Category Archives: music

artists, cast members, lifestyle, music, social networking

The Warped Tour 2013 by Alex Goldstein

Leave a comment

This past Saturday on July 27, 2013 at the South Florida Fairgrounds, A music festival called “ Vans Warped Tour” was held. This concert, which comes to South Florida every July, is the biggest music festival in the area next to the infamous “Ultra Music Festival.” Although the weather at one point seemed almost as if a category five hurricane struck, it would not stop these die-hard music fans from enjoying the music at this once a year event.

The many different genres of music attracted fans of all music types stemming from Rock to Dubstep to Rap. The concert lasted from 11Am-11Pm and most of these fans were there for all 12 hours. There were over 80 bands and musicians on 9 different stages including the main stage…the famous and renown Cruzan Amphitheater which holds 19,000 people alone.

Many of these music fans have waited all year for this day and surely got their share of fun as many were lined up to get autographs and take pictures with the musicians from each band. As opposed to all the other concerts I’ve been to, at this one I witnessed the most “ fan-friendly” musicians, and most of them went “crowd-surfing” and offered to take pictures with the fans as well. Since their are nine different stages, no person is strictly held to one band as they have a large variety of music to listen to. If they are not intrigued by one bands music they can simply walk to the next stage and see if they like that band a little more.

Many of the bands promoted the use of a “ mosh- pit” which is a style of dance where music fans push and slam into each other purposely. Many of the fans seemed to have the time of their lives as they were going wild in the middle of the mosh- pit. The peak of the night seemed to be “Crizzly” who was the last artist to play at the festival. Crizzly is a dubstep D.J from San Antonio Texas and is known for making dubstep remixes to the top songs out on the radio. Crizzly sure knows how to make any normal song a crazy party song. In conclusion, The Vans Warped Tour is the perfect music festival for music enthusiasts of all different genres.

artists, cast members, music, youth media

The Warped Tour West Palm Beach

Leave a comment

by Ben Pawliger

warped2013

The Vans Warped Tour, an 18 year old concert tour of varying types of music, came to Sunny South Florida on July 27th at the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach. Thousands of music fans came out to see their favorite bands, with music from Punk Rock to Hip-Hop, and even some Electronic Dance music. Nearly 80 bands and musicians came to play for their South Florida fans, on 9 different stages, including the Cruzan Amphitheater. Although a few showers came and went, including one which required all fans to seek cover under the Amphitheater with pelting hail and constant lightning, the Warped Tour fans stayed loyal to their quest to hear their favorite music and stuck it through.

What’s unique about the Warped Tour is how, instead of only the fans having a deep love for their favorite artists, the artists show the love back. Many Warped Tour artists, before or after they perform, go out and walk around, talking to their fans, taking pictures, and even signing autographs. Also, because the Warped Tour has such a variety of music, it attracts people of all interests. It is one of the few places where you can have a stage of a Punk Rock band playing with just a few feet away from there is a Hip-Hop artists performing as well, which is why the Warped Tour is so popular among music fans. Rarely can you ever see Punk Rock fans with gauges and nose rings walk alongside rap fans with their shorts hanging low and tattoos on their face, both content with the music that is playing. Whatever you are in to, whether its “moshing” to Hard Rock, or “Fist-raising” to Rap, the Warped Tour has music for everyone.

Along with the music however, the Warped Tour is also infamous for being home to a portable shopping mall. In between the 9 stages, you can find dozens upon dozens of stands selling T-shirts, posters, and of course, the much needed bottled water to deal with the July heat. Overall, from the loud and energy-fueling music, to the bipolar South Florida weather, the Vans Warped Tour is the ultimate music festival for South Florida music fanatics.

artists, cast members, music, youth media

Maroon 5 Review

Leave a comment

by Kelsey Jansermaroon 5

“…But tonight I’m gonna hold you so close.” Yes please, Adam Levine! The Grammy winning band, Maroon 5, started their North American tour with special guests Neon Trees and Owl City in mid February and continued throughout the spring. They visited the BB&T center March 29, and blew the crowd away.

The concert’s events opened with Owl City, an electronica band run by singer/song writer Adam Young. The Minnesota native started in 2007 and eventually signed with a record label in 2008. His playlist of the night included his most popular songs, “Fireflies” and “Good Time.” He was lively and enthusiastic throughout the performance and reinforced how sincerely grateful he was to perform for the audience that night. After he finished his thirty minute set, the curtains closed and did not re-open for another half an hour.

When the curtains finally parted ways however, Neon Trees took the stage by storm. This alternative rock band from Utah first caught the general public with the playing of their single “Animal” on the radio. The single is part of their album, Habits, which was released in 2010. They performed hits from Habits as well as their new album, Picture Show, released in 2012. The February 2012 hit single “Everybody Talks” can still be heard on the radio. The band has been together since 2005 and clearly work well with each other. Lead singer Tyler Glenn is filled with passion and was born to perform. Their thirty minute set was exciting and had a majority of the audience singing along to the catchy music.

Despite the incredible performances by the preceding bands, the crowd was waiting and ready for the main act: Maroon 5. When the curtains closed on Neon Trees, they seemed to remain closed for an eternity. Just when everyone wondered if Maroon 5 was even going to show up, the lights went out and everyone began to scream. Sound effects of coins being dropped into a machine and then a phone ringing got the crowd even more impatient: Maroon 5 would be opening their set with the song “Pay Phone.” Maroon 5 is an extremely well-known pop/rock band from California. Their most recent album release, Overexposed, contains several songs that are playing on the radio.

The band, however, played popular songs from all their albums, including a beautiful acoustic version of “She Will Be Loved.” The crowd was almost louder than Adam; EVERYONE was singing. All three bands were fantastic and made the night one to remember.

music

Great American No Bull Challenge

Leave a comment

Great American NO BULL Challenge
Deadline: April 30
The Great American NO BULL Challenge is the first, student-led National video contest and Teen Video Awards show dedicated to bullying prevention and promoting empathy, respect, and inclusive communities using the power of music and the magic of filmmaking. To enter, middle and high school students between the ages of 13 – 18 need to create a 2-5 minute video or 30-60 second PSA with a digital responsibility or a bullying prevention theme. As a result of the public voting period beginning May 6, the top 50 favorite videos by a panel of expert judges. All 50 nominees will receive a golden ticket to attend the star-studded NO BULL Teen Video Awards show. http://bit.ly/YuZrdj

artists, music, youth media

Anoop Desai Interview by Laura Saker

Leave a comment

Anoop_Desai

Anoop Desai was a Top Ten finalist during Season 8 of American Idol. After graduating from UNC, where he participated in the school’s a cappella group, he and his friends auditioned for Idol. Anoop (or nicknamed ‘Noop Dog’) gained popularity on the show and finished in 6th place. When the show was over, he felt awkward coming back home, but knew that his musical career was not over yet.

Since Anoop did not remember much of American Idol, he seemed very focused and passionate about his new album, 3 Cheers, coming out. Anoop appeared to be very excited and proud about this album. After a lot of ups and downs he realized he needed to be true to himself and make music that he loved. The hit song on this album is “Love War”. When he performed this song, “girls would jump on stage and start dancing” and he describes the environment like there was “a change in brain chemistry when the song came on”. Desai also got involved in songwriting and has songs in the pipeline at major labels. Overall, Anoop Desai has become very successful and was able to make a name out of himself after leaving the bubble of American Idol.

Anoop stays very active on social media and uploads covers of songs on his
YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/AnoopDesaiMusic . To keep up with Anoop follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/anoopdoggdesai Instagram: http://instagram.com/anoopdesai/#
And be sure to check out his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/IAmAnoopDesai?ref=ts