I was so excited for this day to come. The lineup was stacked — State Champs, Our Last Night, The Dangerous Summer, and Grayscale. It was like a Warped Tour dream.

My friend Taylor and I had balcony seats at the House of Blues in Chicago, and I didn’t mind at all. The view was pretty nice, as we weren’t straining our necks to see them. The only drawback was that there wasn’t room really to mosh or jump, but nonetheless it was a great time.

The first band to come on stage was Grayscale, a pop punk band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They’ve been around since 2011, and got signed to Fearless Records in 2017. I’ve seen them a couple times before at Warped Tour, and their latest record Adornment is one of my favorites. Their setlist included six songs: “Atlantic,” “Beautiful Things,” “Slipping Away,” “Mum,” “Palette,” and “Fever Dream.” I only wish their set was longer. Their sound reminds me of a younger Mayday Parade, but with their own twist on it. If you haven’t seen this band live yet, you need to.

(Side note: Grayscale has awesome merch that you probably don’t need but you need.)

Up next was The Dangerous Summer. I’ve heard of this band before, but never really dabbled into their music before. To be quite frank, Taylor and I spent our time chatting and checking out the merch tables during this time. They sounded really good and the audience seemed really engaged, so I think it’d be worth it to check this band out.

Taylor and I were super excited for Our Last Night to come out. They’re a post-hardcore band that’s been around since 2004. We first saw them in 2014, and that was when we fell in love with their music. It’s the perfect blend of post-hardcore and alternative metal. Brothers Trevor and Matt Wentworth co-lead vocals together, switching back and forth with Trevor being the main screaming vocals.

I think this show was my fourth time seeing OLN live, and each time I do, they just keep getting better. They always have fun light shows and smoke effects. It’s impossible to stand still during an OLN set. For this show, they played all three of their new singles — “Bury The Hatchet,” “Demons,” and “The Leap.” These will all appear on their new album, Let Light Overcome, which is set to come out on March 8th, smack dab in the middle of this tour. Seeing these new songs live was so much fun. Their sound keeps evolving, incorporating somewhat EDM sounding music with their classic screaming and heavy guitars. And because it’s OLN, they of course had to play one of their covers, this show being “HUMBLE.” by Kendrick Lamar. If you haven’t heard their cover yet, you should definitely check it out.

And finally, my boys from State Champs took the stage. I think this is either the seventh or eighth time I’ve seen them — I’ve lost count. This tour, the Living Proof Tour, is named after their most recent album that came out in June 2018. They played the entirety of Warped Tour 2018, and then toured throughout the winter months before finally embarking on this tour. You wouldn’t guess that they hardly take breaks because they put so much energy into each and every one of their shows. 9 out of their 22 song setlist came from Living Proof, including my favorite off of that album, “Criminal.” Lead singer Derek Discanio has a perfectly blended voice, one that is sing-song-y and raspy all at the same time.

The boys kept the energy up the entire night, bouncing around the stage and high-fiving crowd surfers. Their light show was really bright, as it was pretty much pointed directly at the audience. While I wish I was down in the pit jamming out, it was probably for the best that I wasn’t — their shows are so high energy that I can’t really keep up anymore. However, if I could’ve snuck down to the first floor to crowd surf, I definitely would have.

All in all, the concert was one of the best I’ve been to in a while. If you can catch this tour, definitely go.

The post Concert Review: State Champs @ House of Blues Chicago 3/1/19 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Fans have been speculating for months about who was going to play the last tour, with guesses ranging from plausible to never-gonna-happen (*cough cough* a My Chemical Romance reunion). Alas, the lineup has been revealed and the consensus is split: some are very ecstatic about the lineup, and some are incredibly disappointed. As for me? I’m definitely excited, but I can see where people were disappointed.

Before I jump into my top ten picks, I want to address the certain marketing tactic that they used to announce the bands. As always, they post a photo with all the bands written on it in alphabetical order, with asterisks by the bands that weren’t playing the whole tour. This year, instead of asterisks, they put those bands in a purple font as opposed to the black font. At first glance, you don’t realize that they aren’t playing the full tour until you see the fine print at the bottom.

A lot of fans were upset about this, mostly because some really big bands are playing, with a lot of them only playing select dates. This sucked, because there are a lot of big names, Warped-esque bands, such as All Time Low, Asking Alexandria, Bowling For Soup, Sum 41, and Taking Back Sunday, that are only playing one or two dates. While they do clarify that they aren’t playing the full tour, one can’t really tell at first glance, which makes the lineup a little bit more disappointing.

But enough of that. I’m still pretty pumped about the bands that are playing the full tour, which all ten of these are.

1.) Movements

I CAN’T CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT TO SEE THIS BAND LIVE AGAIN. I saw them at last years Warped Tour, when they were on a small stage with a small crowd, and this year they have been upgraded to the MAIN STAGE! These guys released a killer album last October, titled “Feel Something,” which skyrocketed their career (hence the spot on the main stage). If you’re into post-hardcore emo, then you definitely need to check out this band.

Favorite song: Vacant Home

2.) The Maine

The Maine also released an amazing album last year, “Lovely Little Lonely.” I’ve only seen them once before, but that was before LLL came out and before I was really that big of a fan. The Maine are a rock band from Arizona, and they’ve played Warped shows in the past. Now that I’m into their music some more, I’m really excited to see them this summer.

Favorite song: How Do You Feel?

3.) State Champs

Tbh, I’ve seen State Champs like 5 or 6 times already. What can I say? They’re one of my all-time favorite bands that also happens to be one of the biggest in the pop-punk scene today. When I first saw them at Warped Tour back in 2014, they were still relatively small. I’m excited to see them again this year, back on the main stage, performing my favorite songs. Talk about coming full circle, huh?

Favorite song: All or Nothing

4.) Knuckle Puck

Knuckle Puck are a band that I’ve fallen deeply in love with over the last few years. They just released their sophomore album, “Shapeshifter,” this past October. It took a little while to grow on me, but I absolutely love it now, so I’m definitely excited to see them play some of their new material live.

Favorite song: Want Me Around

5.) Real Friends

Whenever I think about Real Friends, I think about the first time I saw them at Warped Tour 2014. If you couldn’t tell already, that years Warped Tour was an amazing year that got me into a lot of my current favorite bands. Real Friends are a pop punk band from Chicago, and they always give fun performances no matter where they play, but there’s something a little bit more special about their Warped shows.

Favorite song: Summer

6.) Grayscale

At this time last year, I had no idea who Grayscale was. And now, I. love. them. I discovered them shortly after the release of their 2017 pop-punk album “Adornment,” and now I can’t get enough of them. They’re still relatively small(ish), and I think those are some of the most fun sets to see live at Warped. I haven’t had the chance to see them live yet, and I hear that they’re awesome, so I’m excited.

Favorite song: Beautiful Things

7.) Broadside

Broadside are a pop punk band that I tried to see at Warped 2016, but just barely missed. They also released an album last year, “Paradise.” I haven’t listened to it too much, but from what I’ve heard of it, it’s pretty good. I loved their album “Old Bones,” and their sound overall, so I hope that I get to see them this year.

Favorite Song: Coffee Talk

8.) Simple Plan

You might be thinking, “Simple Plan are still around?” and the answer is yes, yes they are. I actually got to see them live here in Iowa City a couple years ago for the University of Iowa Homecoming (review of that here). While that was a fun, outdoor night show, I want to see them during the Warped atmosphere. They’re definitely one of the more popular Warped Tour veterans, having played the festival 1999-2005, 2011, 2013, and 2015. I’m excited to hear their most popular tunes.

Favorite song: I’m Just A Kid

9.) With Confidence

After some drama went down with the band over the past year, they’ve been kind of silent. But now, they’re ready to play Warped this year, and I’m pretty excited. I saw them as an opening band once, but what I’m really looking forward to is seeing them at Warped.

Favorite song: Voldemort

10.) Mayday Parade

And last but not least, Mayday Parade. I’ve already seen them live a handful of times, two of those being at past Warped Tours, but nonetheless, I’m still excited to see them. Mayday Parade always puts on a great show with their outstanding stage presence. They’re always so excited to be playing live, making the Warped experience that much better.

Favorite song: Just Say You’re Not Into It

So there you have it! Make sure to stay tuned for my review of the festival this summer. In the meantime, check out my review of Warped Tour 2016 here, Warped Tour 2017 here, and also my thoughts on the end of Warped Tour here.

The post Jen’s Top Ten’s: Bands I want to see at Warped Tour 2018 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

It was announced this past week that Warped Tour will be making its last cross-country tour next summer. In 2019, there will be some sort of 25th anniversary thing, and after that, Warped Tour will be dead.

Vans Warped Tour is a summer-long festival that kicks off every year in June and runs through August. Warped Tour focuses on the rock scene and has been touring around the United States every year since 1995. Over one hundred bands hop on the tour each summer, varying from up and coming bands to the leaders of the punk rock scene. The most popular genres played at Warped are pop punk and metalcore, although there are many hardcore, street punk, and even hip hop acts that are thrown in.

Warped Tour was always so special to me because it was a festival like no other — Warped travels across the country, setting everything up and tearing it down every day in a new city. Every day is different: bands play at different times, some bands hop on the tour for a couple dates, etc. And not to mention, it was a rock/punk-rock/pop/metalcore/electronic/hip hop tour. The lineup was always diverse, the general admission tickets were no more than $60, and there was pretty much a guarantee that the tour would travel somewhere near you.

I started going to Warped Tour in 2014, but I remember begging to go since 2012. I was a junior in high school, and my friend and I were finally old enough to go (according to our parents; Warped is an all ages event). I was super excited to see some of my favorite bands, like Mayday Parade, Echosmith, and We The Kings. That day I discovered so many of my favorite bands: State Champs, Real Friends, Neck Deep, The Story So Far, Beartooth.

I knew from that first time at Warped that I had to go back the next year.

My best friend, Ily, and I snagged our tickets early on for the Denver date again. We got to see a handful of great bands again, like Neck Deep, Our Last Night, PVRIS, Beartooth, and Man Overboard. We met one of our favorite band photographers, Adam Elmakias. It was a fun year, despite not knowing as many bands as I did the year before. I discovered so many new bands.

Ily and I went again in 2016, and I think that was probably one of the best days of my life — no joke. You can read my festival review of that here, but long story short I got to see literally all of my favorite bands and meet them as well. Pictured below is me with one of the bands, Real Friends. It was so fun to be able to see so many of my favorites in one day — something that would be impossible had it not been at Warped Tour.

And then of course, 2017. This year, I decided to go twice — once in Denver with Ily, and again in Minnesota with my friend Taylor. I thought for sure that since 2016 was so good that 2017 had a lot to live up to. You can read my entire festival review of 2017 here. Honestly, it didn’t even matter to me that there weren’t as many bands that I knew — I still had a fun time discovering new bands and jamming out to old ones.

I’m pretty bummed about Warped ending, to say the least. But I’m grateful that for the past 4 years, I’ve made some of the best memories of my life. I’ve discovered so many bands, been introduced to the alternative scene, met some of my favorite bands, and seen countless performances.

You can expect to find me at the last Vans Warped Tour next summer, and also expect some Top Ten’s lists about the final Warped.

RIP Warped Tour.

The post RIP Warped Tour: The End of an Era appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Three words to describe the State Champs concert: Holy. Fucking. Shit.

State Champs has been one of my favorite bands since 2014, and this was my fifth time seeing them live so, of course, I knew what to expect. This was my first time seeing them at my favorite Des Moines venue, Wooly’s. With their latest release “Around The World And Back” coming out at the tail end of 2015, their crowd has nearly doubled in size from the last time that I saw them in Iowa City in May 2016. To say the least — they have blown up.

The first opener to come on stage was a British rock band called Don Broco. Right away the energy in the room was at full blast. Every member (besides the drummer, of course) was on their feet jumping up and down. Honestly, it was such a workout — I definitely didn’t regret skipping the gym earlier in the day. While I didn’t know the band prior to this concert, it was really easy to get into their music and dance along with the members, whom all had incredible stage presence.

Up next was an Aussie band called With Confidence. I was bummed that I missed their set at last years Warped Tour, but seeing them at this show definitely made up for it. They opened up with their most famous single “Voldemort”, which was so much fun to see live. The energy in the crowd continued as more people sang along with the band.

My friend Tay and I were in the center of the crowd, aka the worst place to be when people are moshing and crowd surfing. People surfed their way to the front, fist pumping and recording their adventures for their Snapchat friends to see. If you haven’t checked out With Confidence yet, I 100% recommend them.

Against The Current was up next with an amazing performance. I’m not sure why, but the energy in the crowd really died down during their set — it went from fans crowd surfing and jumping from the previous sets to people standing around and bobbing their heads. Nonetheless, they had an incredible and intricate light show, and lead singer Chrissy Costanza ran all over the stage singing her heart out. Her voice sounded phenomenal live, something that I can’t say about every lead singer I’ve seen live. I would definitely check this band out, especially if you enjoy female-fronted pop rock bands.

As soon as the lights went down and the house music turned off, the crowd pushed towards the front, eliminating any personal space that was obtained during the time that it took to set up for State Champs. Fans screamed as the guys of State Champs ran on stage, jumping right into their song “Remedy”. The crowd swayed and everybody pushed into each other as those in the back tried to make their way up front.

The New York band played a good chunk of songs off of “Around The World And Back”, however made it a point to play some more songs off of their album “The Finer Things”, which came out nearly 4 years ago. They cruised through their set list and the crowd never lost an ounce of energy. It even got to the point of crowd surfers surfing ON TOP of other crowd surfers — seriously, check out this picture.

“Let’s get a circle pit going!” lead singer Derek DisCanio cheered.

“Eh, what the hell,” Tay and I thought as we joined the pit. I won’t be the first to tell you that it’s a hell of a time running around and letting loose during a live set. With the adrenaline running through our bodies, we decided to crowd surf our way to the band. A few guys around me flung me into the air, while the crowd pushed me towards the security guards that helped me down. To be honest, I’ve always hated when people crowd surfed (because I’m a small and fairly weak girl, so I end up nearly getting squashed by them) but now I can definitely see the thrill of it.

State Champs ended their set with two of their most popular songs, “Elevated” and “Secrets”, with “Secrets” being the encore. This was definitely my favorite State Champs performance, which says a lot about how talented this band is. They just keep getting better with time, which is exciting because once this tour is over, they will be hitting the studio again to start recording their 3rd studio album.

Check out my last State Champs review here.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr where I upload concert pictures and you can be up-to-date on where I’ll be next.

The post Concert Review: State Champs @ Wooly’s 4/11/17 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

1.) Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy

If you keep up with my articles, then you know that Fall Out Boy are one of my favorite bands. One of their greatest strengths is lead singer Patrick Stump’s voice. Patrick has a wide vocal range, with some songs (such as “Headfirst Slide”) he features the lower side of his voice. Fall Out Boy’s two latest releases, Save Rock And Roll and American Beauty / American Psycho feature more of his higher vocal range (especially songs like “My Songs”).

You can definitely see the maturity in Patrick’s voice as you listen over each discography, with their earlier sound being more aggressive and Patrick’s words blending together. Not to mention, Patrick sounds phenomenal live.

Songs I recommend: Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet and My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark

2.) Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco

Brendon Urie, the last original member of Panic! At The Disco, is undeniably talented. His voice is very clean cut, which has been reflected throughout all of Panic!’s discography. Like Patrick Stump, Brendon has a wide vocal range. However, I would venture to say that his is even wider. I mean, just check out their cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.

Since Brendon pretty much had free reign over the last record since he was the sole member, his work really shines through and I think that Death Of A Bachelor is one of his best records vocally.

Songs I recommend: Death of a Bachelor and This Is Gospel

3.) Trevor and Matt Wentworth of Our Last Night

Since they’re brothers and in the same band, I’m going to count them as one. In fact, I think that because they are brothers and have similar voices, they really complement each other in their work. Matt sings all of the clean vocals, while Trevor switches between clean and screaming. This works really well with their heavy post-hardcore sound. Trevor’s vocal range leans on the lower side while Matt’s is on the higher side, which really balances this band out to make for a pleasant listen.

Songs I recommend: Sunrise and White Tiger

4.) Parker Cannon of The Story So Far

Parker Cannon’s voice is the cherry on top of this band. Their aggressive sound features heavy guitar, banging drums, and none other than Parker’s yelling vocals. I would say that Parker’s voice sets them apart in the pop-punk scene since they lie more on the aggressive side of the pop-punk spectrum. Parker’s voice has the ability to make you feel angry and pumped up, even if you don’t directly relate to the lyrics.

His softer voice is showcased through songs on their short EP “Songs Of”, where there isn’t any yelling vocals present. It’s almost as if the soft Parker is a hidden gem in the world of pop-punk.

Songs I recommend: All Wrong and Clairvoyant

5.) Derek Discanio of State Champs

State Champs are arguably one of the best bands in the pop-punk scene today. What I love most about Discanio’s voice is that it’s soft enough, but it also has an edge to it. It’s clean cut with some raspy yelling thrown in there to give it some edge.

Songs I recommend: Secrets and Elevated

6.) Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots

Twenty One Pilots are a band that have blown up in the past couple of years, and rightfully so. Tyler shows off his talent by singing in many different genres, such as rap, hip-hop, indie pop, and rock while most musicians stay in their preferred lane. His voice is whiney, but not in a cringe-y way.

Songs I recommend: House of Gold and Doubt

7.) Lynn Gunn of PVRIS

Lynn Gunn (short for Lynndsay Gunnulfsen) is hands-down my favorite female vocalist that’s out there today. She’s able to hit some deep, forceful tones as well as keeping things soft and simple. I think she has a really powerful voice that is euphoric just to listen to, especially the “stripped” versions of their songs that feature just Lynn’s vocals.

Songs I recommend: You and I and Smoke

8.) Eddy Brewerton of Moose Blood

Eddy Brewerton’s voice is hard to describe, so I will try my best. It’s very unique, to say the least. There’s definitely a roughness to it that’s more present on their album I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time. Another thing I enjoy about Eddy’s voice is how uplifting it sounds. Maybe that’s just because it’s paired with the upbeat music, but when you really listen to the lyrics you can actually feel your heart being ripped out. This would definitely not be the case if there was a lead vocalist other than Eddy.

Songs I recommend: Pastel and Gum 

9.) Joe Taylor of Knuckle Puck

When talking about modern pop-punk bands, a lot of people talk about Knuckle Puck. What makes KP so great? Vocalist Joe Taylor is one of the many reasons. In their early stuff, his voice can be comparable to Parker Cannon-like yelling, with cleaner vocals coming on their first full length Copacetic.

Songs I recommend: No Good and Untitled

10.) Derek Sanders of Mayday Parade

First off, can I just say that Derek Sanders is one of the nicest guys ever? I had the pleasure of meeting him in 2014 and he was the sweetest. Likewise, his voice sounds sweet to the ears. It hovers on the lower end of his vocal range, which sounds good paired with their pop-punk style and also their slower songs. If you really want to dive deep into the feels, check out “Terrible Things”.

Songs I recommend: Kids In Love and You’re Dead Wrong

Check out my playlist featuring these vocalists below!

The post Jen’s Top Ten’s: My Favorite Vocalists of All Time appeared first on KRUI Radio.

This collection of songs features songs that are exclusively acoustic, simply because there were way too many good acoustic versions of songs to narrow it down to just ten (those songs will serve as honorable mentions in my Spotify playlist linked below!). So without further ado, here are my top ten picks for best acoustic songs.

1.) Love Your Friends, Die Laughing by Man Overboard

This song has nostalgia written all over it. It has that perfect “campfire song” vibe to it, which makes it such an enjoyable and uplifting song. The lyrics talk about being in the moment.

“I left my heart with my phone in my center console / I left my feelings with my wallet and my keys.”

2.) Cherry by Moose Blood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGqRIdWfdE8

While “Cherry” uses an electric guitar as opposed to an acoustic, it still has a soft, acoustic feel to it. This is one of Moose Blood’s slowest, remorseful sounding tunes. The song is about lead singer Eddy Brewerton wrote this song about his wife and step-daughter, with the lyrics discussing his love of being a father and coping with the fact that he isn’t her real father.

“She’s not mine and she never will be / I’m reminded every day / She’s not mine and it fucking kills me / She won’t look at me that way.”

3.) I Don’t Mind by Defeater

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1IdKeZU8hs

This classic love song is beautiful next to the lone acoustic guitar. It’s the perfect love song as the lyrics reminisce on their time together. It’s sappy and uplifting all at the same time.

“And I don’t mind / If we take our time / No, I don’t mind.”

4.) Timmy Bowers by Modern Baseball

This one is pretty much guaranteed to bring the waterworks. While the song itself hovers around two minutes and the lyrics pretty much repeat the same phrase, the lead singer’s haunting voice mixed with the melancholy melody brings up emotions that I never knew lived inside me.

“Wait a minute / cause I’ve been living more like a piece of shit without you / and I’ve been spending all your past killings / trying to drink my way out of this groove.”

5.) Clairvoyant by The Story So Far

This gut-wrenching tune is a surprising release from a heavily aggressive pop punk band in the scene today. Parker Cannon’s usually outside-voice is lowered and showcases not only his hidden voice but also their lyrical talent. The song discusses the downfall of a relationship, a topic that hits home for a lot of heartbroken lovers.

“Don’t paint me black / when I used to be golden.”

6.) Leave You In The Dark by State Champs

I can’t imagine what this song would be like if it had been crafted to be plugged in and amplified. State Champs are excellent at sending messages in their fast paced pop punk, however this slow jam fits perfectly with the mellow lyrics. The lyrics follow a couple that aims to be different despite their struggles.

“And I know I don’t say it / but I love you too / and it’s starting to make sense.”

7.) Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day

Of course I had to include this classic off of Green Day’s 1997 album “Nimrod”. As an adolescent, this song really resonated with me as I’m sure it has with almost everybody else that’s heard this classic tune. It’s nostalgic, heart-wrenching, and bittersweet all at the same time.

“It’s something unpredictable / but in the end is right / I hope you had the time of your life.”

8.) If It Means A Lot to You by A Day To Remember

Emotions run rampant through this slower melody from post-hardcore band A Day To Remember. The lyrics follow a couple that is separated because of the man going on tour with the band. Guest vocalist Sierra Kay stars as the female voice in the second verse and throughout the third as the two vocalists sing back and forth with each other. While it’s unsure how things turn out, we’re rooting for the couple to last.

“If you can wait till I get home / then I swear to you that we can make this last.”

9.) You by The Pretty Reckless

Any Gossip Girl fans here? Yup, that’s Little J from the CW’s hit show. This slow track is accompanied by soft drumming and violins in the background. Paired with Taylor Momsen’s delightfully soft voice, a somber feeling rises from the lyrics as she sings about loving a person that doesn’t love her back.

“You don’t want me, no / You don’t need me / Like I want you, oh / Like I need you.”

10.) Riding In Your Car by Mat Kerekes

Mat Kerekes, the lead singer of the band Citizen, released this solo album “Luna and the Wild Blue Everything” in 2016 and it is SO. UNDERRATED. While all of these songs on this album are acoustic, this one sticks out to me the most. Mat sings about riding in somebody’s car as they listen to their favorite music, which coincides with his favorite songs as well. He doesn’t want the day to end, and all he wants is to ride around with this person and listen to their favorite songs.

“I’m riding in your car / and it seems that your radio plays all of my favorite songs today / and I wish you would sing along.”

To listen to my playlist along with the honorable mentions, check out my Spotify playlist below!

The post Jen’s Top Tens: My Favorite Acoustic Songs of All Time appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Growing up, I’ve always heard the phrase (and I’m sure you have too), “Don’t judge a book based on its cover!”. Let’s be honest… I definitely do that. Not only with books, but also with music. So in this article, I’m gonna be talking about some of my favorite album artwork, and of course I’ll say a few things about the album as well.

1.) Believers Never Die by Fall Out Boy

This greatest hits album from FOB is one of my favorite album covers. As you can see, it features two skeletons that appear to be hugging each other. There’s various things around the room, including musical instruments, clothing, and books. Paired with the title, “Believer’s Never Die”, this album offers a solemn vibe. The concept of this art is really cool, because clearly the skeletons represent the absence of life, and the title leads us to believe that the music follows us beyond just living. (Kind of a big concept to wrap your head around, I know. Just my interpretation!)

Favorite track: “I’m Like A Lawyer With The Way I’m Always Trying To Get You Off (Me and You)”

2.) Put Yourself Back Together by Real Friends

Real Friends is a Chicago-based pop punk band that has really been growing in the past couple of years. This EP, released in 2013, is kind of a concept album, in a way. Almost every song on this record mentions being broken, specifically broken hearted. This album art really backs up this album concept brilliantly. As you can see, there’s nothing in order in the picture. The phone is destroyed, the shoes look worn out, a glass lamp appears to be shattered. This album really deals with feeling lonely, broken, abandoned, which is perfectly illustrated by the album art.

Favorite track: “I’ve Given Up On You”

3.) Youth by Citizen

This indie-rock/emo album features a heavy and sometimes overwhelmingly somber tone, the lyrics dealing with isolation, angst, and self-doubt. A lot of people in their adolescence deal with emotions similar to this, which is why I think this album is titled “Youth”. The roses, which provide a small range of pinks and reds with the occasional yellow, might possibly represent the entire concept of youth. When roses, die, they shrivel up. In the same token, this could apply to adolescents. They’re budding roses, but paired with the deep concepts of this album, they can quickly shrivel up when exposed to these real life emotions. I think it’s a beautifully simple album cover.

Favorite track: “The Summer”

4.) White Noise by Pvris

A repeated theme throughout this album is a love-hate relationship, as well as supernatural spirits.

This album cover is a little bit more difficult to interpret. The black background could represent darkness. White noise is defined as “noise containing many frequencies with equal intensities”, so I think that the concept of looking in this mirror shows that there is many different “frequencies” and intensities within yourself, within a relationship, within spirits, or whatever else you interpret it to be.

Favorite track: “Smoke”

5.) Stories For Monday by The Summer Set

“Stories For Monday” is a collection of songs that are just that: post-party anthems that you can’t wait to tell your friends about when you get back to school or work on Monday.

The artwork features a single photo of a party, with the only people looking at the camera being the band members. The photo displays everything about your typical party — drinking, people mingling, a crowded room, and that one guy who’s always wearing something USA themed. A lot of the themes in this album deal with living in the now and not giving up. Typically, people at parties tend to let loose and live in the moment. The album and the artwork go together perfectly.

Favorite track: “All Downhill From Here”

6.) The Finer Things by State Champs

State Champs is a five man band that’s made their way up to the top of the pop punk scene. With two EP’s under their belt, they produced this kick-ass record driven by guitars and lead singer Derek Discanio’s incredible voice. This album demands to be played during the summer with all of the windows rolled down. The cover of this album reflects it: the warm color scheme, the person skateboarding down the road, the brightness of the photo. It’s a warm and welcoming cover that previews an amazing pop punk album.

Favorite track: “Nothing’s Wrong”

7.) The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me by Brand New

This album art never fails to give me the chills for obvious reasons. The music on this record itself is chilling, with death and illness being the main themes. What intrigues me the most is that there can be many different interpretations of this photograph. The chips in the house’s paint could take on a homey-vibe, or a feeling of abandonment. The berries could be food or poison. The masks are scary, but one of them is also wearing slippers. Overall, it’s an amazing album with intriguing artwork that opens the mind for exploration.

Favorite track: “Jesus Christ”

8.) Younger Dreams by Our Last Night

“Take me back to younger dreams / when times were easier and we believed” are the lyrics belted back on the title track of this album.

As seen in the picture, a young boy is holding a toy plane and is wearing a mask over his head. A theme in this album reminisces about the dreams and aspirations they had when they were younger. This photo is simple yet powerful paired with the music.

Favorite track: “White Tiger”

9.) You’re Gonna Miss It All by Modern Baseball

What captures me most about this is how simple this cover is. The white space around surrounding the photo leads our eye to the center of attention: the grayed out photo of a little girl walking away from a boy. The title of the album acts as a caption, and the music tells the story.

Favorite track: “Your Graduation”

10.) I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time by Moose Blood

Best for last! This is probably my favorite album cover of all time. I’ll be honest, the band’s name “Moose Blood” didn’t really appeal to me all that well. But when I saw this album artwork, I knew that I had to give it a listen.

What I love most about it is how candid it is. It’s a real photo of a woman sitting by a campfire poking at the fire. The dark colors mixed with the bright fire are very aesthetically pleasing. Of course, it’s a great listen, but I think my favorite part about it is the album cover.

Favorite track: “Cherry”

The post Jen’s Top Ten’s: Favorite Album Artwork appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Ahh, summertime. Nothing feels more like summer to me than an ice cold lemonade, humid nights, and of course, Vans Warped Tour.

Vans Warped Tour is a summer-long festival that kicks off every year in June and runs through August. Warped Tour focuses on the rock scene and has been touring around the United States every year since 1995. Over one hundred bands hop on the tour each summer, varying from up and coming bands to the leaders of the punk rock scene. The most popular genres played at Warped are pop punk and metalcore, although there are many hardcore, street punk, and even hip hop acts that are thrown in.

July 31st, 2016 marks my third time attending the Vans Warped Tour in Denver, Colorado. If you’ve never been to Warped Tour before, let me give you the low down. The tour arrives at your city the morning of and sets up stages, tents, porta-potties, etc. The line-up is different every day; bands normally don’t have a set time that they play every day. The schedule is not set in stone until the morning of. If you’re like me and you love to have things planned out, then Warped is going to stress you out. In previous years, I’ve missed seeing some bands live because there was another band playing at the same time. It’s always a shame, but it happens.

My best friend Ily and I arrived at the venue around 9 am (TIP: it’s always best to get there a couple hours early so you can get in line and just in case your favorite band is first to play). If you bring in three non-perishable food cans, then you get to skip the line and enter the venue before the normal general admission line (do this. Trust me. Just do it.) We finally got into the venue around 10:45, where we rushed over to the Full Sail tent to grab some wristbands to get into a meet and greet with one of our favorite bands, Real Friends. After finding the big inflatable schedule, we bought a $2 flyer with all of the set times on them (TIP: buy the flyer. It’s a lot easier than taking a crappy picture and not being able to see the set times).

Luckily, none of our bands overlapped, much to our liking considering the line-up this year was stacked with my favorite bands. The day for us started at 12:20 where we got to see State Champs at the main stage. I reviewed a State Champs concert before which you can read about here, and this time had the same vibes. This was my fourth time seeing State Champs live, and each time they just get better and better. Fans went crazy for this popular band, with many surfing through the crowd just to get close to the quintet. Starting with the song “Shape Up“, they powered through their set list, finishing up with their first single “Secrets” from their latest album Around The World And Back.

After State Champs performed, I was already exhausted from feebly lifting fans off of me and sending them forward. Ily and I sat on a grassy patch that sat near the Full Sail stage, where we got to hear Broadside, an up-and-coming pop punk band from Richmond, Virginia.

Around 1:15, we headed over to the Full Sail tent to wait in line for our Real Friends meet and greet. While waiting in line, we got to hear one of my favorite bands from middle school, 3OH!3. The duo, originating in Boulder, Colorado, played many iconic songs from their debut album Want and their most recent album Night Sports. Even though I haven’t listened to Want since middle school, I still knew all the words to the classics “Starstrukk“, “Don’t Trust Me“, “Chokechain“, and “Punkbitch.” It was a blast to listen to and middle school Jen was pretty thrilled.

We also got to briefly hear part of We The Kings’ set before heading off to meet Real Friends. Meeting Real Friends was one of the highlights of my day, considering they quickly became one of my favorite bands after seeing them at Warped Tour in 2014. The guys were all so nice, even though we briefly chatted. Earlier in the day, we got to talk to bassist Kyle Fasel at their merch tent more in depth. Check out my review of their last album here.

Ily and I rushed to the main stage to catch another one of our favorite pop punk bands, The Story So Far. The Story So Far leans more on the harder and angsty side of pop punk, making their sound unique and relatable. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as we jumped and yelled the lyrics back at the band. Their set list included “All Wrong“, “The Glass“, “Nerve“, “Quicksand“, “Empty Space“, “Heavy Gloom“, “Things I Can’t Change“, and “Roam.”

It was around 3:00 pm when Ily and I sat down to eat again. After munching on light snacks (TIP: bring a lot of snacks because the food at Warped is expensive and the lines are long) we headed back to the main stage to catch Issues, a metalcore band from Atlanta, power through their set with hardcore energy that pumped fans up. They played a couple songs off their latest release Headspace, as well as some older fan favorites such as “Mad At Myself”.

Once Issues wrapped up, we headed towards Knuckle Puck’s tent to meet the band. Each member was so friendly, shaking my hand and introducing themselves. I briefly mentioned seeing them in Iowa City last October, which one replied saying that Gabe’s was one of their favorite venues. After taking a quick selfie, we headed over to sit under a tent. On our way there, we spotted lead singer Derek DisCanio of State Champs at their tent, so we popped over to get our t-shirts signed. This was my third time meeting Derek and he was just as humble as he was the first time we met at Warped Tour 2014.

Ily and I filled up our water bottles and munched on some goldfish before we jumped in the crowd to jam out to the latter half of Sleeping With Siren’s set. The crowd was packed as fans watched from all across the parking lot. The girly screams of the crowd reflected Kellin Quinn’s uniquely high pitched voice perfectly as they belted all of the lyrics back. Their set was a nice mash-up of old and new songs, which was pleasing to fans no matter what Sleeping With Sirens era they liked most.

After Sleeping With Sirens, we pushed our way to the front of the crowd so that we could be close for when Real Friends played. One stage over, we were able to hear Sum 41, an iconic 2000’s pop punk band. Towards the end of their set, they played their cult classics “In Too Deep”, “Still Waiting”, and “Fat Lip” which got almost the entire arena parking lot to chime in.

Real Friends took the stage, opening up with the fan-favorite “Late Nights in My Car” which got the crowd energized right off the bat. Old songs faded into new songs, highlighting the slight change in style but still reminiscent of their previous EP’s. Bassist Kyle Fasel occasionally jumped on the riser, shouting lyrics and waving his hands up and down, getting the crowd to jump along with him. Real Friends finished up with “Loose Ends”, a single from their first full-length album Maybe This Place is the Same, and We’re Just Changing.

Ily and I then pushed our way out of the crowd to run to the other side of the venue to catch Knuckle Puck at the Poseidon stage. We got there right in time as they were opening with “Disdain” off of their latest record Copacetic. I was surprised at how much smaller the crowd felt, considering they’re a huge up-and-coming band that’s gained a lot of popularity since they were on last years’ Warped Tour. Lead singer Joe Taylor jumped around the stage passionately, occasionally screaming lyrics and holding the microphone out to the crowd. They played some of my favorite songs, such as “Untitled“, “No Good“, and “Pretense“. There was not a still person in the crowd during their set, making it one of my favorites of the day.

As Knuckle Puck packed their stuff up, a band called Waterparks opened up their set at the Cyclops stage, where a small group of fans gathered around to jam out. Ily and I were able to sit comfortably a little ways back and watch the band. They made for an enjoyable listen while we passed time. Once they wrapped up, we turned our heads back to the Poseidon stage where Roam, a British pop punk band, played catchy songs to a slightly larger audience.

Ily and I then headed back over towards the main stages and sat again, this time listening to Arizona locals The Summer Set. They played a few songs I knew, my favorites being “Boomerang” and “Lightning in a Bottle”.

We decided to go stand in the crowd for the long wait to see Mayday Parade. Four Year Strong was playing, a band described as pop punk/melodic hardcore. Fans formed what is called a “wall of death”, or extreme moshing. While we were safe on the side, it was fun to watch fans get passionate about the music and run about the pit.

While waiting in the crowd for Mayday, one stage over New Found Glory, formed in 1997, made for an enjoyable listen. They ended with their classic “My Friends Over You”, which got everybody in the parking lot to hum and sing along.

Finally, the moment we were all waiting for. Mayday Parade closed out Warped Tour by opening with fan-favorite “Jersey”.

The crowd went crazy for the band with nobody being able to push their way to the front. That left them with one option: crowd surfing. While I’m all for crowd surfing, it gets tiring after a while. Fans began surfing from three different spots in the back, all leading to the center of the stage with 4 or 5 people surfing at a time, all snapchatting their adventure. It got to be overwhelming, and we found ourselves looking back in fear that our necks were going to be snapped rather than looking forward and enjoying the band that we had waited all day to see. At the end of the day though, we weren’t gonna let a few crowd surfers ruin our day.

While many of us have been at the venue going on 11 hours, the energy was just as copious as it was when the day started. Fans jammed out to crowd-favorite songs, making it an enjoyable listen for any casual Mayday fan. Mayday ended with another fan favorite “Jamie All Over”. Once the guitars faded out, the crowd chanted for an encore. Ily and I decided we were pooped and that the only thing we wanted was a hot shower and our beds.

To say the least, Warped Tour 2016 was by far the best Warped experience I’ve had thus far. I highly recommend making the drive out of Iowa to experience Warped, as this is a day that I surely will never forget!

The post Festival Review: Vans Warped Tour 2016 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Iowa City’s very own Starry Nights came on stage, a pop punk “witchy” “queercore” band (as described by their Facebook page.) Lead singer Kate Kane leaned in the microphone and let out a whiny “Hiiiii,” before jumping right into their first song. Their fast riffs and powerful drums were held up by Kate’s strong and wailing voice. They powered through their short setlist, stopping only to take sips of water and a mumbled “Thankssssss, you guyssssss.” They were clad in dark t-shirts and tattoos. (As you would expect from any pop punk band). They drew in a smaller crowd, but nonetheless they got the crowd prepped for the next acts.

Up next was a pop punk band from Cedar Rapids, Iowa (shout out to my hometown) called Know The Ropes. Aside from some relatively familiar faces on stage, lead singer Ryan Ask kind of reminded me of Parker Cannon, lead singer of largely-known pop punk band The Story So Far, not only in his husky scream-filled voice but also in his stage presence (besides the whole Parker drop kicking fans off stage part). Ryan would start the song with his back shyly facing the audience and his head hung, before the music engulfed him and they all head-banged and danced around the stage. It was really fun to watch them live, even not having known any of their songs before.

From Des Moines, Iowa, the next band up was Words Like Daggers. Their alternative sound brought a different vibe to the venue, the crowd enjoying the change in pace. The lead singers unique and silvery voice was backed by fast paced guitars and vigorous drumming, pumping the larger crowd up. They played a lot of songs off of their latest release, Perfect Weather. While I do enjoy alternative music, I found myself eager for Words Like Daggers to finish up and for State Champs to take the stage.

The wait for State Champs wasn’t painful, but actually memorable. Gabe’s, like most venues, plays songs between acts. However, this night the music was especially great. They played the latest Pierce The Veil track, a popular tune from Neck Deep‘s latest album, a PVRIS song, and most memorably, Sum 41‘s infamous “In Too Deep” from 2001.

The crowd jammed out to the nostalgic song as crew members set up the stage. It was a nice moment during the show that brought on a sense of unity throughout the crowd, and reminded me of why I fell in love with pop punk in the first place.

Finally, the moment we were all waiting for. State Champs, a pop punk band from Albany, New York, took the stage and opened with “Secrets” off of their latest album Around The World And Back. Girly screams shook the room and the tiny space between you and the person in front of you was suddenly closed as fans pushed their way to get closer to the band.

“We didn’t want to miss Iowa City!” said frontman Derek Discanio. State Champs took an off-day from their tour with A Day To Remember to perform at Gabe’s in Iowa City, a city they haven’t been in since October 2014 (click here for some footage of that concert).

Derek’s vocal chords range from low and throaty to high and ringing, making their pop punk sound a unique one in the scene. The crowd was definitely not still, with a mosh pit in the middle of the venue that was encouraged by the band members themselves. While my friend and I mainly stayed to the right and jumped up and down with the crowd, punk kids let themselves go in the mosh pit and ran rampant.

A lot of people also opted for crowd surfing, even though most of the people towards the front were us girls with chicken arms and wobbly legs. Nonetheless, it’s fun to watch people hold up the sweaty bodies of kids who just want to get close to the stage.

The songs they played came equally between their two most recent records, some songs being:

“Breaking Ground,” “Remedy,” “Secrets,” “Simple Existence,” “All You Are Is History,” “Easy Enough,” “Hard To Please,” “Losing Myself,” “Elevated,” “Critical,” “Perfect Score,” and “All or Nothing.”

Check out State Champ’s latest record Around The World And Back below!

Feel free to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr where I upload concert pictures and you can be up-to-date on where I’ll be next.

The post Concert Review: State Champs appeared first on KRUI Radio.

I sat around the bar area in the upstairs of Gabe’s, enjoying the light show and upbeat music playing. The music stopped and a tall man jumped on the stage and stood behind the mic, keyboard, and laptop. “What’s happenin’?” He spoke into the mic, which echoed throughout as he started playing some techno beats on his keyboard.

The tall man in the blue striped shirt and Matthew Gray Gubler haircut went by the name Cubicle. He bobbed his head up and down to the rhythm as the bass shook the entire room. The stage was foggy as the blue, purple, and pink lights shone through. His EDM type music flowed through the veins of the crowd, causing them to sway their hips and nod their heads. Most of the crowd was sitting to the sides, but some ventured over to the front, where Cubicle would look up and smile.

After his futuristic sounding set, up next was a band from Fairfield, Iowa called Utopia Park. Right off the bat, their music was very upbeat dance music mixed with some angsty pop punk influences. Utopia Park consisted of two guys: one was one vocalistswith round glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose, and a guitarist/vocalist who sported tattoos down his arms and wore gym shorts.

Their songs were catchy, but the sound was very scratchy and immature with a few prepubescent screams thrown in here and there. They had some silly lyrics, such as “See ya later, alligator, I ain’t never comin’ back!” Nonetheless, it was enjoyable to listen to and watch people gather around the stage to rock out with these guys.

“Be evil; don’t let anyone else’s morality get in the way of who you are.” The guitarist said before they launched into a song about pro-life and sexuality.

The guitarist then jumped into the general admission area and ran around the area like it was track and field day. He definitely resembled a kid who had had too much sugar.

Once Utopia Park was finished and took down their set, the lights dimmed down except for the twinkling lights that hang from the ceiling of Gabe’s (personally my favorite decoration out of the sticker-covered building). The house music faded, and a Siri like voice filled the room: “Hello Iowa City. Welcome to Yacht.”

The bright lights suddenly flashed around the room, their red, pink, blue, purple, and orange colors fading into each other. The lead singer of Yacht stepped out, a woman that looked like a mix of Kristen Wiig and P!NK. Techno music filled the room as the lead singer, Claire Evans, sang with a strong voice along with the beat. By now, they were drawing a larger crowd. Before, people were sporadically standing around, and now they all gathered towards the front of the stage. Claire wrapped the mic cord around her wrists.

Good vibes flowed through the rooms just as they did through the starry lights on the ceiling. Claire Evans danced all around the stage as if no one was watching her. Her exuberant stage presence made the crowd feel comfortable as they danced all around the GA area.

“That song was about death, this song is about sex.” She said before she launched into their song called “I Wanna Fuck You While I’m Dead.” The crowd definitely got a kick out of this one.

The light show and bass from their techno/EDM music made my fatigued body perk up. Claire Evans talked to the crowd a lot between songs, mostly saying things like “Y’all are great,” and “Thanks for coming out guys!”.

As it neared midnight, the music dwindled down and the crowd started to disperse. If you missed this show, you missed one hell of a concert.

The post Mission Creek: Yacht @ Gabe’s 4/7/16 appeared first on KRUI Radio.