Danny Leal Abduction Publicity Stunt

Yesterday,  the band Upon A Burning Body reported that their front-man, Danny Leal, was missing and had not been seen since June 30th. 

The bands story appeared to be backed by a couple of tweets the front-man posted before the report was released.

Despite the report and sketchy tweets, fans were incredibly skeptical that this whole incident was nothing more than a publicity stunt to promote the bands new album.

Turns out, they just might be right.

Ash Avildsen, the CEO of Sumerian Records posted this message on Facebook

 Not much else has been said about the incident at this time.  However, it does appear that it was nothing more than a hoax.  How low must one sink to believe that reporting a fake abduction is a solid method in promoting an album? Too many people are genuinely abducted for this to be even remotely funny, and it's not cool to worry fans of the band in this manner. 

What are your thoughts about this?  Let me know in the comments below!

Peace, Love, Music<3

Hawthorne Heights Charge Photographers for Work

Rock band Hawthorne Heights posted on their website today an "opportunity" for photographers and fans.

Source

"Are you an aspiring photographer? Come take pictures of us all day at Warped Tour! We will provide you with the access, and experience you need. We will also take your pictures and put them on our Instagram page, and give you full credit for it. This is a great package for anyone who loves taking pictures, whether its for a hobby or professionally."                                (Source: http://hawthorneheights.limitedrun.com)

The catch? The photographer pays the band $150 for this "opportunity".  This is a new low in terms of photographers (and fans) being taken advantage of.  Photographers work hard to not only get excellent shots, but also edit them to perfection so that the subject of the photo (in this case the band) looks their absolute best and will be happy with the outcome.  To expect a photographer to pay you for their work is ridiculous.  Getting experience is great, but there are better ways to get it than to pay for it.

Fans, photographers (professional or aspiring) unite and boycott.

*UPDATE: Hawthorne Heights has since removed the package from their site and posted a public apology on their facebook.

Source

Peace, Love, Music<3 

Angelo Parente leaves Motionless in White

Today the band announced that drummer and founding member, Angelo Parente, has left the band.  

Angelo posted this statement on his Tumblr:

"To my friends, family, and all the amazing Motionless In White fans, this is very hard to say, and I’m sure it will hit me harder soon, but I will no longer be in the band.This decision did not just all of sudden happen. After doing this since I was 17, the nonstop touring, and everything else that comes with the life of a musician, has finally caught up with me. It has affected me mentally and physically and it’s to a point where the best thing for the rest of the band and myself would be for me to call it quits.
Please know that the band and I are on good terms, best of friends and I love them all very much. No matter what, I would not give up what I have been through and experienced with the band. It has been the best years of my life. I got to travel the world with my best friends almost every day. I have met so many great people along the way and made many friends I will never forget. I will miss you all. Not seeing the guys in the band will be tough to get use to, but I wish them the best of luck.
Motionless In White has so much in store for you all, so please continue to support them to the fullest. I’m not sure what’s in store for my future, but right now I need to be home and breathe. Get myself together and figure it out. Please make sure to stay in touch. You know where to find me online and its a lot of fun sharing what I do with everyone throughout my life. Whether it’s my art, food, dog, clothing designs, etc., you guys give your opinion and I’m grateful to have that. I am truly sorry to all that I have let down. Thanks for the constant support you have given me over the years, I will never forget it."

As a fan of the band, I am sad to see him go.  However, I completely understand his reasons for leaving and wish him all the best with whatever he decides to do in the future.

Peace, Love, Music<3

Stay Sick Clothing

If you are a fan of hardcore, metal music, or you've been reading this blog very long, you may know of the band Attila.  A while ago, their vocalist Chris Fronzak started his own clothing line Stay Sick.

I've always really liked the line and around new years eve, I finally ordered a crew neck shirt I had been ogling for quite some time. This past Friday, it arrived!

I love it!  It fits perfectly and is exactly what I was hoping it would be.  I was slightly disappointed with the extended amount of time that it took for it to be shipped (I ordered it on December 31st, and my order wasn't officially processed and ready to ship for 23 days) but it was definitely worth the wait.

If you would like to check out Stay Sick's other items you can do so here.

Peace, Love, Music<3

Alternative Press Readers Poll 2012

Alternative Press magazine released the results for their 2012 Readers Poll.

Source 

The categories (and winners) for this years poll included:

Overall Artist of the Year

Pierce The Veil

Keyboardist of the Year

Josh Balz (Motionless In White)

Drummer of the Year

Mike Fuentes (Pierce The Veil)

Bassist of the Year

Jaime Preciado (Pierce The Veil)

Guitarist of the Year

Jacky Vincent (Falling In Reverse)

Vocalist of the Year

Kellin Quinn (Sleeping With Sirens)

Most Overrated Band of the Year

Falling In Reverse

Most Underrated Band of the Year

Blood On The Dance Floor

Band Reunion I'd Most Like to See in 2013

Fall Out Boy

Song of the Year

Pierce The Veil - King for a Day

Album of the Year

Pierce The Veil - Collide With The Sky

Music Video of the Year

Pierce The Veil - King for a Day

B-Side/Bonus Track of the Year

Of Mice & Men- The Depths

Cover Art of the Year

Pierce The Veil - Collide With The Sky

Best Live Band of the Year

Pierce The Veil

Best Venue of the Year

House of Blues

Tour/Festival of the Year

Vans Warped Tour

AP Totally Blew it when They Put This Band On The Cover

Falling In Reverse/ Artist of the Year

AP Totally Nailed It When They Put This Band On The Cover

Warped Tour (Tay Jardine, Kellin Quinn, Vic Fuentes)

Best AP Article of the Year

Warped Tour cover story

What Singer from AP's Scene Should go on The Voice

Kellin Quinn (Sleeping With Sirens)

Best Band Merch of the Year

Pierce The Veil

Coolest Retail Store of the Year

Hot Topic

Coolest Online Store of the Year

MerchNow.com

Twitter Account of the Year

Andy Biersack (@AndyBVB

Most Memorable Non-Music Event of the Year

Mitch Lucker's death

The 2nd and 3rd runner ups for each of these categories are available on the magazines website.

(All of the above information is property of AP)

I was somewhat shocked and more than a little disappointed with the winners of some of these categories.  All of the artist listed are talented, but I feel like there were a few bands that maybe deserved it more than others.  Just my opinion...

Hope you guys enjoy this post and have a wonderful day!

Peace, Love, Music<3

Excitement

This past week has been insanely busy!

Monday I went shopping with my mom to get some new jeans and such for the upcoming school year (yes i still go back to school shopping with my mom, don't judge) and found my new favorite shirt

On Wednesday I went shopping with Hailey for boots and found these lovely's

They make me about a half inch taller, but they are so cute I don't even care,
Then on Thursday, I went to see House of Heroes, William Beckett, HelloGoodBye, and Relient K with Hailey, Reso, and Dillon, where we met up with a few other friends.

We also got to meet the guys from House of Heroes! :)

I had a lot of fun with my friends, and all the bands were amazing!

More to come!

Peace, Love, Music<3