Gaelic Storm - Quick Concert Review

Hello again,

Just another concert review, but this one will be pretty quick.

On the 4^th of July I went to a festival in Stevens Point, WI called Riverfest. It is a small festival on the side of the Wisconsin River that hosts live music as well as deep fried foods and lots and lots of alcoholic beverages…basically your average small town Wisconsin festival.

But I didn’t just go for any particular reason; I went to see one band in particular. I went to see Gaelic Storm. If you don’t know who Gaelic Storm is they are a five-piece band that play Celtic music both from Ireland and Scotland.

I have always been a fan of Gaelic Storm since I saw them at Milwaukee IrishFest a few years back, but that was the only time I could go see them. But when my friend told me they were going to be playing at Riverfest, I jumped at the chance to go.

Overall, even though I didn’t get to see the whole set, the part of it that I did see was musically great. The sound was evenly balanced, the songs were high with energy to match the crowd and the dialog between the band members was witty and entertaining. They were cracking jokes and making the show very personal to the crowd by bringing up past performances at Stevens Point.

The only thing that I would change about the show would be the lighting. I, personally, am a fan of a good lightshow and Gaelic Storm didn’t have the best light show that they could have been. Now, there are some factors that go into this. The first one being the venue, the stage that they were on was not one that could house an amazing light show. With that in mind, they had to work with what they had and for the most part it was not that bad in relation to the venue. I would have just liked to see their set with a bit more of a light show, I feel it would have brought the whole thing together more.

Overall rating of the portion that I did see: 4.5 out of 5 bagpipes.

Stay rad,

Stefanie

Ed Sheeran at Summerfest: Concert Review

Hello all I am back with another concert review!

Its been a pretty slow time for music this past month. No one has really been releasing music and I haven't been going to concerts all the time either. Until now, on July 3rd I went to see Ed Sheeran, supported by Rixton, at the Marcus Amphitheater in Milwaukee at Summerfest. Before I dive in and tell you over and over again how amazing Ed was, let me first start off with the surprise attack opening act, Rixton.

Now, I say that they are a surprise attack because I had no idea that they were that great of a live band. I knew one song by them, the song of the summer a few years ago..Me and My Broken Heart, and that was it. I knew who they were and that they sang that song and that I liked that song. But, I never gave any more effort into listening to their other music or checking out online to see if they are worth spending money to see live. So when I heard that they were opening up for Ed, I was like okay..we shall see how they are, and they were surprisingly one of the better opening acts I've seen in a while.

First off, their sound was solid. Even though I did not know any of their music, I found myself dancing and hearing the words to the ones I didn't know. I hate when you go to a show and you don't know one of the acts that well and their sound is so unbalanced that you can't hear what the singer is saying. Just loud noise is not a pleasant thing to hear at a concert. But Rixton was very well balanced and I could hear everything he was saying.

Second, they were entertaining to watch. They interacted with the crowd in a way that wasn't like they were trying hard, but more so like they were here to have a good time and were feeding off the crowds energy. The lead singer even got down into the crowd and chatted with a little girl, I'm assuming she was little (young) by the tone of her voice. He dedicated the song he was singing to her, asked her if she would be his best friend and then proceeded to take a selfie with her. It was so adorable!

Lastly, they did play some covers of songs as well, since they were a bit more unknown in America, its always good to play some covers of well known songs for the crowd. They did a mash up of some popular radio songs, past and present, one of the songs being "Crazy in Love" by Beyonce. But during the whole set the band was dancing and getting the crowd hyped. And when I say dancing, I mean, they had some moves. I don't think I have ever seen an all white-male band from England dance like that before!

Overall, I was throughly impressed with Rixton and I am definitely going to check out more of their songs because they sold it so well to me during the concert that I am now intrigued.

Now, onto what you’ve wanted to read about. Ed Sheeran. I’m going to do my overall rating first, because it pretty much sums it all up before I break it all down.

5 out of 5 stars and HOW DOES SOMEONE SOUND BETTER LIVE THAN THEIR STUDIO ALBUMS???

Seriously though, Ed Sheeran live is better than his studio albums. If he would release a live concert album I would listen to nothing else but that. His sound, the building on the loop pedal, the intricate mixing of different songs from not only his own albums but covers of songs from different decades. The man is a walking talent show and it never ceases to amaze me on the things he can do with just his voice and a guitar.

This was my second time seeing Ed live, the first time was three years ago at The Rave in Milwaukee. Still a big venue, but it was more intimate and one of the best shows that I’ve ever seen. This one was in a much larger venue with thousands of people, but it still felt like I was in an intimate setting with him, back at The Rave.

Ed has this way of drawing you in so it feels like it’s just you and him in a room, especially during his slower songs. I just focused my eyes and attention on him and it felt like I was the only one in the room. When I expressed this to some of my friends I thought they would think I was strange for saying that, but they totally felt the same way. And if you were to ask anyone else who’s seen him live, they will probably agree with you. But in a change of a chord he is busting out one of his more upbeat songs and the room just explodes and its you and thousands of people again all having the time of your life.

Now, lets break this down…

Stage Set Up/Lighting

His stage set up was amazing. The stage was a fairly average size stage for an amphitheater, and it was just him up there. So tiny Ed on a big stage, but he had screens that were placed at different heights behind him that would project not only his face, but also beautiful images to go along with the song he was singing at the time. The colors of green, blue, yellow and red worked well with setting the moods for each song that he sang as well.

Sound Balance

Now I’m not sure if the Marcus Amphitheater is to be credited for this, if Ed and Rixton just have amazing sound people, or a little of both…but the sound was so well balanced I didn’t get that awful vibration of clashing tones in my ears nor did I hear the instruments over the voices or vice versa. Everything was super well balanced and you could hear everything with clarity…besides maybe when the crowd would scream whenever Ed would say something like “I like cheese.” (but my rants on fan girls screaming every two seconds is a different blog post entirely)

Song Selection/Stage Performance

The songs that he played were mainly off of his newest album “Multiply” which is pretty obvious because that is the current album of his that is out. But he did also bring us back to his last album “Plus” by singing the popular “The A Team” but also singing some of the more intimate songs off that album like “This” and the other favorite “Lego House.”

He did mash up some of his own songs as well which I thought was pretty cool and different. Not many artist will do a mash up of their own songs, most will maybe play one song and creatively transition into the next, but Ed would mix a few of his songs together so you didn’t know if he was going to sing the first song that he started with or the second. He also threw in some older songs like “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder and “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers that was beautifully done with changes in tempo and overall gave this different mood to the atmosphere. He also threw in a medley of his song “Don’t” with “No Diggity” by Blackstreet and “Loyal” by Chris Brown.

Again, overall the show was amazing. Very well put together and flowed so effortlessly which created an experience no one would forget. I definitely would recommend if you ever get the chance to see Ed Sheeran as well as Rixton when they come to a town nearest you. You definitely will not be disappointed.

Stay rad,

Stefanie

Future Hearts Tour : Concert Review

Give me a second..... *;alkdnaeouajdaalkewoifna;kca;pjroahef;ajnd;piaj;eonfa;kc;aoiec;ajnc;aje*

That is how I feel about the All Time Low's Future Hearts Tour show in Milwaukee. Like you know that emjoi that is super excited/shocked looking type of face? Yea, that is me right now. This was my 6th All Time Low show and it was by far the best show that I've seen by them since "Put Up Or Shut Up".

This show was held Friday, May 29th at The Eagles Ballroom/The Rave in Milwaukee. Their opening acts were Real Friends and KnucklePuck. This show was a rescheduled show, it was originally suppose to be May 16th, but due to scheduling conflicts, they moved it to the 29th and added a fan signing, one of a kind merchandise item as well as an extra acoustic set included in their normal set.

Overall rating of this concert would be a 5 out of 5 stars for me. I will break down the show and go into more detail below.

OPENING ACT(S):

Opening acts for this show were Real Friends and KnucklePuck. Although I have heard of both of these bands, I have never actually listened to their music before. KnucklePuck was the first to perform (punctual at 7pm sharp) and they really got the crowd pumped for the following acts. Usually for the first band you just see your few fans that go all out for them, but rarely the whole crowd. This was not the case for KnucklePuck, they really demanded attention from people who did not know them and really got them hyped for the rest of the set. Very few bands can do that, so I was very impressed.

Real Friends then came on to a hyped up crowd, which you could tell, really got the band hyped up as well. Its great when you can actually see the crowd and the band feeding off of each other's energy. Its this sense of uniformity, that, even though you may not be a fan of the music or know any of the songs, you can still sense the energy that the band is giving and reciprocate that back.

Overall, I really enjoyed both of these band's live performances and I have them on my list to listen to and hear their studio work.

HEADLINING ACT (OVERALL):

All Time Low, as stated, was the headlining act and holy cow were they amazing! They were really interacting with the crowd in a way that I have never seen a band interact with them. Usually your bands that talk to the crowd but almost in a scripted way. Its like they wrote out on their set list, "okay, between this song and this song we are going to thank everyone for coming. Then after this song talk about the next one." All Time Low was not like this.

Right off the cuff Alex and Jack were talking to the crowd like they were talking to their closest friends. Just straight up shooting the shit. They went off on tangents and off topic constantly. It was a true conversational feeling that really added to the experience.

They even invited a group of fans up onto the stage to rock out with them during one of their songs. It was a great way to see the band connect on that close up level during their show. I saw Jack give his guitar to one guy and let him strum while he fingered the chords. Alex gave some girls microphones to sing into with him. It was a great thing to witness and for sure a moment those fans will never forget!

SET LIST:

Keeping with the new album, Future Hearts, they sang a reasonable amount of songs off the album. Each on was filled with energy and excitement from the fans hearing these songs for the first time live. As a fan, there is always something special, and nerve-wrecking, about hearing a song performed live for the first time. You can't wait to hear it but at the same time you are nervous because what if it doesn't sound or feel as great as the studio recording? That was not an issue here, all the new songs sounded amazing, if not better, than the studio recordings and you could see feeling of complete euphoria on the faces of the fans.

Along with these new songs there was an even blend of songs from previous albums, like Nothing Personal and Don't Panic. All of them, again, filled with the same energy as the new songs, but with a different feel to them. There was a different sense of excitement in the crowd when they busted out with "Backseat Serenade" or "Lost In Stereo". They even snuck in a cheeky Blink-182 cover during their second half of the normal set.

Overall, I thought that the set list was excellently picked for the event and each song came with energy and excitement.

ACOUSTIC SET:

During the middle of the normal set list, they went off and the crew set up for an acoustic set list that was special to the Milwaukee date. This was probably my favorite part of the entire night. This set was riddled with nostalgic songs and was probably the most emotional part for me as well. It started right off the bat with two of my favorite of all time songs by them, "Remembering Sunday" and "Jasey Rae." It was definitely had to hold back the emotions that were swelling up inside me during these songs, especially during "Jasey Rae."

But the nostalgia didn't stop there, they continued to play songs off of their EP "Put Up Or Shut Up" including a song that I would sing religiously everyday to my friends; "Coffee Shop Soundtrack." This set list instantly transported me to my first All Time Low concert and watching them perform those same songs. It was like the room melted away and I pictured myself back at the Rave but in a different room, much smaller, and watching them on stage with cringe worthy haircuts and studded belts.

Overall, I thought that adding songs from their EP was a classic touch and I'm sure I was not the only one that felt true nostalgia during that set.

SOUND & LIGHTING:

Because I'm a bit of a music freak, I pay attention to the sound and lighting at shows that I attend. First off, the lighting was great for All Time Low. The mix of blue, white, and green really worked well with the theme of the album art. But they also mixed in some amazing orange, reds and purple tones as well that created a great ambiance.

The sound was less to be desired from my end. I was in the balcony on the side and at times it was hard for me to hear what Alex and Jack were saying in between songs. But, this is mainly because the speakers are mainly pointed towards the audience on the floor and they don't really have speakers facing the side balcony area. Also, there were times during the acoustic set that the microphones were picking each other up and creating that horrible screeching noise that makes you wrinkle your nose. But, that only happened a few times and it was quickly solved by their team. A sign of a great, quick thinking team, when the sound starts to do that and its fixed within seconds.

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Again, this was definitely one of my favorite shows I've ever been to and definitely my favorite All Time Low concert. It was a great way to start off the summer.

Stay rad my friends,
Stefanie

Real Friends

Real Friends 

All Time Low

Rebirth

Hello.

Let's get the white elephant out of the room....yes, I've been gone A LONG TIME. I'm sorry for that. And I know what you are thinking, "oh she's going to say she's been busy and hasn't had time to blog blah blah blah!" Well, thats partly true. Yes, I've been busy, but more importantly I haven't been inspired.

I wasn't feeling inspired to write a blog post. I felt like most of the stuff, mainly everything I wrote, was very repetitive and that I didn't have much to say. So instead of forcing content out that I didn't like and that was most likely boring to my readers, I didn't post at all. If you were someone that read my posts regularly and enjoyed them, I'm sorry for the absence, but I will be back on here more in the future. I'm not promising new posts every week, but they will be often.

Like previously stated, this is a music blog. You will be reading posts that are solely dedicated to music. That includes:

1. Album reviews
2. Concert Reviews
3. New Music Discoveries
4. My personal music endeavors
5. Whatever else I can think of

I'm feeling inspired, and passionate about starting this back up. I got some things in the making with my friends and I've been highly involved with the music scene lately and have some things up my sleeve to discuss on this blog. So get ready, my friends!

Stay rad,
Stefanie

Bands/Artists I Don't Like

Hi Hello

Slap the back of my hand and give me a time out, I'm sorry I didn't post Sunday or yesterday...but you know, life. I'm a busy person, I know I say that all the time that I'm late with posting but I am. I got two jobs and school its a lot in a day. Anyways...I'm still posting this week so get over it.

I realized that I talk about music or bands that I love all the time, but I never tell you about the artists or bands that I don't like....until today.

Lets jump in... (note: these are my opinions, they are not fact so don't go all nuclear on me..)

First off, Nirvana. I have never liked Nirvana. I tried to get into them, I would listen to their music constantly to try and find a song that I would like just so I would 'fit in' but honestly...I hated all of their songs. One of the main reasons would be that I never really got into the whole "grunge" scene and I hate Kurt Cobain's voice. There I said it. I hate Kurt Cobain's voice and I wasn't a fan of his lyrics either. Honestly, in my opinion the only good thing to come from Nirvana was Dave Grohl. I love that guy, but its not enough to make me like Nirvana.

Kanye West. Everything about this guy is revolting to me. I hate his music, I hate his attitude, I just don't like him or his work. Trust me, I did try and give him a chance because I am a firm believer in giving artists and bands a chance but, again, I never got into his music. Then I started to see how he presents himself in public and at events and I started to dislike his personality as well. I just think he is a rotten person.

Third band I don't like...Coldplay. *gasps* Its true. I never got on that Coldplay bandwagon. Their music just didn't do anything for me. I am one of those people that need to feel something when I listen to music, I need to have some type of reaction. If I have a positive reaction to a song or group of songs then I'm hooked on the artist and my appreciation for them will grow. When I first heard Coldplay there was nothing. I felt nothing, I had no reaction, I just sat there and started to drift off in my mind. I didn't even pay attention to the song that was playing. So I tried again and again and again and the same thing happened. They just don't do it for me. Not a fan.

Justin Bieber. Surprise, many people don't like him, but in superficial ways. I don't like his music and the way that presents himself in public and at events. Just like Kanye, I don't like Justin for the same reason. There were a few songs by Justin when he first came out that I didn't mind and would tap a foot too but as his fame grew and his music grew with him and his personality started to become more cocky and arrogant I started to lose interest in him as a person and as an artist.

Finally, Taylor Swift. *shots fired* I said it. I don't like Taylor Swift. I never had. I'm not a big country music fan and when she was a country artist I didn't like the repetitiveness of her music. Not the whole "she only writes about relationships" because lets face it, everyone writes about relationships..its one of the easiest things to write about. I didn't like her music because they all sounded the same..all her songs just sounded like the last. Then when she started becoming increasingly popular I noticed her at more events and talk shows and I just was put off by her personality. She just annoyed me a bit. Then I saw her perform at award ceremonies and honestly, I thought that her performances were fake...not genuine. That is just what I thought. And her song "Shake It Off" honestly annoys me like no other. Now, with all her trademarking crap, I'm starting to think she's becoming a diva. I don't like divas. And the fact that she calls everyone her best friend gets on my nerves as well...I'm sorry honey, but not everyone is your best friend.

Well...I got a bit more annoyed writing this post than I thought, but those are just some artists and bands that I cannot get into and just don't like. I tried listening to their music on multiple accounts and nothing works for me.

Everyone has artists or bands that they don't like and probably will never like, you just have to accept their opinions and it doesn't make them less of a person or "less knowledgeable" of music than the next. Like I previously said in an earlier post, music taste is relative, its different for each person. Its an opinion.

Until next time my misfits,
Stefanie

February Recommendations

Hi Hello

Happy Sunday, today I got some artists that I've discovered (new to me) and I feel like I just need to share them with the readers of this blog because I feel like they are ones to watch. Consider this my recommended music for February!

To start I'm going to tell you about one of my favorite finds this year so far. I didn't actually discover him on my own, my close friend Brittany told me about him. Brittany and I share similar music tastes and she was like "Stefanie! You NEED to listen to this guy he's amazing!" and I eventually did and I was blown away. The artist is James Bay. He is from England and I must say, he has one of my favorite male voices. If you know me, you know that Sam Smith is like my favorite voice...like I would marry his voice if I could, and James Bay is right up there with Sam for me.

His voice has that harsky, powerful, soulful sound to it and mix that with the singer/songwriter souly-folk music that he plays you got yourself an amazing talent! When I first listened to him his voice reminded me of a laid back Allen Stone (whom I also highly recommend you give a listen to) but with a more folk edge to him. Now, I know that it can be a bit overwhelming trying to get into a new artist. What do I listen to? How many songs should I listen to in order to give them a fair chance? My answer to that is to just listen to the song that pops up first in the search on YouTube. This is generally their most popular song and a great place to start. As far as how many songs you should listen to...as many as you need to form an opinion. I listened to one song by James Bay and I was hooked, other artists I had to listen to 5 or 10 in order to like them...and some I hated and eventually they grew on me.

For James Bay I would say that a great start would be his song 'Scars'. Its a beautifuly heartbreaking love song and its a great start to exploring his talents. My favorite song by him so far is 'Hold Back The River' its a great upbeat soulful song that gets you moving. I love those types of songs, but another great one by James would be 'Let It Go', I personally love this song and its probably my second favorite by him.

The next band that I discovered this year is The Dirty Nil. They are different. A flashback to late 90s, early 2000s punk is how I would describe this band. I heard their song 'Cinnamon' and there was something about them that brought me back to when I was first discovering rock and punk music. I like their vibe and I have a feeling that this band is going to be going places with that sound. I think we can expect to see more of them in the punk scene.

If you are into Indie bands then Night Riots is one band that you should look into. If you haven't already. Honestly, I don't know why I haven't listened to them before or even heard of them before now. They are a solid Indie Rock/Alternative band. Best I would describe their music would be Arctic Monkeys meets The 1975 but with a "pop" edge. But when I use the word "pop" I use it loosely...very loosely. Its not as raw as Arctic Monkeys but its also not as electronic as The 1975, its a nice mixture but with a pop edge. Its still very indie rock/alternative but their songs are extremely catchy. I would say that a good song to listen to would be 'Back To Your Love' I love the sound of this song (and band) and the music video is interesting as well. Another great song to listen to by Night Riots would be 'Contagious'  its just a solid song and I've been listening to it in the car recently and its a great driving song.

Night Riots and The Dirty Nil are going to be playing the Vans Warped Tour this summer and I am definitely putting them on the list of bands to see live while I'm there.

And finally the last band that I just recently discovered, and feel stupid that I'm just finding out about them now, would be Scouting For Girls. Like this band has been around for a few years and I am just now hearing about them. It was one of those things where you just discover them and then BOOM you see their name everywhere. Today I was reading the 5 Seconds of Summer Autobiography and they mentioned writing with Scouting for Girls for this debut album. I was like WHOA I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT THESE GUYS NOW. Sometimes I wanna say that I'm on top of new band discoveries but for the most part I'm not...oh well. But for real, these guys are a solid pop/punk/alternative band and I love their song (and music video) for 'Love How It Hurts' its a cute video as well as a cute and catchy song. A must listen!

Well that is all I got for this month. I highly recommend these artists and I stand by their music. If you are into soul, indie, folk, punk, alternative music these bands are right up your alley.

I have received a request to do a "band review" or a "first listen reaction" post. So if you have some bands that you think I've never heard of before and would like me to post about my thoughts on them then just leave a comment and I'll be doing that as soon as I get enough bands/artists!

Until next time my misfits,
Stefanie

January Playlist

Hi Hello

Whoa....a playlist on the main page? Whaaaaa??? Well I've decided to start posting them on the main page and then just putting the link to them on the playlist page for people to go back to them easily. So, just like the past few months, lets just get into the top songs I've been listening to in the month of January.

I've been listening to the radio a lot this month and one station that I've been addicted to is 102.1 fm which plays more rock, alternative, and all the other subcategories of rock and alternative music in the world. There have been 5 songs that I've really enjoyed listening to and got me singing along to in the car.

The first being Dangerous by Big Data. This song features Joywave and the moment I heard this song I was hooked. I heard it on the radio and I had to Shazam it because I needed to know who sang it and what it called. I then later went home and watched the music video like 10 times. Its a great song with a electro/alternative type sound to it. Theres not much that I can say about this song because its one of those that you just need to listen to in order to get the true vibe of the song.

Budapest by George Ezra is a song that I've always liked since I first heard it but this month I got really into it. I heard it on the radio a few times on my drive to work and I was like "oh I like this song..lalala" and then after the third day of hearing it I started says "oh I LOVE this song..LALALA" Its such a fun song to sing when you're driving. The melody is catchy and you'll definitely be singing it in your head for a while afterwards. I find it to be a great lazy day drive type of song as well as a nice laundry song. I was doing laundry today and I was singing this song while sorting. Very lovely. Also, side note, I had never seen what George Ezra looked like until a few days ago when I looked up the music video to this song and I was like whoa...he looked nothing like I imagined. With his deep voice I expected him to be a big guy with like a beard and man bun..but nope.

This next song is one that my friend Shawn introduced me to. Its Top of the World by Greek Fire. This is a song that is very much my "personal style" of music. It falls under one of my favorite genres, indie pop, and its one of those songs that just gets you in the mood. Not a sexual mood...they're not Marvin Gaye, but the "I am going to make the best of this day" type of mood. I love it and I really like to listen to it while I get ready in the morning because its one of those motivator songs. I love it and there really is no other explanation.

Fourth on my list is Long Way Down by Robert DeLong. This song was what I like to call a "grower". Meaning I hated this song when I first heard it. Honestly, I would turn it off whenever it came on the radio and then one day it was the only song playing on the radio because all the other stations were in sync and playing commercials at that time. So I said...well, to the hell of it, I'll just listen to it. Turns out....I ended up loving this song and I bought it right away so I could listen to it at work on my iPod.

The last song that I got for you today is Cigarette Daydreams by Cage the Elephant. I used to be really into Cage the Elephant a few years ago but then I just stopped listening to them for a long while. But when I heard this song on the radio and liked it I Shazamed it to see who it was by and was pleasantly surprised when I saw that it was Cage the Elephant. Because of this song I've gotten back into the band and I also really enjoy their song Come A Little Closer but I haven't been listening to that one as much as the other songs listed here.

Well folks, that is it. Those are my 5 top songs of January and, like always, they are all featured on my Spotify Playlist along with all the other songs from past month's playlists. I hope that you enjoyed this set and will listen to the songs.

If you like any of them, or liked them prior to me posting this, leave a comment below. If you have any songs that you want me to listen to for the month of February please let me know in the comments as well!

Have a nice weekend. Smile. :)

Until next time my misfits,
Stefanie