band-reviews

The Ready Set

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:14:04 +0100

Bands nowadays are scratching and clawing their way to the top, doing anything they possibly can to get their name out there. Whether is be posting a link to some of their music on a popular bands website or sending mass friend requests to random bystanders in hopes that they can get their music heard, many bands are in this position. I’m not going to lie and say that a lot of them deserve to make the big time, because let’s face it, not everyone can. But The Ready Set is a band that I feel ought to have a shot.

The Ready Set is a one-man band originating from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Jordan Witzigreuter is the man behind the music and is responsible for creating some of the most infectious pop music that I have ever had the pleasure of stumbling across. Witzigreuter writes all of his own music and records it all himself as well, but when he goes on tour he has a group of friends who come along to help him recreate the sounds.

I have found that when I try and pinpoint what type of music or what band I could compare him too I just can’t. It’s impossible! His music is something unique and different of his own which I absolutely love. Despite the fact that I can’t get enough of his music now some of his earlier songs like Logistics or Sixty-Eight didn’t really appeal to me all that much. They had that standard cliché sound of most rookie techno; over-edited and the beats hide the lyrics too much.

My thoughts about his music changed though when I heard the new songs that he had recently released. His new digital single Stays Four The Same shows the drastic growth he has made in his music from his previous songs. The vocals are entirely audible and the music behind them is completely catching. Some guitars and drums are thrown in for a more instrumental feel which makes it such a pleasure to listen to.

After listening to a couple more of his songs (like Giants and Unender) I was completely blown away. Thank God almighty that Witzigreuter figured out how to remix a song where his vocals are able to be heard. Reason? His vocals are definitely easy on the ears. Not only has his song writing abilities improved but his singing talents have skyrocketed immensely.

Witzigreuter has really found himself as an artist in a short amount of time and is now currently touring with bands such as Backseat Goodbye and Plug In Stereo. He also has an upcoming tour with The Scene Aesthetic and The Color Fred starting out on August 15^th in Buffalo, New York at Xtreme Wheels. More tour dates can be found on The Ready Set’s website so go take a look.

The Ready Set’s music is also available on iTunes so make sure to pop on over and check them out! I stated earlier that this is a band that deserves a chance to become big. With all of the time that Witzigreuter puts into his music to produce such wonderful tracks, I think you would agree.

The Ready Set's Myspace

New Years Day

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:07:13 +0100

New Years Day is rocking Pop Punk group straight out of Anahiem, California. Having history at such widely known concerts such as Warped Tour in 2007, they have been breaking out on the music scene. Now usually, I am not one who really enjoys the idea of female lead vocals in bands such as this. Now, now don’t hate on me, I’m not saying there should never be female lead vocals (anyone heard of Hayley Williams from Paramore? One of my favorite vocalists of all time). After hearing New Years Day’s singer, Ashley Costello, show of her pipes in their song I Was Right from their album My Dear I knew that some of my views were in need of tweaking.

The first time I heard of this band was not from a friend, a television show, a magazine or even just stumbling across them on the internet. They kind of found me in some odd twist of fate. I was checking my Myspace since I had noticed it had been months since I have. I scrolled down the page and my eyes landed upon the words that read ‘New Friend Request’. I got all excited, wondering who it may be, but when I saw it was just another band trying to add me I kind of shrugged it off. I clicked on the link, curious to whether they were any good; I started listening to their songs. Low and behold, they caught my attention.

The musical styling that goes into one of their songs could be broken into a formula of sorts. Here is what I have concocted:

Insane Drumming + Supporting Guitar + Interesting, Descriptive Lyrics About How Ashley Is Better Without The Guy In The Song = A New Years Day song

You may be wondering what I mean by interesting lyrics. Well, lucky for you I am willing to give an example. In their song Ready Aim Misfire the lyrics that stand out among the rest go a little like this “Shoot my cupid out of the sky, break off his wings, gouge out his eyes, thank him for nothing, because that’s all that he gave to me, your love is my heart disease”. Very….imaginative, yes? But truthfully, if anyone else was singing these lyrics, I feel like I would be slightly frightened and a little turned off from the band that played it. Any images of gouging out Cupid’s eyes don’t really appeal to me greatly. I don’t know maybe it’s just me. Lyrics like these kind of make me ask myself why I listen to New Years Day but almost immediately after I hear lyrics that remind me why I was attracted in the first place. Because they have spunk, edge and are no doubt a good band to listen to when in need of good venting.

To me, New Years Day is the perfect band to listen to right after a break up. Picture yourself sitting in the confines of your room, reflecting acrimoniously over the time you wasted with your now ex-boyfriend or girlfriend. Now you start listening to this band and a new ‘Screw them, their not even worth my time. I’m too good for them anyways’ feeling arises in your heart. Gloomy to optimistic; good change, huh?

As I wrap this up I just want to reiterate how impressed I was with this ‘Myspace Band’. Not only do they find me, but they actually have talent. If you’ve heard of them before you might agree with some of the things I have said, or hey, you might not have. If you haven’t heard of them then you better get on that, because you are deeply missing out.

New Years Day's Myspace

Cash Cash

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 14:33:09 +0100

In today's modern scene age, what is it that one expects to see of the bands that they listen too? Trends that I have noticed are as follows:

1. Clothing so attention grabbing that if the colors were any brighter they would be blinding.

2. Wild hair that seems unkempt, but in all honesty it probably took hours to style that way.

3. Crazy techno party beats are so infectious they stay in your head for days on end.

So what is it that sets Cash Cash, a band with new popularity from Roseland, New Jersey, apart from the rest? If you wanted to judge them by their appearance there really is nothing that makes them unique among the many other people who play the same type of music. They have the bright colored clothing, the crazy hair and wear the skinniest of skinny jeans that they can possibly find. Nothing different from bands such as Cobra Starship. But if one wants to judge them by their music, they could definitely find something that makes them unique.

When I first heard about Cash Cash the first thought that came to my mind was "No doubt I will like them, but they won't really be anything different from what I already listen too," And if you know me, I love finding stuff that is off kilter or against the norm. I decided I would give them a shot and I downloaded the first song I saw from them on iTunes. That song was coincidentally their hot single Party In Your Bedroom from their self-titled EP. As I turned up the volume on my laptop, ready to listen to something I was sure I would have already heard before, I pressed play.

Let's just say I was very pleasantly surprised. The beginning on the song starts out with lead singer, Jean Paul Makhlouf singing the title of the song over and over. At that point I was kind of bored thinking "Okay, I get there's a party in your bedroom, where's the meat to the song?" But as soon as they started getting into the actual lyrics of the song I was sucked in. The message was something I was totally not expecting. By the title of the song I just expected it to be about a girl who was hooking up with one of the band members (you would too, wouldn't you?) but it was different than that.

I'm not going to explain what I believe the lyrics mean because I don't want to ruin anyone else's way of interpreting it but let me say you should definitely give this song a listen. I continued to search for more of their songs from the EP and found that each one offered something different. Their music is like a mix of 80's and new age techno so it is pretty refreshing. The fusion that they have managed to create is something that will be a door opener for many other bands in the future.

For example, Electric Hearts started out as more of a mellow beat with a darkened tone but then when it reaches the chorus it makes you want to jump around and dance. I've never listened to a techno album with such versatility in the tracks.

If anything I would recommend Cash Cash to anyone looking for good, fun music. I really enjoyed learning more about this band and no doubt they are going to become an even bigger hit after they are finished playing Warped Tour 2009. I would expect to start hearing the names of Jean Paul Makhlouf, Alex Makhlouf, Sam Frisch and Anthony Villacari tumbling out of young mouths as they talk about their new favorite band.

Visit their site:
http://www.cashcashmusic.com/