Jacks Mannequin - August 1st, 2009

Show Review/Photos: Jack's Mannequin
Date: August 1st, 2009
Venue: Shoreline Ampitheatre (San Francisco)
Conducted By: James Grant (mailto:%20jamesgrant2009@gmail.com)

Whoever might have said that full-size acoustic pianos don’t belong onstage in bands these days has obviously never seen Jack’s Mannequin live in concert.

Headed by Andrew McMahon, the piano-pounding wunderkind originally of the Southern California piano punk band Something Corporate, Jack’s Mannequin delivered a powerfully moving performance complete with punk piano-top antics and a killer cover of Tom Petty’s song “American Girl.”

Onstage, McMahon defied the traditional schoolgirl embodiment of the piano, bringing with it a fresh new perspective on true stage presence and musical tenacity. Not only did McMahon show supremacy on the ivory keys, but he also transformed his brown baby grand piano into more than an instrument, using it as a prop, climbing atop at several points during the performance, and ending a few songs by stamping up and down the worn black and white keys.

In the same set, though, Jack’s Mannequin was able to pull the crowd’s poignant side in with slower songs like “Swim” and “Rescued,” from both their debut album Everything In Transit and their sophomore record, The Glass Passenger, which was released in September of 2008. The slower songs showed the band’s ability to capture a sentiment and convey it to the crowd in the slower songs, through sheer fervor that could be heard in McMahon’s voice and seen on all band members’ faces.

Not to be left out, guitarist Bobby ‘Raw’ Anderson’s audacious guitar solo in the cover of Tom Petty’s song “American Girl” got the fans screaming, which was only compelled by McMahon’s keyboard-stomping, drummer Jay McMillen’s flawless beats and bassist Jonathan 'Dr. J' Sullivan’s slick stage presence.

Jack’s Mannequin’s unique sound and onstage presence won’t be forgotten by their fans and will compel the members of the audience who had never heard of them to start listening.


Bandology.net would like to extend a big thank you to Tracy Giang at Warner Bros Publicity for her hard work in coordinating this show review and photo opp. Also, the Shoreline Amphitheater staff was very helpful as well.

James Grant
www.myspace.com/syntheseyesphoto
www.flickr.com/photos/jamesgrant2009
www.twitter.com/jamesgrant2009

Billboards Top 200 Albums - August 5, 2009

Here are some of the Billboard Top 200 albums this week:

Kings Of Leon Only By The Night 48,000 (1,045,000)
Green Day 21st Century Breakdown 18,000 (721,000)
All Time Low Nothing Personal 10,000 (105,000)
Katy Perry One Of The Boys 9,000 (1,102,000)
Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix 7,500 (95,000)
Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage 7,500 (108,000)
Warped Tour Compilation 2009 6,500 (60,000)
Incubus Monuments & Melodies 6,000 (126,000)
Silversun Pickups Swoon 5,000 (143,000)
August Burns Red Constellations 4,500 (33,000)
Rise Against Appeal To Reason 4,000 (296,000)
Kanye West 808s & Hearbreak 3,500 (1,583,000)
LMFAO Party Rock 3,500 (25,000)
Parachute Losing Sleep 3,000 (45,000)
Job For A Cowboy Ruination 3,000 (24,000)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs It's Blitz! 3,000 (148,000)
A Day To Remember Homesick 2,800 (107,000)
Set Your Goals This Will Be.... 2,700 (10,000)
The Devil Wears Prada With Roots Above.... 2,700 (78,000)
All That Remains Overcome 2,500 (187,000)
Blue October Approaching Normal 2,500 (105,000)
Mars Volta Octahedron 2,400 (51,000)

Top Debuts

Fabolous Loso's Way 99,000
Divine Heresy Bringer Of Plagues 3,100
George Thorogood The Dirty Dozen 2,700
Death Before Dishonor Better Ways To Die 800
Bad Boy Bill Album 600

More Albums

Four Year Strong Explaiins It All 1,950 (6,500)
Safetysuit Life Left To Go 1,700 (49,000)
The Maine Can't Stop Won't Stop 1,400 (90,000)
Valencia We All Need A Reason 1,300 (19,500)
There For Tomorrow Little Faster 1,200 (10,000)
The White Tie Affair Walk This Way 1,100 (68,000)
He Is Legend It Hates You 1,000 (5,000)
Bring Me The Horizon Suicide Season 1,000 (66,500)
Hey Monday Hold On Tight 1,000 (57,500)
Mandy K Mandy K 1,000 (4,500)
Attack Attack! Someday Came Suddenly 1,000 (46,500)
Thriving Ivory Thriving Ivory 800 (143,000)
The Cab Whisper War 800 (64,500)
Darkest Hour Eternal Return 750 (11,000)
Meg & Dia Here Here & Here 700 (15,500)
Cash Cash Take It To The Floor 700 (13,000)
Sing It Loud Come Around 650 (15,500)
The Word Alive Empire 600 (2,500)
Barcelona Absolutes 600 (5,500)
VersaEmerge VersaEmerge 600 (9,500)
Innerpartysystem Innerpartysystem 600 (30,500)
Barely Blind My Life With A Giant 550 (3,300)
I Set My Friends On Fire You Can't Spell... 550 (21,000)
Eyes Set To Kill World Outside 500 (9,000)
P.O.S. Never Better 500 (25,000)
I See Stars 3D 450 (12,300)

Advertising In CDs - Great Idea!

Billboard.com is reporting that Island Def Jam will include advertising in the new Mariah Carey album that is set to be released on September 15th. Great idea!

I just want to say that I've had this idea since 2006. The idea of incorporating sponsors and/or ads on a run of CDs would cut costs and keep money in the artists hands. This can even work on the local/unsigned level.

IDJ is taking a bigger step by incorporating 34-page booklet which is sponsored by Elle magazine. There are other branded companies within the booklet. It's not your typical "ad" campaign. To me, it's less intruding. The article says IDJ is working on similar ideas for Bon Jovi, Rihanna and Kayne West new albums.

But I don't understand why everyone is up-in-arms over this. Bob Lefsetz says in his blog that, "I truly thought this was a joke." He goes on to say, "If you can tell me how an ad in a CD booklet enhances the listening experience, I’m all ears." Bob, it doesn't enhance the listening experience. It's adapting to the current state of the music business without taking more money out of the artists pocket.

If these sponsorship/ad ideas help labels from NOT taking more money out of the artists hands (360-deals), then I'm all for it. This is exactly what labels should be doing. As a matter of fact, I've said for years that you can create a whole label built on sponsors/ads! As long as the artist was ok with working with the companies, why not? I would let my band have a logo of Honest Tea on the inside/back of their CD if they got a few $1,000 from it to help pay for manufacturing. Why not?

Plus, you would most likely have the companies supporting the artists on their websites and other marketing materials. Mariah's new album booklet will be included in a smaller form in over 500,000 Elle subscribers magazines. That could expose her to 10,000's of new fans!

Ad-supported models are popping up everywhere (no pun intended). I first came up with this plan in 2006 when I was planning to start a label. To offset costs, I wanted to bring in sponsors and advertisers on each run of CDs. I'm glad to see the labels starting to find other ways to make money other than taking it from the artists or the fans with higher prices.

On a fan level, how many of you would care about seeing advertising or sponsorship logos in your jewel cases?

No Doubt, Paramore Concert Review & Photos

Show Review/Photos: No Doubt - Paramore - The Sounds
Date: July 24th, 2009
Venue: Marysville Sleep Train Ampitheatre (Wheatland, CA)
Conducted By: James Grant (jamesgrant2009@gmail.com)

On July 24 2009, thousands of diverse fans packed the Marysville Sleep Train Amphitheatre for what would be one of the venue’s biggest summer concert events.

The Sounds, a Swedish band also fronted by a woman, opened the show for the night with a pop-laced and high-energy set (not pictured).


After The Sounds, Paramore’s Hayley Williams’ omniscient stage presence, fiery orange hair and intrepid attitude immediately set fire to both the stage and the crowd. With a set that included hits like “Misery Business” and “Decode,” all the Paramore fans in the crowd had their thirst quenched.


Following Paramore’s flammable performance, the lights dimmed and a huge white curtain was lowered across the front of the stage. After a drawn-out set change, a blaze of white light illuminated the curvaceous silhouette of No Doubt’s icon lead singer, Gwen Stefani. The white curtain dropped, exposing a dramatic space-age stage setup. A huge spider-like drum platform spanned back half of the stage, the legs of which served as walkways.


Stefani and the rest of the band members were dressed in all-white costumes with black trim. Stefani sported a slightly baggy white tuxedo jacket which she shed after the first couple songs (much to the entertainment of the male audience members), exposing a cutoff tank top.


No Doubt’s two-hour set thrived on Stefani’s raw theatrical and musical talent, something that the diehard fans in the house had missed during the band’s absence from the music scene. Any appetite that the fans had mustered during that absence was overfed by the performance, and no fan left unsatisfied.


Bandology.net would like to extend a big thank you to Chris Martinez of LiveNation for his hard work in coordinating this show review and photo opp.

James Grant
www.myspace.com/syntheseyesphoto
www.flickr.com/photos/jamesgrant2009

Paper Route: MTVu Video Candidate

Paper Route was only the second #1 unsigned band on TheDailyChorus. I remember talking with JT, the lead singer, on the phone in early 2008 before picking them #1 because I didn't know much about them. I didn't know if they were a "hobby" band or were pursuing a music career. I just couldn't understand how a band with so much talent and a great sound was not covered on any other website like Pitchfork or Stereogum. There had to be a reason.

Apparently, there wasn't.

Since their #1 rank, they have signed to Universal Motown and have been captivating crowds with their live show. They even picked up support from bands they didn't even know like OneRepublic, Shiny Toy Guns and Paramore. That means you're doing something right.

Below is their video for their great song Carousel. Please head to the MTVu Video Voting Page to vote for Paper Route this week. Let's get them on MTVu's rotation. I promise they will be big.



Buy Carousel for .99 cents ------>

Set Your Goals Interview - July 18th, 2009

Interview: Set Your Goals
Date: July 18th, 2009
Venue: The Reverb, Toronto, ON
Conducted by: Brandon Allin

Brandon Allin, pit reporter for The Daily Chorus, had an opportunity to sit down with members of the punk rock sextet Set Your Goals before their performance in Toronto on July 18th, 2009. The band discussed their sudden, yet unexpected emergence onto the scene, their history as a touring band, and the release of their new record, This Will Be the Death of Us, which is available in stores now via Epitaph Records.

I'm sitting here with two of the guys from the punk rock powerhouse Set Your Goals. How are you folks doing today?

JS: Not bad at all.

JB: I'm doing great. We're happy to be in Toronto.

We're happy to have you here. Before we get started, why don't the two of you go ahead and introduce yourselves for those unfamiliar with your band.

JS: I'm Joe (Saucedo), and I play bass for Set Your Goals.

JB: I'm Jordan (Brown), and I am one of the co-vocalists for Set Your Goals.

We're a little under a week into this tour, where you're joined by the likes of Four Year Strong, Fireworks, The Swellers, Polar Bear Club, and the list goes on. How have things been going thus far?

JS: It's been great so far. When we kicked things off, it didn't feel like a tour at all. It felt more like an excuse to hang out with a bunch of close friends. With that said, the shows have been fucking awesome; Four Year Strong are killing it. We played in Chicago and Detroit the last couple of nights, and the crowds were insane.

What can the kids who come out to these shows expect to see from your performance on a nightly basis?

JB: Lots of energy from all the bands on this tour. The room is filled with an intense vibe for probably 3-4 hours every night. From our set, you can expect to hear a lot of new songs. I'd say about half of the set is made up of new material, and the other half is old songs. We're just trying to spread the word on the new music we've written, and hopefully people get into it like they did with Mutiny!

Do you prefer organizing and routing your own tour in the summer, as opposed to something like Warped Tour?

JS: I think we definitely prefer it this way. We get to bring up the towns and cities we're interested in playing, and our booking agent tries to work around that. On the other hand, being on Warped Tour is kind of like a constant headache. It's always so hot, and you're constantly working, so it's a little bit draining. This way, we kind of get to do our own thing and hang out in different cities every night.

Your debut full-length, Mutiny!, garnered a pretty incredible response upon release. Was that kind of recognition and success something you expected, or did it all come as more of a surprise?

JB: In part, it was definitely a surprise. We had no idea it was going to take off the way it did. When we were writing the album, all we wanted to do was tour and play shows. We were psyched enough on the music ourselves, that through our own excitement over our material other people started to take notice, and it all kind of just escalated from there.

You have a new record entitled This Will Be the Death of Us prepped to hit shelves on July 21st via Epitaph Records. What can fans expect from your sophomore effort?

JS: I think it's a more mature record, from which you can expect very similar lyrical content. We've always been about having a good time, but at the same time, expressing what's on our minds. With that said, the musicianship is definitely miles ahead of where it was. The songs are faster, and a lot heavier at times. It's more mature, but it still has the whole Set Your Goals vibe to it.

From what I understand, you had a handful of guests lending their vocals to the album, including Jon Gula from Turmoil, Chad Gilbert from New Found Glory, Vinnie Caruana from I Am the Avalanche, and Hayley Williams from Paramore. Did they come to you expressing an interest to join forces, or how did you go about selecting who you wanted to appear on the record?

JB: Well, we're all such good friends with everyone, we approached each of them individually and invited them to hop aboard. They all knew what we were up to, cooped up in the studio working on the record. As far as deciding who appeared on the album, we kind of just thought to ourselves about whose voices would sound cool where as we were developing the songs. We'd write a part, and then an idea of having someone make an appearance would pop into our heads. It was a lot of fun, because everybody was really excited when they were recording their parts. Hayley, Jon, and Vinnie did their parts in other studios, and Chad and I worked on his part in the studio with Mike (Green).

In the past, you've drawn what feels like endless comparisons to Four Year Strong. How do you feel about those, and do you think This Will Be the Death of Us will help to further bridge the gap between the two bands?

JS: It's interesting you say that, because we feel like everyone who listens to our bands is constantly trying to compare one another. It's like there's always been a tiny bit of tension between the two bands, which has nothing to do with any of us, but because of what people say about our bands. With that said, I don't find that we're clones of each other or anything along those lines. To me, we have two entirely different sounds. Not to mention, they're from the Boston area, and we're from California.

JB: As for the new record, I think it will help separate us a little more, and I also think that their new record will have a similar effect. I think we're both developing our own sounds. However, musically, we both come from the same backgrounds, so there's always going to be slight similarities between the two. With that said, we're both slowly establishing our own identities. It will be cool to look back in a few years on how we were both apart of the same scene, but we both went on to do our own things.

Musically speaking, you seem to blend punk rock, hardcore, and pop punk almost seamlessly. Is that kind of diversity in your sound something you strive for when writing a new album?

JB: Definitely. We want to write music that's a lot of fun to play, so whatever we're having fun listening to ourselves, that is what is going to make it onto our records. I think our sound just kind of comes together itself through the wide array of music we all listen to. With this new record, I think every song holds it own. Mutiny! was more of a cohesive effort, whereas here if you take a song like "Gaia Bleeds," which is heavy and intense, and holds a powerful message, and then you skip to the second to last trick, it's made up of nothing but an electric and acoustic guitar. We wanted to focus on one sound per song, not a set sound for the album as a whole.

Earlier this year, you inked a deal with Epitaph Records. What fueled the decision to sign there?

JS: For us, I think it was kind of a no-brainer. We had other options, but everyone in our band has been listening to Epitaph's roster for years now, and we wanted to be a part of that. Not to mention, Brett Gurewitz has been an amazing guy since day one, and everyone else who works there are great people who are willing to work just as hard as we are. We love that they put the same amount of attention into their roster as an entirety, whereas other labels might just primarily focus on one band. They're just a hardworking label, and with Brett being in Bad Religion, he knows what it's like to be in a touring band. That's why for me it felt like a no-brainer.

When you found yourselves as free agents, were there a handful of labels trying to scoop you up?

JB: Not really. The only other label that has ever really looked out for us was Fueled by Ramen. John Janick has been behind our band since the very beginning. For a while, we wanted to see if we could work something out with them, but signing with Epitaph felt right from a musical perspective. Not to mention, as Joe said, all of the people there are a lot of fun to work with.

You folks joined New Found Glory earlier this year on their headlining tour. How did it feel to share the stage with arguably the undisputed kings of modern pop punk night after night?

JS: It was amazing. We've become pretty close friends with the guys in New Found Glory over the years, but it's still kind of crazy to think about, considering the reputation and success they had built for themselves while we were growing up. Not to mention, they are a lot of fun to watch every night. They put on an unbelievable show. It seems like no matter what kind of days they're having, as soon as they hit the stage the music speaks entirely for itself. They have crowds hyped from the minute the first chord hits to the very end. It was an honor to go out with them.

With that in mind, is there anyone in particular you're itching to tour with?

JB: Well, we've already had the opportunity to tour with so many great bands, it's hard to think of someone. In fact, I could probably list every band we've ever played with if I tried to. For the most part, we've played with every band we've ever wanted to, including Less than Jake, Anti-Flag, Gorilla Biscuits, Paramore, Lifetime, Crime in Stereo, No Trigger, and the list goes on. With that said, it would be exciting to go out with somebody like Jimmy Eat World or The Offspring, or someone like that.

That's all I have for you today. Is there anything you'd like to add before we go our separate ways?

JS: If you haven't already, check out the new Fireworks record. It's been out for a little bit already, but it's definitely one that will grow on you. Also, The Swellers have a new album coming out pretty soon on Fueled by Ramen, and Four Year Strong are putting out a cover record in a couple of days. Lastly, take a listen to Smartbomb, a band from Worcester who are good friends with Four Year Strong.

JB: Also, check out Canada's own, Grave Maker. They're on this tour, and they've been killing it every night.

Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us today.

JB: Thank you.

JS: Thanks a lot.

Set Your Goals' new album, This Will Be the Death of Us, is available in stores worldwide courtesy of Epitaph Records. For more information Set Your Goals, please visit MYSPACE.COM/SETYOURGOALS, or follow the band on Twitter at TWITTER.COM/THEREALSYG.

The Daily Chorus would like to extend our utmost gratification to Juan Ramirez for his hard work in coordinating this interview.

Top 5 Weekly Songs

***Click on the iTunes link to hear song clips***

1. Silversun Pickups "The Royal We" - This is the third week in a row with a Silversun song in the top five. I have no idea if this song is the next single or not but I can't stop listening to it. This makes me realize how much I miss bands that can write emotional lyrical content. Bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails and The Cure were the masters at it. Silversun could be that new breed. "I swear we fell in love but not the first time....." (Dangerbird)

2. Barely Blind "Panic Attacks Are Normal" - This is my favorite song off their EP My Life With A Giant. This band has made it on the Billboard Heatseeker chart for the last 3 weeks. They hit as high as #57 (twice). This band was in the last issue of Substream and seem to have the work ethic to take it to the next level. Listen to this song. (TDR Records)

3. Dredg "I Don't Know" - I fell in love with this band on Taste Of Chaos '05. Yeah, it was a weird tour for them but watching them every night made me a fan. Their new release didn't get a lot of press and I'm just now starting to listen to it. I describe this band as a cross between MuteMath and Anberlin. If you like those bands, you should like this one. (Ohlone Recordings)

4. Hello Hollywood "Kids Undercover" - This is a new Phoenix band that will be on the national scene soon. If you like bands like Every Avenue and Quietdrive, you'll like Hello Hollywood. Their local shows are bringing in the crowds and it's starting to branch into Orange County. Put this band on your radar. (Unsigned)

5. Anberlin "Breaking" - This song is starting to climb the rock radio charts as their song Feel Good Drag hit #2 earlier in the year. I'll never forget the first time I saw Anberlin live in 2005. I was in awe and every show since has been the same. Hands down, one of the best live bands out there. Let's watch commercial radio carry this song up the charts. (Universal Republic)

Have any songs of the week suggestions? Email them to timtowner77@gmail.com. If you're an unsigned band, include the song.

Kurt Cobain: Rewind To Fame, Family & Death

Don't ask me what came over me but I wanted to do this "rewind" on Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. Here are some YouTube videos on Kurt:

Kurt on fame and press distortions:



Kurt gets his butt kicked by a bouncer (around 2:15):



Dave Grohl's first show (1990):



Kurt, Courtney, Francis Bean family pictures w/Foo Fighters Miracle playing:



NBC coverage of Kurt's death:




Words to Kurt's suicide note:




My favorite Nirvana song called Dumb (...I'm not like them but I can pretend...):



Leave some comments. Tell me if this was cool, dumb (no pun intended) or just plain random.

Bands Need Twitter And Here Is Why

There seems to be a lot of debate on just how effective Twitter marketing compares to MySpace and Facebook for bands and businesses in general. Drum roll please....I have some results.

According to this recent article, businesses are now including their Twitter accounts in their email marketing more than Facebook. In January 2009, Facebook held over a 2-to-1 margin on Twitter. What does this mean? Businesses feel that Twitter is more effective in, not only getting their message out to their customers, but to connect with their customers.

Here is a real-life example of Twitter's effectiveness:

This very website, Bandology.net, started a mere 19 days ago. At the top of this blog post is an actual Google Analytics page for the top ten sites referring visitors to Bandology.net (click on it). As you can see, Twitter has brought more visitors to Bandology.net than any other site by a wide margin. Out of the 3,865 visitors to the site, 2,820 were referred from other sites. Out of those 2,820, 57% (1,609 visits) were from Twitter. MySpace and Facebook (combined) account for 15% of the referred visitors to this site. As you can see, Twitter is far more effective with Bandology.net marketing than any other site (at least in the first 19 days).

This matches the trend of businesses using their Twitter accounts more in email marketing over Facebook or any other social network. Twitter seems to be more effective for businesses as well.

Bands, this means you better have a Twitter account and you need to use it effectively (future blog post about this topic). Twitter is great at getting the latest news out but it's also a great way to connect to fans on a personal level.

5 Band MySpace Tips To Make More From iTunes

***This article is geared towards bands but any label or blogger can use these same steps to make extra money selling music.***

Would you like to make more money promoting your music with the iTunes logo on your MySpace? Or how about any site? How about making money promoting ANYTHING on iTunes? Want to know how? Read below!

If you're unfamiliar with affiliate marketing, that's ok. You can read up on it on Wikipedia or just keep reading. Basically, affiliate marketing means companies pay you a commission for promoting their products and/or websites. iTunes is one such company. You become an "affiliate" by "working" for the company as a middle man. As you refer people to iTunes (through clicks on your MySpace), a code is embedded on your site so iTunes knows that person came from your MySpace. In turn, they pay you 5% for anything that person buys for 120 days. You heard that right...for 120 days or 3 months.

What?? How do you sign up?? Easy!

1. Register - You have to register with an affiliate company called Linkshare. Linkshare is the ONLY company that works with iTunes affiliates. Make sure you list all sites that you want to promote the iTunes logo and/or links to your music (Myspace, Purevolume, personal sites, blogs, etc.). There is a lot of information to fill out with Linkshare including tax information. But you do want to make extra money, right?

2. Apply - Once your Linkshare account is set up, click on "programs." Then, in the upper right corner, you see the box that says "advertiser search." Type in "itunes." The iTunes affiliate box will appear. There will be a click box for "apply." Click on it and you have just applied to be an iTunes affiliate. Almost all music-related sites will get approved within 3 days (most will in the same day). Once you get your approval email from iTunes, you are ready to make some money with your band, label or blog!

3. Get Code - Once you're approved, click on "programs" then "my advertisers." There, you will see the iTunes program. Click on "view links" and there will be instructions on how to embed your iTunes logo and links with your affiliate code. That means anytime anyone clicks on your iTune links to buy your music, you will get 5% back from every purchase. But that includes purchases from any band, not just yours! The code is good for 120 days (3 months). Yes, you heard that right.

Remember, the most you can ever get back from your iTune sales as a band is 70% because iTunes takes 30% per sale. By being an iTunes affiliate, your fans purchases gets you back 75% per sale (add the extra 5% by being an affiliate).

4. Get Your iTunes Album URL - You can simply promote the iTunes logo/links on your sites and get credit for any sale. But if you want the clicks to go directly to your bands iTunes store, make sure you include your iTunes URL in the embedded code. To obtain your iTunes store URL, simply call up your album in the iTunes store. Right click on the picture of your album and copy your album URL. That URL will take people directly to your album on iTunes. Use that URL to embed with the affiliate code. Sound confusing? Anyone with programming/coding experience can easily help you.

5. Promote - Take your coded iTunes logos/links and put them on every social network that promotes your music (MySpace, Purevolume, etc.). You can also use the code in your Twitter posts! Use your embedded codes in your email blasts, newsletters, blogs and the list goes on. Remember, you get 5% on ANY purchase even if it's not your band's music.

***Bonus - There are a lot of music companies that Linkshare works with so if your merchandise, ringtones, mp3s etc. are on other sites that they work with, you will make commission promoting those companies on your band's sites.***

Silversun Pickups On Letterman

My love for the Silversun Pickups is definitely not going unnoticed on this blog. Their song Panic Switch has been in my Top 5 Weekly Songs back-to-back and their album Swoon (Dangerbird Records -album of the year?) is played non-stop in my car and office. Swoon has sold 138,000 copies off the first single.

Here is their recent performance on Letterman. Catch the drummer's amazingly high cymbal and Letterman's confusion at the end. Great performance!



Buy Panic Switch or Swoon here ----->

Billboards Top 200 Albums - July 29, 2009

Here are some select albums from this week's Billboard Top 200 charts plus the top debut albums:

Demi Lovato Here We Go Again 108,000 (108,000)

Kings Of Leon Only By The Night 39,000 (998,000)

Rob Thomas Cradlesong 20,000 (207,000)

Green Day 21st Century Breakdown 18,500 (705,000)

All Time Low Nothing Personal 13,500 (95,500)

Warped Tour Compilation 2009 10,000 (53,000)

Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage 9,500 (100,000)

August Burns Red Constellations 8,500 (29,000)

Hollywood Undead Swan Songs 8,500 (472,000)

Owl City Ocean Eyes 8,500 (26,000)

3OH!3 Want 8,000 (298,000)

Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus 7,000 (87,000)

Cage The Elephant Cage The Elephant 6,500 (76,000)

Silversun Pickups Swoon 6,500 (138,000)

Job For A Cowboy Ruination 5,000 (21,000)

All-American Rejects When The World Comes Down 3,500 (451,000)

The Devil Wears Prada With Roots Above... 3,000 (76,000)

Marilyn Manson High End Of Low 3,000 (100,000)

All That Remains Overcome 3,000 (184,000)

Parachute Losing Sleep 3,000 (42,000)

Top Debuts

Our Lady Peace Burn Burn 10,500

Set Your Goals This Will Be The Death Of Us 7,000

Sugar Ray Music For Cougars 5,500

Portugal The Man Satanic Satanist 5,500

Four Year Strong Explains It All 4,100

He Is Legend It Hates You 3,800

The Word Alive Empire 1,900

For The Fallen Dreams Relentless 1,200

Memphis May Fire Sleepwalking 800

More Artists

Hey Monday Hold On Tight 1,500 (56,500)

Mandy K Mandy K 950 (3,100)

Dance Gavin Dance Happiness 900 (9,200)

The Scenic Find Yourself Here 900 (5,200)

Barcelona Absolutes 900 (4,800)

Barely Blind My Life With A Giant 850 (2,800)

The White Tie Affair Walk This Way 750 (66,500)

There For Tomorrow Little Faster 700 (8,500)

The Cab Whisper War 700 (63,500)

This Providence Who Are You Now? 650 (11,500)

Versaemerge Versaemerge 650 (9,000)

The Friday Night Boys Off The Deep End 600 (9,000)

Eyes Set To Kill World Outside 600 (8,200)

Sing It Loud Come Around 575 (15,000)

Innerpartysystem IPS 550 (30,000)

Any surprises?

Jonas Sees In Color - Why You Should Care

Jonas Sees In Color hails from North Carolina but why should you care? They just signed to Glassnote Records. Still don't care? You should. Daniel Glass runs the label.

I'm a big fan of Daniel Glass and what he has done for this music industry in the last 20+ years. Glass started Glassnote Records waaaaaay back in 2007. In just 2 short years, he has brought the world the music of Secondhand Serenade. Secondhand has sold over 2 million singles and 400,000 albums worldwide since signing to Glassnote.

Daniel Glass found another gem that is now on everyone's "buzz meter." Ever heard of that French band Phoenix? Their album has sold over 80,000 copies in the last 10 weeks. Their song Lisztomania is one of my Top 5 Songs of the Week. They are also on Glassnote Records.

Daniel Glass has had his hand in the careers of artists like Billy Idol, Sinead O'Connor, Blur, Reel Big Fish, Erykah Badu, Huey Lewis & The News, Pat Benetar, Vanilla Ice and many more. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Glass in his office in 2008. I learned more in that hour than I did that whole year. He is big on songwriting and doesn't care about numbers, sales or where the artist is from. A sales history can be built but songwriting can't be taught.

Daniel Glass says that A and A- songs don't sell. Only A+ songs sell. Using a co-writer to turn your A- song to an A+ isn't always a bad idea. As a matter of fact, it is almost a must.

Daniel Glass also builds artists for the worldwide market, not just here in the U.S. Look at Secondhand's sold out shows across the globe. Glass then takes the chance of signing Phoenix, a band from Paris. And guess what? They are already breaking here in the States (and are booked till late November without a single U.S. date).

The point of this article is tell you that we should always be watching what Daniel Glass is signing. He is the former President of EMI and Universal but he always had an indie mind. Even though he was the head of major labels, he always hired indie-minded people. He builds bands from the ground up. You may not know who Jonas Sees In Color is right now. But chances are they will be a household name within a few years. Be one of the first to follow this band.

Four Year Strong Interview - July 18, 2009

Interview: Four Year Strong
Date: July 18th, 2009
Venue: The Reverb, Toronto, Ontario
Conducted by: Brandon Allin

Brandon Allin, pit reporter for The Daily Chorus, had an opportunity to chat with Boston quintet Four Year Strong before the Toronto stop of the Gig Life tour on July 18th, 2009. The band discussed their new 90s cover record Explains it All, their sudden success, and even joked about their favorite 90s memorabilia. For the full interview, please read on.

I'm sitting here with two of the guys from Boston's finest, Four Year Strong. How are you guys doing today?

AD: I'm doing good. We're happy to be in Toronto.

DO: Good. How are you?

I'm great. We're happy to have you here. For those who read this who may not be familiar with Four Year Strong, why don't you both introduce yourselves?

DO: I'm Dan (O'Connor), and I sing and play guitar.

AD: I'm Alan (Day), and I also sing and play guitar.

You guys have a new record coming out on in just a few days entitled Explains it All, which is comprised entirely of 90s cover songs. Where did the idea for that come from?

DO: Well, we've always been super stoked on songs from the 90s. Alan and I are always playing them, and we're always listening to them in the van and whatnot. But the first time I remember someone pitching the idea of doing a record like this, we were doing a Denny's thing on one of our last tours, and we had an acoustic guitar and we were just playing a ton of random 90s songs. We all thought to ourselves about doing it then, we know how much fun it would be, so it just sort of came together. The idea just got planted in our heads.

It seems like every time I see a post about this record, half of the response is kids boiling over with excitement, and the other half is what seems like endless complaints about not having any new material to listen to. Just to set the record straight, do you have a new record in the works?

DO: Absolutely. We're in the midst of working on a new record, which we're going to go and record when this tour wraps up, but it won't be out until the winter. This 90s cover record is just something we did to give kids more to listen to in between albums. We have tons of stuff written, and we did some demos before this tour.

AD: We're really stoked on what we have so far.

How did you go about selecting which songs would appear on Explains it All?

AD: That was tough. We had a list of literally hundreds of songs. There were actually some songs we didn't plan to do until we got into the studio, like "Fly," "Ironic," and the No Doubt cover. When we got in there, we just realized there were a handful of songs we could do in a really cool way, so we ran with them.

DO: There were a bunch of songs that we planned on doing when we entered the studio, but when we got in there, we knew it wouldn't work. For example, we were going to do Metallica's "King Nothing," but that didn't work out, and we also thought about covering Rage Against the Machine, but we realized we couldn't rap. [Laughs]

[Laughs] Which songs on the record would you say are your favorites?

DO: That's tough. My top three would probably be "Semi-Charmed Life," "Ironic," and "She's So High."

AD: I love "Roll to Me," that's always been one of my favorite songs. "So Much for the Afterglow" came out really cool," and I love "Ironic," as well.

You mentioned there were some songs you toyed around with that didn't make the cut. What were some of those?

DO: Well, the Rage Against the Machine and Metallica songs I mentioned were the two we took into the studio that were actually on the list, but neither of them worked out in the end. We just knew while we were working on them that it wasn't going to happen. But besides those, we had hundreds of songs we contemplated doing.

With the exception of the Reach the Sky cover, the track list is comprised of fairly recognizable songs. What fueled the decision to put "She Really Loved You" on there, amidst all the smash hits from the 90s?

DO: We know it's the one song kids might not know, but we talked about doing songs from the 90s that influenced us, and songs we grew up on. Reach the Sky being a local band, we saw them play countless times, and so we wanted to pay tribute to a band that inspired us.

AD: Exactly. We wanted to a handful of hits that everyone knew and loved, but there was also so much music from the 90s that we all listened to that we could cover, so we wanted to put at least one on there that influenced us from a whole other end of the spectrum. That's where "She Really Loved You" came into play.

I'm just throwing this out there, but I think you folks could have done spectacular renditions of "Inside Out" by Eve 6, and "Everything You Want" by Vertical Horizon.

DO: Believe it or not, we thought about doing both of those. Vertical Horizon are actually from the Worcester area, which is where we're from.

AD: Trust me, we thought about doing every song you could possibly imagine. The list of songs we had made up was insane. We went through it and messed around with all of them. But who knows, maybe we'll do a part two? Probably not, but maybe. [Laughs]

DO: We could call it Explained it All. [Laughs]

[Laughs] I noticed you're giving away 90s-inspired ball-chain necklaces with the pre-orders for this record.

AD: We wanted them to be the really big, tight, choker type ones, but they couldn't fit the little pendants on them.

[Laughs] With that in mind, what are some other things that take you back to the glory days?

DO: Ecto coolers and pogs.

AD: Chain wallets and Skip-It.

DO: Skip-It was more from the 80s.

AD: Was it?

DO: That was another thing. Kids would send us pictures of all kinds of stuff that was definitely from the 80s, like troll dolls and Nintendo and stuff.

AD: Yeah, but a lot of those things were 90s for us I guess, considering we were barely alive in the 80s.

[Laughs] This is all coming off the strength of your sophomore effort, Rise or Die Trying, which more or less exploded onto the scene almost two years ago. Looking back, was that kind of success and recognition something you expected, or did it come as more of a surprise?

DO: Even when the record was finished, and it was just about to come out, we were still hustling CDs every day after shows asking kids if they wanted a copy, and most of them said no. When we did the record, we had signed to I Surrender because we just wanted to be a real band and tour and make music. We had no idea it was going to amount to anything, except for maybe us playing more shows.

AD: We've already been a band for almost nine years now, so when Rise or Die Trying came out, we had already been a band for what felt like forever. We had been touring for years already, so when we put out the album, we didn't expect anything significant to happen, but it went way better than we ever could have imagined.

Earlier this year, you inked a deal with Pete Wentz's imprint label, Decaydence Records. How did that happen?

DO: Just to clear something up, we're still with I Surrender Records as well, we're just a part of both labels now. The reason we signed with I Surrender to begin with was because we were working with Rob (Hitt), who used to play in Midtown, who is just a hardworking dude whose band started out as kids the same way we did. He worked for everything he got, and Pete is the exact same way. He was just a normal kid who started a band, his band got big, built a crazy following, and accomplished all this crazy fucking shit. He does the things he does because he loves them, so the way we saw it is we'd rather have someone who loves our band working for us than some random dude sitting behind a desk.

Did you have a handful of labels trying to scoop you up after the success of Rise or Die Trying?

AD: No, not really. It's all been very low-key.

DO: There wasn't that much interest. We were on I Surrender, and Pete suggested doing something with both labels, so we did.

When your next full-length sees the light of day, what sort of sound can fans expect? Is there anything new you're looking try that you wish you could have done with the first record?

AD: Well, we just want to make sure we mature our sound. We don't want to take any crazy risks or anything. We're not going to release a dance pop record that leaves kids wondering what the fuck just happened, or anything like that.

DO: The new record will still be very much Four Year Strong. We're not going to completely change our sound. You're going to hear what you expect to hear, but it's also going to be different. We're not trying to write Rise or Die Trying part two, we're just trying to write the next chapter for our band.

That's all I've got for you guys today. Is there anything you'd like to add before we go our separate ways?

DO: Come to the shows.

AD: Buy Explains it All when it comes out. Don't download it. [Laughs]

Thanks for your time. Best of luck on the rest of the tour.

DO: No problem. Thanks a lot.

AD: Thank you.

Four Year Strong's new album, Explains it All, is now available in stores via I Surrender Records.

For more information on Four Year Strong, please visit MYSPACE.COM/FOURYEARSTRONG, or follow the band on Twitter at TWITTER.COM/FYS. The Daily Chorus would like to send our gratification to Mara Frankel and Josh Lovell for their hard work in coordinating this interview.

Top 5 Weekly Songs

1. Raining & OK "Empty Handed" - This emotional piano song has sold over 1,600 singles in the last 2 weeks thanks to a 50-second clip on The Real World. This band has a ton of songs meant for radio, TV and the movies. This will be the start of many more to come. (Unsigned)

2. Phoenix "Lisztomania" - This band still hasn't sold over 100,000 records but this is a platinum band in the making. I've been giving this song many spins and the whole album could be in this spot. This band from France is making a splash in the U.S. (Glassnote)

3. Silversun Pickups "Panic Switch" - This song makes it on the list for two weeks in a row. There will be quite a few singles off this album to make this weekly list. I can't stop listening to Panic Switch or their album. (Dangerbird)

4. Metric "Help I'm Alive" - I remember when Greeley Estates opened for this Canadian band (pictured above) back in 2005. Yes, a weird mix, I know. This female-led band has been under everyone's radar for a long time. But this song is getting them radio spins. Not bad for an independent band. (Indie)

5. Zac Seif "You Almost Had Me" - This singer/songwriter out of Dallas sold over 200 copies of his EP on iTunes in its first week. There are a lot of kids that know him but the industry is a little slower. This is Dallas' best kept secret. (Unsigned)

(Click on the iTunes buttons to hear clips of each song.)

Undergrad Records TV - Label Unfolds Before Your Eyes

Patrick Owen takes his last financial aid check to start an indie record label called Undergrad Records (ballsy). His Undergrad Records TV episodes take you on his journey (from Day 1) of finding partners, sponsors and bands for his label. There are also recording and music business topics covered. Only 6 episodes are posted but there are already over 600,000 views and over 3,500 subscribers to his videos. Are you one of them?

Also, it seems Patrick and I have the same taste in music as he features TDC Top Unsigned bands like Brave Citizens, Brightwood, The Hint, Hotspur, Gillmor, The Hoodies, Mikoto and Thee Armada in his videos.

His first episode is below.




Owner: Patrick Owen
Music Submission: Read rules here
Label website: http://www.undergradrecords.tv
Twitter: @undergradtv
YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/undergradtv#

I'm very interested to see how this all works out!