It's our last week in Italy

So... it's our last week in Italy and we'd like to mention some of the bands we've discovered out of this great country. We'd also like to thank Vanilla Sky for letting us come shoot their concert in Rome; we had an absolute blast!

Most of these bands sing in English, but even if they don't, you should still check 'em out:

+Vanilla Sky - Rock/Pop/Punk
+The Beauty - Hardcore/Rock
+Broken Lineup - Pop/Punk
+Your Hero - Pop/Punk/Rock
+The Gaia Corporation - Hardcore/Scream0
+Scenario - Hardcore/Screamo
+The Ocean Project - Rock/Screamo
+Introversia - Alternative/Rock/Indie
+Finley - Pop/Punk

UH... and I can do it better

[yes, I'm aware I just quoted Avril Lavigne]

Anyways... the other day I was having a conversation about covers of Rihanna's "Umbrella." I decided to check out as many songs as I could and after finding a few versions, I ordered them from best to worst.

Check 'em out.

Hip/Hop:
1. Chris Brown - "Cinderella"
2. Jay Z

Rock
1. Vanilla Sky [still the best, even with Italian accents.]
2. All Time Low
3. McFly

Acoustic
1. Standard of Living [love the addition of the piano]
2. Plain White T's [good vocals]
3. Biffy Clyro
4. Mandy Moore [horrible.]

Battle of the Videos:
The first is Rihanna's, the second is Vanilla Sky's.
[I pick VS, post your choice in the comments section]

Calling all Sicily Fans...

Weekend Shuffle

Here's a shuffle for the weekend:

"My Beautiful Rescue" This Providence
"Ole" Bouncing Souls
"Mad Rabbits" Panic! At the Disco
"On & On" Vanilla Sky
"Boston" Augustana
"Last Straw" Jack's Mannequin
"Everything's Fine" The Red Hot Valentines
"Stop" Plain White T's
"Down On My Head" Yellowcard
"Soco Amaretto Lime" Brand New
"These Are the Days" The Exies
"7 Weeks" Gym Class Heroes

Music and Literature

photos from BarnesandNoble.com

I just wanted to mention two books worth checking out.

The first is Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo by Andy Greenwald.

Rolling Stone journalist, Andy Greenwald, set out to take a look at today's music scene, tracing the evolution of "emo." He examines it's predecessors of punk in the DC area, making note of bands from Sunny Day Real Estate to Jimmy Eat World. He also examines how music has become much more than sounds and words combined. Greenwald goes on to give insight from the artist's standpoint as he interviews Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional.

I read this book a few summers ago, and I definitely recommend it to anyone with an interest in punk/indie/emo music. I also highly recommend it for people who are sick of people stereotyping emo. [which stands for emotive-hardcore; the genre, not a crying kid in a corner, for the record]




My second recommendation is Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield.

This one isn't really about the history of rock, but one man's memoir of music. Sheffield shares with readers the story of how he found love, loss, and peace within a series of mix tapes from his life.

It's a little romantic, a little sad, but will definitely have you realizing the impact of a simple list of songs.




*If you've read these books and would like to share your opinion, email us at BarricadeBuzz.com! subject: 'music and literature'*

Vanilla Sky Photos

photos by Amy Willard (awphotographs@gmail.com // http://www.myspace.com/awphotographs)


Brian and the Crowd


Luca


Vinx


Cisco


Brian

to see even MORE photos, please visit our MYSPACE!

an EP to note

photo courtesy of http://www.myspace.com/9days

So today's post is about probably my favorite band of all time, Nine Days. If you're thinking "gee... that name sounds familiar... but--hm..."

Well, here's a reminder... this is the story of a girl, who cried a river and drowned the whole world...

Memory jogged? Good. That was from their 1999/2000 hit, "Absolutely [Story of a Girl]" from their popular release, Madding the Crowd.

Anyways, my friend Alex and I were obsessed with them when we were in school [so much so, in 7th grade we had to turn a song into a painting... you can only guess what I painted]... yeah, but then they pretty much fell off the face of the Earth...

Later it was disclosed that they had recorded a follow up album, So Happily Unsatisfied, but due to some "complications" they were never allowed to release it. [Lucky for you... many of the tracks have been leaked onto file sharing networks... but shhh.]

After that set back, the guys recorded a self produced album, Flying the Corporate Jet, but by then, I think everyone had forgotten about them. [Luckily for me, I snagged one of the few remaining copies from the band a few summers ago and it's an iTunes regular for me now]. Then the guys set off to pursue solo projects.

No one really knew what was going on with the band so I had messaged them via MySpace and there were talks of a reunion. During the summer of 2006 Nine Days finally started performing again. I was actually going to shoot for them in Sayville, but I had a conflict at the last moment. [Hopefully I'll make it up to them soon.]

Anyways, earlier this year they released a brand new EP, which I think it's worth checking out. It features some songs that lead singer and guitarist, John Hampson, had written during the band's hiatus.

The EP is titled "Slow Motion Life (Part One)" and is available online through SNOCAP.
The track listing includes:
"A Girl in California"
"Suddenly (A Brown Eyed Girl)"
"Worth Fighting For"
"Just as Through With You"
"New Shoes"
"Brand New Me" <--- my favorite song from the JohnHampson.com days I'm definitely encouraging everyone to check out their stuff on MySpace and their official website.

http://www.ninedaysmusic.com


oh... here's the video [*sigh, memories]
http://youtube.com/watch?v=WWF_DZx-qS0

[Sony wont let you embed. whatever.]

Calling all NYC guitarists

image courtesy of Myspace.com/blacksuityouth

Black Suit Youth, a New York based indie/rock/punk band is looking for a new guitarist.

Requirements:

+ Over 18
+ Have professional gear
+ Transportation
+ Be able to tour
+ Live in the area and commit to practice at least 2-3 times a week
+ Have good chops and work hard to promote
+ Touring experience and experience working with a producer in a real studio is a big plus.

If interested, please contact them via MySpace at: http://www.myspace.com/blacksuityouth

music music music

Alrighty... here's a playlist and some releases to carry you through the week. enjoy =)

Releasing Today:

Ashlee Simpson - Bittersweet World
Story of the Year - The Black Swan
Flogging Molly - Float
Goldfinger - Hello Destiny
Sonic Youth - J'Accuse Ted Hughes
Atreyu - Lead Snails Paper Anchor 2.0
A Fine Frenzy - One Cell in the Sea
The Devil Wears Prada - Plagues (bonus tracks)
Phantom Planet - Raise the Dead
Brandi Carlile - The Story


Playlist:

"Yeah Right" Nicole Frechette
"The Devil Beats His Wife" Emery
"On and On" Vanilla Sky
"This Heart of Mine" The Red Hot Valentines
"Check Yes Juliet" We The Kings
"Two Days Old" Crash CrashPubblica post
"Should've Known Better" Cinder Road
"Mercy" Duffy
"A Killing Cure" Foredoes Me Quite
"Secrets and Apologies" Aston
"Winter" Far From Distant

Rome gets a taste of Vanilla...Sky

vocals/guitarist Brian Autore rocks out at Rome's Alpheus club on April 18, 2008.
photo by Amy Willard

by Amy Willard

It's a Friday night and after getting lost for about twenty minutes, I arrived to a familiar scene, a quiet neighborhood, and a crowd of teenagers anxiously awaiting something--only I wasn't in DC, I was in Rome. [Yeah, Rome, Italy.]

So what were about a hundred kids, dawned in dark jeans, Converse, and studded belts waiting for? Well, from the outside you really wouldn't know. Standing at an unmarked building with a gate around the door wouldn't exactly explain much, but the sounds from inside was definitely an indicator that something was happening.

I was about to dip my toe into the Italian music scene at a club called Alpheus. After waiting about thirty minutes, and receiving puzzling looks from just about every face in line, I was finally let into the show.

I made my way to a small stage, situated in a room, probably about half of the size of the 9:30 Club. As I turned around to watch the door, dozens of kids began packing in at the front of the stage. It didn't take long for me to realize that this concert would take me back to shows in the US, as a swarm of boys starting pushing each other around creating an infamous mosh pit.

Luckily I was able to seek refuge between the barricade and stage. At around 22:00 [10:00 PM] the first act took the stage. I had no idea who was opening the evening, nor did the girl standing next to me, but we lent our ears.

The openers happened to be a local band called Scenario. They are a hardcore/screamo act with tons of energy. Normally I'm not into that genre, but I found my self bobbing along. Feel free to give them a listen at http://www.myspace.com/scenariomusic.

About an hour after the start, it was time for the headliner, Vanilla Sky (the band, not the movie). As an anxious crowd began to cheer, the four Roman based musicians took to the stage. Dawning a white Atticus T-shirt, lead singer, Brian Autore, took to the center microphone and announced "BUONA SERA!! SIAMO VANILLA SKY!!" [GOOD EVENING! WE ARE VANILLA SKY!]

The Roman quartet opened their set with "Nightmare," the third track off of their 2007 album, Changes. The face paced, pop-punk hit quickly got the crowd moving. A little mix up in the sound interrupted the opening, but the guys brushed it off and recovered quick.

Vanilla Sky played an array of songs from their album, as well as a few covers I never saw coming. One of which included Vanessa Carlton's "Thousand Miles,"-- which I have to say, sounds pretty good in a rock scenario.

Then guitarist, Vincenzo Mario Cristi, transitioned into a cover of Blink 182's "Small Things," as bassist, Francesco Sarsano, selected a girl and two guys to come up on stage, one of which could have been mistaken for drummer, Luca Alessandrelli's, long lost brother. After a few moments of hesitation, the guests quickly took to the mics to carry out the song.

Halfway through the show, the band exited the stage, leaving fans restless in the pit. Suddenly the cheers for Brian or Vinx turned to a chant.. "VA-NIL-LA! VA-NIL-LA!" As the crowd grew louder, Autore took to the stage for a solo performance of "Broken Car," from their 2004 record, Waiting for Something.

The band continued to play a great set, alternating between songs in English and Italian. I would tell you what they said between songs... but my Italian isn't that good. The set list also included their recent single, "Se Voui Andare," which has an English version entitled, "Goodbye."

Vanilla Sky wrapped up their hometown performance with their infamous cover of Rhianna's "Umbrella." When I first heard these guys had such a cover, I had my doubts. Hearing it live, however, I would pick their version any day.

Overall, the concert was energetic and enjoyable. In all honesty, I was afraid that they were going to be a CD only band--great in a studio, terrible on stage-- but hearing them live confirmed that they in fact have talent.

I had a chance to briefly chat with Cristi aka Vinx after the show. He thanked me for coming but felt the band did awful that night. Sorry man, but I'm going to have to disagree.

Vanilla Sky is continuing to tour through Europe with their album, Changes, so be sure to catch them live if you can! Also, if you're in the United State, head over to Eventful.com and DEMAND them for a city near you.

The complete set list: [grazie a Vinx]
Nightmare
Your Words
Cut Away
Se Vuoi Andare
Distance
On & On
A Thousand Miles/Small Things
XMas Girl
Gotta Believe
Letargo
Devastante
Break It Out
Broken Car
Unfriend
Umbrella
The Ghost Track


for more photos, please visit http://www.myspace.com/barricadebuzz

posted below is their latest music video for "Se Voui Andare"

Se Vuoi Andare

VA-NIL-LA! VA-NIL-LA! VA-NIL-LA!

photo by Amy Willard

Here's a taste... we're working on photos from last night's Vanilla Sky concert at Alpheus in Rome, Italy.

Oh, and we've been listening to their recent album, Changes, all day, so definitely check it out on iTunes or their MySpace or something.

E street band loses keyboardist

image from RollingStone.com

Danny Federici, the keyboardist in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band passed away yesterday at the age of 58. According to Springsteen's website, the cause of death was due to melanoma.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Federici family and friends.

Street teams… the grassroots movement of the music industry

photo by Amy Willard
Loyal fans brave the barricade at last year's Shamrock Fest in Washington DC.

by Amy Willard

Catch a show at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC on any given night, and you will probably find yourself exiting to a street filled with local teenagers and twenty-somethings handing out boxes of demos, stickers, and flyers.

Some of us look at them asking ourselves, “Why are these crazy kids pestering me after a show?” Or , “I don’t even like this kind of music, stop trying to sell it to me,” and what most of us end up doing is taking the slips of paper and tossing them away soon after.

What you may not realize is that those people passing out stickers and flyers are fans like yourself. They are not there to be a nuisance; they are just trying to introduce people to new artists. In this effort they have become a vital part of the grassroots movement in the music industry. They are street teamers.

Street teams are a popular means of promoting music these days. Yes, we have MTV and the radio, but groups of committed fans really bring a personal touch to music promotion because most of these organizations are self established—ya know, “the official, unofficial.”

Search around MySpace.com for a few moments and you are bound to stumble across them. There are pages upon pages dedicated to promoting bands, and they all come from a group of diverse individuals that entitle themselves as “loyal fans.” They make their own icons, Photoshop their own banners, and probably send out a couple hundred random friend requests a day, all in hopes that someone will like and listen to the band that they love.

Not all street teams are as underground as the self declared MySpace pages. Some bands put together their own teams, and reward dedicated fans. Yellowcard, a popular band from California, has its organization known as the “Underdogs.” Fans sign up for the site, create user names, and submit documentation of promotion. Users then accumulate points to which they can trade in for CDs, downloads, and sometimes even gain access to shows.

Other bands, like Caroline/EMI Record’s Cinder Road generated a street team with loyal fans in a combined effort. As lead vocalist, Mike Ruocco, tells me, “having a street team and being active [with them] is essential for success in the music business today.”

Like Yellowcard, Cinder Road also awards fans for their dedication to the street team. “We run a bunch of different contests where the prizes are hanging out with the band, an acoustic show, prize packages—stuff like that, anything to keep the people involved,” explains Ruocco.

Although some teams are not directly affiliated with artists, the efforts are still important. It seems as though in the music industry the expression, “every bit counts,” holds true.

“The street team is the driving force behind all radio and street promotion, which up and coming bands cannot go without,” concludes Ruocco.

So the next time you are at a show and you happen to see a crowd of street teamers, read their flyers and take a moment to check out the band they love so much that they are willing to stand in the rain and cold for—you might just be surprised by what you hear.

Idol hopeful looks for a comeback

avatar courtesy of http://www.myspace.com/aceyoung

American Idol hopeful Ace Young has released his first single since being voted off the talent contest's 5th season. Titled, "Addicted," this catchy pop track is available on Amazon and iTunes, and is currently streaming on his MySpace.

Young will be featured on CNN Headline News tomorrow. Check your local listings.

Some hometown acts

So I grew up on the shoreline of Connecticut, attending a high school with the best show choir in the state... I guess it's no wonder that we have some pretty talented artists coming from my neck of the woods.


photo by Tony Spinelli

The first artist I'd like to mention is my best friend's older sister, Nicole Frechette. This former high school cheerleader, and college graduate, has spent the last few years recording a pop country album, while performing all over Connecticut. She's also working on doing a fundraiser for St. Jude's. For more information and to check out her some of her songs, visit http://www.nicolefrechette.com and http://www.myspace.com/nicolefrechette.


photo courtesy of http://www.myspace.com/andrewdoonan

Another artist of note is Andrew Doonan. He's an acoustic rock musician from my high school with great sound. With influences like Dave Matthews, and Matt Nathanson, Doonan released his debut album, In the Last Light, which is available on iTunes. You can catch four of his tracks on his MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/andrewdoonan.













Tracks to Note: "Yeah Right" by Nicole Frechette and "She Could Be Okay" by Andrew Doonan

A night for country

Last night, Nashivlle, Tennessee hosted the CMT Music Awards. Airing on the CMT channel, the winners included American Idol finalist, Kellie Pickler, Taylor Swift, and Trace Adkins.

The show was hosted by Billy Ray Cyrus and his daughter Miley. The opening act was Keith Urban and his performance of "Raise the Barn," featuring Brooks & Dunn.

Pickler who was not in attendance walked away with wins in all three of her nominations, including breakthrough video for "I wonder." Swift took home the evening's top honor, winning video of the year for "Our Song," and top female vocalist.

Other wins included Adkins for top male honors with "I Got My Game On," Alison Krauss and Robert Plant for their video for "Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Move On)," and Bon Jovi with LeAnn Rimes for "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore."

For a complete list of the winners, head over to http://www.cmt.com

a Beatles experience

So... sorry for the lack of postings, everyone has been on vacation in southern Italy (gorgeous, by the way).

Alright, so before we left on our trip, we rented Across the Universe from iTunes (another great feature of the world). Now I'm not too familiar with The Beatles, aside from ya know my mom's teenage obsession with Paul... and my brother's dogs are Abbey Road and Penny Lane... but I can't really say "I listen to The Beatles."

Well, for me personally, watching Across the Universe was a great introduction. I really thought it was a great interpretation of the songs via the US in the 60's. Alright... some may think it's cheesy to have a guy named Jude for "Hey Jude," and Lucy for "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," but I still thought it was well done. Yes, the film gets quite trippy at some points, leaving you to wonder what exactly director, Julie Taymor, was smoking at the time... but all in all it was enjoyable.

I thought Jim Sturgess was fantastic as Jude. And the music covers were great. In fact, I haven't stopped listening to the soundtrack since I saw the film.

If you're into musical films... drugs... the 60's... or even Bono... you should definitely check out Across the Universe and definitely pick up the soundtrack.

And yes, I apologize to all die hard Beatles fans out there who were outraged by the film... sometimes you just have to try something new.

STP is back!

That's... STP as in Stone Temple Pilots. The band has announced they are reuniting after eight years, and will be launching a national tour come May.

The fan club pre-sale starts tomorrow. Check http://www.stonetemplepilots.com for details.

May 17, 2008 Columbus, OH
May 18, 2008 Camden, NJ
May 20, 2008 Cleveland, OH
May 22, 2008 Chicago, IL
May 23, 2008 Indianapolis, IN
May 26, 2008 Uncasville, CT
May 31, 2008 Holmdel, NJ
June 01, 2008 Mansfield, MA
June 03, 2008 Detroit, MI
June 06, 2008 St. Paul, MN
June 07, 2008 Kansas City, MO
June 08, 2008 St. Louis, MO
June 11, 2008 Salt Lake City, UT
June 12, 2008 Las Vegas, NV
June 14, 2008 Las Vegas, NV
June 21, 2008 Calgary, AB
June 24, 2008 Los Angeles, CA
June 25, 2008 Tucson, AZ
June 27, 2008 San Antonio, TX
June 28, 2008 Woodlands, TX
June 29, 2008 Grand Prairie, TX
July 02, 2008 Denver, CO
July 04, 2008 Milwaukee, WI
July 10, 2008 Quebec City, QC
July 12, 2008 Toronto, ON
July 15, 2008 Cananduigua, NY
July 18, 2008 Mt. Pleasant, MI
July 19, 2008 Cadott, WI
July 25, 2008 Berkeley, CA
July 26, 2008 Paso Robles, CA
July 27, 2008 San Diego, CA
August 08, 2008 Bethlehem, PA
August 09, 2008 Atlantic City, NJ
August 10, 2008 Pimlico, MD
August 17, 2008 Charlotte, NC
August 19, 2008 Orlando, FL
August 20, 2008 Hollywood, FL
August 22, 2008 Tampa, FL
August 23, 2008 Alpharetta, GA
August 30, 2008 Vancouver, BC
August 31, 2008 Seattle, WA


full details at http://www.stonetemplepilot

Talk about "Hanging Tough"

image from http://www.z100.com

Z100 has announced their line up for this year's Zootopia concert event to be held May 17th at the IZOD Center.

The schedule includes Miley Cyrus [Hannah Montana], The Jonas Brothers, Simple Plan, Sara Barelles, Gavin DeGraw, Ferras, OneRepublic, Jordin Sparks... and the biggest surprise.. NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, after leaving the stage fourteen years ago, the men of NKOTB are still hanging tough. Donnie, Jordan, Jon, Danny, and Joey will reunite on stage this summer.

I'm quite curious to see what they've got. So don't miss z100's Zootopia May 17th!

As always, for more information on this event visit z100.com

Do you "Digg" us?!

Hey everyone!
We've been added to Digg.com so if you like us, please hit us up with a 'digg' here!

http://digg.com/music/Barricade_Buzz

2008 Lollapalooza lineup announced!

Ladies and gents, here is the line up for this year's Lollapalooza

Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Kanye West, Wilco, The Raconteurs, Love and Rockets, Gnarls Barkley, Bloc Party, The Black Keys, Broken Social Scene, Flogging Molly, Mark Ronson, Cat Power, Lupe Fiasco, The National, G. Love & Special Sauce. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Explosions in the Sky, Brand New, Gogol Bordello , Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, Dierks Bentley, Okkervil River, Amadou & Mariam, Blues Traveler, John Butler Trio, Girl Talk, CSS, Battles, Jamie Lidell, Butch Walker, Mates of State, Spank Rock, Brazilian Girls, Chromeo, Duffy, The Kills, Rogue Wave, The Go! Team, Mason Jennings, The Gutter Twins, Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear, MGMT, The Weakerthans, Booka Shade, Santogold, Black Kids, Black Lips, Louis XIV, Dr. Dog, Nicole Atkins & the Sea, The Ting Tings, Kid Sister, Office, The Cool Kids, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Does It Offend You Yeah?, The Whigs, Manchester Orchestra, Foals, Uffie, The Octopus Project, Cadence Weapon, Ferras, De Novo Dahl, Noah and the Whale, Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, K'NAAN, Serena Ryder, Newton Faulkner, Your Vegas, "Eli ""Paperboy"" Reed & The True Loves", Steel Train, Bang Camaro, The Blakes, Tally Hall, White Lies, Magic Wands, Electric Touch, Innerpartysystem, The Postelles, The Parlor Mob, Bald Eagle, Krista, Ha Ha Tonka, Witchcraft, We Go To 11, Sofia Talvik


for more information on these artists and the event itself, please visit Lollapalooza.com

Lollapalooza 2008

image courtesy of http://www.brooklynvegan.com

The headliner's for this year's Lollapalooza will be: Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Magine, the Raconteurs, Wilco, and Kayne West.

The full line up is expected to be released later today.

This year's event will take place August 1-3 at Grant Park in Chicago.

For more information, visit http://www.lollapalooza.com

Releasing Tomorrow!

Here are a few CD releases coming to the US tomorrow:

+ The Breeders - Mountain Battles
+ Drive By - A Delicate Situation
+ P.O.D. - When Angels and Serpents Dance
+ Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Pershing

next week...

+ Everclear - The Vegas Years
+ Kooks - Konk
+ Phantom Planet - Raise the Dead
+ Thrice - The Alchemy Index Vol. III & IV: Air & Earth



happy Monday!

-Amy

a playlist

So here's my first post as a contributing writer... One thing I like to do is make playlists that have an underlying meaning... you can figure out what this is trying to say.

(to be played in order)

"A Clear Shower Curtain"

1. "5:19" by Matt Wertz
2. "Angel" by Matt Nathanson
3. "Counting to 100" by Matt Wertz
4. "Mesmerized" by Lifehouse
5. "Trust Me" by The Fray
6. "Flake" by Jack Johnson
7. "My Favorite Accident" by Motion City Soundtrack
8. "I'm Waiting" by All American Rejects
9. "Come On Get Higher" by Matt Nathanson
10. "What About Now" by Daughtry
11. "Easier to Be" by Lifehouse
12. "Falling Apart" by Matt Nathanson
13. "Whatever It Takes" by Lifehouse



If you're wondering if the mix was successful... if I had received a mix back... it probably would have had "Too Little Too Late" by JoJo as the premiere track.

oh well. Maybe it'll work for someone else.

+A

14 year anniversary

photo courtesy of http://www.guitarscanada.com

Today we mourn the 14th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death. The world of music lost a legend as the lead singer of Nirvana tragically took his own life on April 5, 1994.

We ask you to remember his talents, and his legacy.

"Punk is musical freedom" -Kurt Cobain

Are we the super heroes for folding indie magazines?

photo courtesy of amazon.com

Perhaps BarricadeBuzz.com is the solution to problem mentioned in an article posted to WashingtonPost.com this morning. The headline reading: "Record labels hit by the demise of music magazines."

The article discusses the loss of three music magazines since the start of 2008 (Harp, No Depression, and Resonance), and the effects they have on the music industry today.
Some of the remarks made were that labels will no longer have print sources featuring "lengthy" reviews of their CDs, and that some labels were withdrawing from print advertising because it is more affordable to advertise online.

One area of this article that really struck us was the notion that print magazine were starting to cut CD reviews and were not really taking notice to triple A and alt-country artists. This is exactly what we at BarricadeBuzz.com want to revive.

We want to deliver as many reviews as our minimal staff can. We want readers to know what they're getting for a $20 CD or a $50 concert ticket. We want to get the word out on music... of all types. Barricade Buzz wants people to notice the self recording artists out there.

Our editor in chief, and photographer, Amy Willard explains, "I started Barricade Buzz because there are two things I love, music and photography. About six years ago I found a random music section on a website that had five artists listed that simply said "listen to them," one of the names was Plain White T's. I checked out their website [very minimal in 2002] and downloaded their stuff off of PureVolume.com.

I then made it a personal mission to get these guys noticed. I spent nearly a year trying to find a copy of their CD in a store-- I somehow stumbled across a beat up case on vacation at Disney World of all places. Then I started wearing their t-shirt I convinced my mom to get me for my 16th birthday (she refused to get me the Newspaper style hoodie--which I still never got). I kept trying to get the word out. I got a few of my friends hooked on them as well, but it wasn’t anything substantial. Then I joined my high school’s newspaper and wrote my first CD review on them. I thought that would help and maybe it did, I have no idea. Then they released a second album, All That We Needed, and bought the matching watch, and wrote another review, thinking it would help. But nope, they still weren’t on radio and they still weren’t on MTV.

I remember calling local radio stations to request any sort of song of theirs and the response being “Plain White—what?” It wasn’t until the beginning of my senior year that “Hey There Delilah” even made air play. I remember seeing the video online and thinking it was the coolest thing I had seen in a long time, yet people still didn’t notice it. Then I got another Plain White T’s t-shirt for my 18^th birthday, and still nothing.

Then the T’s released an EP featuring “Hey There Delilah” and suddenly it was this magical hit. I remember leaving high school and seeing a random freshman wearing at shirt with “Hey There Delilah” scribbled along the side—I’m pretty sure I said to myself that day “finally.”

Ever since that then, they’ve been contenders in the Billboard Charts, and features on MTV, and I couldn’t be more proud. I think the funniest part of this all is that I’ve spent six years trying to get them noticed, and I saw them in concert for the very first time last summer.

For me, it was personal accomplishment to see them “hit it big.” This is all that I ever wanted for them, and I’m glad I could be a small contributor. This is what I want to continue to do for other bands making their start. I mean, if some fifteen year old checks our site, sees a virtual unknown on our playlists that they end up loving want to promote until they hit MTV, then we will have accomplished our goal.”

We just want to get the music out there, and it is unfortunate that print magazine are either folding up or not willing to cover the unknowns. We want to change this. We want bands to be noticed, and we'll continue to post reviews, playlists, videos and photos, until that happens.

New video from The Exies

photos courtesy of http://www.myspace.com/theexies


Check out The Exies's video for "These Are the Days," off of their 2007 album, A Modern Way of Living With the Truth, which hit MTV's TRL this week.

Watch below, and don't forget to vote!

These Are the Days

Weekend Playlist

It's Friday... time for a playlist shuffle

+ "See You Around" by Runner Runner

+ "Your Love" by Midtown

+ "Bang On" by The Breeders

+ "She Could Be Okay" by Andrew Doonan

+ "Firearm Waltz" by Televandals

+ "Get In Get Gout" by Cinder Road

+ "These Are The Days" by The Exies

+ "Turn On Me" by The Shins

FOB releases new CD/DVD

image from http://www.islandrecords.com

Fall Out Boy has released their CD/DVD combo titled Live in Pheonix to the US and will be available internationally April 14.

The track listing is as follows:
1. Thriller
2. Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is Your Boy Tonight
3. Sugar, We're Going Down
4. Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued

5. Hum Hallelujah
6. Tell That Mick He Just Made My List Of Things To Do Today

7. I'm Like A Lawyer, The Way I'm Always Trying To Get You Off (Me & You)
8. A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me"

9.Beat It featuring John Mayer

10. Golden

11. This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race

12. Thnks Fr Th Mmrs

13."The Take Over, The Breaks Over"

14.Dance, Dance

15. Saturday

this release is available on IslandRecords.com

Virgin Mobile Festival announces headliners for 2008

photo courtesy of http://www.myspace.com/virginmobilefestival

The Virgin Mobile Festival will be held August 9th and 10th of this year at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.

Headliners for this year's event include: Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails, and Stone Temple Pilots.

For more information please visit http://www.virginmobilefestival.com

*THE* Bamboozle is coming!

photo courtesy of http://www.thebamboozle.com

It's that time of year again, one of New Jersey's biggest music events is coming!
The Bamboozle will kick off the Summer months this year on Saturday May 3rd and Sunday May 4th. Here's the full line up:

Saturday - May 3rd
Snoop Dogg, Jimmy Eat World, Paramore, A Day to Remember, A Rocket to the Moon, AIDEN, Alesana, Armor for Sleep, Bless the Fall, Breathe Carolina, Chiodos, Cute Is What We Aim For, Dance Gavin Dance, Dear and the Headlights, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Emery, Endeverafter, Every, Avenue, Family Force 5, Farewell, Fiction Plane, From First to Last, Hit the Lights, Holiday Parade, I Set My Friends on Fire, Jacks Mannequin, Jeffree Star, Josephine Collective, Kenotia, Kill Hannah, Krista, Less Than Jake, Lydia, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Men Women and Children, Metro Station, Mindless Self Indulgence, Mychildren Mybride, MxPx, Pepper, Phil Bensen, Playradioplay, Saves the Day, Secondhand Serenade, Set Your Goals, Single File, Sky Eats Airplane, Streetlight Manifesto, The Audition, The Birthday Massacre, The Bravery, The Chariot, The Devil Wears Prada, The Maine, The Morning Of, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, The Rocket Summer, Tokio Hotel, Treaty of Paris, Valencia, Vinnie Caruana, A Set of the Movielife, Zox

Sunday - May 4th

Panic! At the Diso, Coheed and Cambria, Gym Class Heroes, Bret Michaels, 30H!3, All Time Low, Anti-Flag, Article A, As Tall As Lions, Automatic Loveletter, Between the Trees, Charlotte Sometimes, Circa Survive, Cobra Starship, Danger Radio, David Costa, Elmo's Big Bang, Envy on the Coast, Every Time I Die, Finch, Forever the Sickest Kids, Four Year Strong, Foxy Shazam, Greeley Estates, Hip Hop Karaoke, I Am the Avalanche, I Was a Cub Scout, Just Surrender, MayDay Parade, Motion City Soundtrack, My American Heart, OneRepublic, Paper Rival, Phantom Planet, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Senses Fail, Street Dogs, The Academy Is..., The Attack, The Banner, The Blackout!, The Bouncing Souls, The Cab, The Color Fred, The Dear Hunger, The Fall of Troy, The Hush Sound, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Morning Light, The Receiving End of Sirens, The Starting Line, The White Tie Affair, Thrice, Tyga, We the Kings, You Me and Everyone We Know

[wow... that was marathon in it of itself to type out...]

New Cover...

Here's a John Nathaniel cover of Colbie Caillat's "Realize."

[gotta love YouTube.]

watch.rate.comment.

New Jonathan Clay video out!

Jonathan Clay has just released his latest video for "This One's For Me." Check it out below and please VOTE for it on MTVU.com!

Stones hit silver screen

On Friday April 4, movie theaters and IMAXs across the United States will have access to a never before seen side of rock 'n' roll's greatest, thanks to director, Martin Scorsese.

"Shine a Light" is a concert documentary of The Rolling Stones. The film was shot at the famous Beacon Theater in New York City in the Fall of 2006. Armed with a team of world renowned cinematographers and directors of photography, Scorsese set out to capture the energy and spirit of the legends of rock and roll.

For showtimes and a full trailer of the film, please visit the official website: http://www.shinealightmovie.com






banner courtesy of Shinealightmove.com