Category Archives: Music

Big Time Rush, Boy Bands, Boys We Like, Music

Say Hello To The PenaVegas!

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Carlos Pena, 24, and Alexa Vega, 25, are officially off the market and married! The two said “I do” at the Grand Velas Resort in Mexico.

Carlexa (as they’re known to the fans) shared an intimate ceremony by the beach on January 4th, after a four-month engagement. The two shared photos from the wedding with US Weekly, on stands now!
Alexa looked stunning in an Eduardo Lucero dress. Carlos chose his three fellow band mates, Kendall Schmidt, Logan Henderson, and James Maslow, as his best men.

Well wishes for the newly weds have been rolling in from every corner of the world on various social media accounts. Here’s one more, CONGRATS CARLEXA!

featured photo credit: US Weekly January 20th, 2014

Music, On Tour

MONUMENTOUR 2014

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It’s still below freezing in NYC but we just got our first summer tour announcement of 2014.

We kind of screamed a little (okay, a LOT) when we saw this post from Fall Out Boy this morning.
Paramore and Fall Out Boy are teaming up for the MONUMENTOUR this summer. They will be  crossing the United States all summer long with their friends New Politics.  Finally, we have something to look forward to while we suffer this Polar Vortex!  Even better, the tour is coming to our favorite summer music venue, Jones Beach!

Check out the dates below and let us know which date you’re going to!

(* Fall Out Boy and New Politics only)
6/19 – Hartford, CT @ XFINITY CENTER
6/21 – Wantagh, NY @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre
6/22 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
6/24 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga PAC
6/25 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
6/27 – Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
6/28 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
6/30 – Gilford, NH @ Bank of NH Pavilion
7/2 – Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake PAC
7/3 – Burgettstown, PA @ First Niagara Pavilion
7/6 – St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
7/8 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
7/9 – Indianapolis, IN @ Klipsch Music Center
7/11 – Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
7/12 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bunbury Fest
7/13 – Nashville, TN @ The Woods Amphitheater at Fontanel*
7/18 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
7/19 – Hershey, PA @ Hershey Park Pavilion
7/22 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
7/23 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
7/25 – West Palm Beach, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheatre
7/26 – Tampa, FL @ MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
7/27 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre*
7/29 – Raleigh, NC @ Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
7/30 – Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheatre @ Lakewood
8/1 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
8/2 – Austin, TX @ Austin360 Amphitheater
8/4 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Amphitheater
8/5 – Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Pavilion
8/7 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
8/8 – Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
8/10 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Zoo Amphitheatre
8/12 – Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
8/13 – Orem, UT @ UCCU Center
8/15 – Las Vegas, NV @ Cosmopolitan*
8/16 – Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
8/17 – Concord, CA @ Sleep Train Pavilion

Presales start Monday 1/13 and general on sale is Saturday 1/18 at 10AM on Livenation.com

P.S. If you can’t make the tour this summer, Fall Out Boy are playing the VH1 Super Bowl Blitz on Jan 29th at Brooklyn Bowl!

Follow Fall Out Boy and Paramore on Twitter for the latest news!
See you this summer!

 

 

featured photo and tour dates credit to Fall Out Boy.

Boy Bands, Boys We Like, Midnight Red, Music

Midnight Red Cover Highlight Magazine

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Congrats to Midnight Red for landing their first magazine cover!  The guys are featured in the January issue of Highlight Magazine.

Check out the issue online or purchase a hard copy

Don’t forget to follow Midnight Red and Highlight Magazine on Twitter.

All Photos by Ashley Osborn

Big Time Rush, Boy Bands, Boys We Like, Music

Carlos Pena & Alexa Vega Are Getting Married!

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Big Time Rush member Carlos Pena and Alexa Vega from Spy Kids are set to be married tomorrow, January 4, 2014 at a ceremony in Mexico.

The two have been dropping hints about the wedding for months but never formally announced the date until earlier today.

Alexa’s sisters, Krizia and Makenzie, are also said to be present for the nuptials as well as Carlos’ brothers Javi and Antonio, as well as BTR band mates Logan Henderson and James Maslow, who is also a groomsman.  We hope Kendall Schmidt will be attending too, as we need to see him in a tuxedo.

Congrats to the happy couple!  Looking forward to photos from the happy day!

90s, Big Time Rush, Boy Bands, Boys We Like, Hunter Hayes, Music, NKOTB, On Tour

Top 10 Moments of 2013 – Part 2

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It’s almost time for 2014, so you know what that means – time to recap our favorite moments of 2013!  (We’re so original here).   As we mentioned before, 2013 was an awesome year for music, especially if you’re a secret fangirl.   Here are our favorite things that happened this year.  Check out Part 1 here.

5. Summer Break Tour

We were already thrilled that Victoria Justice was heading out on a summer tour, and the lineup got even better when it was announced she would be joining our favorite boy band, Big Time Rush!  The show was the perfect summer tour:  fun music and cute boys on a warm summer night under the stars.  What more could you ask for?!   BTR broke out their amazing dance moves, and Victoria’s “Shake” dance has a fun Zumba choreography.   Learn it here!  Openers Olivia Somerlyn and Jackson Guthy are ones to watch for in 2014.

4.  The Package Tour
It’s no secret that we love boybands, so a tour with three of the best ever on the same bill was like a dream come true!   98 Degrees, Boyz II Men and New Kids on the Block joined forces for one of the most entertaining tours of the year.  NKOTB have proved time and time again they still have the right stuff, we are pretty sure 98 Degrees haven’t aged a day since 2002, and who doesn’t love Boyz II Men’s 90s jams?  They all seem to get better and better with age.   And what comes with age is simply not caring what people think, and this is a beautiful thing.  If you haven’t seen NKOTB live, get to a show as soon as possible.

3.  Hunter Hayes

We expected big things from Hunter after winning Best New Artist at the CMAs last year and we were right.  He released the deluxe version of his debut album, “Encore,” this summer with new tracks like “I Want Crazy” and “A Thing About You.”  We had the chance to see him live and he does not disappoint.   We knew he would be amazing, but Hunter blew us away with his serious musicianship and his passionate performance.

2.  Justin Timberlake’s Return to Music

We’ve been impatiently waiting for the day JT would come back to his musical roots, and let’s face it, it wasn’t looking like it would happen anytime soon.  Little did we know JT had secretly recorded an album last summer and would be releasing it so soon after that thrilling “I’m Ready” teaser came out.  If you haven’t made it to a show on the 20/20 Experience World Tour, pay whatever amount you can find tickets for because JT is WORTH IT!  He performs for nearly 3 hours, plays every song you’d want to hear, and has a few surprises up his sleeve that we won’t ruin for you.  Just seriously, go.  You never know – it could be 7 years before you get the chance again!

1.  *NSYNC REUNITING AT THE VMAs!!!!

We could hardly believe it when the rumors started earlier that week.   Sure, it was only 90 seconds, but it was more *NSYNC than we’ve had in a decade!   And they’ve proved that they’ve still got it – if they were that great after just a few hours of rehearsal, imagine if they planned a full tour?  And man, we miss hearing JC Chasez’s voice.  We’re just keeping our fingers crossed for a full reunion tour.   We don’t mind waiting (Lance Bass announced his first solo single will be out in January!) as long as it happens!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnmnGdfADNU

Header image via James Maslow’s Instagram

AJR, Boys We Like, Music

AJR’s Debut EP “6foot1” is officially out!

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Last week, New York based pop trio AJR released their debut EP “6foot1” on iTunes and Amazon MP3. Now that we have had some time with the new songs, we are blown away with how talented these guys are!

Written, recorded, mixed and mastered all by themselves in their parents’ living room, AJR continues to impress us.  As if that wasn’t enough, the boys also designed the cover art.    And in case you were wondering where the title “6foot1” came from, it’s because Adam, Jack and Ryan are all 6 foot 1.  Here is our track-by-track review of the EP!

The opening track, “I’m Ready” is the brothers’ first single and has been climbing the Pop Chart on iTunes (as high as 98!).  Sampling the iconic Spongebob “I’m Ready” clip, AJR layered dubstep bass drops and the most catchy chorus we’ve heard all year.

The second track ,”Woody Allen”, has such a fun sound to it!  We aren’t quite sure what they mean when they say they feel like Woody Allen but it makes for a great song.  Also, the most inventive censoring of a word we’ve ever heard (we’re looking at you Ryan!).   This song has so many layers and we can’t stop listening to it!   We hear something new every time.

“Growing Old On Bleecker Street” isn’t exactly new to us, but every time we listen to this song, we wish we could live on Bleecker Street.   We love the ukelele and the melody of this song.  One of our favorite lyrics: “I woke up last night from a dream that we’d grow old on Bleecker Street. Sit by the fire and I’d play my guitar but dreams are only dreams.”

We are obsessed with the horns in “AfterHours.”    We can’t wait to hear this song live!   It’s super catchy and high energy chorus will have any venue rocking.   And are those water glasses we hear in the background?   Nice.

The EP closes with “Buy You a Rose,” which showcases Adam, Jack and Ryan’s unique voices and powerful harmonies.   Check out their beatboxing in the background (we already knew they had serious skills).   The gang vocals on this song are incredible.  Just listen to this song and you’ll see why it’s our favorite.

As we’ve mentioned, we are seriously looking forward to what’s in store from AJR next year, including the release of their full length debut album.  (PS guys, we are going to need studio versions of “The Green and The Town” and “Married on a Hill” hint hint)

The EP is available now on iTunes and Amazon MP3 for just $2.99!   That’s less than your morning latte.  Get it now!

90s, Austin Mahone, Big Time Rush, Boy Bands, Boys We Like, Hunter Hayes, Music, NKOTB, On Tour, Selena Gomez

Top 10 Moments of 2013 – Part 1

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It’s almost 2014, so you know what that means – time to recap our favorite moments of 2013!  (We’re so original here).   As we mentioned before, 2013 was an awesome year for music, especially if you’re a secret fangirl.   Here are our favorite things that happened this year.

10.  78Violet
After what seemed like years of talk, 78Violet, aka Aly & AJ, announced an official reunion and a new single, “Hothouse.”  We are loving their new sound!   They are very interactive with their fans, and had some adorable sister moments on stage at their Grammercy Theater show, like mixing up their mic-pacs and swapping them back on stage.   We also love Aly’s story about their song “53rd Floor” – she realized only after the song was finished she had gotten the floor number wrong. Oops!

9.  Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were everywhere in 2013, and we would put “Can’t Hold Us” and “Thrift Shop” on any Best of 2013 list.   Their live show is just incredible with freestyle rapping, a full horn section, confetti blasters, and some serious crowd surfing.  Not to mention one of the most energetic performers we’ve ever seen!  Oh, and have you heard how Macklemore (aka Ben Haggerty) met his now fiance Tricia Davis?  Take notes: She had heard one of his songs on the radio, and sent him a MySpace message offering to make him a picnic, or so the legend goes.  She did, and they’ve been together ever since.    Fangirling at its finest.  We love it!

8. Jesse McCartney’s Comeback
We’ve been fans of J Mac since his days on “Summerland” and his first album.  Okay, we admit we were fans of Dreamstreet too.  (Remember them?)  He’s been focusing on acting lately, so we were stoked when he announced he would be joining the Backstreet Boys on their 20th Anniversary Tour.   Jesse let us know he’d been in the studio too, and released an EP, In Technicolor Part I, in December. Our favorite song is “Back Together”.

7.  Austin Mahone!
We discovered Austin by actually clicking on an “Amazon MP3 suggests” selection, and boy are we glad we did.   Talent, style, sweet dance moves? Austin is the complete package.  We were counting down the days until his headlining MTV Artist to Watch Tour in the fall, which was sadly postponed, but now means we’re just counting the days until it now kicks off in March!

6.  Selena Gomez Makes the Stars Dance
Selena returned to music this year with her album, “Stars Dance.”  This also marked the first time she released music without her band, The Scene.   Her music and performances are a throwback to early Britney (chair dances!!) and we are loving her pop-dance sound.   Say what you want about her,  but there is no denying the girl can dance and put on a good show.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Music

SPARC’s LIVE ART: Tree of Life

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On Sunday, December 22nd, SPARC (School of Performing Arts for the Richmond Community) presented LIVE ART: Tree of Life at the Landmark Theater.   The event featured performances by Jason Mraz – a SPARC alumni, Christina Perri, k.d. lang, and others, accompanied by nearly 200 student performers from SPARC.

In its second year, the groundbreaking program offers students, including those with and without special needs, the opportunity to perform with major artists, showing off the hard work they’ve put in throughout the year in SPARC’s various educational programs.   The performances were a mixed media of live music, dance, art and puppetry, with many students performing across the board.  The enthusiasm and passion of the students and the performers alike were truly inspiring, a perfect show for the Holiday season.

View the documentary, LIVE ART SHORT FILM to learn more about the organization.

See images from the event via the Richmond Times Dispatch.

To see how you can get involved with SPARC and the LIVE ART program, visit their website.

Image of the LIVE ART rehearsal via Jason Mraz’s Instagram