Download Chiddy Bang’s Air Swell Mixtape for free here.

Astronomers//Pompadour//St. Gods//Superlift//Los Fusionistas

The show is 100% FREE. Rarely will you get to see acts of this quality with no charge, so take advantage of the event and see the next big act out of Charlottesville get their start. The show is held at the Student Activities Building in the parking lot of Scott Stadium from 6-9pm. The winner will have the opportunity to perform as the opening act of Springfest this year.

More Info

It’s that time again when I get to write about bands that I’ve gone to see. Today’s band is called The Maine and let me tell you, they are a band you will be hearing quite soon.

The Maine consists of John O’Callaghan (Vocals), Pat Kirch (Drums), Kennedy Brock (Guitar and Vocals), Jared Monaco (Guitar), and Garrett Nickelsen (Bass Guitar). Contrary to their name, The Maine is a pop-punk band from Tempe, Arizona. The Maine began in early 2007 and by the end of the year they had released their first EP. The Maine recently released their first full-length record “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop” this past year and it features an impressive repertoire of songs both lyrically and musically.

For a band that began in 2007, The Maine has garnered an impressive following, which, considering how hard they work is not surprising. The Maine attributes most of their continued success to the social media websites that they used to push their music. The work paid off and now The Maine can boast an impressive list of shows in which they have played in. Some of the shows or tours include, playing with Good Charlotte and All Time Low, Co-Headlining the Alternative Press tour, Warped Tour for two years, and the Love Drunk tour.

The best part about The Maine is the fact that their music is so brutally honest in the sense that it captures every teenager’s feelings. For The Maine, their goal is to try and create music that reflects their lives and who they are as people, a task that many bands try to complete. However, The Maine actually achieves it. They are the band that sings about what today’s youth feel. Many of their songs are about girls, friends, living life, and just trying to figure out who they are, they are essentially teenagers singing about and to teenagers. They are living through everything that the current generation is, and that gives them an edge over other bands.

For band that is considered mostly punk with a splash of pop, The Maine finds away to create a clean blend of punk that is vastly different from other punk bands in the scene. By using energetic rhythms, bold vocals, and a mixture of pure guitar parts and vivid electronics, The Maine has succeeded in making a punk sound that has managed not to fall into the screamo or grunge genre. Instead, they’ve created the type of punk rock music that reminds you of winding roads and impromptu road trips with friends. It’s the music you blast when you want something to brighten your day.

Their live show is also something to be admired. As I watched The Maine’s set I could tell that the people in the crowd were excited and it seemed as if they would be utterly content if The Maine continued to play for the rest of the night. The crowds cheering was so bad at one point that the guys had to wait a minute or two before they could start playing.  On stage, the guys work in a cohesive group, playing off each other’s energy and working together seamlessly.  It’s invigorating to see the members of The Maine so into the music they play. Their set was filled with guitar riffs and solos, thumping bass lines, and vocals that overpowered the senses, and a steady drum beat that always kept your attention.

Even better is the fact that The Maine clearly loves to interact with and incorporate their fans into their live show. I know quite a few people’s day were made when they got pulled up on stage to sing with the guys. It’s these types of things that show how much the members of The Maine aren’t above connecting with their fans, which is something a lot bands, who have achieved the level of success that The Maine has, do not do. Plus it adds something to the show that keeps you on your toes.

The Maine has just finished supporting Boys Like Girls on the Love Drunk Tour. They are currently taking a break to work on their new record and rumor has it that they will be embarking on a headlining tour sometime this year. So until then, check out their album “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop” as well as their book This Is Real Life, which contains written memoirs from the members of the band as well as exclusive photos. Photos from the show can be found at FallingFaceForward Photography

*please note: At least one of your band members must be a current UVA student.

RULES AND REGULATIONS

• Applications will be accepted NO LATER than Friday, February 5, 2010.

• At least one member of the band must be a current UVA student.

• All accepted bands WILL BE expected to play the entire 20-minute slot.

• We request a demo with three original songs to be submitted with this application. Please also include song titles. We will be providing copies to members of our selection committee for review.

• When selecting songs for your set, please keep in mind that Battle of the Bands will be a public performance, in front of a variety of people.

• Judging criteria will include a songwriting component. Therefore, your Battle of the Bands set must include no more than one (1) cover song.

• We will attempt to resolve Day-of-Show scheduling conflicts, but we DO NOT assure ANY band of ANY time spot, and reserve the right to schedule bands, as we deem necessary.

• In an effort to begin the selection process of bands, we request you return this application to the UPC office or online NO LATER THAN Friday, February 5, 2010. This will ensure the selection process runs efficiently and in a timely manner. If selected, you will be notified by Mon, February 8, 2010.

• The Battle of the Bands will take place Saturday, February 20, 2010. You agree to be available that day at least 45 minutes before your set, and also at the awards ceremony, which will occur after the final set.

• If you are chosen as the winner, you will be offered the opportunity to open at Springfest 2010.

If you have any questions please contact Alex Geralnick, aig3e@virginia.edu, Andrew Lehrman, asl5r@virginia.edu, or Kayleigh Harrington, kmh4xr@virginia.edu.

by Tiara Isom

Earlier in November, I got to interview Pat Brown; lead of the band Sing It Loud (SIL), Ben Peterson (Keyboard) also made a guest appearance.  I have to admit I was a bit nervous because this would be my first time actually interviewing an artist that I kind of knew personally. When I met up with Pat at the show, I immediately knew this interview was going to be hilarious. As we were trying to make our way inside the venue, we kept getting mobbed or blocked by fans that were desperately trying to get a picture or autograph. Eventually, we realized that we weren’t getting into the venue so we decided to hold the interview in their van; hence the reason the video is so dark.
see videos from the interview here
For those of you who have never heard of Sing It Loud, you are missing out. Hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota, SIL consist of Pat Brown (Vocals, Guitar), Nate Flynn (Bass), Ben Peterson (Keys, Vocals), Kieren Smith (Guitar, Vocals), and Chris “Sick Boy” Lee (Drums).  SIL began in April 2007 when Pat’s band (The Semester) and Kieren’s band (And Then I Turn Seven) broke up. Having played quite a few shows together the two step-cousins decided that they would form their own band, and SIL was officially born. In March of 2008, SIL signed to Epitaph Records, after playing only 7 shows, and began working on their Self-titled EP that was also released in March. Their full-length album ‘Come Around’ (produced by Josh Cain, Motion City Soundtrack) was released later that year in September. SIL then went on to tour with acts such as Motion City Soundtrack, Valencia, All Time Low, Cobra Starship, Ludo and Valencia. This past summer they played the 2009 Warped Tour on the Hurley stage.

SIL’s album has received excellent reviews and they are well deserved. While Epitaph Records is known for signing Punk bands, SIL has managed to hold their own on the label even though their sound is more pop rock. They have put a lot of time, effort, and blood into SIL and their efforts have made SIL into the band they are today. They have managed to build a solid fan base due to their engaging and exciting live-shows. Keep your eyes out for SIL, I guarantee that you’ll be seeing them soon.

Now that you’ve got a bit of background info on SIL, check out a few questions from the interview as well as the video!

So I heard you just finished recording your new CD, how is it different from Come Around?

It’s crazy…it’s not a record that most bands or fans are expecting us to release. It would be like if you take our original record and mix it with Third Eye Blind, Rascal Flatts, Def Leppard, and Taking Back Sunday, it’s super different.

How was the recording process for the new record?

We rented out an apartment in downtown Minneapolis for two months. We got to record the album song by song, for each two days, which was cool because it saved my voice. On our first record, I kept losing my voice like crazy because I sang for a week straight all day long, so this was easier.

Was the recording process stressful, any fights?

Yeah, me and Kieren got into some pretty epic fights because we both write the music, and actually on this record Kieren sings a lot more, so we fought a lot over which parts to sing, but overall it turned out amazing.

All right, so were there any pranks you guys pulled while recording?

Yeah, our Producer Jordan, he gets annoyed with certain things sometimes. So everyday I’d pee in a water bottle and then hide it somewhere in the studio and at night when he’d clean the studio, he’d find it and get really pissed.

How do you guys deal with people placing you guys into the category of pop punk boy bands and how do you try to separate yourselves from that stereotype?

I think something that we take pride in, and we’re not super prideful people, but I don’t think there is any band out their that spends as much time at their merch table or with their fans as we do. Also, on a performance level I think we give that extra effort during our performance that a lot of bands don’t. We take so much pride in our live shows; when people come, they come to see a show; we want to make people laugh and have a good time. Music wise, we really tried for our second record to do something that no one else is doing. I think a lot of people that hate us are going to hear the record and their going to be like ‘alright this is pretty sweet’.

How do you plan to achieve longevity?

That was our main goal when we started this band. So many bands die off after album two, but we’re firm believers in winning people over one by one rather than getting super big all at once.

That makes sense; you want to build a solid fan base first.

Absolutely, you look at bands that have been around for years like Motion City Soundtrack and they are now just getting their first major label debut, but their still a massive band. That’s how we want to do it.

To hear about tour pranks, life on warped tour, which band member almost killed someone one the road while driving, the sandwich game, and other fun stuff about Sing It Loud, check out the rest of the interview in the video below.

Also, I want to say thank you to Sing It Loud for giving me the opportunity to take photos for you guys as well as do this interview. It means a lot and I can’t wait to see what you guys have in store for next year! P.S. Sorry this took so long to type up and all, college is time-consuming