November 9th, 2012 – The Palladium – Worcester, Massachusetts

November 20th, 2012 – Bogart’s – Cincinnati, Ohio

Falling In Reverse’s current headliner visited The Palladium in Worcester last week on November 6th. The band brought along support from letlive. and Enter Shikari, two of the most energetic bands in today’s music scene. Plenty of energy was packed into a night with only three bands performing, making it a worthwhile tour to catch. Enjoy our photos!

Photo gallery from All Time Low’s headliner, The Rockshow at The End of The World Tour. This gallery is from their Cincinnati, Ohio date of the tour. Enjoy!

Following a motorcycle accident on Wednesday night, Suicide Silence frontman Mitch Lucker was pronounced dead this morning at age 28. Our hearts go out to Mitch’s family and friends during this difficult time. His bandmates released the following statement:

“There’s no easy way to say this. Mitch passed away earlier this morning from injuries sustained during a motorcycle accident. This is completely devastating to all of us and we offer our deepest condolences to his family. He will be forever in our hearts. R.I.P. Mitchell Adam Lucker. We love you, brother.”

A collection of our photos from the Boston, Massachusetts date of Circa Survive’s Violent Waves Tour. The band headlined the House of Blues on September 15th in support of their most recent album with support from Touché Amoré, Balance and Composure, and O’brother. Take a look through the gallery and enjoy!

Photos by Nick DiNatale.

Equal Vision’s Set It Off has been changing things up ever since their formation in 2008. Their “orchestral rock” sound has been drawing major attention, especially since their EP, Horrible Kids. The band hopes to define exactly who they are with the recently released debut full-length, Cinematics. Set It Off’s unique story and sound is sure to spark an interest in both music geeks and average pop-punk fans alike.

The Tampa natives’ story began about 4 years ago. “I got a taste of what being in a band was like (with) All Time Low. I was fortunate enough to have them let me sing Coffee Shop Soundtrack on stage with them in front of a sold-out crowd in Cleveland last day of the AP tour and it felt amazing,” remarks Cody Carson, Set It Off’s front-man. His performance drew major attention and inspired him to start a band of his own, Set It Off. After contacting some friends from his high school days (and later initiating a drummer through an audition process), the band began writing and setting up shows.

The members, originally trained classically through marching band and music theory courses, crafted a unique blend of punky riffs and styles with an orchestral foundation. Comparing the band to those like Panic! At The Disco, the music scene embraced the newcomers but was still unsure of how exactly to describe them. The new sound seemed foreign but almost addictive and was to be deemed as “orchestral pop rock”. With their recent debut, SIO hopes to stand out even more and present listeners with something they’ve never heard before. “It’s very theatrical. I think everything has really improved. The song writing, the melodies are more catchy; the lyrics are more vivid. That’s why we call it Cinematics. We want each song to make you feel like you’re sitting down for a short film,” explains Carson.

Set It Off’s music will definitely continue drawing attention and captivating listeners. The hair-raising Cinematics is available now (purchases within the first week will help benefit VH1′s Save The Music). You can also catch them on tour this fall with There For Tomorrow and then in November with Sparks The Rescue. The band is excited for what’s to come and doesn’t intend on slowing down any time soon!

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Here is a full interview that Katie did with front-man Cody Carson, who was excited to share info about their new album, future plans, and the band’s unique sound!

Sound Scene Press: Can I get you to introduce yourself? Your name and role in the band?

Cody Carson: My name is Cody Carson and I sing and I’m the front-man of Set It Off!

SSP: If you could use one word to describe your music, what would it be?

Carson: …Neurotic!

SSP: So, how did Set It Off come to be?

Carson: Set It Off started in 2008. I went to college for clarinet performance and, at the time, I wasn’t like, I mean I always loved what I did, but I got a taste of what being in a band was like [with] All Time Low. I was fortunate enough to have them let me sing “Coffee Shop Soundtrack” on stage with them in front of a sold-out crowd in Cleveland [on the] last day of the AP Tour and it felt amazing! So I hit up Zach, Zach DeWall and Austin Kerr, the guitarist and the bassist immediately, because I used to play and we were in different bands back in, like, the local scene and we would play shows together. So I was like “Hey man! I wanna start a band and I really like you guys, we get along really well. Would you guys like to do it?” So, they said yes. Dan Clermont, our other guitar player and back up vocalist, I went to high school with him. We were in marching band, wind ensemble, jazz band together. So, I asked him if he wanted to be apart of it. And, at the time, he was playing synth and I was playing guitar and singing. And then we had Max audition, because we didn’t know him at the time and we lost the [previous] drummer, and he fit in. It feels like we’ve known that guy since we were like kids! It’s nuts! And then the way the line-up switched was, Dan’s synth broke one day, and me and him used to be in a local band together and he played guitar- he plays guitar way better than I do, so I just decided, instead of having him sit out for a tour- which would be dumb- I just taught him the parts on guitar and I just sang. And everyone really liked the line-up so we just kept it. So that’s how we came to be!

SSP:Alright! And you talked about how you went to college for clarinet and you guys were in marching band. How do you think this kind of background has been an advantage to the band?

Carson: Oh, it’s been such an advantage in writing in general! When I was in high school I would take music theory, and the knowledge music theory can bring you, as far as writing, is incredible! There’s a thing called “Roman numeral analysis” and, due to that, I know now which chord would fit best and where. I hope I’m not speaking gibberish, but if I’m using a certain note that’s like, pentatonic, I can know whether that’s supposed to be a minor or major chord. And since we have so much composition that goes into the writing I have to do, like with the strings and whatnot, the music theory knowledge that I had in high school and that I then learned in college really transferred over into our band and this new orchestral rock style that we have. So, it made all the difference in the world! Oh, by the way, another reason why is if I didn’t have music education at my school, I wouldn’t have a chance in hell at writing stuff like this for our band so, I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but we’ve teamed up for the first week of sales and for all this pre-order, each CD that’s bought of Cinematics, a donation goes to “VH-1′s Save the Music”. Then they put money towards music programs. When Dan and I were growing up in music programs, we were constantly threatened that we were going to lose it the next year. And that’s like all we had! So if anyone [reads] this and you want to pick up a CD the first week of sales, if we reach our goal of #1 on Billboard Heatseekers, we’re donating $5,000 to it and then our label is matching it and so that’ll be over $10,000 that goes to it.

SSP: Yeah, that’s awesome! Your debut album, Cinematics, comes out the 18^th. What’s the biggest difference from this album as opposed to your other EPs?

Carson: The difference in this one is this is basically Set It Off’s sound. Before, like in Horrible Kids, we were still kind of figuring out who we were and we’re very proud of all our past records but it wasn’t – we didn’t figure out exactly what defined us and this album definitely does that for us. What’s kind of neat is, I think it was in Alt Press magazine, we always wanted someone to say “Oh, this band reminds me of Set It Off,” and it happened! There was an “AP Recommends” band “For fans of Set It Off” or “If you like this band.”  So it was like, whoa! We have a sound that people can be like, “Oh yeah, that’s a Set It Off sound”. So, basically, just defining who we are. It’s very theatrical. I think everything has really improved. The song writing, the melodies are more catchy; the lyrics are more vivid. That’s why we call it “Cinematics”. We want each song to make you feel like you’re sitting down for a short film. So, if you close your eyes and you’re listening to a song, we
want you to be able to completely envision what is going on.

SSP: Y’all are on this tour with There For Tomorrow until October, do you have any other plans for the rest of the year?

Carson: Yeah! I’m really excited about this! October 7^th is our last day, that’s our home date at The Orpheum. We got about two weeks off and I’m going to Halloween Horror Nights, which is this really cool horror event at Universal Studios in Orlando – but that has nothing to do with the band, I’m just excited about it! After that, in November, November 3^rd I believe is the first date, we’re doing a full US tour with Sparks The Rescue in support of the new album. It’s gonna be awesome, I can not wait! We’re even going to Canada! And after that, we have December off with some holiday shows. We have, like, the first/second week we’re hitting the South-East area, you know, to hit up some holiday shows before we take some time off. We’ve been touring non-stop! We finally get to chill with our family for Christmas and the holidays. And after that, in February, we have just announced, literally today, that we’re doing a European tour with Yellowcard. So, we’re excited about that! And, if anybody’s interested, we did a gallon milk challenge and there’s a video on YouTube and it is absolutely disgusting!

SSP: Do you have anything else you want to add?

Carson: Please, check out the album within the first week if you can, if not, no big deal. Just, that donation would mean a lot to all the guys that were involved in music programs and every kid out there that is trying as hard as they can to pursue what they want to do with their lives. That and also, please keep updated with us. Please, come out and see us on tour! We promise you the same respect that you give us with all the support. We want to meet you, we want to hang out with you, and we want to induct you into the Set It Off family!

SSP: Alright, thank you!

Carson: Thank you so much!

Gone are the days of the 2010 EP Do Overs and Second Chances, which was full of thick pop-punk riffs coupled with frontman Jason Lancaster’s tremendous pipes. While there are glimpses of the older sound for Go Radio, the entire feel of Close the Distance is one of a band trying to find their way into the popular music scene.

Go Radio is no stranger to the piano and often incorporate the grand sound into many of their songs, but on Close the Distance it’s as though it was a requirement. More than 3/4 of the tracks either feature or focus on the piano part but that is no negative. The second single “Go To Hell” is a brooding, angry track about a bad breakup, juxtaposed beautifully with an upbeat piano piece throughout the chorus. “What If You Don’t?” is this album’s “Goodnight Moon,” accentuating Lancaster’s vocal abilities over a single piano track with strings accompanying as the song progresses.

On the same train of thought, it’s as though the guitar took a secondary place to other instruments on this album. There are arguably no memorable riffs on the record, save for what is potentially the most radio-friendly track, “Things I Don’t See,” which may be the band’s breakthrough into the more popular scene. It is yet to be seen how that will play out.

Lyrically, Close the Distance is on par with everything else Go Radio has released. Love and relationships are common themes throughout the band’s discography and their latest effort furthers these themes.

Overall, Go Radio have adopted a slightly different sound and a new direction with their sophomore album, which is not out of the ordinary. Bands are constantly evolving and bettering themselves and Go Radio have managed to accomplish this move without alienating any of their old fans. New fans will enjoy the band’s new vibe while old fans will find the old Go Radio in many of the tracks.

Go Listen To: “Go To Hell,” “Lost and Found,” and “What If You Don’t?”

Massachusetts locals Paris have released their second song, titled “Gemini.” Make sure to check it out below, and keep watch for more news from the band!

While the idea of the album seemed promising, as it turns out, Age Of Ignorance lacks originality and loses the metalcore sound that has captivated listeners since the band’s debut. It seems  that Our Last Night has lost the essence of what they have been known for for all of these years and, unfortunately, many of OLN’s  faithful followers will be lost as well. For someone holding Age Of Ignorance to the standards of Our Last Night’s previous works, one could easily find vocals restrained and instrumentals unorganized. It takes multiple listens to grasp the appreciation for the album in its entirety. The band moves away from the heavier original sound discovered in their first two albums and provides the new one with more clean (but still aggressive) vocals, softer melodies, and a sense of pop-rock.

By no means is this album a failure or mistake though. Our Last Night explores their capabilities and tries something new. They said they were “evolving” so how could we not expect something different? Many may negatively see this shift as mass-appeal conformity but the new sound is sure to be embraced by others. While this may not be OLN’s best album, it’s worth checking out, but I would suggest digging into some older songs from Ghost Among Us and We Will Evolve to get a better feel of what makes Our Last Night a post-hardcore favorite.

Featuring some of Metal’s oldest and most well-known acts, along with some of the biggest upcoming names, Rockstar Energy’s Mayhem Festival traveled the country this past summer visiting venues across the nation. Enjoy both of our galleries, one from Nampa, Idaho’s 4th of July show, and the other from Cincinnati’s date on July 24th.

Nampa, Idaho – July 4th

Cincinnati, Ohio – July 24th