The Summer Set headlines first tour

Brian Dales, Jess Bowen, and Stephen Gomez from The Summer Set. Photo by Holly Aker

Over the past year, The Summer Set’s popularity has really taken off. They were listed in Alternative Press’s 100 Bands to Watch in 2010, they were included in The AP Spring Tour that played South By Southwest, and now they’re headlining their very own tour. Supported by Stereo Skyline, Modsun, Austin Gibbs, and School Boy Humor, The Summer Set kicked off The Traveling Show Tour at Emo’s.

Being their first show of their first headlining tour, lead singer Brian Dales and guitarist John Gomez felt a little bit nervous about the upcoming show.

“I’m nervous and excited at the same time,” Gomez said. “But it’s our first headlining tour, so I’d feel like I wasn’t a real person if I wasn’t a little bit nervous.”

Before this tour, The Summer Set had only ever played as the warm up band, getting to play five, maybe six songs. However The Traveling Show Tour gives the band their first opportunity to play last on the bill and to play 12 songs in a row. With such a new experience before them, the band has some pretty high expectations for themselves.

“I am expecting to pass out,” Dales joked. “If there’s anything I’m actually expecting, it is to die. I am planning on just being unconscious.”

With such a quick increase in popularity, most bands would have let the fame get to their head. However, The Summer Set isn’t most bands. They’ve still got their heads firmly on their shoulders, and they say they’ve barely even noticed much of a change.

“It feels like we’re in the same place we’ve been for the last two years,” Gomez said.

“It’s never been where it drastically happened over night where it went to our heads,” Dales added. “It gradually every tour got a little bit bigger.”

In fact, when the subject of headlining their own tour was mentioned, they were a bit skeptical about it.

“When it came time to do a headline tour we were like, ‘Really? You think we’re ready?'” Gomez said.

The band’s management had to convince The Summer Set that it was their time to take on a headlining tour, and after accepting, the band decided to not make it just any old tour. They wanted to do something special and fun and make a tour that would be memorable, so they invited cross-genre musician, Modsun, and Austin Gibbs, their friend from home, to join them on tour.

Despite their worries, the first night of The Traveling Show Tour was a major success. The Summer Set played a fun and exciting set that got everyone inside Emo’s on their feet and jumping along to the songs. Their nearly-over-the-top-pop kind of music had even the kids in the corner cracking smiles, bopping their heads, and singing along. The night was a good sign as to the success the tour is sure to have along the road.

Never Shout Never show exceeds expectations

Never Shout Never. Photo by Holly Aker

The Harmony Tour visited Austin last night, and headliner Never Shout Never gave a performance that may not go down in the record books but was surprisingly entertaining.

Never Shout Never, which can be categorized under the genres of acoustic, indie, emo, pop, is fronted by Christopher Drew Ingles, who writes and records all of Never Shout Never’s music himself. On the road, Ingles is backed by his touring band, which he calls The Shout.

On first impression, Ingles looks like your typical hipster. He’s got the perfectly messy hair that swoops to one side, he sports a Ramone’s shirt, he smokes a cigarette and then sticks it between the strings on the neck of his guitar during songs, and for no apparent reason, he feels the need to mention the fact that he’s a vegetarian and eats veggie burgers. So while your first impression is probably dead on, Ingles does have a little more than just the cliches going for him.

Between every song, Ingles creates a conversation with the audience. He really lets his personality shine through, which makes everyone in the crowd feel as if they know Ingles as a person rather than just the frontman of Never Shout Never. I really enjoyed the conversation Ingles kept up because fans go to shows to not only hear the music but to also try to get a sense of the person behind the music.

Surprisingly enough, the person behind the music and the hipster exterior seems like a really cool and positive person. Almost everything he talked about carried the theme of love and harmony, which is a plus considering his fan base. About 90 percent of the crowd last night was teeny bopper girls that hung on his every word. After every sentence Ingles muttered, a piercing scream ran through the crowd that felt like knives slicing my ears open. With all the very young girls surrounding me screaming and shouting things like, “I love you, Christopher,” I realized that this was probably the first show for a lot of these girls, which gave me a terrible flashback to my first show at Austin Music Hall and my teeny bopper days.

If you could ignore the tweens and their screams, Ingle’s performance was actually pretty good. He’s got this cute-little-pinch-your-cheeks voice, that actually sounds more appealing live than it does on his recordings. His songs all have a happy-go-lucky-in-love feel to them that make the corners of your mouth turn up into a mini smile and bop your head along, even if only subconsciously.

One of the best things about Ingles’ show is that he has no hint of arrogance in his songs or demeanor. Unlike a lot of other cliched-soaked hipster singer/songwriter acts out there, you really get the feeling that Ingles performs for the sake of the music.

Comedians’ rally a big success

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/10/30/2010-10-30_thousands_of_new_yorkers_drawn_to_stephen_colbert_jon_stewart_rally_to_restore_s.html?r=news

Jon Stewart’s and Stephen Colbert’s Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear was held today at the National Mall in Washington D.C. For those of us not lucky enough to be able to attend in person, we had to find other ways to see the rally. Luckily Fons PR offered to put me and my co-editor on the guest list for the screening of the rally at the Alamo Drafthouse.

The rally of course featured comedy from Stewart and Colbert, but many musicians and TV-celebrities also attended the rally. One of the first acts during the rally was Mybusters Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage. Admitting that they would probably never again be in front of some many people at once, the duo used the crowd to conduct some experiments. The first thing they did was have the entire crowd do the wave. With so many people in attendance (estimates are still coming in but the Mythbusters estimated it at 150,000 while Stewart estimated over 10 million), the wave looked really cool and took nearly a minute to go from the front to the back. Then Hyneman and Savage had the crowd to the wave from back to front, then with just the ladies, just the men and finally starting with the front and back and meeting in the middle. The rally’s music guests included Mavis Staples, Yusef Islam, John Legend, Tony Bennett, and many more.

In support of the themes of sanity and fear, Stewart and Colbert gave out awards during the rally. Stewart gave his Medals of Reasonableness to Armando Gallarraga, the baseball player whose perfect game was  shattered by a bad call from an umpire and then shook the umpire’s hand the following day, Velma Hart, who politely interviewed President Obama at a forum, and Mick Foley, a pro wrestler who is very involved in charity work. All recipients were awarded for their ethical behavior.

Colbert also gave out three Fear Awards. The first one went to the Associated Press, ABC, NPR, CBS, and the New York Times for prohibiting their reporters from attending the festival and Colbert gave the medal to a seven-year-old girl. The next Fear Award was given to Anderson Cooper’s tight black shirt for always looking good on the reporter during his on-site news casts, and Colbert hung the medal on a tiny black shirt on a hanger. The last Fear Award went to Mark Zuckerberg, who didn’t attend the rally because as Colbert joked, he values his privacy more than the general public’s.

The rally ended with Stewart getting serious and talking about the real reason everyone was there. Stewart discussed how life is hard and we all have obstacles to face, but that we need to all be civil with each other even if we all don’t see eye to eye. Stewart also talked about how the role that the press plays in our lives and how although it’s not completely bad, we need to be aware of how much we let it into our lives. His biggest message was probably when he said, “If we amplify everything, we hear nothing.”

Edison Chair plays La Fuentes

Edison Chair bassist. Photo by Holly Aker

Last night I went to a little Mexican restaurant off South Congress called La Fuentes to see Edison Chair. Reigning from Dripping Springs, Edison Chair plays good quality pop rock music.

The band started the show with “Feels Like Forever,” a very catchy, upbeat song that was a perfect starter. The song warmed up the crowd and promised everyone that they were in for a really good show. Edison Chair continued the set with old favorites like “I Can’t Even Imagine,” “Pressure,” “Heart Packed Away,” and the oh-so-cute love song “Don’t Go.”

This show was the first show in a long time for Edison Chair. The boys have been really focusing hard on writing better and better songs and really tightening up their performances. The show last night really proved how their hard work has been paying off. The performance was flawless, and those in attendance were lucky enough to hear the first live performances of a handful of new songs including “Learn to Love Again,” “Over And Over Again,” and “Let It Rain.”

The only downside of the show was the attendance. Besides the band’s families and the restaurant’s wait staff, only a handful of people showed up. But this little fact didn’t get to the boys. They still played with the same amount of energy and dedication to the songs, and honestly, I like seeing Edison Chair with a smaller crowd because the boys are less inhibited and do things like tell really unfunny-funny jokes. They boys were born to be performers.

“Black Swan” reveals the darker side of ballet

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/08/18/black-swan-poster-trailer/

Her fouettes are effortless and precise. Her piques are sharp and exact. Her jette leaps are extended and graceful. Everything about Nina is perfect, and this perfection is what ultimately pushes Nina to her breaking point.

“Black Swan” goes inside the world of professional ballet by showing the viewer Nina’s struggle to the top. Nina, played by Natalie Portman, has been with her New York City ballet company for years, but she’s never held the position of prima ballerina. All that changes though with the company’s production of the classic ballet, Swan Lake.

After what Nina feels is a disastrous audition, the company director assigns Nina to her dream role: Swan Queen, which is divided into two sub roles, the pure and perfect white swan and the black swan, darker, edgier and controlled by emotion. Nina is the ideal ballerina for the white swan, but the black swan is almost too much of a stretch for her. However, Lily (Mila Kunis), the new ballerina in the company, would be perfect to play the black swan, and the company director constantly reminds Nina of this.

What should be a time of joy and celebration for Nina quickly turns into quite the opposite as the stress and competition for the role starts consuming her mind and taking over her life. When it all becomes too much for her, Nina begins to lose track of what’s reality and what’s just in her head.

Director Darren Aronofsky crafts a beautifully chilling story with “Black Swan.” He is able to capture the pure innocence and beauty of ballet without losing its darker secrets that most people don’t consider.

Portman also does a great job in her role as Nina. She brings a frailness to the character while at the same time portraying a constant sense of anxiety. Portman is able to make Nina seem sad and almost pathetic as she scrambles to keep her life from shattering. However by the end of the movie, Portman has transformed Nina into something completely different: a girl willing to do anything and everything to stay on top.

“Black Swan” isn’t just a darker and more serious version of “Center Stage” or “Step Up.” The film takes you deeper inside the lives and emotions of the girls dedicated to becoming the prima ballerina, and by combining chilling and almost scary twists with the pristine image of dance, “Black Swan” creates a whole new name for dance films.

For We Are Many Tour delivers the goods

Normally running your hand through a stranger’s sweaty hair is disgusting. But when that stranger is Ben Bruce, the smoking hot guitarist for British metalcore band Asking Alexandria, and he’s leaning into the crowd during Asking Alexandria’s set on the For We Are Many Tour, you can’t help but reach up and tousle his curly hair. I know I sure as heck couldn’t.

And She Whispered. Photo by Holly Aker

The show, held on Oct. 25 at Emo’s didn’t start with Asking Alexandria, though. And She Whispered, a Las Vegas post-hardcore band, took the stage first. With most fans in the crowd eager to see the harder headliners, And She Whispered, who are in all honesty on the lighter side of the post-hardcore genre, had a bit of a hard time getting the crowd pumped up.

Despite the crowd’s lack of excitement, And She Whispered put on a really good show. All four musicians are very talented at their individual instruments, and the band’s songs are all very catchy. Lead singer Andrew Caruso even admitted to having a cold, but his performance never suggested anything of the such.

Born of Osiris. Photo by Holly Aker

After a quick gear change, Born Of Osiris took the stage. Reigning from Palatine, Illinios, Born Of Osiris mixes metal with a few scatterings of synth beats and bass that hits so hard you can feel the back of your eyes shaking.

Picking up where And She Whispered left off, Born Of Osiris not only grabbed the attention of everyone at the show but got everyone pushing, shoving, moshing and trying to get as close to the stage as possible. Fans started crowd surfing, and one girl was so inspired by Born Of Osiris’s set that she scaled the rafters and hung upside down from the ceiling until she dropped into the waiting arms of the crowd below.

At one point during BOO’s set, a crowd surfer was thrown on top of head, and his shoe kicked me square in the nose. After the stars and little blue birds disappeared, I pinched my nose to check for a break and made sure I wasn’t bleeding. Realizing I was in the clear, I went straight back to enjoying the show.

Ben Bruce from Asking Alexandria. Photo by Holly Aker

Asking Alexandria was next in the line up. The British band is widely known for putting on one of the best shows, and this one was no exception. As soon as the band walked on stage and started playing their synth-infused form of hardcore, the air in the room vanished as the whole crowd rushed the stage and the pit opened up in the middle of the crowd.

“I wanna see blood. I wanna see broken bones. I wanna see chaos,” lead singer Danny Worsnop said at one point during the show.

The band played all the fan favorites like “I Was Once, Possibly, Maybe, Perhaps A Cowboy King,” “If You Can’t Ride Two Horses At Once You Should Get Out Of The Circus,” “The Final Episode” and “A Propecy,” which they announced they’d be releasing a new music video for soon. The band also premiered songs from their eagerly awaited sophomore album, which should be well received as the crowd had the whole building shaking during the songs.

Guitarist for All That Remains. Photo by Holly Aker

Finishing off the night was All That Remains, a metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts. The band’s more mature metal sound and throaty growls had the whole crowd cheering, moshing and throwing up the classic devil horns.

With their surprisingly captivating light show and their fine tuned live performance, All That Remains was a perfect end to very memorable tour.

“Main Street” leaves viewers hanging

http://www.colinfirth24-7.com/mainstreet/main_street_2010.html

The first full-length movie I saw at Austin Film Festival was “Main Street.” The film was playing at the Paramount on opening night directly after the much anticipated film “Exporting Raymond,” so I assumed it would be a pretty good film. While I wasn’t completely wrong, the film let me down a bit.

“Main Street” is about a little town in North Carolina that flourished in previous years, but has been struggling for the past few years. Young people leave as soon as they get a chance, and the older people who do stay are going through financial hardships. Now with residents desperate for a solution to their problems, a stranger shows up with a plan to resurrect the town. Played by Colin Firth, the stranger proposes a solution that at first makes the townspeople very uncomfortable, but after realizing they have no other option, the town welcomes the change.

The cast for “Main Street” is spotted with pretty big names including Orlando Bloom, Firth, Amber Tamblyn, Ellen Burstyn, and Patricia Clarkson, and each actor gives a great performance. Unfortunately, these actor’s talent could not save the bland storyline.

Leaving the theater, I felt a sense of incompleteness. The movie’s end seemed very rushed, as if the writer felt the movie had gone on long enough, and it needed to end right then. None of the problems were fixed in the end, yet there was a definite happily-ever-after vibe, which didn’t make any sense. With a little more time and care given to the ending, the movie could have left me and the rest of the audience with a better sense of completeness.

Chiodos keep sound with “Illuminaudio” despite losses

The new faces of Chiodos. Photo from http://doubledance.ca/artists/listen-to-chiodos-new-album-illuminaudio-today/

After last year, most fans lost all hope in Chiodos. In just a few months the Michigan post-hardcore outlet dropped drummer Derrick Frost, lead singer Craig Owens and had both replaced by 2010’s Bamboozle Festival.

As most people saw Owens as the face of Chiodos, many fans automatically denounced the new members, refusing to give Brandon Bolmer, the new singer, any chance. However, with the release of “Illuminaudio,” Chiodos have proven that they are still the same band at heart.

The album starts with the song “Illuminaudio,” a slow and almost creepy introduction that leads straight into “Caves.” With its grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-shake-you-until-you-can’t-see-straight mentality, “Caves” ends the discussion about whether Chiodos will be able to live up to its former success.

Even with all the changes that took place inside Chiodos, the band has managed to preserve the same sound that fans came to love with 2005’s “All’s Well That Ends Well” and 2007’s “Bone Palace Ballet.” The new track “Stratovolcano Mouth” shares the same slow build-up followed by a crashing intensity that made the older song “The Undertaker’s Thirst For Revenge Is Unquenchable” such a gripping track.

Chiodos has always mixed the sound of a soft classic piano with heavy guitars and gut wrenching growls, and “Illuminaudio” continues the trend. “Those Who Slay Together, Stay Together” starts out with a beautifully composed piano and violin section and then slowly begins to gather steam until it explodes with thrashing guitars and cymbals and Bolmer’s shattering screams.

One of the biggest fears Chiodos fans had about losing Owens was his voice, with its uniquely high range and ability to produce some of the grizzliest screams in the hardcore scene. However, Bolmer delivered on “Illuminaudio.” On every track, he shows that he too can reach the high notes with ease, and his screams are powerfully crushing. Of course, while Bolmer doesn’t have the exact same voice as Owens, the two voices are so alike that casual fans might not even be aware there was a singer exchange.

For me, Bolmer’s vocals are a great improvement for Chiodos. I admit Owens was very talented and had a great vioce, but when he sang, his cockiness gushed out of his vocals. Bolmer on the other hand just sings with passion. You can tell just from listening to the songs that Bolmer cares about providing quality music to the fans.

The biggest change for Chiodos is in the songwriting. On each album, Owens used to include two or three really touching love ballads like “Lindsay Quit Lollygagging,” “A Letter from Janelle” and “Intensity in Ten Cities.” Unfortunately, “Illuminaudio” doesn’t have any songs like these. While the slower songs like “Notes in Constellations” and “Closed Eyes Still Look Forward” are beautiful songs, they don’t pull at the heartstrings like Owens’ ballads did.

“Illuminaudio” also indirectly showcases Chiodos’ popularity and growing fan base. By comparing the sound quality between “Illuminaudio,” “Bone Palace Ballet,” and “All’s Well That Ends Well,” it’s obvious that Equal Vision Records fronted a bigger hunk of cash to record and produce “Illuminaudio.” The vocals are clearer, more upfront, and very in-your-face, and the instruments are also much clearer and at the same time have that extra punch-in-the-face intensity. With such a great sound coming from such a small record company like Equal Vision, it’s obvious that Chiodos’ popularity has skyrocketed and that the record company has big expectations for the band.

While the faces of Chiodos may have changed quite a bit, “Illuminaudio” is a testament to the strong core of Chiodos. It shows that the band is still one of the strongest in the hardcore scene and will be for years to come.

Light the Night Walk shines hope

Lake Mueller and the hangar. Photo by Holly Aker

Tonight the annual Light the Night Walk was held at Lake Mueller in the new Mueller urban village off Airport Boulevard. The Light the Night Walk is held every year in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the walk aims to not only raise money for the organization but also to bring hope to those who are fighting cancer and their loved ones.

Lake Mueller is an ideal place for the walk: the beautiful park with it’s gorgeous landscaping and shimmering lake could put a smile on anyone’s face. The starting point of the walk was held in the restored hangar left over from the old airport. For those who don’t know, the Mueller village took the place of Robert Mueller Airport, Austin’s first airport that closed in 1999.

White balloons were for survivors. Photo by Holly Aker

All participants were provided with a colored shirt depending on the participant’s  status and food from Roppolo’s Pizzeria, Texas Honey Ham, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Chipotle’s. Supporters were given a red shirt, cancer survivors wore white shirts, and participants honoring a loved one who lost their fight against cancer were in gold. Everyone was also given a helium balloon that matched their shirt color with a flashing light inside.

While participants enjoyed their food and mingled with other walkers, Fox 7’s Keri Bellacosa emceed the event. The entertainment for the night consisted of Regan High School’s dance team, The Strutters, and the school marching band. Additionally, Edison Chair, a local teen rock band from Dripping Springs, played a fun, energetic set throughout the evening that got the whole crowd dancing.

When the sun set, the walkers started their journey. Everyone proudly held their balloon high and marched around the entire lake. The night sky was lit up with the multi-colored, flashing balloons, and the lights glistening off the stillness of the lake made for a truly beautiful, twinkling scene.

With a breezy, crisp fall day and thousands of people motivated to help end cancer, it was a great night for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and for all those looking for inspiration in their fight.

Hopdoddy makes burgers gourmet

 

http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/dining/entries/2010/09/29/hopdoddy_burger_bar_taking_cis.html

 

Tonight I wanted to try something new for dinner. Something fresh, tasty, and not too expensive. So I decided to go to Hopdoddy, the new burger bar on SoCo. The restaurant has only been open a few days now and took the place of Cissi’s Wine Bar.

Hopdoddy is a perfect addition to Austin’s list of local burger joints: it focuses on providing diners with fresh, organic, and local food and drinks. The chefs make each item of food including the burger patties, buns, and fries everyday by hand, and even the drinks are crafted with the same care. The mouth watering floats and shakes are blended with hand-churned ice cream and organic milk, and the restaurant offers quite an arrangement of locally made beer and liquor.

On my visit to Hopdoddy, I ordered the Janis Joplin, the restaurant’s own veggie burger that may have become one of my favorites in the city. The burger is made from a hemp seed base and topped with avocados, sprouts, tillamook cheddar cheese and surrounded by Hopdoddy’s delicious bun. The rest of the menu also looks delicious with a mushroom and goat cheese burger, a burger with poblano chiles and apple-smoked bacon, a bison burger, and a tuna burger with teriyaki and honey wasabi. The thinly sliced and perfectly season kennebec fries are a great addition to any meal.

My only complaint about the restaurant was about my shake. I ordered a chocolate milk shake, and I had very high expectations for the drink because a.) I had heard some great things about Hopdoddy’s shakes and b.) for $6 it had better be amazing. After receiving my burger without my shake, the waitress said my drink would come from the bar, and it would be right out. After eating half my burger and still no shake in sight, I headed over to the bar to do some investigating. The bar tender looked completely bewildered by my inquiry about my shake but said she’d have it to me in a few minutes. More time went by with no change, so I asked another waiter about the status of my ice creamy drink. This waiter went to the bar and stood there until the bar tendered made my shake handed it him. Although it was a bit of a pain to get the shake, I have no complaints: the shake was incredibly smooth, chocolaty, and oh so delicious. The bar tender even topped off my shake with mountain of whipped cream, and the waiter gave me a $5 gift certificate for my next visit to Hopdoddy. I’m going to call this issue just a little snag in the post-opening scramble.

Overall, I’d say Hopdoddy is a great addition to the SoCo strip. The food is deliciously fresh, and I love that the burger bar keeps as everything as local as possible.