Article by Simona Milani

I find it increasingly difficult nowadays to find bands that know what it means to write an album with a capital A, usually you have songs thrown together just to fill a tracklist and nothing more.

With LostAlone you can’t go wrong.

The Derby-based band made us wait for five years for I’m a UFO In This City, but it was really worth it.

The title of the album itself is a very strong statement in which I can see myself completely, and then listening to it you can’t help but love this sound which reminds you of old times while still remaining modern and very relevant.

With the opening track, “Obey the rules you lose” you enter in a theatrical atmosphere, to continue with the second released single “Love will eat you alive”, catchy and with a chorus that gets into your head and doesn’t seem to want to get out.

“Lost in the world, trying to find out who we are. We’ve evolved to the part when we don’t know that we’re alive” is repeated like an echo immersed in the engaging and powerful melody of “Uforia” (The dark). Meaningful, period.

Next is my favorite song of the album, “Vesuvius”, where virtuosity and passion rule. You can hear in every single note the feeling that this band puts in what they do and it is one of the rarest and most extraordinary things to find.

I don’t want to be too subjective but I find it difficult because like in this case, bands capture me with the deep meanings of the lyrics and the genius of their sound and LostAlone are fully included in that category.

If Steven Battelle gives his best vocal performance in “Orchestra of Breathing” reaching ridiculous high notes, “Do you get what you pray for?” is the heaviest song of the album, pure and raw. “We are the Archaeology of the Future Past” has a Muse’s style aftertaste even if it still mantains a strong characterization.

“The Downside of Heaven is the Upside of Hell”closes the album with dirty bass lines and solo choirs that give you goosebumps.

Tracklist:

Based in Santa Barbara, California – Naked Walrus is a group of friends who create an original sound all their own resembling a unique form of Alternative Rock. All the members collaborate together to create a sonically charged force that not only composites driving rock & roll music, but also combines all art forms.

WEBSITE: http://www.nakedwalrus.com

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/walrusindaflesh

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/NakedWalrus

Based in Santa Barbara, California – Naked Walrus is a group of friends who create an original sound all their own resembling a unique form of Alternative Rock. All the members collaborate together to create a sonically charged force that not only composites driving rock & roll music, but also combines all art forms.

WEBSITE: http://www.nakedwalrus.com

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/walrusindaflesh

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/NakedWalrus

LostAlone spent five weeks recording in Los Angeles during May 2010 with acclaimed producers, Jacknife Lee (Weezer, U2, REM, Bloc Party), Greg Wells (Mika, Deftones, Katy Perry), executive producer Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance) and mixers Mark Needham (Killers, Fleetwood Mac, MCR) and Alan Moulder (Smashing pumpkins, NIN, Foo Fighters).
Steven comments — “Recording with Jacknife Lee and Greg Wells opened up new ways of recording to us and enabled us to achieve the ambition I had always had for the band, being let loose in such amazing studios was our dream and we utilised everything they had to offer. I feel as though we’ve made a giant leap forward from our debut album and in terms of how I hear LostAlone in my head, we are now closer than ever. ”

30 Seconds to Mars, Enter Shikari, Paramore and My Chemical Romance have specifically requested LostAlone as their support band on tours across the UK and Europe. The band have also played numerous high-profile festival appearances including Taste of Chaos, Give it a Name, Download, Rock am Ring, Rock Im Park, T in the Park, Oxegen, Reading and Leeds.

Article by Steph Fiorese

Even if this March in L.A. has been cold and far from the usual California’s weather, some lucky people had a taste of summer last Thursday, at Club Nokia. The official Warped Tour 2012 Kick-Off Party took place in the middle of L.A. live, full of known and less known names of the music industry and tons of kids excited to have a hint of what the 2012 tour will be like.

As every year, founder Kevin Lyman held a short speech for press, sponsor and band’s entourages, illustrating the tour and his new improvements. Let me tell you, if you’re attending, you won’t be disappointed! The tour and his staff definitely know how to take care of their fans. Food deals, cheap water, awesome merchandise and a lot of entertainment are going to be up to make you have the funniest summer you could ever imagine. The tour also features a lot of good initiatives like the Vans Warped Tour Eco Initiative and offers space to amazing non-profit organizations such as MusiCares, To Write Love on Her Arms, Keep a Breast, Peta and many more. (If you wanna learn more about all these organization and support them you check them out on the Non-Profit page of the Vans Warped Tour Website). Kevin also presented some of the bands who will be on the 17th edition of this legendary festival, like New Found Glory, Every Time I Die, Anti-Flag, Miss May I, Four Year Strong, Taking Back Sunday, Mayday Parade.

The event for the public opened with the screening of the movie No Room For Rockstar, directed by Parris Patton and produced by Agi Oris and skateboarding guru Stacy Peralta, and available on iTunes from 2 April. The documentary gives a behind the scenes look at the Vans Warped Tour, following a few up-and-coming acts, some that are slated to play (like Suicide Silence and Never Shout Never) as well as a small band from 29 Palms, California, called Forever Came Calling, that has been following the tour from city to city, playing their demo for people and trying to sell CDs to make money.

And it was Forever Came Calling who opened up the live show that concluded the night, followed by sets from Matt Toka, Dead Sara, and Falling In Reverse. In between, the public was surprised with amazing sets by two very special guests and Warped Tour veterans, Yellowcard, that performed two acoustic songs, and The Used, who played a four songs set, mixing old hits with tracks from their new album Vulnerable (read our review here).

After this night, we’re definitely expecting great things from Vans Warped Tour 2012. If you wanna see our pictures from the event, you can find them in our PHOTOS section. And make sure you buy the exclusive pre-sales before they sell out!

If you want to listen to our playlist on Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/user/1222791111/playlist/13VCm34yP7pQaV2nJCrk2d

Article by Simona Milani

Experimenting.

Usually this word scares the hell out of fans of certain bands.

In this case, the experimentation brought a breath of fresh air to the sound of The Used, who still managed to leave their unmistakable, particular mark.

To present their latest work, the band allowed continuous streams through the websites of Alternative Press, Revolver Magazine, Absolute Punk, MTV etc revealing some of the tracks on Vulnerable. A choice that is a bit questionable. But we forgive them because the album is bloody brilliant.

The first part of the album sounds pretty aggressive, while the second one is filled with ballads and we don’t mind at all.

With the first single, “I Come Alive” you get a taste of the road the band has taken and of their new interest for electronic sounds.

Luckily, it fits right in and on the contrary it even gives a special touch to the song.

If in “This Fire” McCracken brings out his vocal strenght in “Hand And Faces” (the second single released) it is the strangeness of the effect that distorts Bert’s voice to take over.A big question mark popped out in my mind while I was listening to it, definitely not an highlight of the album, for me.

While listening to “Put Me Out” I find myself thinking about “Take It Away” for a few seconds and I believe that it isn’t just my impression.

In “Now That You’re Dead”, which, I must confess, has become my favorite after multiple listens, we find the classical theatricality which characterizes The Used. The power of this song is beyond question, it is explosive and as aggressive as it needs.

Then, we get to the slower part of the album.

Two ballads such as “Getting Over You” and “Together Burning Bright” surround an interlude like “Kiss It Goodbye” which has a very unique and definitely incisive ending, in which Bert keeps repeating “It’s getting, it’s getting kinda hectic” and it finishes with a scream. Yeah, weird but intense.

All that’s left for me to say is welcome back!

Tracklist:

This week we’re giving away a Simple Plan autographed photo. The whole band has signed it!

What do you need to do to win it?

1- Subscribe to StageFright ’s Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube pages.

http://www.facebook.com/StageFrightTv

http://www.twitter.com/stagefrighttv

http://stagefrighttv.tumblr.com/

http://www.youtube.com/TVStageFright

2- Leave a comment under the Giveaway’s Facebook note with your name and email.

3- Reblog, share and retweet this giveaway so more people will have the chance to join!

The giveaway ends on March 20th. The winners will be picked up randomly with the help of this website: http://classtools.net/education-games-php/fruit_machine/

Good luck to everyone!!

Article by Simona Milani

 And here we have number six!

Every Time I Die are back, and they’re back with a bang.

This review will be very short, I don’t have much to say about this album, not because I don’t really have the words but because the music already speaks for itself.

There are 14 tracks, one better than the other, that show that the bad has grown, but hasn’t changed. The lyrics are as pissed off and powerful as ever and the guitars scratch until your ears bleed.

With the addition of the new drummer, the weight of a fourteen-year carrier behind them has magically diminished and the band has felt rejuvenated and excited to be back on the scene, and you can hear it, guys, you can hear it.

Besides, Keith Buckley said that after the experience with The Damned Things he needed this album, and I add: we needed it too!

The album blasts open with the explosive “Underwater Bimbos From Outer Space” and you already know where the Buffalo-based band is heading to. Less than 4 minutes later you have listened to the second and third track and, in your thoughts, you have thrown yourself into the middle of a mosh pit to end up flying to a banjo intro (“Partying is Such Sweet Sorrow”), yes you’ve got that right, a banjo. Whoever can stick a banjo into a song like that is a god or a genius. Good job! “Indian Giver” is an absolute gem. Those back vocals will give you goosebumps all over your body.

As I already said I don’t want to comment on each and every track because I want everybody to draw their own conclusions on this album, but let me say that in “Drag King” Keith Buckley gives his best vocal performance.

Finally, I’d go so far as to say that this is the best album of the year, and it’s only March.

Tracklist:

1. Underwater Bimbos From Outer Space

2. Holy Book of Dilemma

3. A Wild, Shameless Plain

4. Typical Miracle

5. I Suck (Blood)

6. Partying Is Such Sweet Sorrow

7. The Low Road Has No Exits

8. Revival Mode

9. Drag King

10. Touch Yourself

11. Indian Giver

12. Grudge Music

13. Business Casuality

14. Starve an Artist, Cover your Trash

Such a heavy record!  Rating: 10/10

The album can be heard in full streaming at this link: http://soundcloud.com/epitaph-records/sets/every-time-i-die-ex-lives/

Ex Lives is out March 6th. Go buy it!

After adolescent years of band swapping and uncertainty, eventually Eddy, Andrea, Millo and Mike settled together and formed X-APHRODITE – they got along great, and started to compose and work on their own music.

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/XAphrodite

MYSPACE:  http://www.myspace.com/xxaphrodite

TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/xaphroditeband