Aggie Underground

From betrayal to desolation, Bullet for My Valentine has something to say about it -- and they're not afraid to wreak some havoc while at it. Their most recent release, Venom, presents itself in the form of a battle cry, with songs like "You Want a Battle (Here's A War)" and "Army of Noise" charging against relationships turned sour. Ultimately, Venom stays true to the Bullet for My Valentine fans have come to know over the years, full of aggressive lyrics and fittingly distorted riffs. 

The music video for title track, “Venom.”

Behind the rage and melodic chaos are Matt Tuck, Padge Paget, Moose Thomas, and Jamie Mathias -- all getting ready for the recently announced British Invasion Tour. The tour makes stops all over North America, and also includes the company of While She Sleeps and Asking Alexandria. 

We caught up with guitarist Padge Paget to see the world behind their music and to dig into pre-production of the British Invasion tour. Check out the interview below!

Tigers Jaw, Yellowcard, and New Found Glory

The Regency Ballroom | San Francisco, CA | 11.15.2015

Last Sunday, pop punk fans of all ages gathered at San Francisco's The Regency Ballroom to live out a dream-turned-reality of a lineup: Tigers Jaw, Yellowcard, and New Found Glory 

Tigers Jaw has been one of my favorite bands for the past three years, so it was awesome to see them open for earlier generation pop punk bands. They kicked off with "Cool," just as they do in their most recent LP, Charmer, perfectly opening up this nonchalantly apathetic edge to which everyone in the crowd could vibe. They later covered The Cure's "In Between Days," a softer and poppier touch to their set. And customary to any "Tigers Jaw show, Plane vs. Tank. vs. Submarine"/"I Saw Water" brought out all the rage in the crowd, as evidenced by the mosh pit that I was fortunate enough to perimeter.

Up next was Yellowcard. I was almost upset that this was my first time seeing them live, because I couldn't believe how many shows I must have missed out on. Yellowcard played with such incredible energy, all while totally mastering their instruments. Sean, the violinist, even did a back-flip off the drum risers. An extra cherry on top, the stage lights seemed to perfectly reflect the music and the energy -- especially for "Lights and Sounds." It was glorious. Almost as glorious as it felt to very emotionally scream along the words of "Only One."

Finally, New Found Glory took the stage. Just when I thought the audience couldn't get any more psyched, they proved me wrong. Crowd surfers already wiped out before me while still in the photo pit. Honestly, it was really cool to see everyone get so absorbed in the music, though. There was no such thing as a wall between artist and audience here. They played favorites such as "All Downhill from Here" and "Forget My Name," per the gesture of a shirtless fan waving around a white tee with the song title inscribed on it. They even invited him to sing along on stage.  

Now, it's been about a week since the show and I still wish I could relive it again. Perhaps it's partly due to the fact that I might have some leftover angst to release; but, without a doubt, I definitely just don't want to let go of such a good thing quite yet. 

Check out our sampler playlist of the show here.  For more photos, click here. 

Against the everyday hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, The Shelters are making some bad ass noise.

The four-piece So Cal-based group recently premiered a self-titled EP that features some of the production expertise of Tom Petty. The first two tracks, "Liar" and "Birdwatching," start things off with a headstrong attitude, while "Fortune Teller" and "The Ghost is Gone" get in touch with dreamier vibes.

While straightforward in song structure and melody, the EP juxtaposes grueling guitar riffs with hazy vocals that give The Shelters a slicked back edge that feels straight out of a scene from Pulp Fiction. 

Check out The Shelters' sound personified in their debut music video for "Birdwatching."

The band just played The Catalyst in Santa Cruz, but no fret: they'll be back in our neck of the woods soon.

Catch The Shelters play a set at Sacramento’s Press Club on November 17, or at San Francisco’s The Independent on November 18. They will be opening for Broncho.

Mew at The Fillmore San Francisco, CA | 9.26.2015

Mew performed in San Francisco nearly a week ago and I still wake up with their songs in my head. 

For those unfamiliar, Mew is a group of Danish rockers who impeccably harmonize to falsetto melodies, and who also create crazy cosmic instrumentals. They performed at The Fillmore last Saturday, September 26.

Opening for Mew were The Dodos, a two-piece band local to the bay area. They kicked things off with a folk rock touch and a whole lot of energy that radiated throughout the crowd. 

Mew started their set with a couple tracks off +-: the headstrong “Witness” juxtaposed after with the mystic “Satellites.” They then threw out “Special” and “The Zookeeper’s Boy,” where I found myself, in the photo pit, juggling between taking shots and geeking out over the glorious transition that connects both songs.

I remember “The Zookeeper’s Boy” so clearly, because every layer of the song felt like it encompassed me one by one, from the solid and strong riffs to the twinkling piano keys. All the intricacies unfolding to the pulses of kaleidoscope lights was true magic. Seriously, it’s incredible how these guys bring to life such colorful music. 

The set continued with a balanced selection of songs from Mew’s discography, including a sweet stripped-down medley of “Clinging to a Bad Dream,” “The Zookeeper’s Boy,” and “Louise Louisa.” 

I had prepared myself for this concert the way I do with anything unfamiliar: I researched to know absolutely everything on what to expect. I found that they’re noted as an “indie stadium” band, which I figured entails a show decked out with extravagant lighting and multimedia. Appropriately, previews for the tour said to anticipate LED trees and other fun visual effects. 

The show at The Fillmore, however, did not have said stage props (which I’m guessing was due to a situation with the venue, rather than with the band). I was a little bummed at first; the photographer in me is always pumped to shoot in cool lighting and I was just under the impression that fancy effects were all part of the live Mew experience.

But ultimately, Mew reminded me of what actually makes the experience. It’s how the music hits you and breaks the barrier separating artist and audience. Hearing Mew live moved me in a way only very few and very select bands have. It’s sort of this bittersweet electric shock, during which I am astounded by the beauty before me, but also very close to crying because I can’t handle the feeling. It was especially strong during “Comforting Sounds,” which I believe closed the night perfectly. 

Every time I’ve listened to the song since, I become extremely nostalgic for the show. I’m nowhere near of being a longtime fan, but I know I will be.

Relive the night and listen to our Spotify mix of the setlist. 

It’s the musical equivalent to a blue moon rising: for the first time in six years, Mew will be touring North America. The tour includes a stop at San Francisco’s The Fillmore on September 26.

The tour not only marks Mew’s awaited return to North America, but also celebrates the recent release of +-, the band’s sixth studio album. It stretches across the States and Canada, and will feature special guests The Dodos.

For listeners old and new: Mew is a band from Denmark with a sound too glorious to confine to your everyday “alternative” or “indie.” Like color outside the lines, Mew’s songs gracefully take you through unpredictable progressions with a cosmic sort of energy a la symphonic melodies and vocalist Jonas Bjerre’s killer falsetto.

But the energy doesn’t stop there. Mew is known for its total command of the stage; when asked to describe Mew’s sound, Guitarist Bo Madsen dubs the group as “the world’s only indie stadium band.” For this particular tour, multimedia, LED trees, and a special array of lights are in store. 

Please visit Mew’s website for ticketing information and more tour dates.

To warm up for the show, we carefully handpicked tracks that graze Mew’s discography. You can listen to the mix via Spotify.

Start with a dash of folk. Pepper in some elements of punk, blended with indievibes. Then, coat everything with sweet, decadent narratives and you've got a taste of Rocky Votolato's sound.

Hailing from the solid music underground of the Pacific Northwest, Rocky has explored quite a breadth of music styles throughout his career. Past projects, such as Waxwing, radiated post-hardcore vibes, while his solo work channels more of a singer-songwriter persona. His latest release, Hospital Handshakes, tactfully features a blend of both worlds. The first half starts out strong with fueled riffs; the second undresses its aggressive tones, taking a stripped down sort of route.

Rocky will be stopping by The Independent in San Francisco on August 26 -- the last stepping stone until he makes his way for his homecoming shows. We recently had the pleasure of catching up with him to discuss his upcoming Bay Area performance, his new album, and anything else music.

AGGIE UNDERGROUND: HOW’S TOUR SO FAR?

Rocky Votolato: We’re all having a really good time every day!

COOL! I’M GLAD TO HEAR IT’S GOING WELL. SO WE’RE DOING A PREVIEW OF YOUR SAN FRANCISCO SHOW AND I WAS WONDERING: IS THERE ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO ABOUT PLAYING IN THE CITY?

Yeah! You know, I love it there. I’ve never headlined at The Independent before, so I’m looking forward to that in particular. It’s such a beautiful venue. And I just always love getting back to San Francisco; it’s such a cool city and the nice thing, too, is that I would be on tour for seven weeks at that point, and then I just have two more shows. I would go from San Francisco to Portland and Seattle, so it would be nice to get home after this really long tour and I always love coming up the west coast to bring the record out to people.

I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT HOSPITAL HANDSHAKES, WHICH I NOTICED EXPLORES QUITE A BREADTH OF EMOTIONS – NOT JUST LYRICALLY, BUT ALSO MELODICALLY. LIKE SOME TRACKS ARE FULL OF ENERGY WHILE OTHERS ARE STRIPPED DOWN. COULD YOU SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON IN YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS AT THE TIME, LIKE WHAT INSPIRED SUCH VERSATILE EMOTIONS?

Yeah. That’s a good question. I think, basically, I was coming off a period of not writing much for the last two years. Like before I wrote all of the songs for this record, I was kind of in a creative block. I was a little ran down from touring and I wasn’t sure which direction I was going to take. I think I was overthinking everything as far as the creative process goes and just being a little too critical and too much of a perfectionist. So last summer, that all changed and I churned out like thirty songs in a two-month period. I really think it was a change of perspective about how I looked at the process and writing and just being less hard on myself and having more fun and just letting it happen.

AND YOU RECORDED WITH CHRIS WALLA, YES?

Correct.

WAS THE RECORDING PROCESS FOR HOSPITAL HANDSHAKES DIFFERENT FROM PAST ONES IN ANY WAY?

Yeah, we made a record together in 2003 – my third album. I called him up when I was thinking about which producer I wanted to work with for this record. I was hoping we would have a similar kind of experience ‘cause it was really easy to work together back then and it was fun. I knew I wanted to make this record kind of fast because I had been overthinking the process. So I wanted everything to move kind of quicker and to be more impulsive. So we ended up making the record in a little less than three weeks, which is way different from how I’ve made my last albums, which took anything from six months plus because of editing and redoing takes. This time, we were all about capturing the energy quickly. And we recorded through tape, which [Walla] is really good at, so that was fun for me.

YOUR LYRICS HAVE VERY STRONG NARRATIVES TO THEM. ALONGSIDE MUSICAL INFLUENCES, DO YOU HAVE LITERARY INFLUENCES AS WELL THAT HAVE REALLY INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING VOICE?

Absolutely! I feel like sometimes the literary influences are stronger than the musical ones, because I went to school for English literature and got my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and that’s definitely something I have a passion for. I relate to music through the lyrics a lot. There’s a guy named Rainer Maria Rilke who really had an impact on what I wrote for [Hospital Handshakes]. And some other big poets – Allen Ginsberg is one who’s always had an influence on me. Shel Silverstein, which you know everyone loves his stuff. Yeah, so that kind of writing has definitely been influential on the way I approach music and how I relate to the art form.

To close off the interview, we talked a little bit about college (since our readership is largely college folks) being sort of an awkward transitional period, and how music helps a lot of students get by. We then asked Rocky what artists or songs have really touched him:

I really like this album by The Killers called Sam’s Town. It’s really helped me through hard times, especially when I was writing Hospital Handshakes. It’s just such a great record. My favorite song off that record is “This River is Wild,” and it just hits me really hard. I really relate to this lyrics. It takes a minute; some of it is a little obscure, but if you take the time to listen to what he’s saying—I don’t know—for me I really related it to my life. And it made a lot of sense in terms of inspiration to keep going despite the challenges.

Follow Rocky on Facebook and Twitter and check out Hospital Handshakes here.

For ticketing information for Rocky’s San Francisco show, click here.

Third Eye Blind The Masonic | San Francisco, CA | 7.25.2015

In March, Third Eye Blind and Dashboard Confessional announced that they were teaming up for a summer tour, which probably brought early-2000s-emo fans (myself included) an ironic rush of happiness. They recently hit up The Masonic in San Francisco for two sold out performances.

Young Rising Sons | San Francisco, CA | July 15, 2015

YOUNG RISING SONS AND HUNTER HUNTED HIT SF

On July 15, Young Rising Sons and Hunter Hunted made a stop in San Francisco for their co-headlined summer tour. Fans had started to assemble outside of Slim's hours before showtime, all ready to rock and armed with fan signs (which were made and passed out by a group of devoted Young Rising Sons listeners). 

DREAMERS, a band from New York, kicked off the night with a pumped up set of power pop tunes. 

Up next was Hunter Hunted, who took the stage as the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" rung throughout the venue. Hunter Hunted played a very special set, partly to celebrate their first LP's release, but also to welcome all the family members present for the show. 

~* GOOD VIBES ARE ON THEIR WAY *~

Here, we present a selection of (relatively new) songs that we hope inspire better days. 

Click here to listen. 

FRESH EAR CANDY FROM GIRAFFAGE AND VICEROY

BLEACHERS COVERS CRANBERRIES CLASSIC

THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT RELEASES FALL TOUR DATES

The Airborne Toxic Event has announced its first round of tour dates slated for autumn. More announcements should be on their way soon! For now, pre-sale begins Wednesday, June 24, at 10 a.m. local time.

Check out the current list of dates below.