The Wedding!

Alright, It's May 26, I missed a day (shame on me) and I'm in Branson, MO with my friend, Ben. We've been listening to whatever shuffled on my iPod and it just so happened that a song came on that'll always make you homesick: Diamond of the South. So I've decided that it would just be a slap in the face if I didn't make Stephen's Band of the Day:


The Wedding with frontman Matt Shelton

The Wedding!


Currently listening to: The Same Mistake. Song That Hooked Me: Morning Air. Fan Favorite: Say Your Prayers.


Yes, that's right children! Step right up! The Wedding from Fayetteville, AR! Formed in 2003 under the name Easier Said. Joined Rambler Records, later Brave New World Records, in 2004 until 2009 until Brave New World was closed, leaving The Wedding an independent band, which they have remained to this day.


Easier Said

The Wedding was formed in 2003 by Kevin Kiehn, vocals & piano, Cody Driggers, backing vocals & bass, Clint Robinson, drums, & Trevor Sarver, guitar. They released their self-titled debut album, The Wedding, on February 15, 2005. According to their Wikipedia page (very accurate, I know), Matt Thiessen, of Relient K, lent his voice to their song But A Breath. Not too long after that, the Rumble In The South EP was released. It contained 3 bonus tracks and acoustic versions of Morning Air & Move This City. In 2006, Clint Robinson left the band, so Joe Rickard (now drummer of Red) was brought in to replace him. Jeremy Ervin was added at bass and Cody Driggers was moved to guitar. April 17, 2007, The Wedding released their second album, Polarity. This album proved that the band was eclectic and more than just some random local band. Shortly after the release of Polarity, 3 members left the band: Jeremy, Joe, & Kevin. Kevin got married and decided he needed to focus more time on his marriage, so now he leads worship at The Rock of Northwest Arkansas. Adam Thron took over guitar, so Cody Driggers went back to bass, Matt Jameson replaced Joe on drums, and Landon Ginnings took over vocals for a few months during local tours, then went to play guitar in Showbread. This is when The Wedding found Matt Shelton, formerly of Letter Kills, and recruited him as frontman. Since then, they have released 2 EP's: The Sound, The Steel EP (June 17, 2008) & Distance EP (November 16, 2010).



The first time I saw The Wedding was at the 180 Center in Fort Smith for Rock The River on September 8, 2007. It was my first time to see The Wedding, first concert with my girlfriend before we were dating, and the first time to see Kevin Kiehn rule the stage (also the last time to see Kevin too). The Wedding was about 3 songs into their set when Cody Driggers had just hit his final chord on It's Time TO Rock, OK? when he stops playing, walks up to the edge of the stage, and points to the section I was standing in and said, "This is my favorite group. Right there!These guys are my Bunch-A-Punchin'-Hooligans!" Let me just say this now, Cody Driggers is the man. Since then, I saw them play at Rock The River in 2009 and at Amp'd in Fort Smith twice. I wasn't too fond of Matt Shelton when he first started, but I've gotta admit that he was the perfect man for The Wedding.

Now as you leave, here's a link to Diamond Of The South. So, let me know what you think and let me know any other bands I should look up.

http://youtu.be/FxJN9pW_hD0

"If This Love Changes Everything, Then With This Love, You Know That I Can't Afford To Make The Same Mistake." - The Same Mistake by The Wedding

May 24: Blessthefall!

Alright, kids. It's May 24, the time is 10:45, and Stephen's Band of the Day is:

Blessthefall!!!

Currently listening to: The Reign. Song that hooked me: Guys Like You Make Us Look Bad. Fan Favorite: Hey, Baby, Here's That Song You Wanted.

I honestly can't remember the first time I listened to Blessthefall, maybe it was on a burnt CD that my girlfriend made me, maybe it was one of the bands I randomly strolled across, but whatever happened, I thank God for the moment that I was introduced to Blessthefall. I do remember the first time I listened to 'Guys Like You Make Us Look Bad' and heard the crazy bass drop halfway through the song for the first time and nearly crapped my pants. Now, I'll admit, they never impacted my life like the band in my last post did and their lyrics never moved me in such a way that I wanted to write just like Beau Bokan, but I will also admit that when you listen to any of their songs, you will feel the nearly tangible passion that these boys produce with every chord struck and every note sung. When I listen to any of their songs, I just can't help but feeling the emotions that they must have been feeling when they wrote the songs. I find myself listening to their CD's over and over and over just because I can't help but feel good when I listen to them. I'll be driving down the road and every time my iPod shuffles to Blessthefall, I turn the volume up that much more. You get what I'm trying to say, yet? I sure hope so. This whole bit reminds me of something that my darling, Hailey, showed me. 

"I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. But I was outside the Bagdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a man playing the saxophone. I stood there for fifteen minutes, and he never opened his eyes.

After that I liked jazz music.

Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way."

― Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

 I really got into really hard music around junior high. I always liked it, but I never appreciated it like I do now after watching Blessthefall play live. They bring such an energy to the stage that I've never seen before. They just make you want to jump onstage and grab a guitar and play along, even if you have no idea how to play the guitar. I don't care what anyone says; not your Mom, not your Dad, not your teacher, not anyone. Hardcore music takes more talent to play than any other type of music, hands down. I'll stand behind that statement every day. It may sound like just noise, but when you take the time to listen to a good band that knows what they're doing, then you can't help but realize that in the midst of all the noise, all the sound, and all the chaos, there is a simple underlining beauty to it that brings it together in such a way that no other genre of music can produce. Now, I love all kinds of genres, don't get me wrong, but post hardcore bands like Blessthefall will always hold a special place in my heart.

Anyways, back to Blessthefall. They were formed in 2003 when guitarist Mike Frisby, guitarist Miles Bergsma, drummer Matt Traynor, and bassist and screamer Jared Warth began practice sessions during high school near Phoenix, Arizona. They later recruited their original lead singer, Craig Mabbitt, who some may know as the new frontman for Escape The Fate. They parted way with guitarist Miles Bergsma and introduced Eric Lambert to their line-up. Blessthefall released a three track EP, signed to Science Records, then released their debut album, His Last Walk, on April 10, 2007. This is when drama started happening. Frontman, Craig Mabbitt decided to leave the band, partly due to lack of time with his daughter. Later, he asked to join again, but the band felt like they needed to move on without him. After this, Craig would join Escape The Fate and help found The Word Alive.

After Mabbitt left, Blessthefall went through a tough time trying to find a vocalist to fill the whole Craig had left. Originally, Jared Warth stepped down from bass to focus on lead vocals, then they recruited Aiden Louis, vocalist of Dear Whoever. Mabbitt has stated that the day after he finished recording on ETF's This War Is Ours, Blessthefall's management called and asked him to rejoin, but he felt that there was too much bad blood between him and Blessthefall, he also thought that it was just bad timing, since he had just finished his new record with ETF and especially since he had begged to be back in the band for eight months and was just getting back on his feet.

After this, on September 26, 2008, via Myspace, Blessthefall announced their new lead singer, Beau Bokan.  Beau was originally frontman of the band Take The Crown, who broke up due to lack of management, leaving him more than ready to fill Mabbitt's shoes. (Btw, just wanted to throw in that Beau is married to pop singer, Lights. If you don't know her, check her out.) Blessthefall has since fallen into sudden popularity, at least among the underground scene. They recorded their first album with Beau, Witness, was released October 6, 2009. They were featured on Punk Goes Classic Rock playing a cover of Dream On by Aerosmith. Their song To Hell & Back was featured on Ubisoft's Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction soundtrack. On October 4, 2011, Blessthefall released Awakening, which debuted at No. 32 on Billboard Top 200. Most recently, they announced plans to record an EP with Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying, but later stated that the EP will have to be put off until after Vans Warped Tour.

So, children, your homework is to look up Blessthefall, if you haven't already, and come back and let me know what you think, in all honesty (brutal honesty is preferred). And now, last but not least, I leave you with their hilarious music video that is the post hardcore equivalent of The Hangover and Dude, Where's My Car? Here is 'Hey, Baby, Here's That Song You Wanted.' Well, I'll at least leave you a link.

http://youtu.be/x6K4ZSuiajU

"Now The Best Part Is Over, I Hope You Savored The Taste." - God Wears Gucci by Blessthefall 

Project 86!

Stephen's May 23 Band of the Day

After much support, I started this blog. (Why I need so much support just to start a blog...I'm not sure, but we're here now, so let's start.

Stephen's Band of the Day has been going on for around a week now on my Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/stephen.martin.14224) and I'll be reposting some bands that I've already covered so I can go into more depth with them. Just so you're aware. 

Alright, for real this time.

Stephen's May 23 Band of the Day is . . . 

Project 86!

Currently Listening To: Hollow Again.

Song That Hooked Me: Little Green Men.

Fan Favorite: Spy Hunter.

I only think it is proper to start this blog off with the band that has influenced me more than any other band could. I first listened to them on a burnt disc that I received from a kid at school, who was on Maury a couple months ago trying to prove that his kids were his. Kinda find it ironic that this kid who had no plan for his life has paved the way that I travel mine.

I listen to a wide variety of music, so if you get on here and see a band that you don't like or a couple in a row that are in the same genre, just be patient and learn about some different styles that you aren't used to. Music is a huge deal to me. It creates and it destroys. It can build you up or it can tear you down. It's funny how you can be having a horrible day and a certain song will come on (let's so, for no particular reason that it's So What by P!nk. Remember, that was chosen by random) and it can change how you feel in an instant. I listen to music when I'm happy, when I'm sad, when I'm alone, when I'm riding with my friends in my car. Music is my breath. Growing up, and even today, all I want to do is tour the world with a band that a lead vocals for. (Remember, this is my dream. If you don't agree, well, good for you.) 

Back to P86: Anyways, I listened to the burnt CD and the first song to really catch my ear and not let go was Little Green Men. This song just really spoke to me because I've always found myself watching shows dealing with rebels and regime changes and revolutions. This song was fuel to that fire. So, of course, when I write now, I have to be careful not to write every song like that one. 

A couple years passed and my now girlfriend told me about a concert in Fayetteville, AR. It was These Cities Below (local band I had never heard of), Inhale Exhale, Showbread (back when they were good. They had just lost Ivory Mobley, so what good is a band when you only went to see their awesome black screaming frontman? Still pretty good.), then...Project 86. I didn't know it at the time, but this show was to be the archetype for all of my future dreams. I remember alot of awesome things about that show (Inhale Exhale's frontman, Ryland Raus, jumping on speakers and grabbing people by their hair and screaming in their face; accidentally elbowing some chick in the mouth and making her lip bleed; Showbread making jokes about how hot it was outside, ex.: Showbread: 'Man, it's so hot outside.' Crowd: 'How Hot?!' Showbread: 'It's so hot outside, I saw the devil walking down the street earlier and he said... 'Man, it's hot!' '), but the most epic moment, hands down, was when Project 86 walked onto the stage and played the intro to Spy Hunter. This was, and is, my favorite song by P86 and I was so pumped just to hear it that I almost missed Andrew Schwab walking on stage with a skull bandana around his face. About 18 seconds into the song, the three most powerful words Schwab ever wrote are screamed into the microphone and the entire crowd screams along. "ONE LAST DISGUISE!" The whole place went crazy and it was in that moment that I realized just how powerful words are. We were singing his lyrics. We were moving to his rhythm. We were his puppets for a half hour. He wrote this song and we knew it word-for-word. I couldn't have stopped singing it if I wanted to. I rode home that night with a sore thoat, a shirt drenched in sweat, and a new dream.

Ok, I'm gonna try again to give you some history of the band: Project 86 was founded by frontman, Andrew Schwab, as a way to inspire people to live their lives with hope. When asked about the band's name and the meaning of it, he said:

To “86″ something is to reject it, remove, it, etc. We applied that concept as if to say “despite possible rejection, we will stick to who we are as a band no matter what.”

     That was from an interview with Andrew Schwab done by Brandon Jones of Indie Vision Music in 2009. Here's the link if you're interested: http://www.indievisionmusic.com/2009/07/13/an-interview-with-andrew-schwab-of-project-86/

The band has gone through some major line-up changes recently, leaving Schwab as the only original member. This is the new Project 86, as of now:



        That was from an article in HMmagazine and written by Doug Van Pelt. Here's the link if you want it: http://www.hmmagazine.com/2012/05/project-86-to-release-new-album/

Project 86 has also gone through some major sound changes as well. They almost have jumped from genre to genre on each album. Originally, they were rapcore, very similar to Rage Against The Machines. They moved onto more of a solid rock feel when rapcore died and embraced a more hardcore feel, just to top it off. If you want to know more about their sound, give them a listen.

Schwab is not only a singer/songwriter. He also is an author and a journalist. His books include: We Caught You Plotting Murder, Do Not Disturb, It's All Downhill From Here, & Fame is Infamy. He writes for AP Magazine, HM Magazine, Relevant Magazine, was the "New Noise" editor for CCM Magazine, and has a blog column at Relevant Magazine. Here's his most recent article in Relevant Magazine: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/daily-devotional/28658-the-fear-of-being-ordinary

Schwab also runs his own blog, which I suggest you look at. He is a very influential writer who has grown through as a person through many adventures he has had with Project 86. http://www.andrewschwab.com/blog/   I would suggest looking at my favorite blog of his so far, 'The Second Greatest Commandment: Avoid Shooting a Cannon Through Your Neighbor's Window.'

Project 86's discography includes: Project 86, Drawing Black Lines, Truthless Heroes, Songs To Burn Your Bridges By, ...And The Rest Will Follow, The Kane Mutiny - EP, Rival Factions, This Time Of Year - EP, Picket Fence Cartel, 15.Live, and coming this summer to an online retailer near you, and hopefully some stores as well, (not sure what they'll do since it's an independent record that was completely supported by fans on Kickstarter) Wait For The Sirens.

Project 86 will release their new album, Wait For The Siren, on August 21, 2012. The new album will feature Andrew Welch (Disciple guitarist), Ryan "Blake" Martin (A Plea for Purging guitarist), Rocky Gray (Evanescence, We Are The Fallen, Living Sacrifice, plus alot more), Cody Driggers (The Wedding bassist) and guest vocal appearances by Bruce Fitzhugh (Living Sacrifice), and Brian "Head" Welch (Korn, Love and Death).

Tracklisting:

1. Fall, Goliath, Fall

2. SOTS

3. Omerta's Sons

4. Off the Grid

5. New Transmission

6. Defector

7. The Crossfire Gambit

8. Blood Moon

9. Above the Desert Sea

10. Ghosts of Easter Rising

11. Avalantia

12. Take the Hill

13. Wait for the Siren

http://www.facebook.com/notes/project-86/project-86-new-album-wait-for-the-siren-august-21-2012/10150845332221896

And now, I will leave you with one of my favorite music videos by Project 86: Evil (A Chorus of Resistance)