The odds are that the first CD you bought is not indicative of the music that you listen to today. Or maybe it is, who knows. Regardless, we thought it would be fun, amusing, and interesting to do a new PropertyOfZack Friday Discussion on The First CD I Bought. Check out our Discussion below and feel free to reblog with your first CD purchase!

Michelle Branch - The Spirit Room
blink-182 may be my one true musical love, but Michelle Branch was my first.

It’s pretty well known that I mostly stick to pop-punk and emo music, but I wasn’t shown Sum 41 and blink-182 until I was 11 or 12. Before then, I listened to a hodgepodge of music. I remember hearing this song called “Everywhere” on the radio, and I was all about it. It made the 9-year-old in me feel sadness I had never felt — the precursor to my emo dreams. I liked “Everywhere” so much I demanded more, so I was taken to a brick and mortar store and bought The Spirit Room. To this day, I would still say that “Everywhere” and “All You Wanted” were two of the best pop sounds from that era.

Sidenote: I also heavily enjoyed Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” at this time. And of course, Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi.”- Zack Zarrillo

ESPN Stadium Anthems
I’m not apologizing for this one, gang. Ten-year-old me was the ballboy for my dad’s soccer team, and ten-year-old me got down with Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop” and 2 Unlimited’s “Get Ready For This” during halftime. I remember feeling bummed out because the CD left “Welcome to the Jungle” off its tracklist. I mean, who does that? The 8:22 extended edition of Sister Sledge’s sappy “We Are Family” makes the cut, The freakin’ Baha Men make the cut, but Guns ‘n’ Roses is where ESPN drew the line? Come on.

It’s no stretch to say Stadium Anthems is collecting dust on my CD shelf — my allergies are kicking in just looking at it. Sure, it’s got some nostalgic value, but I don’t feel like returning to Kool & The Gang or Gary Glitter unless my ass is parked on some bleachers. But N.E.R.D’s “Rock Star” still slays. - Erik van Rheenen

blink-182 - Enema Of The State 
The first CD I remember buying was Blink 182’s Enema of the State, but the purpose behind purchasing it was a rather childish one at best. Yes, I was very much hooked on the band’s infectious pop punk sound, but it also had a lot cursing on it and to buy an album with a ‘Parental Advisory’ sticker on it felt so daring at 11 years old. The album was still a great jumpstart into my love of pop punk music, but it was that initial bit of risk that made it stick with me. 

Today, I’m reminded frequently of how great this album is every time my local rock radio station chooses to only play “What’s My Age Again?” or “All the Small Things.” What about “Dumpweed?” What about how “Aliens Exist” transitions so perfectly into “Going Away to College?” I’ll stop myself now before I start producing diagrams on the album’s fantastic sequencing. - Jason Stives

Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This To Memory
Similar to so many of the great stories of my youth, my urge to buy Motion City Soundtrack’s Commit This to Memory began on a night where I stayed up way past my bedtime. I was watching MTV late at night (Q: How long ago was this? A: MTV was still playing music videos) and some sort of new music spotlight show came on. I couldn’t tell you any of the other bands or artists that were highlighted, but I remember seeing the video for “Everything is Alright,” and I was immediately hooked.

This was back in a time where my only source of music was the radio and my parents’ CD collection, and so the next time I was at the mall I jetted to FYE (again, that’s how long ago this was), found the “punk rock” section, and secured a copy of the album. I was so excited that I listened to every 30-second track preview before I paid for it because I literally couldn’t wait any longer. I haven’t like any of Motion City’s work quite as much, but they’ve still become one of my all-time favorite bands, and one of the bands I hold near and dear to my heart who helped shape my taste in music today. - Donald Wagenblast 

Backstreet Boys - Backstreet’s Back
You can tell a lot about a person from his or her music taste, and perhaps one of the most revealing questions you can ask is: Backstreet Boys or N*SYNC? 

Read More

Skate And Surf Festival is three days away, and we hope you’re all as excited as we are for an incredible weekend at Six Flags in Jackson, NJ. We posted POZ’s Must See Bands And Acts for the first day of Skate yesterday, and we’re back today with day two! Check out ticket/lineup information for the festival here, our list below, and reblog to let us know who we need to see while we’re at Skate this weekend!

Related Stories:
POZ Skate And Surf Preview: Our Must-See Bands And Acts (Day 1)

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, by Sydney Gore
I have already had the pleasure of watching this dynamic duo perform live, so from my own personal experience, I can assure that they know how to show a crowd a good time. There’s so much more to the Seattle based rapper and producer than meets the eye—the same men who made the catchy, lighthearted tracks like “Thrift Shop” and “And We Danced” also speak out about social issues, such as marriage equality, in “Same Love.” The Heist was one of the most anticipated albums of the year, and since its release back in November, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have earned themselves quite a supportive following. Believe the hype, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis dish out lyrical poetry that does not disappoint.

Glassjaw, by Jesse Richman
Elusive post-hardcore veterans Glassjaw tend to keep a low profile these days; it’s been over a decade since the band released their last LP (though they continue to quietly release the occasional EP), and nearly as long since they played anything approaching a full-time touring schedule. Not that the infrequency of their performances shows in their stage work — ask anyone who’s had the luck to catch them in the last few years, and they’ll gladly let you know that Daryl Palumbo remains as dynamic a frontman as ever. These veterans of the original Skate And Surfs may be fighting an uphill battle against a crowd primed for Macklemore and A Day To Remember and too young to remember the band’s glory years, but Glassjaw are nothing if not fighters. Hopefully the crowd will understand what a rare treat they’re getting when the band takes the stage.

Rx Bandits, by Erik van Rheenen
They’re back.

Ten years after releasing The Resignation,the Drive-Thru standouts are putting the kibosh on their one-year hiatus with a return to Jersey. Nearly four years removed from their stellar full-length Mandala, the progressive rockers will shake off the rust and be back to their old proggy tricks. The elusive veterans haven’t played North American shows in more than a year, and in a day packed with nostalgia, (Glassjaw and Saves The Day, for starters) Rx Bandits will rock the Skate And Surf stage like it’s 2009.

MOD SUN, by Sydney Gore
Selecting two hip-hop artists from the lineup was a happy coincidence, but MOD SUN is definitely one of my favorites. The hippy-hop artist is all about being happy, spreading posi vibes, and living life to the fullest— or the highest. I guarantee that you’ll leave his set with a huge smile on your face and a fresher perspective on life. Anyone who wants to immerse themselves in a fun atmosphere needs to let MOD SUN be their guide.

Saves The Day, by Erik van Rheenen
We the fans can be big complainers. “This band didn’t play all the songs I wanted to hear.” “Where’s that obscure B-side from 2005?” “You guys always play the same set.” So Saves The Day cut out the middleman and had fans vote on the setlist, so even if they don’t play “Sell My Old Clothes, I’m Off To Heaven,” you at least had some say. A collection of fan favorites and deep cuts should be more than enough to pack the pit for Chris Conley and company — who knows? Maybe we’ll get a taste of some new tunes, too. 

Read More

Senior Writer Jesse Richman had the chance to catch up with Set It Off at SXSW this past March for a fantastic interview. Jesse and the band discussed recent big touring opportunities, the reception to their debut record, growth as a band, Warped Tour, future plans, and more. Check it all out below!

Let me get your names and what you do in the band.
Maxx: My name’s Maxx Danziger and I play drums. 
Zach: I’m Zach [DeWall] and I play guitar.
Dan: I’m Dan [Clermont] and I play guitar and sing backups. 

Alright, so the LP has been out for about six months now. How has the reception been so far?
Maxx: It’s been great. The record before our EP Horrible Kids started going in a new direction with the sound. The people really liked it – the fans and all that. So we decided to go head first and dive into that sound. I feel like it’s – we kind of found ourselves. I think the people really like it, so it’s good. 

Horrible Kids was kind of a concept EP. A rough concept at least. Whereas the new one feels a little bit more like just a bunch of awesome songs. Is the concept thing something that you’re interested in, or did you just set out to write the best songs that you could this time without worrying about how they fit together. 
Dan:  I think that with Horrible Kids, it just kind of happened, you know? It was not a plan. We definitely have discussed ideas of concept records, but I think with this LP, with Cinematics, we just wanted to – it’s our first time coming out to the public eye – we just wanted to write a collection of songs that people from all spectrums could relate to.
Maxx: I think with the theatrical sound, it opens the door for a concept album. 
POZ: Yeah, I think that’s really why I was asking. You guys get a lot of comparisons to bands like My Chemical Romance, with that kind of theatricality. 
Maxx: I think we were focusing on writing the best songs that we could. Later on down the road, we’ll see if we can get a bit crazy with it. 
Dan: It could definitely happen. 
Maxx: Yeah. Who knows? 

Do you think the direction that you’ve been going is working for your fans?
Maxx: Yeah. It’s a little darker and a lot more – there’s that orchestral sound to it. We were nervous at first, but they loved it. So we’re very happy. 

You guys do something that maybe six or seven years ago was kind of a really dominant sound in the scene. Now you’re kind of one of the only bands doing that sort of thing. Do you feel out of place or do you feel like you’ve made a niche for yourselves?
Zack: I don’t feel like we’re out of place. This is the music that we want to write. This is the music that we want to play. We’re not really here to write music to cater to a certain fan base. This is the music that we feel like is what we want to communicate to our fans and to the people that listen to us. 
Dan: Nobody wants to play something they don’t’ enjoy. I think we’re still – granted that we love that time period and we love that music, we still grew up in this scene. I still think there’s those niches where we can sound like a pop-punk band at some points or we can sound like a pop band in another spectrum. I think there’s enough of both of that in there. 
Maxx: I think it just happens naturally. We have a song on it that’s essentially a swing song, there’s a whole horn solo and things like that. So whatever happens at the time, we kind of just put it down; if it sounds good then we put it on the record. 

Are you guys at the point where you’re thinking about new songs? Do you write while you’re on the road?
Zach: We’re actually – we’re headed up to Canada and then we’re going to do some co-writes soon after that. We’re always thinking ahead. We’re always  thinking, “What’s the next step?” 

Do you have any timeframe for when you’d want to get back and start recording a new one? 
Dan: It’s off in the horizon because our tours are starting to pick up supporting Cinematics so we don’t want to do anything to interrupt that – as soon as we’re gaining momentum we don’t want to stop and record another record. But you never know. 
Maxx: I’d say a goal, hopefully next year. But who knows. Depending on what our schedule is. That’s the cool thing about the music industry is that you never know what you’re doing. Two months from now we could be in space, you never know. 

You guys just did a European tour with Yellowcard. How did that go?
Zach: It went amazingly. 
POZ: How receptive was their audience to you guys?
It went really well. Germany was crazy, those kids – it reminded me of being fifteen years old and going to concerts. How they reacted, the kids, is something that the states doesn’t have. I feel like, no offense to anybody, but I feel like they’re [the States] a little bit spoiled where their favorite bands come into town every three months, where in Germany they get it maybe once a year. So they really appreciate it when a band like Yellowcard comes over, that they can’t see every other month like in the States.  

Read More

Skate And Surf Festival is just a few days away now, and we hope you’re all as excited as we are for an incredible weekend at Six Flags in Jackson, NJ. We thought it’d be a great idea to put together a list of POZ’s Must See Bands And Acts for the first day of the lineup today, with a day two feature coming tomorrow. Check out ticket/lineup information for the festival here, our list below, and reblog to let us know who we need to see while we’re at Skate this weekend!

Streetlight Manifesto, by Erik van Rheenen
Ska fans can wipe that tear from their eyes and pull on their skanking shoes: the beginning of the end may be here, but not before Streetlight plays a homecoming show in Jersey under the bright lights at Skate And Surf. With label woes plaguing the release of The Hands That Thieve, the band will probably blow off some steam at their set and show off some of the new material, which is, in fact, killer. From old fan-favorites to new sing-along anthems, fans will make Streetlight Manifesto feel right back at home. Mostly because they will be.

Balance & Composure, by Adrienne Fisher
Balance & Composure has been fairly quiet ever since wrapping up a pretty hefty winter headliner earlier this year with The Jealous Sound and Daylight, only to reveal just a week or so ago that that time’s been leveraged into finishing up their second full-length record, slated for release sometime this fall. I know I’m not the only one busting out party hats to celebrate that fact, and being that their set at Skate and Surf is the only one publicly on the books for the foreseeable future, we the people should probably resolve to make sure we’re there for it. While we can always cross our fingers for a preview of a new song, the truth is that we’re definitely not over 2011’s Separation and will still eagerly lend ourselves to become soul-crushed by that opening rhythm section in “Burden.” If you’re a Balance fan, make it a point to catch this set – you never know, those songs from Only Boundaries might drop out of rotation once the new record comes out and you wouldn’t want to be that guy whining about how you missed out on hearing the old stuff, right?

Transit, by Jesse Richman
It’s hard to remember the last time anyone in the scene released an album as divisive as Transit’sYoung New England— whether they loved it or hated it, everyone seemed to have a strong opinion. As they bring that album to the biggest stage yet, will the crowd be with them or against them? Has the criticism beaten Transit down or made them stronger? And has Joe Boynton’s voicereally changed? We’re looking forward to finding out the answers.

Andrew WK, by Erik van Rheenen
When it’s time to party we will party hard.

I mean, seriously. What will be more fun than catching a set from the King of Positive Partying himself at an amusement park? Since the eruption of his smash hit “Party Hard” in 2001, Andrew WK’s become a jack-of-all-trades: motivational speaker, TV show host, producer, and of course, sticking to his singing/songwriting guns. Dust off your copy of I Get Wet, reacquaint yourself with some of WK’s early 2000s party rock anthems, and let’s get a party going on Saturday afternoon.

LIGHTS, by Sydney Gore
The 24-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter has a way of enchanting anyone who listens to her synth-pop tunes. With a traveling background as a missionary child, Lights takes the crowd on an adventure of their own to a digital dimension where music is the only savior. Her most recent album, Siberia was nominated for “Pop Album of the Year” at the Juno Awards last year. Don’t let Lights’ “manic pixie dream girl” physique fool you—she goes hard at live shows, especially when the heavy electronic beat start pulsing. Lights is always a delight to watch, so definitely don’t miss out on her set—it’s bound to be electrifying.

Mixtapes, by Erik van Rheenen
Ordinary Silence doesn’t hit shelves until the end of June, but fingers crossed these Ohioans share a few new tunes with us come this weekend. The uber-productive pop-punkers (this marks their second full-length in as many years) keep the bouncy tunes coming, and the dual vocal attack of Maura Weaver and Ryan Rockwell (and their kinda-sorta ridiculous stage banter) is always a blast to sing along with. There aren’t many bands to usher in summer with, and Mixtapes sets are pretty much always guaranteed to be a good time. 

Read More

Senior Writer Jesse Richman had the chance to catch up with Kurt Travis at SXSW this past March for a fantastic interview. Jesse and Kurt discussed his new solo EP, touring with Jonny Craig, A Lot Like Birds, Equal Vision Records, touring, and much more. Check it all out below!

So the solo EP just came out.
Yeah!

Tell me a little bit about it.
Well, it’s kind of a concept record. I was reading the The Silmarillion and just became inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s creating of Middle Earth. Apparently he wrote all of the languages before he created the story, so all the words, they mean something. He uses different words like, “Ilúvatar” means father of all. “Ilúvatar” was just there. Then he thought up these children of Ainur and they started playing a song, and the song created Middle Earth. That’s pretty much what it’s about.

So I take it you are a big Tolkien fan?
Yes. 

What did you think of The Hobbit? Or, Part 1 of The Hobbit.
It was good… You know, everybody’s a critic. I think Peter Jackson is fucking amazing. I don’t think anybody could have done a better job. How about that? 

I know a lot of people aren’t thrilled that he stretched such a short story into four hours worth of movie.
Right. Right. Right. It’s never going to compare to the movie in your head, but he does a great job. 

So were you planning on writing a solo EP, or were you just reading Tolkien and decided to start writing?
I heard about this tour with Jonny Craig, Hail The Sun, and The Seeking about two months before it happened. I was like, “Shit. I’ve got to get another record!” Because I feel like going on tour without a record is kind of pointless. And as a musician, you should be continually creating. So…

How has touring with Jonny been so far?
It’s been great! Jonny and I go way back. I play a song with him; we share our backup band Hail The Sun, which is an amazing band. 

So they’re opening and then they’re backing you guys as well?
Yeah. 

How do you separate between a solo song, an A Lot Like Birds song… where do you draw those lines in your head?
My solo stuff is more for me, you know what I mean? It’s something that I can’t do in A Lot Like Birds. So that’s why it happened. 
[Kris Crummett walks by and joins us for a minute]
KT: Shoutout to Kris Crummett at Interlace [Audio] Studios. 
KC: We’re making a record together!
KT: We’re making the new A Lot Like Birds record in Portland like it’s supposed to be. 
KC: It’s gonna be fuckin’ badass.

Have you started working on that at all?
KT: The band has five or six songs in the works; they just keep sending them to me, and I keep listening to them over and over. 
KC: It’s gonna be amazing, they’re so insane!
KT: [to KC] Have they sent you some of the songs?
KC: Yeah, I’ve got some of the demos! “Balcony”, and…
KT: “Balcony” and “Joe’s Room”…
KC: Yep, really good stuff!
KT: These are all tentative titles!

What direction is it headed so far?
KT: Dude, OK. So we’re basically capitalizing on our crazy chaotic Blood Brothers, Mars Volta kind of shit, and then our more ambient, melodic shit; we’re getting even trippier and outer space. So… very pretty, very dirty and spooky and crazy, so we’re just capitalizing on those two elements. Then kind of fusing them together. 
KC: It’s gonna be great. Sorry to interrupt. That show [which Travis had just played] was beautiful! It was so good! 
[Kris Crummett leaves]
KT: Sorry about that. That’s my producer. Two Dance Gavin Dance records and now two A Lot Like Birds records. He’s a good dude. 

Read More

You’re kind of tired of Punk Goes Pop 1-27 every year aren’t you? Well, we are too. If we look back a little deeper in the past, the series of releases from Fearless Records used to be a little less predictable and a lot better quality wise. We thought it would be fun to do a new PropertyOfZack Friday Discussion on Punk Goes..We’d Actually Like with many different routes the series could, and hopefully will, take in the future. Check out our Discussion below and feel free to reblog with some of your suggestions as well!

Punk Goes Disney
I mean, come the fuck on. How has this not happened yet? We know what All Time Low is picking — Aladdin. Disney songs are built with insanely catchy melodies and they’re either super inspirational or extremely sad. So between the posi pop-punk bands and the sad emo acts (sup, Evan Weiss?), the Disney catalog is ripe for the picking. I want to see The Wonder Years cover that Phil Collins song from Tarzan. I want to see Polar Bear Club or The Menzingers offer their take on an Elton John song from The Lion King. Can I get Hayley Williams and Paramore doing a Little Mermaid jawn? This is the greatest idea I’ve ever come up with in my 22 years on this planet. PS: Fearless Records, for real, I’m officially calling dibs on this idea and would like royalties if (read: when) you cash in on it. - Thomas Nassiff

Punk Goes Acoustic 3
Acoustic songs tend to have an easier time making their way into our hearts than their big brother: full band songs. They’re slow, they’re airy, they’re lead by lyrics, not rhythm. The first time I ever heard Taking Back Sunday was on Punk Goes Acoustic with their acoustic rendition of “Cute Without The E,” and I fell in love in a way I could never have today if I heard Taking Back Sunday cover Katy Perry’s latest of 10 Billboard hits.

Punk Goes Acoustic Volumes 1 and 2 gave fans the chance to hear some of their favorite songs in a great and emotional new way, and also helped fans to find other artists they had never heard of before. A Punk Goes Acoustic 3 would most likely be easier financially for Fearless Records, and it’s something we all want. Lets do this instead of Metalcore Goes Pop 12. - Zack Zarrillo

Punk Goes Punk
Look, we all know it’s become a running joke at this point: none of the bands that contribute to the Punk Goes… series come within a neutron bomb’s blast radius of anything that might reasonably be called “punk.” And it’s not like those bands are lacking in self awareness — most would sooner label themselves “pop” or “metal” than safety-pin the “punk” decal to the leather jacket they don’t even own. So why not have them take a crack at some real punk classics?

Just think about what Punk Goes Punk could be! Woe, Is Me covering Screeching Weasel (because who can be reasonably expected to keep all those members straight?) Forever The Sickest Kids covering Bad Brains (can you “Pay To Cum” with fake Rolex watches, or is that a cash-only transaction?) Escape The Fate covering TSOL (shitty hair metal phases: not just for washed up 80’s punk icons!); Falling In Reverse covering The Sex Pistols (bet they really kill this one!); Jonny Craig covering Minor Threat (…you don’t actually need me to explain this, do you?); Blood On The Dance Floor covering GG Allin (OK, this one’s just here because I want to see Dahvie Vanity covered in his own feces.)

Tell me you wouldn’t drop a few clams for that. Sure, it’s the kind of silly lark you’d only listen to once and then shelve forever. But let’s be honest, that’s still one more time that you listened to the last few Punk Goes… albums, isn’t it? - Jesse Richman

This has been happening for all of time but never “officially.” Throwing $10,000 to Breathe Carolina to cover “Angels We Have Heard on High” might seem stupid (because it is) — especially since no one’s doing that track better than Relient K already did — so let’s make sure to choose these bands carefully. Like Moths To Flames? Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!? Sorry dudes, sit this one out. We need to enlist poppy bands or soulful crooners to whisper sweet Christmas nothings into my iPod headphones.

So I want Nate Ruess and fun. tackling “Jingle Bells.” I want Brian Fallon and The Gaslight Anthem (or Horrible Crowes, dude, whatever, I’m just a slave4u) showing me their chops on “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” (while I weep softly, gently, alone in the background). I want Patrick Stump and Fall Out Boy doing “Santa Claus Is Comi-” …Nevermind. Just let me get a reprise of “Yule Shoot Yr Eye Out.” - Thomas Nassiff

Read More

Senior Writer Jesse Richman had the chance to catch up with Lemuria at SXSW this past March for a fantastic interview. Jesse and Alex discussed SXSW, their new album (The Distance Is So Big), working with J. Robbins, future touring plans, and much more. Check it all out below!

To start, can I get your name and what you do in the band?
I’m Alex and I play drums and I sing. 

First of all, how has SXSW been for you?
It’s been fantastic! It’s been super hectic and, like, kind of a mind-eraser, but it’s a good time. 

You guys just finished up playing your set at the Bridge Nine Showcase. How do you feel like it went? 
It was excellent, it was cool. 
POZ: It looks like you had quite a big crowd there. 
Yeah, it was funny because we had just played literally next door, at Beerland, and walked all of our stuff over there. Because we had a set there at 3:30. Then we came over to the 4:30 set here. We tried to play different songs for anyone that crossed over. 

How was the crowd at Beerland compared to Bridge Nine? 
It was great. It was awesome. 

Are those the only two showcases you’re doing down here?
We did those two today, and we did one yesterday for Ground Control Touring at Mohawk. And last Tuesday was the first one that we did, we did a daytime show.

So you guys have been in town for the whole week at SXSW. Have you had the chance to see any bands?
I got to see Stevie Nicks do a panel. It was really cool. I’m a big Fleetwood Mac fan. 
POZ: Who isn’t?
I wouldn’t trust you if you weren’t. Who else did I see? I saw Widows Peak last night, because they played shortly after us. I saw Ducktails play, they were good. I just saw What’s Eating Gilbert?, which was awesome. I wanted to see Good Time Boys, because they’re our friends from the UK. But unfortunately, we were playing at the same time as them. 
POZ: That’s always the curse of SXSW.
I know. I caught a couple of songs from Candy Hearts, who played earlier tonight. So yeah, it’s been really good. 

Are you guys doing any touring right now? Or did you just come to town for SXSW?
We just came into town for this. We just recorded a new album for Bridge Nine and it’s going to come out in June. So we’re going to do a tour in May/June. And as soon as the album comes out, we’re going to really try to book our schedule up with shows. 

Are those definite show plans that you have? 
Yeah. It’s going to be like… We’re doing Pouzza Fest in Montreal. So we’re doing a two week stretch around that. Because we’ll have a new 7” out by then; it’s kind of a pre-release to the album. 

Is that also coming out on Bridge Nine?
Yeah. It’ll be a single from the album and then a b-side that’s not on the record. And then after the album’s out, we just really plan to hit the road. 

Is that tour going to be a headliner?
That’s going to be a headliner. There are a couple of shows here-and-there sprinkled in, but for the most part it’s a headliner.
POZ: Do you know who’s going to be out with you?
It’s different every night actually. 
POZ: Going to have locals opening?
Yeah, exactly. Which is fun. You learn a lot, you get to see a lot of new bands doing that. Once the album’s out, we’ll probably do a package tour as a headliner and hopefully get some opening slots here or there. 

Read More

Summer is so close. We can almost taste the rip-off tank tops, pavement, and over-airconditioned venues. Yes. there’s Warped Tour, but there are so many other great tours going on this summer too that you shouldn’t miss out. Between Tigers Jaw and Pianos Become The Teeth, Fall Out Boy, The Menzingers, Circa Survive and Coheed And Cambria, there’s something for everyone. We decided to put together a new PropertyOfZack Discussion on all the “must see” tours this summer, so check them out below and feel free to reblog with the tours you can’t wait to see!

Tigers Jaw, Pianos Become The Teeth
For a music lover, sometimes the untimely end of a band’s career seems almost as hard to get over as an unexpected breakup with a significant other. When Tigers Jaw announced in March that they’d be going on hiatus, they were gracious enough to soften the blow with the simultaneous announcement that they’d be touring through the summer, giving fans one last chance to see them. With so many fans being newer ones who have fallen in love with the band at some point since 2010, it seems that much more upsetting that Tigers Jaw have chosen now to take a break. 

With hiatuses a dime a dozen recently, there’s no saying that an eventual Tigers Jaw reunion is completely out of the question. But the band has acknowledged that this will be their last tour in the foreseeable future. With Pianos Become The Teeth and Sainthood Reps as support, this tour would have been a priority on most people’s summer to-go list regardless of the future state of Tigers Jaw. However, without the promise of seeing them again, Tigers Jaw’s headlining summer tour is absolutely a can’t-miss. - Alyssa McKinley

Streetlight Manifesto End Of The Beginning Tour
The scraggly curbside sign-holder on the cover of Streetlight Manifesto’s 99 Songs of Revolution, Vol. 1 proved prophetic three years in advance: “Tomorrow it’ll end”: if by tomorrow, he meant June. The band’s End of the Beginning Tour in June marks the last hurrah of Streetlight Manifesto as a full-time touring band. There’s speculation as to the band’s decision to call a hiatus (Victory Records’ hands have apparently done some thieving — see: Toh Kay album), but there’s no doubt that on the first leg of their farewell tour, the band will be shutting the book on this chapter of their career with a resounding bang.
 
June marks the shorter of the farewell tour legs, but Streetlight’s making a point to route the tour through some smaller markets. The tour also comes on the heels of Streetlight’s firecracker of a new album, “The Hands That Thieve,” and fans have more than a month to let the record sink in and decipher the lyrics before shouting the choice cuts back at Tomas Kalnoky on tour. If catching Streetlight Manifesto one last time wasn’t incentive enough, the fact that Rodeo Ruby Love and Empty Orchestra are opening the bill should more than clinch this as one of this summer’s best lineups. - Erik van Rheenen

Fall Out Boy Save Rock And Roll Tour
Not many bands could pull off a comeback like Fall Out Boy has. In a matter of months, they’ve gone from being on indefinite hiatus to having a number one album, two full tours announced, and three music videos released. 

Panic! At The Disco has already been declared as the support for the upcoming fall arena tour, but as of right now, support for this summer remains a mystery. But that didn’t stop every single show from selling out in seemingly record time. For most bands, this would create a lot of pressure to deliver in a big way. Fall Out Boy isn’t just any band though; this is the band rallying behind a lofty cry of “Save Rock And Roll.” So whatever tricks Fall Out Boy has up its sleeves, it’s safe to say that they’ll pull out all the stops on tour. - Becky Kovach

The Menzingers, Fake Problems, Restorations, CWS
The Menzingers have been doing tons of high-profile support touring since the 2012 release of their incredible sophomore full-length, On The Impossible Past, but their small room appearances have been mostly limited to one-off dates and strings of shows on journeys home. This June, however, will see a club headlining tour with thorough coverage of the Midwest and the I-95 corridor with companions Fake Problems, Restorations, and Captain, We’re Sinking in tow. Despite the year and a half that’s lapsed since OTIP came out, excitement abounds for this tour and dates are already selling out well in advance. The Menzingers host a punk rock show as they were meant to exist: with just the right balance of strong musical prowess and sloppy, energetic fun, their shows bring out the fiercest singalongs in people, fueled by both emotional strife and drunken debauchery. 

Read More

Senior Writer Jesse Richman had the chance to catch up with Candy Hearts at SXSW this past March for a fantastic interview. Jesse and Mariel discussed SXSW, the reception to their EP, Violently Happy Records, further music, and more. Check it all out below!

Alright Mariel from Candy Hearts, how are you doing?
Good! 

How has SXSW been treating you so far?
‘South By’ has been great. We’ve been here a couple of days. We have eaten some tacos, and we saw Paramore, which is awesome, and we saw Tegan And Sara. And we played a showcase by a pool; it was really fun. 

This is the first time you’ve been here? How was the showcase?
This is the first time we’ve been to Austin. The showcase was great! There were a lot of people there, it was really fun, and there were dollar beers which I know my band really liked… I liked how our set went. 

So you did that one and you just played here at the Bridge Nine showcase. I know you’ve got one more tonight. Is that it for you guys at SXSW? 
Yep. Those three. Then tomorrow we’re heading to Tulsa. 

Did you have a chance to catch any other bands? I know you said you caught the Paramore and Tegan And Sara shows. 
We watched Pentimento, they’re on tour with us right now. They played after us at the Topshelf showcase. So we saw them – that’s really it. We weren’t in Austin yesterday, we played a show in San Antonio. 

How was that? Rushing out of here and rushing back like that?
It was a nice break. It was a really cool show – we actually got our first encore ever. We were pretty psyched on it. 

That’s awesome. So you guys have been out for two weeks now? 
Yeah we’ve been out for two weeks and we have three more. 

How’s it been going so far? How’s the turnout been? The reception?
It’s been good. We’ve been headlining a lot of the dates, which has been really fun. People seem to know the words. 
POZ: Are you switching off as headliners? How does that work? 
We’re all switching off as headliners. Headlining is something new to me that I like. Especially when people know the words and everyone’s having fun. 

So you guys and Allison [Weiss] and Pentimento are all very different sounding groups. How is that working in terms of the crowd coming out? Are you seeing people who know all three of you? Are there a lot that are just there for one?
It’s interesting because I thought our band was kind of in the middle between Allison Weiss and Pentimento…
POZ: That’s funny, that’s exactly what Allison said. 
There have been a lot of people there for us and Allison, and a lot of people there for us and Pentimento. But I feel like there aren’t a lot of people there just for Allison and Pentimento, because I feel like they are different genres. 

So the tour has three weeks left. How are you guys holding up? That’s a long haul.
We’re fine. I was really sick when we started. The day we started I got the flu. We had to cut some of our set short. We really should have cancelled, I was too sick to play. But we played it and people were really supportive and nice. And then I spent two days in a hotel room being unable to move because I was so sick. But then I started taking antibiotics to feel a little better, and now I feel fine. I haven’t lost my voice yet. I thought yesterday – we were, like, screaming a lot. The show was really loud. So we were screaming a lot and I thought I was going to lose it. Haven’t lost it yet. 

Read More

Senior Writer Jesse Richman had the chance to catch up with HRVRD at SXSW this past March for a fantastic interview. Jesse, Jason, Garrett, and Lee discussed SXSW, touring with letlive., their new album, working with producer Brian McTernan, future touring, and much more. Check it all out below!

Can I get your names and what you do in the band?
Jason: I’m Jason; I play guitar. 
Garrett: I’m Garret I play bass. 
Lee: Lee; I play guitar. 

So when did you guys get down here?
Jason: 4:30 AM. 
Garrett: Yep. 
Lee: Last night.
Jason: Last night, middle of the night. 

And you haven’t played yet, so are you looking forward to your first SXSW showcase of the year?
Garrett: Very much so. Starting out with the Equal Vision one, so that should be really awesome. 
Lee: Stoked about it. Running on no sleep and ready to go.
Jason: No sleep, no coffee…

How long are you guys in town for? 
Jason: A couple days.
Lee: Sunday. 

Got any bands you are going to try to check out while you are here?
Lee: A lot of them have played already that I know of. I’m going to try my best to find out. We won’t have any time today, but hopefully tomorrow. And after we play tomorrow, the day after, like Saturday, we’ll hopefully get to see some bands. We’ll see if we have a pass this year. 
Jason: We’re just so ridiculously busy. We have three showcases today and one tomorrow and we just did acoustic live video things. So we’re super busy. 

Does it feel good to be busy?
Garrett: Oh yeah. 
Jason: Definitely. 
Lee: I’d rather be busy than not busy. 

You guys just got off a tour with letlive. not too long ago. How did it go?
Garrett: It was amazing. The tour was amazing. Every band… They put together an amazing lineup for that tour. Everybody was super cool and everybody got along.
POZ: How were the crowds?
Lee: Good. 
Garrett: Really good, yeah.

Were the kids at the shows familiar with you? Or was it a lot of people seeing you for the first time, do you think?
Garrett: A little bit of both.
Lee: I think they were familiar with us, but I met a lot of kids that were like, “Oh. I’ve never heard of you before, but you definitely turned me into your music.” 
Jason: There were definitely kids singing our songs every night too, which is pretty cool. 

So letlive. have a particularly incredible live show.
Jason: Yeah, they do. 
POZ: Does it force you to step your game up a little bit? Knowing that you’re playing with them?
Jason: Probably in a different way than I think people would think. We don’t try to, like, match them physically or in their craziness, I don’t think.
Lee: Our show is intense in its own way, you know?
Jason: We try to be a little shocking. Every night, the first leg, This Is Hell would play before us, and on the second leg Night Verses would play before us. Both heavy bands. So we tried to start every set either with piano or something really light, just so that people would be like, “What the hell’s going on?”

Read More

Senior Writer Jesse Richman had the chance to catch up with I The Mighty at SXSW this past March for a fantastic interview. Jesse and Brent from the band discussed the writing, recording, and overall process for their new album, Equal Vision Records, moving past their last EP, and much more. Check it all out below!

Can I get your name and what you do in the band?
Brent Walsh; sing and play guitar. 

Was this your first set at SXSW, and the showcase today?
No. We played last year at the EVR [Equal Vision Records] Showcase. This year we had the Pantheon Showcase yesterday, and then at 1:00 am last night we had the Sony Showcase. And then we had this guy today. 

So that’s three in 24 hours.
Yeah!

How does that feel? 
Well we had like five shows in a row before that, too. So my voice is starting to get a little… a little torn up. I’ll just scream this whole set. [Laughs] The next few sets will probably be a little rough, but we’ll get through it.

That’s a good way to deal with it. Are you guys out on tour right now?
Yeah. We’re doing a little run with Hands Like Houses. Then we’re going to do a little self-booked run up to the east coast, hang out at EVR for a little bit, shoot a music video in North Carolina, and then we’re doing a US/Canada tour with Set It Off through EVR. And then hopefully a package with someone else at the end of that; to do a little mid-west run, so… if everything goes according to plan, we won’t be home for a couple of months. 

Does EVR feel like a family like that?
Oh, EVR is a family. It’s a giant family. They have a knack for signing not only good bands, but extremely nice, kind people. Every band we’ve ever met from this label has just been awesome. 

It seems like their roster has gotten very diverse as of late, in terms of the different kinds of sounds. 
Yeah. They’ve kind of branched out, I think. They’re starting to sign some lighter music too. 

Yeah, I was talking with Ed Tullett earlier, that’s very different from most of what they do. 
Yeah, I mean, they started doing that a little while ago. Like with Eisley, and Dear And The Headlights. 
POZ: I loved that band…
Yeah, me too. But yeah, I think they’ve branched out a bit. 

How do you feel like you fit in to all of it?
I feel like we sit right in the middle of everything they’re signing. We’re the middle ground between the heavy and the light side of EVR. 

Is Karma Never Sleeps the newest thing right now?
The newest thing that’s out. We recorded a full length with Erik Ron, the same guy that did KNS, he’s a great producer. That should be coming out… We don’t have a release date yet, we’re trying… We literally should have one in, like, the next week or so.
POZ: Do you have a guess of about when it would come out? 
I can say most likely June. I probably shouldn’t have said that. But yeah. Sometime in late spring or early summer. 
POZ: Is there a name?
Not in definite yet. There’s a probable name that I probably shouldn’t say. 

Well what can you tell me about what you’ve got down? Is it all mixed and mastered at this point?
We actually just got the masters back yesterday. I think we might have it remastered… Basically, it’s done. It’s 13 tracks. It’s kind of along the same lines as Karma Never Sleeps. I think we all stepped our game up a little bit. Everyone pushed themselves as hard as they possibly could. We wrote a bunch of stuff that’s extremely hard for us to sing and play, that we’re kind of learning now. Everyone pushed themselves really hard and everyone put everything they possibly had into this record. I think it shows when you listen to it.

Read More

We posted a PropertyOfZack Friday Discussion on The Best Album Openers last week, so we’re following it up this week with The Best Album Closers. Album closers have the ability to leave a truly emotional mark on the listener, and we’ve experienced quite a few memorable ones over the years in our scene. We put the closers together in an Rdio Playlist to listen to as you read the Discussion as well. Check out our list below and feel free to reblog with some of your favorite album closers!

Brand New - Play Crack the Sky
From the classic punk energy of Your Favorite Weapon to the dark intricacies of Daisy, the amount of things that Brand New have gotten right throughout their career is monumental. “Play Crack The Sky” is one of the few songs in the Brand New catalogue that showcase what each one of their masterpieces started out as poignant lyrics carried simply by a single guitar. If there is anything more impressive than their ever-present brazen musicality, it is the fact that even stripped down to bare bones, Brand New can evoke emotion like nobody else. - Alyssa McKinley

Death Cab For Cutie - A Lack Of Color
Death Cab For Cutie always has a way of making you feel both happy and sad at the same time with heartbreaking and heartwarming songs. “A Lack Of Color” is a tragically beautiful ending to close Translanticism, similar to the aftermath of a torrential downpour. It’s almost like the raindrops that slowly roll down the glass window on your wall as the sun fights to shine between the pockets of dark clouds. Moving at a serene tempo, Benjamin Gibbard perfectly sings every harmony with gentle conviction while the acoustic guitar repeatedly calls back to the piano chord. Ten years later and Translanticism is still considered one of the best Death Cab For Cutie albums of all time. “This is fact not fiction for the first time in years.” - Sydney Gore

Dashboard Confessional - Several Ways to Die Trying
A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar is Dashboard Confessional’s transitional album, the one that bridges the gap between Chris Carrabba’s deeply personal early work and the cinematic bombast of the band’s later LPs, and closing track “Several Ways to Die Trying” pinpoints the moment where that crossover happens. The six-minute epic swells seamlessly from ginger, cowering verses into a megalithic chorus  — one of the strongest in Dashboard’s songbook —with Carrabba’s meticulously planned delivery pushing the song over the top. His measured crumble in the refrain’s “dying to live” apex coheres into a laser blast at song’s end, searing its way from here to forever and soaring the ashes left behind to the heavens. - Jesse Richman

Thrice – The Beltsville Crucible
I used to believe that the closing track to Thrice’s brilliant sophomore release The Illusion of Safety should have been “To Awake and Avenge the Dead,” a fan-favorite anthem and perennial show closer.  Silly me. As any good storyteller knows, one does not end the story at the climax; a denouement is needed to resolve conflict and complete the story arc. Enter “The Beltsville Crucible.” Instead of ending the album with the lyric “to awake and avenge the dead,” Thrice was clever enough to end with, “and if you’re feeling all right, you’ve got to play it again.” The last two tracks of many lesser albums are just afterthoughts, but in this case, they’re just too damn good to be left out, and “The Beltsville Crucible” has the perfect intensity level to conclude this album and get the listener ready to let track one start all over again. - Marc Gary Gray

Fireworks - The Wild Bunch
“The Wild Bunch,” the final track on Fireworks’ 2011 album Gospel, is bold, unpredictable and wildly fun; splicing swirling finger-picked arpeggios, The-Who-via-Green-Day arena windmill riffs, double-time skate punk, gang vocals and love-your-friends-die-laughing lyrics into one of the most innovative punk songs in recent memory. Anyone who “grew up weird enough” to make a song like this grew up right. - Jesse Richman 

Read More

Senior Writer Jesse Richman had the chance to catch up with Pentimento at SXSW this past March. Jesse and the band discussed SXSW, Panic Records, new music, touring, and much more. Check it all out below!

First off, can I get your names and what you do in the band?
Mike: I’m Mike and I play the drums. 
Jeramiah: I’m Jeramiah; I play the guitar and sing. 
Lance: I’m Lance, I play the guitar. 
Vinny: I’m Vinny. I play the bass. 

So this was your second show at SXSW, right? How did last night’s go?
Mike: Yes, sir. Last night was a party. It was a little overwhelming because we had never done anything like this before; the closest we’ve come is like FEST which is…
POZ: Slightly different. 
Mike: A liiiittle bit different than FEST. 
Jeramiah: Loading in and parking and trying to drive into the city was much different than we expected it was going to be. 
Mike: Everywhere I looked it was like a circus exploded onto the city streets. It was very cool. It’s very different but a great vibe all around. We saw some incredible stuff happen right before our eyes last night. It made me feel like there was magic in the air. So it was really cool!
POZ: What did you see? 
Mike: Dude, oh my God! So there’s a guy rapping on top of a van. And down the street from him there’s this little two-piece blues-y type band. So instead of competing with one another to see who could be louder, they just started jamming together. The guitar player and the drummer just started playing with his pre-recorded beats. He was rapping; everybody was dancing in the street. It was one of the coolest things ever. We met some incredible people, I met the singer from Punchline; I’ve been a Punchline fan for a long time so that was cool. I don’t know man, but like I said the vibe in downtown Austin was incredible. 
Jeramiah: And we played the Weapons of Mass Creation Fest. All of the guys who run that are out of the Cleveland area. They were really great dudes with their heads in the right place. 
POZ: Who else was on that bill?
Jeramiah: This band called Northern Faces was actually on it. It was our first time seeing them, from Albany. They were awesome. And Laura Stevenson also headlined for the night. There was a bunch of great bands, can’t recall the names but it was all really good artists, for sure. 
Mike: And that’s the exciting thing about these showcases is that it’s like every single bill is so different and everybody just kills it. Not to put anybody down for what they do, musically, but I have not seen one band that I didn’t like. Whether it was at a showcase or just walking around and checking out what was going on. I just can’t believe the intense feeling that I get from walking around the block. I’ve seen like seven bands within my .5 mile walk that I just took. It’s crazy stuff.

Do you have a band that you’re planning on checking out while you’re here?
Jeramiah: We, unfortunately, tonight we have to go to San Antonio for a show there tomorrow and then we come back and do two shows on Saturday. So sure enough, it’s another festival that we cannot see anybody; we just have to play and drive in the van. But we’re sticking around the Top Shelf Showcase to watch all the bands tonight. 
Mike: We’ve been lucky enough to roll in early because of the parking situation to see some of the other really cool bands that have been on the showcase. Today especially. Every single band that played was incredible. And it was awesome to see Candy Hearts, who we’re on tour with right now, a little bit out of their element as well, get a great response. They sounded awesome tonight. That was cool too. 

How’s the tour been going so far?
Jeramiah: It’s fun. Allison Weiss and her band are awesome. I think that everyone that’s listening [reading] should listen to that band. 
POZ: She’s from Brooklyn. I’m from New York, so I’ve seen her a bunch of times. 
Jeramiah: The shows have been really cool. We’ve met a lot of great people and most importantly, watching the music every night has been really, really awesome. It’s been great so far. We’re in Texas and it’s snowing in Buffalo… 

Read More

*This review was composed by Jesse Richman and edited by Erik van Rheenen

Save rock and roll. 

A wink. A nod. A subtle roll of the eyes. Fall Out Boy has made a career out of self-deprecation, and on Save Rock And Roll, they pick up right where they left off four years ago. 

Not that Fall Out Boy has ever shied away from playing with pop modes, but Save Rock And Roll is the least rock-and-roll the band has ever sounded. The sturdily constructed opener “The Phoenix” is built atop a Shostakovich-sampled foundation that has underlain a number of other recent tracks from across the pop spectrum (Fall Out Boy use it most subtly and transformatively.) The bright lament “Alone Together” bites a melody from Iyaz’ earworm “Replay”; the opening verse of “Just One Yesterday” is a clear nod to Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep.” 

Fall Out Boy has dabbled in dance rhythms before, but Pete Wentz’ bass has never really sounded funky like it does on “Where Did The Party Go,” a disco-fied romp through a crash-and-burn relationship. (Fall Out Boy’s hiatus saw the end of Wentz’ high-profile marriage, and sharp fragments of the flaming wreckage seem to have worked their way into his lyrics throughout Save Rock And Roll.) On “Miss Missing You” they dabble in vintage synth-pop before sliding into a quintessentially FOB chorus. And the and the album’s best track, “Young Volcanoes,” combines Lumineers-style clap-and-stomp with a breezy acoustic riff that feels of-a-piece with Jason Mraz and Train; somehow, it doesn’t suck.

Save Rock And Roll isn’t rock and roll. Rather, it’s much more than rock and roll. It’s a rich and sprawling album. It’s rock as a katamari ball, a small core rolling up the constellations of pop in layers around it. To raise themselves like a phoenix, Fall Out Boy have changed themselves like a remix.

***

Save rock and roll. 

Read More

Senior Writer Jesse Richman had the chance to catch up with Chad Gilbert at SXSW for a talk on What’s Eating Gilbert. Jesse and Chad discussed full band shows, Violently Happy Records, a possible full-length, and more. Check it all out below!

So Chad, how are these first couple of shows as a band going?
They have been awesome, man. It’s really cool sort of starting over. I’ve released a bunch of EPs over the past three or four years, but I never really promoted it until these last couple of months. It’s really fun playing for people who have never seen or heard you. I’ve been used to playing shows where everyone knows the words and everything. So it’s cool; it’s refreshing seeing the faces of people when they’re like, “Oh, cool!” Because it’s different than what they were expecting. It’s cool. It’s really fun. I love it. I love playing music. Instead of being at home, relaxing on my couch, I’m in a van touring SXSW, you know? I love music. 

You did a few dates with Candy Hearts and Pentimento…
Not yet. El Paso in two days. And Allison Weiss too. I’m excited to play with all these people, you know? We’re all young, new bands that I think will all be really popular in the next couple years. 

I know you worked with Candy Hearts in the studio. How was that?
It was fun man. Mariel is an amazing songwriter. They’re a band that have barely toured, they haven’t toured as much as a lot of other bands. I believe in her songwriting skills and I believe in that band. 

You just started an imprint on Bridge 9, Violently Happy, with Candy Hearts being the first band signed to that. Was it that you wanted to start an imprint and thought they’d be great for it? Or was it, “I love Candy Hearts. I need to do something for them. I need to start an imprint”? 
It was inspired by them, in the sense that I heard them and I believed in them and I started bringing them to all these other labels and the labels were like, “Oh. They’re cool.” But the thing about it is, when you believe in a band from the beginning, you have to get them when they’re in their… when they’re not developed. In the sense that no big label is going to go see Candy Hearts at a small punk rock bar and see a future. Me being in a band that used to play those bars, can go there and be like, “Man. They have songs.” That’s what’s most important. She is cool. Her lyrics are cool. The bands cool. I saw that and other people didn’t get that. I was like, “You know, I would promote the hell out of this band more than anybody.” So I’m like, “Why don’t I just put it out.” Chris, who’s a friend of mine at Bridge 9, and we had worked together on that Tip Of The Iceberg, New Found Glory EP, that was a success. I was like, “Why don’t we just do this together?” 

Read More