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Currently Listening So Long, Astoria By The Ataris see related

The Ataris

The Ataris are a seven-piece pop punk band originally hailing from Anderson, Indiana. They have released five studio albums, and their most recent, Welcome the Night, was released on February 20, 2007.

So Long, Astoria (2003-2005)

In 2002, the lineup changed again, with John Collura replacing Peña on guitar. Prior to this, Collura had played in his own band, Beefcake, who'd toured with The Ataris. He'd also done time on tour as a guitar tech for The Ataris just prior to Pena's departure.

During this same period, the Ataris' contract with Kung Fu Records expired, and the band chose to sign with Columbia Records. Later that year, they began recording their fourth full-length album and major label debut, So Long, Astoria, released on March 4, 2003.

Produced by Lou Giordano, the album's production served as a stark contrast to any of the band's past releases. Where as previous efforts would be recorded in short time spans between tours, So Long, Astoria was known for it's polished tracks and recording process. Kris Roe by himself was known spend as long as 5-8 hours tracking individual guitar parts. Many of the rhythm tracks also underwent significant digital editing; a common-place practice for recordings of modern popular music.

So Long, Astoria was widely credited (and by some, chastised) for introducing The Ataris to a larger mainstream audience and generating several successful singles, including "In This Diary" and "The Saddest Song." Musically, the album showcased very personal, encrypted and slightly more optimistic songwriting with a more refined, straight-forward rock sound, not unlike Jimmy Eat World. This album also included their cover of the Don Henley song "The Boys of Summer," which much to the dismay of the band became their "accidental" second single after a radio station in Southern California started playing it, even though the band had already chosen the song "My Reply" as their second single. The single is their highest charting single to date, reaching #20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The band toured behind this record for most of 2003 and into early 2004. That year also saw the release of their acclaimed live album, Live At The Metro, along with a spot on the Spiderman 2 soundtrack and an appearance at Hellfest. Though So Long, Astoria sold well in excess of 500,000 copies, the album itself was never certified Platinum.

After a number personal, financial and artistic differences, this line-up decided to respectfully and creatively go its separate ways over the summer and fall of 2004. Davenport, interested in playing heavier music, became a founding member of the band Versus the World, while Knapp stopped playing music altogether and stayed in Santa Barbara. Details regarding the departures of Knapp and Davenport have been kept quiet for sometime, and neither camp has appeared interested in fueling any public debate or ill-will.

Looking for some time off, Kris headed back to Indiana while John moved back to New York; though the pair would later regroup to begin the recordings of the band's next album.

Album Review

Sound: "So Long, Astoria" is probably the second best CD by the Ataris (there best is "Look Forward To Failure," good luck finding it though!) The Ataris have taken a more melodic soucd to this album, and did a dang good job, too. This album is more rock and pop-punk than their previous albums, along with some more serious lyrics. The only thing about this is that the guitars really aren't as great as they were on previous albums (but "Looking Back On Today" is a nightmare to play!)

Lyrics: The lyrics are a lot more serious than before, and most of the songs are kind of sad. Kris Roe keeps the album clean and upbeat with his lyrics and awesome singing. There is probably no swearing, but there is a debate. In the song "All You Can Ever Learn Is What You Already Know" (long title), the booklet says that the first chorus is "I'm trying to believe in you, but all these sattelites and shattered dreams are blocking out my view." It sounds like he's saying "but all these sattelites and shattered dreams are f--ing up my view." But maybe it's just me.

Impression: This is an album that gets a lot of playing time in my collection, I would say that the best 5 songs on the album (#1 being the best) are: Looking Back On Today, All You Can Ever Learn Is What You Already Know, Takeoffs And Landings, The Hero Dies In This One, Boys Of Summer.

Currently Listening Everything in Between By Matt Wertz see related

Matt Wertz

Matt Wertz is a singer/songwriter from Liberty, MO. Wertz gained a considerable fan base by performing at Young Life camps, after releasing "Somedays", his first album, produced by Steve Wilson. His next two studio albums, and one EP, have all been produced by himself and Ed Cash with an exception on the EP where his best friend Dave Barnes helped produce the album. Aside from touring with such acts as Jamie, Gavin Degraw, Matt Nathanson and Jars of Clay, he has headlined several tours nationally in the early to mid-2000s.

On September 19, 2006, Matt released his third studio album, Everything In Between.

Currently Listening Don't You Fake It By The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus see related

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is a band that formed in 2003 in Jacksonville, Florida. The band consists of lead vocalist Ronnie Winter, lead guitarist Elias Reidy, bassist Joey Westwood, guitarist Duke Kitchens, and drummer Jon Wilkes; all perform back-up vocals.

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus released their demo, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus in 2005. They then released a demo tour EP with "Ass Shaker", "Justify" and "Face Down" demo versions. Later in 2006 they released their first LP, Don't You Fake It, which was certified gold on November 27, 2006 by the RIAA for sales shipments exceeding 500,000 copies. As of February 2007, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus will be taking part in the US Take Action! Tour organized for the prevention of youth suicide, along with bands such as My Chemical Romance and Rise Against. Their song "In Fate's Hands" is featured in the video game Madden NFL 07.

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus "Don't You Fake It" Deluxe Edition (CD/DVD) was released on April 3, 2007. The CD features the album and two exclusive songs, an acoustic version of "Face Down" and a never released out of Australia bonus track "Disconnected".

Sound: I thought good names for rockbands were over by the end of '70s... God, I was wrong... These five guys from Middleburg, Florida proved I was sooo wrong... Whatever they meant by naming themselves The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, it sounds hilarious and cool.

It took them about 3 years to get a deal and release a debut album -- “Don’t You Fake It.” It was a help of a producer David Bendeth (Hawthorne Heights and Breaking Benjamin) that encouraged the guys to make the sound better until the point he liked it. Singer Ronnie Winter says that starting a band the only thing they cared about was having a good time and thus they play music in a totally effortless way, creating their own style and changing directions even within one song. Guys shift between pop punk, metal and screamo so easily and courageously as if those two styles always came along together.

Tracks often start as an aggressive punk-rock and explode into metal as tension grows towards the final. You can never guess the end of the track as the song structures are unpredictable. Instruments are multilayered creating a constant emotional intense. Busy drums are accomplished by a wall of guitars full of crunchy chords that are driving the songs. There are two so different ballads on the record -- “Cat And Mouse” is mellow and whining while “Your Guardian Angel” is gentle and soft. For teenage girls romantic “Your Guardian Angel” should be a killer as Winter sings in such an innocent voice “I will never let you fall/I’ll stand with you forever” that makes you want to believe every single word. The track goes into heavy pounding half-way through in the best traditions of power ballads. Would be a good choice for the second single. Pessimistic “Cat And Mouse” with minor piano is on the emo side of the album. It annoys you as you start feeling sorry for the vocalist -- he sounds so unhappy and the howling choral on the background multiply the effect.

“Damn Regret” is probably the most cheerful songs on Don’t You Fake It. Listening to this happy sing-along it’s hard to believe the guys just played metal a song or two ago.

Lyrics: The songs subjects are deeper than you might think they are. Like the first single from the album “Face Down,” which is about guys violating girls. Frontman Ronnie Winter says he was like that himself once and, making a song about it, he’s warning people not to make the same mistakes. Other songs also have deep interesting lyrics with the exception of maybe only pop-sweet “Your Guardian Angel,” which is more likely the commercial filling of the album.

Vocalist Ronnie Winter hits high notes in “Damn Regrets” with a sharp voice of a teenager, singing like some pop idol and then switches to brutal screamo in “Justify.” He’s got that manner of yearning emo vocals that would excite any emo fan.

Impression: The album is full of contrasts between different music styles and emotional conflicts, showcasing the diversity of the band. And on the other side it’s so organic that it all blends into one solid record. They don’t try to lock themselves into one style and label their music to follow the success of somebody who did it before them. That’s the energy of a young inspired band that drives their music. Though a lot of songs sound much alike and the band avoids experimenting for some reasons. The music needs more fresh ideas as there are a few stand outs on the record, but most of the songs seem like a filler. Unfortunately the catchiest song on the record is silly pop-punk “Damn Regrets.” I wish there were more killer guitar lines and catchy melodies in heavier songs.

A huge advantage of the band is in lyrics -- not too many musicians out there dare to make a song about domestic abuse and write about some serious subjects different from their love relationship.

Song playing is Angels Cry.

Currently Listening Boys Like Girls By Boys Like Girls see related

Boys Like Girls.

• Martin Johnson - vocals, rhythm guitar
• Paul DiGiovanni - lead guitar
• Bryan Donahue - bass
• John Keefe - drums

The band Boys Like Girls was formed in the final months of 2005, when singer/guitarist Martin Johnson — formerly of short-lived Massachusetts act The Drive — wrote a handful of songs he wanted to record. He recruited bassist Bryan Donahue and drummer John Keefe, both of whom had been in bands of different setups with the frontman, most notably in the pop punk band Lancaster. Keefe brought along lead guitarist Paul DiGiovanni, whom he had recorded a brief demo with, to complete the line-up. Oddly enough, the two learned that they were distant cousins several months later. The quartet soon opened a PureVolume account to showcase their music, and uploaded a rough demo of "The Great Escape" and an acoustic rendition of "Thunder". By the end of the year, the group had landed the #1 spot on the website's Top Unsigned Artists chart.

The buzz around the band was overheard by both booking agent Matt Galle and record producer Matt Squire, who contacted the band about a future collaboration. With their support, Boys Like Girls embarked on their first nationwide tour with A Thorn for Every Heart, Hit the Lights and Keating in late February of 2006. Following the month-long venture, the group immediately entered the recording studio with Squire to record their debut album for Columbia Records/Red Ink. During their time in the studio Squire introduced the band to another of his alumni, Cute Is What We Aim For, who offered Boys Like Girls an opening slot on their upcoming headlining tour. Once the album was recorded, Boys Like Girls played back-to-back tours, including the Cute Is What We Aim For tour in June, as well as a two week stint with Butch Walker in late July. In between tours the band filmed their first music video for their album's lead single, "Hero/Heroine", directed by Mark Serao and Chris Vaglio of Grey Sky Films.

On August 22, 2006, the eponymous Boys Like Girls hit record store shelves. As of April 2007, the album has sold over 200,000 copies within the United States. While, as the title might suggest, songs about boys liking girls clearly prevail on the album, Johnson threw in the occasional escape from the pre-, mid-, or post-relationship formula, and touched upon themes such as his mother's battle with cancer, leaving home and precocious adolescents. Concerning the latter, he discussed the motivation behind the song "Dance Hall Drug":

"So many kids are growing up too fast. 13 year olds are giving each other hand jobs in the back of the bus, 14 year olds are already drinking and partying, and kids spend more time worried about growing up and being cool than they do actually growing up and being a kid."

In the light of the album's release, Boys Like Girls completed their first headlining tour, supported by Permanent Me and Scenes from a Movie in August and September, before heading out on an East coast tour, opening for Lostprophets and Eighteen Visions throughout October 2006. The remainder of the year was spent playing first on a five-band bill with Spitalfield, Punchline, Over It, and Valencia, as well as on the Tournado Tour, where they shared the stage with The All-American Rejects, Motion City Soundtrack, and The Format.

The year 2007 started out with a short headlining run with Self Against City, after which the group joined Cobra Starship supporting a two-month Cartel tour beginning in February. In between releasing their album's second single, "The Great Escape" (reaching #24 on the Pop 100), performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live on February 22, 2007, and eventually charting the Billboard 200 for the first time in April 2007, Boys Like Girls played their first international concerts during the Canada leg of a North America tour with hellogoodbye and the UK festival Give It A Name 2007. In mid-2007, the band played the annual Vans Warped Tour for the first time. On July 31, 2007 the band reached the #1 spot on the MTV show Total Request Live. They also announced that they will be playing five shows in Japan come September and that they will then do a U.S. headlining tour with All Time Low, theAUDITION and We the Kings.

Stylistically, the self-proclaimed emo band lists its musical influences as a variety of contemporary emo and pop punk bands, such as Jimmy Eat World, The Academy Is... and Dashboard Confessional. While these tendencies are clearly audible in guitarwork and drumming, punk rock influences are far less obvious as far as vocal patterns and lyricism are concerned. Given Johnson's characteristic tenor vocal melodies — which are, thanks to sporadically placed falsettos, at times reminiscent of Tyson Ritter's (of The All-American Rejects fame) — the band's all-around sound is geared to late '90s alternative radio rock, along the lines of Vertical Horizon and Eve 6.

In comparison with the majority of their peers, Boys Like Girls has a more radio-friendly pop rock sound. Hence, Boys Like Girls has been labeled "an album full of hit singles"[11] or "the soundtrack to summer", emphasising the up-and-coming quartet's potential to write mainstream compatible tunes. Other reviewers considered "a watered-down copy of Jimmy Eat World" a more adequate description. In general, judgements ranged from predictable mediocrity to promising newcomer debut, though not necessarily in terms of longevity.

While the on-line community precipitately crowned Boys Like Girls "2006's Fall Out Boy" (in reference to the pop punk band's commercial success with 2005's From Under the Cork Tree), album sales were less convincing. Despite promotional front page features (such as Spin's "Artist of the Day" or the highly influential Absolutepunk.net's "Featured Band" and "Absolute Exclusive: Album Leak"), Boys Like Girls scanned a mere 1,472 units within its first week of sales, thus failing to chart the Billboard 200. However, continuous touring and promoting helped gaining the record a #179 entry into the chart in April 2007, peaking at #55 in August 2007.