Show Review: Skate and Surf Festival 2014

When the landmark pop-punk and hardcore festival Skate and Surf announced that it would take place for the first time in almost ten years last year, the announcement was met with overwhelming support. That support turned to jeers, however, as the even was marred by a location change that proved to be both a logistical and organizational nightmare, a weekend forecast that simply didn’t co-operate with an outdoor festival, and a rumors of heavy merch cut percentages causing several bands to refuse to sell merchandise at the festival. I was fairly critical of last year’s Skate and Surf, saying that the one saving grace was that I also was able to go to Six Flags each morning before the festival grounds opened (and Fall Out Boy playing an awesome set in the pouring rain didn’t hurt).

So when the festival was announced as returning in 2014, I made a promise to myself. Despite having gone to every New Jersey area Bamboozle/Skate and Surf since 2008, I would only go to Skate and Surf 2014 if Midtown reunited. Well, it turns out festival organizer John D’Esposito got Gabe and the gang back together for not one but two sets on the weekend. As a result, I decided to make the trek to Asbury Park for the second day of the two-day festival. The festival suffered yet another location change this year, moving from Middletown to Asbury Park, but yet again the location change ended up benefiting the festival in the long run. Moving the festival back to Asbury Park allowed Skate and Surf to go back to its roots and allowed the fans to appreciate the festival’s legacy. 

Recommendation for the Week, 11/14-11/20

For those of you who don't incessantly stalk my Facebook (good for you for having a life), you probably don't know that I'm a sophomore in college. I don't go out that much, so it's probably safe to say I'm not a "real college kid," because I rarely ever go to parties, and when I do, I'm dragged there. Part of me wishes this was different, but a bigger part of me is glad to be, because it allows me to stay as far away from my least favorite part of college relationships: one-night stands. It's an enticing proposal, sure. One night to make the most of the time you're given with someone with no consequences or meaning to it sounds like a blast, but where's the significance? Can you tell your kids or grandkids about all the random times you explored the opposite sex in college? Probably not.

As against one-night stands as I am, I'm also guilty of it, in a sense. There have been many times where I've heard a song from a band, loved it, and never really liked anything else from the band, or at least as much as I liked  the first song I heard. It's happened a lot more than I'd like to admit, but its also produced some of my most-played songs on my iTunes library. So without further ado, let's roll out my all-time greatest one-night stand songs:

Modest Mouse- "Float On"
Being able to play this song on Rock Band brought back the memories of how much I loved "Float On" when it became one of the most unexpected Top 40 hits of the last decade. Modest Mouse became my first taste of indie, and it tasted a little bitter for my taste. Whether I wasn't ready to give up my affixtion with the hit music stations or I just didn't think it was good, nothing from Modest Mouse's catalogue has stuck with me the way "Float On" has.

Midtown- "Give It Up"
Once I first heard "Give It Up" played through my TV on Madden 2005, I was immediately hooked by the big guitars and catchy chorus, but while Midtown are still regarded as one of the best bands of the initial wave of the emo scene, I still have yet to find a song that even comes close to the same amount of emotion and overall beauty that "Give It Up" possesses.

A Static Lullaby- "Toxic (Britney Spears Cover)"
This one stings even worse because its a cover, but after their creative take on "Toxic," I could only think that I'd heard the rest of A Static Lullaby's take on metalcore before. Covers are never a great  way to gain notoriety for your band, and I've posted on this blog about how tacky I think it is, but sometimes we can't help but contradict ourselves.

Drop Dead, Gorgeous- "Dressed for Friend Requests"
One of those bands that I can't believe I used to like, DD,G somehow still end up getting a listen or two every once in a while from me, and it's always "Dressed for Friend Requests." The musicality of the song is actually pretty good for a band who was originally signed by Rise Records (ew), but it's still in high rotation in DD,G's setlists and my iTunes somehow, and it's likely not going anywhere.

The Fall of Troy- "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X."
This isn't on this list as much for me as it is for everyone else. Most people will only know The Fall of Troy because "FCPREMIX" was on Guitar Hero 3, but it should be noted that Thomas Erak's guitar work is just as complicated and precise as the Guitar Hero gem. However, you won't find any of TFoT's work to be as catchy, which is likely why no one really latched onto the band after producing one of the most fun songs to play on Guitar Hero.

It's a tough thing to swallow pride and admit that I've been kind of shallow and never gave these bands a chance, but it's something I wanted to get a reaction from others out there. Who would you say you've had a "musical one-night stand" with? Leave it in the comments, and I'll catch you cats on the flip-flop!

Recommendation for the Week, 11/1-11/6

There are very few things that computers can't do these days, but one of the things it can do that still astounds me is the introduction of high-definition video games. Lifelike versions of your favorite athletes are now a video game away, leaving my parents speechless with how far the entertainment industry has come in such a short time. However, once you get past how great video game graphics are, you actually have to play the game. Thankfully, the world of sports' video games has become a canvas to create the perfect playlist. Countless times I've found myself waiting anxiously for the Madden soundtrack to be announced, because it seems every year I end up finding a great song or two from a band I've never heard before to add to my iTunes. You'd be surprised at how many times this has happened, so let me prove it to you: this week, I'm sharing the Top 10 instances in which I discovered a band I still listen to to this day that I first heard in a video game:


10. The Sleeping- "Don't Hold Back"
(Featured on Madden NFL 2007)
From the moment the hypnotic guitars kick on "Don't Hold Back," I was immediately hooked on The Sleeping as I was drafting my team in Madden 07. This choice cut from the band's debut full-length Questions and Answers introduced me to the entire album, and I've been a supporter of The Sleeping ever since.


9. Finch- "Ink"
(Featured on Madden NFL 2006 and Burnout: Revenge)
I'm not sure which game I heard "Ink" in first, but I do know that while I was attempting to rule the road in Burnout: Revenge, it was one of the best songs to help me put the pedal to the metal. The aggression Finch showed on "Ink" is kind of forgotten due to the poor reception Say Hello to Sunshine received, but "Ink" was plenty to keep me playing, while it also introduced me to the new, more aggressive side of Finch.


8. AFI- "The Leaving Song, Pt. 2"
(Featured on Madden NFL 2004)
Building slowly into a sudden outburst of emotion, AFI blazed the soundtrack of Madden 04, and served as the first seed planted in my introduction to emo. The song's guitar work, adding perfectly to Davy Havoc's shouts and crooning vocals created something I'd never heard before (especially the Spanish bridge before each chorus).


7. Motion City Soundtrack- "My Favorite Accident"
(Featured on Burnout 3: Takedown)
While it was "Everything is Alright" that really introduced me to the wonder of Motion City Soundtrack, I'll always remember hearing Tony Thaxton's frenetic drumming providing the perfect backdrop for the chaotic races I had in Burnout: Revenge. There was certainly an interest built from all of this commotion and catchyness that "My Favorite Accident" offered, and it certainly helped me segue into enjoying the quirky hooks and lyrics of Motion City Soundtrack.


6. Amber Pacific- "Always You (Good Times)"
(Featured on Burnout 3: Takedown)
Looking back, I don't think Amber Pacific's blend of bubble-gum pop-punk belonged on a game based on aggression, but I'm all the more thankful "Always You" was featured in Buronout 3: Takedown, because shortly after, Amber Pacific became one of my favorite bands. While the band has faded into obscurity, I'll always remember them for two things: one, they were my first concert, and two, they were one of the first bands I truly enjoyed that I first discovered on a video game.


5. The Von Bondies- "C'Mon C'Mon"
(Featured on MVP Baseball 2004 and Burnout 3: Takedown)
Short, sweet, and to the point: The Von Bondies should have taken the world by storm with "C'Mon C'Mon," but it never materialized the way I had pictured it would have. Granted, I've heard the song on countless ads for new TV shows or movies, but given how often I listened to it on MVP 04 and Burnout 3, I'll forever play this song and plug it to friends who haven't heard it before.


4. Rise Against- "Drones"
(Featured on Madden NFL 2007)
It seems like every year, Madden puts out a song that ends up being one of my favorites, but in 2006, "Drones" took the cake as my favorite song ever to be put on Madden. Before "Drones" I was introduced to Rise Against with the very small dose of "Swing Life Away," and the aggression I heard in "Drones" introduced me to the band's punk roots, which I was immediately drawn into. This led me to discovering the no-filler classic The Sufferer and the Witness, which is still in high rotation on my iTunes today, and I owe it all to Madden's inclusion of Drones.


3. Midtown- "Give It Up"
(Featured on Madden NFL 2005 and Burnout 3: Takedown)
How Midtown never got big off of this song will forever puzzle me, or why Gabe Saporta formed Cobra Starship in the wake of Midtown's demise, but at least I'll have "Give It Up" to always remind me how good things used to be, and how good they could have been. As sad as it is to say this, "Give It Up" is actually one of two Midtown songs I've ever listened to, but with how often I've spun "Give It Up," I'm assuming it won't get much better than this.


2. Funeral for a Friend- "Streetcar," "All the Rage"
("Streetcar" featured on Madden NFL 2006, "All the Rage" featured on Burnout: Revenge)
In two consecutive video game purchases, I heard two tracks from FFAF's album Hours, and the rest is history: Hours is still one of my all-time favorite albums, and I owe it all to video games for my discovery of its greatness. After hearing the chilling interlude of "Streetcar" in Madden, I was given the aggression of "All the Rage," one of the best songs ever to be featured in the Burnout series and the depth and variety showed between the two songs sparked my interest in Hours. 


1. Chronic Future- "Time and Time Again"
(Featured on MVP Baseball 2004 and Burnout 3: Takedown)
Chronic Future likely aren't a band many people know about, but for a brief time, they were about to burst onto the scene with their stellar release Lines in My Face. While the band were unable to sustain that same talent and passion as seen on Lines..., it was "Time and Time Again" that was thrust upon my ears on two occasions, and while I still go back to listen to Lines in My Face to this day, its "Time and Time Again" that has withstood the test of time as the best song I've ever been introduced to on a video game, making me want to play the games the song was on more so I could hear it again, and ultimately making me an instant fan of Chronic Future.

Now its your turn, but let's throw a wrench in this: what are your favorite video games? What do you think is next in the world of video games, and do you think there will ever be an opportunity to break new ground? What songs have you discovered through playing video games? Leave it in the comments, and have a great day!