Review: M.A.G.S. – Say Things That Matter

Adam Grundy Aug 16, 2021

When I last caught up with M.A.G.S. (the moniker for Elliott Douglas), his anticipation for his next album Say Things That Matter was utterly infectious. After hearing the rest of the material on this LP, it’s easy to see just why he would be so excited for the rest of the world to hear these songs. From the summer swagger of “Choked Out,” the pop guitar-driven rock brilliance of “Smile,” to the possible best song of his career in “Beg,” all of the singles connected with me on both a personal and spiritual level that I was not originally anticipating. M.A.G.S. is hitting the road this fall on a tour with The Happy Fits and Snarls, and it’s only a matter of time before the masses understand his brilliance in his songwriting.

Adam Grundy Aug 16, 2021

After the release of his popular book called Name Dropping: Seeking Creative Truth Through Trendy Altruism and Punk Rock, I was able to connect with author Jameson Ketchum for a great conversation. In this interview, we discussed how this semi-memoir came together, the bands he spent time with including Taking Back Sunday, The Used, and Fallstar, as well as what other projects he has in the works. Jameson Ketchum’s book is available now on Amazon for purchase, and I’d highly recommend everyone interested in what goes on during tours check out this great book.

Adam Grundy Aug 12, 2021

Recently I was able to chat with veteran singer-songwriter Lee DeWyze before he embarked on his US tour in support of his latest record, Ghost Stories. In this detailed conversation, Lee and I discussed how the pandemic influenced the material found on the album, his noticeable growth as a songwriter in songs like the title track, his recent TV/movie syncs he’s completed, and artists that he admires in today’s music scene. Lee DeWyze begins his 35-city Ghost Stories tour the day after the record is released on August 13th. Pre-orders are available here.

Adam Grundy Aug 10, 2021

The latest emo/post-hardcore “supergroup” comes now in the form of The Difference Between on their debut EP Detach: Envenom. The band is comprised of the ever-familiar vocals of founding vocalist of Emarosa (Chris Roberts), guitarist Chris Wethington, bassist Garrett Harper (both of Softspoken), and drummer Cody Frain (of A Scent Like Wolves). On this heavy, yet incredibly moving EP, The Difference Between embrace their lofty goals for their aggressive sound, and utilize their past projects into a crowd-pleasing musical package on these three songs.

Adam Grundy Aug 9, 2021

Coming off of the critically praised The Constance LP, Lakes have returned with another full length album called Start Again. For those unfamiliar with the UK-based indie rockers, they are comprised of lead vocalist/guitarist Roberto Cappellina, vocalist/keyboardist/percussionist Blue Jenkins, drums/percussionist/guitarist Matt Shaw, bassist Charlie Smith, guitarist Rob Vacher and guitarist Gareth Arthur. Start Again was produced/mixed by Neil Strauch (Joan of Arc, Owls) and is a detailed exploration of topical themes like dealing with our mental health, the struggles with addiction, and making the tough decisions of getting rid of toxic friendships. Lakes are in the same realm of emo/indie bands like American Football, Stove, and Barely Civil. Your latest music obsession has arrived.

Adam Grundy Aug 5, 2021

Recently, I teamed up with my fellow contributors to discuss the latest album from Billie Eilish, called Happier Than Ever. Much like other comparative articles like the one on the recent Modest Mouse record, I provided a template of questions for each of the writers to respond to. Here is our conversation on Happier Than Ever, which we have affectionately titled: The Metamorphosis of Billie Eilish: From Bedroom Pop to Global Phenomenon.

Adam Grundy Aug 3, 2021

There’s an 80’s (or 90’s) kid inside of all of us, and Punk Rock Factory recognizes this and takes it to heart on Masters of the Uniwurst, a punk rock compilation of sped-up TV theme songs from yesteryear. The compilation takes the soul of the beauty of the 80’s and 90’s themes and adds a delicious punk rock twist to the mix that ends up being a hell of a lot of fun to listen through. While some may say it’s simply the nostalgia that makes these songs endearing, I’d beg to differ and state that these “jingles” were in need of a need outlet to really appreciate them for what they are. Your summer soundtrack to your childhood has arrived.

Adam Grundy Aug 2, 2021

It’s funny when you realize you’ve found an artist that you just know is going the change the landscape or rock, indie rock, and maybe music in general from the first time you hear that distinct sound. The Strokes released their debut record, Is This It, fairly under the radar, with the exception of RCA Records knowing they may have the next really big indie band on their label for the foreseeable future. The Strokes released an EP called The Modern Age in early 2001, which sparked an intense bidding war of major labels falling over themselves to earn the trust of the New York City-based rock band. Is This It was recorded then under the tutelage of producer Gordon Raphael (Regina Spektor) and was ultimately released 20 years ago today in Australia, first. The record would then gradually be released in several countries as their tours were being conducted across the world, and the physical version of the CD would hit the states in October (due to a delay after 9/11 and the label decision to exclude “New York City Cops” on the original sequencing. The vinyl version released on 9/11 still continues to have the track in the original tracklisting).

Adam Grundy Jul 27, 2021

This Seattle, Washington band called Pretty Awkward is on to some great new things, with their electric new single, “Hang Out.” The four piece-band consists of vocalist Austin Held, bassist/backing vocalist Nichola Wiggins, guitarist/backing vocalist Jake Jones, and drummer Damien Ward, and their unique band chemistry is contagious on this bouncy new track. The band is able to channel a lot of the vibes that are popular from other pop-rock bands like Twenty One Pilots, Foster the People, and Walk the Moon, into their own package.

Adam Grundy Jul 26, 2021

A week after the band released their new album, I was able to catch a hold of The Maine before they set off on their Sad Summer Fest tour with All Time Low and many other great bands. Garrett Nickelsen and Pat Kirch chatted with me in a Zoom interview to discuss everything that went into their fantastic new record, XOXO: From Love and Anxiety In Real Time. Garrett and Pat also described their band’s process for recording the album, how their songwriting has evolved, the unique connection to each of their fans, and when their loyal fanbase can expect new music on the horizon from The Maine.

Ashley Perez Jul 24, 2021

Ever since I first stumbled upon the “Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow” video, I’ve been a massive Bullet For My Valentine fan. I listened to The Poison every day for a year. I desperately tried to imitate Michael Paget’s insane riffs. And I’m still mad about the Bullet For My Valentine wallet I lost 10 years ago. But my relationship with them has been on the rocks since their last album, Gravity. Widely panned for its radio rock sound, it nearly turned me off to the band completely. Like many fans, I didn’t like the new direction. Not only was it bad, it felt like they changed solely for mainstream appeal. I was disappointed. Now, the boys are back with what’s supposed to be their heaviest album. And I’m kind of looking forward to it.

This new era of Bullet For My Valentine kicked off with “Knives” and it’s not bad. But it’s also not great. Days before the song dropped, the cryptic teasers and new logo got my heart racing. But once “Knives” was unleashed, I was underwhelmed. The song gripped me with its killer intro. The intense dirty riffs paired with Matt Tuck screaming “LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!” gets you pumped. You hear it and think “FUCK YEAH! HERE WE GO!” But over the course of the song, it loses steam. I got bored of it midway through and when it finished, I didn’t care about hearing it again. The song only has one note: be heavy. There are no interesting progressions, the riffs are okay, and the lyrics are decent. Otherwise, the song isn’t very memorable. It’s one of those Bullet songs you don’t mind hearing but ultimately forget about.

Adam Grundy Jul 24, 2021

This past week, I was able to reach out to the band Dim to talk about their great new record, From Dark To Light We’ll See that we premiered last week. In this interview, I asked the band about the circumstances that led to this album title, what each band member brings creatively into Dim with their unique artist influences, their process for songwriting, and upcoming merchandise plans to support the new record.

Adam Grundy Jul 23, 2021

Today I’m thrilled to share the exclusive video premiere of Flight Club’s latest single called “High Roller” from their upcoming record, Until The Sun Drowns, out everywhere on July 30th via Open Your Ears Records. Flight Club’s vocalist Charlie Mahoney shared this about this great new single, “With ‘High Roller,’ we wanted to make a song that felt like a late night. Something fun but with a bit of attitude to get you feeling yourself.” Your next musical obsession has arrived.

Craig Manning Jul 22, 2021

Some songs just linger in the cultural bloodstream. It’s impossible to predict, in the moment, which songs those will be. Occasionally, it’s the big hits, but it’s also often those same world-conquering smashes that end up sounding the most dated in retrospect. Usually, you have to wait years or even decades to see which songs have truly become songbook classics, once all the context and narrative and hype and promotion has drifted into distant memory. You have to get to the point where all that remains is the song itself and the mysterious, beguiling hold it somehow continues to have over people.

There’s a spectacular cover band in my hometown that mostly plays songs from the classic rock era. It’s not hard to see why: Those songs have been proven staples for so long that building a setlist around them is just a smart business decision. You can’t miss with “Bohemian Rhapsody” or “Don’t Stop Believin’” or “American Girl.” You can’t miss with The Beatles or The Stones. There are precisely two post-2000 songs that I remember regularly hearing in the setlist from this particular cover band. The first one was “Mr. Brightside.”

The second was “The Middle.”

Adam Grundy Jul 22, 2021

This past week, I was able to get a hold of Brendan Kelly of The Lawrence Arms before he embarks on a full US tour, including an expertly planned “troll job” of a gig on August 21st at the Four Seasons Total Landscaping venue with Laura Jane Grace. In this interview, we talked about the circumstances that led to this show, the things he admires most about Laura, his songwriting process, and how the pandemic delayed a lot of his creativity and motivation. Brendan’s “Here Goes Nothin'” tour begins on July 30th in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and will wrap up in Cleveland, Ohio on August 22nd. Merchandise for the Four Seasons Total Landscaping show is now on sale.

Review: M.A.G.S. – Say Things That Matter

Interview: Jameson Ketchum

Interview: Lee DeWyze

Review: The Difference Between – Detach: Envenom

Review: Lakes – Start Again

The Metamorphosis Of Billie Eilish: From Bedroom Pop To Global Phenomenon

Review: Punk Rock Factory – Masters of the Uniwurst

Review: The Strokes – Is This It

Review: Pretty Awkward – Hang Out

Interview: Garrett Nickelsen and Pat Kirch of The Maine

Rediscovering Bullet For My Valentine After The Massive Letdown Of ‘Gravity’

Interview: Dim

Flight Club – “High Roller” (Video Premiere)

Review: Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American

Interview: Brendan Kelly of The Lawrence Arms