Month: May 2017

Tom DeLonge Talks to Billboard About Box Car Racer

Tom DeLonge
Jason Tate

Tom DeLonge talked to Billboard about the 15-year anniversary of Box Car Racer:

Well I’m not going to spill any beans, but Travis and I talk all the time. There was always talk of Box Car Racer; we’ve talked about it for a very long time. We just came out with vinyl, and we’ve gotten offers to bring it back. I don’t know if it was like Coachella, but we’ve had things like that pop up from time to time. It’s something that’s never died in our imaginations and it’s something that I think we’re willing to do. Whether we come out with some big announcement or we’re ready to say, “Hey, this is happening,” I don’t know any of those kinds of details. But I think that our passion for what we did lives strong. We do talk about it and we do want to do something but we have no desire to talk about details because there’s a lot going on in my life right now, and [Travis’s]. Blink’s doing really well right now and everyone’s in a good spot, contrary to what public opinion may be. [Laughs.] I have the best situation ever where that band can continue and they can do what they want. And I’m making major motion pictures and working with people in government, so it’s a big deal.

As a quick aside: The autoplaying videos on Billboard’s website are fucking obnoxious.

Harry Styles Debuts at #1, Paramore at #6

Jason Tate

Harry Styles has the number one album in the country this week.

With Styles’ start of 193,000 he earns the biggest debut sales week for a U.K. male artist’s first full-length album since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991.

Paramore came in at number six, selling around 67,000 album equivalent units. I’ve seen a few people saying this is a disappointment, and I wanna push back on that just a bit. The band selected a fast album roll-out with very minimal press. They did only a few interviews, with massive publications, and turned down requests from everyone else. They didn’t send out advances to virtually anyone, and I think they knew going in this wasn’t going to be an album they pushed for the first week sales. I think it’s instead setting up their upcoming tour, they’ll have a bigger push on the second single, and the positive word of mouth will keep this album moving throughout the summer.

Basically, I don’t think it’s a disappointment, and I wouldn’t worry.

Review: All Time Low – Last Young Renegade

All Time Low - Last Young Renegade
Jason Tate

This first impression was originally posted as a live blog for supporters in our forums on May 19th, 2017. First impressions are meant to be quick, fun, initial impressions on an album or release as I listen to it for the first time. It’s a running commentary written while listening to an album — not a review. More like a diary of thoughts. This post has been lightly edited for structure and flow.

Oh yes, it is that time again … first listen time.

Tonight I’m excited to share a live-blog-first-listen thread all about the new All Time Low album.

My history with All Time Low is interesting. I remember seeing a lot of hype for the band around The Party Scene era and giving the songs a listen, I thought it was pretty run of the mill stuff, nothing really stood out to me. Then they released PUOSP and I was like, eh, ok, this is better, there’s some stuff here that I like, but as a whole, nothing really grabbing me. That was a three or so year long period of seeing the band, thinking they had potential, but nothing stood out to me as a “hit.”

And then the band sent me some demos for SWIR.

I heard “Dear Maria.”

I remember thinking, “yep, that’s the one.”

As a whole that was the first album I thought really nailed a pop-punk vibe and they had multiple tracks on that album I really, really liked. “Six Feet,” “Remembering Sunday,” “Stay Awake” … I felt like I finally got the band, even if I wasn’t really feeling the albums. That continued with Nothing Personal, an album where I really enjoyed a variety of songs, even more than the previous album, and this was the first time where I felt the band had put together a full album of songs. Something I felt like I would come back to time and time again and be able to listen to front and back.

Read More “All Time Low – Last Young Renegade”

Rare Fall Out Boy Demo Tape Being Auctioned Off

Jason Tate

A copy of Fall Out Boy’s first demo tape is being raffled off tomorrow by Christopher Gutierrez (HeyChris) to benefit The Catcade, a Chicago nonprofit cat rescue/arcade combo.

This is the first and original Fall Out Boy demo tape. Maybe like 50 ever made. One of the few pieces of early-2000s pop punk history I have collected that I said I would never sell, is now being raffled off to raise money for my non-profit charity @thecatcade – for every $10 donated between now and Saturday at TheCatcade.org , your name will be entered into a drawing and the winner will be chosen live and fairly this Saturday. Good luck.

Donations can be made here.