Rockin' Romance 2 is the second album in what is now an annual release of romantic songs and ballads covered by up and coming alternative artists. The CD has a mix of new and old hits, some of which have been reborn as YouTube pranks and others were once performed by our favorite 90's boy bands. 

Cady Groves – God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You (*NSYNC)

Cady Groves is a small girl with a big voice. Her rendition of God Must've Spent does the once adored boy band justice and brought back a few memories.

Artist vs. Poet – I Believe In A Thing Called Love (The Darkness)

Never having heard anything by The Darkness before I had no idea what to expect. I now not only listen to The Darkness but Artist vs. Poet as well because of how well the band was able to take on the British bands sound but putting on their own twist by adding their signature screams. 

Holiday Parade – Slide (Goo Goo Dolls)

After listening to an intense performance by Artist vs. Poet, Holiday Parade slows it down a bit with their cover of Slide. I can only categorize this song as one you can listen to on repeat, preferably when it's sunny outside and you're in an overall happy mood. 

Breathe Electric – Never Gonna Give You Up (Rick Astley)

I was nervous when I read that this song was going to be on the album, even if it was going to be covered by the always amazing Grant Harris and Breathe Electric. The only other cover I've heard of this song was by Ashley Tisdale and let's just say I went into a bit of an auto tune coma. This song is proof that this song can be pulled up and be enjoyable for music fans of all ages. 

He Is We – Replay (iyaz)

One of the most modern songs covered by album is one that was a little too modified than the artists wanted. Earlier this week in an interview with Rachel of He Is We (full interview to be posted soon) she told us how the track was to be acoustic but when they were sent the track, it was a much more complex song than the band wanted. The song is still a great cover but I do agree that it is a little overdone and would have been better if it was just a stripped down acoustic song.

Jimmy Robbins – When You Say Nothing At All (Allison Krauss)

The song is a little too slow for my taste but the vocals are still strong and it goes in the same category as the Holiday Parade cover. 

Go Periscope – You Belong With Me (Taylor Swift)

Someone who has been blowing up pop/country culture for the last two years has been the country darling known as Taylor Swift. The song being covered by a band made up of boys could have been a recipe for disaster, but in all honesty I like the cover more than I like the TSwift original. This song I actually will dance around my room to with a hairbrush a la Taylor in her music video for the original song. 

The Scene Aesthetic – Such Great Heights (The Postal Service)

Another cloud-watching-on-a-summer-day song that proves that The Scene Aesthetic should be professionally adorable. Just listening makes you want to sway back and forth subtly and just smile.

City Lights – I'll Never Let You Go (Third Eye Blind)

If I heard this song without knowing of the Third Eye Blind original I would have believed that this was a City Lights song. They take on the song with such confidence that it just radiates from the speakers. One of the most believable songs in the CD by far.

You Me And Everyone We Know – Build Me Up Buttercup (The Foundations)

Normally, Build Me Up Buttercup would be a song I'd only dance to at a father daughter function or a mock sock hop but this version I'd be more than happy to blast in the car when driving on a long road trip or doing some spring cleaning. A reoccurring quality of this CD is it's ability to put people in an extraordinarily good mood. 

Plug In Stereo – Your Body Is A Wonderland (John Mayer)

Being someone who isn't a John Mayer fan I was a little skeptical of how this song would sound. I really need to realize that I should trust Rockin' Romance because they turned a song I didn't even like
and made it enjoyable. Plug In Stereo has been a favorite of mine for a while and they really knocked it out of the park with this one.

Rockin' Romance 2 is a must have for your music collection, especially if you're a fan of albums like Punk Goes Crunk, Punk Goes Acoustic, Punk Goes Classic Rock and other albums of the same idea. 

Download Rockin' Romance 2 now on iTunes

Pure Volume:

http://www.purevolume.com/rockinromancecomp

Myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/rockinromancecomp

 

 

Hanson

The band Regretting Silence is comprised of two boys from Tuscon, Arizona who already have a grasp on how to get ahold of the music worlds attention. Chandler and Shay are the sixteen and seventeen year old boys who have formed a duo that isn't one to be reckoned with. One of the best qualities about the band is the fact that they have a great sense of who they are while still knowing where they want to go. As some bands start to gain popularity there tends to be a period where band members go through changes and in those changes maybe lose sight of why they started to make music in the first place. I have no doubt in my mind that Regretting Silence will ever lose themselves when making these changes. Regretting Silence will soon be putting out their first EP later this summer and you can contact them at www.myspace.com/regrettingsilence to get your own copy. 

Lately I haven't been able to turn on my television, go out into the city, read a magazine, or check my Twitter feed without hearing something about Lady Gaga. Regardless of mine or anyone else's opinion, Lady Gaga is a worldwide phenomenon who seems to have no chance of slowing down anytime soon. With her band of "Little Monsters" as a fan base Gaga is also adored by critiques, whether it's for her music or her controversies is still unidentifiable. Today, June 8th, marks a big day for Gaga as she releases her music video for the song, "Alejandro" which is off her album The Fame Monster. In true Gaga fashion the video sucks up almost ten minutes and takes the viewer on an orgy of fast paced groping and the slamming of steel-toed boots on a hard metal floor. The video takes on a World War Two feel especially touching on moments that could be related to the holocaust. Something else the video takes on is many Madonna references, which makes sense considering she is more than often compared to her but at the same time gives off the image that Gaga is not as "original" as she is usually idolized as. 

Something concerning about the video is the fact that it is so graphic and out there that is can be borderline uncomfortable. When watching the video for Telephone I saw no problems with it besides blatant product placement but is the Alejandro video taking it too far? Currently available on YouTube and soon to be on iTunes for all to see it will be interesting to see what reactions this music video stirs from children and more dramatically their parents. 

This morning I was listening to Wilco – "Nothing's Ever Gonna Stand in My Way Again" from their amazing album Summer Teeth

Download 06 Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway (A

  and I started thinking about pulling together a Positive Playlist. We all have songs that – no matter what – make us feel better, stronger and more willing to fight on every time we hear them.

Please post the first one that comes to mind in the comments. Give me the gut reaction.

That's what I am interested in. What are your personal fight songs?

Here are a few more of mine:

"Running Down a Dream" – Tom Petty – This one makes you want to just stand on the gas pedal of life. Dangerous while driving an actual car.

"Won't Get Fooled Again" – The Who  Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaah!

"Constructive Summer" – The Hold Steady "Me and my friends are like the drums on Lust for Life" What a killer opening line. So I guess I will add…

"Lust for Life" – Iggy Pop

You get the idea.

Personal Fight Songs – Let's hear 'em!

 

 

Forever The Sickest Kids
 

 

The Ready Set

 

The Bamboozle, which holds alternative music tours all over the country, is kicking off it's national tour tomorrow May 21st in Columbia, Maryland. The headliner is none other than Baltimore native band All Time Low, who will be on the entire tour. Also on the entire tour is popular band Boys Like Girls, whose album Love Drunk dropped last fall. A surprise band on the tour this year is a complete blast from the past for us 90's kids. Hanson, yes, that Hanson is also on the tour, taking back their title of cute brother boy band that The Jonas Brothers took over. I will be at the show tomorrow, doing some special interviews with a few of the bands, but I'm going to keep that a surprise for later.

More information is available at http://party.thebamboozle.com

In four months a lot can change, especially for a teenage boy. However, one of the things that hasn't changed for Christofer Drew is that four months after his last interview with us he is still on the road on a headlining tour. This time Chris is headlining the AP tour, run my AP magazine and sponsored by Rockstar energy drink and Wonka candy just to name a few. In the 9:30 club backstage area I sat down with Chris and asked some questions that were different than ones asked in our last interview. In a more relaxed environment this time Chris is still strumming on his guitar during the interview, still full of energy every night to go on stage and perform for his fans, even when under the weather. Like a ball of energy Chris was able to get through all of our questions, along with some answers from additional members of the band. Unlike in December with the acoustic tour Chris' backup band, The Shout, is also along for the ride this spring. Other bands on the tour are The Summer Set, Every Avenue, Hey Monday, and The Cab. In the next few days I'll be uploading pictures taken of each set from that night along with reviews on the bands performances. 

 I sat down with Chase before his show at Rams Head in Annapolis MD. Keep your eye out for his new album dropping soon.

www.myspace.com/chasecoy

www.twitter.com/chasecoy

www.youtube.com/chasecoy