Blink-182 Lives On

Let's start with what we know for sure first.

Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker announced earlier today that Tom DeLonge "indefinitely" left the band and Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio will replace him for an upcoming show at the Misink Festival in March. Twitter erupted in chaos. It was 2004 all over again. Theories of a breakup and angry questions thrown at DeLonge were everywhere. Just a couple of short hours later, DeLonge posted an update on Instagram that read:

To all the fans, I never quit the band. I actually was on a phone call

about a blink 182 event for New York City at the time all these weird

press releases started coming in... Apparently those releases were 

'sanctioned' from the band. Are we dysfunctional - yes. But, Christ.....

#Awkward #BabyBackRibs

About two hours ago, Rolling Stone released a new interview with Hoppus and Barker clearing up all the rumors. Hoppus even tweeted a link to the interview saying "This is the real deal." In summary, Hoppus and Barker explain that Blink-182 have been trying for the last two years to get in the recording studio to work on a new album. On Christmas Eve, the three of them signed a new record deal. Things were looking up for the band until over time Delonge distanced himself.

There's a flurry of e-mails going back and forth for clarification about

the recording and the show and [DeLonge's] manager sends [an e-mail]

back saying, "Tom. Is. Out." Direct quote. This is the exact same e-mail we

got back in 2004 when Tom went on indefinite hiatus before. -Hoppus

The fans could see that the band wasn't doing that great. We've been hanging around since December 2012 (September 2011 since their last full album) for a taste of something new, but we've been left with nothing. It's not that the band left without saying goodbye. It was obvious to see who was and wasn't dedicated to the band just by looking at the time they saved to go to a studio or what they posted on social media. 

It's hard to cover for someone who's disrespectful and ungrateful.

You don't even have the balls to call your bandmates and tell them

you're not going to record or do anything Blink-related. You have

your manager do it.... Why Blink even got back together in the first 

place [after the first hiatus] is questionable. -Barker

Everyone knows that when Travis speaks up, things are serious. When I first heard all of this news, I couldn't see how Blink-182 could continue. That was before I realized just how committed Hoppus and Barker are to keep the Blink legacy going. If they are this willing to keep going, keep recording, keep playing, then there is no way in hell that I could ever stop supporting this band. Blink-182 means more to me in more ways than I can even explain. There has never been nor will there ever be a band that could be compared to Blink. They began my love for music which I will someday combine with journalism to make a career. I don't know who I would've become or where I would be today if my dad hadn't started playing "What's My Age Again?" or "All the Small Things" during car rides. That may sound dramatic, but we all have that something that means so much to us that we just can't find the right words to explain how it makes us feel. 

I just want to go out and play Blink songs. I want to go out

and play the songs that we've been spending the last 20 years

of our lives writing. That's what Travis and I want to do. -Hoppus

Reading that Rolling Stone article brought up so many mixed feelings. I'm overcome with pride towards Hoppus and Barker that they have finally decided to say something about the matter and directly confront DeLonge in a way that he can't ignore. Also, the fact that they want to continue doing Blink. There are no words to describe how much that means to a fan. We all saw an ending coming, but (for me at least) this has the chance to become a happy ending. Blink-182 is not over. On the other hand, I am overwhelming disappointed in DeLonge. I understand that he has other projects that he may be more committed to, but he could have at least had the decency to directly tell not just his bandmates, but his friends, what the situation was. Mark and Tom have known each other since high school. I don't know any of them personally and I may just be a fan, but I am pretty confident that Mark and Travis deserved better than this. There was no need for his manager to speak for him. Then he posts on Instagram talking about how everything is fine when that entire statement was just one huge lie. Even in the Alternative Press magazine, only Tom was quoted and he directly said that Blink-182 were going to get an album out this year. He just failed to mention that Blink did not include him anymore. 

I just wish Tom does whatever makes him happy and stops

holding back Blink-182 from what we all agree that we're going

to do: play shows, record music, continue this legacy and have

a good time doing it. -Hoppus

To Mark and Travis: I will never stop being a fan of Blink-182 and I could never stop supporting you guys. I wish you and Matt Skiba the best of luck at Musink and I hope I get the chance to get tickets and see you guys. 'Thank you' isn't enough to express how grateful I am that Blink-182 is not dead. Let's continue the legacy.

Long Live Blink, 

Nikole xx

(*I understand that there is Tom's side of the story. Even on Twitter and Instagram, a lot of people have been picking 'sides.' After this Rolling Stone release, I felt I understood more of the situation and it explained a lot of questions I had about the band during the last two years. As far as I know, Tom hasn't released any official statement other than his Instagram post. 

**All of the quotes I used besides Tom's came from the Rolling Stone article which can be found at http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/blink-182s-hoppus-barker-blast-ungrateful-disingenuous-tom-delonge-20150126 )

Sunday's 7 Songs (Week 1)

I'm going to try something new for my little blog that will hopefully get me to write more. Each Sunday, I'll list the top 7 songs that I've been listening to for the past week. (Hopefully, I'll think of a better name for this weekly thing later.) It will probably be a mixture of songs I've had on repeat and new songs I discovered this week. I might change this idea or edit it as I go, but I really wanted to have something that encourages me to regularly update (kind of how youtubers are known to post a new video a certain day of the week). Anyways, here are the 7 songs.


1) Something's Gotta Give by All Time Low

All Time Low released their first single for their new album "Future Hearts" about two weeks ago and I have had it on repeat ever since. It's absolutely amazing. Everything from the lyrics (which are a mixture of motivated and sadness) to the energy produced from the instruments. It's one of those songs that you play in your car or in the shower and you can't help but scream the lyrics. If this is any indicator to how the rest of the album will sound, then I know I won't be disappointed. Their music video has an interesting plot twist, but besides that, it is just as great.

2) Favorite Record by Fall Out Boy

Last Tuesday, Fall Out Boy released their new album "American Beauty/American Psycho." I considered dedicating a post completely to that album, but for some reason I've put it off. I'll admit that I understand why they used the songs they did to promote the album because they were honestly the better half of the album. That doesn't mean the other half was bad. I've had the album on repeat all week, so I can promise the album isn't bad. Out of the new songs released on Tuesday, I've listened to the "Favorite Record" the most. As soon as you press play, the intro beat has your attention. I don't think you can get any sweeter than by comparing someone you love to the song that's been stuck in your head, to every song you've ever loved.

3) Go Go Go by Sleeping With Sirens

A few days ago, Sleeping With Sirens announced the release date of their new album "Madness" and the pre-order came with their single "Kick Me" as well as a new song, "Go Go Go." This song reminds me of early SWS which makes me really happy. The vocals are clear and it's just a fun, upbeat song. Even the music video is filled with the same humor that could be seen in their other videos. The band doesn't sound like they are trying to be something they aren't. I wasn't as thrilled with "Kick Me" as I am with this song. This song has gotten me even more excited for the rest of the album (which comes out on March 17).

4) Up 2 U by Walk the Moon

It's the vocals in this song that really catch my attention. The way Nicholas Petricca (the vocalist) starts the chorus with a little scream It's up to you! has me pumped. I've been happy with the entire "Talking is Hard" album. This song and "Sidekick" really stand out to me, though. There isn't any song on this album (and previous albums that I know of) that sounds anything like this song. I love when artist's throw songs like that in an album. It can either end up being a good or bad thing because sometimes listeners don't want change but it really comes down to what the artist wants to produce and I'm extremely glad Walk the Moon decided to include that song.

5) Shirtsleeves by Ed Sheeran

I listened to a lot of Ed Sheeran today because I was in the study zone and I had a good amount of homework to get done. I'm not sure if there is a particular reason why I play this song (and "Photograph") more than others, but I do. This song, like a lot of his other songs, is really mellow and relaxing. It's a really sweet song, as well.

6) I Write Sins Not Tragedies by Panic! at the Disco

I blame my sister for this one. I'm not too sure why she's had this song on repeat, but since she has, it's been stuck in my head all week. It's one of those songs where I think everyone knows despite whether they realize who the band is or what the song is called. This song is only a sneak peek to how talented this band really is. In my last post I mentioned that P!ATD have an album in the works and they haven't released any information on it yet, but I'm still hopeful.

7) So Much Better by Eminem

I can't even explain why I've had this on repeat. Over winter break, Kaitz and I played Eminem on repeat for hours and I haven't listened to him as much these past couple of weeks, but there are still some songs I can listen to over and over. Listening to it makes me really miss winter break though.

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I realized that this list is really good to show all the different kinds of music I listen to. I laughed just looking at how I can skip from Fall Out Boy to Ed Sheeran to Eminem. The more I wrote this post, the more I liked the idea about Sunday's 7 Songs. The reason I started writing tonight was because 1) I haven't blogged in two week and I miss it a lot and 2) I was trying to finish up my story for the next issue of the magazine and I cannot word it the way I want to. I thought it was kind of like a writer's block thing, but I seemed to write this pretty easily even if it took awhile for me to come up with an idea on what to write. I'll give another shot at the story tomorrow. I'm really close to finishing it, but for some reason I can't find the right words or phrasing.

Anyways, if anyone has any songs they would like to suggest for me to listen to, I would be more than happy to check them out. I love finding new music or rediscovering old music.

Until next time,

Nikole xx

The Most Anticipated Music of 2015

I got the idea for this post from Alternative Press magazine. Some of the anticipated music I'll be listing is also included in Alt Press's article, but I'm adding my own expectations. 2015 already sounds like it is going to be an incredible year for music and I doubt we barely know even half of the expected music to be released this year.

FALL OUT BOY
American Beauty / American Psycho 
January 20

Little by little, Fall Out Boy have been releasing songs from their album. "Centuries" has been by far the most popular since the song is played everywhere from ESPN to pop radio stations. They have also released "American Beauty / American Psycho," "The Kids Aren't Alright," "Immortals" (featured in Disney's Big Hero 6), "Irresistible" and "Uma Thurman." The songs are extremely promising and set some high expectations for the rest of the album. I've been looking forward to how the band would follow their last album, Save Rock and Roll, since it was such a large success. They've taken a few aspects from that album such as the story-telling technique. Based on their newest music video and comments from the band, the album focuses on an unhealthy love between the "American Beauty," Nancy, and the "American Psycho," Sid. Only a little over a week left until we find out the rest of Sid and Nancy's story.

SLEEPING WITH SIRENS
February

Three months ago, Sleeping With Sirens released their single, "Kick Me." This was the first sound of new music since the release of their last album, Feel (June 2013). The single was followed by another single called "We Like It Loud," which has some more rock vibes than their previous songs. The band decided to end their ties to their previous label, Rise Records, and instead sign with Epitaph in order to work more independently as a band. John Feldmann has also been helping in producing the album. The band is currently on their world tour alongside Pierce the Veil.

IMAGINE DRAGONS
Smoke and Mirrors 
February 17

Imagine Dragons were deemed by Billboard as "2012's Brightest New Stars" and "The Breakout Band of 2013." They also added three more Billboard awards to that list in 2014. Their last studio album was released in September of 2012 which was followed by a live album in April 2013. The band mentioned to Rolling Stone that the new album is mainly rock-driven with more hip-hop influences than their previous work.

THE MAINE
American Candy
Spring

This is one of the most anticipated albums of the year for me personally. I've grown to love this band more and more over the last couple of years and I even joined my first street team to help promote the band. Earlier this week, the band came out of hiding from the recording studio they were living at in Joshua Tree, California. They shut themselves off from the internet and dedicated themselves to the music. There hasn't been any released singles as of now, but they did release information about their new tour (which I have tickets to!). They've mentioned how they brought back some of their early pop sounds and tried to make the album not as serious as Forever Halloween was. The band sounds like they are about to jump out of their skin, they are so excited to release something new.

ALL TIME LOW
Future Hearts
Spring

I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for this album and the new single that premieres TONIGHT. The last time we heard new music was in September of 2013 when the band re-released their October 2012 album as Don't Panic: It's Longer Now! which included some bonus songs. Just two days ago, All Time Low announced on BBC radio the album title and artwork. They were featured on the cover of Alt Press magazine as the most anticipated album of the year and the article by Evan Lucy is absolutely amazing and I recommend everyone to read it. They produced the album with John Feldmann. The band collaborated with Mark Hoppus of Blink-182, Kool Kojak and Benji and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte. I can't think of a better way to describe the band's goals for the album other than how Lucy says it.
"If anything [All Time Low's] goal was simple: harness the parts of their sound that make the band great, amplify them and expand the sonic palette without losing sight of their roots." -Evan Lucy, AltPress

PIERCE THE VEIL 
Spring

Pierce the Veil have been working hard and long on their upcoming album and the only thing coming in the way of them putting on the final details and releasing it is the fact that they are constantly busy on tour. For months now they have been touring next to Sleeping with Sirens and they won't finish until early this summer. The band claims that touring and recording has actually been really helpful because they find a lot of their inspiration for new music while they are on stage and on the road. They plan to design their album based on their performance on stage, including some loud and exciting songs, but not forgetting about the softer places.

TWENTY ONE PILOTS 
Summer

There hasn't been much talk about a new 21P album, but the duo admits that it is definitely in the works and they are very worried about it. It's been quite awhile - two years -  since the guys last released new material. Tyler Joseph mentioned in AltPress that he was scouting in LA for someone to help produce an album. He described that the trouble was finding someone who didn't want to "polish" their sound. I love that the duo are staying close to their roots and not letting anyone change who they are. In the AltPress issue that they were on the cover of, they sounded like they had huge plans for 21P. Despite their confessions of being nervous, I'm looking forward to what they decide to release.

PANIC! AT THE DISCO
Summer

I hadn't heard anything about new P!ATD music until I read the AltPress article. There was an interview in September of last year where Brendon Urie stated that he wasn't sure if the fifth studio album would be a P!ATD album or a solo album, but according to his comment in the latest issue of AltPress, he is calling it a P!ATD album. The band is currently cut down to only two people - vocalist/guitarist Urie and bassist Dallon Weekes - so Urie kind of steals the show whether the music is released as a band or solo. Either way, I'm psyched (despite having to see some really talented guys enter and leave the band). I was impressed with the last album, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, which was released about a year and a half ago, so I'm looking forward to see what else P!ATD has for fans.

MAYDAY PARADE 
Fall

Mayday Parade have announced that they are planning to experiment with their fifth full-length album. Their goal is to try to bring the raw human element that is seen on stage into the recording studio and onto the album. Their last album was released in the fall of 2013 and featured the pop-rock sounds that they are normally associated with. The band was traveling on their The Honeymoon Tour during the last few months of 2014 and have some international shows set for this year's spring and summer. I'm crossing my fingers to see them again at Warped Tour this year.

BLINK-182
Late Fall

A new Blink-182 album sounds like a myth nowadays. Their sixth
studio album was released in September 2011 and was followed by the Dogs Eating Dogs EP in December 2012. It's not like they've been sitting around doing nothing. Tom Delonge released an album with his band Angels and Airwaves in December 2014. Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker have been busy with their families and their own side projects. Even though whatever they release won't sound like the Blink most of us fell in love with in the late 90s/early 2000s, a new album is still a new album and it will show the band's growth and how they've changed. Delonge commented that the recording process for the new album will begin early this year and will have a lot of similarities with their self-titled album which was released in 2003. Delonge also mentioned in the AltPress issue that they are currently trying to find the perfect producer for the album. (I want to know why they don't produce it themselves since they all have experience in producing. Maybe they can't agree or something. Or hire John Feldmann because I've become a fan of his but his ideas may not reflect Blink's new sound...) I saw a rumor that they could be touring with Fall Out Boy and Cobra Starship this year, but it's unconfirmed (just think of how amazing that would be though).


**GREEN DAY

"I'm in a hardware store in queens. and this
is on my mind. #greenday15 #thefutureisnow
#greendayforever" -Billie Joe Armstrong on instagram

I have no information on a new Green Day album other than Billie Joe Armstrong saying on instagram that the band has big plans for this year. They released ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré!  in September, November and December of 2012 and that was the last time they released anything new. A lot of events have been happening in their personal lives such as Mike Dirnt's wife developing (and beating!) cancer and the band's guitarist Jason White being diagnosed with tonsil cancer (which is said to be treatable). I hope after everyone is healthy again that they will be back in the recording studio soon and maybe even start touring again.



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As you can see, there is so much great music coming out this year. Think about all of the bands who haven't released information about new music or the artists that we may not even know yet. This year is going to be huge. Along with the music, I'm going to be graduating this year!? Actually, it's just four short months away. Then I move into a dorm at ASU and start my journalism major. Last week I interviewed a local band for the first time and while I noticed I have a lot to improve on in my interview skills, I had a lot of fun with the whole thing. On Monday I begin working at my first job at a local community college bookstore. It may not sound like much, but I am so excited to start. The closest I've come to a job is babysitting and tutoring.

I know it's been awhile since I last blogged but I promise to be more dedicated to this site. I've grown to like it a lot. I'm regretting not committing to this earlier. I love getting all my thoughts down on artists, albums, concerts and whatever else.

Anyways, I'm going to list the upcoming concerts I have coming up:

-Run 2 Cover (along with Jonny Craig, Kyle Lucas, Captain Midnite, Down with Webster, and So Loud) (January 17)
-Pot of Gold festival (March 13, 14, 15, 17)
-The Maine (April 3)
-Warped Tour (June 23, not sure if I'm going yet)
-APMAs (hopefully!!!!!!!!!!!) (July 22)

That's all of them for now. Well, I hope everyone's new year is starting off great and I will blog soooon.


Until next time,

Nikole xx