This was my first year making the trip down to Comerica Park for Vans Warped Tour. The whole experience was different to say the least, but the atmosphere that was created on the scoarching pavement of Comerica Parks parking lots were something far greater than the 33 dollar hit to the wallet. The tour brought together bands encompassing manyy different  styles of music from the pop groves of  Mike Posner and NeverShoutNever to the strange and slightly boggling set of  IwrestledaBearOnce and The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. Considering most festivals price ranges can reach into the upper hundreds The bargain and value did present itself at Warped Tour 2011

      Warped tour 2011 Detroit had its fair share of suprises I must say. The first surprise I  witnessed was how terrible Mike Posner sounded live. His set was by far my least favorite set of the entire day. I’m all for doing covers of other people’s music but when your whole entire set is only defined by one song(your cooler than me obviously duh) and a bunch of terrible cameos  you need to take a hard look and ask yourself  if you’re truly and artist or a wedding singer. Another disappointment of the day was the fact that Parkway Drives vocalist could barely scream. This is very disappointing because in my personal opinion it is a much bigger problem when your screamer can’t scream live than when your singer can not. I don’t know if it was just the tour wearing down on him but I will never be able to listen to their Cd’s the same way ever again. A positive of the day that stuck out to me was definitely how well Jerry Roushperformed. The former vocalist of Sky Eats Airplane had become the permanent lead vocalist for Of Mice and Men following the bands break up with vocalist Austin Carlille. Following the announcement of this decision many bloggers and fans criticised the band relentlessly for announcing Roush as their front man. Despite seeing some sub par videos of him on YouTube, I kept my mind open and found myself in awe of this bands set. They gave probably one of the most charged sets on all of warped tour. Although recently news has been announced that Bassist and co founder Jaxin hall is leaving the band, I hope the rest of the band can  pull together behind Roush and find a way to become a steady contributor to the scene.

      In short, The Warped Tour is a gift that needs to be vitalized by fans and musicians alike. Warped tour gives bands that otherwise wouldn’t have the traveling budget or fan base to make a successful national tour the ability to win over fans of all different ages and musical tastes. I for one am Grateful and so should you. MS

http://tumblr.com/xcngk15yx

From the moment the first member strutted onto stage, it was clear that this band wasn’t there just to play music. Semi Precious Weapons, who were full of energy from start to finish, performed not only through lyrics and rhythm but more importantly, movement and attitude. After the band’s dramatic entrance, lead singer, Justin Tranter, set the mood by opening with, “We are Semi Precious Weapons from New York Mother-Fucking City, and we hope you all get laid!” Each song, despite the bizarre but passionate lyrics, radiated an outrageously fun vibe. In the beginning, the crowd shared looks, most with wide-opened eyes; however, by the second song everyone couldn’t help but fall right into the craziness of their rock n’ roll. Soon, the entire venue rung with insanity and chaos. As Tranter, ripped back and forth across the stage, he proudly displayed his white studded leather jacket accompanied by ripped white tights stuffed into crystal-gemmed high heel boots. Although a filthy-glamorous outfit, it wasn’t long before he stripped center stage into a new, yet just as showy, ensemble. To his left, guitarist Stevy Pyne head banged his brains out, almost stealing the show, while bassist Cole Whittle and drummer Dan Crean jammed to every beat. In the middle of their set, Tranter noticed the wide range of ages displayed before him and fearlessly shouted, “Don’t hate us for being offensive. You should thank us for exposing your twelve year olds to real rock n’ roll!” If that doesn’t illustrate the band’s persona, I don’t know what will! Although the four have been playing shows with the infamous Lady Gaga since 2006, it is only with her recent call to fame that they’ve received significant publicity. Bursting into popularity, the boys started off performing to an audience of twelve but now, they gaily face a crowd of thousands of fans.

-Semi Precious Weapons at American Airlines Center Dallas, TX on July 22, 2010

Head over to Miss May I’s Facebook page (http://zip2.it/ourkings) and become a “Fan” to exclusively view their new music video for “Our Kings”!!
Miss May I’s new album Monument is out August 17th on Rise Records! Catch them on the Back To The Roots Tour with The Devil Wears Prada and Your Demise.

Pepper states on their website: “These new tunes mark a exciting awakening for us. This music is all our own and making it has been some of the best times we have ever had as Pepper! With the construction of the secret music chamber know as “The Hatch”, a place where life, meets music, meets a refreshed and invigorated band…….This is just the beginning”

Click HERE for more info

4.5/5

After waiting almost two years for this highly anticipated third full length release, many questions hung in the air regarding the future of the band originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A switch from equal vision records to a major label (Atlantic) put extreme amounts of pressure on the group. They wanted to keep true to their loyal long time fans, but at the same time expand and reach the minds of new ones.  Although some call Blue Sky Noise a sell out release or even for lack of a better term “dumbed down” pop music, the truth is the band accomplished far more than they lost. Change isn’t always a bad thing and in the case of Blue Sky Noise it definitely works.

After finishing their second record, Circa Survive began the search for a producer to help them express the new change that they were searching for. The group eventually settled on David Bottrill (Coheed and Cambria, Muse, Godsmack) and began work on making Circa Survive’s sound assessable to everyone. Circa Survive accomplished just that with this release. they were able to hold on to the experimental sound that was unique to them and at the same time develop a more mature and focused song that more listeners could relate to.

The sound of the cd reflected and radiated a lot of influences that the band had. Whether it was the 90′s nirvana casi  rift in the song “Get Out” or The Wall style screams on”Glass Arrows” the bliss of the cd doesn’t fade far after the listener finishes . A well put together cd stands the test of time and this cd is by far the most memorable work from Circa. Most of which has to do with the fact that the cd remains catchy the entire way through. Each individual part brings a piece to the puzzle, where as in the past, Circa would sometimes get lost in their songs looking for their experimental sound.Although some of the guitar parts have been sacrificed for the overall appeal of the music, listeners shouldn’t look down upon them. Music isn’t a contest about how fast you can play or how difficult the parts are to play; music is about the overall feeling the entire track brings to the listener. Circa showed their true maturity,sacrificing their individual parts for the overall good of the music. This payed off ten fold.

Just like the world around us, Circa Survive is changing. After listening to their major label debut, it is clear that these musicians are doing it for the right reasons. They actually are doing it for the only reason . Not for the money or the fame, but to reach a new level of craftsmanship. The product intern an album that captures what circa is what circa was and what circa is destined to be. Over all the cd leaves the listener coming back for more and more. This cd becomes better with each listen and represents Circa’s best work to this point. The sky is the limit for this group of talented muscians.

There is a new music app that has been released that features feeds from AltMusicNews, APnet, SupJustin, AlterThePress, AltPress all in one app.

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AMN: When did you get into DeeJaying?

Art: I’ve always wanted to get into Deejaying but never really got into it untill about 3 years ago when I released my first mixtape called Axiom. I have been making beats for about 10 years now.

AMN: What band/artist has influenced you the most?

Art: I have been influenced by many artists from different genres and cultures. Artists like Dr. Dre, Scott Storch, Bob Sinclar David Guetta, DJ Tiesto, Yanni, Mozart, Amr Diab, Kazem El-Saher, Fairuz, and Mary J Blige.

AMN: Do you like deadmau5 or Bassnectar?

Art: Thats a tough question but I would go with Deadmau5 style of music since he always brings new ideas to the table which has already made a great impact in electronic music. 

AMN: Clubs or shows?

Art: Currently I am resident DJ @ The Boiler Room in Worcester, Ma and also play in other nightclubs around the Boston Area. I have featured many great djs such as: 
DJ SKRIBBLE
DJ SIZZAHANDZ
DJ SCENE
DJ BORIS
DJ LOUIE DEVITO
DJ SAMANTHA RONSON
DJ DANNY DIGGZ

AMN: You’re from Baghdad?  Do you ever go back and visit?

Art: I have not been back to my homeland since 1998 when I got to the states. Hopefully in the near future.

AMN: What are your plans for the future?

Art: My plans in the future is to contribute as much as I can to dance music and hopefully one day bring my own style into it.

Check out more from Art at:

http://www.djartbeatz.com

http://www.myspace.com/artbeatz17

http://www.crack4djs.net/artbeats

http://www.theremixclub.com

http://www.Itunes.com/artbeatz

http://www.youtube.com/artbeatz17

http://www.beezo.net/djs/artbeatz

http://www.twitter.com/djartbeatz