The Triple Play.

Whats up all! Jake again with a farewell post for The Triple Play.  This has been quite a semester learning the ins and outs of blogging, and it is bittersweet that it is coming to a close.  SO I really hope you enjoyed the Tuesday/ Friday posts of mine, as well as the Sports and Movies posts that Zaq and Travis worked hard on!  It's been really cool and I have had the ability to expand my horizons and that is something I am truly thankful for.  So this marks the last chapter for The Triple Play and I, but I may blog about music in the future. ( We'll see what happens.....)

FOR NOW THOUGH!

If you were digging any of the music I posted about, you may want to do my a favor and check out the band I am a part of!  We're called The Art of Fiction ( Winchester, Virginia Based Post - Hardcore) if you like bands like Thursday, Circa Survive, A Skylit Drive, The Receiving End of Sirens, Pierce The Veil, or Tides of Man, you will love it.  

So I will post some links below this group photo! You can actually stream it all online for free and some is for free download, so share it with basically everyone you know and we will love you deeply for that.

Links: Music: Http://Theartoffiction.bandcamp.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheArtOfFiction Twitter: @TheArtofFiction  Merch: http://theartoffiction.storenvy.com/

Here's our music video for Reign of Regret, which one of our originals.

I play and manage full time with this band ( outside of the cumbersome student life..)

Also

I also DJ weekly on Shepherd University's WSHC (89.7FM) on a show called The Hour which airs live (almost) every Tuesday night at 10:00pm, (Eastern Time)It is available locally on 89.7 FM and WORLDWIDE online.

We banter and play really rad music, if you feel like it, check it out! WSHC Live Stream: http://www.897wshc.org/listen-live

The Hour Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thehourwv

So If you have a band and you need a local show, or you want to be friends, I invite you to find me on social media somehow and we'll network for sure. If you see me, it will be where the music is.

Thanks again for all the help in helping my teammates and myself on our Tumblr project.   Stay safe, and take it easy.

Keep those headphones on.

Peace.

Shepherd University has reason to celebrate as they wrapped up their fourth ever undefeated season and have won the first ever Mountain East Conference season title. The Rams went through a lot this season as they made a quarterback change half way through the season, dealt with injuries, and had to try overcoming new opponents but through it all the Rams made it and showed people why they are the team perhaps to beat in the playoffs this year. 

This season was big for our school as we've never had a team with such promise like this before. The defense has been stout as they didn't give up a rushing touchdown at all this season and only allowed teams to score on average 13 points per game. This is an incredible accomplishment as the offesnses in football have so much more advantages than ever before with the rules. But this defense can get to the quarterback and not allow teams to get into sync. 

What it do Internet?! Hope you all had a good weekend but now it's back to the grind!  This week is super busy for me, I figure it's probably a million times more busy for everyone else, but none the less heres a quick album to listen to this week! This week, I'd like to talk about the Massachusetts based band Transit, more specifically, their record entitled: Listen & Forgive.

The band describes themselves as Indie/Post-Hardcore/Alternative, and that is pretty spot on.  This record has very melodic points in almost every track, emotion filled lyrics, and every song seems so damn catchy that it will linger in your head for weeks.  

Here is a taste of the 2011 release, with the music video for the track entitled: "Long Lost Friends"

Recommended If You Love: Saves The Day, Hawthorne Heights, Man Overboard, Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, Death Cab For Cutie, American Football, Band Of Horses, etc.

Sorry for this being a quick post! I am about to run out to see Bad Grandpa...hope its good.  I really hope you guys are digging Transit, and make sure you follow/like them on your favorite social media dashboard, and check some other releases and the new material that is coming out soon! (Links below) ALSO!! They are currently on tour with Polar Bear Club & Taking Back Sunday! ( ...and I can't wait to see them live!!) So enjoy your Tuesday night, and make sure to check back Friday for a band of the week pick! Until then give us a like and follow on here and twitter (@PlayBlog) and feel free to email us at: [email protected] just put ATTN: JAKE! in the headline! Enjoy your week everyone!! take it easy!

-Jake

MORE LINKS FOR TRANSIT:

Hi everybody!

Zaq here with your weekly movie review!

Last night, I went to see Ender's Game, which is based off of the novel of the same name by Orson Scott Card.

I read the book a long time ago (early high school), so I didn't remember most of it, but there were some scenes from the novel that stuck out in my head. All I can say about this film is:

I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED!!!!!!!!

It was SOOOOO cool.

Basically, it's all about how Earth was attacked by these aliens, but they were destroyed. In order to prevent future wars, Earth has decided to train its best in the art of survival: children. Ender, a castaway, is one of these children, and he has a gift for tactical strategy.

That's pretty much all you need to know, because the movie is a visual wonder. it's a science-fiction action film that is full of explosions and high-octane action. Which is awesome.

The acting was superb, but what do you expect from Harrison Ford? The real shine in this film is the kid who plays Ender. This young actor shows the struggle that this character faces so well. I expect to see great things from this young man.

The only thing I didn't find very interesting in the film were some of the lines. They just felt overdone and a bit childish. I guess they used lines from the book, which is ok, but a lot of the lines made me laugh because they felt awkward.

In all, Ender's Game is an exciting movie that is worth seeing quite a few times. I'll most likely buy it, but then again, I buy a lot of movies....

Hello fellow internet users!  Its been a long week and it is finally Friday! This week I would like to enlighten you on another local favorite of my area!  May I present to you,  Years End!

The Current lineup is:

Vocals: Sam Freeman Guitar: Nick Frendzel Guitar: David Snyder Bass/Vocals: Joe Leiter Drums: Eddie Bleiberg

Years End is a Melodic Hardcore band that is all about putting passion into their craft with the hope of positive effect on their listeners.  They've been hitting hard since 2012, which seems to be a short amount of time to be a band, but this group has made some sizable noise in such a short amount of time.  I honestly hope they continue to progress and hope for big things for these  dudes.  You can currently stream/download the band's latest release entitled: "Beacon" for FREE on their bandcamp,(linked below) which is always awesome.

Recommended if You Love: Counterparts, The Ghost Inside, Gwen Stacy That's all for now! make sure you give Years End some loving on your favorite social media network, all their links are below! Tell your friends and family to love on us here at The Triple Play to! Follow us here on Tumblr and on Twitter! ( @3Playblog ) And feel free to email us!  Contact for that is: [email protected] Just put ATTN: JAKE in the subject bar! Make sure you check back Tuesday for a new album to groove to! Have a safe weekend. Stay strong. - Jake

More Links For Years End: Bandcamp: http://yearsend.bandcamp.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YearsEndWV

Welcome back to The Triple Play!! Today is Tuesday, meaning you get another album recommendation!  This week I would like to bring to your attention a band I have made some references to, but not yet brought about, and that is Balance & Composure.  This band is from Doylestown, PA and have been around since 2007.  

The Current Line-up is:

Jon Simmons Erik Petersen Andy Slaymaker Matt Warner Bailey Van Ellis The band encompasses a melting pot of styles that drives the band's unique sound.  I can best describe their sound as a mixture of alternative rock, mixed with driving post rock a bit of grunge and a lot of emotion.  By far in my opinion, their newest record is their best work.  Recently released on No Sleep Records, the album The Things We Think We're Missing, is such a great listen.   

If you are familiar with the band, the dark feeling of the music is still strong, but at the same time, this record is still much like a pop record.  The songs are catchy and the lyrics really make the listener think.  The record starts out heavy and driving, and will totally keep you listening all the way through. Here is the Official Music Video for their single from the record, entitled: Reflection. The video is awesome and you should totally watch it.

You can purchase/ stream this album online and in many different stores.  For all that information, feel free to visit the official website of B&C (Linked Below) and make sure this album is NOT a thing you think you are missing.

Recommended If You Love: Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, Bayside, Bush, Blindside, Title Fight, Citizen, Now, Now, Death Cab For Cutie, Hawthorne Heights, Oceana, Alexisonfire, etc.

Thats all for this Tuesday night! Hope you enjoy this record and make sure you show Balance & Composure some love on your favorite social media outlet!  You can also check them out touring currently with Coheed And Cambria, and I The Mighty.  I saw them in Baltimore, Maryland about a week ago, and it was AMAZING. Make sure you check back Friday for a band of the week pick! As always, contact us! Email: [email protected] Just put ATTN: JAKE as the subject!  Hit us up on twitter ( @3PlayBlog ) Like/Share/Follow everything and tell your friends please! Until Friday!

Take it easy. -Jake Other Links For Balance & Composure:

Website: http://www.balanceandcomposure.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/balanceandcomposure/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/balanceandcomp

            So many talks have been going on about if a gay athlete would be accepted into a locker room or not in the world of professional sports. We saw Jason Collins come out after the Boston Marathon bombings saying that he wanted people to know who he really was and how he believed that getting that sort of information out was a weight lifted off his shoulders. Now while he’s still a free agent, he believes he has a chance to play in the NBA but I believe that his coming out was a sign of what the sports world believes in and that is that being gay isn’t a topic teams do not want to deal with at all especially with the social media audience we have in society.

            I have been on a sports team before and I will tell you that if we had to deal with the idea of having a gay teammate, I do not believe we could have done it because again it’s not something that I agree with at all and having extra drama in a locker room and in the PR department is wrong. Some guys will say that having a gay teammate is creepy when showering together and I tend to agree with those opinions. I mean for the people who will disagree with my statement, fine take a guy and put him in a ladies shower and tell me if that won’t creep her out. The point I am trying to make is that a sports locker room is supposed to be about continuity, not division due to personal choices.

            Mark Tewksbury who brought home a gold medal for the 100 meters backstroke at the 1992 Olympics, spoke about the topic in 2010. “It’s incredible that sport has remained the last bastion of 18th-century thinking. It’s a very difficult place to be if you’re not straight. Sport is still top down from policy makers. It’s very dogmatic and rule-bound. People don’t want to change rule structures. It’s by nature highly conservative. It’s pretty much the last machinations of the old-boys club.”

            Now while a majority of people have come out supporting the idea of having gay athletes, I like some others who have played sports recognize the headaches that come with the territory and I believe that unless there is a swift movement in the world, I don’t see the need for an athlete to come out especially for monetary gains like Jason Collins. To me, there’s not a big issue of coming out if it’s what you believe in and you’re just doing it on your own terms. But I will say that if I was a GM, I would try to avoid signing one at all cost because it brings unwanted media attention and it creates a media circus around the locker room.

Good eeeeeeeevening, boys and ghouls! This is your favorite blogger and local wolfman, ZAQ.

I am SO ready for Halloween this year. I've got the jack-o-lantern out, the gravestones up, and my costume hanging in my closet (I'm going to be Warren Zevon's Werewolf of London, in case you wanted to know).

Halloween is my favorite holiday because I enjoy dressing up in costumes and going to parties and stuff like that. It's super-fun no matter how old you are. Another thing I love about Halloween is the fact that I have the excuse to watch horror movies EVERY NIGHT in October. And that's why we're all here.

Since I'm too poor and too friendless to see a new movie every weekend, I have been unable to see Carrie yet (which is a shame because I like the original). Instead, I think it would be a better idea to share some of my favorite horror/Halloween movies that I've seen as of late. Horror movies may be scary, but if you watch the right ones, they'll keep you entertained, and by the end, you'll want to watch them again and again. I'll give you a few examples:

One of my favorite horror movies of all time is the 1982 remake of The Thing, starring Kurt Russell. It's all about these scientists in Antarctica that come into contact with a shape-shifting alien. This movie is HORRIFYINGLY scary. It's all about suspicion: Who can you trust? Is the guy sleeping next to you actually an alien that's about to kill you? It also has one or two actual jump scares (parts that catch you off guard, making you jump out of your seat). They're brilliantly put together, and make your hairs stand on end. Lastly, this is a movie that stands on its own. I've never seen the original, but I did see the 2011 prequel, also titled The Thing. It's pretty awful, not because the story was complete garbage, but because it's nowhere near as scary as the first remake. Why? Because there are no computer generated effects in the 1982 version. It's scary, but it's also kind of gross. This alien is not pretty, and they bring him about via prosthetics and props. The fact that it's all pretty much real scared the crap outta me, and I hope it does the same for you.

Another one of my favorite horror movies is the 1976 version of The Omen, the one starring Gregory Peck. This movie isn't for everyone, because, to me, it's supposed to really scare Christians. I was raised Methodist, so I am very familiar with what's in the Bible. One book that I have kept up with in the last couple of years is Revelations. It's all about the end of the world and the Antichrist and how we're all supposed to die. This movie is the start of the end of the world. It revolves around this rich politician, who's newborn baby is replaced by another, and as the boy grows, the man realizes that there's something very different about this child. They're surrounded by darkness and death and destruction, and he learns that he's raising the spawn of Satan, so he has to kill the child. This movie frightens me because I know it's something that will happen one day. hopefully not during my lifetime.

The last horror movie that I absolutely love came out just last year: Sinister. This one is about a crime writer who moves his family into the home of a family that recently died. When he goes into the attic, he finds a set of home movies and watches them. He finds out that the family actually committed suicide, and the same thing happened to many other families (that were supposedly homicides). And he realizes that some creature thing is in every single video, unleashing this thing into his life. I watched this movie the way it's supposed to be watched: with one other person, at midnight, in the dark, with a beer in my hand. By the time the movie ended, I didn't want to move, I was so scared. I didn't sleep well for two nights. It's full of jump scares, bloody deaths, and a monster that combines Freddy Kruger, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and the rest of horror films' icons. I highly recommend this movie because it surprised the ever living hell outta me.

So, I told you my favorite scary movies, but what are yours? What are you scared of most? What are you gonna be for Halloween? Send me email to [email protected], with "ZAQ" in the subject and let me know. I'd love to hear from ya!

Have a great and safe Halloween, and I'll spook to you all next weekend!

Hello again, its time for the weekend! (FINALLY) This week for the weekend, I'm throw one out to Frederick Maryland's Hardcore cool kids, Distances. This band's been hitting it hard since 2011.  This band is a current local hit. Any show they play, they bring the crowd and the energy.

 The Current Line up is: Connor Bowen  Lance Donati  Matt Full  Adam Meadors  Sam Romesburg  The band recently dropped their full length album entitled, Throat of the World, which you can stream/ purchase online. ( Link featured below.)

So make sure if you dig music that makes you want to punch your friends and scream some gang vocals, make sure you support Distances. Recommended If You Love: Touche Amore, Comeback Kid, Saints Never Surrender, Set it Straight, Minor Threat, Title Fight, Verse, Counterparts, Etc.

So that's all for this week!!  Make sure you check out Distances and hit them up on your favorite social media dashboard.  and check back on Tuesday for another album recommendation!  Make sure you support us here at 3play and like and share our Tumblr and Twitter, and you can send us an email if you have anything to add!  [email protected] Just Put ATTN: JAKE as the subject! Until next week!

Take it easy. -Jake

Links for Distances: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DistancesMD

Instagram: DistancesMD

Tumbr: http://distancesmd.tumblr.com

It's once again Tuesday here at the Triple Play! I'd like to talk to you about an album that really ties up the Autumn season for me, and that is La Dispute's album Wildlife.  

La Dispute is a band I got into listening to in High School and ever since I first heard their unique take on hardcore/ post hardcore music, I was hooked.  This band has a lot of talent behind each instrument and each song has deeply written lyrics that seem as if they were meant to tell a story to the listener.   The band formed in 2004 in Grand Rapids Michigan, and has been going strong ever since! Wildlife is a release from No Sleep Records and you can stream it on Youtube for free right below!

Recommend If You Love: Touche Amore, Thursday, At The Drive-In, Greaver, Gatherer, Balance & Composure, Pianos Become Teeth, Comrades, Defeater, Etc. Check out other releases and follow La Dispute on your favorite social media outlet. Website: http://www.ladisputemusic.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaDisputeMusic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ladisputeband

Bandcamp: http://ladispute.bandcamp.com/

Hiya folks! Zaq present! Sorry that I'm posting late this weekend, but I was busy with other stuff. So get over it.

I didn't get to see any new movies this weekend because, well, I was busy...

So, I want to talk about the movie I saw last weekend... MACHETE KILLS!!

Machete Kills is about Mexican hero and bad ass, Machete. Machete is played by Danny Trejo, who is bad ass. Have you ever seen the movie Bad Ass? Well, it's all about Danny Trejo. Don't believe me? Check this out...

Bam.

Yeah. This guy is cool.

So, Machete Kills is the sequel to the 2010 Mexploitation film, Machete. You may be asking "Hey Zaq, what's Mexploitation?" Well, basically it's an ethnic subgenre of exploitation films. It glorifies Latin Americans. And it's brilliant.

The character of Machete was created by Robert Rodriguez while making his grindhouse movie, Planet Terror. He made this fake commercial for Machete, filled with over-the-top action and explosions. The weird thing was, people didn't know the trailer was fake, so fans were very excited. And so, by popular demand, Rodriguez decided to make Machete a reality.

I saw that movie after it became available on DVD, and when I watched it, I was incredibly impressed. It had just enough action to keep me entertained (and it doesn't take much), it was hilarious, and the story and characters weren't too cheesy (but they were oh so cheesy). After the movie, they have a teaser for the sequel, which I was very excited for.

Thing is, Machete isn't for everyone. I love really bad, B-action movies. This type of movie knows that it's bad, so it relishes in jokes and over-the-top action. With Machete Kills, they go even farther.

Machete Kills is about Machete, after being hired by the president, has to go to Mexico to stop a crazy revolutionary from launching a nuclear weapon at Washington. In short, this movie is a James Bond parody. And I love James Bond. Therefore, I think Machete Kills was better than its predecessor. It had everything I'd want in this type of movie: The action is even crazier than the first, the characters are abundant and very fun, and the story is almost non-existent, letting the audience focus on the action than plot.

A lot of movie-goers probably wouldn't appreciate this film as much as I did, and that's ok. I dropped $6 on a movie that had absolutely no one in the theater except for my friends and I on opening night. We laughed, we cried, we wanted to watch it again. And that's all that matters.

Machete Kills is a good time for a select few, and I'm one of those few. By saying this, I would probably not see it again in theaters, but I'd definitely end up buying it the day it comes out. I would show all my friends the awesomeness that is Machete.

So, did you see it? What'd you think of it? Did you see something else this weekend? What else? TELL ME! If you want to contact me, just email me at [email protected] with "ZAQ" in the subject line.

BYE-BYE!

            Yesterday afternoon, Chicago Bears star wide receiver Brandon Marshall called out Brandon Meriweather for his “dirty” play because he has been leading with his head on many tackles this season.

            "I respect the league trying to better our game," Marshall said following Chicago's 45-41 loss. "Guys like that, maybe he needs to get suspended or taken out of the game completely."

            Now I believe that the NFL is trying to improve the game better for player safety and while some measures I believe is just taken too extreme, I believe head to head hits isn’t something that people should play around with because of the potential damage that a concussion or injury can lead to.

            Meriweather, who has a history of making helmet-to-helmet hits, also was penalized Sunday for leading with his helmet into the chin of Chicago receiver Alshon Jeffery. The NFL is expected to suspend Meriweather for either one or two games.

            Meriweather, a seven-year veteran, insisted that he has changed the way he tackles, claiming that he is attempting to go lower to avoid "dirty" hits. "I feel every hit I took was a legal hit," Meriweather said. "I wasn't trying to be dirty. I wasn't trying to hurt nobody. I didn't lead with [or] lunge with my head. I used my shoulders like they told me to do."

Another week closing out, and this week I've got a good pick for you! Recently making positive waves in the music world, I want to introduce you to the band Colours.

Straight out of Sarasota, Florida, Colours is a good mix of alternative rock from different spectrums of the genre.

The current line up is: 

Kyle Tamo - Vocals Morgan Alley - Drums Ryan Baucom - Guitar Matt Favero - Bass

Recently releasing their Skin & Bones EP, Colours  has also released four music videos in anticipation for a conceptual full length record. The Album will be released at a rate of one track biweekly, with each song telling a story. For music and videos, see links below.

Recommend if you love: Circa Survive, Tides of Man, Polyenso, Radiohead, Band of Horses.

So that's all for this week! See you Tuesday for a new album recommendation. Make sure you follow Colours on your favorite Social Media outlet, and tell your friends to do the same.

Make sure you give us some love and feedback here on 3Play. You can email us at [email protected] Just put ATTN: JAKE in the subject line. Have a good one! -Jake

Greetings, viewers. This is Zaq here. Thank you for reading yet more film reviews. I'm so glad you're reading this. It gives me purpose.

Let's get started:

So, have you ever seen that movie that everyone has something nice to say about it? Then, when you end up seeing it, it's not as awesome as you heard? Well...... Gravity.

Gravity is about these astronauts who experience some trouble. And that's all I'm going to tell you. Because the plot for this movie is BOGUS, and I don't want to ruin it for you. Like, if I told you, you'd say "People are going crazy for THAT!? I came up with the plot for this movie in middle school!"

I was very disappointed by the simple story line, and most of all, I was anticipating plot twists or something that would surprise me, but there was nothing. It was an incredibly predictable movie.

Also, another fault with this film were the characters. Not the actors, mind you, but the characters they portrayed. This movie stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Both very good actors. Both fine for their roles, but there was nothing special about these characters; ANYONE could have played them. But, in order to get audiences, big-name actors are the way to go.

The plot revolves around the survival of these astronauts, but I wasn't really invested in their lives; I didn't care if they lived or died. Plus, for astronauts/rocket scientists, they weren't all that smart. And I'll leave it there.

The only redeeming factor about this film were the effects. I had read somewhere that it took them years to make this movie, solely for the technology and stuff like that. I will say that it was a very pretty movie. I actually saw this movie in IMAX 3D, so I would get the full effect. In the first few minutes, I knew that it was worth the $18 I spent, but after the first hour, I realized it was lackluster. The idea of space is cool, but it's there the whole time, and you forget all about it after the first few minutes.

So, after I left the movie, I was actually kinda pissed that this movie broke records and is critically acclaimed. My only reaction was "WHY?" This movie is supposed change American cinema? How? It was the most simple form of cinema I've seen all year. Unimpressive. That's all I have to say. So, if you're going to see this movie, don't pay more than $5 for it, and it's probably worth seeing just once.

I was way more impressed with Machete Kills. But that's for later :D

So, if you have any comments or questions for me, just email me at [email protected] with "ZAQ" in the subject line.

Welcome back to The Triple Play, we knew you couldn't be gone long! Another weekend to escape the work week grind, and I have quite the band for you to jam to this weekend! This Friday, let's take a look at the North Carolina natives, Iselia.

Forming in 2010, Iselia is a four person Post- Rock/Screamo/Hardcore band.  

The current line up is:

Molefi Ramos- Guitar/Vocals Corey King- Guitar/Vocals Brian Lutz- Bass They currently have three total release that are available for streaming and purchase on their Bandcamp page. They are about to release another album this year.  The song Dark Premonition is available for stream and you can click play right above our post! Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Recommended If You Love: La Dispute, Defeater, Explosion In The Sky, Caspian, Touché Amoré, Alexisonfire, Gatherer, Greaver, etc. Well thats all for this week!  Check back for an all new album recommendation on Tuesday! As always like, comment and follow us here at The Triple Play, and make sure if you love the music you hear to follow iselia on your favorite social media outlet! Until Tuesday folks! Have a safe weekend! -Jake