Driven Far Off

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Archives for 2010

Motion City Soundtrack – My Dinosaur Life

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Artist: Motion City Soundtrack
Album: My Dinosaur Life
Label: Columbia Records
Purchase: iTunes
Release Date: January 19th, 2010

Overall: 9.0
Music: 8.5
Lyrics: 9.0
Production: 9.0

Nine times out of ten when your favorite band signs to a major record label, all that transpires after is normally negative. The constant spree of “they were so much better” and “look at how they changed their sound” runs rampant amongst all the popular music blogs. Very little do we see a band return to form after they’ve signed such a deal, but as unorthodox as it is, such is the case with Motion City Soundtrack latest release My Dinosaur Life.

While their last album left people a little bittersweet, My Dinosaur Life provides a taste of why people fell in love with this band. Some songs rock hard like only Motion City Soundtrack know how to do (“Disappear”, “Worker Bee”) While others show off the band’s pop charms. In particular, “Her Words Destroyed My Planet” and “Stand Too Close” are both cute and catchy with their execution.

The one thing that Motion City Soundtrack has always been known for is their quirky lyrics. Being able to talk about just anything, never taking themselves too seriously with what they mention. This album isn’t any different in that regard, the obscure inspector gadget reference in “Pulp Fiction” and the anti-social panic of “Delirium” allows the music to match the tone of the song precisely.

Motion City Soundtrack have allowed themselves to experiment with past efforts, and this one is no different. It’s not like they have basically re-released their first album under a different name, but rather taken everything they’ve discovered from three records into one hybrid. The album is a jump into a whole new world for the band, because from here they can go all the way to the top. So whether or not you enjoy the vintage sounds of “@!#?@!” or the soft harmonies of “Skin and Bones.” Everything is original, everything is pristine, everything is (more than just) alright.

30 Seconds To Mars Announce U.S. Tour Dates

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Thirty Seconds to Mars has announced U.S. dates of their Into The Wild world tour starting April 9th at the Pearl Theater in Las Vegas, NV through May 13th at the Fox Theater in Oakland, CA (full schedule below).  The Into The Wild tour is the band’s first tour in 3 years and is in support of their new album, This Is War.

Mute Math and Neon Trees will open the U.S. leg of Into The Wild. New York and Chicago pre-sale starts Saturday February 27th.  Traditional on sale through Ticketmaster begin February 26th in select markets (complete on sale schedule below).

* Indicates Radio Show

Date                City                                         Venue
4/9                   Las Vegas, NV                      The Pearl Theatre
4/10                Mesa, AZ                               Mesa Amphitheatre
4/11                Tucson, AZ                             Pima County Fair
4/13                Tulsa, OK                               Brady Theatre
4/15                Milwaukee, WI                       Eagles Ballroom
4/16                Chicago, IL                            Aragon Ballroom
4/17                Detroit, MI                              The Fillmore
4/18                Toronto, ON                           The Sound Academy
4/20                Boston, MA                            House of Blues
4/21                NYC, NY                                 Roseland
4/23                Washington DC                     TBA
4/24                Philadelphia, PA                   Electric Factory
4/25                Charlotte, NC                         Uptown Amphitheatre
4/27                Miami, FL                               The Fillmore
4/28                Orlando, FL                            House of Blues
4/29                Atlanta, GA                            Tabernacle
*5/1                 Frisco, TX                              Pizza Hut Park
5/4                   St. Louis, MO                         The Pageant
5/6                   Omaha, NE                            Sokol Auditorium
5/7                   Denver, CO                            Fillmore Auditorium
5/8                   Salt Lake City, UT                 The Rail Event Center
5/10                Seattle, WA                           Showbox SODO
5/11                Portland, OR                          Roseland Theatre
5/13                Oakland, CA                          Fox Theater
5/14                Santa Barbara, CA               Santa Barbara Bowl
5/15                Los Angeles, CA                   Greek Theater

The Fall Of Troy Call It Quits

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The Fall Of Troy have broken up. A message from Thomas Erak can be seen below.

Dearest friends from all corners of the world,

I write to inform you that after nearly 9 years, 5 full-lengths, 2 bass players, hundreds of shows, and numerous other achievements and follies, Andrew, Frank, and I have decided to end our career as The Fall of Troy.

This band has been my life, my love, the air I breathe, the food I eat, and what helps me sleep (and sometimes keeps me up) at night.  I love and cherish the music we’ve made, the times we’ve had, and all the great friends we’ve met along the way.  Andrew, Frank, and of course Tim, will always and forever have a special place in my heart.  But it has come time for us to call it a day.  After everything’s said and done, there is no drama, there is no blow out, it’s simply the three members of this band are on three different paths in our lives.

I always hold true to the fact that it’s better to go out in style, to ride off into the sunset, than go down in flames.  This tour coming up with Envy On The Coast and Twin Atlantic will be our last go round, and we really hope that all of you will come out and celebrate what has been so unreal and unbelievable ““ let’s dance one last time!

We would really like to thank everyone that’s ever been involved with the band, managed the band, booked a show for us, let us eat your canned food, sleep on your floor, asked us for a picture, caught me when I’ve almost been dropped, put out a record for us, driven us through a late night drive thru, or anything else any of you could possibly look back on and enjoy what this band was…Fun.

So make sure you come out to “The Marked-Men of 2010 Tour” as it will be our last hurrah! We love you, and will be giving as much love as you’ve given to us at these shows. So that’s that! We love you with all our hearts, thank you from the very bottom of them, and goodbye comrades.

R.I.P.
TFOT
2002-2010

With A Heavy Heart,
Thomas Joseph Erak

PS. I have no intention to stop making music! Quite the opposite actually – but until then see you at the shows!

The 2010 Bamboozle Roadshow To Feature All Time Low, Boys Like Girls and More

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The 2010 Bamboozle Roadshow will hit the road for their 3rd nationwide tour this Summer kicking off May 21 in Columbia, MD.  The tour features headliners Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, Third Eye Blind, & LMFAO, along with a stacked billed of support and is set to hit 26 major U.S. cities.

The Bamboozle Roadshow will be an all-day event with 2 stages of talent, a main stage with rotating artists All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, LMFAO, Third Eye Blind, Good Charlotte, Hanson, Forever The Sickest Kids, Hellogoodbye, and Cartel. A second stage will showcase the talents of many up and coming bands.

Pre-sale will begin at 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday, March 2, and run though 10 p.m. on Friday March 5, with Public on-sale beginning Saturday March 6 @ 10 a.m. Local Time. Pre-sale tickets are available here.

Tour Dates

May 21 ““ Columbia, MD ““ Merriweather Post Pavilion
May 22 ““ Charlotte, NC ““ Uptown Amphitheatre @ The Music Factory
May 23 ““ Atlanta, GA ““ Six Flags Over Georgia
May 25 ““ West Palm Beach, FL ““ Cruzan Amphitheatre
May 26 ““ Tampa, FL ““ Ford Amphitheatre
May 28 ““ Houston, TX ““ Verizon Wireless Theatre (No 2nd Stage)
May 29 ““ San Antonio, TX ““ Six Flags Fiesta Texas
May 30 ““ Arlington, TX ““ Six Flags Over Texas
June 2 ““ Phoenix, AZ ““ Cricket Amphitheatre
June 5 ““ Concord, CA – Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord
June 6 ““ Chula Vista, CA ““ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre ““ Parking Lot
June 10 ““ Minneapolis, MN – Cabooze Plaza
June 11 ““ Milwaukee, WI – Eagles Ballroom
June 12 ““ Chicago, IL- Soldier Field – Parking Lot
June 13 ““ Eureka, MO ““ Six Flags St. Louis
June 15 ““ Clarkston, MI ““ DTE Energy Music Theatre
June 18 ““ Cleveland, OH ““ Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre @ Tower City
June 19 ““ Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavilion @ Riverbend Music Center
June 20 ““ Philadelphia, PA ““ Festival Pier @ Penn’s Landing
June 23 ““ Pittsburgh, PA ““ Amphitheatre @ Station Square
June 24 ““ Jackson, NJ ““ Six Flags Great Adventure
June 25 ““ Hershey, PA ““ Hershey Park Pavilion & Stadium
June 26 ““ Nassau, NY ““ Nassau Coliseum – Parking Lot
June 27 ““ Boston, MA – Comcast Center

(All dates may not feature all artists, please check local listings)

More dates will be added, so stay tuned!!

Rookie Of The Year/Eye Alaska Tour Dates

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Rookie Of The Year, Eye Alaska and and Disco Curtis will be touring together in April.

Dates:

4/8 6:30 PM: Oz Cafe- Wichita, KS (Adv $8.00/ DOS $10.00)
4/9 6:30 PM: Jackpot Music Hall- Lawrence, KS (Adv $10.00/ DOS $12.00)
4/10 6:00PM: Station 4- St. Paul, MN (Adv $10.00/ DOS $12.00)
4/11 6:30 PM: The New Loft- Madison, WI ($10.00)
4/12 6:00 PM: The Lighthouse- Frankfort, IL (Adv $10.00/ DOS $12.00)
4/13 6:30 PM: The MixTape- Grand Rapids, MI (Adv $10.00/ DOS $12.00)
4/14 6:30 PM: Pike Room @ The Crofoot- Pontiac, MI (Adv $13.00/ DOS $15.00)
4/15 6:00 PM: Smiling Moose- Pittsburgh, PA (Adv $10.00/ DOS $12.00)
4/16 6:30 PM: Hangar 84- Vineland, NJ ($10.00)
4/17 6:30 PM: Skate High- Virginia Beach, VA (Adv $10.00/ DOS $12.00)
4/18 5:30 PM: The Harmony Grange Hall- Wilmington, DE (Adv $8.00/ DOS $10.00)
4/19 6:30 PM: Adona Music- Harrisonburg, VA (Adv $8.00/ DOS $10.00)
4/20 6:00 PM: The Eldolyn Terrace- Altoona, PA ($8.00)
4/22 6:00 PM: Rocko’s- Manchester, NH (Adv $10.00/ DOS $12.00)
4/23 6:20 PM: Championship- Lemoyne, PA (Adv $10.00/ DOS $12.00)
4/24 7:00 PM: Webster Theatre Underground- Hartford, CT (Adv $10.00/ DOS $12.00)
4/25 6:30 PM: Polaris- Philadelphia, PA (Adv $10.00/ DOS $12.00)
4/27 6:30 PM: The Quarter- Baltimore, MD (Adv $10.00/ DOS $12.00)
4/29 6:00 PM: Eleanor Rigby’s- Jermyn, PA (Adv $10.00/ DOS $12.00)

Punk Goes Classic Rock Set For April Release

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Punk Goes Classic Rock, the 9th release in the “Punk Goes” compilations series is set for release on April 27th, 2010. The complication will feature a selection of the best up-and-coming alternative rock bands doing their own cover versions of classic tracks by such bands as Journey, Queen, KISS, Def Leppard, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Blue Oyster Cult. Check out the track listing and album art below.

Track Listing

1. Hit The Lights “More Than A Feeling” (originally recorded by Boston)
2. VersaEmerge “Paint It Black” (originally recorded by The Rolling Stones)
3. The Almost “Free Fallin'” (originally recorded by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)
4. Mayday Parade “We Are The Champions” (originally recorded by Queen)
5. The Summer Set “Rock ‘n Roll All Nite” (originally recorded by KISS)
6. We The Kings “Caught Up In You” (originally recorded by .38 Special)
7. A Skylit Drive “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” (originally recorded by Journey)
8. I See Stars “Your Love” (originally recorded by The Outfield)
9. Pierce The Veil “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” (originally recorded by Blue Oyster Cult)
10. Forever The Sickest Kids “Crazy Train” (originally recorded by Ozzy Osbourne)
11. The Maine “Pour Some Sugar On Me” (originally recorded by Def Leppard)
12. Envy On The Coast “All Along The Watchtower” (originally recorded by Bob Dylan)
13. Every Avenue “Take Me Home Tonight” (originally recorded by Eddie Money)
14. Never Shout Never “Bohemian Rhapsody” (originally recorded by Queen)
15. blessthefall “Dream On” (originally recorded by Aerosmith)