17 Bands To Check Out In 2017

Thinking of downloading new music to listen to? You came to the right post. Here are 17 bands to check out this year!

1. Movements (@movementsCA) is a pop punk band from Orange County, CA. The group released their first EP Outgrown Things and has been taking the scene by storm with touring with bands like Real Friends and Senses Fail. I highly recommend listening to Outgrown Things in its entirety. Movements will be at the 2017 Vans Warped Tour and is nominated in the category of “Best Underground Band” for this year’s APMAs.
   Check out their song “Hatchet” off of their EP Outgrown Things.
2. The Hunna (@THEHUNNABAND) is a rock group from Hertfordshire, England. The group formed in 2015 and has been touring cross the United States and Europe selling out a lot of shows. Their album 100 has been out since August of 2016.
   Check out their song “Bonfire” off of their album 100.
3. Coin (@COIN_music) is an indie pop band from Nashville, TN. The group formed in 2012 and has released COIN and their latest album  How Will You Know If You You Don’t Try.
   Check out their song “Run” off of their album COIN.
4. Mondo Cozmo (@MondoCozmo)is Joshua Ostrander’s name he goes by when recording and performing since 2016. The genre of music is folk rock. There is no album yet released under Mondo Cozmo, but his song “Shine” blew up on Sirius XM AltNation and Billboard Alternative Charts. Mondo Cozmo will be performing at a variety of festivals including Governor’s Ball.
   Check out “Shine.”
5. Boston Manor (@BSTNMNNR) is a pop punk band from England. Boston Manor has two albums released Suadade and Be Nothing. I saw Boston Manor open for Broadside, and the guys were great live. Plus, the guys in Boston Manor are super sweet. They will be at the 2017 Vans Warped Tour.
   Check out their song “Forget Me Not” off of Be Nothing.
6. Vinyl Theatre (@vinyltheatre) is an indie rock band from Milwaukee, WI. The group has released Gold, Electrogram and their latest album Origami (which I blogged about in a recent post.) After seeing their set when they toured with Dashboard Confessional, I understood why this group has been gaining popularity. Vinyl Theatre will be touring with Misterwives across the United States in the fall.
   Check out their song “Breaking Up My Bones” off of Electrogram
7. Too Close To Touch (@TooCloseToTouch) has been gaining recognition in recent years and for good reason. The group is from Lexington, KY and has released two albums Nerve Endings and Haven’t Been Myself (which I blogged about their release.) I met Too Close To Touch last year at Warpe Tour and saw that they were down to earth guys making great alternative music.
   Check out their song “Translate” off of Haven’t Been Myself.
8. Sykes (@SYKESband) is an alternative/indie band from the UK. Meeting them at Warped Tour last year after enjoying their electric set was fantastic. The group has EPs out Gold Dust and Younger Mind which are great.
   Check out their song “Gold Dust.”
9. Stages & Stereos (@stages_stereos) is a rock band from Tallahassee, FL. Stages & Stereos took a brief hiatus and came back with new songs like “Remember You,” “Co-Dependent (Good Enough),” and “Julia Gulia.” Stages & Stereos toured with Mayday Parade in 2013, which is where I saw them perform. I blogged about Stages & Stereos in a previous post about their song “Julia Gulia.”
   Check out their song “Julia Gulia” and read my review about the song here.
10. Grayscale (@GrayscalePA) is signed to Fearless Records as of earlier this year and released their first full length album Adornment. Grayscale just toured with As It Is across the United States on the “Okay.USA tour.”
    Check out their song “Atlantic” off of Adornment.
11. If you haven’t hear of MISSIO (@MissioMusic) yet, you should get on it. The duo is from Austin, TX and has released the album Loner under RCA Records. MISSIO recently headlined the spring 2017 Advanced Placement Tour hosted by Sirius XM AltNation. The duo is on my list of bands I want to see live.
    Check out their song “Bottom Of The Deep Blue Sea.”
12. As It Is (@ASITISofficial) is a pop punk band from Brighton, UK. Since forming in 2012, the group got signed to Fearless Records and released Never Happy Ever After and their latest album Okay. (which I blogged about the release.) As It Is recently finished up their first headlining tour across the United States with Grayscale accompanying them on the road.
    Check out their song “Soap” off of Okay.
13. Joy Ride (@joyridenj) is a pop punk/ rock group from Clifton, NJ.  The group was formed in 2012 and has opened for bands like Mayday Parade, Major League, Escape The Fate, and more.
    Check ou their song “Vendetta” now.
14. Knox Hamilton (@KnoxHamilton) is an alternative group known for their songs “Washed Up Together,” “Work It Out,” and “Set It On Fire.” The group has released two albums How’s Your Mind and The Heights under the record label Prospect Park. I discovered their music on AltNation and got hooked immediately.
    Check out their song “Washed Up Together.”
15. Pentimento (@PentimentoNY) is a punk rock group from Buffalo, NY. The group has been together since 2011 has released albums and EPs like I No Longer, Pentimento, Inside The Sea and more. One EP was split with Young English.
    Check out their song “Just Friends” off of Inside The Sea.
16. If you like Mumford & Sons older albums for the folk aspect, you’ll love Judah & The Lion. (@Judahandthelion) Judah & The Lion has been a group since 2011 and has released Folk Hop ‘N Roll, Kids These Days, and Sweet Tennessee.
    Check out their song “Take It All Back.”
17. The Japanese House (@Japanesehouse) is a rising indie pop act. The Japanese House has released three EPs, Pools To Bathe In, Swim Against The Tide, and Clean.
    Discovering them on AltNation got me listening to them for awhile.
    Check out their song “Face Like Thunder” now.

In other news, Broadside released their song “Paradise” off of their upcoming album Paradise, Too Close To Touch made a music video for “Miss Your Face,” and Paramore performed on The Late Late Show With James Corden (you can see the performance here.)

Rock on, stay humble, and be positive!

-ovictoria

*Follow me on Twitter @ovictoriamedia for updates on blog posts, concert updates, and more.

Concert Reviews: Mayday Parade and State Champs in NYC

I wanted to dedicate a blog post to Paramore’s album After Laughter and a post for my concert reviews. Here are my concert reviews for Mayday Parade and State Champs.

I saw Mayday Parade perform in New York City on May 9 at Webster Hall for their “A Lesson In Romantics 10 year Anniversary Tour.” Knuckle Puck and Milestones were the opening bands.

Prior to the show, I met Mayday Parade and talked with them about their future plans since they are not going to be at Warped Tour. All of the guys said that they were going to begin writing for the upcoming album. There is no word yet what is expected on the album.

I’ve heard of Milestones and was excited to hear their set. This is my overview of their performance: the vocals were average sounding with tone and pitch, the instrumentals were pretty good. I think that Milestones could’ve engaged a bit more with the listeners, but I would definitely see them again after hearing their music outside of a concert setting.

Knuckle Puck was the other opening band. I’ve seen Knuckle Puck open for The Maine and State Champs. I saw Knuckle Puck’s setlist at Warped Tour and was ready to see them. Knuckle Puck know how to engage with the audience with creating circle pits, crowd surfers, and a room full of angst. Before “Gold Rush,” a person punched another person. Joe Taylor, lead singer of Knuckle Puck, stopped the song just to tell the person who punched the other person that it wasn’t okay to do that. He explained that people come to enjoy the music and not to fight.

After Knuckle Puck and moments of waiting, Mayday Parade took the stage. As per usual, the guys in Mayday Parade did not disappoint with their song choices and performance. Here is their setlist:

1. Jamie All Over
2. Black Cat
3. When I Get Home, You’re So Dead
4. Jersey
5. If You Wanted a Song Written About You, All You Had to Do Was Ask
6. Miserable At Best
7. Walk On Water or Drown
8. Ocean and Atlantic
9. I’d Hate To Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About
10. Take This to Heart
11. Champagne’s For Celebrating (I’ll Have A Martini)
12. You Be The Anchor That keeps My Feet On The Ground, I’ll Be The Wings That Keep Your Heart In The Clouds
13. Redemption Song (Bob Marley Cover)
14. Terrible Things
15. Three Cheers For Five Years
16. When You See My Friends
17. Lets Be Honest
18. Kids In Love
19. Oh Well, Oh Well

I saw Mayday Parade perform again on May 11 at The Paramount in Long Island, NY at The Paramount. The setlist were the same.

I saw State Champs perform for their spring tour. Accompanying the band was Against The Current, Don Broco, and With Confidence. I went to see State Champs on May 12 in Irving Plaza, NYC. I was unfortunately late and missed Don Broco and With Confidence. I got in to see Against the Current and State Champs. Against the Current had a vibe like Tonight Alive, PVRIS and Paramore all in one. Chrissy Constanzo has a similar stage presence to Jenna McDougall and Hayley Williams. Against the Current got the crowd engaged, which got met excited to see State Champs.

After waiting patiently, State Champs began their set. I saw State Champs a few times at Warped Tour and headlining the AP World Tour, and I was excited to see them again. Here is their setlist:

1. Remedy
2. Losing Myself
3. Shape Up
4. Eyes Closed
5. Simple Existence
6. Slow Burn
7. Deadly Conversation
8. All Or Nothing
9. Stick Around
10. Around The World And Back
11. All You Are Is History
12. Hard To Please
13. Perfect Score
14. Easy Enough
15. Mind Bottled
16. Breaking Ground
17. Tooth And Nail
18. Elevated
19. Critical *ENCORE*
20. Secrets *ENCORE*

I highly recommend seeing at least one of these bands live, especially State Champs and Mayday Parade. In other news, PVRIS announced a UK Tour (tickets and tour information can be found here,) Misterwives announced a tour across the United States (tickets and tour information can be found here,) Paramore announced a second tour across the United States (tickets and tour information can be found here.)  Linkin Park released One More Light today, Silverstein released a new song “Retrograde” off of their upcoming album Dead Reflection.  Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness released a music video for their song “So Close,” COIN released the music video for their song “I Don’t Wanna Dance,” and All Time Low released the single “Nice2KnoU.”

Rock on, stay humble, and be positive!

-ovictoria

*Follow me on Instagram for concert updates @ovictoriamedia

Album Review: “After Laughter” by Paramore

Paramore has been a dominant band in the alternative music scene since the release of their first album All We Know Is Falling. Paramore released their latest album “After Laughter” today via. Fueled By Ramen. This is Paramore’s fifth album.

The singles released were “Hard Times,” and “Told You So.” Both singles released with music videos and have millions of views on YouTube. When Paramore released “Told You So” Spotify temporarily stopped working. Hayley Williams tweeted about the incident. After Laughter is a 12 song album. Here is the track list:

1. Hard Times
2. Rose- Colored Boy
3. Told You So
4. Forgiveness
5. Fake Happy
6. 26
7. Pool
8. Grudges
9. Caught In The Middle
10. Idle Worship
11. No Friend
12. Tell Me How

Paramore has gone through a lot since forming in 2004. The group lost Jeremy in 2005 for a brief moment, Josh and Zac Farro in 2010, lost Jeremy Davis again in 2015, and now Zac is back in the group. Even though the band has gone through some hard times (no pun intended) they always come out victorious.

The album is definitely different than prior albums, but I must say that the overall composition is phenomenal. The instrumentals on the album have such a rad vibe with the 80s/ electric feeling, but the lyrics are so hard hitting and display a lot about what Hayley Williams and Taylor York have been going through with Paramore since their release of Paramore. The lyrics display a lot of hurt, especially in “Fake Happy,” “Caught In The Middle,” “26,” and basically the whole album. When listening, grab some tissues for this emotional roller coaster. Just the title After Laughter shows that the content is hard hitting. “No Friend” has vocals by Aaron Weiss of MewithoutYou.

When listening to the album in its entirety, I couldn’t help but think about how some songs on the album parallel other popular songs. “Rose Colored Boy” resembles a bit of “Cherry Bomb” by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts at the beginning of the song. The beat in “Forgiveness” sounds like “Amber” by 311, and the vibe in the chorus reminded me of “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by Tears For Fears.

Each album Paramore has put out is different than their previous work. The music was more alternative that a pop sound especially with All We Know is Falling, Riot, and Brand New Eyes but listening to Paramore’s self titled album Paramore it showcases that the group can still have that rock/alternative vibe but is able to experiment and isn’t afraid to try something new. I like that the song “26” is stripped down with the acoustic guitar and lyrically displays the hardships that was going on. With the strings that are in the song, the emotional ballad reminds me of “Hate To See Your Heart Break” and “Misguided Ghosts.” I appreciate that “26” wasn’t near the end of the album like most emotional ballads are in albums.

Overall, I feel like this album is what Paramore needed to release in order to move forward emotionally (similar to when Paramore released Brand New Eyes back in 2009.) You can buy the album on iTunes, physically at a local record store, or listen to it on Spotify, Apple Music and more.

This album has been on my list of highly anticipated after their release of Paramore in 2013. Since the release of their self titled album, I saw Paramore perform 3 times on land and twice on sea (at Parahoy in 2014 and 2016.) Paramore and Mayday Parade are my two favorite bands, and everytime something new is released I pre-order the latest albums and can’t help but feel overjoyed.

Paramore has announced tours in Europe and most of the dates are sold out. Tickets and tour information for Paramore’s tour can be found on their website. Congratulations to Paramore for putting out their fifth album which was something that I can say I was not expecting but very much enjoy.

In other news, Broadside released their next single “Hidden Colors” off of their upcoming album Paradise with a music video, This Wild Life announced on Twitter a summer tour across the United States, Alternative Press reported that Paramore settled the legal dispute between Paramore and Jeremy Davis, and Dashboard Confessional, All American Rejects and The Maine have a select amount of dates that they will be touring together in the summer. Also, I attended the Mayday Parade concert in NYC on Tuesday May 9, Long Island May 11, and I will be going to see State Champs tonight at Irving Plaza in NYC. Next week I will have a review about the shows I went to. Until then…

Rock on, stay humble, and be positive!

-ovictoria

*Follow me on Twitter: @ovictoriamedia for updates on music, blog posts, concert coverage, and more.

Album Updates From Vinyl Theatre and Grayscale

Vinyl Theatre released their second full length album Origami today via. Fueled By Ramen. The album moved release dates from May 12 to May 5. The singles off of the album are “My Fault,” “New Machines,” “30 Seconds,” and “The Island.”

Here is the track list:

1. My Fault
2. Day In Day Out
3. New Machines
4. 30 Seconds
5. Speak My Mind
6. The Island
7. Pull Your Weight
8. Fade Away
9. Take You for the Good Times

Grayscale released their first album Adornment today via. Fearless Records. The group is currently touring with As It Is and Roam. The singles released off of Adornment are “Atlantic,” “Beautiful Things,” and “If I Ever See You Again.” Here is the track list:

1. Let It Rain
2. Come Undone (Featuring Patty Walters)
3. Slipping Away
4. Atlantic
5. Forever Yours
6. Beautiful Things
7. Mum
8. Fever Dream
9. Echoes (Carry On)
10. Slept
11. If I Ever See You Again

In other news, This Wild Life released a cover of Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box,”  Letlive. announced their break up via. social media, Paramore released their second single “Told You So,” and PVRIS released a new song “Heaven” off of their upcoming album All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell that will be released August 4.

Rock on, stay humble, and be positive!

-ovictoria

*Follow me on Twitter: @ovictoriamedia

Concert Reviews: Mayday Parade and State Champs in New York

Last week I saw Mayday Parade live in New York City at Webster Hall, again in Long Island at The Paramount on Thursday, and Friday I saw State Champs in New York City at Irving Plaza. Since After Laughter released, I figured the best way to break down the concerts was in a separate blog post.

I saw Mayday Parade perform on May 9 at Webster Hall in New York City on their “A Lesson In Romantics 10th Anniversary Tour.” Accompanying Mayday Parade on this tour were Knuckle Puck and Milestones. This was my seventh time seeing Mayday Parade.

Prior to the show, I got the chance to meet Mayday Parade for the fourth time. I try to buy my tickets during pre-sale to get the experience of meeting a band. I was able to buy meet and greet tickets for my brother and myself. I bought the meet and greet tickets and brought my mother and brother with me to meet Derek Sanders, Brooks Betts, Alex Garcia, Jeremy Lenzo, and Jake Bundrick.

When meeting Mayday Parade, I got a photo of them signed as well as my sweatshirt of Mayday Parade when they had a sweater with Glamour Kills for the Glamour Kills Tour in 2013. This is what the sweater looks like. I had that sweater since it was released then and got it signed by the guys in Mayday Parade. I also got the chance to have a mini interview with Jeremy, Brooks, Alex, and Derek. I wanted to ask Jake a few questions, but he was sick with the flu.

After the meet and greet, I waited for Milestones and Knuckle Puck to perform. I heard of Milestones prior to the show. Milestones had good instrumentals when performing. The vocals and tone of the singer’s voice was okay but blended as the set progressed. Overall the band’s vibe was okay, but needed a bit more of a command on stage to interact with the people at the show. I’d like to listen to Milestones outside of seeing them to see if they sound different live. They’re a group that was pretty good overall, and I’d like to see again. The other opener was Knuckle Puck. I saw Knuckle Puck a few times open for The Maine and State Champs. Knuckle Puck has also been to Warped Tour, and I’ve seen their set. I knew what to expect from Knuckle Puck: circle pits, energetic vibes from everyone in the group, and a crowd whose angst was showing. Knuckle Puck stopped performing and said that it wasn’t cool to punch each other when we’re all there to enjoy the music, which is true. Overall, the opening groups got me ready for Mayday Parade.

Here is Mayday Parade’s setlist:

1. Jamie All Over
2. Black Cat
3. When I Get Home, You’re So Dead
4. Jersey
5. If You Wanted A Song Written About You, All You Had To Do Was Ask
6. Miserable At Best
7. Walk On Water or Drown
8. Ocean And Atlantic
9. I’d Hate To Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About
10. Take This To Heart
11. Champagne’s For Celebrating (I’ll Have A Martini)
12. You Be The Anchor That Keeps My Feet On The Ground, I’ll Be The Wings That Keep Your Heart In The Clouds
13. Redemption Song (Bob Marley Cover)
14. Terrible Things
15. Three Cheers For Five Years
16. When You See My Friends
17. Lets Be Honest
18. Kids In Love
19. Oh Well, Oh Well

As usual, Mayday Parade’s songs electrified the venues I saw them at, everyone was screaming the lyrics to every word off of A Lesson In Romantics, and Mayday Parade can connect with their fans using emotional ballads like “Terrible Things,” “Miserable At Best,” and “Three Cheers For Five Years.” I saw Mayday Parade perform again on May 11 and was only able to see Mayday Parade’s set because I was babysitting. The setlist remained the same.

I saw State Champs perform on May 12 at Irving Plaza on their spring tour. The bands that opened for State Champs were: Against The Current, With Confidence, and Don Broco. This was my fourth time seeing State Champs. Since I drove into the city, I unfortunately missed Don Broco and With Confidence’s setlist. I was able to see Against The Current, which overall had the crowd ready for State Champs. The people at Irving Plaza were either loving Against The Current or were ready to see State Champs. I think that Against The Current had a PVRIS, Tonight Alive, and Paramore type of vibe just by the way the music sounded/ the singer, Chrissy Constanza, presence on the stage.

After Against The Current was State Champs. State Champs took the stage with the crowd screaming and crowd surfing to each song.


Here is State Champs setlist:

1. Remedy
2. Losing Myself
3. Shape Up
4. Eyes Closed
5. Simple Existence
6. Slow Burn
7. Deadly Conversation
8. All Or Nothing
9. Stick Around
10. Around The World And Back
11. All You Are Is History
12. Hard To Please
13. Easy Enough
14. Mind Bottled
15. Breaking Ground
16. Tooth And Nail
17. Elevated
18. Secrets *ENCORE*

I highly recommend seeing all of these bands live, especially the headlining bands State Champs and Mayday Parade. Every band I saw last week took the stage and dominated their performance. All three of those shows were sold out, and the crowd was ready for each group.

In other news, Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness released the music video for “So Close,” COIN released the music video for “I Don’t Wanna Dance,” Chris Cornell of Soundgarden passed away at 52, Linkin Park released One More Night which features “Heavy,”  “Invisible,” and “Battle Symphony.” Silverstein announced a new album, Dead Reflection and released a new song “Retrograde.” Misterwives announced a tour across the United States (tickets and tour information can be found here), PVRIS announced a tour in the UK (Tickets and tour information can be found here), and Paramore announced a second addition to their tour across the United States (tickets and tour information can be found here).

Rock on, stay humble, and be positive!

-ovictoria

*Follow me on Twitter for updates on tours I go to @ovictoriamedia