Life is short, do what you love.

The Graduate - 6 plays
If it wasn't for a band dropping a tour, I'd probably never have heard of these guys. My friend Jamie was going to go to see The Audition with her friend DJ... the band DJ wanted to see dropped off the tour and he decided he didn't want to go anymore. Jamie remembered that I was into The Audition, so she offered me the ticket. Coincidentally, these boys happened to be on that tour. I was fairly impressed with their performance, so I purchased the CDs (and a wicket t-shirt) and talked to the guys after the show. They're pretty nice. I was standing at the stage next to them at Warped, too... so I half-assed saw them a second time then. As for the music, I'm digging the pop-y sound and the lyrics are pretty attention-grabbing. Not to mention that Corey's voice is pretty easy on the ears.
Fave song - it's a toss up between Sit And Sink and Bet It All


Portugal. The Man - 5 plays
These boys never cease to amaze me. Really, there's only so much that can be said to describe them. Every album they've put out has sounded astonishingly different... which makes it hard to pick a favorite (which could be why I don't have one). From the drum-machine doused eps to the psycho-tripping Waiter, back to the drum-machine in It's Complicated Being A Wizard, to an almost classic-rock sounding Church Mouth. All of them have been some of the best ear-candy you can consume. If you haven't checked them out yet, they're my top recommendation, for sure.
Fave songs - all of them. (Chicago, Marching With 6, Sugar Cinnamon top it, though)


No One Goes Home - 4 plays
These guys have quickly become one of my favorite bands. No, not the favorite band, but one of them. I met them in late July on their Michigan stop on the Dance Floor Strikes Back tour, and we exchanged a few words in the parking lot. Later that week I spent most of Warped Tour hanging out with them when I wasn't watching bands that I was determined to see. Then the day they left Michigan they had another show in Lansing and we hung out there. Not only are they all amazing people, but their live show is absolutely astounding! They have so much energy, and it's hard not to get hooked on Craig's voice. It's like a drug. All in all, these boys are probably too "DirTay" for you... but you'll love 'em anyway.
Fave songs - Ya Know That One Song and It's Not Me It's You


Fall Out Boy - 4 plays
Truth be told, I used to hate this band. I'd heard of them a long time ago and not payed attention... so my first musical-memory of them was when "Sugar We're Going Down" hit the radio. After hearing it so much, I couldn't stand it. At all. Now they're one of my most listened to bands. Why? Well, my best friend got into them and during a music-transfer I ended up with From Under The Cork Tree on my laptop. I never conciously listened to it, but eventually I found myself singing along. However, I still wasn't crazy about them. It wasn't until I heard some of their older stuff that I fell in love. Yeah, it was the music from the days when they were more punk than pop that got me hooked. After a while, I was even digging the songs on FUtCT. And, of course, I fell in love with Infinity On High before it was even out. Yeah, now I'm a fan. It's too bad I'll never get to see them play a small show because those are usually so much more fun than things like the Honda Civic Tour (not to say that they weren't good there).
Fave songs - Hand Of God, Yule Shoot Your Eye Out, G.I.N.A.S.F.S, Grand Theft Autumn, Chicago Is So Two Years Ago and "The Take Over, The Breaks Over"


The Matches - 4 plays
Once again, these guys make an appearance. There is a reason that they're in my top five artists after all. I'm in love with both of their CDs unlike all the psychos who don't care about E.Von Dahl. They're captivating.
Fave songs - Jack Slap Cheer, Track 11, December Is For Cynics, You (Don't) Know Me, Shoot Me In The Smile


Mad Caddies - 3 plays
I bet you weren't expecting a ska band, were you? To be honest, neither was I. They appeared on the Warped Tour 07 CD, and I was digging the song... so I started to seek out more. Needless to say, I now have a ton of their music. I'm not neccessarily listening to it all the time, I could't tell you album names or song titles or band members... but I dig the mellow sound as well as the crazy-party-vibe.
Fave song - State Of Mind


Socratic - 3 plays
I have to thank Irving for getting me into these guys... because his asking me to go to that show led to me meeting the boys in The High Court, and eventually meeting Kiros... and the Kiros boys are now good friends. But anyway that's not what this is about. Socratic. Live, they're amazing. Recorded, I don't really listen to them much. It's one of those bands I have to be in the mood for. That's not saying that they're bad by any means! I adore them. The keyboardist is pretty amazing, the vocals make me happy, it's good for mellow moods.
Fave songs - Too Late Too Soon and The Dense Indents


Midtown - 3 plays
I'll never let this band fade into musical obscurity on my iTunes. It'd be depressing. They were pretty fantastic. I'm not knocking any of their current projects (I mean, I Surrender records?! Holy hell!), but I still have a certain fondness for the old-school sound. You know, when they all played together. It's hard to let go.
Fave songs - Until It Kills, Nothing Is Ever What It Seems, Is It Me? Is It True?


Snow Patrol - 3 plays
Funny story. Once upon a long time ago I was dating somebody via the internet. The most we had was webcams, Skype and MSN... but still. He was from Ireland. A lot of times when we talked, we'd talk about music... mostlyh because that's what I tend to gravitate towards since it's one of my passions. In one of our conversations we were recommending music to each other and his recommendation to me was Snow Patrol. This is before Chasing Cars became one of the most popular songs of the year, in fact, it was before Eyes Open was even out. I went out and found Final Straw and fell for a few songs. There's something about the ls's voice that makes me smile... and the music is fairly easy listening, too. Not to say that I don't like the Eyes Open CD, but thanks to the fact that songs from it are all over the place now, I'm not digging it as much.
Fave songs - Ways & Means, Grazed Knees, Gleaming Auction, Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking


Jonny Lang - 3 plays
I've been in love with this man since I was, like, twelve. I remember watching a clip of a live performance of his on the Disney channel... back when he was about twelve. Or somewhere around there. I was absolutely amazed. I absolutely adore his voice, the blues-y sound to a lot of his songs, and some of his fantastic guitar work. Seriously. Jonny Lang.
Fave songs - Save Yourself, Hit The Ground Running