This should be common knowledge but just in case it isn’t, I’ll make it perfectly clear.
All of the written work and all of the photographs on this blog are MINE. Thus, it is illegal to remove a copyright that I have placed at the end of an article or on a photograph. It is also illegal to repost it somewhere else without my permission. If you would like to use something of mine, OBTAIN MY PERMISSION FIRST PLEASE.
Thank you.
© fallenevanfan
… I officially met my idol, Amy Lee of Evanescence, in Nashville, Tennessee. Behold!
I figured you guys deserved to see concrete evidence. Oh, and it’s ok, you can be jealous.
I realize that I have not posted a “review” of that show and I do apologize. I could very well sit here and type up a detailed minute-by-minute account of my two days in Nashville. But honestly, who wants to read all that? Perhaps there are some of you that would and I wish I had the motivation to write such a story.
Anyways, I recently created an official Facebook page for this blog and I invite anyone and everyone to please “like” it. As always, thank you for your support. 
I was driving home from work today and I had my iPod on shuffle. “Monster,” by Skillet, started playing and I was provoked to make the following tweet:
I like Skillet’s song “Monster” but I must confess that’s it’s very cliché.
That’s right! I have video footage of all four brand-new Evanescence songs.
Here’s “What You Want,” the first single off of Evanescence’s upcoming self-titled album.
Do you want to see the video for the other three songs (“The Change,” “Oceans,” and “The Other Side”)? If so, here’s what you have to do…
Go to the official Facebook page for this site and “like” it. Once it gets to 50 likes, I shall publicize the video for “The Change.”
(By the way, the Facebook page is still currently being edited so do not be surprised if there is hardly anything on there.)
As always, thank you for your support!
Copyright © 2011 fallenevanfan
With the existence of the Internet and social networking, “word-of-mouth” is how a majority of fans are exposed to bands and their music. I was made aware of Tennessee rockers, Fools For Rowan, that very same way. One can only imagine the excitement I felt when I learned that they would be opening for Evanescence in Nashville on August 17, 2011. I decided that I had to go to that concert, especially after Art Of Dying was added to the bill. (For those of you who do not know, I interviewed Art Of Dying back in May. You can read my interview here.) To add to my enthusiasm, I was also given the opportunity to interview Fools For Rowan the afternoon of the show. I had heard nothing but good things about this band so I did not feel too nervous as I walked through the door of Lava Lamp Records. I immediately felt comfortable and welcome, despite the fact that there were several other people present. I knew that the band had to make their way to the venue for load-in and sound check so I did not hesitate in proceeding with my questions. So, readers, I present to you my interview with Fools For Rowan: Erin Mullins (lead vocals), Rachel Brandsness (lead guitar), Ryan Nanney (rhythm guitar), Aaron Elliot (bass), and Jordan Cullen (drums).
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fallenevanfan: Let’s talk about the show. The first thing I thought was, “August 17th. Wednesday. Nashville.” It’s kind of random. Do you know how the show was thrown together? How did you get on the bill?
Erin Mullins: We don’t really know.
Jordan Cullen: Those are really good questions.
Erin Mullins: They are good questions. Like, bam, right away. We just feel blessed. We don’t know why we’re on this show or why it’s on a Wednesday but we don’t really care. (laughs) We’re just happy to be doing it.
fallenevanfan: So you probably don’t know how Art Of Dying got on the show either?
Erin Mullins: No, and I have no idea if they’re doing more shows with them or not.
fallenevanfan: Well, this could be purely coincidence but I thought about it and I’ve seen a couple bands that have opened for Evanescence – Rev Theory opened for them in ’06 and Sick Puppies opened for them in ’08 – and it’s kind of coincidence that now those are both pretty big bands. What are you hoping will happen as a result [of this show]? What kind of expectations do you have from this show?
Ryan Nanney: We’re hoping things will fizzle out.
(Everyone laughs.)
Erin Mullins: Right now a lot of our fans are Evanescence fans as well. So we’re hoping that the fan base that’s there to see Evanescence will embrace us like those fans have. That’s our hope – that every single person that’s there to see Evanescence ends up loving us.
Jordan Cullen: It’s why anybody opens for anybody. Like, why does such-and-such open for Paramore? ‘Cause they wanna jack their fans, you know?
fallenevanfan: Are you fans of Evanescence? What do you think of their new single, “What You Want”?
Rachel Brandsness: It’s awesome!
Jordan Cullen: I like it.
Ryan Nanney: I’ve watched the twenty-second clip on… whatever site it is like, thirty times.
Rachel Brandsness: I bought it like thirty minutes after it was released. I’ve been pumpin’ it in my car.
fallenevanfan: What do you think the new album is going to sound like?
Erin Mullins: I think they’ve had long enough to make it awesome. I don’t think that a band that, when they came out, it was huge, like all of a sudden they were just there and it was huge. I don’t think that they would come out if they weren’t ready to do it again and do it big, just like they did the first time.
Jordan Cullen: And they’ve been in the game so long. There are bands that put out another CD and you go, “Oh! It’s the first CD again.” Or it’s really similar, it’s not a continuation. But from the interview she seems very well-aware that they need to put out something that isn’t the same, that builds upon the last record.
Erin Mullins: Step up.
fallenevanfan: Actually, I wanted to talk to you about your album. I listened to it and noticed a couple things. A lot of the lyrics have something to do with fire. Was that coincidence or did you plan it that way?
Erin Mullins: (laughs) Yeah… there’s fire in several of the songs.
Ryan Nanney: There are! Oh my gosh.
Rachel Brandsness: I actually wrote an entire college paper on the fire metaphors of our songs. I’m simultaneously in college and I was like, “Easy.”
Erin Mullins: It was just kind of a coincidence but writing for that record was like writing about what was going on at the time, like in the world and in movies, and it seemed fitting I guess. Unbeknownst to us, it kind of fell into all the songs. Well, not all the songs, but a lot of ‘em.
fallenevanfan: A lot of [the songs] have to deal with lost love but then “It’s Alright” is a really – well, it kind of reminds me of a Shania Twain song.
Erin Mullins: Really?!
fallenevanfan: That’s the first thing I thought of. When I heard that song, I thought of Shania Twain because she’s very upbeat and very positive. So that makes me wonder, because you have that song and then you have songs like “No,” do you write better when you’re happy or you’re down? Or both?
Erin Mullins: Both. “It’s Alright,” that actually happened, that whole day. It was a series of events leading up to the writing session that day.
fallenevanfan: Who did it happen to?
Erin Mullins: (raises hand) Me… yeah. (laughs) But then we just turned a crappy day into a happy little song. It doesn’t matter – bad mood, good mood, happy or sad.
fallenevanfan: My favorite track is “Living Dangerously.” What’s the inspiration behind that song?
Erin Mullins: You know, I don’t really do that in life. In life, I’m pretty boring and I don’t like to ride roller coasters at all.
Jordan Cullen: (reenacting) “Hey Erin, we’re gonna go jump off stuff.” “Ah, ok, I’ll stay here.”
Erin Mullins: Yeah, I’m living vicariously through the song. Like last night, [someone] texted us and asked if we wanted to go cliff-diving last night and I’m like, “No!” But in the song, that’s something that that singer who sings that song would do.
fallenevanfan: I saw a Facebook post where you said you were looking for new music. If somebody was to look on your iPod, what kind of artists would they find on there? What artists would you recommend?
Erin Mullins: Right now I love Florence the Machine.
Rachel Brandsness: Well, we like Halestorm a lot. We’ve played with them and we were just hanging out with them yesterday.
fallenevanfan: Where did the band name come from?
Erin Mullins: Rowan… my mom’s name is Robin and my grandpa’s name is Darwin. Whenever I decided to move away from home and be a singer, everybody thought that was a bad idea and it was gonna be hard and why would I wanna do that. So they were the only two that just said that I should go for it. It seemed fitting that I name the band after them.
fallenevanfan: How did the [last night's] party go?
Erin Mullins: Last night? Oh my gosh, it was fun.
Jordan Cullen: It was a lot of fun.
fallenevanfan: I was warned that the place might look a mess but it actually looks really good.
Jordan Cullen: That is because of women. They cleaned and just made it awesome. Women… not men.
(Everyone laughs.)
fallenevanfan: Well that’s all I’ve got. Do you have anything you want to add or ask?
Rachel Brandsness: Check us out on our Facebook.
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That night was not only a special night for Fools For Rowan, but also an emotional one because it was their last show with bassist Aaron Elliot. However, it did not change anything about their stage presence or their comradery. Just before they took the stage, I caught glimpse of the five members in a tight huddle in what seemed to be a moment of prayer. It was truly humbling. We fans tend to forget that musicians are human too and witnessing that scene reminded me of that. I urge everyone to check out Fools For Rowan, online and in person.
To get you started, check out the official music video for their song, “Dead.”
Twisted. Tied Up. Tangled. (Lava Lamp Records) is available for purchase in stores and online now. Also, if you leave some feedback, I will gladly read and respond to all comments and questions. Thank you for reading and I encourage you to share this with others.
Copyright © 2011 fallenevanfan
Readers! I am delighted to share with you a press release from Star City Meltdown. Hot off the presses! (Literally… I just received it in my email a little while ago!)
Star City Meltdown
Sign To Standby Records
Label Debut To Be Released November 2011
Upcoming Tour Dates with Art of Dying, Korn, Crossfade and More
Johnson City, TN’s Star City Meltdown has signed with Standby Records (Black Veil Brides, Modern Day Escape). The band’s label debut ‘Razorblades & Handgrenades’ was produced by former Creed bassist Brett Hestla (Framing Hanley, Dark New Day, Tantric) and is scheduled for release in November. Joining the lineup as the newest member of the band is former Black Veil Brides guitarist, Chris Stewart.
With an explosive stage show, an uncompromising confidence, and a sound described as “Journey meets Avenged Sevenfold”, this 5 piece rock act has been winning over audiences everywhere they perform. The band’s 2009 debut album “Stick in the Eye” (also produced by Hestla) and a tour with Saliva gained the band a rabid underground fanbase, which spurred impressive sales through live shows alone.
Watch for Star City Meltdown to build on their earlier success with upcoming shows supporting Art of Dying, Crossfade, and Korn. Headline dates and festival appearances will round out the band’s touring schedule through the rest of 2011.
Check out the album teaser for ‘Razorblades & Handgrenades’ below:
www.facebook.com/starcitymeltdwn
Tour dates:
Aug 12- Myth Nightclub- Minneapolis , MN (w/ Candlebox)
Aug 13- TBA– La Crosse , WI
Aug 16- The Valarium- Knoxville , TN (W/ Art Of Dying)
Aug 20- Buster’s w/ Skid Row!- Lexington , KY
Aug 24- The Machine Shop w/ Art of Dying – Flint , MI
Oct 08- Speaking Rock Entertainment Center - El Paso , TX (w/Korn & Crossfade!!)
Oct 28- Rocktober Fest- Port Charlotte , FL
Oct 29- Rocktober Fest- Port Charlotte , FL
Oct 30- Rocktober Fest- Port Charlotte , FL
I stumbled upon these guys by accident, actually, back in January of this year. I went to Jack Rabbits (a local venue here in Jacksonville, Florida) to see Fall Of Envy and Star City Meltdown opened for them. The following night, I drove down to Orlando to see Traverser for the first time and Star City Meltdown was opening for them as well! I had the opportunity to chat up the bassist, Cody Cupp, and we’ve been in touch ever since.
So you should check these guys out because they’re awesome! (I especially love their cover of Jay Sean’s “Down.”) Right now, their Facebook page is at 7,188 likes and they’re shooting for 10,00. Listen to ‘em, like ‘em, and spread the word!
Copyright © 2011 fallenevanfan
Uh-oh, looks like Uliana, the lead vocalist for Me Talk Pretty, is a tad camera-shy… ha! Sorry, I could not help but laugh. Not once did I ever get that impression from her during the band’s performance at Brewster’s Pub & Pit on Friday, July 29th here in Jacksonville, Florida. In fact, Uliana was anything but shy. While belting out songs from Me Talk Pretty’s debut album, We Are Strangers, she definitely craved participation from her watchers. (I loved the look of shock that appeared on Uliana’s face when someone in the audience refused to sing back to her.) I first caught wind of this band a while back via Twitter when they started following me and also by word-of-mouth. Little did I know that I would be interviewing them before they opened for Alien Ant Farm. So, readers, I present to you my interview with three members of Me Talk Pretty – Uliana (vocals), Leon (guitars), and Guerin (drums).
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fallenevanfan: First of all, thank you for taking the time to talk with me. So, after hearing about you from my friend and from you guys following me on Twitter, I tried to do some research. I didn’t really find much of a bio – your official website takes you right to the Facebook page and there’s not much there. What can you guys tell me about your history, etc.?
Leon: A little bit about ourselves… we formed in ’06, put out our first EP in ’08 and our first debut record, We Are Strangers, came out this year in April. We’ve been touring this year and last year, with Sick Puppies, Adelitas Way, Neon Tree, Paper Tongues, etc.
fallenevanfan: The band name, Me Talk Pretty… ok, is it all one word or is it three separate words?
Leon: It’s three words. We were experimenting with logos and that’s why it got put together sometimes.
fallenevanfan: How’d you guys come up with the name or where does the name come from?
Leon: Well, it’s from a David Sedaris book – we’re referencing a book called Me Talk Pretty One Day. One of our friends was reading it and we were trying to come up with a band name, which was taking forever.
Uliana: The first year, we were writing and we didn’t care about finding a name. We didn’t have a name for our first show. Then we started looking for a name, like more seriously, and somebody was reading this book. There’s a chapter in the book about David Sedaris going to France and having a hard time with the language. It kind of hit home since I’m from Romania and I moved here. I had to go through all that, in the process of integrating myself. And we’re like, “Me Talk Pretty – that’s kind of like Uliana talk.” People like it. We asked around and they were all like, “Cool, I like it.” So we kept it.
fallenevanfan: Yeah, it’s definitely different. What made you come to the U.S. from Romania?
Uliana: My mom remarried and she brought me.
fallenevanfan: Where are the rest of you guys from?
Leon: I was born in Spain and grew up in Orlando originally. Then I moved to New York.
Guerin: I’m originally from Arizona.
fallenevanfan: Oh really? What part of Arizona?
Guerin: Tucson.
fallenevanfan: Oh my gosh! I lived there for seven years.
Guerin: Oh yeah? I was born there and I lived there till I was ten.
Leon: We were there, last year. We played [at] Hotel Congress with Neon Trees and Paper Tongues.
fallenevanfan: That’s cool though. Small world.
Leon: And our bass player, Nate, he has family here. He’s out front, with the platinum blonde hair.
Uliana: The blondie. (laughs)
Leon: He’s from Wisconsin – he moved to New York after L.A.
fallenevanfan: How’d you guys all find each other?
Leon: Match.com (laughs)
Uliana: (laughs) They should have a band Match.com.
Leon: But how we found each other… Uliana and I started this back in ’06 and we met Nate and Guerin through other bands that were in the same circle.
fallenevanfan: How would you guys describe your sound to somebody who’s never heard you before?
Uliana: Rock, pop, noir.
Leon: We’re a little all over the place. We can go out with a band like Neon Trees and we can go out with a band like Sick Puppies.
fallenevanfan: Well that’s all I have. Do you guys have anything you want to add or ask?
Leon: No, thank you so much.
Uliana: I hope you enjoy the show tonight.
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To get a taste of We Are Strangers, check out the official music video for Me Talk Pretty’s “Wake Up!”
We Are Strangers (Eight O Five) is available for purchase in stores and online now. Also, leave some feedback. I will gladly read and respond to all comments and questions. Thank you for reading and I encourage you to share this with others.
Copyright © 2011 fallenevanfan
… is the fact that I cannot always get a hold of an artist or a band or a label or a promoter, etc.
Why?
It is not because they are simply unresponsive. No, it is because there is no press contact listed. At all. No email address, no telephone number, nothing!
So, if I ever had to give one piece of advice to musicians, it is this: have some kind of contact information for members of the media to get a hold of you or your representatives. You never know… that one interview or review could change your career.
Copyright © 2011 fallenevanfan
Alien Ant Farm has beamed out of nowhere and back onto the rock scene. They made a stop here in Jacksonville, Florida a couple weeks ago (my Manna Zen boys opened for them!) at Brewster’s Pub & Pit. I had the opportunity to climb aboard the mothership (a.k.a. their tour bus) and speak with vocalist Dryden Mitchell and guitarist Terry Corso.
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fallenevanfan: First of all, thank you guys for taking the time to talk with me.
Terry Corso: No problem. Thanks for wanting to talk to us.
fallenevanfan: It’s actually been a while since you guys have been out on the scene, right? You’ve been on quite a hiatus. How long has it been since you last toured?
Terry Corso: A real, substantial tour, like the four of us, the original members, it’s probably been about six years. The band went through a couple different phases then just kinda went to an inactive period. Now, with the original lineup back together again, in the last couple years we started doing shows here and there. [We figured out] this was fun again and that we wanted to make a record again. So the plan now is to make a record for next year and in the meantime we’re doing this tour, this “ANTicipation” run for the summer so that we can put awareness out there.
fallenevanfan: Is that what the name “ANTicipation” implies? Anticipation of you guys coming back and the new record?
Terry Corso: Yeah, at least for our fans, you know? I’m not saying everyone’s anticipating it. (laughs) But it is for us. It’s an anticipation for us and for our fans because it’s just been so long.
fallenevanfan: So you guys are writing the album right now. Are you just writing or have you actually gone into the studio yet?
Terry Corso: We’ve gone in the studio as far as demoing songs. We’ve been writing for the better part of the last eight or nine months, probably. We’ve got a good stockpile of songs going and we take it all into any of our own home studios just to kind of get it demoed. So we haven’t started recording the actual record yet – that’ll come when this run ends. But we got a lot more writing to do. We’re gonna write a lot more, hopefully on this trip and then when we get back from this trip, we’ll go and take it all into the studio.
fallenevanfan: Oh, so you guys try to do some writing on the road?
Terry Corso: For sure. We’ve got a bunch of equipment in this cupboard right here that is gonna enable us to do that. There’s a lot of ways we can do stuff.
fallenevanfan: How’s the new album going to sound in comparison to the other albums you put out? Has your sound evolved?
Dryden Mitchell: I think it’s gonna be heavier, to be quite honest. This band started out as a way heavier band than what’s probably perceived of us. We grew up being influenced by metal and heavier music, and I think that a few of the songs that we know are gonna be on the record are pretty heavy. So I think it’s gonna be a little more edgy.
fallenevanfan: Your Michael Jackson cover (“Smooth Criminal”) is one of your most well-known songs. What was your reaction when you heard about his death?
Dryden Mitchell: I was bummed ‘cause I love his music. I was excited to see and hear what he was gonna do for the next ten years of his life.
Terry Corso: I consider him probably my favorite all-time artist. You know, it’s really surreal and doesn’t hit you for maybe a couple days and then… well, I remember I was driving and I was listening to Michael Jackson and it hit me. I was so bummed. It was not real to me that he was gone, you know?
fallenevanfan: He was one of your influences, right?
Terry Corso: He was the greatest.
Dryden Mitchell: If someone’s doing pop music, to say that Michael Jackson isn’t an influence… their influences were influenced by him. So somewhere down the vine, everyone’s gonna be influenced by that guy.
fallenevanfan: Now, speaking of the band’s sound, I read in your biography that, live, you guys “try to keep the texture of the sound varied. At times it’s low, almost quiet, but then it becomes noisy and ferocious.” Do you guys hold true to that? I have never seen you guys before so I am not really sure what to expect.
Dryden Mitchell: I think it’s just rock ‘n roll. Some of these bios are written to be clever. But, at the same time, it’s just a good live rock band… It’s not something we’ve invented. It’s kind of like music has done that throughout time.
fallenevanfan: How has the tour been?
Terry Corso: Things have been going good. I mean, I think things have been going pretty smooth. It’s been a while since we’ve been out, like I said. All the shows have been really fun – it’s been exciting to see who’s turning out. You know, whether it’s diehard fans who know all the words or younger people who are more interested in what’s going on. We’ve been playing anywhere from two to four new songs in the set and they’ve been going over really good. They’re really fun to play and stuff.
fallenevanfan: Oh really? Any new song titles you can share?
Dryden Mitchell: “Yellow Pages,” “Simpatico,” “Godlike,” “High on the Horizon.”
fallenevanfan: So if you guys already have some songs and song titles, do you have an album title?
Dryden Mitchell: There’s a few out there.
Terry Corso: Yeah, there’s a couple floating around that we’re interested in. Everybody’s kinda anxious to see how we’re gonna spin the word “ant.” (laughs) But we might not even do that so you never know.
fallenevanfan: Alright, well that’s all I have. Do you guys have anything you want to add or ask?
Terry Corso: Just keep an eye out for us coming to a town near you. We’ll be trekking around the country all summer. And keep an eye out for our record next year. We’re alive and well.
Dryden Mitchell: Look us up – Alien Ant Farm, Facebook, etc.
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Since I unfortunately did not get any video from the show, I will share with you the official music video for “Glow.”
I must say, after witnessing them live and hearing the new songs they played, I look forward to the upcoming record! (My favorite track was “Simpatico.”) So be on the look out – Alien Ant Farm is back!
Copyright © 2011 fallenevanfan
Yes, that’s right – I am alive!
I have not been on the computer much, which is very uncharacteristic of me. However, I have been juggling two jobs the past two weeks so when I am not working, I am sleeping. I did have a day off today and was able to get caught up on some things. I promise I will have a couple new posts up within the next few days so just bear with me! As always, thank you for your continued support!
Also, a shout-out to my newest subscriber, who is actually a fellow blogger and an Evanescence fan! Check her out! <3
Copyright © 2011 fallenevanfan
