Warped Wednesday- The A.K.A.s

It wasn't until last year on Warped Tour that I discovered the A.K.A.s, but I'm so glad I did. Not only are they an amazing punk band, but they are some of the nicest people I have ever met on tour. Originally signed on the Fueled By Ramen label, (Panic at the Disco, Fall Out Boy, Cobra Starship, etc.,) they decided to part ways after FBR began to move towards other styles of music. In 2008, the A.K.A.s released Everybody Make Some Noise after signing with Metropolis Records.

I personally think that this split from FBR was the best thing that ever happened to the band, because I like Everybody Make Some Noise infinitely more than White Doves and Smoking Guns, their album released under FBR. Now don't misinterpret me, because I enjoy both albums, but there is just something so much more unique about their sophomore release.


Now unfortunately, without the Fueled By Ramen PR machine backing the band, they are far less appreciated than they should be. But trust me, any lack of fame is not due to lack of talent, or even lack of effort. The A.K.A.s run such an amazing grassroots effort that I'm surprised they haven't yet been recruited by a politician or two.

In fact, the only reason I even came to know about the A.K.A.s was because of their omnipresence in the crowd at Warped Tour 2008. Everywhere I looked that day, I saw hot pink stickers with their name and set time on them. When I walked through the merch booths, the A.K.A.s stood out because they were one of the only bands who spent the entire day at their tent. I'm not sure who took over while they were performing, but every other minute of the day had at least part of the band at their tent, drawing in passersby to have conversations, enter a contest, sign an eco-pledge, and buy some one-of-a-kind merch, printed on recycled clothing from thrift stores.

And I was already hooked, before I even saw their show. A show which only further convinced me that the A.K.A.s are awesome. I had, up to that point, never seen such an energetic and entertaining live show. Ironically, Cobra Starship, whose concert I missed to see the A.K.A.s at Warped, is the only band I know of who can compete with the A.K.A.s' live shows.

I'm so glad that Kevin Lyman took notice of the A.K.A.s this year, and I can't wait to see them out on tour this summer.


Photos of the A.K.A.s taken by Sarah Maloy at Warped Tour 2008 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Cab: My New Obsession.

Normally I don't become obsessed with a band until I see them live. So far there have been only two exceptions to that rule, not including the days when I was a little teeny-bopper who wasn't allowed to go to concerts. The two exceptions to my live-show-obsession rule were Fall Out Boy and the Sex Pistols. Until recently, that is, when I popped Whisper War into my computer and instantly fell in love with The Cab.

The first thing I thought when "Bounce" began to play out of my speakers was that I had found some sort of wonderful N*sync reincarnate. But as I listened, I began to realize that The Cab has all the goodness of N*sync, but with enough musical talent that they aren't a pop "boy band."
19-year-old
Alex DeLeon's lyrics aren't quite as cheeky and me-against-the-world as I like songs to be, but it's only their first album. And I have to consider that not everyone is as witty as Pete Wentz or Gabe Saporta and not everyone writes music because they hate the world.

Essentially The Cab is a wondrous hybrid of N*sync and The Academy Is..., Fast Times at Barrington High-style, of course.

The Cab's music video for "Bounce"

The Cab - New Music - More Music Videos

They came here to make me dance tonight.

It surprises me that everyone says Fall Out Boy are horrible live, considering that the other Fueled By Ramen bands are some of the best live performers I have ever seen. While Panic at the Disco tops them all in terms of live quality, no band can beat the show put on by Cobra Starship.

Gabe Saporta is one of the most entertaining vocalists in this industry, and when combined with Cobra's tongue-in-cheek lyrics, the songs are just as laughable as they are danceable. Most people know Cobra Starship for their movie theme song, "Snakes On a Plane (Bring It)". While I love that song, it's really not a representation of who Cobra is today, considering that all but one of the vocalists and instrumentalists on "Snakes On a Plane" are not actually in the band today. To be perfectly honest, "Snakes On a Plane" is probably better quality the the band's new songs, but it just isn't as funny. Some people also know about Cobra, or at least about Gabe, because he used to be the lead singer for the band Midtown.

One of my personal favorite songs is "Damn You Look Good and I'm Drunk (Scandalous)". Cobra was accompanied in the studio by the V.I.P Party Boys for this song, and it is beyond outrageous. Go listen to it... unless you're easily offended. But so long as you can take a little vulgarity, I promise you will enjoy it, and "S-C-A-N-D-to the A- to the L-O-U-S" will forever be stuck in your head.

I highly suggest that everyone listen to Cobra Starship. Especially to "Guilty Pleasure" (video posted below), "City Is At War," "Prostitution is the World's Oldest Profession (And I Dear Madame am a Professional)," and "Kiss My Sass."


Cobra Starship's "Guilty Pleasure" Home Video, produced and recorded by the band.

If any of the links don't work, I apologize. YouTube is currently in a legal battle with Warner Music Group and that has caused all Fueled By Ramen (and many other) videos to be removed.

Photo of Gabriel Saporta by Sarah Maloy at Bogarts Music Hall in Cincinnati, November 22, 2008.

Weekly Recommendations

I'm going to start a thing called "Weekly Recommendations" where I make a list of cool things I've discovered which I think everyone should check out.

First on my list is the blog that gave me the idea to make this list...

--MartinSays.com


Second and third are social networking sites which I have recently become obsessed with.

--Twitter



--FriendsOrEnemies


My last recommendation for the day is an accessory which was shown to me by the lovely Gabriel Saporta of Cobra Starship.

--Jac Vanek bracelets


My personal favorite bracelets are Ruthless, Guilty, Trainwreck, and Legit. Which ones do you like best?

That's all for now.

Last night I knew what to say, but you weren't there to hear it.

Fast Times at Barrington High, the newest CD by The Academy Is... is amazing. A shocking change, and a significant improvement, from Santi. The album will be released Tuesday, August 19, but was leaked earlier this week on MuchMusic, AlternativePress, and, of course, The Academy Is...'s myspace. Finally a leak that makes sense.

The sound is close enough to some of the old music that loyal fans will not be disappointed, but Fast Times also takes a turn for the mainstream, as the boys bring a more "Fueled By Ramen" feel to their music. The workers at FBR have been trying their hardest to recreate Fall Out Boy, and I think this CD gives them the best shot.

The songs are catchy, not too pop-inspired, but just enough that they are marketable to the classic "preppy" teenager, and the lyrics aren't completely worthless as so many are these days. For allegedly being gay, William Beckett certainly can write about boy-girl relationships. The songs aren't exactly original, they sound like everything we've heard before, but at the same time, they are different than anything we've ever heard before.

The Academy Is... always puts on a fantastic live show, and this music is more precise and well-done than past songs; I know the this fall, the We The Kings and TAI... tour will be nothing short of brilliant.

Four stars.