REVIEW: In The Mourning Gets Real With 'If He Wanted To, He Would'

“What's a good girl to do?” 

Be prepared to blast this absolute banger in your car. Trust me, you will. The anticipated second single from LA-based punk rock band, In The Mourning, takes the reflection of being in a one sided relationship and turns it into an anthem. 

The nostalgic instrumental makes this track feel extremely relatable and bound to have you belting out the words into your hairbrush. A classic in the making. 

The production is amazing. Singer-songwriter Amanda Tran’s vocals shine brightly amongst the angsty instrumental making you listen with feeling. When you think the words were already reading you like a book, Kenny Lu’s guitar solo comes out of nowhere and knocks you back into your seat. By the end of the song you’re already planning on pressing replay. 

I can't wait to see what else In The Mourning has in store. I absolutely loved this song and can confirm it sounds amazing in your car. Like seriously what are you doing? 

Buckle up and go belt your heart out!

LYRICS

Be a good girl for you

I’d do anything for you

But when I come around

“I’m too nice, too needy”

Too available for you

If he wanted to, he would 

I keep telling that to myself 

But when you come around 

I can’t help but need it 

Too accessible for you

Oh, I’ll be a fool for a higher love 

The truth is cruel but I’ll go in just to feel something 

Yeah, you say that you could be the one for me

But inconsistency, well, that could not be for me 

Sometimes I hang on a little too long 

Give you way too much slack

But now I can’t go back to where I was 

Guess I’m a softie now for you 

A little too much forgiveness

Took advantage of my kindness 

Who do you think you are?

A little too much forgiveness

Took advantage of my kindness 

Who do you think you are?

Oh, I’ll be a fool for a higher love 

The truth is cruel but I’ll go in just to feel something 

Yeah, you say that you could be the one for me

But inconsistency, well, that could not be for me 

What’s a good girl to do?

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ALBUM REVIEW: Lumineers Shine with a New Sound on BRIGHTSIDE

The Lumineers started 2022 off with a bang with the release of their 4th consecutive album BRIGHTSIDE.

The album starts off with their first single “BRIGHTSIDE”. This album gives the Lumineers a new unique sound. Lead singer Wesley Schultz has a beautiful distinct raspy voice and is incomparable to many other singers. Schultz adds to the uniqueness with his beautiful poetry and hopeful messages in each song. Each song is titled in capital letters to add to the brightness of the album.

The album cover shows a bright blue sky with a blury hand reaching up. The album consists of nine songs that each tell a cinematic story. So go put your headphones on lay in your bed and take a listen to “BRIGHTSIDE” available on all streaming platforms.    

LE JUNK Dabbles in Some ‘Bad Stuff’

Le Junk’s glamorous childlike rubbish ‘Bad Stuff’ via Naked Superstar Recordings — currently in its 8th week since being released on July 29th, 2021 — started off as inspiration for himself in his own music video for ‘Rich Romance’ where he wore the exact same festooned ‘80s vintage suit to flash his status.

Sitting in an upscale directors chair at a friend’s studio in East London, Le Junk (first name not revealed due to the artist being an enigma) dabbles in some bad stuff. First, as he partakes in a 4-pack of powdered sugar donut goodness, then the sudden difficulties getting through a whole video recording take before the cake monster’s facial dessert-themed gimmick begins to melt.

“It seemed like the best way to turn a cake into a person,” he says, about how the shirtless idea came into play behind cakeface. The colourful comedic back-and-forth gibberish of Bad Stuff explores an addictive personality, a halfwit representation of someone being tormented by their own cravings, but hides beneath a masked party animal persona that seems like he’s having fun. He sings in a self-assured groove-laden whisper, a telephoned tongue-in-cheek confectional static.

A swag-strutting gangster lean amidst a mashing addictiveness of cowbell, the glitz of Le Junk; a seductive multi-instrumentalist in his slinky Nintendo-like, on (the) air personality, broadcasts, “If you wanna get in-between, get all up in/My stuff. If you wanna question my ways, get up on me/Then stop.” Lyrics if it’s not stuff, it isn’t worth junk.

Le Junk, an emerging alternative-pop junkie, wants to be remembered as the guy who loves The Offspring, and the guy who loves people that look like cake (humorously speaking). He’s here to take his cake and eat it. He’s here to revitalize and revolutionize popular music.

REVIEW: Seven Year Witch’s Cover of Akon's Hit Single, "I Wanna Love You"

Have you ever listened to a pop song, or really any song, and thought to yourself, “Wow, this would be a great rock song”? Well I would have never in a million years thought about Akon’s “I Wanna Love You” but South Carolina Hard Rock, Blues-Punk band Seven Year Witch did, and they have just released an epic cover of “I Wanna Love You”. 

We all know the original, it’s smooth and classic to Akon’s Hip Hop sound. These guys went with a completely different approach, and that approach was rock n’ roll. Sometimes when the style of cover is drastically different from the original it doesn’t work, but in this case, it couldn’t have been more perfect. You know it’s gotta be a great song when it’s an absolute jam in multiple different genres. 

Overall this cover has a grunge rock sound but there is definitely a little pop punk to it, too. It’s really a classic killer sound to jam to. I love how they start the first few lines of the song very slowly, similar to the original, but then instantly switches to a fast-paced, high energy rock song. 

"I Wanna Love You by Akon is a song we all love. We put our own spin on it and started performing it live to great reception. After all the demand we decided to record our cover of it. So here it is, our version of I Wanna Love You by Akon." - SEVEN YEAR WITCH 

The music video matches the same high energy level of the song. It’s mostly just a video of them playing in an empty bar, but these guys are going HARD. The energy they have while playing is exactly how I feel when listening to their version. I would love to just be there rocking out with them! 

Seven Year Witch’s cover of Akon’s “I Wanna Love You” is available on multiple streaming platforms which can be found HERE. 

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Encrement Make Their Mark With Debut Single 'The Ruins'

With a sound of eerie desolation, hard hitting drums and heavy riffs soon come crashing in to swallow the soft notes of the piano. Clean vocals cascade and intertwine into heavier vocals lifting the

This is ‘The Ruins’.

Encrement, a progressive rock band, released their debut single today, holding nothing back. Coming together from different projects to create original music with a heavy and melodic combo, Zac Taylor on vocals, Brandon Schauer on guitar/vocals, Josh Finch on bass, and Blake Tidrow on drums are Encrement.

The single comes along with a lyric video as well, so give it a listen and check out the video to connect with the full story.

Come at me if I’m totally off here, but if you love We Came As Romans…I think you’ll dig this one. Truly excited to see what these guys have in store.

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REVIEW: Falling In Reverse Call Out Cancel Culture in 'Zombified'

Falling In Reverse have been exhumed and released a new single titled, “ZOMBIFIED.” 

‘Zombified’ by Falling In Reverse is proving that the band hasn’t backed down from creating rock anthems that go along with every single moment. After giving the song a few listens through, the chorus is immediately engraved in your cranium. The driving riffs create a cinematic story crafted to fit along with Ronnie Radke’s stance. "I wrote 'Zombified' about how sensitive society has gotten, in my opinion," says Radke.

The visuals that go along with this song are out of this world. Falling In Reverse have graciously, over the years, perfected how to make the right videos for what they’re trying to say.  "I think we all need to learn to laugh a little more. I pulled out all the stops for the 'Zombified' video, for the fans, YouTube reactors, and all people alike." That's for certain as the video is apocalyptic and visually appealing. Demonstrating the disconnect and dysfunction of modern day society. The video and song depict the creation of cancel culture in a sophisticated manner. 

The song will be on their upcoming EP, Neon Zombie.

Falling In Reverse will be hitting the road on the, “Live From the Unknown: The Tour.” The tour will be hitting 16 locations, starting in Atlanta, GA and ending in Los Angeles, CA. Support on this tour will be held by Wage War, Hawthorne Heights and Jeris Johnson.  Get tickets here.

TOUR DATES: 

1/13 ­­— Atlanta, GA — The Tabernacle#

1/14 — Nashville, TN — Marathon Music Works#

1/15 — Cincinnati, OH  — ICON

1/17 — Pittsburgh, PA — Stage AE 

1/18 — Silver Spring, MD — The Fillmore

1/19 — Philadelphia, PA — The Fillmore

1/21 — Boston, MA  — Tsongas Center

1/22 — New York, NY — Hammerstein

1/24 — Detroit, MI  — The Fillmore

1/25 — Chicago, IL  — Aragon Ballroom

1/26 — Minneapolis, MN — The Fillmore*#

1/28 — Kansas City, MO — The Uptown Theater#

1/29 — Oklahoma City, OK  — Diamond Ballroom#

1/30 — Dallas, TX — Southside Ballroom

2/1 — Phoenix, AZ — The Van Buren#

2/4 — Los Angeles, CA  — The Palladium

*No Wage War

#SOLD OUT

REVIEW: The Weeping Suns Release Debut Single

Idaho’s new up and coming band, The Weeping Suns, released their first song “Weeping Sun” yesterday on all streaming platforms.

Lead singer Lily Sanderson most commonly known as “Slug” formed The Weeping suns back in September with her best friend and bass player Sammy Kusch. Drummer Ethan Cramer along with lead guitarist and producer Brandt Moon Joined at the first band practice where they started to write “Weeping sun”.

These four teens are the most creative, chaotic, talented souls I’ve ever talked to. Slug uses her love of nature as her main inspiration for writing songs. “Weeping Sun” starts off with an indie alternative guitar riff. The poetic lyrics match the alternative grungy vibe of the song. “She watches from her skies, she takes in the pain” is a rather cryptic lyric to start the song with. The beauty of the song is that “she” can be seen as something different through everyone’s eyes. My favorite part of the song is Moon’s guitar solo as it adds a hint of heavy metal rock in the middle of everything. Sammy’s bass lines compliment Moons guitar riffs exceptionally well.

The weeping Suns are working on their debut album which is set to come out later in the year. I love these talented goofballs and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish in 2022.

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The Breakdown E23: 2022 Tours You Don't Want To Miss

Welcome to the first episode of The Breakdown in 2022!

In 2021, we had the return for festivals and concerts and lets hop it stays that way! Festivals haven't announced their lineups yet but bands have kicked off their tour announcements. This week, we break down some of our favorites coming to our cities. Catch you on the road?

2021: What Music Meant To Me This Year

Music has always been a major part of my life. That’s just a well known fact about myself, as well as so many people. However, this year has been different for me in terms of music. Somehow, it really became even more important to me - which I did not think was possible in any way. 

I live in Texas and I would say that the rockiness of this year really started when the winter storm happened. Being without power in the freezing temperatures for over two days was certainly not how I wanted to spend my days that week. 

I lost almost all signal on my phone during the blackout, so for two days - I was without music. That may not seem like much, but for me - music is how I get through everything. I had so many songs stuck in my head during those two days that I just relied on the music being played in my head. When the power finally came back on, I spent pretty much my entire night listening to everything that was stuck in my head.

Two months later, I finally got a taste of live music for the first time in a year. I traveled to Florida to see The Living Street, at the same bar where I first saw them and met them.

I shared in my reflection piece about the experience that being around them again and watching them perform put the biggest smile on my face and that it was the happiest I had been in a while and it really was. 

At the time, I had been living in a hotel - thanks to the winter storm damaging my house. It felt nice the first two or three weeks, but the loneliness washed over me and the depression started to sink in. So when I reunited with The Living Street, it brought over a sense of happiness. It was one of those times where I just could not stop smiling and for that - I am grateful for them bringing that happiness to me. 

Nothing made me happier than watching two people I consider to be inspirations to me and also great friends of mine perform the music that made such an impact on me and my life. Nothing made me happier than just hanging out with them again after a year. 

After coming home from that wonderful trip and I moving into another hotel, I started feeling really motivated about writing and just kept writing and writing. I wrote everything from my reflection piece on my reunion with The Living Street to gaining courage and writing about my abuse story for sexual assault awareness month to different music reviews. I felt like the music just motivated me in some way and pushed me to keep writing and writing and I felt great about it. 

In late May, just two days before my birthday, Greta Van Fleet’s Strange Horizons tour went on sale and I already knew that I wanted to go to the Nashville concert, so I bought a ticket. Simple story, huh? Well, something else happened.

In BANDED’s Slack group chat, fellow banded writer, Sara shared a link talking about an independent radio station in Nashville hosting a giveaway for front row seat tickets at the night one concert. 

“I never win these things so I’ll just participate for fun,” I remember thinking. I was proven wrong several hours later, when I saw that the station pinned my comment on their post and messaged me on Instagram and said that I won.

To say I was in shock would be an understatement, but I was so beyond thrilled. Honestly, what an amazing birthday present!

Days before the show, the station called me and upgraded my tickets to the pit. That upgrade made me feel especially stoked.

Finally, Nashville came and I met up with another fellow Banded writer, Kiki. After two years of talking, this would be our first time ever meeting in person. We met at the hotel and our first in-person greeting was us running to each other, hugging each other and shouting out, “It’s all happening!” 

The next day, we spent our day at the Musician’s Hall of Fame, we walked down Broadway and listened to some live music while eating lunch, as well as experiencing our first ever Grimey’s experience. 

Then the day of the Greta Van Fleet show came and we spent most of our day in line. Once the gates opened for us to go through, it wasn’t necessarily easy for me and my mental health at that very moment.

When my ticket was scanned and I was let in, I felt so overhyped and overwhelmed that the second I found a bench, I sat down and just started sobbing.  I actually even began wondering if I was worth the pit at all.

Thankfully, I got past that and met up with Kiki - as well as other fellow Banded staff; Sara and Angel. When we were allowed to go down, I finally made it to the rail. 

It was my third Greta show, my second pit experience and my first rail experience, on Sam’s side too! 

I had a surreal moment sometime later when I looked over and spotted one of my favorite modern rockers, Tyler Bryant. Ironically enough, when Kiki and I were at Grimey’s the day before, she spotted a Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown vinyl and pointed it out to me. So I approached him and talked to him for a minute and took a picture, I give meeting him a solid 100/10 because he is a total sweetheart.

There was also a moment where Josh came running into the pit, handing out roses and I managed to become one of the lucky people to get one. Despite the panic I experienced prior, that experience was one I’ll never truly forget.

Those are just some of the major music moments that really meant so much to me this year, but it just shows that music played a huge part in my life this year and it was in a way I never imagined before. 

 Now, I have four concerts lined up over the next four months: The Aces on December 17, Marcus King Band in February, Yungblud in early March and traveling to Cincinnati for Greta Van Fleet - where I’ll be experiencing it with most of the Banded staff!

I wanna thank The Living Street for playing a major role in my life this year and for the amazing reunion in Apalachicola, Lightning 100 for selecting me to win the Greta Van Fleet tickets, Kiki for an unforgettable first Nashville visit and third Greta experience, and my Banded family for being so amazing.

Let 2022 be a bigger year for music. 

Review: The Living Street live in New Kennsington, Pennsylvania

The Christmas spirit was alive at the Voodoo brewing company in New Kensington Pennsylvania. Local band, The Living Street, welcomed friends and family in with warm hugs and awesome live music. Lead singer Nick Guckert is one of the sweetest people I have ever met and has the voice of an angel. He sang some of my favorite songs such as ‘Take It Easy’ by The Eagles and ‘Heart of Gold’ by Neil Young. Lead Guitarist Edward J. Angelo not only has beautiful hair but has mad guitar skills. Nick and Edward had an incredible stage presence as they made everyone feel at home. The positive energy they brought through their music radiated through everyone. 

The bar was decorated with beautiful artwork and instagram worthy aesthetics. My favorite part of the restaurant was the rugged phone booth and just the overall grungy look of the place. This place was perfect for The Living Street’s intimate performance as everyone had a special connection with Nick and Edward.  

 If you would like to check out The Living Street their music is available for your listening on spotify. I highly recommend supporting them and coming to one of their performances. Their genre is soft rock with a hint of folk and country. Their latest single, ‘Jealous Ghost’ sounds amazing live. Nick portrays the emotions of the song perfectly through his lyrics with his smooth yet powerful voice. Edward’s rhythms match the passionate sadness of the song with great detail. They are both two very talented young musicians and I am excited to go to many many more of their gigs in the future.

REVIEW: Cody Parks & The Dirty South Release 'Dirt I'm From'

Country Metal. That’s a two word phrase that would likely seem like an oxymoron to most people. What two genres could be (seemingly)  more diametrically opposed? 

That’s what I thought when I first read it off the front of Cody’s trucker cap. What the hell is country metal? If you ask Cody Parks (and I did) it’s a little like ‘Def Leppard on corn bread’. 

And you know what? That’s a pretty damn good descriptor. 

I had to see it for myself, though. 

I’m not sure when my first Filthy Friday was, but I’ve been a nearly permanent fixture ever since. 

Maybe it was the plunger beer caddy. Maybe it was the fog machines. Maybe it was the snakeskin boots. It’s wild, it’s a little trashy, its kinda silly, it’s FUN. Whatever it was that grabbed me, it sure as hell grabbed me. 

You see, here’s the thing about country metal; it is 100% unequivocally, balls to the wall, backwoods, in your face rock. And it’s 100% Cody Parks. 

You might be like me.

Country Metal? 

…what?

Nervous laugh, side eye, right? 

But the ability, willingness, and audacity to combine the two genres is frankly what makes it badass. 

It shouldn’t rock as hard as it does. But it does. 

I’m a country metal evangelical. I want everyone to check. it. out. 

This latest single “Dirt I’m From” marries the two genres seamlessly. 

There’s just something about flesh shredding guitar being paired with lyrics like 

If you leave those lights in the rear view

concrete runs out turns into kudzu

that IMMEDIATELY makes me want to act up. 

And I promise you, if you come out to one of these shows, you’re gonna be hollering YES SIR, YES MA’AM just like the rest of us. 

For me, the thing that makes this band, and Country Metal in general so appealing is not necessarily the music itself, (which KICKS ASS by the way) it’s creation of something unique the encompasses every part of the personality, even those that seem at odds with one another. 

I’m no stranger to cowpunk and “y’allternative”. Bands like Wilco, Old 97’s, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and American Aquarium are permanent fixtures on my playlists. Country Metal hits a little different, though. 

Maybe it’s my red dirt roots speaking here, but country metal kinda resonates with me on a spiritual level. It’s the sitting the the KMart parking lot listening to Ride The Lightning, because there’s nowhere else to hang out. It’s the tearing up backroads with the windows down wearing out the CD that your buddy burned titled “songs that fuckin’ ROCK ”. It’s the Pantera posters peeling off the double wide bedroom walls. It’s loving something SO MUCH despite being a part of a culture and a geographical area that typically opposes it, and STILL weaving in that culture from your hometown. It’s loving Willie Nelson AND Van Halen. 

It’s just learning to love every part of yourself and your background and throwing it back in the faces of everyone who says any part of it sucks. It’s just badass. 

“Dirt I’m From” is all of that. 

You don’t have to take my word for it. The next Filthy Friday is Jan 14th at Live Oak on Demonbruen. Come out and taste some country metal for yourself. 

And if you can’t make it out to Nashville, catch Cody Parks and the Dirty South on December 16th for How Banded Stole Christmas, live on our IG. 

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“Don’t Be Afraid to Live What You Believe”: 45 Years of Tom Petty & The Heartbreaker

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. There is one band that has had more of an impact on my life than any other, and this is the one. Though I’ve only been familiar with their full discography for a little over three years now, the ways my life has changed since diving in to everything they have to offer has amazed me. 2021 marks 45 years since Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers came onto the rock ‘n’ roll scene, and to celebrate that, I want to share with you a personal piece about how this band has changed my life. 

What’s funny is that the biggest impact this band has had on my life can be summed up in one single line from one single song that was released AFTER Tom passed. It is my all-time favorite song by any artist or band ever, and if you told me I had five minutes left to live, I’d listen to this song and then start it over even though I know I wouldn’t be able to finish it a second time. The song is “Keep a Little Soul,” and it was released in 2018. As soon as I first heard the lyric that ends the second verse, my life was changed. 

I had just gotten into Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in late 2018 (and I’ll forever regret taking so long!), and I had also just been given a huge collection of old records from my high school Spanish teacher. I remember being sat in my living room floor digging through the records with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ music videos playing on my TV for some background noise. I was crate digging and letting YouTube’s Autoplay function take over when I heard Tom’s voice count off into a song I’d not yet heard before. I looked up and saw archival footage of a happy early 80s Tom and was drawn in immediately. I was bopping along and digging on the song when the ending line of the second verse hit – “don’t be afraid to live what you believe.” At face value, that line might not mean much to you, but to me, it hit me like a train. As soon as I heard it, it started to rule my life, and it still does to this day.  

To an extent, I suppose I changed the meaning in a way – I really latched onto that first part, “don’t be afraid.” For a big part of my life I’ve refrained from doing certain things just because I was afraid of something. I was afraid of embarrassing myself, or of people making fun of me. I was afraid I would make some kind of mistake that couldn’t be fixed, or I’d face some kind of rejection and get hurt. I wanted to protect myself, but in sheltering myself, I found that despite being “protected,” I was still as unhappy in my own skin as I would be if I embarrassed myself or made some kind of irreparable mistake. That lyric just drove that point home. You are equally as unhappy when you shelter yourself from hurt as you are when you get hurt. When I started to risk getting hurt to do the things that mattered to me, things began to change. 

With that lyric, Tom Petty helped me realize that it’s okay if you don’t fit in, or if who you are doesn’t belong where you are. His and the Heartbreakers’ music feels like a second home, a place to go when you feel like you don’t belong wherever you are. It’s a place without judgment and without fear. In that home, I could wear as many of my weird hats as I could ever want without getting snide glances, my Instagram username could be as dorky as I want it to be without being laughed at (and it’s dorky, trust me). It was because I felt safe in their music that “don’t be afraid to live what you believe” is so easy for me to live out now. 

I think I could even attribute my moving to Indiana from Arkansas to this line. The only reason I’m here in Indiana is because I believed in my crazy idea that children’s educational media is not only something interesting to study, but something I could pursue graduate work and eventually a career in. When I first started thinking about going to graduate school with this interest, I was scared. I agonized over it, whether or not I could do it in the first place and if I could even find a place to go that would take me. Every time throughout the process of deciding what I was going to do that I would hear “Keep a Little Soul,” that line would hit me again just like it did the first time, and nudge me in the right direction. I filled out applications, I wrote essays, I wrote an entire thesis based on this idea, and I got in, because doing this is something I believe it, and I lived it. 

It's also because of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and this song that I’m writing this piece that you’re reading in the first place. Tom Petty effectively brought my fellow BANDED contributor Baylee Avery into my life. From what I understand, she friend-requested me on Facebook after seeing that we share a love of Tom Petty and The Shelters, a band that Tom had worked extensively with. I accepted, seeing that we had some Tom Petty-related friends in common, and we connected on Instagram. Immediately upon connecting with her, I could see that writing was something she’s unbelievably passionate about. Music journalism is her dream, and her passion and enthusiasm for it radiates off of her in everything she does. I was inspired by that – she was doing everything in her power to live what she believes. Seeing that made me realize that my own journey with music didn’t have to be over just because I had chosen an academic path. 

I remember becoming more and more interested in BANDED as I saw Baylee post about it more and more often, but it took me a while to actually consider it for myself. Once I did start to consider it as something I could do too, I found myself making every excuse I could think of as to why I couldn’t do it. I would fill in the submission boxes to apply to be a volunteer contributor, but I’d never click that submit button. It was something I wanted, but I was hesitant and afraid. In conjunction with an also inspiring line from a Shelters song, this line from “Keep a Little Soul” worked its magic on me yet again. I realized that I was just making excuses and that being involved in music in any and all capacities possible was something that I very much believed in, with my whole heart and soul. It was important, it was imperative, that I live that, so I hit that submit button, and here we are today. It is because of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers that I joined the team, and now I get to write all about them. 

Their music has spoken to me since day one. Whether the meaning I pull out of each song is the meaning Tom intended doesn’t really matter, and I think he knew that people would do that. I think he wrote his songs in a way that mattered to him, but he knew that people could and would find some other meaning outside of anything he ever imagined. I hope he was proud of that, that his music had that kind of power and effect on people. I hope all of the Heartbreakers are. Despite having not truly discovered his discography until after Tom passed, it feels like he knew me, he knew my struggles, he knew where my heart was, and he knew what I needed to hear. It felt like he understood me without ever even knowing me. One of the songs released after his passing, “For Real,” has a line that I think is important here. 

“I did for real, 

would’ve done it for free. 

I did it for me, 

cuz it was all that rang true.

I did it for real, 

and I did it for you.”


Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers made music for them, because they loved it, but in the least selfish way possible. Anyone who loves to make music knows how just how powerful music can be; they did it for them, but they did it for us too, to create something real, something meaningful. I just don’t think they knew just how many lives they would change while they did it. 

It’s so easy to only talk about Tom, and not the rest of the Heartbreakers simply because Tom did a vast majority of the writing for the band, and it’s his words that have connected with me. However, you cannot discount the influence of the Heartbreakers, and ultimately, we wouldn’t have Tom Petty without them. When Mudcrutch went to LA to try and get a record deal, got one, and then the label only wanted Tom, he fought to have a band. He didn’t want it to just be him, he never intended for it to just be him, and if the label had refused to let him have his band, I think he would’ve walked away. He cared about the music being bigger than just him – it meant so much more to him than just the spotlight. 

Talented as he was, he couldn’t have replaced a single Heartbreaker because they were all so necessary to the makeup of the band. Tom couldn’t have taken the place of Mike Campbell, or Benmont Tench, or any of the Heartbreakers. Each one of them is integral to the sound and legacy of this band. They didn’t write the words, but they brought the emotion to every single song as though they were all living every word. Their contributions to every single song are insurmountable. They brought ideas that only they could have had, and without those elements they brought in, the songs just wouldn’t have been the same. Who would ever want to hear “American Girl” without Mike’s guitar riff, or “You Don’t Know How It Feels” without Steve Ferrone’s perfectly tasteful drums, or “Southern Accents” without Benmont’s beautiful piano?

I truly believe this band changed my life. I am who I am now because of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. No band has influenced me the way this one has, and no song has impacted me the way some song recorded in the 80s that was thrown in the vaults until being uncovered nearly 40 years later has. I find myself endlessly amazed when I look at where I am now, knowing that I’m only here because I finally decided to stop being afraid. I will forever be grateful to this band for having given me and continuing to give me the pushes I need to keep moving in a forward direction. There really will never be another band like them. 

Cheers to 45 years of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and never being afraid to live what you believe!

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The Breakdown: Top Albums 2021

What’s up rockers from all across the world! It is that time of the year for our top picks.

2021 was a huge year for the rock industry and so many of our favorite artists put out new music after the craziness of 2020. Becca & I breakdown our favorite albums of the year, some you may have heard of, but others may not have caught your radar….

REVIEW: 2011 by 5 Seconds Of Summer

In honor of 5 Seconds Of Summer’s (5SOS) tenth anniversary, the Australian band dropped their newest single titled ‘2011’, the year they established themselves as a band. 

Throughout the past decade they've seen a lot but started from virtually nothing. In February 2011, front man Luke Hemmings posted his first ever singing cover of Mike Posner's ‘Please Don't Go’. As months progressed the rest of the band started to come together recruiting lead guitarist Michael Clifford, bassist Calum Hood, and drummer Ashton Irwin. 

In 2014, they joined One Direction on tour as the opening act on the Take Me Home tour, which helped the band acquire a large following. In that same year, they released their self titled album that featured their first major single, ‘She Looks So Perfect’. The year after they embarked on their first major headlining tour Rock Out With Your Socks Out.

 In 2018, 5SOS opted to swap out the pop punk persona for a more mature pop sound with their single, ‘Want You Back’. This set the stage for their sophomore album, Youngblood, which had great success. Continuing on with this new sound during the first major shock of a global pandemic, they dropped their fourth album CALM which debuted at #2 on the billboard 200 chart. It would have been their fourth album to reach #1 but due to a shipping error the sales were counted a week earlier than the actual release date.

 But enough of memory lane let's talk about… well, memory lane.

On December 3rd at midnight, they dropped not only a homage to the years they spent together as bandmates, they dropped a sneak peak to what they've been cooking up in the couple months for their next album. 2011 has a poppy feel good atmosphere with hints of reflective melodies. Lyrically, it's a sentimental anthem of living bravely in a moment in the past as if it was easier than the current uncertainties of the present. It highlights that life changes fast and often we take moments in the present for granted while worrying about the future then find ourselves looking back at days gone by wishing we could return to the very same moment we started worrying in the first place. Lastly, long time fans will rejoice once they hear that all four members recorded vocals like it's quite literally 2011.  

I think I speak for all of us when I say that we’re really proud of the four Australian boys who started out singing covers on youtube and that we are on the edge of our seats for what's to come in the next decade!

Watching All the Days Roll By: 50 Years of Electric Light Orchestra

Electric Light Orchestra. ELO. Where do I even begin?

2021 marks 50 years of the band’s existence as ELO, and despite a name change in 2015, the band and its music live on. ELO was my first favorite band. They’ve been a part of the soundtrack to my life for as long as I can remember. I have so many memories of my childhood with ELO playing in the background. All the time I spent in the car as a child, for so much of it I had my peace sign headphones on listening to Secret Messages and Balance of Power, or my dad was playing “Jungle” or “Telephone Line” out loud in the car for my brother and I and we were goofily singing along and laughing. ELO will forever be one of my favorite bands, and to celebrate their 50 years of making magic, I want to share with you what ELO means to me.   

ELO was THE band that single-handedly shaped my taste in music. ELO’s music has always been harmony-centric, sonically interesting, and different from the music of their peers. The sounds they’ve created are unique and innovative – they were always doing something wild and interesting. More than with any other band, I have found myself drawn to music that employs the same big elements you’ll find in ELO’s discography.

My entire life I’ve been drawn to music that is very harmony-centric. Most of my favorite bands focus heavily on harmonies in their music. It is arguably because of ELO that I fell in love with Queen when I was 12, or The Last Bandoleros when I was 17, or Breaking Grass when I was 19. Breaking Grass is a unique example when it comes to harmonies. Bluegrass music could not possibly be any more different from the classic ELO sound, yet it is because of the classic ELO sound that I love bluegrass music. Who could have predicted the ELO to bluegrass pipeline?

The ”orchestra” part of the Electric Light Orchestra has always been one of my favorite things about them. Strings in non-classical music is like magic in its purest form. I am obsessed with strings and string sounds in non-classical music. I am always the most obnoxious person in the comment section when one of my favorite bands uses strings or string sounds in their newest releases, just hollering about how much I love it. There is no song on this earth that strings cannot improve, I am convinced, and it was ELO that convinced me. They sparked that love, that obsession, and now I can’t get enough. 

I always love picking out songs in the Top 40 that sound like ELO too, and every time I find one, every bone in my body wishes I could ask the artist what influenced that sound. Thad Cockrell was on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon with his song “Swingin,” and I very distinctly remember Jimmy himself talking about how much he thought the song sounded like ELO. I was fairly skeptical, but as soon as that chorus came in, I thought that song would’ve fit right in on Out of the Blue. The Weeknd’s “Save Your Tears” is reminiscent of Time to me; if a few more elements were added, just a little more production done, it could be on that record. Whether you agree or disagree with me on that, and I’m sure several people disagree, the point is that I can hear ELO everywhere I go. I hear elements from their music everywhere. That’s not to say that every artist everywhere was inspired by ELO, ELO was after all heavily influenced by The Beatles, but it's such fun to pick out those similar sounds in modern music. 

It’s also worth mentioning the ELO - Traveling Wilburys – Tom Petty, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and Bob Dylan pipeline. I knew who all of these musicians were before discovering the Wilburys, but it was because I discovered the Wilburys that I found a love for each of these musicians, and it is because of ELO that I discovered the Wilburys. George Harrison is my favorite Beatle, Tom Petty is my favorite musician of all time, Roy Orbison has one of my favorite voices ever, and Bob Dylan? He’s a legend (and I’ve seen him live!), and the Wilburys were my proper introduction to him. ELO led me to these incredible rock ‘n’ rollers, and who could ask for a better group of musical dads?

Even not being fully exposed to their full discography as a kid, I still, even with what little I had really heard as a kid, became so open to new-to-me and unique musical sounds. I was musically very open-minded to many genres (though there were some that I still refused to touch), and the discoveries I made as I grew up are ones that I’m not sure I would have made without ELO to open my mind. Their sonic uniqueness and the cinematic quality to their music put me on the path to discovering Greta Van Fleet. Their use of haunting chord progressions turned me on to songs like Fastball’s “The Way” or The Hollies’ “The Air That I Breathe.” Just being exposed to sounds that differed from what all my friends were listening to made me more open to other sounds that my friends weren’t listening to. I think ELO might be one of the reasons I find myself latched onto Tejano and Cuban sounds, sounds like those The Last Bandoleros and The Mavericks make. For me, those kinds of sounds are very different from what I was surrounded with where I grew up, but it was already so different from my peers to listen to ELO that listening to other things like that wasn’t difficult for me, and doing so has allowed me to discover so many new and beautiful bands. 

I think ELO is an incredible example of an idea that has plagued me for a few years now – I believe that we are all a mosaic of everything we have ever loved, and that applies to music too. Who we are is due, at least in part, to the music we love. When I’m feeling introspective, I think about how my life might be different if I’d never been exposed to their music. ELO will forever be one of my favorite bands. I will forever cherish the music I’ve discovered because of them and the memories I’ve made with their music as the soundtrack. 

Cheers to 50 years, to many more, and to the music that is reversible when time is not.

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