The American Candy Tour

The Maine
Photo by Adam Elmakias

Four bands - The Technicolors, Knuckle Puck, Real Friends and The Maine - kicked off the start of their tour in Tempe, Arizona on April 3. The Maine are headlining the tour in celebration of the release of their fifth studio album, American Candy. It's quite an interesting mix up of bands that took the stage. The Technicolors and The Maine are both Arizona local bands signed to 8123. The Maine toured with Real Friends all last summer on Warped Tour, and they had just me the guys from Knuckle Puck the same day they started touring. The crowd was a pretty fair split between Real Friends fans and The Maine fans. I'm not sure how these bands got to touring together since their music really isn't that similar, but it made for a fun show.

The Technicolors

The first to take the stage are The Technicolors. As I mentioned before, they are an Arizona local band and I've had the pleasure of seeing them twice before - once at the Super Bowl party in Phoenix and once at a short acoustic set at Tempe Marketplace. Like The Maine, they are also celebrating the release of new music. Their new EP, Ultraviolet Disguise, is set to release on April 7, but they were selling the EP early at their merch stand. Listening to their only album, Listener, from 2012, and hearing them live makes you think you are hearing two completely different bands. Listener is more meant for something to be listened to while you chill at home, so it doesn't translate as well when performed live. However, that doesn't mean they didn't do a great job on stage. One of their new songs, "Tonight You Are Mine," and some of my favorite songs like "Hollywood" from Listener helped liven things up.

Unfortunately, I was forced to ditch my great spot close to the stage. After waiting hours before the show, I managed to get a spot very close to the barricade. What I hadn't realized were that Knuckle Puck and Real Friends are much louder bands than I had expected. I'm not too familiar with either band, other than briefly hearing Real Friends during Warped Tour. Anyways, my spot in front of stage left turned out to be where everyone chose to crowd surf and mosh. I'm okay with some of that in moderation, but after quite a few times of getting kicked in the head, I decided to do the walk of shame and leave my spot. I'm not too bummed about it after seeing the tornado of people later crash through where I was standing, plus I had a nice view of the entire stage from my new spot.

Knuckle Puck performed second and, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was impressed. Their songs carried tons of energy and the band looked like they were having a great time. They didn't do too much talking or interacting with the audience, but their performance didn't lack any enthusiasm. Based on the dozens of crowd surfers and the wave of people jumping up and down, it looked like the crowd was having a pretty good time as well.

Real Friends got on stage next with an enormous cheer from the audience. My favorite moments were when there was a back and forth between the vocalist singing and the crowd singing. The crowd was just as pumped and rowdy as before, if not more energetic. Once they finished their set, just about half the crowd left to join the back of the venue. I think I had underestimated the size of Real Friends' fan base.

The Maine

After hours and hours of waiting, The Maine finally took the stage with a song from their new album called "Miles Away." They performed that first song with the biggest smiles on their faces and a hop in all of their steps. It was obvious how much they have longed to be on stage and perform again. They played half of the songs from their new album, plus hits from their four previous albums and one amazing cover for a total of 14 songs. To be honest, I thought they should have played for longer than the hour they got. Those 60 minutes flew by in a blink of an eye.

The guitarists, Kennedy Brock and Jared Monaco, stayed put on their sides of the stage throughout the night, but the smiles never left their faces. Pat Kirch could be seen singing along to the songs and having a great time from his place behind the drums. Garrett Nickelsen, the bassist, moves around the most without a doubt which makes him such a fun performer to watch on stage. I can't remember a time where he actually stood still, unless it was to quickly sing some background vocals. Like Nickelsen, the vocalist, John O'Callaghan, also moved around quite a bit. One of the best things to watch on stage was the chemistry between the band. Whether it was O'Callaghan resting his head on Monaco's shoulder (and giving him a peck on the cheek!) or Nickelsen going over and teasing Brock, they were constantly interacting with each other and the crowd. It was easy to see that The Maine are a group of five best friends.

The band summoned some songs from one of their oldest albums, Black & White, including "Growing Up," "Inside of You" and "Right Girl." "Growing Up" is possibly my favorite song of theirs to see live. It's performed faster than the studio version, and the chorus is catchy and relateable to anyone listening.  The way O'Callaghan shouts Growing up won't bring us down! easily puts the biggest smile on my face and has me singing along.

The Maine

"My Hair," the anthem song to the long locks O'Callaghan sported during Warped Tour up until the finish of recording American Candy, was a huge crowd favorite. It's a song that will definitely be on everyone's summer playlist. The other songs from American Candy played that night included "Same Suit, Different Tie," "English Girls" and "American Candy." I've already been obsessing over the album since the second it came out, but to hear them performed live is indescribably better. One of my favorite parts about the new album are how the the backing vocals are recorded, and I was looking forward to seeing how that would be portrayed on stage. I definitely was not disappointed. I'm not sure if it is a detail that is overlooked or not, but the backing vocals provided mostly by Brock, but also by Nickelsen and Monaco, helped shape that unique sound that surrounds the album, both in the studio and on stage.

Towards the end of the show, O'Callaghan took the stage by himself and performed the band's first hit, "Into Your Arms," acoustically. What made that song special was how loud and strong all the voices from the crowd were. The chorus was mostly sung by the crowd, which put the biggest and cheesiest grin on O'Callaghan's face. I'm sure the rest of the band were listening and smiling as well. The acoustic energy shifted dramatically as Monaco, Brock, Kirch and Nickelsen joined the stage to do an impressive cover of The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction." I knew they were going to do a cover, but I would have never guessed this. It was a fantastic choice for the tour, and everyone had a great time singing along.

The night ended with a performance of "Right Girl" and a stream of blue and white confetti. The Maine put every last ounce of energy into that last song, and they didn't even look or sound tired. This was another song that had the crowd singing every word at the top of their lungs.

Garrett and I   :)

I waited almost an hour after the show behind the venue to hopefully congratulate the guys on an amazing first show. Between the waiting and actually talking to the band, I got to meet my favorite music photographer, Adam Elmakias! After that, they finally came outside one by one and grabbed their own part of the crowd leaning against the barricade to talk to. As soon as Garrett came outside, I yelled his name and he walked right over to my section. After giving him a quick hug, he mentioned that he remembered me from the whole "24 hour thing" (the album release party and acoustic set at Tempe Marketplace which I blogged about in my last post as well as a review of their album). That easily made my night a thousand times better. He hung out for about half an hour and talked about a bunch of random stuff. He was later joined by The Technicolor members, Brennan Smiley and Joseph Schwegler. I also got to talk to Jared that night! We talked about the new songs being played live and about the new album. I don't think that night could have gotten any better. If you're going to one of their shows this tour, I strongly suggest waiting after and trying to meet them.

If you haven't checked out the new album... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? American Candy is available on iTunes, Spotify and the band's YouTube channel. It contains ten amazing songs that you will end up playing on repeat.


Until next time,
Nikole

Sunday's Seven Songs (March 1)

Today's weather is absolutely perfect, despite the clouds taunting me with no rain. The day's not over yet so I'm still crossing my fingers for a storm.

Changing subjects, Tom Delonge announced more information on his new album - "Demos, Odds and Ends." The album is set to be released on April 21. I was disappointed because he kept talking about March 1 so I thought the album was going to be released today. There are a few snippets in the video introducing the album and the sound seems really promising. I don't know how I couldn't love it though. The only thing that makes it less great is that it is neither Blink 182 nor Angels & Airwaves (however, it is AvA's label). Tom kind of led people on to believe that the album would be streamed so he got a spew of negative comments from people saying that they refuse to "give him anymore money" and stuff like that. I never considered him streaming the album since he is so adamantly against the idea of streaming. The first song from the album is supposed to be available on March 9, followed by a second song on March 23, a third song on April 6, then the full album on April 21. For more information on the album, go to tomdelonge.me .

After weeks of Netflix binging, I was able to catch up to the finale of Parks and Recreation. I can definitely say that it is one of the best shows I have seen. There was never a lull in the plot and it makes you laugh at the dumbest things at times. I can't imagine a better finale for the show - every loose end was tied up and you were left not needing any more. I will miss Pawnee and the awesome people in the Parks department. Since finishing the show, I've decided to try to cut back on Netflix (gasp). Instead, I decided to start reading again. AP Lit has caused me to sort of resent reading because I am not fond of the selections, so I decided I'm just going to make some time to read what I want to. I finally finished The Maze Runner and, while it had it's slow parts, it was a great story with an ending that made you wanting more (thankfully, there is a sequel). Next, I decided to start reading the Divergent series. I got hooked the second I started reading. I finished the first book, all 500ish pages, in three or four days. Now I'm on the second installment of the series, Insurgent, which is supposed to come out in theaters this month.

On a side note, I've also been listening to Jack and Alex's (of All Time Low) podcast, "Full Frontal." I am not a big podcast listener because it usually can't keep my attention. Jack and Alex are hilarious though. My favorite parts of their episodes are when they talk about what they are doing on tour and their music segment. It's great to listen to how much music means to them and their takes on different artists.

Okay, I know this is a longer intro than usual, but I felt like talking about what's been going on. Instead of listing seven songs that I have listened to this week, I am putting my music library on shuffle and listing the first seven songs that appear.



1) Enthused by Blink 182
This song comes from Blink's "Dude Ranch" album that debuted in 1997. Eighteen years old. This album captures so much of what early Blink was - three kids just out of high school, playing music and having fun. It shows the stupid humor that surrounded the band. At this time, Scott Raynor (not Travis Barker) was on drums. Most of the songs, like Enthused, are pretty short and emphasized with loud guitar riffs and Tom's unique vocals. The most well known songs to come out of this album are Pathetic, Dammit, and Josie (one of my favorite songs).

2) Listener (Acoustic) by The Technicolors
Only about a month left until I see these guys open for The Maine! The acoustic version of this song, which is also the title of the album, makes me crave rain even more. It's the kind of music that makes me want to go to a coffee shop, watch the rain, and read or something else that's pretty laid back. The vocals are simple and quiet for the most part, giving the song almost a lullaby quality.

3) Drunk (Cover) by 5 Seconds of Summer
Even though they are a huge band now (currently performing to giant crowds all the way in Japan), I have every one of their covers still on my phone. It's a nice reminder that they went from doing small covers of their favorite artists to selling out arenas (and also getting recognized by those same artists years later). This particular cover is by Calum Hood, and I almost forgot how much his voice has improved (even though it was still great then) and how much confidence he has gained since recording this.

4) American Idiot (Live Cover) by 5 Seconds of Summer
I am not even surprised that 5SOS came up twice. This is without a doubt my favorite cover from them. It captures the real sound that they are meant for (and hopefully the sound that they are leaning towards in their next album). Even though their covers of What I Like About You and Teenage Dream were great songs for a live performance, their cover of American Idiot just seems to fit so much better. Maybe that's because Green Day were the ones to really invent pop punk. They sound like they are having the time of their lives during this live cover. I still can't believe I got to see them perform it live back in November.

5) That Girl by All Time Low
It seems like people either love or hate "Dirty Work." I have seen comments leaning both ways, but never in the middle. I am definitely one of the people who loves it. I love that I can still hear the same energy in All Time Low's music since their first EP to their latest single. This is a song that is definitely meant for turning up the volume as high as it can go and shouting the lyrics. The sound and rhythm and beat of the songs is so catchy, you can't help singing along.

6) Ready to Run by One Direction
I used to refer to One Direction as a guilty pleasure, but I don't know why I have to be guilty for liking them. Their music is upbeat and carries a lot of energy in it. This song is from their latest album, "Four," which the group actually had a hand in the songwriting (which I was relieved to find out). I love that the song is relatively fast, yet it still has a very recognizable acoustic guitar in the chorus.

7) Berzerk by Eminem
Well, this is very different from the other songs. Hearing this song instantly makes me think of road tripping to California with my best friend and turning up the music and acting a lot cooler than we really are. How could you not get into this song? The chorus is easy enough to learn quickly and before you know it, you know all the words.


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I almost forgot that today is the first day of a new month. February felt like a brutally long 28 days despite being the shortest month. Here are a few things are coming up in March:

March 13, 14, 15 - Pot of Gold Festival (including Fall Out Boy!!)
March 17 - Sleeping with Sirens new album, "Madness"
March 22 - MUSINK FESTIVAL WITH BLINK 182 FT MATT SKIBA

March 31 - The Maine's new album, "American Candy"

You could probably tell which I am most excited for. It has been three and a half years since I last saw Blink 182 during the Honda Civic Tour. Only three weeks from today and I will be seeing them. I still can't really believe it's going to happen.

Anyways, that is all for Sunday's Seven Songs (and a kind of long update on other things).


Until next time,
Nikole xx

Sunday's Seven Songs (Week Two)

Happy first day of the month! First of all, I have to acknowledge that today was the Super Bowl. I'm not really a football fan, so I wasn't that passionate about who won or lost. Anyways, a big congrats to the New England Patriots. They came back from losing by 10 points in the fourth quarter so, needless to say, it was an exciting finish.

On Friday night I went to the Super Bowl party in downtown Phoenix where The Technicolors and Walk the Moon put on amazing performances. I've kind of been obsessed with The Technicolors this week. I recently discovered them and I am so happy I did because I enjoyed their show much more than I would have and I get to see them again on April 3 when they tour with The Maine! The music I listened to this week was also influenced by the Blink-182 drama that has been going on since Monday and has continued to escalate. I blogged about some of the situation in my last post but a lot has happened since then so it really isn't that up to date. In other big news, I got tickets to see Blink-182 featuring Matt Skiba on March 22 at the Musink Festival!

With that said, here are my seven songs for the week:


1) Sweet Time by The Technicolors

I can't believe I just now discovered this band. You know that feeling where you are trying to figure out what you want to listen to, but you can't find that one song/album/artist that fits what you're looking for? There's probably a better way to word that. Anyways, this is that band for me. The way that Brennan Smiley's voice (which my dad described as a cross between Led Zeppelin and the lead singer from Stone Temple Pilots) is perfectly reflected in the instruments and the lyrics is just what I was looking for. The music is very relaxing and calming, and also comforting in a way. The album "Listener" came out in 2012 and the band is expected to release some new music this year. Their show at the Super Bowl party was great and they didn't disappoint. I can't wait to see them again on The American Candy Tour.

2) What Went Wrong by Blink-182

The title itself sums up the reason why I am listening to this song. This entire Blink-182 mess has me constantly thinking What went wrong?? Mark, Tom and Travis were best friends. Especially Mark and Tom who have known each other since high school. I watched their show at Big Day Out in Australian in 2000 (my favorite show of theirs) and it's amazing how so much can happen between then and now (granted that things really started falling apart only a few years later during their first split). I love this song because 1) it's from my favorite album (Take Off Your Pants and Jacket) and 2) it's a "secret" song. It's not something you can buy on iTunes. It was originally released as a bonus song on the hard copy album. It's an acoustic song and you can start to hear how the band was drifting towards a more serious tone in this album. Anyways, I love this band. To see them argue publicly like they are doing now tears me apart.

3) Not Now by Blink-182

Usually I'm going to try not to repeat an artist on the same post in my Sunday songs, but this is an exception. The main reason I chose this song was for the music video. It flashes back to some of the most memorable times in Blink-182 history and the song itself is meaningful. This was released as a single not attached to any other album and I like it that way because it stands out. Despite the drama that is happening now, the song comforts me because I'm reminded that whatever happens to the band, the music they've recorded and the shows they played will last forever.

4) There Is by Box Car Racer

Box Car Racer is a band composed of Tom Delonge and Travis Barker of Blink-182 along with guitarist David Kennedy. The band was active between 2001-2003 which marked the years leading to Blink's first breakup. Box Car Racer just might be my favorite Blink side project. The lyrics are meaningful and the songs are packed with emotion. The music video is also worth watching because the emotion of the song is emphasized by looking at the band perform outside in the rain, seeing the expression on Tom's face and the story line that goes along with the video. Also, out of every artist I have ever heard, Tom's voice is honestly my favorite. I can't explain exactly why it is, it just is. And this song, like "Not Now," is comforting. The thought that you aren't alone in how you feel and that you can still find hope.

5) Little Death by +44

+44 is made up of Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker along with guitarists Shane Gallagher and Craig Fairbaugh. They were active between 2005-2009 during the Blink haitus. Mark commented that he will never consider +44 as being "done." Their entire album (they only had one) is mostly filled with sadness and I can't help but think it was largely influenced by the Blink break up. It's nice to hear more of what Mark is capable of vocally because he tends to stick to one sound (vocal range?) in Blink. The song feels like it has a deeper meaning than what I understand it as which is really what makes the album unique. There are a lot of songs out there where they seem pretty easy to decode, but that isn't the case with +44.

6) Everything's Magic by Angels & Airwaves

I've already had one post dedicated to this band and their most recent album, but as a recap, the band was started by Tom DeLonge and is one of the huge reasons he has been less committed to Blink. This song is featured in my favorite AvA album, "I-Empire," and is definitely in my top 3 AvA songs. Like "There Is" and "Not Now," the song is really uplifting. It has the same theme of "you're not alone" within the lyrics. It's one of those songs that can instantly lift my mood. I can remember the first time hearing this song and I instantly knew that this is a song that I will never get tired of.

7) Bleeding Out by Imagine Dragons

Yesterday I watched the new movie, "Project Almanac," and it was by far one of the best new movies I have seen in awhile. The reason I bring it up is because the soundtrack is probably 99 percent Imagine Dragons, including songs from their new album that debuts later this month. It got me thinking about their first album in 2012 and how much I loved it when it first came out. Hearing the new songs in the movie created some high expectations for "Smoke + Mirrors." (On a side note, I highly recommend seeing Project Almanac. You get totally absorbed in the movie and forget about everything else. Also, the actors are all new - no one famous - and they did an amazing job for their first big break.)

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I was worried that I was going to slack on the Sunday songs, and I'm glad to find out I'm not. I know this is only the second week, but I'm really happy with this weekly post idea. Again, if you have any song suggestions, leave them in the comments and I will check them out. Or if you listened to any of the songs I mentioned, you should let me know what you think of them.

Anyways, I wish everyone a good week.


Until next time,

Nikole xx