The GREAT Bamboozle.

The decision has been made.  I WILL be attending this year’s Bamboozle tour. Call me an emo-scenester all you want, but it will be me who has the last laugh while I am watching Weezer, Saves the Day, MGMT, Motion City Soundtrack and Minus the Bear (among many others) rock the f*ck out at the Meadowlands in NJ on May 2nd.

Courtesy of TheBamboozle.com.

What started as a three-day music festival in Asbury Park, NJ in 2003 has now evolved in to a country-wide tour. In addition to New Jersey, The Bamboozle roadshow now stops in Chicago and California. The line-up varies from state to state, and to be quite honest, New Jersey has the best line-up. I’m not just saying this because I’m partial to New Jersey (it’s my home-state and I first started going to The Bamboozle there in 2005), take a look at the line-up and decide for your self:

May 1st:

Saves the Day

Paramore

Drake

Angels & Airwaves

Bullet for my Valentine

Relient K

(This is just a list of my personal favorites, click here for the full line-up.)

May 2nd:

Weezer

MGMT

Girl Talk

Say Anything

Motion City Soundtrack

Kevin Devine

Piebald

Hey Monday

Minus the Bear

OK Go

(This is just a list of my personal favorites, click here for the full line-up.)

When I first started going to The Bamboozle in ’05, my friends and I would get tickets for all three days. Decked out in our studded-belts, converse and band-tees, we would hop around the festival seeing all of our favorite musicians, chasing cute boys in bands and trying to get autographs and pictures with as many band members as we could. Right before Fall Out Boy became huge, they performed at The Bamboozle in 2005. It was easily one of the best performances that I have ever seen AND I somehow managed to get a picture with drummer Andy Hurley.

Andy Hurley from Fall Out Boy. Courtesy of FriendsorEnemies.com.

Gosh I was so much cooler back then than I am now. Too bad I lost the picture, though.

Not wanting to (completely) relive my punk-kid days, I am only going to this year’s Bamboozle on Sunday, May 2nd. I don’t think my body can handle mosh-pits and crowd-surfing to that extent anymore.

I must stop and vent for a second though- it really bothers me when people won’t go to concerts of bands they love because of the “young punk-kids” that are going to be there. Yes, middle-schoolers with multiple piercings and mohawks are annoying, but should that stop some one from seeing a great performance? NO.  Just throw blunt-objects at them, sit back, relax and enjoy the show like I do!

Despite the masses of black-nail polish-wearing 14 year-olds who can’t even tell you what I Am The Movie is, I still plan on having a great time and seeing all of my favorite bands.  Check back in May for a full Bamboozle report!

And, for your viewing pleasure, I have included a few select pictures from my High School band-stalking days:

Motion City Soundtrack Concert in 2005. Me and my friends Ali, Lauren and Jackie with Justin Pierre, lead singer of MCS.

Me with Matt Watts and Tom Gryskewicz of the Starting Line at the Nokia Theatre in 2005.

Ben Jorgensen of Armor For Sleep and I outside of the Surf Club in Ortley Beach, NJ summer 2004.

Potential Best Album of 2010?

 

As of yesterday, Circa Survive’s third full-length album, Blue Sky Noise, has officially been completed. No one is more excited than me that THE WAIT IS ALMOST OVER! The new album is set to be released on April 20th, but honestly who can wait that long? Luckily, the boys of Circa know that I can not possibly hold out another 60 days to hear the fresh masterpiece and have done loyal fans a large favor by leaking the new track, Get Out, on CircaSurvive.com last night.

Album artwork for Blue Sky Noise, Esao Andrews. Courtesy of CircaSurvive.com.

It has been playing on repeat on my laptop for probably the past 24 hours.

Just like any other song sung by Anthony Green, the emotion in his voice is palpable. Green never fails to make listeners feel exactly what he is feeling with his music. Circa Survive’s first two albums, Jutura and On Letting Go, are exceptional classics and I am certain that Blue Sky Noise is going to live up to every one’s expectations.

Circa Survive has also announced their spring tour dates. The band is going to be headlining the first part of their three month tour starting off in North Carolina and finishing at The Bamboozle music festival in Anaheim, California. From then, Circa will be taking a month break and then head back out on the road with Coheed and Cambria.

Circa Survive. Courtesy of IndieRockReviews.com.

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, miss this opportunity. I have seen Circa live numerous times and they never fail to put on an extraordinary show. Think Green’s voice is strong and mighty on CD? Be prepared to be blown away in person.

Anthony Green. Courtesy of RollingStone.com.

Aside from having a uniquely vigorous voice, Green is also ridiculously good-looking. Quite possibly the sexiest specimen in the music biz. Before he started Circa Survive, Green was the lead-singer of Saosin, a post-hardcore band that peaked in 2003. Green also put out a solo-album, Avalon, about a year ago of music he has been working on for the past 10 years. A new remixed version (by Colin of Circa Survive) of Avalon has been recently released. Listen here. Green has collaborated with lots of other bands including Say Anything and Chiodos.

Bottom line- anything that involves Anthony Green is magical. Avalon is definitely one of my all-time favorite albums. Check out a few select tracks performed live by Green:

Slowing Down-

 

Baby Girl-

 

Dear Child (I’ve Been Dying to Reach You)-

 

BONUS TRACK WITH CIRCA SURVIVE: KICKING YOUR CROSSES DOWN-