AM Taxi, I must say was not at all what I expected to hear! Whoa! Their sound is great, unlike anything I've heard before. What I believe makes them stand out is the band's harmonies, while Adam's raspy voice takes over as the lead singer. Like I said in previous blogs, I like to familiarize myself with each band's music before the shows. I have to say that I wasn't all to convinced I liked them, for I heard their single The Mistake only once (and barely listened to it). So I figured I wouldn't enjoy their performance on stage. Seeing them live, really changed my mind! After The New Politics got off the stage, I was prepared to just relax and calm down after all the yelling I had done. Nope I was wrong, totally was near to losing my voice by the time they were done.
These guys started off in Chicago. The band members consist of Adam (vocals and guitar), Jason (bass), Chris (drums and backups), John (guitar and backups) and Luke (keyboard and backups). When they walked out on stage the whole crowd didn't know what to expect (myself included). When they started I was like, 'ok they aren't that bad.' By the time they got to their 2nd song, I was jumping and yelling. I think the keyboard really added a nice effect to the whole sound as well as the harmonies! I can't stress that enough. These guys are really chill and cool. My best friend, sister and I are now totally into their music.
Setlist for the Night Fed Up The Mistake
These are AM Taxi's two new hit singles. More songs were played but I don't recall their names. These songs are so contagious, I've had them on replay on my ipod and computer playlist for two weeks! So I highly recommend them. The lyrics are a bit 'morbid' I guess you can say but the beat and the harmonies make it hard not to try to sing along. Their style is different which is refreshing. It's good to hear songs other than being heartbroken or in love. I would definitely like to see them in concert again! Next time I will know all the lyrics to each of their songs cause I'll be getting their album when it comes out. I'd give their performance a solid 10/10 no doubt. Keep rock and roll alive boys and come back to Jersey soon!
P.S Below is the video I took of The Mistake performance. Enjoy and be sure to visit their websites for updates!
I don't know if I would've actually listened to The New Politics if it wasn't for this concert. They are a band from Denmark to begin with, who moved to Brooklyn not to long ago and they are touring the US already! I have to say that's pretty impressive. Before every concert I like to make sure I know who's playing, that way I'm a little familiar with at least one of their songs. This was the case for The New Politics, I had never heard of them but I soon as I heard their hit single Yeah Yeah Yeah I could not get it out of my head! This is really rare, at least it is for me. Really nice guys, funny and extremely entertaining! David's (vocals) breakdancing moves on stage were outstanding. As he was singing and dancing across the stage, I kept praying he would not trip and hurt himself. The guy is AMAZING, I don't know how else to describe him. I have never seen someone actually move that much while singing. Nevertheless they grabbed the crowds attention even though some people weren't familiar with them. The crowd went wild when they were about to play Yeah Yeah Yeah, everybody repeated after David throughout the entire song!!!
Soren (the guitarist and vocals) has an incredible voice. I don't know why but I love it! A person has to be very talented to hit those high keys song after song. His hair style was rockin' blond and covered half of his face. Paol (drummer and vocals) was really hitting those drums. At one point I think he was so into it that his ear piece fell (or something). While David talked to the crowd for like 1 minute, someone quickly came on stage and help put on whatever had fallen. When David started singing that didn't stop Paol, he started drumming with his head slanted. That's dedication! Well done boys! :D
Setlist for the Night 1. Dignity 2. Monkey 3. Psyched Up Junkie 4. Yeah Yeah Yeah
Some other songs may have been played but I don't recall the names. These guys are getting big fast. I posted the video below a few days ago and it already has the most views. Their energy on stage was incredible and on going. Their tunes are so catchy, they make you want to dance/sing or scream along. This was the best way to open up for the rest of the bands. Definitely a 10/10 performance if I had to rate. I would most definitely attend another one of their shows if they go on tour again and I definitely can't wait to get their album!
P.S Below is the video I took of The New Politics Yeah Yeah Yeah. Enjoy and be sure to visit their websites for updates!
Where to begin with these guys? They are extremely nice guys I'm not gonna lie. Like I mentioned in my review for Tyler Hilton, we got to The Stone Pony hours before the show started (even hours before the line started to enlarge) and we watched all the bands unload their instruments. Again I was surprised to see all these band members walking around, relaxing before the show. I think I was the only one who recognized them or perhaps the other girls around me were dumbstruck as I was which prevented us to go and talk to them (at first). Usually they have the members hiding in a truck or something before the shows begin. Not these boys though, they walked passed us to go to the beach and back. We even took pictures with them and had a lengthy conversation with them. I was literally on the floor taking pictures because I couldn't believe it. Nick (vocalist and guitarist) and Landon (bassist) strolled down to the beach where apparently they joined the others playing a little football in the sand. Nick did announce during the show that he did not participate and that he just watched. To be honest, I think he did right! I mean it was hot as hell that day. Anyway back to what I was saying, these guys showed that they really care for their fans. They didn't have body guards or anything of that sort. They were simply relaxing among their fans like normal people. See that guy in brown and black behind the family? That's Nick coming back from the broadwalk. At this point we were still terrified to ask for a picture so I was just shooting my camera away from a far. As he was getting closer, I don't know where we gathered the courage to even run after him to ask for a picture. Being the sweetheart that he is, he kindly accepted and even made some small talk. AMAZING right?! No? Well I thought it was and I still do! He was later joined by his other band members to continue unloading the vans. The guys then stayed around talking to their fans while the other bands continued to do their sound checks. As you can see Landon even had his shoes off. I could totally tell they were having a blast even before the show began. Little by little everyone in line started going up to them. By this time it was like an hour before the doors opened. Inside The Stone Pony at this point you could clearly hear familiar songs starting to be played as the bands practiced. How exciting?! My heart was pounding so hard, I'll even admit I had to go to the restroom but I couldn't leave or I'd lose my spot in line. Couldn't my sister or best friend hold my place you ask? Well I asked the same thing and they just laughed so I had to stay there. When the doors opened we quickly grabbed our spots. We had to wait an hour before the show began, meanwhile The Stone Pony played some music. Which by the way I was not familiar with but I've made it a summer goal to listen to as many new (to me) artists as possible. Anyway back to the show review, The New Politics, AM Taxi and Tyler Hilton played awesome sets and got the crowd ready for The Spill Canvas. For those of you have heard The Spill Canvas before would agree that their sound/style has changed. I for one was a big fan before, now I'm digging their music even more! Some people describe their style in the past as emo-ish. Now it's more pop/rock. What's your preference? Do you miss the old Spill Canvas or are you loving their new music? When the boys stepped out on to that stage, the crowd went wild! Joe (drummer), Landon (bassist), Dan (guitarist and vocals) and Nick (vocals and guitarist) have a strong chemistry playing together. Since they were the main performance of the night, their setlist was a lot longer. My camera battery was going to die so I only took videos of my favorite songs. I will try to remember (with the help of my best friend) all the songs that they played. They weren't lip-singing like some other artists or using auto-tune. They were genuinely amazing, each one of them was dripping in sweat, I mean drenched after each song. The only downside of the night or of the day rather was that The Spill Canvas started experiencing technical difficulties right in the middle of their setlist. They were told to entertain us by talking to us. While they started telling us about their day, we learned that Dan played WOW (World of Warcraft). After years of refusing to play, I want to start playing because Dan does. They tried to tell jokes but you could see that see were totally not prepared for that. Although we never knew what the technical difficulties were, it certainly didn't bring great news. The boys were told to leave the stage for what seemed forever. I believe it was about 15mins or so. They had to cut their setlist short after that. I am almost positive that my favorite song would've been played had this not occurred. Nevertheless, they resumed re-energized and started rockin' more songs.
Setlist for the Night Hush hush Gateway drug Our song Lullaby All hail the heart breaker Natalie marie and 1cc Self conclusion Staplegunned Lust a prima vista All over you The Tide Reckless abandonment Bleed everyone’s doing it One thing is for sure Parallels and Money Battles
It is probable that they played more songs, I just don't recall them. Polygraph, Right Now and Dust Storm were probably among those. They invited Tyler Hilton at one point to join them while performing Our Song. He brought a more acoustic feel to it and was the backup for the vocals (Nick). Great song by the way, watch the music video it's pretty creative! The last two songs All Over You and All Hail the Heartbreaker really got the crowd excited. Both are older song and EVERYONE knew their lyrics. Even though I knew the lyrics, hearing everyone in the room singing All Hail the Heartbreaker was heartfelt and gave me goosebumps. This connection among the crowd showed that we've all been in a similar situation. Thanks to The Spill Canvas for giving us such amazing music! They're going to be in Jersey again in July, I will most definitely try to be there. :D On a scale from 1 to 10, I give their performance a 10!
P.S Below is the video I took of one of my favorite songs All Hail the Heartbreaker. Enjoy and be sure to visit The Spill Canvas's websites for updates!
Who is Tyler Hilton? If you have seen the TV series One Tree Hill you may be familiar with his role as Chris Keller. Or maybe you've seen the movie Walk the Line where he played Elvis. He also played Murphy Bivens in the 2007 film called Charlie Bartlett. Still doesn't ring a bell? Maybe you've seen Taylor Swifts music video Teardrops On My Guitar (he plays Drew). Now, I've been a fan of Tyler's for about 3 to 4 years and I've been keeping up with his music since. Last year he had a tour scheduled but it was cancelled (bummer). This year I was going insane trying to solve a chemical engineering homework problem when I decided to check his website for updates. My eyes grew wide open when I saw he was going on tour with The Spill Canvas (another favorite band of mine). As I kept on reading, I learned that he would be performing on May 15, 2010 at THE Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ. That's like an hour and a half from where I live. Immediately I bought 3 tickets to go see him with my sister and my best friend. The show was about 2 months away and I was beyond excited. There was absolutely no way I would be disappointed and I was right!
We decided to leave early to enjoy the beach and do some sight seeing around Asbury Park. When we got there, there were a few people already waiting for the doors to open so we went to find something to eat and just chilled in line until the doors opened. To our surprise, the U-Haul vans were unloading instruments for the show. Boy was I shocked when I saw Steve (Tyler's guitarist for this tour) walking across the parking lot right in front of me! Followed by Tyler but my hands were shaking uncontrollably to take a picture. We also saw the other bands unloading their instruments and we finally got the guts to ask to take pictures with them. By 5:30pm the line was getting bigger and you could hear the crowd talking very enthusiastically about the bands. Everyone was familiar with the Spill Canvas, few people were familiar with Tyler. 6pm hit and the doors opened. We started walking through the doors, passed security and into the venue. We were lucky to be among the first to enter because the crowd soon came pouring in. Our spots were right at the edge of the stage, where we were able to take kick-ass pictures and videos of the bands. The first band up was the New Politics and their follow-up was AM Taxi. Both great bands, but when Tyler Hilton came on stage the entire crowd roared. I knew all the lyrics to each of his songs, a few people were familiar with his new songs but almost everyone was familiar with his older songs, such as When It Comes!
Setlist for the Night 1. 16th Summer 2. This World Will Turn Your Way 3. Missing You 4. Ain't a Thing 5. When It Comes 6. Sunset Blvd 7. You'll Ask For Me 8. I Believe In You 9. Kiss On
What really got the crowd going was when he announced that he was recording an on the road video of I Believe In You. He taught everyone the first 3 lines of the chorus which goes like, "Baby that's all I need, is someone like you burning though me." Those verses still resound in my head. The song is so inspirational and everyone at The Stone Pony that night was definitely feeling the lyrics and the beat. Throughout the entire performance Tyler had a huge smile on his face. I could have sworn he smiled at me when he was singing When It Comes. Let's face it, I'm just a fan among a bunch (older and newer) so he could have been smiling at anyone or everyone. He dedicated his last song to his girlfriend, Megan Park. Any girl would melt if their significant other started singing Kiss On for them. Tyler's energy on stage was contagious, it's almost impossible to not like his music. Props to the person who yelled out, "I love you!" To which Tyler responded, "I still love you and nothing's ever gonna change that!" Even on stage Tyler has a great sense of humor. His band members, Steve (guitarist), Joe (bassist) and Lemony (drummer) all looked like they were having so much fun on stage. After half hour of playing, it was finally the Spill Canvas's turn to take the stage. I wished that his setlist could have been longer.
Later that night Tyler was invited back on stage with The Spill Canvas. Together they performed Our Song. I must say that they put on an AMAZING performance. At this point I was losing my voice from all the yelling and screaming. After the show, all bands stayed to sign autographs and meet their fans. I was not able to stay for this because it was almost impossible to get through the crowd and we had a long ride home (we had to drop off my best friend - who lived another hour away). Even though we didn't stay, all his updates on his website and facebook show comments from the fans who did get a chance to meet him. They all agree that he is a very down to earth guy. Even I agree because I watch his monthly webcasts where he answers all of his fans questions, sends shout outs and even plays requested songs. Not many (if any) music artists do this for their fans. The connection between Tyler and his fans is a strong one. He has even given us a nickname, Storm Trackers! This name was chosen because of his new album coming out, The Storms We Share. I know I can't wait for it to come out. Hopefully Tyler comes back to Jersey soon for another tour because I know I'll be there along with the many new fans he's earned! This concert was the best way to start off my summer vacation. Thanks Tyler and keep rockin'! ;) On a scale from 1 to 10, I give Tyler's performance a 10!
P.S Below is the video I took of When It Comes. Enjoy and be sure to visit his website for updates!
AM Taxi, I must say was not at all what I expected to hear! Whoa! Their sound is great, unlike anything I've heard before. What I believe makes them stand out is the band's harmonies, while Adam's raspy voice takes over as the lead singer. Like I said in previous blogs, I like to familiarize myself with each band's music before the shows. I have to say that I wasn't all to convinced I liked them, for I heard their single The Mistake only once (and barely listened to it). So I figured I wouldn't enjoy their performance on stage. Seeing them live, really changed my mind! After The New Politics got off the stage, I was prepared to just relax and calm down after all the yelling I had done. Nope I was wrong, totally was near to losing my voice by the time they were done. 
These guys started off in Chicago. The band members consist of Adam (vocals and guitar), Jason (bass), Chris (drums and backups), John (guitar and backups) and Luke (keyboard and backups). When they walked out on stage the whole crowd didn't know what to expect (myself included). When they started I was like, 'ok they aren't that bad.' By the time they got to their 2nd song, I was jumping and yelling. I think the keyboard really added a nice effect to the whole sound as well as the harmonies! I can't stress that enough. These guys are really chill and cool. My best friend, sister and I are now totally into their music. 
Setlist for the Night
P.S Below is the video I took of The Mistake performance. Enjoy and be sure to visit their websites for updates!
