CONCERT REVIEW: Hollywood Ending--Freaks & Geeks Tour

This past Friday I went to the Freaks & Geeks Tour at the Firebird in St. Louis. Now we all know that the Firebird is one of my absolute favorite venues! So take the intimacy and cool rock vibe from this venue and mix in 5 crazy talented pop punk/rock/pop bands with a dash of post hardcore jumping, head banging, and sweating and you've got The Freaks & Geeks Tour. Depending on the date, there were different bands performing but on Friday, The Strive, This Is All Now, 7 Minutes in Heaven, Late Nite Reading, and Hollywood Ending took the stage so sit back and try to convince yourself why missing out on one of these shows is a good idea. *Good luck with that*

THE STRIVE:

The Strive:from left--Greg Dowd, Nick Stacy,
Brendan Stevens, Luke Davis, Michael Zenk

I had never even heard of The Strive until frontman Brendan Stevens came up to me in line and was nothing but charismatic and enthusiastic about getting the band's name out there. I wasn't sure what to expect from this Kansas City group but let me say this…they.do.not.disappoint. The whole "ugh I don't know this opening act do they really have to perform right now" feeling is always something present at shows but it wasn't even a minute into their first song and this band had the crowd raving. It didn't really matter anymore if you didn't know the words because it was just that great. Definitely keep The Strive fresh in your mind as one to watch this year.

             

Check out their latest video:

Twitter: The Strive, Brendan, Luke, Greg, Michael

Facebook

Youtube

THIS IS ALL NOW:

This Is All Now:from left--Mike Pitelli, Louie Malpeli,
Okan Kazdal, Jordan Caroleo, Tom Angenbroich

This Is All Now! I was really looking forward to seeing these guys and, yes, it was fantastic! These New York natives were a long way from home but right in their element throughout the entire set. They performed their fan favorites like "Supernova" and "Another" and even threw in a little rock-esque One Direction cover that kept the crowd on their feet. Their onstage banter was matched well with their natural talent and insane hype. If you've missed out on the first leg of the Freaks & Geeks Tour, the This Is All Now guys will be playing a few dates of Against the Current's upcoming Sink or Swim Tour. It's guaranteed to be a great time.

This Is All Now-"Another" music video:

Twitter: This Is All Now, Mike, Okan, Jordan,

Louie, Tom

Facebook

7 MINUTES IN HEAVEN:

Before Friday I had only ever heard of 7 Minutes in Heaven. I had never really gotten around to checking out any music and I'm really angry that I hadn't. Timmy Rasmussen is one talented kid. He also had Derek Mrdjenovich and Aaron Porta from The Big Time as well as Alex Rogers from She's Alive helping out. At one point they had the entire crowd running around in a giant circle just because. How can you not have a great time?? His alternative/rock style is a huge breath of fresh air right now. There are so many people trying to get in and have a go at the same edgy alt scene and flopping. Timmy's clearly got his mind made up about what 7 Minutes in Heaven is all about and he's good at showing fans that. I'm looking forward to seeing him sometime soon at his own headlining tour…*hopefully*

"Here's to Never Growing Up" cover by 7 Minutes in Heaven:

Twitter: 7 Minutes in Heaven, Timmy

Facebook

Youtube

LATE NITE READING:

Late Nite Reading: from left--Clayton Collins, Brady
Szuhaj, Dalton Wixom, Drew Cottrell

All I can say is thank the lord these Indiana boys are doing what they're doing because WOW. I've been a fan of Late Nite Reading for awhile and this was my first time seeing them live. I couldn't believe how absolutely crazy it was! They've got the look, the talent, the style, and the ability to turn a venue upside down. Their pop-punk style did not disappoint in the slightest and once they finished their set all I wanted was for them to come back onstage and do it all over again. I highly suggest checking out this band and turning up to one of their future shows. They are one of the best live performers I have seen and I'm sure you'll agree. 

Late Nite Reading's latest acoustic--"Rumor":

Twitter: Late Nite Reading, Dalton,

Clayton, Brady, Drew

Facebook

Youtube

HOLLYWOOD ENDING:

Hollywood Ending: from left--Chris Bourne, Cameron Byrd,
Tyler Wilson, Dan Geraghty

The main event…and a good one at that. It's an understatement to say Hollywood Ending have come a long way from their start as a five-piece pop band which later became a four-piece and then a three-piece and then a four-piece again. Did you get all that? The Freaks & Geeks Tour is their first headlining tour and has so far been a huge success. They have been crossing the country, playing for fans who are nothing but ecstatic to see them on this new venture. They played songs from their first EP along with their newest release, "Freak Like Me," and a few new songs that are to be released *as Tyler said* "eventually." Well, they'll be out soon enough and are bound to cause a craze among Hollywood Ending fans everywhere. Their songs are catchy and insanely fun to jump and dance along to in a crowded general admission concert. What these guys do best is make every fan feel involved in the show. They aren't afraid to show how grateful they are that people made the effort to drive out just to see them perform. It's been a bit of a weird ride for Hollywood Ending over the years but I can see these four guys really going far in the next year. I'm personally looking forward to their new music and many more headlining tours to come. If you have the chance, head out and see them. You won't be disappointed. 

Hollywood Ending's latest music video--"Freak Like Me":

Twitter: Hollywood Ending, Tyler,

Chris, Dan, Cam

Youtube

Facebook

Website

The Freaks & Geeks Tour is hitting Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, NYC, and Boston before wrapping up in Allentown, PA on the ninth of March. All of these bands are insanely talented and some of the nicest people I've ever met. Tickets are still available so grab yourself a pair and head out to the tour because you don't want to miss this!

I'll be posting lots of pictures from the show over the next week so don't forget to follow me on Twitter!
I've also made a page with a handful of pictures from the show so click through and enjoy!

HOLLYWOOD ENDING--THE FREAKS & GEEKS TOUR~AS TOLD BY MADS

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Pick of the Week--Artist You Should Know About:M.A.D

So this Pick of the Week is coming to you one day late because of that dreaded beast known as the "common head cold." I spent the whole of yesterday trying to understand how to stand up without getting dizzy let alone blogging about a new artist. But now's the time! Let's take a look at M.A.D…

M.A.D consists of Dan Lewis from South Wales, AB Pryer from London, and Michael Sutthakorn from Northern Ireland. The band just recently wrapped up a 7-date UK tour that was a huge success. The M.A.D fans came out in full to support their favorite up-and-coming boyband.

M.A.D: From left-Dan Lewis, Michael
Sutthakorn, AB Pryer

The hype around M.A.D just continues to escalate as new music and announcements about tour dates are popping up left and right. These boys are not slowing down anytime soon as they have indicated with their excitement to post teases of covers on their Facebook page and urging all of their devoted fans to plug their latest single everyday. Speaking of their latest single, Fame & TV by M.A.D has taken off across the UK. The band hosted a number of CD single signings and earned themselves a comfortable #32 in the Top 40 charts in the UK as of Sunday. The single is available worldwide along with 7 other versions including a unique and original solo version from each of the members, a piano version, and more. I highly recommend checking all of these out! *My personal favorite is Dan's Welsh version, I mean talk about swoon*

If you're just now finding out about M.A.D, no need to worry about missing out on their last tour because they are announcing all new tour dates this Friday, February 28th. I anticipate that these will be UK dates but for all of us in the US and beyond, we may have to wait a bit longer. But at the rate these boys are going, it may not be long at all. Basically Dan, Michael, and AB seem to be doing it right…whatever "it" is. They've already got nearly 100,000 likes on Facebook and even more of those eager fans waiting for their next release. These boys are on the fast track towards being the next "it" band and I, personally, can't wait to see what is in the cards for this trio next.

M.A.D's latest single: Fame & TV

Also check out the acoustic version:

Catch up on everything M.A.D!

Facebook

Twitter: M.A.D, Michael, Dan, AB

Youtube

ARTIST YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT: M.A.D~AS TOLD BY MADS

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Pick of the Week--Artist You Should Know About: Micky Parsons

Micky Parsons. What can I say about Micky Parsons…

This week I really wanted to shed some light on an artist I think deserves so much more recognition than he's been getting. Micky Parsons is a 19-year old singer/songwriter who has been currently working on some solo projects after the split from his group, District 3 (formerly known as GMD3).

*Cue awesome music intro transitioning into background info*

GMD3
From left: Greg West, Dan Ferrari-Lane, Micky Parsons

Micky was a part of GMD3 for 3+ years. The band consisted of Parsons, Greg West, and Dan Ferrari-Lane, long-time friends who decided way back when to make use of their love of performing and become a 3-piece harmony group. GMD3 started out doing covers of songs such as "In My Head" by Jason Derulo, "Price Tag" by Jessie J, and "Payphone" by Maroon 5 (just to name a few). I was personally a HUGE fan of this group because I thought they had a different sound and it was refreshing to see them remastering songs and adding twists to popular songs over the years. Basically to summarize, the group decided to enter into the 9th season of the X Factor UK. After they were eliminated during week 6 of the competition, things got a little rocky for GMD3. They did release a self-titled EP but shortly after called it quits. West and Ferrari-Lane went on to form a singing/comedy/entertainment duo called Fright Club. Micky on the other hand…

It was said that the group was having disagreements over management which caused the split. Who really knows though, right? All anyone knows is that Micky is a solo act now…and a good one! His voice has always been one to stand out but he seems much more comfortable performing his own songs than he ever did doing covers with GMD3. There's a sense of freedom and Parsons-esque style that can be seen in his covers and music videos that was apparently hiding behind the GMD3 curtain for years.

Micky has so far posted 3 original songs on Youtube and has eagerly made note that there will be many more to be heard soon. Among his originals, he has posted a cover of "Happy" by Pharrell Williams and "Wonderful World." Even though it has taken some getting used to seeing Micky as a solo act, I see a lot of potential in his R&B/pop/soul sort of style. There's just so much to expect from him! Look forward to lots of Micky Parsons in the future. His flawless vocal performances never disappoint so definitely keep him on your radar as one to watch!

Micky's latest original!

"Happy" cover by Micky Parsons

Check out Micky!

Youtube

Twitter

Facebook

Click here to see what Micky was up to before going solo…

ARTIST YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT: MICKY PARSONS~AS TOLD BY MADS

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Pick of the Week--Artist You Should Know About: Midnight Red

     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!

Midnight Red:
Twitter…Eric, Anthony, Joey, Thomas, Colton
Facebook
Youtube, Vevo
And you can keep up with all things Midnight Red on the band's official website!

Midnight Red's single Take Me Home:

Body Talk Acoustic:

The band's latest cover I've been especially loving lately:

Latest interview with Sweety High:

ARTIST YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT:MIDNIGHT RED~AS TOLD BY MADS

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The Wanted: Split! Oh, Scooter Braun...

Now before reading on I'd like to advise you all to take a deep breath. In…out…in…out.

You good? Good. Yes, it's true. The Wanted have just recently announced that they are "taking a break." I want to repeat this. A break. A break. A BREAK. A few of the band members have stressed that this is simply that. A break. The guys of The Wanted have decided to take a bit of time off to pursue individual projects but they assure their devoted fans that they look forward to many more TW endeavors in the future. Tom Parker made it clear on Twitter last week saying "This is not the end. You can't get rid of us that easily." So for all of you die-hard TWFanmily, don't stress. Of course it will be difficult to say goodbye temporarily to the weekly vlogs and mailers but The Wanted boys are not disappearing off the face of the earth, that I'm sure of.

From what I figure, Scooter Braun *currently running for best manager of the age with Bieber arrested and the TW split* will probably do his best to make Nathan Sykes the next big solo act. I mean c'mon we all remember the Nariana/Jariana drama ending in a great duet and many enraged Janoskianators and TWFanmily. Scooter isn't doing too hot in the eyes of thousands of teenage girls right now but maybe he's hoping to save himself with this new Sykes craze….*cricket**cricket*.

The Wanted guys probably won't do too bad on their own considering they already have had so much success simply because of TW. Max George has his Buffalo Jeans campaign, Siva Kaneswaran with his modeling *I mean wow that bone structure*, Tom Parker recently started doing some DJing and isn't half bad, and Jay McGuiness with his….um…uh oh.

Don't worry. Everyone's favorite curly-headed McGuiness will be just fine. I'm sure he will carry on with his usual antics and it will probably seem like he doesn't even realize that the band has taken a break. The Wanted have been on the grind for a very long time so it's understandable that they want to take a bit of time for themselves. On the plus side, with this news, their Word of Mouth Tour is bound to be even more amazing than ever thought possible.


THE WANTED SPLIT~AS TOLD BY MADS
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Youtube and the Vine Revolution

     Whether it be Zoella, Tyler Oakley, Nash Grier, Jerome Jarre, O2L, etc, etc, this wave of internet sensations has been building up overtime and has finally exploded all over the face of the entertainment world. The term "youtubers" has slowly become equivalent to that of "popstars," "actors," etc. They're just that big now! Those of you who aren't even slightly aware of what I'm talking about have probably heard of one of these youtubers but just weren't aware who they were. Making videos and posting them on Youtube is something people have been doing for years so why has it become so important all of the sudden? Simple. Certain people *usually attractive or funny and 9 times out of 10 have some sort of amazing accent* make videos where they do various things like play video games, vlog, give beauty/style advice and tutorials, or just be completely random and entertaining. These people have gotten so popular and have raked in hundreds of thousands of subscribers who watch their videos every week that they are now able to "do Youtube" for a living. In other words, they get paid to make videos on a somewhat regular schedule as long as they keep the content coming and generate more subscribers. Sounds pretty freaking amazing if you ask me. A hobby that turns into a career. What else could you want? Oh, well maybe things like Playlist Live and Vidcon where these Youtubers get to go and meet their adoring fans, perform live, and be praised for hanging out with friends, meeting new people, and making videos for a living. Sounds like the best way to become a household name without being a reality TV star. If you're like me and watch what seems like MILLIONS of youtube videos every week, you know how easy it is to become obsessed with some random person who films themselves talking to a camera in their bedroom everyday. But.we.just.can't.stop. Some of my all-time favorite Youtubers are: Crabstickz, Tobuscus, Sawyer Hartman, Tanya Burr, Troye Sivan, BribryOnTour, and LukeIsNotSexy. *Just to name a few*
     Moving on to something a bit similar……VINE!!! If you haven't seen or heard the phrase "Do it for the vine" then you've probably been better off than the majority of us meaning not sitting in front of your computer watching 6 second videos of baby ducklings, chubby toddlers dancing, or terrible twerking attempts. Good for you! For the rest of us, no matter how bad vines have gotten recently *were they really ever good though?* we can't stop watching them. There are tons of Facebook accounts that just post these 6 second videos so you can literally sit there for hours going through thousands of vines. Vine has caused some sort of hysteria where people will literally do ANYTHING for the vine. They'll cause public disturbances, prank people, and even hurt themselves all in the name of a good vine which may or may not even turn out to be funny or interesting in the slightest. Names like Jerome "beautiful squeeeeral* Jarre, Nash "eyes" Grier, and Dem_White_Boys *um…* have become common in social media. As usual, some popular viners use their good looks simply to get attention but all in all, something as simple as a 6 second video of you talking about cats in sweaters is enough to get you internet famous in this day in age. So, have at it!


Who are some of your favorite Youtubers or Viners? :)


YOUTUBERS AND VINING~AS TOLD BY MADS
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2013: The Year of the Cyrus? Has Miley really gone crazy?

     When we think about 2013 as a whole, something that stands out pretty prominently in all of our minds is the one and only Miley Cyrus. Some may call this streak of wild behavior her "going off the deep end" but for me and probably the minority of the public sees this as a sort of transition into something greater for her. Yes, no one can argue that the old "7 Things I Hate About You" Miley isn't a guilty pleasure for us all but once she hopped off that plane at LAX with that crop top and short shorts, we should've known something was up. I still laugh at how much people basically freaked out when she was some sort of skimpy mystical birdlike creature in "I Can't Be Tamed." We obviously underestimated how far she was willing to go to make a statement. That statement of course ultimately being something along the lines of "I've grown up so stop asking yourself why Hannah Montana would be acting this way." Even though this Miley Cyrus craze only started in late August of 2013, it is something that defines a lot of aspects of 2013 pop culture simply because NO ONE COULD STOP TALKING ABOUT IT. Speaking of the VMAs a.k.a. the start of all this madness, personally for me (which is probably quite an unpopular opinion but one I'm going to make anyway), her performance was justified. Well, if a performance can be "justified." I mean it is after all called artistic expression. The VMAs are predominantly about celebrating music videos and how the artists behind the most popular videos of the year go about expressing themselves through their music.
     Let's change gears a bit and look at Lady GaGa. She opened the VMAs with a powerful performance in the most expected and GaGa-esque way anyone could hope for. She did also do this while wearing a thong. I mean, I don't know about you but that seems like a GaGa thing to do because, well first off she is known for pushing the boundaries in the name of artistic freedom, but also it perfectly represented her music video for "Applause" which was being honored through this performance. That is simply what the VMAs are. GaGa wore a thong because it represented an aspect of her video and if one was familiar with the video would have praised her for doing it.
     Back to Miley...of course there was an uproar when the "We Can't Stop" video surfaced but knowing that Miley was performing this song at the VMAs and knowing what goes on in the video and what the song is about, what were we expecting? Not even mentioning that part of her performance was a duet with Robin Thicke who's "Blurred Lines" video was no more controversial or risque than Miley's. Artists' performances at the VMAs are meant to honor their videos and when you mix "Blurred Lines" and "We Can't Stop," the uproar was a bit unnecessary if you ask me. People can say that they were upset because the performance was inappropriate and obnoxious blah blah blah but ultimately the majority of people were upset because Miley is a Disney girl and they will never get over that fact. The sad fact is that she will be held to that standard the rest of her career. That puts a lot of stress on a young star. She's bound to act out even more than she may intend to at times. Above all, Miley does what she wants and does a good job letting people know that she wants to leave the preteen pop life behind and move in a more....mature....direction.....and boy has she shown us.


THE MILEY CYRUS PHENOMENON~AS TOLD BY MADS
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Leave a comment on what you think about all of this madness!