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After road tripping to more than ten concerts or music festivals, I can officially say yesterday was both the least and most lucky trip I’ve ever experienced. But how can one day hit both sides of the luck pendulum, you ask? Because even my least lucky day usually ends up working out anyways — and so begins the story of the Motion City Soundtrack trip.

Let’s start out with my lost tickets. On December 8TH I bought two tickets from Ticketmaster. Those tickets never showed up. This was a first for me. I’ve always ordered and had my tickets delivered from Ticketmaster via USPS with no problems. After a couple phone calls and email exchanges I finally got my tickets changed to TicketFast so I could just print them out. Alright, obstacle one down.

Next up? The weather. This is only the second time I’ve ever assembled a group for a show in the winter, the first being The Matches opening for +44 at the same venue. There are good reasons to avoid winter shows, including but not limited to ice, snow, freezing rain, frigid temperatures, long lines in frigid temperatures, getting to the venue in the madness, and expensive coat-checks in which you gamble even getting your jacket back. So checking the weather for both Iowa and Minnesota became a twice-daily ritual. Again, we lucked out. Temperatures stayed above freezing. It was wet outside but not dangerous. Good news.

So we all committed to going. We meet up, we get on the road and we head west towards a town just off I35 to pick up another friend. A hour and a half later we arrive at a truck stop. Someone puts down a window. Said window doesn’t go back up. We try to guide the window up. The window falls off the tracking and is down for the count. Oh shit. It’s raining. It’s 35 degrees. What the hell do we do now? We procure duct tape and a garbage bag from the friendly truck stop. Doesn’t work. Fails catastrophically, actually, shortly after we’re back on the road. We search for another gas station and the second group following us saves the day with a towel. I kid you not, one of them gets out of the car and hands us a towel. Our ghetto cruiser officially becomes white trash.

We can make this work. So we’re off again, we spend a little more time on the road and then as we approach the cities we begin to get stuff ready. Some of us take a quick glance at our tickets to make sure they’re there. They are not. Someone is officially down one ticket. This is also a first. We often, believe it or not, have had extra tickets for shows. We’ve always had everyone covered one way or another. But we continue on. I’m confident things will some how work out. A little stressed, but confident.

We find a parking ramp a block away from the venue and park four floors up. Then we make our way to the elevator lobby and try attempt number one to fix the ticket fiasco, which is having the person that forgot their tickets call Ticketmaster to see if they can get the order changed to will-call. We’ve done this before, it’s a pretty simple process, and I’m certain it’ll work. It does not. After spending a huge chunk of time on hold, confirming he is who he says he is, and providing order numbers (his receipt, unlike his tickets, was still in the otherwise empty envelope), the jackass at Ticketmaster couldn’t press a few keys to assist someone who just traveled a few hours out of state. Awesome. I remain optimistic, though my confidence is admittedly shaken up.

We head towards the Hard Rock across the street from First-Avenue to grab some dinner before the show and avoid the growing line. People who stand in lines are suckers. I should know, I’ve frequently stood in lines. Once you’re inside a venue, you can make your way through the crowd to just about anywhere you want, but even then you’ll most likely bail on your awesome front-row, center spot when the crowd attempts to kill you. The energy will always be awesome, but it’s only tolerable for so long.

Two of our party split up to see if they can get a hold of a manager at the club, an unlikely chance at best. They do come across a couple of empathetic doormen who tell them they have a 50/50 chance of working with the venue and Ticketmaster in conjunction to get the ticket order changed, but they’ll have to come back after the doors open. They meet back up with us somewhat uplifted. 50/50 is better than 0/100.

We head to the venue slightly after the entire line has shuffled in. We wait inside the door while the last member of our group tries to reason with the front desk. He has his receipts and identification. The lady working the desk finally says he can purchase another ticket to get in. Hey — out another $18.50, but at least he gets in, right?

But no. Because this is both the least and most lucky day for a concert, it’s even better. Another lady taking tickets pulls him aside before he has a chance to buy anything, stamps his hand, and he gets in without any physical ticket what-so-ever. Thank you random stranger.

So in the end we caught awesome sets by bands I hadn’t been into (The Swellers, This Providence, and Set Your Goals) and a crazy kick off for Motion City Soundtrack’s tour in support of their new album My Dinosaur Life. MCS played stuff from all four of their full-lengths and even an earlier track from one of their first EPs.

And that stupid window? It came up on the ride home. Because everything works out in the end.

Motion City Soundtrack Set

Worker Bee
My Favorite Accident
Everything is alright
Delerium
Last night
Cambridge
Shiver
Disappear
Time Turned Fragile
Motherfucker
This is for real
Capital H
A Lifeless Ordinary
Make Out Kids
Her Words Destroyed My Planet
L.G. FUAD

Encore:
Even If It Kills Me
Throwdown
The Future Freaks Me Out

• Most listened to tracks…

1. blink-182 – Feeling This
2. Frightened Rabbit – The Twist
3. blink-182 – I Miss You
4. The Spill Canvas – Lullaby
5. Matt & Kim – Daylight
6. Motion City Soundtrack – Hold Me Down
7. Motion City Soundtrack – Last Night
8. blink-182 – Stockholm Syndrome
9. blink-182 – Down
10. Phoenix – 1901

• Most listened to artists…

1. Motion City Soundtrack
2. blink-182
3. Death Cab for Cutie
4. Saves the Day
5. Dashboard Confessional
6. Angels & Airwaves
7. Dave Matthews Band
8. Say Anything
9. The Get Up Kids
10. The Format

• Most listened to albums…

1. blink-182 – Self-titled
2. Motion City Soundtrack – Even If It Kills Me
3. Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight
4. Matt & Kim – Grand
5. Motion City Soundtrack – I Am The Movie
6. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
7. Angels & Airwaves – We Don’t Need To Whisper
8. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
9. Motion City Soundtrack – Commit This To Memory
10. blink-182 – Take Off Your Pants & Jacket

Tom put AvA’s new song out tonight a little early… Here are the lyrics, or at least what I heard after a few listens – should be close. Download link at the bottom.

And look real close ‘cross the winds and the roads
It is there to decode, will you fly as a ghost
Or a spark to explode – it’s the start of the show
It’s the part you love most where your heart will implode

And do you believe in hallucinations,
Silly dreams or imagination?
Don’t go away ’cause I feel you this time
Don’t go away ’cause I need you there this time

As the wind floats home, carry us back to shore
And up the mountainous coast where the sun starts to glow
From our head to our toes, to the stars that we know
And with you as my hosts it will keep us afloat

Again…
And do you believe in hallucinations,
Silly dreams or imagination?
Don’t go away ’cause I feel you this time
Don’t go away ’cause I need you there this time

Do you believe in hallucinations,
Any dream or it’s revelation?
Don’t go away ’cause I need you there this time
Don’t go away ’cause I needed you all my life

The science is taxing, I’m waiting for something
There’s images of love and war and everything’s here to explore
It’s all alike, unusual, a different place but beautiful
And it is not quite as it seems, I hear the children’s laughs and screams

(It’s beautiful, so beautiful, it’s beautiful)

Do you believe in hallucinations,
Silly dreams or imagination?
Don’t go away ’cause I feel you this time
Don’t go away ’cause I need you there this time

Do you believe in hallucinations,
Any dream or it’s revelation?
Don’t go away ’cause I need you there this time
Don’t go away ’cause I needed you all my life

(All my life, I needed you all my…)

P.S. – This song ends on the same synth chord that’s at the end of Adam’s Song/beginning of All the Small Things. Fuckin weird things I notice…

• (Right click, Save as) Angels & Airwaves – Hallucinations [6.8Mb]

The following archive (.zip) contains eight mash-ups of blink-182, Angels & Airwaves, and Boxcar Racer songs. They we’re not created by me. Because of the copyright protected sources they cannot be sold. So it’s your lucky day — I’ve compiled all the mashes I could find into a single download. An early merry Christmas. For you anyways. I have to go back to studying.

• (Right Click, Save As) blink-182 – Remixed (by Carv!) [35.8mb]
  

Happy holidays.

There’s a general idea that creativity tends to bloom out of controversy, heartache, and anger. How many of your favorite artists achieved their goals and success not because of their background but in spite of it? Our country realized a second revolution in the 1960’s as a direct result of both the civil rights movement and the Vietnam war and many would argue it’s a time period that has also spawned some of the most emotional and honest music to date. It’s a generation of music which will never age and will be a major influence on future musicians, whether they are aware of it or not.

Now while I can appreciate my parent’s generation of music and understand what it’s meant for generations to come, I cannot call it my own. I also can’t compare the impact of the music to the albums that are going to follow. Anyone who would make such a futile attempt to would come off looking like a jackass. But I can list my generation’s artists who’ve impacted my life. So I leave you with the following list — five albums that I think you should check out. Five albums that have influenced me creatively or have had some significance on music that I think is important. Five albums that I just think will put you in a better state of mind. Here are my top five albums for the past decade.

1) The Ataris - End Is Forever (2001)

The Ataris made a name for themselves in 1999 with their sophomore effort Blue Skies, Broken Hearts… Next 12 Exits, an album full of emotional lyrics and big, pop-punk guitar riffs. Their third album, End Is Forever, continued where that left off but turned the volume up. Warm over-driven guitars and Kris Roe’s blunt words about growing up, breaking up, and giving up blend in a more mature production without ever taking themselves too seriously. (see: Welcome to the Night) This is a band I’ve gone over on the site before and they’re one of the bands on the list that made it simply because I can get into the band regardless of my mood.

2) Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American (2001)

People often attribute emo music with stereotypes of dark clothing, guy-liner, and and dudes in their sister’s jeans. Those people don’t listen to Jimmy Eat World. Founded in 1993, front man Jim Adkins and company defined 90’s emo before the scenesters were able to eat solid food. 1999’s Clarity, while an initial commercial failure causing them to get dropped from Capitol Records, would eventually achieve cult status with an album that showcased a much softer alternative rock not heard on the band’s first and second efforts.

Clarity’s failure would soon be a turnaround for the band, earning them enough to start recording Bleed American on their own while being free of contractual restrictions with Capitol. Jimmy Eat World’s Bleed American released mid-summer 2001 to critical acclaim. The album hits much harder than Clarity and features a much more commercial sound while maintaining a unique feel that’s clearly Jimmy Eat World. With the second single The Middle getting massive video rotation on music television networks, Bleed American has since gone platinum. It should be noted that the album became self-titled after the September 11TH attacks and the lead track was changed from Bleed American to Salt, Sweat, Sugar.

3) blink-182 – Self-Titled (2003)

blink-182 gained popularity in the mid-to-late 90’s when their three-man line up solidified it’s sound with Travis Barker replacing Scott Raynor. The band, infamous for dick and fart jokes, unabashed nudity, and simple “three chord” pop-punk split vocal duties between guitarist Tom DeLonge and bassiest Mark Hoppus. With DeLonge’s knack for melodies, Hoppus’ bright, crunchy bass, and the extremely talented Barker on the set the band has a simple but effective recipe which has made their popularity blow up and created thousands of “copy cat” bands over the years. The 2003 self-titled album put aside the dick jokes and humorous bonus tracks in an effort to show off a more mature and skilled band. The album has gone on to sell over two-million copies since it’s release. Unfortunately the band’s popularity and years of touring took it’s toll in 2005 and the band went into a mysterious hiatus. A blame-game between DeLonge and Hoppus would surface in interviews and the band appeared to be permanently done. DeLonge would go on to form Angels and Airwaves and it wasn’t long before Hoppus and Barker followed suit with their new project +44. After four years of silence the three members of blink-182 would reunite as friends following Travis Barker’s close brush with death in 2008 and as a band the following spring. blink-182 recently completed a successful summer tour and is currently recording their sixth studio album. I didn’t really get into blink-182 until after they broke up. I knew some of their big songs but I didn’t really get into them until the fall of 2005, but when I got into them I got into them hard. I still get together with friends and play old blink tracks from time to time. Their the only band to which I’ve memorized the guitar, bass, and vocals to most of their albums. This site wouldn’t exist if this band didn’t.

4) Death Cab For Cutie – Transatlanticism (2003)

I first discovered Ben Gibbard  through his electronic efforts with The Postal Service. I was trading a music a lot back then with friends when someone I went to high school with overheard me talking about the lyrics to one of the bands songs and recommended Death Cab. My first experience with DCFC was their 2003 album Transatlantiscism, a lighter indie record. I was pretty much hooked when I heard Title & Registration, the albums second track and third single. Guitarist Christopher Walla’s rhythmic hooks and Ben Gibbard’s airy voice are prime examples of indie nirvana. If there’s any doubt of Ben Gibbard’s abilities I would only ask you to keep in mind he recently married actress Zooey Deschanel. I’d consider that an impressive feat of its own.

5) Motion City Soundtrack – Commit This To Memory (2005)

Motion City Soundtrack competes with blink-182 for one of my favorite band. Let me just get that out there. I love Motion City Soundtrack. There are no MCS tracks I ever hit skip on because I’m not into the song. The guys in the band are awesome, down to earth dudes. Alright? So my unconditional support for this band is out in front. Feel free to judge me for a second before you continue reading.

Motion City Soundtrack is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They’re a pop-punk outfit with an original sound featuring Justin Pierre’s high voice exploring tales of love, childhood, mental stability and drug and alcohol abuse. Commit This To Memory, produced by blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, is the band’s sophomore release following I Am The Movie. Making MCS different from every other power pop group is Jesse Johnson on the Moog, a special keyboard synthesizer that the band manages to use correctly when so many bands can’t seem to. The only thing better than their ability to mix in that synth as a band in the studio is Jesse’s awesome moog-stand skills, as shown to the left.