Craig's Blogs!

Music 2010 Who's In, And Who's Out

2010-01-12T07:13:00.000-08:00

Haven't been in in way to long but I also just recovered my password to get back in.

Any way this is my list of bands who are storming their way into my music for 2010 and who's making their way out.

Who's In:

The Boxer Rebellion- I bought their album The Union off a Wm because I Tunes said it was the best Alt Rock album of the year. Usually I don't buy things in that fashion but after listening to these guys I have new faith in upcoming music for years. They have the opportunity to become visionaries for a new generation.

John Frusicante- I've been a fan of RHCP for years now but after listening to John's solo work I was blown away by how much better and mature his music is. He right now is the visionary for experimental/alt rock music and with his departure from RHCP I'm even more excited for what the future holds for Johns music.

The Gaslight Anthem- I was told to listen to this band by my swim coach and everything he said about them is true. This band is incredible and really has a bright future. They have a very unique punk sound which is able to maintain matureness and separate themselves from the rest of bands in the punk genre today.

The Arcade Fire- This band has redefined the indie genre and in my opinion they are the premiere band out there in the genre. They are releasing a new album this year which will at least be as good as their previous two masterpieces.

Who's Out:

John Mayer- Continuum had me hooked on Mayer and was a genius album. Unfortently his lastest album Battle Studies is extremely reserved and refuses to take off from the edgyness and potential Mayer created for himself after Continuum. It is an album that sticks to being safe and shows that Mayer is more comfortable selling records then exploring how far he can go with his music. Also his cover of the Crossroads is an abomination and he should be beat for destroying a classic the way he did.

Red Hot Chili Peppers- Until John decides to comeback they really shouldn't do anything. He is the backbone of the band and the last time he was gone the band almost broke up. The band just doesn't have its style without John; Flea and Him also have excellent chemistry which is very hard for bands to replicate. RHCP should wait because the odds of hitting this right without him is slim to none.

Of A Revolution- They really have fallen off the map and alienated their fans from the start. Their last album was a complete sellout to consumer society and didn't even sound like the band which use to be College's premiere band to see. Gone is the optimism and distinctive reggae-esqe sound for radio friendly songs that really don't sound like them at all. Stories Of A Stranger was a good album because they moved in a new direction but never lost their roots. Their latest album has nothing that reminds you of the band for the 13 years before it.

My Favorite Thirty Two Albums

2008-08-01T05:13:00.000-07:00

These are my Top Thirty Two Albums.

Angels & Airwaves- I Empire
Arcade Fire- Funeral
Bright Eyes-Motion Sickness
Bright Eyes- Digital Ash In A Digital Irn
Bruce Springsteen- Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen- Born In The USA
Bruce Springsteen- Nebraska
Circa Survive- Juturna
Coheed & Cambria- In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth Part 3
Coldplay- Rush Of Blood To The Head
Dave Matthews Band-Before These Crowded Streets
Dispatch-Bang Bang
The Doors- Live In Detroit
The Doors- The Doors
The Doors- Morrison Hotel
Dream Theater- Images & Words
Foo Fighters- The Colour & Shape
Green Day- Insomniac
Incubus- Light Grenades
Jacks Mannequinn- Everything In Transit
Jane's Addiction- Ritual De Lo Habitual
Kanye West- Late Registration
Linkin Park-Hybrid Theory
Muse- Blacks Holes & Revolations
Nirvana-Nevermind
O.A.R-Souls Aflame
Our Lady Peace-Naveed
Phish-Farmhouse
Pink Floyd- Darkside Of The Moon
Queen-Greatest Hits 22
Red Hot Chili Peppers- Californication
Something Corporate-North
Taking Back Sunday- Tell All Your Friends
Third Eye Blind-Third Eye Blind
Weezer- Weezer (Blue Album)

4 Albums Which Could Be On There Soon:

Coldplay- Viva La Vida
Fall Out Boy- Infinity On High
Justin Timberlake- Future Love/Sex Sounds
Usher- Here I Stand

3 Albums Which Came Close:

Brand New- Devil & God Rage Inside Me
Goo Goo Dolls- Boy Named Goo
Rage Against The Machine- Battle Of LA

Band I Will See Before I Die

2008-04-24T08:32:00.001-07:00

This is a list of bands or musicans I desire to see before I die and it will be updated If I have:

Against Me (saw them)
The Arcade Fire
BB King running out of time with him
Billy Talent
Catch 22
Coheed & Cambria
Coldplay
Circa Survive
Dispatch thats going to be hard
Derek Trucks (seeing him this summer!)
Dreamtheater
Eric Clapton
INCUBUS
Joe Sat
John Mayer
JAY Z
Mars Volta
Muse
Nightwatchman
Our Lady Peace
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Saosin
State Radio
Tool
Umphrey's McGee
Weezer
Wolfmother
311

My 4 Most Anticapated Albums For Summer

2008-04-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

A lot of my favorite bands have already released albums very recently.
These are the 4 though that I have my eye on for this summer which I cant wait for:

1. Coldplay Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
Release Date: June 18th 2008
Coldplay first three albums were masterpieces no reason this one won't be. Only other thing I can say about it is that it has been quoted "This is the album people will remember them by". If this is true after the first 3 albums the impact could be unforeseen.

2. Weezer Weezer ( The Red Album)
Release Date: June 17th
While Make Believe garnered Weezer significant airplay and their popularity soared the album was a step away from the rock-poptastic album we were used to. Instead Make Believe was more radio friendly and just a little rock. The Red Alum is supposed to be a return to Weezer's traditional sound with long songs which are enjoyable to listen to and you can listen to 5 years from now and still sound good. Weezer is one of the defining bands of the 90's and while the 2000's has been good to them is could be the album that puts them back into the cream of the crop in rock and rivals The Blue Album or Pinkerton. One thing is guaranteed with the new album which is it will be good because honestly this band never produces garbage.

3. Jacks Mannequinn The Glass Passenger
Release Date: June 3rd 2008
Coming just 15 days before Coldplays album and killing my bank account is Andrew McMahon's sophomore effort with Jacks. The first album was the one which really got me in to Andrew McMahon's music and SOCO. JM has always been a staple in pop and rock and this album has been anticipated for quite a while. If the new album is anything like the first it will be a polished piano driven masterpiece and something which will probably garner him more attention the ever before.

4. Usher Here I Stand
Release Date: May 27th 2008
And I thought that I might get one album in August, nope. I'll be moving to welfare by the end of this. Just messing. I have always been a fan of Ushers work. It always has been very polished and has a sense of maturity mixed with his talent. His new album comes almost 4 years after Confessions which may be his biggest album yet. Like any Usher album it will have the dance singles to the funky ones to the plain pretty songs. It will be good guaranteed and after Justin Timberlake's huge hits the last two summers I expect Usher to take the airwaves this summer. This may be the album of summer in terms of radio play and in pop music.

Oswegian It Up, The Final Push, & My Top 7 Concerts

2008-04-19T17:31:00.000-07:00

Haven't been on in a while but this is gonna be a good one. Oswego has been a blast since spring break concluded. For the first time in a while life is almost perfect. My car insurance is good, classes are great, and overall its just been really fun. We had our swim formal yesterday which was great and tommorow is paper plate awards which should also be great. The weather has been redic. Day after day 70 degree weather. Enough said. One of the coolest things about Oswego is the weather. This week we played ghosts in the graveyard and the stars were incredible. I saw a shooting star which was really really cool.

I have less then 4 weeks and then amazingly another year is done. 2 years down 2 to go. Its in a way very exciting because I'm that much closer to getting my diploma and seeing where I'll end up but in a way very scary/sad. I bunch of good friends graduate this year and I will miss them. One of my closest friends enters the Navy in fall and I won't see him for close to 6 years. That is unfortunately life and I make sure over summer we go out with style.

Recently I bought tickets for Derek Trucks Band. Derek Trucks is an amazing blues guitarist and possibly the best guitarist in the last decade. Anyway it got my to thinking what are my Top 7 concerts, I say 7 because spot 2 is tied. The criteria I used for this was crowd environments, band energy and performance, the people I was with, and the venue/set list. Anyway here is the list.

6. At sixth the Yonder Mountain String Band performed for free at Thursday At The Square in Buffalo August 10th 2006 I believe. Summer 06 was a fantastic one and two of the concerts from them are on here. This night was special because it was the last time my true group of friends from High School and I went out before we went off to college. The String Band was incredible and one of the most fun environments I've ever been in for a concert. When a mother has a child on her shoulder in a drugged out environment and dancing like crazy you know everyone is loving it. The Band put on a great concert I would love to see them again.

5. Of all the concerts I've been to only two have been louder (Bruce 04 Darien & Foo Fighters). Garth Brooks in 97 I believe was absolutely awesome. The entire night was like a massive party. His set list was fantastic playing classic Ain't Going Down Till The Sun Comes Up, The River, American Pie during the Encore which rocked, Fever a personal favorite, and of course Friends & Low Places. The energy inside was out of control. I remember my dad saying that his concerts are so loud the only way to make your ears feel better is to scream as loud as you can. So we did the entire night. We also were on national TV that night because the Country Music Association was presenting their awards and Garth like always won performer of the year. It was truly a special night. In terms of show man ship no one not even Bruce Springsteen can match what Garth did live.

4. The second Thursday At The Square concert comes from August 2007 and was Keller Johnson. I went with my very good friend from work Stephanie and met my swim friends downtown. Keller is a one man force. He literally plays every song. The crowd went bonkers all night long and we all had a great time. He covered Beautiful Oblivion by Eve 6 which really got the crowd off their feet. It was an awesome night and because it was the last major act before the college kids went back it was especially great because it was packed downtown. Keller had quite a few songs which caused people to make Congo lines and start small moshes. I have no clue how you can mosh to Keller but it did happen. It was an awesome night and one of the best nights of last summer.

3. The second concert from 2006. OAR/Jacks Mannequin at High Falls Rochester. This was the first concert I ever quote on quote road tripped to. I literally called work the day of to say I was sick because I didn't even know I was going until the night before. I went with my best friends, the swimmers Joey, Mike, Caitlyn, Liz, Maximus, and one of Liz's friends. High Falls is the single best venue I've ever been at. Outdoor concerts I have always prefer ed to indoor. Something about the environment outside is irreplaceable. The stage is literally built off an old brick building and the area itself is surrounded by a bar/entertainment district of old cobblestone buildings. Most of the crowd was there for OAR but Jacks Mannequin had a good number when they open. Andrew McMahon wowed the teen crowd and played almost his entire album plus a few others included a rock classic American Girl. He finished with MFEO which was absolutely awesome. The band really got into the song and because of the concert it became my favorite song by Mannequin. OAR took the stage to capacity crowd. They opened with City On Down a fan favorite and ripped through old and new. Road To Columbus was played, Delicate Few, and Love & Memories to name a few. Honestly the high point of the night was not Crazy Game Of Poker despite the Bob Marley mix in between rather the cover of Fool In The Rain by Zeppelin with Andrew McMahon also out singing. The crowd the entire concert didn't stop singing from the first song to the finale. OAR was having a blast and it has been reviewed as the best concert of the 2006 Summer Tour OAR and one of if not the best of that year. From song list to environment to the band itself it was something special. My favorite song of the night actually came from their new album which was 52-50. It has reggae feel buts build into this explosion of guitar and other instruments. At the time I was too into that album to realize how amazing that song was and how incredible of a performance it was live. All together I don't know if any OAR concert I've seen since or in the future can top that one.

2. Flat tie between Bruce Springsteen In Darien lake 2004 and Dave Matthews Band 2007 SPAC. Both are known for putting on great shows and having great fan environments. Whats separates this Bruce concert from the other 3 I've seen and puts DMB up here is the fact both had something very special in comparisons to any of the other concerts I've seen. The night Springsteen performed he played very little from the Rising rather a collection of classics from his Best Years. Rosalita was the highlight song of the concert but from 1 to 26 the entire list was incredible. What really got me looking back though is the concert was a vintage Bruce concert from the late 70's to 80's. The band was really into it from the solo's to the pure energy they fed off a crowd which was out of control.
Dave's concert was special because unlike years before he was only playing a limited summer tour due to his newborn child so SPAC would only receive 1 night unlike the normal 2 nights played. Second Trey from Phish came and played a song which I'm pretty sure the crowd was close to a near riot in excitement. The set list was fantastic from opening with Rapunzel to Too Much the rarely played Crush and finishing with the classic All Along The Watchtower it was fantastic. I drove from Buffalo all the way to Saratoga for the concert and being my first true road trip for a concert it was very special. Before the concert the parking lot was pure DMB all over and it was awesome to be in. Very friendly and very fun. Overall it was a very special night and from the set list to bringing my friend Matt and hanging with Kevin and Leener it was amazing.

1. Foo Fighters SUNY Binghampton 2008. Take all the concerts above and then put this one up another level. That is the only was to describe it. Being literally 5 feet from Dave Grohl to the incredible set list to the point where I thought I was going to die during the middle of All My Life it was god like. Openers Against Me! (a personal fav) and Serj Takian singer from System Of A Down were fantastic and got the crowd going. The Foo's opened with Let It Die which really got everyone going. From there they played hit The Pretender and just went with it. When Dave ran down the middle ramp into the crowd the place went crazy. He and guitarist Matt Shifflet dueled then which was awesome to see. Dave had a great sense of humor and really knew his shit. At one point he started playing the opening notes to Stairway to heaven which then proceeded him to say he didn't know the rest. Everyone got a kick out of that. Perhaps the wackiest moment was during the acoustic part of the show Dave was introducing the band and a member responsible for tambourines and other shit came down and did a triangle solo. I'm pretty sure I'll never see it again. The set list was classic. Learn to Fly, My Hero, Times Like These, Break out, My all time favorite song ever Everlong, Monkey Wrench, and to name some. They finished with All My Life. The entire night people were moshing and dancing, however nearing the bridge Dave yelled for everyone to go nuts. Well when he finished the line done onto the next literally every fucking person threw themselves into a craze. I was about five feet from the ramp when he said that within 2 seconds I was halfway across the floor. The place literally was thundering. It was fun while I was pretty sure I was going to die. Hands down if I had to choose to only see one concert in my life this one is it.

Back In Oswego & The End Of Break

2008-03-31T13:30:00.001-07:00

I got back to Oswego yesterday to finish 2nd semester. It was absolutely gorgeous out probably 50's. Much better then when we left and had snow. Its suppose to be 60 tomorrow! I have no clue how the weather is doing that but its great. This weekend is our big recruitment trip which means a long weekend and not a lot of sleep lol. Hopefully the cards fall in our favor there.

Home finished out nicely. The Sabres disgraced themselves against Ottawa. It really was just stupid how bad they messed up. But we had fun and the next day the Casino with my Dad was good. We went to DUFF's for chicken wings after. I'm pretty sure my stomach is still on fire from the hot sauce. Hanging with my friends and family took up the rest of the week and it was very enjoyable.

Song Of The Day: In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: Part 3 , Coheed & Cambria

Nationals & Home

2008-03-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

I haven't been on in awhile due to the fact I was at Mens Nationals in Miami, OH. It was incredible. Doyle, Kevin, Shawn, and Chris all did amazing and it was incredible to see swimmers with the talent they have and go that fast. There were many memorable moments, probably the best though was Nick going 80 and almost passing a state trooper. Yea we got pulled over.

Home has been good. Easter was fun with the family and there were a lot of people here which made things intersting. Tonight James & I are going to see the Sabres hopefully kill Ottawa. If they lose their playoff chances really will be hurting.

Lets Go Buffalo!

Song Of The Moment: Frolic Room, 311 (Album: Don't Tread On Me)

Justin Timberlakes Future Sex/Love Sounds

2008-03-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

I have never been someone who has been into pop music. Not that its bad more I've been a rock guy, but Justin Timberlakes album FSLS is absolutely incredible. The rap like singing mixed with amazing rhythm lines and really good synthesizer work really is fantastic on this album. The quick mixes and switches from part to part are also really impressive. It has a very funkadelic sound with good musicianship in parts. It shouldn't be a surprise that this album is as successful as it has been. Timberlake has hit a new level in terms of stardom musically. I have been blown away by it needless to say.

(Song Of The Day: The Entire Album Future Sex/Loves Sounds, Justin Timberlake.)

Tornado's & Such

2008-03-15T06:20:00.000-07:00

So yeah I guess a Tornado kicked the shit out of Atlanta. I never thought a Tornado could ever hit a city but it happened. I mean a frickin Tornado just came down and was like peace out and beat the crap out of the city. It is very sad now because have been hurt and died and this seems alot more serious then it did at first.

Song Of The Day: My Names Is Jonas, Weezer (album: Weezer-Blue Album)

Song Of The Day

2008-03-13T14:24:00.001-07:00

Song Of The Day: Eyes Open, Snow Patrol (album-eyes open)

Song Of The Day

2008-03-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

Bourne on the FM Waves of the Heart, Against Me! (album: new wave)

Against Me, My Computer, & WTF The Sabres Are Doing.

2008-03-12T20:09:00.000-07:00

The new Against Me! album I must say has blown me away. Away is a bit of that raw screaming and a more mature sound while still staying with the past he songs have a very anthem like sound and that seem to fit the world we live in. The song Stop questions politican's rush to decesions while you have the dramatic build in Bourne on the FM Waves which really questions the inner person which in today's society seems to be something people mask a lot. From the first song to the last it really sticks with you and it makes me happy to know Rolling Stone rated it the 9th best album of 2007 and SPIN Mag gave it the #1 rating.

I idiotically left my computer power chord back in Buffalo and it sucks. I appreciate those who are helping me in this struggle which won't end until Friday but it really is pissing me off.

The Sabres. I have been a fan since effectively birth. This season has been espically rough with the losses of Briere and Drury and the continue fall of a team that had soo much potential. We got creamed tonight against Pittsburgh falling 7-3 which really is depressing. Hopefully they manage to pull something out so we can have the joy of spring time hockey.

My First Blog

2008-03-10T13:05:00.001-07:00

Today is a historic day, Im making my first blog, and as of right.. now its done.