A country/acoustic/folk playlist

So, this post is a little different for me, because it's not even a write up on a specific album. I hate to sound superstitious, but sometime after I wrote about Envy On The Coast, they announced that they were breaking up and the last band I wrote about on here was Sing It Loud... yea, enough said about that. A few days ago, I started putting together a playlist for myself, and for some reason I got super into it. I started adding songs that I thought fit together, arranging them in an order that I thought flowed nicely, making sure songs there weren't too many similar songs in a row, and deleting songs that I thought stuck out too much. I'm not trying to bullshit anyone by saying this playlist means a lot to me, but it simply put me in a good mood, and so far a few friends of mine have seemed to agree. I will admit that I've broken some rules on making a playlist! There's three Envy On The Coast songs, two The Almost songs, two Loretta Lynn songs, and two Murder By Death songs. I just couldn't help myself. I'd also be happy to send any of these songs, so feel free to message me!


1. Puritan Dirt Song
Envy On The Coast
Lowcountry

2. Runaway II
The Early November
The Mother, The Mechanic, And The Path

3. Don't Come Home A Drinkin'
Loretta Lynn
Country Music Hall Of Fame: Greatest Hits

4. Dirty And Left Out
The Almost
Southern Weather

5. Brother
Murder By Death
In Bocca Al Lupo

6. Battesimo del Fuoco
The Dear Hunter
Act I: The Lake South, The River North

7. Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division)
Fall Out Boy
My Heart Will Always Be the B-Side to My Tongue

8. Medicine Man
The Hush Sound
Goodbye Blues

9. Don't Be So Hard
The Audition
Punk Goes Acoustic 2

10. Made of Stone
Envy On The Coast
Lowcountry

11. Curbside Prophet
Jason Mraz
Waiting For My Rocket To Come

12. Romance Is... (Acoustic Version)
Lights
Acoustic

13. Sometimes The Line Walks You
Murder By Death
In Bocca Al Lupo

14. Night Drive
The All-American Rejects
Punk Goes Acoustic 2

15. Death March On Two, Ready?
Envy On The Coast
Lowcountry

16. It Ain't Me, Babe (With June Carter Cash)
Johnny Cash
The Essential Johnny Cash

17. Knife Going In
Tegan & Sara
The Con

18. Children of Divorce
Jonny Craig
A Dream Is a Question You Don't Know How To Answer

19. Fist City
Loretta Lynn
Country Music Hall Of Fame: Greatest Hits

20. Hand Grenade
The Almost
Monster Monster


<3Becca

Sing It Loud- Everything Collide

I honestly expected an even more drastic change from Sing It Loud's debut record, Come Around to Everything Collide. Yes, the change is evident, but they're still the same band. Everything Collide was released 5/11/10 and all though they weren't on this year's Warped Tour, they just finished up a tour with Every Avenue, The Secret Handshake, and There For Tomorrow. I have absolutely no complaints about this record and there's no tracks that I would bother skipping. Sing It Loud have already released two singles off of Everything Collide ("Sugar Sweet" and "Here With You"). Evan Lucy of AP Mag wrote a review saying they "have thankfully ditched the irritating keyboards and cookie-cutter choruses for Southern-fried guitar riffs and plenty of spirited tambourine." I agree that their music has matured, but did you have to completely rip on Come Around before giving them a compliment? There were other reviews that I came across that were like this and... I simply don't get it. I personally like Come Around, but have to even admit that Everything Collide takes it to the next level. With that said, Sing It Loud are even more unbearably underrated.

"Letting Go" rocks the Yellowcard violin better than Yellowcard themselves (alright, that's kind of a biased statement). "I Can't" may not be the best or the most complex song off of the record, but the lyrics say it better than I could ever describe it: "I can't, I can't keep myself from singing..." (Fuck you lyric sites that say the lyrics are "I can't keep myself from SAYING"). It's a little difficult for me to pick a favorite song, but it would probably have to be "Wonder Why." Anyone who knows Sing It Loud's history on how they got started as a band, knows why it's easy for them to say "So, forgive your enemies and never forget their names, I hope you don't try to run away, because it never really helps anyway."

myspace.com/singitloud

purevolume.com/singitloud

<3becca

This needs to be said

I've currently been working on my next write up (Sing It Loud), but before I even continue working on that, while the butterflies in my stomach are still fresh I need to say this. Envy on the Coast announced tonight that Sal and Jer are leaving and that this is the end. My initial reaction was simply a panic attack... then sadness... then some anger. Mind you I was trying to keep it classy by commenting on their announcement and saying thank you for all the great times I've had over the past few years. This is the most in depth thank you I could ever say to them. Well, try more of a timeline rather than a simple "thank you."

April 2007: It was the first time I had ever seen them live. Envy was headlining... TEMPLE show represent!!! I arrived 2 hours early assuming I would have to wait outside in the nice weather, but no. Brian greeted us at the door and let us come in even though doors were supposed to open only a little while before the show. That was where I met a lot of new bands I had never heard of before including Blameshift, Robbie Hassett, The Junior Varsity, Destiny or Design, and as the opening band (no really, get this): Stereo Skyline. When we got there, Envy hadn't even done their soundcheck yet, so yea, I couldn't believe that I was allowed to walk into the completely empty room (except for some merch tables) and watch their soundcheck. This was when they had a 6 song setlist. The 5 songs off of their EP and their 'new' song: "Sugar Skulls." I was in the very front row loving every second of their set, including actually feeling Brian's sweat fall on my face when he did a little hair flip while playing (I know, gross). I will never ever forget my first Envy show. It holds so much importance and come on, I can't forget the days when there was no facial hair and Ryan wasn't sporting luscious dreads.

August 2007: Lucy Gray CD release party! It was at Looney Tunes... right before it burned down to the ground and they redid it. The OLD Looney Tunes you could say. We were running late, so my friend Elaine and I stood in the back... next to Robbie Hassett, but we didn't mind. Ryan had said that they just finished filming their first music video, but I remember feeling like it took FOREVER for their "Sugar Skulls" video to finally be released. I don't mean to put so much focus on Ryan, but this was when he just got his new dreads. It was a slight shocker, and while he shook the maracas to "Vultures" with no shoes on, I couldn't help but think I had just walked into some surreal Tarzan performance. It was the day before the Long Island Warped Tour date and I was absolutely heartbroken that I had tickets, but wasn't allowed to go, so being at the very very very first Lucy Gray show ever made me feel quite special. It was a good feeling. After their set, we waited on line to get our CDs signed. Brian asked me my name and wrote "Becca" across the top of the album art. They each signed it, and I'll never forget how Jer looked to Bri and said "She looks like your sister."

"Yea... in a really different way."

"Yea, a different way."

I felt awkward and didn't know what to say, so me being the selfish person that I am, I asked if Brian's sister was pretty. They said "Of course!" and so what if I was fishing for a few compliments from my favorite band? Dan personally shook my hand as he read my sweatshirt that simply read GEEK across it as he said "It's ok. I'm a geek too. Nice to meet you!" The whole car ride home, I listened to Lucy Gray feeling so happy that I had new Envy on the Coast music to listen to (and the fact that the release party was a few days before the actual CD came out to the public!) and that I had a new Envy experience to tell my friends about at camp the next Monday when I saw them.

November 2007: I joined the Envy boards. Through the boards I met so many new people that all had the same love and passion for the boys and their music as I did. Absolutely none of them were "fan gurls," they never talked about how hot they were, and they had a unique sense of... precision and organization when it came to posting. I've gotten to know such wonderful people and I even regret not staying consistent with my posting on the boards. Thanks girlies! I wish I could name each and every one of you on here.

December 2007: Well, there's not much to say about this month, but I had the Lucy Gray balloons painted on my bedroom wall. I took pictures when it was done and sent them to Envy's myspace. I assumed they wouldn't respond because it wasn't tattoo photos, but I was wrong. Brian personally responded saying that they looked really good, but he wouldn't want to sleep in the same room as "those fucking creepy balloons."

December 2008: Their annual holiday show had 2 Long Island dates, 2 days in a row. December 29th and December 30th. I got invited to a Sweet 16 December 30th. I'm sorry, but who plans a party on the day of Envy's holiday show? Haha. Clearly, someone who "doesn't get it." December 29th was my 1 year anniversary with my boyfriend, and he surprised me with tickets and a bouquet of black roses (don't judge, they're my favorite flowers). No romantic date needed. For me, there's nothing better than a night of moshing to my favorite band.

February 2009: Saying goodbye is never fun. Yes I was heartbroken (not as heartbroken as I am now though), but inside I trusted each of their decisions. With sadness, there was much hope and excitement for their new music.

June 2009: I was living in Boston for a few days for a summer program at my dream school, Berklee College of Music. Envy was opening for Taking Back Sunday extremely near by at House of Blues, I had tickets, I couldn't be anymore anxious to go, but at the last minute I wasn't allowed to go. Well, I guess you can't win 'em all.

August 2009: It was a blink-182 show and first I spotted Ryan towards the front watching Taking Back Sunday's set, but later I saw Brian, Jer, and Sal wandering around looking for their seats. I had seen them in person multiple times before and had spoken to them multiple times, but spotting them at a time that I didn't expect to see them, made me weirdly star struck. They finally found their seats. Their seats were directly behind mine. I creepily spent more time turning around and making awkward eye contact rather than simply watching blink's set.

December 2009: Seats for their annual holiday show? Say what?! The idea of seats made me nervous, but luckily I had amazing 2nd row seats, and just like always, Envy played an amazing set and even made me forget I was stuck in one spot. Ryan looked like a drunk forgetting that the stage spun and As Tall As Lions was an excellent choice for an opening band. I couldn't have been anymore pleased, but what did I expect? The boys always delivered.

January 2010: Haiti Relief show in my hometown! They were finally on my territory and ya know what that means? Not much, except for the fact that I knew which pizza place was the best place to go to after the show. I showed up early, waited on line with bags and bags of things to donate to people in need. I know I said there isn't anything better than moshing to your favorite band, but I take that back. There's nothing better than a night of moshing to your favorite band while helping those in need in Haiti. ;)

March 2010: Lowcountry! Envy opened my eyes to a slightly new genre. They were still the same band with minor changes and I was perfectly fine to opening to change. I opened my pre-order package, carefully taking out the CD, the autographed zine, the Lowcountry patch, and the Lowcountry t-shirt singing to myself "Now I have a t-shirt to go with my scars..."

April 2010: Oh, beautiful Irving Plaza. I managed to get towards the front of the line as a friend of mine let me wait with her, because she somehow managed to cut a drunk kid on line. I don't know. Don't ask. Once again, their performance was everything I hoped for and was even worth waiting 'til 1 in the morning or so for the next train in Penn Station. The things we do for the bands we love.

July 2010: This would be where I am right now. Heartbroken, but feeling much better a few hours later after writing all of this out. I'm sorry if I forgot anything else in my little timeline (as I'm sure I did). I can't thank you boys enough for all the wonderful memories and all the amazing music you've produced together. I've had the pleasure of seeing you grow through your music and not only that, but I've had the pleasure of growing WITH your music. I wouldn't be the person that I am today if it weren't for all of you. I know it sounds cheesy! But it's the truth. Whether it's your lyrics that get me through a tough time or simply your musical influence on me as a musician. Thank you thank you thank you for everything. This may be the end, but it's not THE END.

"Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." ~Charlie Parker

<3becca

Travie McCoy- Lazarus

Search: Travie McCoy. Did you mean Travis McCoy? No. I didn't actually. I meant Travie Lazarus McCoy. I honestly can't believe how many people get his name wrong and call him "Travis." Yes, that's his legal name, but it's Travie. Sorry, but get it right.

Lazarus was released last week (6/8/10) and it already has gotten attention, because of it's current chart topper, "Billionaire (Featuring Bruno Mars)," which couldn't be anymore appropriate in this economy. As I write this, "Billionaire" is actually #5 on Billboard's Hot 100. Anyone's who's hoping for the entire album to sound similar to "Billionaire" will be quite disappointed to find that each song has something unique about it; while any Gym Class Heroes fan that expects Travie to use his talent of mixing genres, will get exactly what they're expecting. On Lazarus, Travie mixes pop, rap, hip-hop, reggae, pop-punk, rock, and r&b. I don't mean to compare Gym Class Heroes and Travie's solo work so much, but his words are still witty and he's still... well, doing exactly what got him signed in the first place: poking fun at everyone. By no means am I saying one is better than the other, but the hard times Travie was going through were evident on Gym Class Heroes's The Quilt, but Lazarus is just a feel-good album. I couldn't be any happier with the fact that Travie doesn't just rap on Lazarus, but SINGS too. He's proven that he's perfectly capable of doing both extremely well.

If I had to recommend one song, it would probably have to be "Superbad (11:34)." Love love love "Superbad (11:34)" and it's one of those songs that you just can't explain why. It has a rock feel with... whatever genre T-Pain is, but it doesn't have Travie's typical rapping either. That's probably the best way to describe it. I feel like fans aren't too fond of "Akidagain," but I personally like it. In "Akidagain," Travie describes all the toys and things he cared about as a child and how is life is different now after growing up. The chorus is sung by children which adds a nice touch and rather than it sounding cheesy, it actually reminds me of the chorus of children singing in Pink Floyd's "We Don't Need No Education."

Last, but not least: by no means does the release of Lazarus mean that Gym Class Heroes is over. They're actually the opposite of over. What I mean by that is, they're currently working on their next album, The Paper Chronicles 2, which is to be released 2011. I excited for their future music, but for now, I couldn't be happier with Travie McCoy's solo debut.

myspace.com/traviemccoy

purevolume.com/traviemccoy

<3becca

Punk Goes- Punk Goes Classic Rock

Compared to other albums, it's a little bit more difficult to rate this album as a whole, simply because it's a collection of various artists rather than just one. I won't be writing about each song, but the songs I don't mention get a general thumbs up in my opinion. If there were any shitty songs, I'd take the time to write about them. Punk Goes Classic Rock was released last week (4/27/2010) and me being a huge fan of the Punk Goes... collections, I had to get my hands on it as soon as I could. One of my absolute favorite covers off of this album would have to be VersaEmerge's cover of "Paint It Black" originally by The Rolling Stones. This isn't even just coming from a VersaEmerge fan, but a Rolling Stones fan as well. It's safe to say that VersaEmerge are the kings (and queen) of covering random music. This is the 4th song I've heard them cover and they've done a wonderful job of each of them. "Paint It Black" always had an eerie feel to it, but with VersaEmerge's duet vocals and modern twist, they've managed to make it catchier and even eerier. I have no complaints on I See Star's cover of "Your Love" by The Outfield. They did a good job of it, I just don't approve of the song choice. Come on! Midtown already covered "Your Love" on Punk Goes '80s and I would've liked to hear I See Stars record a different song. I know "Free Fallin'" originally performed by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and covered by The Almost, is ridonkulously popular on iTunes, and I must agree; "Free Fallin'" fits The Almost extremely well. I was actually really surprised when I heard that Punk Goes 'virgins', Envy On The Coast, were going to be on this album. But once I discovered they would be covering Bob Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower" in the style of Jimi Hendrix, I could only respond with "OH. They would..." Yes, they do Jimi Hendrix justice, but in a strange way it's more so that that particular song just fits them well as a band. As an Envy On The Coast fan, this is just a minor detail that I feel the need to point out: there are many reasons why I love them, but one of them being that I love the fact that they have multiple singers! Maybe they were trying to stay true to the song by only having Ryan sing, but I would've loved to hear them change it up by having all three singers (Ryan, Sal, and Brian). If VersaEmerge can do it, so can Envy On The Coast.

I don't have much to say about Mayday Parade's "We Are The Champions," but just a general thumbs up. It may just be a slight change from their last cover... "When I Grow Up" (off of Punk Goes Pop Vol. 2). Like Mayday Parade, Never Shout Never also covered a Queen song. Except, Christofer took the ballsy risk of covering "Bohemian Rhapsody." I'll be totally honest, I expected the worst. I imagined Never Shout Never doing the worst cover possible. The truth is, yes, it sounds like he's trying WAY too hard at some points to make it epically dramatic, but it could've been worse. The Maine's cover of "Pour Some Sugar On Me" is another song I don't have much to say about, but want to give a shout out to. It's humorous compared to their typical music, not as hysterical as their cover of "I Wanna Love You" (from Punk Goes Crunk), but not a disappointment either. Last but not least, I want to mention Forever The Sickest Kids' Ozzy Osbourne cover of "Crazy Train." They've added their own FTSK style to it and whether you're a fan of the original or not, the new FTSK/Ozzy intro is simply orgasmic with their guitar riffs and synth. I have nothing bad to say about the rest of the song, it's just that the intro is the kind of EPIC Never Shout Never was striving for.

1. Hit The Lights "More Than A Feeling" (originally recorded by Boston)
2. VersaEmerge "Paint It Black" (originally recorded by The Rolling Stones)
3. The Almost "Free Fallin'" (originally recorded by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)
4. Mayday Parade "We Are The Champions" (originally recorded by Queen)
5. The Summer Set "Rock 'n Roll All Nite" (originally recorded by KISS)
6. We The Kings "Caught Up In You" (originally recorded by .38 Special)
7. A Skylit Drive "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" (originally recorded by Journey)
8. I See Stars "Your Love" (originally recorded by The Outfield)
9. Pierce The Veil "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (originally recorded by Blue Oyster Cult)
10. Forever The Sickest Kids "Crazy Train" (originally recorded by Ozzy Osbourne)
11. The Maine "Pour Some Sugar On Me" (originally recorded by Def Leppard)
12. Envy On The Coast "All Along The Watchtower" (originally recorded by Bob Dylan as covered by Jimi Hendrix)
13. Every Avenue "Take Me Home Tonight" (originally recorded by Eddie Money)
14. Never Shout Never "Bohemian Rhapsody" (originally recorded by Queen)
15. blessthefall "Dream On" (originally recorded by Aerosmith)

<3becca

All Time Low-MTV Unplugged

This is just a super quick write up for All Time Low's MTV Unplugged performance. I'm writing this partly because, I was a bit disgusted by the lack of attention this performance got (the CD/DVD was released in January) and also in anticipation for Straight To DVD to be released May 25th. Their 6 song set is nicely divided by 2 songs from each Put Up Or Shut Up, So Wrong, It's Right, and Nothing Personal. It's not that this recording went completely ignored, but for a band of their status (or any status for that matter), MTV Unplugged is a pretty big deal. I didn't expect their MTV Unplugged recording to get the same amount of attention as Katy Perry's, but still. As all All Time Low fans know, there's nothing better than an All Time Low interview, so yes, the DVD includes an interview. Though this is a recommendation for people to check this performance out, I have one complaint (sorry!). I'm sure most would say I'm overreacting, but in my opinion Kate Voegele's performance as the guest vocalist on "Remembering Sunday" was unbearably boring and dull. Of course, she's disappointing compared to Juliet Simms (Automatic Loveletter), but couldn't Alex have helped her a little? When they perform that song live, Alex changes the part stylistically so that it's not so dull when sung down an octave. I don't know, but Kate Voegele managed to make that one really epic part... simply boring. To end this on a better note, I highly recommend this CD/DVD and though it's more entertaining when watching the DVD, the tracks don't feel incomplete without the visual.

myspace.com/alltimelow
purevolume.com/alltimelow

<3Becca

Envy on the Coast- Lowcountry

This may just be the best band for me to write about after such a long hiatus, because as you can tell they're my favorite and Lowcountry was just released recently. Besides the obvious as to why I'm excited to write this post, there's something else. That something else would be describing the genre and title. Even without Brian Byrne's writeup on the definition of "lowcountry", what it means to him, and how it became their album title, I'd still take the time to mention how it fits so well with this record. It's not often I hear the word "lowcountry" used in everyday language, but it already has a significant importance to me. Lowcountry may just be a whole new genre of music entirely. It's most certainly not country, but more of alternative rock with a hint of country influence. When the boys first announced their title, I believe the first thing that came out of my mouth was "Wow. A bunch of Long Island boys are gonna pretend they're from the south?", but it was done well. Ryan's not bullshitting us with a country twang, it's still the same wonderfully aggressive rock vocals I love, but now with a slight country influence in the guitar riffs, percussion, and bass lines. Even if other bands don't follow suit and the genre "lowcountry" doesn't start an entire movement, there are plenty of other bands and songs that touch on this similar rock genre, and Envy on the Coast fit well in this alternative rock scene anyway.

People hate change. Even if the change is for the good, no matter what, people will throw a fit about how they miss "the good old days". I'm extremely happy to report, that though I can't speak for everyone, envy fans seem to be pleased with this album. I highly recommend everyone checks out their four bonus tracks (on iTunes), "Bad News," "Spinal Cords," "Clergy,"and "Company of Men." I'm honestly still confused as to why "Bad News" isn't on the album though... I really can't choose favorites, but "The Great American T-Shirt Racket" and "Made of Stone" have special places in my heart. I'm just plugging random facts now, but their 'hidden' track after "Clean of You" is called "Just South of Heaven," though the title is not in the name anywhere. Their first single is "Head First In The River," but I'm hoping either "Southern Comfort" or "Numb" will be singles in the future :).

It's been absolutely wonderful to watch this band grow and evolve over the past years and I truly hope the best for them, but for now... I can't fucking wait to see them April 24th at Irving Plaza.

myspace.com/envyonthecoast
purevolume.com/envyonthecoast

<3becca

Is this a comeback?

I try to keep my blog about myself as little as possible. I want it to be music recommendations with my opinions, but that's it. As you can tell, I took a year's hiatus. That was never my intention, but I soon found it harder and harder to brainstorm and to find the time to write. I wish I could jump right into this and have an album to review off the top of my head, but unfortunately, I still don't know where to begin. Trying to give as little away as possible, I was extremely busy for a while with auditions. Auditions are over and I'm happy to report there was a good outcome from it all, so now I'll try to give this site more of my attention. Just today someone told me they visited my site recently, downloaded two albums I recommended, and fell absolutely in love. Oh. Right. That's why I do this.

Let's try this again.

<3Becca