*Flashback* July 18th 2006

I was reminescing earlier today and I thought I would continue on here! I would like to post what I considered the best day of my life (at that time).  It's the day that I met Brendon Urie, lead singer of Panic! At The Disco. Here's the official post from my MySpace! Enjoy! 

Brendon and I 

***

Yesterday was the best day of my life!!!! My Best Friend and I met Brendon Urie from Panic! at the Disco!!! We were just sitting in the enclosed patio at the Hard Rock Cafe and just were talking in the car on 'What if Panic! ate here.' I looked out the window and pointed to Amanda 'its Panic! its Panic!' At first she didnt believe me until she turned around to look for herself. Then we both started to freak out and didnt know what to do. We asked our waiter if we could brb and she said it was fine. We ran out outside to meet him. We stopped him and heres the convo...

Alyssa: Hi

Amanda: Hi

Brendon: Hey

Amanda: We saw your show in Cleveland and decided to see this one as well.

Brendon: I'm honored

Alyssa: Can I have your autograph and take a picture with you?

Brendon: Sure

Alyssa: I do have one question though...

Brendon: What's that?

Alyssa: What do you have against gyros?!

Brendon: The meat...I'm a vegatarian.

Alyssa: Oh ::thinks we can make veggie gyros::

Amanda: She works at the Gyron stand at Kennywood.

Brendon: ah

Alyssa: Can I have my pic now?

Brendon: Yea

Alyssa: Amanda...::hands her the camera:: stop shaking!

Amanda: Dont worry its not blurry!

Alyssa: Can I have a hug?

Brendon: Yea ::gives hug::

Amanda: Can I have one too? ::gives her hug::

Sec. Guard: The rest of the guys are in Joe's crab shack.

Alyssa & Amanda: Ok Thank you!!!

Sec. Guard: We're heading to the Hard Rock Cafe.

Amanda: That's where we are!

Brendon: Bye

Typing that out makes it feel like we said sooo much more when it really only happened over a 3 min time span. lol Well that moment was THE best moment of my life right now! Also when we were leaving I turned around and screamed to Amanda "Abusive" just as Brenon was peeking over the back of the booth! ::swoon::

The concert was great!!! We ended getting Vip passes from the Hard Rock, which only meant we got in before everyone else. That was cool!!!! Seeing it the second time rocked!!! I really enjoyed it! I was screaming my head off again!!! Before I go I just want to Thank Brendon for being soo polite and nice!!! And thank you for giving me your autograph and letting me take a picture with you! I'll cherish that moment forever! And also a BIG thanks to The Hush Sound, you guys are awesome live and really nice in person! I love your album! Thank you for your autographs and the picture you took with me! Its going in my scrapbook!!! And I cannot forget my DADS! Thank you both for driving us around Pittsburgh, it meant alot to us! Thank you Raymondo for saying that weren't allowed to go any earlier than 1! And dad thank you for waiting patiently in the car while we waited to see if Panic! was coming back out! And also THANK YOU Amanda for being there with me through the whole experience! You are one of my bestest friends in the world! I love you!

Lyssa Leigh

***

I was able to meet more of the original members, Ryan and Jon at a Young Veins concert. Now all I need to do is meet Spencer!!!! And then Dallon if he is in the band. I've already met Ian and he is such a sweetheart! He got me drinking redbull! 

Maybe I'll throw in a few more flashbacks but I def wanted to share that one with you!!! :)

Take Care

Lyssa

New Song by Chris Barrett!

Chris Barrett

Chris Barrett used to play drums for The Friday Night Boys. Now he is embarking on a solo career!  In the recent months of the band's break up, Chris has been working diligently on his project. To bring in the New Year, he is ready for you to hear his brand new song, Sky High! Click here to download the new song http://www.mediafire.com/?7j1wdgbeqfovdxv

  

Follow Chris on Twitter for up-to-date news about his solo career! https://twitter.com/#!/chris_barrett_

"Can We Fast Forward To Go Down On Me?"

Band: Panic! At The Disco
Members: Brendon and Spencer. Possibly Ian and Dallon. Formerly Ryan and Jon...well I guess you have to count Brent then too.

Hometown: Las Vegas
Album: Pretty Odd. **New Album out March 8th**
Bio: For a second, forget everything you already know about Panic At The Disco. That means forgetting that the band's 2005 debut A Fever You Can't Sweat Out has sold over 2.2 million copies to date; that their video for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" became a #1 hit on MTV and snagged one of the network's video music awards for best video in 2006; and, finally, erasing from your mind all of the sold-out clubs the band have played over the past three years and the ubiquity of Panic At The Disco's music-and mugs-on radio stations, television programs and magazine covers all over the world.

These days, a sensation like Panic At The Disco is something extremely rare and impossible to invent and for those two reasons alone, most bands in their position would stick to the same signature sound for their second disc. However, Panic At The Disco aren't most bands. Instead, the band-guitarist Ryan Ross, drummer Spencer Smith, vocalist Brendon Urie and bassist Jon Walker-decided to make the album they wanted to make for their sophomore release. While the album is equally as catchy and infectious as their debut, Pretty. Odd. sees the band digging through their parents' record crates to craft an expansive pop album that channels the ghosts of Brian Wilson and the Beatles as well as lesser-known pop sensations like the Zombies. However, for a while even the band weren't sure if Pretty. Odd. would ever come to fruition.

Panic At The Disco began writing the album a year ago, but after they'd written a solid batch of concept-driven songs, they stopped to reevaluate what they were doing and ended up deciding they were over thinking the process. "Instead of really throwing anything away, we decided to just move it to the side and approach the second record the same way we did the first record," Ross explains. "We tried to approach the songs individually and write songs that didn't sound like anything else we've written," he continues. "Now we're finally at the point where we can sit down and listen to the finished record and I know we're happy with it, so I think it was a really good decision-especially since we hope that we're going to have multiple opportunities to fully realize what our first idea was in the future."

That's not too say Pretty. Odd. isn't dripping with ambition-in fact, if anything, the opposite is true. From the bouncy and psychedelic first single (and accompanying video) "Nine In The Afternoon" to the spaghetti-western shuffle of the horn-driven "Pas De Cheval" and the straight-ahead pop genius of "Northern Downpour," Pretty. Odd. sees the band stepping outside their comfort zone to prove how much they've grown up since their debut, which was written when the members were just seventeen years old. "It wasn't a conscious decision to have older influences show through on this record, it just seemed like around the beginning of the sixties there were less subgenres, so it wasn't weird for songs to have a trombone part or violin part," Smith explains, adding that in some ways, his parents' dusty old records helped sonically liberate the band. "I think that will probably something that will stick with us after this record."

Another huge difference between these two albums is the fact that Pretty. Odd.'s basic instrumentation was recorded at the Palms Hotel in the band's hometown of Las Vegas, while the strings and mixing was done at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London with the help of their producer, Grammy and Emmy Award winning arranger/composer Rob Mathes. "It was an amazing experience," Smith says, adding that recording the strings in studio two of Abbey Road was a pretty surreal experience for a band who had to call their label's owner John Janick to approve three hundred dollars to hire a trumpet player to play on their debut. "We're really happy with how the orchestration turned out on this record and that's probably the biggest change from the last album," Spencer confirms.

In the spirit of acts like the David Bowie and Pink Floyd, Panic At The Disco plan on continuing their tradition of elaborate stage shows and performances for the subsequent touring. However this time around they're finally confident in having their music speak for itself, which is an achievement the band have looked forward to since their inception. "I just hope that if anything people are open to the idea that Pretty. Odd. may not sound exactly like the first record," Ross explains. "All we can ask for is that people give it a chance because there are a lot of songs that sound very different, but I think it's more creative and more musically interesting than most of what is at the top of the charts right now."

We couldn't agree more-and we're sure you'll feel the same.

http://www.fueledbyramen.com/bands/index.php?id=43

Romance in a Slow Dance!

Dan

Dan Mineart was kind enough to do an interview with me about his band The Bigger Lights. He talks about how the band got started and through their changes in members. Also about being signed to a record label. He even gives a sneak peak into the new album!

How did the bigger lights get started?

            About 4 years ago, right when we were getting out of college our guitarist JK and I were in another band that was ending. But we still wanted to perform so we decided to look for other members. We wanted a vocalist first so we based the band around that. We found Topher at a local show in Virginia.  Then we found another guitarist and drummer but they are no longer with the band so we felt that we had to replace them.

            I feel like we have a good line-up now but we are still evolving as a band.  We have an EP and a full-length album out so we are in a focusing process right now. Three years down the line I wouldn’t say it’s (the band) a finished project yet.

How do you deal with the change of members in the band?

            It’s difficult. It is almost like looking for a family member because it’s someone you are going to have to live with every waking minute.  It’s really difficult to find the right person.  When we lost our first drummer Mikey we got pretty lucky because we were offered a really long acoustic tour with NeverShoutNever. Which gave us a really long buffer time to look for a guy we really wanted. We found Ryan through a friend.  Next we found Chris. We actually toured with him earlier that fall with his old band Tyler Read. They were splitting up at the time so we hired him as a fill on the Hey Monday tour but after that it became an obvious choice and we wanted to keep Chris in the band.

What is like being on a record label?

            We are on Doghouse Records. The promotions they provide come directly around the release of a record. They make sure that we are doing to things to promote the record such as a tour and interviews. So our team per say is a lull right now. We have already put out an album, toured on it so we are ready to move on and start working on another album. Now it is up to us to stay on top of all the social mediums. Just to make sure that we keep in contact with the fans. Make the fans don’t forget about us because we haven’t forgotten about them it’s just we are in a lull.

Should bands promote themselves or belong to a record label?

            It depends on the style of the promotions. There are things that a band can’t do that a record label can do. It’s the record label jobs to put the band in a bigger and better place. Like appearing in a magazine. Then there is the element of accessibility and being personal with the fans.  Only the band can keep the relationship with the fans. We are going to interact with them the way that we want to interact with them. We set that tone.  It’s the record label at a grander scale and us at a more personal level.  But def needs to be both in order to work.

Do you have any ideas for the new record?

            As far as songs, yes. We just had a discussion about this the other night. We are still in a place where we don’t know what kind of record it is going to be.  We have written a good amount of songs. But from those songs there are a lot of different types of records we could put out. We like bits and pieces of all the work so we just need to focus it.  We want the record to have a certain amount of cohesion to it.  This record needs to be piece of art. Not a record that a lot of different bands could have performed. Our goal is to have one unique sound that is cohesive throughout the entire album. I am privileged to be playing with a lot of dudes that are really talented and can play different styles, we just need to hone in one.

Any last thoughts?

            Thank you for being here listening and talking to me. Thank you to the fans for your patience, I know we are in a lull but will be back. We are still going strong. We love you guys!

Thank you Dan! The show was amazing as always. Good luck with recording the album! Can’t wait to see you in the summer!

Below are pictures of the former and current band members! 

Topher

Chris

JK

Ryan

Mikey(former drummer)

"We will fall together from the buildings ledge"

Band: We The Kings
Members: Travis, Drew, Hunter and Dan
Hometown: Bradenton, FL
Album: Smile Kid
Bio: The band members first met at Martha B. King Middle School in Bradenton, Florida; their name refers to this institution. Later, while in his sophomore year at Manatee High School, Travis Clark started a band called Broken Image. At this time, Hunter, Drew, and Danny were all playing in other bands, but Travis "cherry picked" them to form his band. However due to another couple of bands already calling themselves Broken Image, the name was changed to DeSoto, then, after a lawsuit ensued, to We the Kings.
The group began touring seriously while Travis, Danny and Hunter were in college, and they dropped out of college to do so, while Drew graduated early from high school. They completed a couple of tours with Boys Like Girls and Self Against City while still unsigned, and landed on the PureVolume Top 10 list after hiring a manager.
After continuing success via Internet sites such as MySpace, the group signed to S-Curve Records, who issued their debut self-titled album on October 2, 2007. The album peaked at #3 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart and #151 on the Billboard 200.
The band has toured with bands such as Cobra Starship, Valencia, Just Surrender, Metro Station, Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, The Audition, Cute Is What We Aim For, Danger Radio, Madina Lake, Mayday Parade, and Powerspace.
The song "This Is Our Town" is featured in commercials for the new season of One Tree Hill, and on the show Newport Harbor.
On February 4th, their song "Check Yes Juliet" was featured as the free single of the week on iTunes.
On April 8th, their song "Check Yes Juliet" was featured in an episode of MTV's The Hills. When it came to making a music video for their song "This Is Our Town", they set up a contest allowing fans from the Florida area to submit videos of their town set to the song. The winner would be allowed to spend the day with them on August 30, when they played the Rays game.
They were up for several VMAs in 2008, including Best Pop Video, Best Rock Video, Best New Artist, and Video of the Year. New VMA-themed King's Carriage videos were released seemingly to celebrate this fact. However, they did not secure the nomination in any of these categories.


http://wethekings.fangap.com/About/Biography.aspx


Photos (taken by me):


March 5th 2008 - Diesel 

July 16th 2008 - Cleveland Warped Tour 

July 29th 2008 - Pittsburgh Warped Tour

March 4th 2009 - Mr. Smalls

July 17th 2009 - Riverplex

July 18th 2010 - Warped Tour

Check them out at 
www.myspace.com/wethekings

"New York City Fed My Soul"

Band: The Bigger Lights
Members: Topher, Dan, JK, Ryan, and Chris
Hometown: Virginia
Album: Self-titled debut
Bio: “With an infectiously energetic sound that draws equal comparison to pop and arena rock, The Bigger Lights have made significant strides in the last year. The self-produced and recorded EP “Third Act Stories” was released to the rave review of fans and industry alike in November of 2007. The group signed with indie powerhouse Doghouse Records (The All-American Rejects, Say Anything, Jet Lag Gemini) in the summer of 2008, less than one year after forming.

With their debut EP for Doghouse Records (entitled “Fiction Fever”) released digitally on October 7, 2008, and an extras-loaded CD version set for an April 7, 2009 release along with upcoming tour dates all across the country, the future is bright for The Bigger Lights. “We’re very thankful and excited to be where we are right now,” says Topher. “But not a whole lot has changed. We’re still just kids writing songs in our basement.””

The Bigger Lights first full-length album (self-titled) will be released March 30th.

http://www.last.fm/music/The+Bigger+Lights/+wiki

Photos (taken by me)

Nov 16 2008 - Games N'At

March 2 2009- Erie, PA 

June 30th 2009 - Diesel 

October 31st 2009 - Columbus The Basement 

Feburary 5th 2010- Diesel (SNOW DAY)

Dec 11th 2010 - Smiling Moose 

Listen to them at their myspace

www.myspace.com/thebiggerlights