Chipotle Cultivate Festival

twenty one pilots / photo: @ChipotleTweets

The only time you could find me in the sun for 9+ hours is when there is a music festival in town. Chipotle Cultivate was a free festival that included music along with Chipotle foods and ideas. Music guests included Arizona locals Jared & The Mill as well as Magic Man, Ms Mr, Bleachers and twenty one pilots. In between sets there was a chef on a different stage. There were different tents scattered around the area that taught visitors about Chipotle and when you got four out of the five stamps, you earned a free burrito. This is probably one of the greatest promotion ideas I have seen. What better way to attract people to an event than to host free performances from amazing artists, serve food and make it all family-friendly?

Within the last year, I've found a new passion for volunteering at music festivals. I signed up for the morning shift at Cultivate, and I was disappointed to find out that all the volunteers were sent to garbage cans where we had to show people how to throw away their trash (recycle, compost or landfill). Easy to say, it was not very fun. There were some upsides with volunteering though: I had a great view of the stage, I got a free (and comfy) Chipotle Cultivate t-shirt, a free meal for the day as well as four free Chipotle meals for the future. 

The day began with a performance from Jared & The Mill who did a pretty good job. I haven't heard of them before then, but they seemed to get everyone awake and energized for the rest of the day. The crowd really began to grow around the time of Magic Man's performance. Magic Man wasn't bad either. I'll be honest and say I didn't quite enjoy the DJ. The songs and remixes were outdated and they didn't fit the atmosphere of the festival. Ms Mr sounded okay, but according to Nicole (my friend/twin/future roomie), they didn't sound as good as they do in the studio.

Bleachers

After I explored the festival with Nicole and Halie, it was finally time to watch the Bleachers perform. It's been a little over a month since I last saw this group back at the Pot of Gold Festival. Their set at Cultivate felt slightly more rushed; however, they were limited to a shorter set time. All of the songs were played with great energy though, despite having to play with the glaring sun blinding them. I was thrilled to find out that the band included the saxophone vs. guitar show down in their set. It isn't a Bleachers show without a brilliant display of the saxophone.

The moment most of the crowd seemed to be waiting for was almost here. All throughout the day I saw twenty one pilots shirts everywhere I turned. I realize the duo has an impressive fanbase (aka the skeleton clique), but I didn't realize how quickly it had grown. People of all ages were supporting the band by sporting merch and had their eyes glued to the stage as soon as the clock struck 6 p.m. It actually wasn't until about 20 minutes after their scheduled start did they begin to play (my guess is that they were waiting for the sun to go down). They began the night with "Guns for Hands" and it was an incredibly special moment. Almost everyone in the crowd had their hands up making the band's traditional |-/ sign. To see such a large crowd become so united just by the sound of music coming from two guys from Ohio on stage was magical.




Twenty one pilots performed both of their new singles, "Fairly Local" and "Tear in My Heart." It was actually the very first time they had ever played the latter song live, and I can promise you they did not disappoint. The stage itself was unique in the way it was set up. The drummer, Josh Dun, was raised on a platform for everyone to see, even the people in the back. Tyler Joseph rotated from the piano to the ukulele in "House of Gold" to the microphone that was dangling from a post (much like the way he sings in the "Fairly Local" music video). The song that captivated me the most was "Tear in My Heart." I have been in love with this song since the moment I heard it. Just like in the music video, Tyler's neck and hands were covered in black. It's still a mystery why that is, but I have a feeling it plays into the role of "blurryface" and the rest of the new album. The duo played the song with a crazy amount of emotion and enthusiasm. I have no clue what to expect from the rest of this album, but I know it will be nothing less than extraordinary.

Before they began "Heart of Gold," Tyler started to sing a cover of "All I Do Is Win" and I can't find the words to describe how awesome (and funny) it is to hear that song covered by him while playing the ukulele and wearing a floral print button up.

Tyler and Josh ended the night with the song "Trees" which I always find has a deeper meaning the more you listen to it. Hearing it as the sun went down and cast this beautiful light across the crowd and the stage couldn't have been better. Of course, they couldn't end the night without doing the simultaneous drumming they do on platforms held by the crowd. It's such a unique finale that no other artist could probably even attempt to do.

It's been just under a year since I saw twenty one pilots for the first time, and they still behave as if their mission in a show is to make everyone feel connected and put on a unique performance that impresses not only the people up against the barricade, but also the people who may have never heard of them before. I won't be surprised if this band one day rules the world. I'm already looking forward to the next time I see them, which hopefully isn't too far into the future.

Until next time,
Nikole

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Sunday's Seven Songs (Week Four)

February feels like it never ends. My least favorite month will probably always feel like this one because it just feels too long even though it's the shortest month. Anyways.... I watched the 1999/2000 show Freaks and Geeks which was unfortunately cancelled right after it got started. It's honestly one of the best shows I have seen even though it's brief, but it is just so relatable. I highly suggest it to everyone, especially high school-ers, and you won't have to worry about getting hooked because there's only one season anyways. Plus, it has young James Franco, Jason Segel and Seth Rogan. Another show I have been completely hooked on is Parks and Recreation. Literally everything done and said on that show is absolutely hilarious. I can't even begin to explain what makes it so funny - just go watch it for yourself.

Well, anyways, here are the seven songs for the week:

1. Lock Me Up by The Cab
My sister started to play a couple songs in the car and it made me go rediscover their music. First of all, I have to mention that Alexander DeLeon (singer) seems like one of the coolest people ever. I follow him on Twitter and Instagram and he always seems to be enjoying his life and what he does and every day he seems to do something fun - whether it's working on music, hanging out with friends, going to Disneyland. The Cab came out with an EP about a year ago and I think they are working on new material, but don't take my word on that. I love the vibe of this song, just as much as I love the lyrics and the way you can't help swaying to the beat of the song.

2. Uptown Funk (Cover) by Fall Out Boy
I know there are a lot of people who would disagree with me on this, but I feel like Uptown Funk is extremely overrated. I feel like I was one of the last to hear this song, even though every other song on every radio station is playing it. I'm not saying it's a bad song, it's fun and catchy, but I'm getting tired of it. When I heard this cover by Fall Out Boy, it made me enjoy the song 100000x more. It's a guaranteed mood lifter, just like the tumblr caption said when I found it. Patrick Stump's vocals are perfect for this song and I can just picture the band playing this song which makes me smile. Pete Wentz, get the stretch. I find it impossible now not to like this song after hearing this.

3. Walking Disaster by Sum 41
I can't even remember when I started listening to this band and it's hard to believe that they have been playing since I was born!? "Walking Disaster" has always been one of my favorite songs of there's, despite it's sad theme. It's such an anthem song. I can't remember what got me listening to them this week, but I've had this song and their album "All Killer No Filler" on repeat. Honestly, it's probably because 5SOS just announced that they have been writing some songs with Deryck Whibley (vocals, guitar). Actually, Deryck announced last summer that he was working on some new Sum 41 stuff, so I'm still waiting to see if we're going to be getting anything out of that soon.

4. Let's Get Started by Dylan Gardner
A couple of days ago I got my new assignment for the last issue of my school's magazine. I didn't really care what the story was on, as long as it was about music. My teacher had some promotion stuff for an artist named Dylan Gardner, who I have never heard of before. That just made me more excited though. It's a new challenge, having to write about someone that I'm not already attached to and have seen live (compared to my previous stories on the 1D tour and Run 2 Cover). This 18-year-old multi-talented musician is extremely skilled at what he does. He was recently signed with Warner Bros. and his song "Let's Get Started" currently has over three million views on Spotify. He reminds me of a young, but modernized John Lennon (based more on looks and what I got from him from his music video, but not so much musically).

5. 18 by Anarbor
It honestly amazes me how much good music comes out of Arizona. Anarbor is an alternative rock back and it's hard not to fall in love with every one of their songs. I can have their latest album, "Burnout," on repeat for weeks. The album covers a broad range of emotions and I love when artitsts decide to throw a few alternative acoustic versions at the end. The acoustic version gives a deeper meaning to the song, but the original version is something that you can really rock out to. The beat is simple and the lyrics are catchy and easy to learn. I'm crossing my fingers that the band comes out of hiatus soon.

6. Addict with a Pen by twenty one pilots
I just found out that Chipotle (yes, the Mexican food place) is hosting their own free music festival that features twenty one pilots and some other musical acts. I think the point of the festival is to teach everyone how healthy and organic Chipotle is or something which is great, but the idea of a free music festival gets me on a whole new level of excited. Every song this band has written and the way they perform the show with so much passion speaks to me every time. There's a lot I can say about this song, but I really just suggest clicking on the link to the song and watching. Then you'll see what I mean about them performing with passion.

7. Come Sail Away by Styx
I mentioned earlier that I watched a show called Freaks and Geeks. So the show is based in the 80s and it has one of the coolest soundtracks of any show (which I had to look up since Netflic decided to replace much of the original soundtrack with cheap replacements). It really tries to capture the musical spirit of the decade and now it has me listening to bands like Styx. It's easy to forget just how amazing rock and roll bands were in the 80s. Last night I spent some time listening to Styx and it's so easy to get lost in this kind of music. I think I might be rediscovering some old classics this week.

----------------------------------------------------

I made it a whole month with this weekly update! I know it doesn't get as many views as my album and concert reviews did, but I have to keep blogging somehow. As spring approaches, more tours and new albums are coming around and I promise you will see me blogging about that. Unless something comes up last minute, my next concert will be the Pot of Gold festival on March 13-15. Following that will be Blink 182 featuring Matt Skiba at the Musink festival on March 22. Before then, Tom Delonge's new album is scheduled to release on March 1. Lots of new stuff headed our way.


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

Twenty One Pilots Concert // Tempe, Arizona

    On May 7 I went to the the Twenty One Pilots concert at the Marquee Theater in Tempe, Arizona. The opening acts included Hunter Hunted and NONONO.
    If you have never heard of this band, it includes two guys, Tyler Joseph (singer, pianist, guitarist, ukulele-ist) and Josh Dun (drummer). The duo formed the band during high school in Ohio back in 2009. They have three albums: "Twenty One Pilots" (2009), "Regional at Best" (2011) and "Vessels" (2013). Twenty One Pilots remind me of a mix between Eminem and fun. The verses resemble rap while the choruses tend to be more pop. The band refers to themself as a "distinctive fusion of piano-driven schizoid pop and lyrical uplift."
    The two opening acts are a little less unheard of. Hunter Hunted, formed in early 2013, are an indie pop band from Los Angeles. The members include Dan Chang and Michael Garner. They released their first EP in 2013 and have an album coming Fall 2014. NONONO are a Swedish trio with an electro-dance type of tune. Their most well-known song called "Pumpin Blood" debuted in 2013.

Ok, now I'll get to the actual concert.

    The Marquee is a small venue that holds roughly 1000 people. My spot in the venue was halfway between the stage and the exit, and I had a good view of everyone in the band. The first to make an appearance was Hunter Hunted. I admit that I had never heard of this band before that night so I didn't know what to expect. Their microphone stands were wrapped in white Christmas lights and the stage was giving off a comfortable feel. The band looked at ease on stage and the crowd sang Happy Birthday to Dan. They didn't try to just play to the audience, but also have a conversation. I always find this surprising because it isn't easy trying to talk to the audience as an opening group when you know the majority of the audience is waiting for the main act. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really enjoyed their sound, and I picked up their EP after the show. This is definitely a band that you can listen and chill out to.
    The morning of the concert, I listened to NONONO's EP to have an idea of who else I would be seeing that night. If I'm being honest, I enjoyed Hunter Hunted's show more. NONONO didn't act or sound like they wanted to be on stage that night. Their songs sounded rushed and they didn't talk much. What I heard on their studio-recorded EP didn't sound like what I heard that night. There were on stage, played about 5 songs, and were gone.
    Now to the part that everyone in the venue was waiting for. Jumping on to stage with their traditional ski masks in place, Twenty One Pilots opened their show with the song Guns for Hands. Talk about a light show. A storm of flashing lights of all colors flooded the venue and that was the theme for much of the show. Josh was stable in his seat, drumming away, while Tyler ran everywhere and anywhere on stage. The only time Tyler wasn't moving was when he was seated at his piano or when he was playing the ukulele during House of Gold. There were many memorable parts to the show but the first one that comes to mind is the dual drumming that Tyler and Josh showed off towards the end of the night. The room was black except for flashing blue lights that illuminated the two. The moment was filled with such energy and passion that it isn't easy to put into words. A second amazing moment is a special interaction with the crowd that I have never seen or heard of happening at any other concert. First they send out platforms into the crowd and it is either equipped with a small drum set or nothing at all. At one moment, Tyler was on top of the platform, singing his heart out. Another time, Josh was drumming right on top of the crowd. Unfortunately, I wasn't close enough to really touch the platform so it's difficult to describe. It's something that's hard to appreciate without seeing.
    Twenty One Pilots preformed most of their Vessels album along with a couple songs from their first album. What I was happy to find out was that the duo were better live than they are in the studio. You can feel the energy and hear the emotion in Tyler's voice as he shouts the lyrics. A lot of energy was put in to the two encore songs, Car Radio and Trees. It was a great feeling to be able to listen to Car Radio live because Tyler wrote about how "sometimes silence is violent," but with their music, Twenty One Pilots gave everyone in the venue something to connect to. The night had no reason to be silent. Tyler is extremely talented with words and his speech before their final song was the perfect ending to a great show.

"Whatever's weighing you down, whatever it is

that you're going through right now;

you can use these songs,

you can use this show,

to leave it all here tonight." -Tyler Joseph

When they took their final bows, the smiles on their faces were brighter than the light show. You could tell that they were at home on stage.


--Nikole--