Nick: Have you been on all of Bamboozle?

Chloe: Yeah, I’ve been on it for all but 8 days, because I had an event in LA to do.

Nick: How has [Bamboozle] been?

Chloe: It’s been awesome. It’s such a great tour and there are so many great bands on it and it’s so awesome to meet all the kids and hear their stories. It’s been a blast.

Nick: What does TWLOHA have for upcoming events?

Chloe: [To Write Love On Her Arms] will be on all of Warped Tour, we have Cornerstone, we have a bunch of festivals this summer that we’re going to, so we’re busy. Summer’s always a crazy time for us.

Nick: Back in the spring, [TWLOHA] was going to different colleges, [right]?

Chloe: Yeah, we did a U-Chapter tour, and we’ll probably do one again in the Fall.

Nick: Since you won the USA Today ad, what’s the effect of that been like?

Chloe: Well we have a lot more site traffic and we heard from a lot of people that really loved the ad and love what we had to say. So, it was so awesome winning that. We were so excited and we really wanted to take the time to tell America that there is hope.

Nick: And for people who don’t know, could you give a basic overview of TWLOHA’s vision?

Chloe: Yeah, we’re non-profit and we exist to raise awareness for depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. Also to present hope and find help for those struggling, and then we invest directly to treatment and recovery. In four years, we’ve donated over $700,000 and answered over 175,000 messages.

Nick: Is there anything that somebody in high school could do if they want to help out?

Chloe: Yeah, they could go to our official website, and there’s a section called “Move”, and it lists all the ways to get involved.

Nick: I saw the peer-to-peer [program] that you guys are setting up on your website…

Chloe: Oh, I Am Alive, yeah. We’re excited. Hopefully it’ll be launching this fall. It’ll be the first ever online crisis counseling over instant messenger, that’s staffed by people one hundred percent trained and certified in crisis intervention.

Author’s note: TWLOHA is consistently entered in contests in order to win cash prizes which go directly to those in need. If you see anywhere to vote for them, please do so. They also have an abundance of awesome merchandise in their online store, where 100% of the profits go towards preventing suicide, depression, self-harm and addiction, in addition to things like their online crisis counseling program, IMAlive.

If you would like to find out more about To Write Love On Her Arms please visit their website.

June’s largest success: VersaEmerge’s Fixed At Zero

Looking back at June’s releases, there were a number of very solid records produced. From Hawthorne Heights’ fourth full-length, Skeletons, to Pierce The Veil’s sophomore album, Selfish Machines, the month did not disappoint. However, one of the most fulfilling records of the month was the debut full-length of the female-fronted alternative-rock band, VersaEmerge. Entering June, the release of their debut full-length was anticipated, but not necessarily as highly as other records, coming from bigger names that were slated for release during the month. VersaEmerge rose to the challenge and produced a record that draws you in, and just won’t let you go. Unfortunately, with a female-fronted rock band, the thought of “Paramore sound-alike” comes to mind fairly easily. However, that thought can easily be disregarded in this case. Sierra Kusterbeck is not Hayley Williams, and VersaEmerge is not Paramore; in a good way. The best way to find this out is through listening to the album, not just reading about it.

Go listen to: “Stranger”

Another product of June that deserves to be mentioned is the Chiodos demo track, “Thermacare”, which leaked during the month. The track was recorded while frontman Craig Owens was still part of the band, and shines some light on what will hopefully be a successful new album from both Chiodos, and Craig’s new band.

Looking forward to July:

1. The Maine’s Black And White (7/13):
The highly anticipated follow up to their 2008 debut full-length Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop will be The Maine’s first record with Warner Brothers Records. Black And White will propel the band through their first ever headlining tour this summer, which is titled An Evening With The Maine. Look for a similar, but more mature sound on the new record, which will be found on July 13th.

2. For All Those Sleeping’s Cross Your Fingers (7/20):
The debut album of popcore band, For All Those Sleeping is shaping up to be a good one. The two singles that the band has officially released are both heavy and catchy at the same time, which will bring a wide range of fans to the band. Look for the band on the Pyknic pArtery Tour this summer, and look for the album on July 20th.

3. Black Veil Brides’ We Stitch These Wounds (7/20):
Black Veil Brides may look like iconic rock band KISS on stage, but their music sounds nothing like them. The metal-influenced band has gained a very large following since coming together, and is now ready to release their debut album. They will be on the Sacred Ceremony Tour this summer playing songs from the new album which will be out on July 20th.

Staff writer

Last month’s largest success: Circa Survive’s Blue Sky Noise

Without a doubt, Blue Sky Noise deserves the most attention amongst April’s releases. The long awaited follow up to 2007’s On Letting Go was finally released on April 20th. It can easily be said that the wait was well justified by the product. The twelve track album possesses the ability to impress virtually anyone, from an avid follower of the band, to one who was previously unaware of their existence. (Although, if you’re familiar with similar bands, this would prove to be fairly difficult). The true beauty of Blue Sky Noise simply cannot be described in a brief article. For that matter, it couldn’t be described substantially in a full length article either. With tracks ranging from the catchy introduction track, “Strange Terrain” to the heartfelt track, “Spirit of the Stairwell”, the album is very dynamic. Once you’re drawn into the album, it proves to be a difficult task to stop it. With outstanding musicianship displayed by Anthony Green and company, the album is a huge success and shows that Circa Survive truly deserves the publicity that they are receiving due to the album’s release.

Looking forward to June:

1. Attack Attack’s self-titled album(6/8):

Attack Attack!’s sophomore album will be a vital test for the band. With the departure of screaming vocalist Nick Barham, (who screamed on their debut record, Someday Came Suddenly) keyboardist Caleb Shomo took over the position last October. With the new vocalist, the band has naturally acquired a slightly altered sound which they will have to prove as worthy to their fans. Expect the album on June 8th.

2. Pierce The Veil’s Selfish Machines (6/22):

With almost a three year waiting period between their last album, A Flair For The Dramatic and the new release, Pierce The Veil will need to show that the three year gap was worth the wait. With more of a thrashy, less melodic style than others of their genre, the past three years have hopefully matured the band and will make for a successful release. The record is set to drop on June 22nd.

3. Hawthorne Heights’ Skeletons (6/1):

Skeletons will be the second album that Hawthorne Heights has released since the tragic death of guitarist and vocalist Casey Calvert, which left them as a four piece band. With no intentions of replacing Casey, their last album, Fragile Future was somewhat of a disappointment after two very strong albums which featured Casey’s guitar and screams. Fragile Future came off as a very pop-like effort, which the band previously had a limited amount of experience with. If all goes well, Skeletons will be a better concocted effort at a pop/alternative rock album, and will even feature some minimal use of screaming vocals. The album will be available on June 1st. As always, rest in peace, Casey.

4. Hey Monday’s Beneath It All (Mid-June):

Hey Monday will be releasing their sophomore album, Beneath It All at some point during mid-June. The power-pop band’s newest creation will only contain eight songs, forcing them to put a lot into such a short record in order to set themselves apart from other similar power-pop and pop-punk bands. Cassadee Pope’s vocals do a lot to accomplish this, but another hill that the band will need to conquer with the new record is to not sound exactly like they did on their debut album, Hold On Tight. Look for a release date soon.

5. In Fear and Faith’s Imperial (6/15):

A year and a half after their debut album with Rise Records, In Fear and Faith is gearing for their second album release. The six-piece post-hardcore band has spent the intermittent time constantly touring and writing new material. They have released two tracks from the new album on their MySpace page. Both replicate their original sound from Your World On Fire pretty closely. Therefore, the band will need to show some progression with their sound for the album to be successful and not redundant. Either way, the band is a great up and coming force among their genre and should be recognized more than they are. Imperial will be available on June 15th.

The ‘Bout Damn Time Tour arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 13th 2010, at The Middle East restaurant in order to play for a rather large crowd of indie-rock and pop-punk fans. The tour, which travels all across the country, features The Bigger Lights, Anarbor, The Audition and This Providence, whose hometown the tour ends in; Seattle, Washington.

The Bigger Lights began the night with their twist on the customary pop-punk sound. Frontman Topher Talley’s unique sounding vocals set the band apart from other members of the genre; a trait which can either make or break a band that belongs to the pop-punk label. They captivated the crowd with a great deal of charisma from their members (led by Talley) on stage, along with a high quality musical performance. Their set featured songs from both their EP, and their debut self-titled album.

The memory of The Bigger Lights’ set would outlast that of their fellow tourmates, Anarbor, who made a sub-par appearance on stage. Anarbor’s sound is far less exciting than most pop-punk bands and not overly dynamic, as far as the genre goes. Their stage presence lacked severely, with the members simply standing in place for much of the set. Their set, which included songs from their EP and their most recent full length, excited members of the audience who were already fans of the band, but failed to impress many who were attending in order to see other bands on the tour.

Following Anarbor on stage was the veteran pop-punk act, The Audition. With four albums under their belt, they were the most experienced of the bands on the ‘Bout Damn Time Tour. Of the four bands on the tour, their sound fell the closest to the typical pop-punk sound. However, despite their minor lack of originality as far as their sound goes, the band made up for it with an above average amount of excitement and presence on stage. They pranced around The Middle East’s stage, playing their hearts out and just having a great time. Their set was one that most definitely deserved to be the last act before giving the stage to This Providence.

This Providence is an indie-rock band with two full albums and an EP to their name. Their music strays from the conventional sound of pop-punk while fusing elements of the genre with elements that are better described as “indie”. Either way, the band manages to draw in fans of pop-punk and indie music alike.

Entering the stage with “The Boys Are Back In Town” by Thin Lizzy playing through the PA system, the crowd went absolutely wild with excitement, welcoming This Providence to The Middle East’s stage. The lightshow for the band exceeded those of the previous bands, with extra lights illuminating them and accenting their performance nicely. This Providence played songs that appear on their debut, self-titled album such as “A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing”, in addition to newer songs such as “My Beautiful Rescue”, which appears on their most recent full-length, “Who Are You Now”.

This Providence proved themselves to be a very worthy headliner for the tour, and put on a memorable show. They captured the audience’s attention with their stage presence, in addition to their music’s presence and its captivating rhythm.

Hosting the tour for the night was The Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub. The Middle East is definitely one of the top venues in the Boston area to catch a band on tour at. The club features many local and national acts, generally falling under genres such as alternative rock, pop, electronic, punk-pop, and other similar styles of music. In addition to hosting a large number of shows, the venue is cleanly and well organized. It is also located in a nice section of Cambridge, along Massachusetts Avenue, just a short walk from the Central Square subway station. For those that may come across the opportunity to see a show at The Middle East, it is a highly recommended experience.

Note from the authors: Thank you to Kelly McWilliam from Atlantic Records for setting us up with photo passes.

Check out our flickr page in order to see pictures from this show, in addition to ones from the Alternative Press Tour. Also, we will be shooting for I See Stars, VersaEmerge, Let’s Get It and others later this week.

On Thursday April 1st, 2010, the Artery Foundation Across The Nation Tour made its way to the Crocodile Rock Café in Allentown, PA. Headlining the tour was post-hardcore band, Attack Attack!, supported by Breathe Carolina, I See Stars, Asking Alexandria, and Bury Tomorrow.

Prior to the show, band members could be seen wandering around the club, loitering at their merchandise tables, and even playing a few friendly games of pool outside of the main concert hall. However, the venue itself was poorly organized and very hectic. The manager appeared incredibly stressed out, and as a result, came off as very rude to the members of the press. The photography pit was very cramped, but would have to suffice for the night.

The opening band, Bury Tomorrow, is a hardcore band that was assembled in the United Kingdom. Playing in support of their recently released album, “Portraits”, they did their best to put on an exciting show for the crowd. They played a set of about five songs, and were a delight to watch. They put all the energy that they had into captivating the crowd and did exactly that. The band was very friendly and motivated to promote new fans as they spent the remainder of the night mingling with fans at their merchandise booth.

Bury Tomorrow will return to Europe for the majority of April and May, where they will be touring with American bands Alesana, A Skylit Drive, and Emarosa. This tour will be another major one for their reputation.

Bury Tomorrow

Another British band, Asking Alexandria was the next to take the stage. The band just released their debut album, “Stand Up And Scream” during September of 2009. Already, they have gained a spectacular number of fans and played a large number of shows. As they began their set, the crowd was ecstatic. With a set filled with their most popular songs, the fans sang along and were absorbed into the music.

The band sounded nearly as intense as they do on their CD but with the added effect of being live. They were also very strong instrumentally. However, the vocals lacked a small bit. The clean vocals were choppy at times, and where there would normally be high screams, there were low ones. Since Asking Alexandria is a very young band, they have plenty of time to realize their flaws from when they play live and correct them.

Asking Alexandria will be touring in Europe before returning to the United States in order to headline the Welcome To The Circus Tour, which also features Detroit based post-hardcore act We Came As Romans.

Asking Alexandria

The third band to take the stage was Breathe Carolina. The colorful and flashy light display that they opened up their set with and maintained throughout the whole show was fantastic, complimented the music, and added another dimension to the quality of their performance.

Breathe Carolina’s set consisted of a select few songs from their debut album “It’s Classy, Not Classic”, along with an assortment of songs from their newer album “Hello Fascination”. These included “Take Me To Infinity”, “Welcome To Savannah”, and a crowd favorite, “Hello Fascination”; the title track of the album. For much of the set, the crowd danced and sang along, simply enjoying their music, which features electronic-pop sounds, in addition to more hardcore sounds.

Formed in Colorado, Breathe Carolina has released an EP, along with their two full length albums thus far. As their popularity level continues to rise, they will be playing on the Vans Warped Tour for the full tour again, as they did last year. This year, they’re one of the biggest names appearing on the list of bands that will participate on the summer-long tour.

Breathe Carolina

The following, I See Stars, took the slot that Breathe Carolina would normally be playing in, due to the fact that one of their members was late to arrive at the venue. They are another young post-hardcore band with a very unique sound. They use a great deal of synthesizer in their music, in addition to combining catchy clean vocals with strong screamed vocals.

The band’s set was very strong both in stage presence and in musical presence. Supporting their 2009 album, “3D”, they played songs including their hit song “What This Means To Me”. Sounding very similar to their CD, the band managed to replicate the musical quality and adrenaline of the songs on their record, on the stage. Including a brief appearance of guest vocals from David Schmitt of Breathe Carolina, the band jumped around on stage and put on an above average show all around.

I See Stars will be headlining an East coast tour with VersaEmerge during the end of April and beginning of May. Similar to Breathe Carolina, they will also be playing at the Vans Warped Tour.

I See Stars

The headlining band, Attack Attack! is an electronic post hardcore band with a very large fan base. Despite a recent change of frontmen, their fans have still stuck with them. The new screamer, Caleb, moved from playing keyboard to screaming after their old screamer, Nick, left the band just prior to them going on tour. The band’s sound has changed a good deal since their debut album, “Someday Came Suddenly”, but they have remained just as heavy as before.

Their set consisted of a brand new song called “AC-130”, along with songs from their debut, such as “Stick Stickly”. The crowd went crazy during their set and had what appeared to be a great time. At one point, the band told the crowd to lift someone up to sit on their shoulders, and a good portion of them complied, making the pit two stories as they finished up their set.

The band has no upcoming tour planned until they play the entire Vans Warped Tour this summer, similar to fellow tour members Breathe Carolina.

Attack Attack!

The Artery Foundation Across The Nation Tour featured a very powerful and talented lineup of young bands. With only one band that has more than one full length album released, there is much to look forward to from all of the acts involved. Despite its coming to an end, the tour is definitely a memorable one.

As far as the venue goes, it may not be quite so memorable. The Crocodile Rock Café is a very cramped venue to catch a large tour at. With so many people packed into an average sized building, there was much confusion concerning fans trying to exit the building between sets, in addition to it being very hot inside. Poor organization and overselling the show were the two biggest problems that led to a mediocre night at best at The Crocodile Rock Café.

Note from the authors: We would like to send a special thank you along to Nonafaye Williams at Fearless Records. She was the one who set us up with press passes for this show, along with others and gave us this great opportunity. We appreciate it very much!

Also, we’ll be reviewing and shooting at the Alternative Press Tour at The House of Blues, which features Never Shout Never, Hey Monday, The Cab, Every Avenue and The Summer Set. In addition to that, we’ll also be shooting for and reviewing The Maine’s headlining tour with Cartel and Artist vs. Poet at the Pearl Street Ballroom within the coming weeks. More shows to follow!

If you would like to follow all of our photography, please visit our photostream on flickr, here: http://waghostwriter.com/TSj

Spring is in wake and with a new season comes new music.

Spring is known to everyone as the season of rebirth. When the green fields grow back their luscious grass, leaves sprout from the trees, myriads of flowers can be seen through out the various parts of town. So when you’re looking for a new musical playlist to jam too when you’re enjoying the warm weather on a casual drive, or enjoying a nature walk or simply just laying in a field of grass: here are some suggestions:

You American Idol fans might remember Brooke White, a top five finalist back in season seven? Well now with a Grammy nomination and holding the record of best Indie/Folk-Pop album debut ever, she has come a long way. Her album, High Hopes and Heartbreak is a soothing type of sound that can set someone at peace and the harmonies put together on this album are genius. These are the type of songs that fit nicely into going for a nature walk, or just trying to reach a state of zen. Some tracks to listen too: Sometimes Love, High Hopes and Heartbreak, When We Were One and Phoenix.

If you’re looking to jam out to some party music while driving aimlessly around in Westford or just to have a good time then these are recommended: Animal by Ke$ha, Jason DeRulo’s self-titled album, For Your Entertainment by Adam Lambert. These albums collectively make prime songs to dance ridiculously to in your car and sing too. Some tracks to look out for are: (Ke$ha) Dinosaur, Blah Blah Blah, Party At A Rich Dude’s House. (Jason DeRulo) In My Head, Love Hangover, Ridin’ Solo. (Adam Lambert) Music Again, For Your Entertainment, Fever.

Some new artists to watch out for that are making a huge impact quickly in spring of ‘10: The Script, Taio Cruz, La Roux, New Boyz and David Guetta.

Check back for more reviews on concerts, music and bands!

Staff Writers

On Saturday, February 13^th, 2010, The Valentine’s Day Massacre took place at The Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts. The show featured many New England-based alternative and post-hardcore acts, including Boston based act, Vanna, who was headlining the show.

From the photo pit, right in front of the stage, The Palladium appeared larger than life, with stadium seating high above the main floor and fans lined up from the front barrier to the bars and merchandise tables in the back. The pit filled within minutes of the doors opening and people packed themselves up to the barrier in order to get as close to the stage as possible. On the other side of the barrier, the other photographers and the security personnel prepared themselves for a long night of music and position shuffling. Shortly, the lights dimmed and gave way to the first act of the night.

With Words

With Words is a five piece metalcore band that was formed in Massachusetts. The band has released a demo, but is still yet to be signed. Their sound draws some comparison to the older songs that A Day To Remember produced, with heavy riffs and very similar screams.  They played songs that appear on their demo, including “Never Yours”.

The band was full of energy and showed an abundance of stage presence while on The Palladium’s stage; one which is huge for the band’s resume. Their liveliness and exciting music made them enjoyable to the crowd and the press alike. With Words plans on releasing their first full-length album at some point during the year 2011, however, no specific date is available as of yet. They are a young, up and coming band with a great deal of potential for success on the hardcore scene.

A Faylene Sky

Five piece post-hardcore band, A Faylene Sky was the next of the bands to take the stage. Formed in Providence, Rhode Island, the band brought a solid set and good deal of energy to the stage.  Their set list consisted of songs such as “Last Call For Lost Souls”, which are featured on their debut EP, “Define Alive”. The EP was released during July of 2009, and since then, the band had been playing shows and gaining popularity throughout the northeast.

Their songs consist of a mix between clean and screaming vocals, and very much resemble the majority of post-hardcore songs.  They combine their strong vocal mix with inventive guitar riffs, double bass drumming, and harsh breakdowns. Similar to With Words, A Faylene Sky possesses plenty of potential to find success on the hardcore scene. They have already shared stages with plenty of accomplished bands and will certainly continue to land shows with major bands.

View From An Airplane

Alternative rock band View From An Airplane was the next to take the stage at The Palladium. The four piece band came together during the summer of 2009 and recorded their EP, “All The Right Words” shortly after. The EP was well recorded, and even included a guest-vocal appearance by John O’Callaghan of The Maine.

View From An Airplane’s sound is a lot softer than the other bands that appeared at The Valentine’s Day Massacre. Their songs feature entirely clean vocals and slower tempos, giving them their pop/alternative-rock classification.  Despite the genre difference between the other performers, View From An Airplane received a very warm welcome to the stage. They played through their entire EP while they pranced around on the stage, with the crowd enjoying every minute of it.

View From An Airplane

Armor For The Broken

The next band to take the stage would be arguably the heaviest band of the night, Armor For The Broken. They are a New England-based, five piece metalcore band that has released a three-song demo, and also a full-length album which has yet to be released. Their music is very heavy, and resembles a good deal of fellow metalcore bands, but theirs possesses entirely screamed vocals.

On the Palladium’s stage, they played songs from their demo, in addition to an assortment of songs that will presumably appear on their full length. Their whole set was very lively and well-enjoyed by the crowd even despite the lack of coherence regarding their vocals. Since the show, Armor For The Broken has been playing shows along with Vanna. Once these shows have been played, they will continue to play assorted local shows in order to gain more popularity.

A Loss For Words

A Loss For Words is a pop-punk band that was formed in the Boston area. Although, like View From An Airplane, they were one of the lighter bands to take the stage at the Palladium, they still received a very warm welcome. They possess a sound that is very similar to older pop-punk, such as Hit The Lights. This sound includes clean vocals, upbeat riffs, and a generally pop-like feel to the music.

Of all the bands, A Loss For Words was arguably the one with the largest amount of stage presence. They played songs that appear on their debut album while simply appearing to be having a great time on stage, in addition to playing an impressive show.

The band is very popular in the Boston area, but is currently trying to spread their name elsewhere by supporting their album, “The Kids Can’t Lose”, which was released during 2009.  They are currently touring in Europe and will be coming back to the US to continue playing shows here.

Our Last Night

Five piece, New Hampshire-based post-hardcore band, Our Last Night was the second to last band to grace the stage before Vanna.  They are currently playing in support of their sophomore album, “The Ghosts Among Us”, but will release their third full length album, “We Will All Evolve”, on May 4th. To the delight of the crowd, they played a small number of their upcoming songs. However, they mainly played older songs, from their first two albums. These included one of their most popular, “Escape”, to which much of the crowd sang along to.

Our Last Night will be back at the Palladium to play Skatefest 2010, in addition to playing multiple CD release shows and partaking in Asking Alexandria’s upcoming headlining tour. Their new album is set to be a hit amongst the post-hardcore community, as the band has undoubtedly matured since their sophomore effort.

Our Last Night

Vanna

By the time Vanna hit the stage, the crowd was still filled with an enormous amount of energy. Their set started with them projecting the debut of their newest music video for the song “Trashmouth” on a large screen on the stage. The crowd buzzed with anticipation for the premier and for the band to begin playing. While on the stage, they emphasized how grateful they were to be headlining a show at The Palladium. Their show was in support of their most recent album, “A New Hope”, which was released in 2009. They have a brand new album in the works, which they mentioned several times while occupying the stage. Musically, their set was fantastic. They played the majority of their album’s most popular songs and delighted the crowd with their abundance of energy.

They left the stage after exerting all of their energy on satisfying their fans, and did exactly that. Since The Valentine’s Day Massacre, Vanna has toured with fellow post-hardcore band, Gwen Stacey. They will also be playing Skatefest 2010 at The Palladium, and then touring in Europe, before playing a portion of the Vans Warped Tour. Their next album should be a big hit amongst the band’s large New England following, along with their growing number of fans elsewhere.

Vanna

Throughout the entire show, the crowd maintained an unprecedented energy level. Crowd surfers were constantly making their way up front, fans were screaming and singing along and everyone was watching a very formidable display of music. Every band that appeared on the stage jumped around and just had fun playing their music. After spending the entire night in the photo pit, it was very hard to hear after the show was over. That comes with standing directly in front of the speakers. Either way, the show was an incredible experience in every way. Many of the bands from the Valentine’s Day Massacre will be re-appearing at Skatefest 2010, which will be held at the Palladium on May 8^th. For anyone who is a fan of the bands playing, it is highly recommended that they make an attempt to attend the show. You definitely will not be disappointed.

Staff Writers

On Saturday, January 30^th,  The Venetia Fair’s headlining tour made its second stop at Rocko’s in Manchester, New Hampshire. Rocko’s happened to be the second of the two stops for the tour’s kickoff events. Before coming to a close, the tour is scheduled to

Tommy Pontes of The Beauty In Isolation

Westford’s own band, The Beauty In Isolation is a post-hardcore band based in Westford, Massachusetts. They were by far the youngest of the bands to hit the stage at Rocko’s, and maintained a formidable sound compared to the other, more experienced bands. The band played a solid three-song set, which featured their songs “Sympathy for Another’s Suffering”, “Astacia” and “If You Thought You Did This Wrong, You Couldn’t Have Been More Right”.

This was their second show since adding sophomores Pablo Martinez on drums and Sal Restuccia on bass while moving junior John Oliver to rhythm guitar. In the midst of the lineup shuffle, juniors Pat Hunt and Tommy Pontes kept their old positions as screamer and lead guitarist/clean vocalist, respectively. They played a successful set, musically, with a decent amount of stage presence. However, since the show, Pat and the band have parted ways, leaving the band without a permanent screaming vocalist. They are currently searching for a replacement.

Kiss Kiss is an experimental indie band that comes from New York. To date, the five-piece band has released two full albums and a self-titled EP. They are currently playing in support of their newest album, “The Meek Shall Inherit What’s Left”, which was released during the summer of 2009. Their set consisted of approximately six songs, including their fast paced song “All The Draw” and their song “Machines”. Their set featured dramatic vocals and ripping violin parts that cut through the rest of the music and provided the band their own, unique style.

Pat Hunt of The Beauty In Isolation

Trophy Scars is an older, six-piece alternative/indie rock band based out of New Jersey. As of now, they have released four full albums. The most recently of those is entitled “Bad Luck”, which was released in early 2009. With a sound that is slightly reminiscent of fellow alternative rock band, Brand New (only with slightly more gruff vocals), Trophy Scars plays very well organized music. Their set at Rocko’s was in no way an exception. They put on a convincing musical performance and overall enjoyable set, before giving up the stage to The Venetia Fair.

The headlining band, The Venetia Fair is best described as an experimental/alternative rock band with a style of their own. They are a young band, with none of their members exceeding their early twenties. Their proficient use of screams, keyboard, and inventive riffs in their songs put them in their own unique category of music. The band formed in Boston and at the moment, they are playing songs from their debut album, “The Circus” which was released during the summer of 2009.

Despite the aforementioned, very praiseworthy acts, The Venetia Fair’s set was by far the most powerful act of the night. From the beginning to the conclusion of their set, their energy level was at top notch. They spent every song writhing around on the stage, providing an incredible amount of energy. Above all, they played an incredible set, music wise. It was slightly longer than those of Kiss Kiss and Trophy Scars, and the band was certainly noticed on stage for every second they were there.The set consisted of the band playing through the majority of their album, including their song “The Ringleader”, which they recently released a music video for.

The Venetia Fair is a great band to see live and they definitely implement a worthwhile, well thought out performance. Once their tour with Kiss Kiss comes to an end, the band is immediately picking up where they

Benny Santoro of The Venetia Fair

All in all, the show was very worthwhile to attend and provided a great musical and photographic experience. The bands showcased a level of energy that made photographing, listening, and simply being around them enjoyable. The small venue is ideal for photographing and being able to see great bands play, while being up close to them.  If the chance arises, shows at Rocko’s are highly recommended.

Note from the authors:  We will be photographing and reviewing many concerts within the approaching months. These include shows in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York, with venues such as The Palladium and The Studio at Webster Hall. Some of the many artists at these shows are Breathe Carolina, Confide, I See Stars, Stephen Jerzak, Stereo Skyline and VersaEmerge. We will have new material posted soon. If you would like to see updates of our shows planned, or see additional photos, visit the links below.

http://waghostwriter.com/TSj

http://waghostwriter.com/gF

Joe Occhiuti of The Venetia Fair

Staff Writer

Cafe Night, one of last year’s biggest hits, is rapidly approaching. English teachers and co-coordinators, Jeffrey Kucaj and Jessica Lang, are working together with students to put the finishing touches on this upcoming event.

Most people have not heard of Cafe Night, since the first one was only last year. Lang and Kucaj both agree last year’s event was a hit, and they both hope this one will be too.

Cafe Night is sponsored by two of Westford Academy’s clubs, Guitar Club, headed by Kucaj, and Beyond Words, the Academy’s literary magazine headed by Lang.

Unlike last year, Lang and Kucaj agreed with students to have auditions, since last year there was the issue of time management. Students, along with Kucaj and Lang, decided to be the judges. They were looking for stage presence, originality, and appeal, just to name a few attributes.

Ticket prices are $5 per person, and $8 at the door. Tickets are on sale now for Cafe Night during lunch blocks. Proceeds from Cafe Night will go to Haiti, to fund their recent earthquake.

Adam Ciampi, who will be performing for the event, believes this year’s event will be more successful than last year since there are more sets and therefore more entertainment.

Kucaj will also be performing along with English teacher, Brain Mahoney. They will be singing and playing guitar, but they decided to keep the song names a secret. Regarding their rehearsals, Kucaj said, “I think this year, the audience will know not to expect too much from us. Our talent level is mostly the same.”

Lang is confident that Cafe Night, if it is repeated every year, will encourage the Arts, and it will become “…part of the school culture and fabric of WA. It’s great to see different students all coming together to celebrate art, music and literature.”

My ears are still ringing after the loudest and most intense nightclub concert I’ve been to.

On Sunday, October 4th the One More Brick Tour came to Boston. The tour was headlined by Senses Fail along with A Skylit Drive, the opening acts were FACT and Closure in Moscow. The venue was Harper’s Ferry, which is a relatively small nightclub. The venue size allowed for a very personal performance.

The concert started with FACT, an emerging Japanese rock band with a small underground following. They opened with their only well known U.S. song “Fact of Life”, this was followed by “Purple Eyes” and “Los Angeles” from their self titled album. All of these songs featured shredding guitar solos, heavy bass riffs, and fast paced drumming, topped off with hardcore vocals.

This is their first tour in the United States and they received a warm welcome. For an opening act, FACT was a great band with incredible stage energy. They played their hearts out and spoke with fans after the show.

Next came the second opening act, Closure in Moscow. Closure in Moscow is an Australian alternative rock band which has toured twice in the US.  The transition time between FACT and Closure in Moscow was very long, about thirty minutes. When Closure finally got on the stage, they had technical difficulties, which led to an even longer wait.

Finally, Closure in Moscow began their set, sadly it was lackluster, and the guitarists made simple mistakes, the band even apologized for the off night. During the performance, many fans simply went over to the merchandise tables to chat with members of FACT and buy band merchandise.

Finally, one of the main acts, A Skylit Drive came to the stage. A Skylit Drive is a popular post-hardcore band, they are from Hollywood and started their band in high school, and they were signed to a record company relatively quickly. After a ten minute transition A Skylit Drive came out screaming through with one of their most popular songs, “Wires and the Concept of Breathing” from the album of the same name. All throughout the song, screaming fan-girls had their hands in the air.

A Skylit Drive had great stage energy and used the stage to its fullest potential, jumping and dancing. The performance was very charismatic. They received the greatest crowd reaction out of all of the bands; fans sang along with their slower songs and rocked out to their fast paced shredding.

A Skylit Drive performed for almost an hour through an eleven song set. Near the end of the final song, the singer jumped into the crowd, still screaming, and crowd surfed. The band later sat at the merchandise tables and signed autographs and chatted with satisfied fans.

Next, Senses Fail, the final act, set up on the stage. The fan’s screams were deafening. The band opened with “Calling All Cars” and the mosh pit started. Fans knocked each other around and pushed each other back and forth, you could feel the intensity. Senses fail followed up with “Can’t be Saved” from the album Still Searching.

In between sets, the lead singer made it clear that he is a Yankee’s fan, and playfully jeered the crowd. He was very talkative in between sets, which was annoying to say the least, but it was overshadowed by the band’s amazing performance. The band brought the crowd to life, fists were pumping in the air and everyone sang along to the band’s slower songs. Senses Fail, like A Skylit Drive, also had strong stage energy. It reflected in the fans.

Overall, this concert was an amazing experience; it was very intense and energetic. All of the bands contributed to the show in their own way, some for the better and some for the worse. The sound of the instruments themselves came out as clear as a whistle, the sound system was great, and aside from Closure in Moscow, there were no technical problems. This concert’s also opened my eyes to a band I would have otherwise never heard, FACT. I recommend this tour to anyone who’s interested in alternative, rock, or metal music.