So. Finals are done. School is out. I'm free to blog, blog, blog. I was planning on writing this post last week but I was way too caught up in this show to focus on basically anything else. Last Thursday I traveled to Indianapolis to see The Wanted's Word of Mouth Tour. I haven't been to a good old-fashioned pop boyband show in a long while so it was actually a bit of a treat and completely exceeded my expectations. In fact it was so good that I'm splitting the review up into two parts. This first part will be all about the opening acts so enjoy!
MIDNIGHT RED:
Midnight Red: (clockwise from left) Colton
Rudloff, Thomas Augusto, Anthony Ladao,
Eric Secharia, Joey Diggs Jr.
Midnight Red was my Pick of the Week way back when. Still love them. Still amazing. If you want to check out that post and learn more about who the heck Midnight Red is then click here. Now, I knew what Midnight Red was all about and I had a pretty good idea of what I could expect to see from them at the show. But let me just say this, you think you know Midnight Red…until you see them live. Sure they're crazy talented and hilarious guys through a computer screen or television but when you see them onstage or even face to face, it's surreal. It's so hard to understand how so much talent and charisma can go into one group of guys. They performed in front of tons of screaming girls and I would feel safe betting that they were having an even more fun time than the crowd. They clearly love what they do and they are so passionate and hard working. I mean, you don't get that good just by sitting around and saying you're in a band. Their vocals were some of the best I've heard and they didn't miss a beat when it came to choreography. They kept the crowd going with some of their fan favorites like "Body Talk" and "Hell Yeah." They also gave the crowd a chance to check out their impeccable vocals through performances of "Nothing Lasts Forever" as well as their covers of "Diamonds" and "Hold On, We're Going Home." I'm constantly amazed by these guys and hope to meet them again sometime soon. Midnight Red will be performing at Digifest July 7 in New York and July 14 in Toronto. Also, don't forget to check them out on Good Morning America on June 5th!
Midnight Red have recently teamed up with Sweety High to film a 5-part video series documenting their recent projects like the MTV Artist To Watch Tour and the Word of Mouth Tour. You can check out the most recent episode below:
Cassio Monroe: (from left) Tripp Weir, Jeff Garrison
I'll be honest and say that I had no clue who these guys were before the show. They had a handful of dedicated fans ready to tell everyone what made this duo so amazing and I know that after seeing them perform I'm not the only one who's jumped on the Cassio Monroe train. This pop/rap duo made up of Tripp Weir and Jeff Garrison are Nashville natives signed to HitShop Records/Warner Music
Nashville. I was so impressed by the dynamic between these two. They seem at first glance to be on two completely opposite ends of the spectrum but their unique styles somehow mesh together perfectly. I don't know how it happens. I don't understand it but I love it. At first I thought Tripp's vocals were decent but something was missing. It turns out he's a pretty insane rapper. He didn't look much like a rapper but it is definitely clear to see that he was born to do just that. Paired with Jeff's indie/pop/folk (if that's a thing) sound, Cassio Monroe are a breath of fresh air. They remind me a bit of old school hip-hop meets modern feel-good singer/songwriter. Along with MKTO, Cassio Monroe might just be leading the way for a whole slew of up and coming rap/pop groups. This style of music seems to be picking up steam and I can definitely see these guys at the top of the game.
*You can vote for Cassio Monroe in Macy's iHeartRadio Rising Star Talent Search here.*
Every Wednesday I will be posting a "Pick of the Week" where I will introduce you to an artist I think you should know about. These artists will either be ones that you've never heard of or ones that I think deserve more recognition….
This week it's all about MIDNIGHT RED! Midnight Red is a five-piece boyband consisting of Colton Rudloff, Anthony Ladao, Joey Diggs Jr., Eric Secharia, and Thomas Augusto. If you don't know about this group of talented young guys then KEEP.ON.READING. When I first came across these boys I had the initial reaction that I think most people do being "oh *sigh* another boyband." I'm not going to lie though, I've always been a sucker for a good boyband and when I saw that these guys had raw, natural talent I was automatically hooked. Nowadays, it seems that every new band that comes along is manufactured and singing the same old tunes we've heard a thousand times. I'm going to give you five reasons why you should absolutely LOVE Midnight Red.
From left: Anthony Ladao, Joey Diggs Jr.,
Eric Secharia, Thomas Augusto, Colton Rudloff
1. They're absolutely genuine.
There are a lot of bands out there that go around blindly doing whatever and singing whatever management wants them to. When this happens, there's hardly any room to get to know the people behind the photoshopped faces. One thing that really stuck out for me when I first listened to Midnight Red was that, apart from their catchy pop tunes, they sounded original. This is something we don't really find too often anymore. Yes they sing pop music but there is an element to their style that makes you really feel the music and understand the meaning behind it.
2. They can sing. I mean REALLY sing.
It's no secret that a majority of boybands are no stranger to autotune. It sort of comes with the stereotype. What I personally love about these boys is that they can do the "boyband thing" but when it comes down to it, they can sit and sing their songs with passion and astonishing natural talent that completely throws the autotuned boyband stereotype out the window. All of their voices are unique and also unlike other bands, they ALL sing. That may sound weird but when you think about it, there's always those one or two members in the band that sort of just sway in the background and look good. This isn't the case for this band. They eliminate expectations left and right. Also, did I mention, they occasionally sing in spanish?! Check out this video of them doing just that.
3. They have personality!
Going back to what I've said about them not being manufactured or basically acting like robots…all you have to do is watch an interview or video of them just hanging out and doing their thing. They enjoy each other's company and it is clear to see that they are really great friends doing what they love. They all have awesome personalities and never fail to make me laugh *I dare you not to giggle at least once*. They're not afraid to be themselves which is rare to find in the entertainment industry now, unfortunately.
4. They're choreographed…
Say what you want but what girl isn't a sucker for a choreographed boyband? Don't deny it. I know what you're thinking and, yeah, a bunch of guys dancing to pop tunes is so 1990s. Let me just say this, if a band wants to dance, let them. If they want to sing while dancing, let them. If they actually CAN sing while dancing, by all means let them do whatever they want because that takes talent. There's no way I could keep a beat let alone pull off some riffs and sweet harmonies at the same time. Respect.
5. They're passionate.
This is one of the main reasons why I really got caught in the Midnight Red craze. Whether you've been a fan for a year or a day, you never feel out of the loop. I've been following these guys for a long time and it doesn't matter how many new fans come along, they never change and they are always dedicated to putting out new material for anyone interested in it. They're always excited about whatever big project they have coming up and it's nice to see that kind of enthusiasm in people that are actually putting everything they have into doing what they love and actually manage to do it well.
Midnight Red are sure to be an up-and-coming act in 2014 with the release of their debut album set to be out this year. They will be touring with Austin Mahone on MTV's Artists To Watch Tour and have said that they will be opening for The Wanted on their Word of Mouth Tour happening in the spring. Make sure to get your tickets because you will not want to miss their shows! I'll be seeing them on the 15th of May and making a post of just how amazing I'm sure they will be live! Hope to see some of you there!
