Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! (February 1, 2012)
Mar 1st
Coming over all the way from France is the only pop-punk, hardcore band known as Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!. While passing through Omaha, NE on their tour with Attack Attack!, I got the chance to briefly speak with vocalist Bert Poncet. Chunk! has plenty of dates scheduled for the remainder of the year and you can catch them on Warped Tour 2012!
Mayday Parade (October 20, 2011)
Oct 25th
Having been a band for 6 years, releasing 2 EPs and 3 full-length albums, and hailing in from Tallahassee, Florida is the one and only Mayday Parade! I was lucky enough to catch vocalist Derek Sanders while they are headlining The Noise Tour to talk about their new self-titled album, the tour itself, and the birth of his daughter Grey. Keep a close eye out for them coming to a city near you and watch for and enjoy!
Show review coming soon!
Carson
Mar 8th
(Left to right Spencer Caudle, Shaun Couture, Ben Laun, Peter Stipicevic, Taisha Bethea)
Coming from the city of Charlotte, North Carolina is the five member, female fronted band Carson. Meeting in October 2009 and consisting of vocalist Taisha Bethea, guitarists Peter Stipicevic and Shaun Couture, bassist Spencer Caudill, and drummer Ben Laun, Carson proves to be one of a kind. Whether it’s competing to win Warped Tour’s battle of the bands or working to release more music and dodging stereotypes, Carson has already been through a lot in their short time of existence.
Having just recorded with producer Jamie King (Between The Buried And Me, He Is Legend, and Alesana), fans can look forward to great things from these guys. “We did five new songs that not many have heard. People can expect to hear what they wouldn’t expect from a girl-fronted band,” Laun said. It seems that with a unique sound, these guys are positive with where they are wanting to go and are doing just that. As a female-fronted band, there are stereotypes and assumptions that come along with it. Most bands with a girl lead are compared to bands like Paramore and Hey Monday, but Carson has their own sound and idea for where they want to be.
“People may think that we play typical pop/rock, that we have a strict V-neck policy, that we don’t write or own music, or that Taisha is some sort of figure head or that we’re ‘her’ band,”states Laun. “Obviously, none are true, we just roll with it. We’re each a fifth of Carson. We play and write the music we want to play. You can’t help what people think of you if you’re just being honest”.
Though they haven’t gotten much of an opportunity to tour yet, like every band, they dream about the day they will and what it will be like. “Most of us are in school and all of us have part time jobs at the moment,” Laun said, “We’ve played a few out-of-state shows but we are definitely ready to tour”. As that is true, this group hopes to one day tour with bands like Circa Survive, Thrice, or Every Time I Die. “We look up to those bands obviously because their music rules, but also because they’re genuine,” Laun said.
Carson has been hard at work to bring the new music to fans and have been making friends along the way. “Thanks to everybody who has had anything to [do] with us since we started,” Laun said, “Tell all your family and friends about us”.
Everyone, keep an eye out for these guys coming around to a city near you. Carson is hoping to be touring this summer and hopes to see everyone there! You can get more info about Carson at the following places…
www.carsonrock.com (coming soon)
Seneca Drive (March 4, 2011)
Mar 5th
Shaking palms and nervous thoughts as the first band jumps off the stage, Seneca Drive began preparing to play their very first show. After just six months of being a band, these five boys had the opportunity to play in front of a small, but enjoyable crowd. Starting with My Last Chance one could tell everyone was a little nervous, but that quickly changed.
Vocalist Taylor Scott got the crowd riled up by encouraging everyone to jump around and participate, the crowd did just that. While announcing every song before jumping right in, he made it seem like they’ve done this before.
By the time the second song came around, it appeared that the nerves had gone away and they were just plain having fun. Guitarist Tony Morris and bassist Joe Brandon at one point seemed to have a small “guitar battle” and drummer Vince Meyer was seen playing with a confident and determined look on his face.
Seneca Drive ended their five song set with a cover by Green Day; When I Come Around. By adding their own happy-hardcore touch and having the song’s guitar solo played by guitarist Parker Scott, they pulled it off pretty well.
From having the chance to sit in on a practice a little over a week ago, these boys seemed to have come a long way and should be checked out by everyone. They have a show coming up on April 17, 2011 at The Waiting Room and are competing in battle of the bands. These boys can play as well as work with the crowd. Keep an eye out in the future because Seneca Drive is just getting started.
To view more pictures from Seneca Drive‘s first show, they can be found in the gallery.