This Wild LIfe

20 Bands To Check Out In 2020

April 3, 2020 — 1 Comment

2020 has been a VERY strange time. For a lot of places, there has been a state of “quarantine” going on. Other than scrolling through social media, check out my list of songs (and bands) to listen to in 2020!

  1. “Stranger” by WVNDER

2. “Medicine” by Tiny Moving Parts.

3. “Will We Talk?” by Sam Fender.

4. “Good As It Gets” by Little Hurt.

5. “You.” by SHADED.

6. “Crawl” by Crooked Teeth. I discovered Crooked Teeth when they toured with This Wild Life on “The Petaluma Tour.” I really liked their sound and wanted to showcase it on my blog!

7. “Heartbeat” by Point North.

8. “Incandescent” by Boxford.

9. “Go Easy” by Matt Maeson. I discovered Matt Maeson for his song “Cringe” and really enjoy his sound! He has a chill vibe and unique voice! It’s a little gritty but he has great runs!

10. “Peach Fuzz” by Caamp.

11. “Glitter” by BENEE. BENEE is getting a lot of radio love for her song “Supalonely” featuring Gus Dapperton. This is the first song I discovered from this New Zealand native. Mark my words: her music will blow up this year!

12. “Runaway” by half alive. This song is currently one I keep in repeat! It’s one of my favorites to listen to when taking a long drive.  The first song I heard from half alive is “still feel.” and was captivated with the sound.

13. “Lets Fall In Love For The Night” by FINNEAS. FINNEAS and Billie Eilish are siblings and it’s safe to say they’re both TALENTED! FINNEAS won me over with this song “Lets Fall In Love for the Night” which showcases his amazing vocals.

14. “Hit Me Up” by Omar Apollo. Omar Apollo is an emerging artist who featured Dominic Fike (known for his song “3 Nights“) and Kenny Beats.

15. “Rewind” by Absofacto. I discovered Absofacto on Sirius XM’s AltNation, and shortly after getting radio play, Absofacto blew up on TikTok with “Dissolve.”

16. “Summer Is A Curse” by The Faim.

17. “Park Bench” by Valley. I discovered Valley after seeing them open for The Band CAMINO. Check out my concert review.

18. “Alchemy” by Slowly Slowly.

19. “Heavenly” by Cigarettes After Sex. I found Cigarettes After Sex after their song “Apocalypse” and wanted to showcase how great they are.

20. “Mine Is Gold” by Sparrow Sleeps. Sparrow Sleeps takes songs from popular altrenative/ rock bands and makes it “baby friendly.” The music is soothing and definitely worth checking out if you like bands like Paramore, State Champs, Panic! At The Disco, and more.

*BONUS* “Deathbed” by Powfu and Bebadoobie. I discovered Bebadoobie a few months ago on Sirius XM’s AltNation for her song “She Plays Bass.” Since that single, she teamed up with Powfu for “death bed.” This song is a getting a lot of radio airplay and is popularly also known as “Coffee For Your Head.”

Let me know if you add any of these groups to your playlists @ovictoriamedia on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Rock on, stay humble, and be positive!

-ovictoria

Need more music/ bands to check out? Check out:

19 Bands To Check Out In 2019

18 Bands To Check Out In 2018

17 Bands To Check Out In 2017

16 Bands You Need To Check Out In 2016

Personal note: Today marks 4 years since I began my music blog! Throughout the 4 years on WordPress, I have broadened my knowledge of alternative music. I’ve found amazing music, virtually documented my experiences at shows, and expanded my love for writing. I’m SO appreciative of every reader who has ever seen my page. You all mean the world to me. Thank you!

“The Petaluma Tour” Concert Review in Brooklyn, NY

April 21, 2019 — 3 Comments

I attended “The Petaluma Tour” at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, NY on April 20, 2019. The tour is headline by This Wild Life with special guests Sleep On It, Hold Close, and Crooked Teeth. This was the first time I attended a show at the Knitting Factory.

Prior to the show, I purchased a meet and greet with This Wild Life. The meet and greet included: a hang out with Kevin and Anthony, coffee, donuts, a coffee cup, Q & A with the band, and photo.

When walking into the venue, I saw a table with coffee setup. The beverage options included: coffee, cold brew, Coca Cola, Diet Coke, and water. The setup had a sign that said “Esta Vida Mocha” which was a cute touch! Here is a picture of the setup.

Esta Vida Mocha coffee setup (c) Victoria Onorato @ovictoriamedia

After receiving my drink and donut, I took a picture with Kevin and Anthony in their Petaluma inspired aprons. Here is the picture!

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Kevin Jordan, Victoria Onorato, and Anthony DelGrosso

Kevin Jordan and Anthony DelGrosso talked a lot about what the two of them do with their down time during tour, bands they’d like to tour with, song meanings, and the progression the band has endured. Getting to hang with Kevin and Anthony again was a lot of fun. They were funny, engaging, and the meet and greet was fun. This time around there were more people at the meet and greet which was nice to see. Fun fact: This Wild Life’s merch guy tunes guitars on stage, played in Crooked Teeth to “fill the gap” and assisted This Wild Life with swapping guitars and being a third guy on stage playing the guitar and shaking a tambourine.

Note: This blog contains setlist!

The first band that took the stage was Crooked Teeth. I was unfamiliar with their music prior to attending the show. They had really cool instrumentals on their songs which I was enjoying. There weren’t a lot of people in the venue for Crooked Teeth. At one point, the singer asked fans if they were excited for Hold Close and the crowd was completely silent. The only voice heard was the bartender taking orders. As their set continued, more people got close to the stage and enjoyed the music. Crooked Teeth had a moment when they connected with fans. The vocalist shared that “a sentiment to take away is a good time and to treat everyone with respect. We are one inside here and out there.” After sharing a touching moment, he said “Here’s ‘Hate Me'” which had listeners laughing.

Crooked Teeth (c) Victoria Onorato @ovictoriamedia

The next band that took the stage was Hold Close. Hold Close released its first full length album Time this year under Hopeless Records. I was unfamiliar with Hold Close prior to the show, but I enjoyed their stage presence and sound a lot. I like that fans were really engaged with Hold Close. One of the songs performed on the set was about a friend of someone in the band and their battle with addiction which touched a lot of people in the show. After the set, I got their vinyl. What I found interesting about the vinyl is the sleeve holding the vinyl had the lyrics printed in Latin.

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Hold Close (c) Victoria Onorato @ovictoriamedia

Sleep On It took the stage after Hold Close. I’ve seen Sleep On It at Vans Warped Tour in 2018. I loved their presence on stage, their music, and the fan interaction. Prior to “Let Me Go” the vocalist, Zech Pluister, shared about a toxic relationship he was in when he was 16. He explained that if there are toxic people in your life to cut ties because it’s not worth being unhappy. I respect how all the opening bands had a message to share. At the end of the set, Sleep On It shared they’d be back in the summer with “a longer set.” Sleep On It has liked Sad Summer Fest’s tweet about adding bands to the lineup. My guess is Sleep On It is performing at Sad Summer Fest. Here were the songs performed by Sleep On It:

  1. Distant
  2. Hope
  3. Unspoken
  4. A New Way Home
  5. Window
  6. Let Me Go
  7. Leave The Light On
  8. A Brighter Shade Of Blue
  9. Disconnected
  10. See You Around
  11. Fireworks

Sleep On It (c) Victoria Onorato @ovictoriamedia

After all the bands performed, This Wild Life took the stage walking out to their cover of “Sunflower.” I love that This Wild Life walked out to their cover of “Sunflower” because the stage setup was full of sunflowers in honor of their album Petaluma. Here is This Wild Life’s set:

  1. Sunflower (Post Malone Cover)
  2. Westside
  3. History
  4. Figure It Out
  5. Catie Rae
  6. Better With You
  7. Fade
  8. Stay Up Late
  9. Hold You Here
  10. Pink Tie
  11. No More Bad Days
  12. Headfirst
  13. Puppy Love
  14. Concrete
  15. 405
  16. Break Me
  17. Positively Negative

Seeing This Wild Life again was a lot of fun. Prior to seeing them open for Mayday Parade on the “Welcome To Sunnyland Tour” and Vans Warped Tour, I saw them headline at Bowery Ballroom in New York City supporting their last album Low Tides. This Wild Life played more songs on this set they haven’t played in awhile, have never played, and forgot how some of the songs went. I love how transparent This Wild Life is with their listeners, and they put on a fun and energetic show.

This Wild Life (c) Victoria Onorato @ovictoriamedia

After the show, I got a polaroid signed. The polaroid was a photo of the guys on Sleep On It holding pizza. I got my vinyl of Overexposed signed and talked with the guys in the band. I shared how I was really into their music and getting to see them at Vans Warped Tour was what sold me on their band. They were humble guys who are up and coming in the music scene. If you have yet to see This Wild Life, Sleep On It, Hold Close or Crooked Teeth, I highly recommend checking them out!

Rock on, stay humble, and be positive!

-ovictoria

 

Albums To Release In April 2019

April 7, 2019 — Leave a comment

Here are some albums to keep an eye out for this month!

April 5, 2019

Morbid Stuff by PUP via. Rise Records. The album features “Scorpion Hill,” “KIDS,” “Free At Last,” and “Sibling Rivalry.” Here is the album track list:

  1. Morbid Stuff
  2. KIDS
  3. Free at Last
  4. See You at Your Funeral
  5. Scorpion Hill
  6. Closure
  7. Blood Mary, Kate and Ashley
  8. Sibling Rivalry
  9. Full Blown Meltdown
  10. Bare Hands
  11. City.

Additional albums include: Lips Like Oxygen Reimagined by Oh, Weatherly and Mistakes like Fractures- EP by Knocked Loose.

April 12, 2019

The Ghost of Ohio by Andy Black via. Republic Records. The album includes singles “The Promise,” “Ghost of Ohio,” and “Westwood Road.”

  1. Introduction: Ressurection
  2. The Promise
  3. Westwood Road
  4. Know One
  5. Soul Like Mine
  6. The Wind & Spark
  7. Ghost of Ohio
  8. Heroes We Were
  9. Feast of Famine
  10. Heaven
  11. The Martyr
  12. Fire In My Mind

Additional albums include LABRINTH, SIA & DIPLO PRESENT….LSD by LSD, The Darker the Weather// The Better the Man by MISSIO, and Redux: The First 10 Years by Silverstein.

April 19, 2019

Social Cues by Cage The Elephant via. RCA Records. The singles include “Night Running,” “Ready to Let Go,” and “House of Glass.” Here is the album track list:

  1. Broken Boy
  2. Social Cues
  3. Black Madonna
  4. Night Running
  5. Skin and Bones
  6. Ready to Let Go
  7. House of Glass
  8. Love’s the Only Way
  9. The War Is Over
  10. Dance Dance
  11. What I’m Becoming
  12. Tokyo Smoke
  13. Goodbye

April 26, 2019

The Balance by Catfish and the Bottlemen via Island Records. The 11 song album includes the songs “Longshot,” “Fluctuate,” and “2all.” Here is the album track list:

  1. Longshot
  2. Fluctuate
  3. 2all
  4. Conversation
  5. Sidetrack
  6. Encore
  7. Basically
  8. Intermission
  9. Mission
  10. Coincide
  11. Overlap.

Additional album releases include: Violet Street by Local Natives, Unbreakable by New Years Day, and Neotheater by AJR via. AJR Productions.

In other news, The Dangerous Summer tweeted their upcoming album Mother Nature is set to release this summer and shared they will be on tour with Have Mercy and Modern Chemistry. Twenty One Pilots and Panic! At The Disco were nominated for Billboard Music Awards, the music video for “Here With Me” by Marshmello and CHVRCHES released, Eat Your Heart Out released the music video for “Carousel,” This Wild Life did a cover of “Sunflower” originally performed by Post Malone and Swae Lee, and The Lumineers released “Gloria.”

Rock on, stay humble, and be positive!

-ovictoria

Spring Tours To Attend In 2019

February 16, 2019 — Leave a comment

Here are a list of tours to attend in Spring 2019!

  • “USA 2019” tour headlined by Movements with guests Boston Manor, Trash Boat, and Drug Church. The tour begins on Apr. 17 and continues until May 19. For tickets and more information click here.

  • “Petaluma Tour” hosted by This Wild Life. Accompanying This Wild Life on the Petaluma tour are Sleep On It and Crooked Teeth. The tour travels across the United States throughout the month of April. For tickets and tour dates click here.

  • “Berkeley’s On Fire North American Tour” hosted by SWMRS. Accompanying SWMRS on tour are The Regrettes and Beach Goons. For tickets and tour information click here.

https://twitter.com/swmrs/status/1082292857002545152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1082292857002545152&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.altpress.com%2Fnews%2Fswmrs-us-tour-2019-the-regrettes%2F

  • “BACK ON TOUR & YOU ARE OK” tour hosted by The Maine in honor of the upcoming album YOU ARE OK set to release March 29 via 8123. Accompanying The Maine on tour is Grayscale. For tickets and more information click here.

  • “From The Screen To Your Stereo To Your Town” tour headline by New Found Glory. The tour travels across the United States from the end of May to early July. New Found Glory will be playing songs from their upcoming EP Movie Cover. Accompanying New Found Glory are Real Friends, The Early November, and Doll Skin. For tickets and tour information click here.

  • Knocked Loose announced a US tour via Twitter. Accompanying Knocked Loose are: The Acacia Strain, Harms Way, Sanction, and Higher Power. The tour kicks off in April. For tickets and tour dates click here.
  • Hot Mulligan announced a spring tour with Belmont, Kayak Jones, Fredo Disco and Future Teens. The tour begins at the end of April and continues until the beginning of June across the United States. For tickets and more information click here.
  • Shinedown announced the “Attn Attn World Tour” in May of 2019. For tickets and more information click here.
  • Marianas Trench announced the “Suspending Gravity Tour” across the United States. For tickets and tour information click here.
  • Billie Eilish announced a North American summer tour. For tickets and more information click here.
  • MewithoutYou announced a co-headline tour with Cursive. The tour travels across the United States starting in May. For tickets and more information click here.
  • We Came As Romans and Crown The Empire have announced a co-headline tour across the United States. For tickets and tour dates, click here.

Additional festivals include: The Governors Ball Music Festival, Bonnaroo Festival, Back To The Beach Festival, and more.

Rock on, stay humble, and be positive!

-ovictoria

*For tours that are going on now check out Winter Tours To Attend In 2019.

What You Need To Know Wednesday

January 23, 2019 — 1 Comment

Here are things you need to know that happened this week:

Twenty One Pilots released the music video for “Chlorine.”

The Story So Far released the music video for “Proper Dose.”

This Wild Life released the music video for “Figure It Out.”

Bring Me The Horizon released “mother tongue.”

Parkway Drive released “Shadow Boxing.”

Hands Like Houses released the video for “Sick.”

American Football released “Uncomfortably Numb” featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore.

Knocked Loose announced a US tour with the Acacia Strain, Harm’s Way, Sanction, and Higher Power. Tickets go on sale Friday. For tour dates and show information click here.

All That Remains announced a tour with Attila, Escape The Fate, and Sleep Signals. The tour kicks off at the end of February. For tickets and tour information click here.

The Maine announced “The Maine Are Back On Tour & You Are OK” with Grayscale. There are select dates in the United States. For tickets and more information click here.

Back To The Beach Fest‘s lineup has been released which features Blink 182, The Used, The Story So Far, and more. For tickets click here.

Rock on, stay humble, and be positive!

-ovictoria