What's up everyone! Recently, local Indianapolis pop/punk band We Are Forever released an acoustic video of their song Today Is The Tomorrow That We Lived Yesterday. The video is features the group's bassist, Alex Nauth, along with frontman, Aren Anderson.
The group is currently working on their first official record, while playing a lot of shows around the area including one coming up with Go Radio, There For Tomorrow, and Tonight Alive next Tuesday (March 20th). Check out the video and if you enjoy it, find and 'Like' them on Facebook where you can hear the original version of the track along with a few others.
Hey everyone! Again, I apologize for the lack of posting. The ideas are there, I just have to try and manage my time better!
Anyways, this video has been blowing up on Facebook and I had to share it! This is a cover of Gotye's song Somebody I Used To Know. Here is the catch though...there are five people performing in this cover and they are all playing on the same guitar. That's all that needs to be said haha enjoy! :)
Ok , I have had this song stuck in my head for a good week now. So much so that I sat down and learned it myself and have played nothing else on my guitar since! Chad Lehr was the vocalist of the group My Hidden Track (mentioned in the Thanksgiving Blog) before they broke up. Following the break up of MHT, Chad set out on forming a group called This Is Me which featurted members from many previous groups around the Indianapolis area. A "dream team" made up with some of Indianapolis' favorite musicians, if you will. This video is an acoustic performance of the first song that Chad wrote for the group early in the developing stages. It is right on spot with his style of meaningful lyrics that are straight from his heart. I know I say this a lot, but with this video you can really see that the words mean something to him. It isn't just a performance. That is one of my favorite things about Chad's music, in both MHT and This Is Me. I can really connect with his lyrics too, which makes their stuff more powerful and meaningful to me personally. So here it is! Let me know what you think! :)
Keeping up the Christmas spirit, today I present to you the awesome little acoustic cover of You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch by VersaEmerge. I really like how they kept a touch of blues style to it and Blake (the guitarist) has one of my favorite voices for a male singer as well. So here you go! Enjoy!
First off I would like to apologize and say sorry for the lack of posting recently and that will probably haunt me this coming week as well. As a college student approaching finals week, life has become hectic and I have let that affect how much I post on here. So, sorry for that, but it is going to get better soon!
I do want to keep sharing music with you though so here is the new All Time Low video that they posted this afternoon! I posted about the band a couple weeks ago and acknowledge that they aren't the cleanest of bands but this song is awesome in my opinions and is the best off of their new record (which isn't saying much, but that's another story for a different day!).
I also included the acoustic version of the song that was a bonus track on their record. It is really good and is on my "Sleep" and "Study" playlists. So check out the videos! I hope you like them and will bare with me this next week or so and my lack of posting if it happens! You guys are awesome and I hope know that I appreciate the fact that you read this! Have a great night!
To conclude this week's set of YouTube covers I picked one of my favorite songs. I know that I talked about this song earlier on, but I love it so much that I decided to share it again for those new to reading the blog! The song is If It Means A Lot To You, by the band A Day To Remember. This song really strikes home to me because I have a lot of friends that are in the music industry and I personally hope to work in it one day as well. The lyrics to the song were written by ADTR's front man Jeremy McKinnon and the track also features Sierra Kusterbeck from VersaEmerge. McKinnon's words express the hardships of being on the road touring all of the time. Although the song is focused mostly on a relationship between a guy and a girl, I feel as if it relates to any friendship when someone is on the road touring. There is a lot of stress put on certain friendships and it can get hard.
This Wild Life is the group that did the cover, and all though they don't present the back and forth between a female and male vocalist, they still nail the cover. It is by far the best I have found yet. If you like this version I would suggest YouTube searching the original because it is cool to see how both sides of the story are represented from Jeremy and Sierra.
I hope you enjoyed it and have a great rest of the week! Make sure to check back soon for some more music! Love you guys!
Yellowcard has been around since 1997! They have some really popular songs such as Ocean Avenue, Only One, and Lights and Sounds. I even remember when some of those were played at middle school dances haha! One of their signatures is their violinist. He has a role in each song and it is one of the things that gives Yellowcard their recognizable sound. Anyways, Yellowcard took a hiatus from 2008 to 2010 and then returned by releasing their album When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes this past year. To make their return even bigger, they released an acoustic version of that album a week ago.
To go along with the acoustic record, Hopeless Records released a YouTube video that contains all of the songs from the record. The video itself is about 37 minutes long; however, they used YouTube's "closed caption" function so that all you have to do is click on the title of the song you want to listen to and it will take you straight to that section of the video. It is really cool and I hope that more bands do something similar in the future!
With the video being so long, I understand the difficulty of listening to all of it but I would definitely recommend listening to the tracks Hide and my personal favorite, Hang You Up. Hang You Up also features guest vocals from one of my favorite female vocalists, Cassadee Pope from Hey Monday! Again, I strongly recommend checking out those two songs or even listening to the whole album if you like to listen to music while studying or something! It is great and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!
One last thing. I know you are all busy but if you get a chance, let me know what you think about the whole YouTube video release of the album. Is it a good or bad idea from a business stand point? What about the use of the closed caption function? I just want to know your opinion of the idea!
Day 5's Pick: Coffee Shop Soundtrack by All Time Low
The band All Time Low originally started as a bunch of high school guys wanting to make a Blink-182 cover band. By the time they had graduated high school, they had already signed with their second record label, Hopeless Records. They have since released five studio albums and are now signed to the record label, Interscope.
My love for All Time Low is very bittersweet. I love their guitar tones, and catchy lyrics but I really dislike what they stand for and how they act. Their shows are energetic and killer to be at, but girls legitimately bring extra bras that they write messages on and throw at them, and the band collects them and hangs them from their mic stands. It is disgusting. Not to mention their language on stage. I went to one of their shows in Chicago with some of my friends and I have never heard the F bomb dropped so many times in a two hour time span. Ironically enough, it was one of the most fun shows I have been too. Weird, I know! I don't get it. It might have to do with the memories that came from it like our car getting towed in downtown Chicago, getting punched by a girl, and having a chance to talk to my celebrity musician crush, Cassadee Pope after the show. None the less, a lot of what they stand for and do on stage disgusts me but I love their sound and how talented they are.
Anyways, I digress. The song Coffee Shop Soundtrack was the song that introduced me to the band. Ever since then, I have been hooked. The video carries a humorous theme similar to the Forever The Sickest Kids video I posted yesterday. The song is pretty self explanatory so feel free to check out the videos.
Also, with his being the last installment of the Unplugged series, I decided to add a video of the band performing this song live as well. If you are interested in seeing the energy of their shows that I mentioned, then feel free to check it out. However, I will warn you that as I mentioned, they do like to use vulgar language so if that bothers you, I wouldn't watch that one! Also, due to Hopeless Records' policies, I can't post the original video on my blog, so here is a link for it:
Day 4's Pick is: "She Likes (Bittersweet Love)" by Forever the Sickest Kids
Forever the Sickest Kids is a group based out of Dallas, Texas. The guys rely on their catchy vocals and melodic guitar riffs to keep their jams stuck in your head. I almost can't even go an entire week without having one of their choruses stuck in my head for an afternoon or more! Another big plus of this group is the humor they bring to their performances and videos. You can see this exhibited in both the music video and even the acoustic performance. In essence, they are a bunch of goofballs who love to play music which makes for some awesome entertainment!
The song "She Likes" is one of my favorites because it features vocals from an array of their members. At least four of the members have some vocals in the album version, and three of them have lines in the acoustic version which cool because it brings variety to the table. Caleb, the guitarist who sings first, has my personal favorite voice out of the group. I also enjoy it because it features their humor that I mentioned before. So, check out the videos and let me know what you think! And don't forget to check back tomorrow for the final installment of my Unplugged Series!
The band Boys Like Girls is very intriguing to me. I loved their first album, but was very disappointed in the direction they decided to take off of stage and for their follow up release. They released a self-titled full length album in 2006 focused around catchy pop vocals followed by their synth heavy and auto-tune laden release Love Drunk in 2009. I also have heard a lot of rumors that as the group became more popular, the guys started acting like jerks which is unfortunately a common side effect of fame in the music industry.
On a brighter note, their lyrics relate to a lot of aspects of life ranging from relationships to the chaos of life. Their first album was on constant repeat during the last month of my sophomore year of high school and throughout that summer. Some stand out tracks to me were "The Great Escape," "Hero-Heroine," and today's unplugged pick "Thunder."
Thunder was the first song that the group wrote together and it is one of my all time favorite songs! Especially the acoustic version. I don't want to bore you with a lengthy description of the song because vocalist Martin Johnson explains his meaning behind the song in the video of the acoustic performance; but I do want to give my reasoning as to why I like this song so much. I apologize for getting all soft on you here, but I feel like it captures the essence of what I want in a relationship/my future marriage. Kind of ironic I know, since the song is about a summer's love lost; but that's how I correlate it and that is just me. Feel free to ask me about this sometime if you want further detail and I would be glad to explain!
Sorry again for going all lame and cheesy there for a minute but I really hope that you enjoy both videos and have a great night!
Be sure to check back tomorrow for my second to last pick of the week!
I first discovered LIGHTS when searching YouTube for Owl City stuff. She has such a unique style that not many artists can match, but carries a similarity to Adam Young of Owl City. LIGHTS was started in 2006 by 19 year old Valerie Poxleitner in her bedroom with a synthesizer and key-tar. She made a couple of low budget music videos and slowly built a fan base. Later on she released her first full-length followed by an acoustic EP, which is phenomenal and I would highly suggest it to anyone to check out on YouTube or Spotify if you have an account on there. It is just titled "LIGHTS Acoustic." She is also featured on the Silverstein song "The End" which I would also suggest to anyone! Overall I could just listen to her voice forever haha.
The music video for Second Go is awesome! The creativity in it just captures the essence of who LIGHTS is. Also, I personally think that it would be really fun to do something like that one day just for the heck of it, which makes the video more appealing to me! Well, I will stop rambling now but make sure to check out the videos and let me know what you think of her style!
Don't forget to check back tomorrow for another song!
Hello! This is the first installment of my week long series on "Unplugged" versions of some of my favorite songs. Each day I will post a little about one of my favorite songs and include the band's music video and an unplugged, or acoustic version of that song.
Getting things started off, I chose Skyway Avenue by the band We the Kings. We the Kings have provided some awesome memories in my life from driving around with friends blaring their album during my high school years to even getting dropped on asphalt while crowd surfing during their set at the 2010 Vans Warped Tour in Indianapolis and then later receive around 20 text messages from people who saw it happen. Needless to say, I definitely have a lot of stories that involve their music!
Their song Skyway Avenue was one of the first songs that got me into the Pop/Punk genre. I was getting ready for school one morning and the video for it came on FuseTV and I was hooked right away. The video is very creative and unique compared to a lot of others out there and that is what caught my attention. The acoustic video posted below it is from one of their acoustic sets at a Best Buy in Tennessee. Granted, Travis' voice isn't as good live as it is in produced recordings, but I love the emotion that he puts into his writings. I hope you like the videos, and remember to check back tomorrow for another one of my favorite songs unplugged!
We Are The In Crowd is an up and coming group that one of my friends told me about this summer. I really want to see them live but when ever they are close I just can't seem to get my schedule to work out. Anyways...this group brings a new dynamic to the pop rock genre by splitting vocals between a guy (Jordan) and a girl (Tay). Their songs typically carry the contrast of a girl and a guys perspective on a situation which is really cool because it's kind of like listening to a story in a refreshing way. Maybe I am just weird and think that, but either way, I find it to be really awesome. This is an acoustic performance of their song "Never Be What You Want" from the studio. Another plus of the video is that the lighting resembles Christmas time and I can't flippin' wait for that time of year! I am so ready to break out the lights and Christmas jams! Again, I digress. I hope that you enjoy Jordan and Tay's song as much as I do. Let me know what you think!
Also, tomorrow afternoon I will be posting their newest music video so you can hear their full band sound!
Hello everyone! I hope you are having a great Sunday afternoon! I was out driving this morning and this guy's album came on my iPod while in shuffle mode. I realized that I hadn't listened to him in a while and so all of his stuff has been playing all morning, so I thought I would share some of it! He is a small artist who began his career by recording all of his stuff himself and now he is signed and put out this video a year and a half ago. I hope you enjoy it and this beautiful weather today!
I've got another cover video for you today! One of my friends showed me this cover of the A Day to Remember song and I love it! I will say that it isn't nearly as good as the original due to the fact that it is supposed to be a two part song with a guy and girl singing it; however, it is the best cover of the song there is thus far. I hope you like it!
This video was just posted a couple days ago, and has constantly been on replay. Fix You is my favorite Coldplay song, and I can honestly say that I think this version blows the original out of the water! Give it a listen and check out some of the other videos by both Tyler Ward and Boyce Avenue!
In today's music industry, one of the top priorities for record labels is to make money. Plain and simple. Often times this means that artists get their albums put in stores and make approximately a dollar for each album sold. This is a huge rip off on the artists, just for the perks of having a label take care of the management side of the music world for them.
Come&Live! Record Label has set out to impact the music industry and change the reality of a label/band partnership for musicians. C&L! is a non-profit record label and their mission is to work with artists and equip them to use their music as a ministry. They have coined the term "musicianary" to describe the artists on their label. One of the unique things about the label is that most of their signed artists offer their music for free on the label's website with an option to donate and support the band. This is an awesome concept in the fact that they fully rely on their faith and their supporters to fund their work. It brings new meaning to the phrase artists use so often from the stage, "we couldn't do this without you." It involves the listener by enabling them to be a part of something more than just a big paycheck for a record label executive.
If you get the chance, you should check out their artists' music (they have signed bands of genres that range from hardcore all the way to worship), the albums are on the download page of the site and if you feel led then you can make a monetary donation or even donate with a Tweet. Their website is www.comeandlive.com or you can just click the link on my menu bar.
The video posted below is an acoustic performance by one of the Come&Live! bands Ascend the Hill. Enjoy!
Music impacts us daily. Whether we realize it or not, or even believe it. It has the capability and power to express the things that we are so excited about and even the things we are wrestling with deep within us. Music is one of my greatest passions in life. This has led to my drive to create this blog, which is to use it as a venue to share with everyone the music that is effecting me. I hope you enjoy!
My plan for this space is to collect the thoughts, stories and wonderings of my mind as I try to process my encounters through traveling and chasing the horizon of this winding road. As we begin, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Andrew. I am an Indiana boy through and through, with a heart for music and people. I am a strong believer in community and sharing in the joys and struggles through life. I am blessed with the opportunity to travel the country doing what I love, with people that I love. I hope that this serves as a medium for you to join along in my journey.
I first discovered LIGHTS when searching YouTube for Owl City stuff. She has such a unique style that not many artists can match, but carries a similarity to Adam Young of Owl City. LIGHTS was started in 2006 by 19 year old Valerie Poxleitner in her bedroom with a synthesizer and key-tar. She made a couple of low budget music videos and slowly built a fan base. Later on she released her first full-length followed by an acoustic EP, which is phenomenal and I would highly suggest it to anyone to check out on YouTube or Spotify if you have an account on there. It is just titled "LIGHTS Acoustic." She is also featured on the Silverstein song "The End" which I would also suggest to anyone! Overall I could just listen to her voice forever haha.
Getting things started off, I chose Skyway Avenue by the band We the Kings. We the Kings have provided some awesome memories in my life from driving around with friends blaring their album during my high school years to even getting dropped on asphalt while crowd surfing during their set at the 2010 Vans Warped Tour in Indianapolis and then later receive around 20 text messages from people who saw it happen. Needless to say, I definitely have a lot of stories that involve their music! 
