Brand New, Thrice, & Crime In Stereo: Live at the House of Blues

Brand New, Thrice, & Crime In Stereo: Live at the House of Blues

Concert Review

By: Paul G. Atkinson IV

 

On November 4^th fans of Brand New, Thrice, and Crime In Stereo flocked to the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida. The audience filled the building to the brim, scrounged up every last ticket, and witnessed a cavalcade of breathtaking lights and sounds before the night was through.

It had been four years since I had seen either Brand New or Thrice perform live. In that time each band has grown drastically. Thrice put out a wildly experimental four EP concept album series based on the four elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth. However, rather than being a dense and unlistenable musical tome, the tunes that composed the series, The Alchemy Index, were some of the band’s most accessible and powerful songs to date. Thrice’s follow-up record, Beggars, is out now and showcases a more groove based and concise side of the band’s song writing.

Top Ten Records Of The Summer

Top Ten Records Of The Summer

By: Paul G. Atkinson IV

The summer is almost over. Officially, fall doesn’t kick in until September 22^nd, but for many the splendor of summer ended when classes started. Personally, I’m still holding on to the freedom of the season by spinning the best records that the past three months had to offer. There was a lot to sort through: from Green Day’s widely publicized “21^st Century Breakdown” to the wildly obscure “Constellations” from Christian metal riff masters August Burns Red. However, I’m only bringing you the albums that were blasting on the beach, in the car cruising with the windows down, in smoke filled rooms, and at late hang outs under the stars. In no particular order, here are the top ten albums from the summer of 2009:

A Dream Come True? Blink-182 Reunite.

A Dream Come True? Blink-182 Reunite.
By: Paul G. Atkinson IV (International Culture Correspondent)

Check out the article at Stetson University’s The Reporter website HERE.

I woke up and my dreams were a reality.  With the time change across the pond (I’m studying abroad in Scotland currently) it would have been 3am by the time the Grammys were finished and there wasn’t a TV set to be found broadcasting the show anyway.  Normally I stray far away from the mainstream award shows where the music categories merely jerk off album sales over musical integrity, but this year’s show had something only my days of Dickies shorts and summers spent at skate parks could hope for.

I went to sleep with a twisting tornado of rumors spinning around in my head and when I awoke the storm had settled and blink-182 was a band once again.  Message boards became crowded with speculation when MTV announced the trio would be on stage together for the first time since the band announced an “indefinite hiatus” in 2005.

America Sings Revolution Blues

Here is a heavily edited, refined, and basically different version of the last article posted:

I made a t-shirt to celebrate Election Day. I wanted to let my fellow academics know how I felt about a certain presidential candidate. The graphic was composed of a silhouetted soldier at arms above the words “We’ll sleep sound when we’re in the ground!” These words were written in a bold stenciled font in all capital lettering above the “McCain 2008″ campaign logo with the little star centered between two bars.

In my first class of the day, two students seated behind me became interested in my art. One asked, “What does your shirt mean?” While the other asked, “Do you support McCain?” I replied, “Yes. Yes I do. I support John McCain because I want to invade Iran and continue the needless killing of American troops.”

Revolution Blues

“Revolution Blues”

By: Paul G. Atkinson IV

I am not a costume journalist.  My gimmick is not to dress up in absurd attire and reflect on it.  And this article is certainly not part two of my “Just Being an Asshole” piece.  However, allow me to describe to you something I wore a few days ago.

I made a t-shirt to celebrate Election Day.  I purchased an iron-on graphic kit from the child’s craft section at Wal-Mart, popped a sheet of this magical transfer paper into my printer, and hit enter to spit out a Photoshop design I made while procrastinating and abdicating homework a few weeks back.

The graphic was composed of a silhouetted soldier at arms.  The dark figure resembled a green army man from the days of my childhood; a stiff and unmoving, lifeless figure with a machine gun stuck diagonally across his chest like a drooping, broken cross.  This soldier rose out of dark black ink above the words “We’ll sleep sound when we’re in the ground!”  These words were written in a bold stenciled font in all capital lettering above the “McCain 2008” campaign logo with the little star centered between two bars.

Upcoming Albums

Here is a piece I did for the Stetson University Reporter a few weeks back, a little out of date now, but informative nonetheless.  To view it online from The Reporter’s official website click here.

Upcoming Albums
By: Paul G. Atkinson IV

Jack’s Mannequin – The Glass Passenger:
Andrew McMahon (chief songwriter, vocalist, and piano player of the band) has done it again.  This album stripped away the mediocrity of the band’s debut album, took everything that was so enjoyable from the last time around and multiplied that substance ten fold.  If you liked Everything In Transit, you will love this release.  If a few lines from the last album got stuck in your head or made you sing along, then your mind will be consumed by the witty jabs, blunt sentiments, and infectious hooks this album holds.
-Musical style: Indie rock infused with piano and pop sensibilities.
-Release date: September 30th

Underoath & Saosin Sell Out House of Blues

Underoath & Saosin Sell Out House of Blues

By: Paul G. Atkinson IV

To see the version ran in Stetson University’s The Reporter click here.

Orlando’s House of Blues overflowed with an ocean of fans on October 15th when Underoath sold out the venue for the first time in the band’s history.  Underoath rose from the swamps of Ocala, FL and after playing shows in the area for a decade, they finally had to turn fans away.

The show began with an unexpected opener.  A radical leftist rapper named P.O.S. took the stage before the barrage of Emo, Screamo, and Metal that was later to come.  P.O.S. spat out rhymes from songs like “Half-Cocked Concepts” that started with, “First of all, Fuck Bush/That’s all, that’s the end of it” while a select few of utterly classy audience members spat back into his face.

“Just Being An Asshole!”

“Just Being An Asshole!”

By: Paul G. Atkinson IV

(The Stetson University Reporter online version can be seen here.)

I decided to walk in someone else’s shoes for a day. I was looking for change and an interesting new way to endure one of those fraternity “dress to pin” days. In short, I decided to be an asshole for a day.

It began with the outfit. I was at some cheap outlet, possibly Beall’s, looking for shorts to no avail when I stumbled across a pair of sea foam green (vomit/putrid swamp colored) boat shoes. The urge to get these disgustingly composed Sperry Topsiders at an unbelievable price took me by storm. Sporting these in some kind of mocking ironic fashion would really make my day.

Come On, People

Come On, People — By: Paul G. Atkinson IV

(The Stetson University Reporter online version can be seen here.)

Bo Diddley died over the summer and the world kept turning. No one forgot how to play guitar. No one forgot how to write a song or sing a note. No one really seemed to care. Why should anyone care? Was Bo Diddley still relevant or interesting to anyone besides music critics and historians? I don’t care and neither do you. This is pathetic. Modern music is pathetic. The reason being is that there are no more Bo Diddleys.

The truth is black people don’t play guitar anymore. This is why I don’t listen to the radio. This is why the Billboard Top 40 is full of mostly substance-less songs. This is why modern music is stagnant, boring, and repetitive.

“Get rid of bad music now.”

This piece is another music debate piece I ran in Stetson University’s The Reporter and was originally as “On Letting Go: Part II — Cleaning Out Your Music Collection.”  The version ran in newspaper can be seen here and the piece arguing against me can be seen here.

“Get rid of bad music now.”

By: Paul G. Atkinson IV

“Respect your elders.”

This is a notion far too often misinterpreted. Respect for your elders does not simple mean respect the past, respect what is old, and what has simply existed before you. What was supposed to be said here was: “Respect the wise.”

A lot of old people are wise. But, a lot of old people are batshit insane, bigoted, deranged, mentally ill, and completely worthless. Both these statements are true of old bands.

Respect the founders who shaped the music you listen to today. Respect Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Buddy Rich, Robert Johnson etc… but even the greats can’t be accepted fully. Don’t just eat what they feed you. Only respect what is actually good.