful way to celebrate 1 year! OK, so maybe a few too many soco & lime shots....ehhh nahh.
Happy for real birthday to my mom...Love You! (She rules!) Looking forward to posting the pictures in a few!Carrie...oh yeah thank you for showing up too...and being the shit.
Here's a picture of my favorite part of The Graduate show:
as usual - lots of love,
naomi
THANK YOU
Thank you so so much to everyone who came out to the show last night to celebrate our birthday with us. We had a BLAST, and all the bands were amazing. Thanks to all our friends/roommates/family (Naomi's mom and brother, and my brother made it out for the occasion) for hanging out and dancing with us.
It was our first foray into the world of show promoting, so needless to say the day was a little hectic, but everything came together and the show ran pretty much on time. I apparently took a whole lot of pictures, which I'll be posting on our myspace soon.
I'm still in the process of waking up, so I'll probably have more coherent thoughts in a little while. If you liked Socratic last night, you'll love the interview with them that we'll be posting in the next day or so.
I'll leave you with some kind words from competitive eater Crazy Legs Conti, who we invited to the party but was unable to attend:
Carrie and Naomi,
Thank you for the invite and congrats on your one year birthday! That cupcake should be the size of 52 regular ones.
I will miss out on your party due to the rigors of the competitive eating circuit. Eater X and I will be doing back-to-back contests in hot dogs and strawberry shortcake this weekend. I will raise my 1st pound of strawberry shortcake in your honor (and then hopefully eat nine more pounds for my personal best in the dessert discipline). Consider that an omen - inklings.tv needs to be around for a decade.
Enjoy the party I hope its a night you'll never forget, but might not remember (open bars tend to do that to me).
Eat All You Can,
Crazy Legs Conti
-Carrie
It was our first foray into the world of show promoting, so needless to say the day was a little hectic, but everything came together and the show ran pretty much on time. I apparently took a whole lot of pictures, which I'll be posting on our myspace soon.
I'm still in the process of waking up, so I'll probably have more coherent thoughts in a little while. If you liked Socratic last night, you'll love the interview with them that we'll be posting in the next day or so.
I'll leave you with some kind words from competitive eater Crazy Legs Conti, who we invited to the party but was unable to attend:
Carrie and Naomi,Thank you for the invite and congrats on your one year birthday! That cupcake should be the size of 52 regular ones.
I will miss out on your party due to the rigors of the competitive eating circuit. Eater X and I will be doing back-to-back contests in hot dogs and strawberry shortcake this weekend. I will raise my 1st pound of strawberry shortcake in your honor (and then hopefully eat nine more pounds for my personal best in the dessert discipline). Consider that an omen - inklings.tv needs to be around for a decade.
Enjoy the party I hope its a night you'll never forget, but might not remember (open bars tend to do that to me).
Eat All You Can,
Crazy Legs Conti
-Carrie
Monday, June 9, 2008
INKLINGS ONE YEAR BASH & NEW INTERVIEWS
Hey there...
Lots going on in the Inklings world. As the summer is heating up, we have tons of new interviews and acoustics for you peeps to check out! Saturday we got a chance to shoot with a band that I think has A LOT ahead of them: You, Me, And Everyone We Know. Their entire EP is available for download for FREE...What in the hell are you waiting on? Actually, go download it now...here. Their interview and 2 acoustics will be up in about 2 weeks.
Also, go check out our "about" section @ www.inklings.tv because Carrie got it up and running on Sunday with pictures and info on a few of us! On that note, I'm so happy to say that we have our first EVER interview up from another country - AUSTRALIA! A new addition to the inklings team is Rebecca Taylor and she recently caught up with Falling Of One. Go check out their interview in the "print" section along with photos from the day of the interview on the Gold Coast.
T-minus a few day till the INKLINGS ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY BASH! I couldn't be happier to have THE GRADUATE, SOCRATIC, and LANNEN FALL playing and celebrating with us! I hope all of you can come too! You might ask, What do you mean, it's fathers day??? What better way to celebrate Father's Day than to bring your dad! Seriously, the show/party is going to be a damn good time! I'll leave all the info below with a sweet flier that our good friend Matt designed for us!
LOTS OF LOVE-
Naomi
.jpg)
Lots going on in the Inklings world. As the summer is heating up, we have tons of new interviews and acoustics for you peeps to check out! Saturday we got a chance to shoot with a band that I think has A LOT ahead of them: You, Me, And Everyone We Know. Their entire EP is available for download for FREE...What in the hell are you waiting on? Actually, go download it now...here. Their interview and 2 acoustics will be up in about 2 weeks.
Also, go check out our "about" section @ www.inklings.tv because Carrie got it up and running on Sunday with pictures and info on a few of us! On that note, I'm so happy to say that we have our first EVER interview up from another country - AUSTRALIA! A new addition to the inklings team is Rebecca Taylor and she recently caught up with Falling Of One. Go check out their interview in the "print" section along with photos from the day of the interview on the Gold Coast.
T-minus a few day till the INKLINGS ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY BASH! I couldn't be happier to have THE GRADUATE, SOCRATIC, and LANNEN FALL playing and celebrating with us! I hope all of you can come too! You might ask, What do you mean, it's fathers day??? What better way to celebrate Father's Day than to bring your dad! Seriously, the show/party is going to be a damn good time! I'll leave all the info below with a sweet flier that our good friend Matt designed for us!
LOTS OF LOVE-
Naomi
.jpg)
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Happy (almost) birthday, Inklings
I read a news story the other day about some woman who has such a good memory that she can relive every day since she was 14 in vivid detail, including what she wore, what she did, what her mom ordered for lunch at a restaurant, etc. I think I must be related to this woman somehow.
Naomi is consistently weirded out by the details I can remember. I'll say things like "Well (x event) must have been last July, because it was the day after we saw Valencia, and it was raining that night." I also have an uncanny memory for dates. I can tell you that 10/1/05 was the first time I saw Paramore, because I also interviewed Cartel that day for my college tv show. I can tell you that March 14th is Taylor Hanson's birthday, because I so deeply ingrained that date into my brain when I was 12 that I probably couldn't forget it if I tried. AND I can tell you that May 17th one year ago is when Naomi and I came up with the idea to start Inklings.
I remember the date because we were on our way to see Men Women & Children, and we stopped for a drink between work and the show. We got to talking about how not enough good, hardworking bands get the media attention they deserve, and we wanted to help pick up the slack. Our first shoot was less than a month later, and we've been going strong ever since. We've accomplished more in our first year than we thought was possible, and for that we have to thank all the people who've helped us out, and all the bands who have given us their time.
Anyway, the point of all this is that we're planning a sick birthday party for Inklings, with the help of our incredibly awesome friends Josh and Sean. More details to be announced this week once we get everything finalized-- but believe me, if you live in the NYC area you're going to want to be there :) June 15th- save the date!
-Carrie
Naomi is consistently weirded out by the details I can remember. I'll say things like "Well (x event) must have been last July, because it was the day after we saw Valencia, and it was raining that night." I also have an uncanny memory for dates. I can tell you that 10/1/05 was the first time I saw Paramore, because I also interviewed Cartel that day for my college tv show. I can tell you that March 14th is Taylor Hanson's birthday, because I so deeply ingrained that date into my brain when I was 12 that I probably couldn't forget it if I tried. AND I can tell you that May 17th one year ago is when Naomi and I came up with the idea to start Inklings.
I remember the date because we were on our way to see Men Women & Children, and we stopped for a drink between work and the show. We got to talking about how not enough good, hardworking bands get the media attention they deserve, and we wanted to help pick up the slack. Our first shoot was less than a month later, and we've been going strong ever since. We've accomplished more in our first year than we thought was possible, and for that we have to thank all the people who've helped us out, and all the bands who have given us their time.
Anyway, the point of all this is that we're planning a sick birthday party for Inklings, with the help of our incredibly awesome friends Josh and Sean. More details to be announced this week once we get everything finalized-- but believe me, if you live in the NYC area you're going to want to be there :) June 15th- save the date!
-Carrie
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