Muse Concert Pics! at the JPJ on October 27

Hey everyone! So, it's been a crazy week, and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get these up, but here they are- MUSE CONCERT PICTURES!

Muse lit up the John Paul Jones Arena Wednesday night with their Resistance tour. The guys came out standing on 3 LED pillars, one for each of them. A camera in front of them projected their faces onto the screens while they played. Of course, they started off their set with Uprising.

Muse's light shows are always phenomenal. I mean, really, they may even surpass something Disney would come up with.

An up-and-coming band, Metric, opened for them. They were okay... mediocre live at best, but it's hard to be good live when most of your music is synth-based. And they came before a pretty tough act to beat.

What I thought was really cool was that, in between songs, the guys played bits and pieces of generally-recognized American music, including the national anthem, ACDC-Back to Black, House of the Rising Sun, and the no-named man's theme from Once Upon a Time in the West. They became an all-American British-Rock band.

In all, it was an amazing show. Muse is probably one of the best bands to see live, ever, and I've seen them twice now. Videos of the concert may be coming soon, if I can figure out how to post them.

Here is the set list from the concert:

Uprising

Map of the Problematique

Resistance

New Born

Hysteria

United States of Eurasia

Feeling Good

(this is when Bellamy whips out the Keytar)

Undisclosed Desires

Time is Running Out

Starlight

Plug in Baby

(this is when they break out the timpani!)

Stockholm Syndrome

Knights of Cydonia

Here's a neat video of Metric: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRtd8ArvH_s&feature=artistob&playnext=1&videos=LXIEkESlCjA

Here's one of my favorite videos from Muse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhduQhDqtb4&ob=av3e

Taking Back Sunday - We All Love Our Pets

I have never been more proud of the children's entertainment business than I was when I found this. This show, Yo Gabba Gabba, has been on Nick Jr. since 2007. It is hosted by a character called DJ Lance Rock and has hosted numerous bands, including The Shins and MGMT.

Earlier this month, Taking Back Sunday (my favorite band in all of existence who have a new CD to be out in 2011) was featured on the show. The video is of them playing their song about pets, and how cool our pets are.

Good music and wholesome fun??? Way to go Yo Gabba Gabba!

My Chemical Romance- New Song and Thoughts

Remember these guys? Their last CD, The Black Parade, came out in 2006. Since then the band has been going on tour, getting married, having children, and... well, getting old. Lead singer Gerard Way is now 33. And yet their new album sounds more like a teeny-bopper pop medley than the My Chemical Romance I grew up with.

The new CD, The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, is set to come out November 22.

Just for comparison's sake, here's one of their first videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOJZrRCNRsg&ob=av2n

And one of their bigger hits:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSNKCfxcYvE

Here's the video for their first single off the new CD:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egG7fiE89IU

Let me know what you think.

Wings of Apollo, JMU drummer covers Katy Perry

David Martin is a senior business major at JMU. His Chantilly, VA-based band, Wings of Apollo has played at Jaxx Night Club and Jammin' Java (where they hold the record for selling the most alcohol during their set.) They recently got their first radio play. Their goal is to make pure, 100 percent rock and roll.

Check them out: http://www.myspace.com/wingsofapollo

Each of the band members has a youtube channel, where they feature videos of their songs and covers of other songs, like this one.

Loose Gravel Loosens Up Harrisonburg's Panera

So, I walked into Panera today and instead of hearing the soft, old-man-in-a-Lexus jazz they normally play, I was surprised to hear these guys:

Loose Gravel, a local bluegrass band, plays at Panera every second Tuesday of the month. They started playing there after their manager (and bassist) dared them to ask the owner if they could. He said, why not, and they've been playing there ever since.

The band formed about 7 years ago and has been touring all over the Shenandoah Valley ever since. They consist of Anthony VanPelt (fiddle, vocals), Pat Velanzon (bass, vocals), Dale Wegner (banjo, vocals), Rick Hensley (guitar, vocals), and Jim Gallaher (mandolin, vocals).

The band has such a great chemistry. All of them have years of experience making music. Anthony has been playing violin since he was 4 years old and has a masters in Music Composition. He has a few classical albums for sale on iTunes. Dale Wegner has been playing guitar since he was 6 and has been playing in bluegrass bands since he was 16.

All of these talented performers come together to produce a sound that you don't always hear from a bluegrass band. They blend classical music influences with bluegrass for a more contemporary sound.

"It's not traditional. This is stuff they make up," said Pat Velanzon, the bassist.

Velanzon was sitting out for the performance today because he recently had surgery on his knee, and has been fighting off an infection. Dawn Miller, a friend of the band, has taken over as bassist until his return.

They played a two-hour set, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. One of my favorite songs of the night was called

The band currently has a few cds, which you can find by contacting Velanzon at their website, http://www.loosegravelbluegrass.com/ or looking them up on iTunes.

Smuin Ballet: oh, inverted world premiere HD

Trey McIntyre, a world renown choreographer, has combined ballet and indie-rock (as impossible as that may seem) in his most recent work, "Oh, Inverted World."

Premiering last week at the Smuin Ballet in San Fransisco, the ballet is set to music from The Shins' album, "Oh, Inverted World," the band's 2001 debut. The Smuin Ballet has been working on featuring new and upcoming choreographers, and McIntyre is already getting widely recognized. This video, along with a bunch of others and some interviews can be found on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upLWrJqzjOw

Here's a review:

http://www.sfexaminer.com/lifestyle/Something-old-something-new-at-Smuin-Ballet-104324249.html

Here's more about the Smuin Ballet:

http://www.smuinballet.org/go/default/about-us/

Thirty Seconds To Mars - Closer To The Edge

"Music is everything to me. That's all I can say."

My friend sent this to me. This is the newest video from 30 Seconds to Mars off their recent(ish) album, This is War. It really struck me, not only as yet another blaring youth anthem from the band, but also as an example of how they connect with their fans.

The video is sort of like a video diary of their tour, going through all of the cities that they visited. It also has documentary-style scenes from kids who are just explaining how hard life gets.

One thing they talk about is bullying, which I thought was really interesting because it is becoming a real issue in schools today. Bullying affects a teenager on so many levels, keeping them from getting good grades, contributing to lack of focus, and even leading to depression/ suicide. Cyber-bullying especially is becoming a major problem that people are just beginning to identify and do something about. It's real. A lot of kids don't talk about it, because they figure it's not a big deal or they don't want to sound like a wuss. I think that the fact that 30 Seconds to Mars is giving kids a chance to talk about this problem shows that it is serious and it's something that it's okay to talk about.

Okay, off my soap-box.

This is a really cool video, and you should definitely check it out. (p.s. Read the fine print.) And I'd like to hear what you think of the mohawk. Personally, not a fan.

W N R N= W I N

WNRN is probably THE best radio station in the Harrisonburg/ Charlottesville/ Richmond area. They are a public radio station, so all of their funding comes from, as PBS used to say, listeners "like you." In the mornings, they usually play more folksy stuff, but in the afternoons, they play all my favorites- alternative/ new rock. At night... well they play a rap station at night. I can forgive them, 'cause it's actually a pretty decent mix of rap.

Anyway, I figured I would give you a link to their concert calendar, so you could see some concerts coming to the surrounding areas in the next month. (Notice the 27th... yeah... I might be a little overly excited.) There's also a lot of really cool links on their website, so check it out.

In our area, their station is 95.1. If you head west toward C'Ville, it changes to 101.1 or 91.9. And for those of you in Richmond, its 103.1.

Also, they have an iPhone app, so you can listen wherever you are!

Home, Home on the Range

Willie Nelson was "on the road again" this past weekend as he and a list of other big-name performers played at Farm Aid's annual fundraising concert.

The proceeds from the concert go to Farm Aid's main goal: supporting family farms. The concert campaign was developed in 1985 by Neil Young, Willie Nelson, and John Mellencamp. This year's concert featured Willie, Young, Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Amos Lee (in the pic), Band of Horses, Jason Mraz, Norah Jones, and Kenny Chesney, among others.

Farm Aid also develops television, radio, and other campaigns to raise support for family-farm initiatives, hoping to make the food that comes from these farms more available.

For more info and more pics:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/51942/215719

For info on Farm Aid:

http://www.farmaid.org/site/c.qlI5IhNVJsE/b.2723609/k.C8F1/About_Us.htm

Lil Wayne (aka. "Best Rapper Alive") gets Solitary Confinement

I don't normally talk about rappers, but I saw his face on a shirt at Hot Topic as I was walking by. It said "Free Lil Wayne." I was amused.

Rap star Lil' Wayne is getting the "penalty box" for an incident in May where he had a charger and MP3 player/watch in his cell.

For one: I think it's extremely cool that he had a watch that doubled as an MP3 player. Way to go, modern technology.

For two: Come on, you can't keep a man from his daily Bon Jovi fix. He was just rockin' out. And then the cops had to go and take away his one bit of happiness. I almost feel for the guy, despite his drug possession and the fact that he was carrying around a .44 in his Louis Voitton napsack. (I mean, of course, I always carry my guns in my designer fanny-pack, myself.)

The rapper, who has been in jail since March, is set to get out on November 4. He has a concert scheduled on the 5, so for the sake of those who bought tickets, I hope he doesn't prolong his visit to the hotel of the hottest celebs.

Here's a link to an article on why he's there:

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/03/08/rap-star-lil-wayne-heads-jail/

Here's the MTV article about his solitary confinement:

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1649298/20101004/lil_wayne.jhtml

And then, as I like to do, here's a video (perfect party song, if I must say):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IH8tNQAzSs

iTunes, meet Facebook.

Have you seen the new version of iTunes 10? Well, I'm lazy about downloads, so after my boyfriend finally got me to upgrade my iTunes last night, I discovered musical genius.

PING!

It's like Facebook, Twitter and iTunes combined. Ping allows you to create an account (much like Facebook) within iTunes. You can put up your picture, tell where you're from, and even write an "About Me."

Once you do that, you enter into a world of social music networking. You can follow your favorite artists and iTunes will provide you with status updates, CD releases, and even comment on what they are doing. There is even a box where you can see what artists your favorite artists are listening to. You can also follow your friends, sharing band information and making suggestions on who you should check out next.

One of the coolest features is that, based on the city you enter as your hometown in your profile, iTunes will provide local concert updates for the bands you are following.

Basically, this application is like the social networking future for iTunes junkies. It not only improves the way you connect with your music, it also increases your music stalking capabilities by over 9,000. Another epic win for Apple.

Timberlake, Napster, and Facebook...Oscar-winner? I think, Yes.

As many of you know, I have a bit of an addiction... to Facebook. It's been a problem since freshman year in college, and it's only gotten progressively worse. I really can't go a day without it, and I don't have to now that I have the iPhone4 (ah, product placement)!

Anyway, when "The Social Network" came out, OF COURSE I went to see it on the day it was released. I didn't know too much about the legal disputes behind Facebook, but as it turns out a lot of the company's business success, according to the movie, was prodded on by Napster creator, Sean Parker.

The irony was that Sean Parker, who some praise and some rebuke for forever turning the music indstry around, was played by a music artist- Justin Timberlake. In the movie, Timberlake (as Parker) says Napster would "change the music industry for the better." As an avid fan of LEGAL downloading, I would have to say that point is arguable.

Timberlake portrays Parker as the snakey cold-hearted business man, the devil on Mark Zuckerberg's shoulder. After the movie, you kind of can't help but hate him. He's exactly the kind of guy you "de-friend."

But what I really found amazing: this former N'sync heart-throb (I know I was obsessed with him) can actually be a really good actor. Whowouldathunk?

Just for the sake of nostalgia (I got myself thinking about N'sync), here's a fun video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo-KmOd3i7s&ob=av2n

Oh, EVEN BETTER!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWZKw_MgUPI&NR=1