Watch Or Die!

Simple Plan's new video, When I'm Gone. It's a must-watch.

I find it creative, or maybe I'm just biased. =]

Carmen.

Our Hero

Pete Hero @ Pete Thomas Crabtree added me in my old MySpace account last year, but I wasn't paying too much attention to their songs, regretfully.

Having made another MySpace account, I added up my old friends, as many as possible, and Pete Hero was included. Just yesterday, something took me by a great amount of surprise: Pete dropped a comment on my page.

No musician has ever done this before, knowing their hectic schedule.

Then again, I liked how much he bothered to interact with fans, or in my case, non-fans.

So I told myself that I have to check out Not Your Hero and when I did, I found out that one of their members, Tim Hero @ Tim Brown, had suffered a tragic death.

Story copied from NYH's MySpace blog:

Before i start i will let you know this is the hardest thing i have ever had to do or say. Some of you may already know, some of you may not.. Tim Brown - Bass/Vocals of Not Your Hero tragically died yesterday (Sunday 3rd September 2006). Tim was rushed into Frenchey hospital on Wednesday 16th August with a brain hemorrhage (A malfunction of an artery in a place in his brain). Tim fought hard for the first week and bit with small signs of recovery but took a turn for the worst last monday. This caused them to operate and find that the initial damage was alot worse than first expected, this put Tim into a very critical condition. Over time the swelling and pressures in his brain kept increasing which was causing more damage to the brain. During this critical period Tim also got severe pneumonia to his right lung. By yesterday morning the damage and pressures in his brain were just too much and despite Tim being one of the best fighters around, he sadly passed away. The hemorrhage happened at random whilst Tim was sleeping at his home in Sturminster Newton at about 2am on the wednesday morning. For all of you who dont know Tim, he was by far one of the nicest and funniest people this world has to offer, always a smile on his face, never a bad word for anybody. If ever with Tim you would know you would have a fun time(i remember being removed from Alton Towers because of his insistance of us pulling our pants down for the camera on the water ride). Tim was also one of the most talented musicians and song writers around, helping Not Your Hero to write and record their debut single 'Ask Away' which is set for release through Universal in a couple months, and video heading onto MTV2 in just a couple weeks. It pains me to know Tim wont be around to experience and see the success of his music. Words cannot describe the way myself, Nick, Jonny, his family, gf and friends are feeling and going through right now. It truely has been the worst 3 weeks of all of our lives. Not Your Hero WILL continue, playing with a session player in Tims position. We intend to try as hard as possible to make this single a success and score a high chart position for Tim, it is his dream and nobody deserves it more. We are going to need everybodies help in getting this single to number one for him! Not Your Hero will never die, and we keep going to become the big name in music Tim dreamed of. We have a show this saturday at Yeovil Ski Lodge, this show is going to go ahead to pay tribute to a guy who had everything going for him, and the best friend anybody could ask for. Would Love to see you there. Please feel free to leave comments (sending messages will fill our inbox and will take us a long time to go though!) Tim - You will ALWAYS be loved by us, and we WILL make you proud and we will reach and achieve your goals you set out to achieve with Not Your Hero. Pete, Nick and Jonny Not Your Hero Tim - We all love you so very very very much! never forget

I greatly admire the band for the fact that they strengthen themselves to go through and overcome this obstacle, if not for themselves, for their dearly departed friend.

Even if you don't like their music, you can't deny their attitude.

Not Your Hero is a band that truly deserves to live on, in my opinion.

ASK AWAY is a special song, Tim wrote it & sung lead vocals & his dream was to get it into the charts. Thankfully we also have the ASK AWAY video with Tim who tragically died not long after recording it & sadly never got to see it. As a lasting memory we are hoping to with your help make his dream a reality.

So? What are you waiting for? Give the song a listen!

Carmen.

Simple Plan & Good Charlotte

Has anyone heard of Simple Plan's new single/video, 'When I'm Gone'?

Honestly, I was afraid to click on the play button when they put the song on their MySpace blog. I was a bit nervous, not knowing how their new song is going to turn out.

But thankfully, all my worries were for nothing.

They were still the band I grew to love for their straightforwardness in their lyrics. They might have changed just a little, but definitely for the better.

I felt guilty for nearly comparing them to Good Charlotte, who went

from:

The Anthem So it’s a new day/ But it all feels old/ It’s a good life/ That’s what I’m told/ But everything it all just feels the same/ At my high school/ It felt more to me/ Like a jail cell/ A penitentiary/ My time spent there/ It only made me see

to this:

Keep Your Hands Off My Girl You carry Dior bags and you got your Chanel/ You wear Louie Vitton, HG and YSL/ Now I got Bathing Ape, I got DCMA/ I got brass knuckles hanging from my neck and my chain/ I got a model 26, but she stays in her place/ I got a kershaw neatly tucked inside of my waist

For those who had been passionate GC fans, for the fact that they wrote heartfelt songs (i.e. Emotionless), they would've felt that their love and effort and support for the band had been scarred.

For those who loved them for their faces, they would continue their support, no offense intended.

For those who listened to 'what's hot', they would love the new GC.

Me? I was a fan who loved them for their songs, especially ones off The Young And The Hopeless.

I even thought that The Chronicles Of Life And Death was okay.

But Good Morning Revival turned me off.

In other words, a good band gone bad.

I was glad SP didn't follow in their footsteps. When I'm Gone is unexpected, yet something I would embrace. With this, I can safely say that the rest of the album is most likely going to turn out just as good. If it doesn't, then I'll still love them for being SP.

Click here to listen.

Carmen.

Eric Dill

When The Click Five first started out two years ago, with Eric Dill being the frontman, I was already a fan, not to mention that I had a sneaking suspicion that the band wouldn't last long.

My instincts told me, with just one glance at Eric, that he would go solo someday, and the band might just fall apart. I even pondered if his solo career would turn out well, or would just crash and burn.

But dear instincts, you were only half right.

He did go solo, but his solo career turned out to be better.

His new songs have reflected the more mature side of him, and as the band had said earlier about his leaving, more 'hard rock'. Well, it's not really that hard nor heavy, but it was definitely deeper and darker than Greetings From Imrie House, which was loaded with power pop tracks with an edge of sugar rush.

As for the band, I think Kyle Patrick @ Kyle Dickherber is a fine replacement. His low-pitched vocals has definitely brought the entire band to a different level, making them stronger and frankly, better.

Either way, my support goes out to them both, and I wish them luck.

Hope to hear from Eric soon!

Carmen.

That Cute Frontman

Face it; most girls can't deny a good-looking frontman.

What I don't get is how they can still be all over a frontman whom they knew to be arrogant.

Take The Click Five as an example. Before this, I thought they were all amiable boys. But having attended their showcase at Hard Rock Cafe at the November 7th (story can be read here, on the sidebar of my main blog), as well as the autograph session at Tower Records in KLCC a day before, I changed my mind.

It was apparent that Kyle Patrick was an arrogant jerk. He didn't seem to acknowledge the fans (maybe some, but he was cocky to most), unlike Joey Zehr (drummer) and Ethan Mentzer (bassist), who shook hands with the fans. Joe Guese (lead guitarist) was being shy and smiling with the fans. Ben Romans (keyboardist) was being the serious musician, which appeared to be funny, rather than rude, since everyone who talked to him complimented his attitude.

Later on, a friend of mine found out from certain sources that Kyle Patrick and Joey Zehr were rather demanding; telling them to make sure the fans were informed that no hugging, no touching and no photo should be involved.

That part was understood, but what disappointed me was how rude the sources said they were. But while the two demanded for this and that (Kyle apparently being the worse of the two), the other three kept quiet.

On the contrary, The Star's article on The Click Five, Built To Thrill, praised Kyle for his endless enthusiasm.

True enough, despite his attitude, he was a passionate musician who wears his heart on his sleeve, singing songs that may seem shallow and teeny-bopper, yet can trigger tears because of his intensity and passion.

What I beg to differ though, is how 'robotic' bassist Ethan Mentzer was during the concert, as proclaimed by the reporter. If not twice, then he at least smiled at me once during the showcase. He was also making eye contact with the rest of the crowd.

Apparently, the reporter said he only smiled a total of three times, and even appeared irritated. (Reality check, could it be the reporter who triggered his agitation?)

As for Joe, he had his face hidden most of the time, but he was definitely caring about the fans, especially ones in the front who were being pushed and shoved (like me). Ben was definitely enjoying all the attention he was getting from the fans, and from where I was standing, Joey was blocked by Kyle for almost the entire night.

Conclusively, however, the showcase was quite a success, except the bruises I had on my shins after that.

And I'd definitely go for the concert which they promised to be having next year.

Carmen.

Op-Ed - Issue #221

This is the story from the Op-Ed column of Alternative Press issue #221, December 2006.

I feel like sharing it with whoever is reading this now, because not only has it moved me, I also find it inspiring.

Op-Ed
Musicians Speak Out

Teenage ostracism breeds two things: Bad high school mixers and good punk music. Steve Neary - frontman of the Boston punk outift, Far From Finished - knows this well. Born with only one hand faced with years of confused, disapproving stares from classmates, he found solace in his stereo speakers and a scene that didn't judge him for his flaws.

(His story starts here:)

I wouldn't dare compare my handicap to anyone else's. For the most part, my road has been smooth. I don't need to co-opt anyone else's struggle or pain. As I grew up in the suburbs of New York City, my parents warned me of the uglier side of humankind, and that I would need tough skin to survive. Back then, that seemed like no big thing. I thought it would be easy. But I was naive.

Things started to change when I was seven or eight years old. I remember one day looking down and saying to myself, "Holy shit! I have one hand!" Not that I didn't know I was missing my right hand. I just never really saw myself like that. It suddenly freaked me out. I was scared. It made me paranoid.

My real problem, however, wasn't my lack of an appendage. It was that I never really knew how to talk about how it made me feel. In fifth grade, this leaking frustration started to rear its ugly head. I remember [this] kid - we'll call him "Todd" (that seems like a fitting name for a prick) - started joking around and calling me "Stumpy." Maybe fucking around was his attempt at friendly ribbing. Maybe he was actually digging into me. Nonetheless, shortly after the words left his mouth, I (a 90-pound kid at the time) smacked his head off a brick wall. Back then, I felt bad about it. But now I don't care. At the very least, maybe he gained a little character out of the incident.

Kids weren't always like that, though. Sometimes they would simply ask what happened to my other hand and I would give them well-rehearsed answers like: "That's the way God made me", "It doesn't hurt" or "Look! Touch it!" But really it was hurting me. Deep down, I hated that my arm was the first thing people saw when they looked at me. I wanted desperately to be known for something else. There's a lot of pressure to fit in as you grow up. You want to look cool, be part of the "in" crowd. For me, that pressure was like a daily mental breakdown. During each interaction with my peers, I feared the worst. I couldn't be vulnerable at all - not my clothes, what I said, anything. It was difficult. Making friends became a chore. I couldn't hang out with the cool kids because I couldn't act like them. I wasn't like them and never could be.

And then I heard the Sex Pistols.

By the end of the first verse of "Problems", I was completely drawn in by the lyrics and the urgency in Johnny Rotten's voice. I love it. I knew I had found a special thing. Something about it felt right. I immediately took to punk rock. Unlike high school, it felt safe.

At first, I didn't know why I seemed to get along so well with the punks, or why I was so attracted to the punk lifestyle. The only thing I knew was that they looked and acted different, and I wasn't intimidated at all. Befriending freaks and castaways was the safest route. And it would be the most clarifying thing I had ever done. These people seemed way more normal to me than the rest of the world. I couldn't believe my eyes. There was no fitting in, no social ladder to climb. I could just be myself and that was good enough. It didn't matter what I looked like.

When I was 15, I started out Far From Finished with a couple of buddies and immediately knew it was more than just a band name. The sounds would forever forecast my future and ultimately every decision I would make.

So, here I am, 23 years old and finally not afraid to be me. I'm able to get up everyday and step out in front of a crowd of people who are hungry for all the same things I was - and still am. I was once dismissed like every other kid that doesn't fit the mold, but through example, support and the endless inspiration that comes from punk, I've become something I never thought I could be: A role model. Could that be right? How could I, a kid who spent so many years being unsure of himself, be something so definite and secure to others? It can only be described as surreal when kids come up to me and convey how much our music and this band meant to them how I've been (gasp) an inspiration.

Through punk, and specifically this band, I want to show my disapproval of what is going on around me, and to finally be seen as myself. It's not what we're missing - everyone lacks something. It's that we're the only ones to hold ourselves back.

Note: Please inform me should I miss out some words, or made any spelling errors.

Carmen.

As Reviewed By A Teenager

I'm not going to review them the way magazines do by rating the artiste/band.

Instead, I want to write how much a certain song mean to me, how much of a remedy it can be and even if the situation is not related to me, I want to try to help people (possibly teenagers) who read my blog to help themselves through music.

You might think that the whole idea is stupid, because you have the mindset that a) someone as young as I am can't have gone through that much to know how to help others and b) music is not strong enough to help someone to stand up.

But that's your mindset.

I think that music has the capability to help people emotionally and mentally.

Because I've been through that phase well enough to know.

Although I haven't come across any yet, I'm absolutely sure that there are people who happen to be on the same boat as I am.

So if music has helped me that way, why not try to help others? I may not make a huge difference, but I'm contented if I can help even a teenager or two.

Carmen.

The Underdogs

New bands, especially those who receive no recognition from the media and whatnot, are always the underdogs.

And if I have the chance to check them out, I would.

If I have the chance to buy their CDs, I would.

If I can even download their songs online, I would.

I have always been more interested in bands whom many have not heard of, compared to those whose songs have been overplayed (but that doesn't mean I don't listen to bands on the radio at all).

Somehow, living where I am doesn't give you too many a chance to check out these bands. My only resort is to download their songs, and if that fails, then I'm sorry to say that the band can only be left unheard.

Now, you probably don't think the same way, i.e. you probably prefer listening to songs which you can discuss about with your friends, or something everyone else think is cool.

But if you really flow that way, then why are you here? Because no matter what I say, you won't have given any of these bands a chance anyway.

I for one know that I'm not such an influential person, but if I am, then it's a "whoa".

But one should really give these bands a listen, because you never know - there's possibility that they are even better than bands or artistes you hear nowadays.

P.S. I don't have much a thing against bands, more to (sellout) solo artistes who gain fame through songs with mindless lyrics. I'm biased and crude that way.

Carmen.

Crazy Enough To Do This

Having moved from one blog to another, I still have two more on hiatus. So starting a new one is absolutely a paradox of an idea, but I'm up for anything insane. Even if it means taking the roller coaster of death in the movie Final Destination 3. I'd still do it.

I have no particular theme for this blog, as in what my posts should be based on. The first thought that approached my mind was music.

Yes, I can brag on and on about a band I like, then criticize ones I dislike to no end. But, honestly, what's the point?

I might even get sued.

But maybe, just maybe, I'll let my thoughts run wild and see what I can do with this lil blog. After exams, and I'll be back, blogging nonsense "like a hardcore Microsoft nerd."

Carmen.