Empire Holiday

http://www.facebook.com/empireholiday

It's been awhile since we've had a Siri Suggestion (that's catchy, I might keep using that) here on Bands That Need Love Too, but I figure since the girl cannot stop talkin about these boys, I'd FINALLY give in and talk about them :P So here we go.

First, can I just say that Siri first REALLY brought the guys up to me on our Dallas adventure, which happened after Spring Break so I've been hearing about them now for.... two months? Ish? Yes. And those are two months that I should have spent listening to these guys as opposed to ignoring her obvious promotions for them. Yeah, yeah, I know. I don't know why I didn't listen to her earlier either. Everyone makes mistakes right? With that being said, Empire Holiday's music is kind of like Breathe Carolina's (okay maybe I took that comparison from Siri lol), only with a little more emphasis on face melting beats. (I'm currently sitting here blasting "Ballroom Murder" and it's quite intense.) I literally can't decide if I wanna turn it up louder to rock out harder or turn it down to preserve my face, which I'm sure will melt off if I turn it up another decibel. Pair said body rockin', fist pumping, blood rushing beats with Christopher Shelton's clean vocals and Ronnie Hughes' screams, and you've got one of the most in your faces songs that I have heard in a long time.

So much so in fact that I would dare say that they seem to pull off what Breathe Carolina is going for far better than Breathe Carolina does (at least, in their newer stuff). Instead of putting 50% of effort into the dance side and 50% of effort into the hardcore side to create a decent song, they give both aspects all they have which definitely sets them apart and quite frankly I love it. I can only hope that they continue down this path because "Ballroom Murder" blows the rest of the music on their Facebook page out of the water. Not to say that their old stuff wasn't decent-- and I mean, who doesn't love a cover of "What Is Love?"-- but this glimpse of what they're doing now runs circles around it.

I'm glad these guys decided to continue on with the band after a quick hiatus (er, breakup turned hiatus?), because let's face it, what they've got going is quite promising. I greatly look forward to what they have coming up next. And I very much look forward to my dear, dear Siri dragging me along to their shows :)

Go Download: Their new single "Ballroom Murder," duh. I mean, I've only been talking about it this whole post and it's only .99. You really have no excuse to go get that bad boy on iTunes!

SXSW Day Three & Four

Ed Sheeran
Aside from holding the title of My Favorite Ginger, Ed Sheeran is also one of my favorite indie discoveries of my life (and of this blog). What makes him great isn't just his voice, but his lyricism as well as his flow. That's right. His flow, because believe it or not, the guy can rap something fierce. Don't believe me? Check out his live version of "You Need Me, I Don't Need You" sometime. Live, the song is like 15 minutes long and features freestyle and a mean cover of "In Da Club." Of course, many of his songs are much longer when played live because he adds just so many more elements to them ("Give Me Love," my personal favorite, tends to clock in at around 10 minutes long). And you wanna know what is MOST impressive about Mr. Sheeran? The fact that he does it all on his own. Yeah, that's right. When he performs it's him, his guitar and a loop pedal.

Catch them again: Ed Sheeran performs at 9:15 PM at Austin City Music Hall on March 17.




(Credit to bopit101)


Go Radio
If you're like me, your favorite part about Mayday Parade was the huskier voice of Jason Lancaster. Which means that when he left, you were kind of heartbroken. Don't worry, I understand you. Luckily, Lancaster couldn't stay away from the music business and started his own band, Go Radio. I knew Go Radio before speaking with them and getting to enjoy a little acoustic set from them on their tour bus, but I didn't know enough to know that they were some really cool dudes. Not only that, but Jason's voice is just so raw and powerful and it just has that edge to give you goosebumps. That being said, their full band performances do not disappoint as all the boys just have such a great presence and great chemistry together. If you just wanna have a good time and really get into the music, these guys are the ones for you.

Catch them again: Unfortunately, they only had one SXSW showcase. Catch them on The Lucky Street Tour instead :)




(Check out the original post on Rock Edition)


Breathe Carolina 
I knew the name Breathe Carolina before seeing them at the Fearless Records Showcase, but if we're being honest, I had never listened to them aside from when I played their songs on Tap Tap. So I wasn't sure what to expect out of them when I saw them. But knowing their style, I should have known that things would have turned into the massive dance party that they ended up being. There were lights. There was smoke. They managed to get the crowd moving in a way I haven't seen a band do in quite a long time. Seriously. And they had just stepped off a plane and gotten there a few hours beforehand. Also, surprisingly enough, I knew a lot more songs than I knew I knew. That all being said, if there is any band that I have ever seen that is going to make you dance, and not even care if you look a damn fool, this is that band.

Catch them again: They are one of the headliners for the AP showcase on March 17.




The Used
Now The Used is NOT a new band. Not anywhere close to being an old band. In fact, I remember buying their second album in 8th grade. You read that right. EIGHTH GRADE. And that was their second album. So yeah, they've been around for awhile. Of course, that is in no way to diminish the fact that they are wonderful and deserve any and all attention they get. With that being said, the performance I got to see by them was not an ordinary performance. I was lucky enough to witness their acoustic set during the AP showcase and it was stunning. Never before have I been so sweaty and sore after an acoustic show, but that's exactly what happened. (I had sweated so much in fact that my shirt I was wearing was still wet two days after setting it out to dry.) You see, even while performing their songs acoustic, Bert McCracken and Quinn Allman still commanded the crowd's undivided attention. Now, imagine if had been the full band going full out. All the more reason to see them!

Catch them again: Unfortunately their AP showcase set was their last one at SXSW, but catch them on Warped Tour!

School Boy Humor

http://www.facebook.com/schoolboyhumor

I won't lie, when I saw that I was being followed on Twitter by School Boy Humor, I thought it was something like Total Frat Move. Don't ask me why that was my first thought, because I'm not really sure why either. It just kinda happened.

But curiosity got the better of me and I looked into them, and I was quite surprised to find that SBH isn't a website about douchey things guys do, but in fact a rather good band.

Based out of Little Rock, AR, School Boy Humor is made up of twin brothers Phil and Anthony Evans and they have some of the catchiest beats I have heard. Their sound runs somewhere between The After Party and Breathe Carolina. What does that mean, you ask? It means they come at you harder than just your usual pop-punk/rock, but without the extra screaming vocals. (Not that I have anything against either, as my readers very well know.)

In fact, their beats are so infectious that as I sit here typing this, I can't help but bob my head with it. If you need something to get you pumped up or just want to listen to some damn good and catchy songs, SBH is the band for you.

But don't think that means they only do upbeat dance songs. These boys are versatile enough to make a heartwrenching love song or two. Don't believe me? Check out these lyrics. "There's nobody like your body when it's next to mine. I'm holding my breathe while you're holding on tight." Now, call me a sucker for love, but that is just sweet, ok.

There is also something to be said about a band that gets shit done. Since I have liked them on Facebook and followed them on Twitter, I don't go a day without seeing them promoting shows they're doing and responding to fans and inviting them to shows. Not only are they doing their time, but they seem like genuinely nice dudes, which gets you pretty damn far in my book. I missed them while they were here in Texas because I had work, but you don't have to miss them! They have tour dates up HERE. From what I can tell, they're currently up north, but it's only a matter of time before they get back down to the south.

Also, if you're in Texas and wanna see them in Arlington on your Spring Break, you definitely should. If it weren't for me working and covering SXSW, I'd be there in a second. (But mark my words, I WILL see these boys.) Information about that event HERE!

(One last sidenote: They definitely did a song with Jeffree Star, which is kind of badass. Just sayin.)

Go Download: You can pick up their albums, EPs and singles on iTunes. But personally, if you want a super fun song, check out their latest singles "Sex & Rock 'n Roll" and "7 Minutes In Heaven" :)





Also, I enjoy this cover. So you get TWO videos for these boys :D