Exciting Things Happening!

I haven't had much time to write on here lately, been stuck doing adult things like job hunting!

I wanted to do a quick update for everyone. The end of October and November are going to be really exciting and I am hoping to try out some new things for this blog, including concert vlogs.

Mackelmore and Ryan Lewis October 30th

 3OH3! and the Summer Set are playing at Wooly's in Des Moines November 1st

Pink! November 8th

For the Foxes ,Downtown Fiction , Tonight Alive November 9th

Jake Miller and Action Item November 30th- side note on this, I am hosting a pre party with Action Item while they are in Des Moines the cost is $60 and is going to be from 12-2pm. Come hang out! Let me know if you are interested in coming. 


There are so many exciting things coming up I can barley hold my excitement!

Experience LifeLight 2013

LifeLight 2013, a set on Flickr.

Lifelight 2013 may have come and gone, but the memories still live on. Check out my pictures from the weekend! Click on the link to view more!

Did you go to Lifelight this year? Share your experience with me in the comments!

Nothing Compares: Building 429 concert review.

There's nothing I love more than free concerts and the Iowa State Fair. What's even better are the two together.

Last night Christian rock band Building 429 preformed a free show on the Ann and Bill Riley stage and fans showed up by the hundreds. Even by 6:30 the seated area was more than halfway full for the show that started at 8:00. One woman mentioned to me that she had been sitting at the stage since 4:00 just to make sure that she was able to get a great view of the performance.

This had been the first time I have seen Building 429 perform live, and has made me very excited to see them preform again in a few weeks at Lifelight SD. From beginning to end the crowd was on their feet singing along to every word, and dancing like no one was watching. I think the most powerful moment of the night was when lead signer Jason Roy spoke about a benefit show the band played for the families of the young children who's lives were taken all too soon during the Sandy Hook shooting. He spoke of the hope that everyone in the room during that benefit was standing on and waiting for. The band then went into playing one of their newest songs "We Won't Be Shaken", which if you have not listened to I encourage you to click the video below, as it is a strong reminder to us all that even though we might not be having the best day, week, month or even year, that we must keep on going because we have such greater hope in Him who gives us life.

To see more pictures of the night you can go to my Flickr profile: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98565101@N05/ and also make sure you check out Building 429 on Facebook , Twitter and YouTube .

Did any of my fellow Iowan's go to the show? What was your favorite moment of the night? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.

It's Always a Good Time

 First off I have to thank Veridian Credit Union for hooking me up with free VIP tickets to the Owl City show down town Des Moines, for the Night Fall on the River Concert. It was a great night, that was enhanced by your generosity!

The night was kicked off by a young band, EchoSmith, who just recently got off spending the summer on the Vans Warped Tour. What was most impressive of this band is that it is made up of four siblings ranging in age from 14 to 20. This has been the second time I have had the honor of listing to this band live, and each time I am taking back by their stage presence and mature sound. Formally known as Ready, Set, Go! the four piece band is set to release their fist album, Talking Dreams, this up coming October. I have no doubt that this band is going to go a long way in the coming months and years!

Owl City headlined the night, an electronica band from Owatonna Minnesota. However, we Iowan's like to claim Adam Yong as one of our own as he was born and lived in the state during his early childhood. One of the things I love most about watching Adam and the rest of the band that makes up Owl City, is that from the first note played to the last it is evident that each person on the stage loves what they are doing. Crowd favorites where played including, Good Time and Fireflies. Along with a full range of old and new songs.

One of my favorite things of the night was talking to two 14 year old girls who where telling me all about how much Adam and Owl City has changed their life forever, one mentioned that she does not know if she would still be around if it wasn't for his music.She talked about being in 4th grade listing to his music after a long day of school and because of this she knew that it was going to be okay to face the next day. This is why I love music so much! It can impact people in both small and big ways, and give hope to those whom seem to have none.

After watching Adam preform twice now, I completely understand why Taylor Swift wrote Enchanted about  him. He has this presence about him that makes you want to instantly become best friends with him! It was a magical night for all, and while I can't speak for everyone I can say for myself that I walked away wonderstrucked!


If you are interested in finding out more about Echosmith or Owl City you can find both on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/owlcity and https://www.facebook.com/Echosmith .

Best Day Ever (Warped Tour)

Warped Tour 2013 is officially over, and what a year it was. This years tour theme was best day ever, and it was, so much that I just had to go to two different dates. The line up this year was broad, form more hard core punk rock to pop there was something for everyone. One of the things I love and hate most about Warped Tour is you have to show up early to make sure you don't miss your favorite band. Set times are released each morning and are different each day. It's great because it in away forces you to show up early and if your favorites aren't playing until late afternoon you have plenty of time to check out new ones.

My personal new favorite that I discovered this year  is New Jersey Indie/Pop band For the Foxes. Other favorites of this years tour included GOLDHOUSE, find a past interview with Grant here , Action Item, The Summer Set, Allstar Weekend, The Used and so many more.

Did you go to Warped Tour this year? Who did you see? What was your favorite moment of the day? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter!

Belieber's Unite

Sunday July 7th, 2013. This date will forever be a young 12-16 year old girls favorite day. Justin Bieber made a stop in Des Moines, Iowa on his Believe tour last night at Wells Fargo Arena. Fans flocked the area early in the day to try to get a glimpse at their favorite pop star. One group of fans who were with out tickets, held up a home made sign asking Justin to give them tickets. Luck would have it he did, and also brought out the girls food as a thanks for taking the time to wait around all day for him.

As the day went on more and more fans showed up at the arena. Local radio station Kiss 107.5 had a booth  set up for fans to enter to win the chance to meet Bieber, but that's not all the station had for fans who were waiting around. Around 5:00 Mike Posner, who is most well know for his song "Cooler than Me" came out to greet the hundreds of fans who were waiting around.

It's 6:00 and the doors finally open! Fans rush into the arena, 7:00 hits and Mike Posner opens up the night. Posner played all the crowd favorites, and a few new songs in the mix as well. Posner address the audience and gave them a reminder to never give up on their dreams, saying: " Work hard, smile and believe. Your dreams are not as far away as they seem! I'm in the middle of one right now!"

Second opening act, and my personal favorite,
Hot Chelle Rae, best known for their songs "Tonight Tonight" and " I Like It Like That" took the stage, Lead signer Ryan Follese had every person in the dancing through the whole set. It was amazing to see this band from Nashville, playing such a large arena when just two years ago they were opening for native Florida pop punk band We The Kings, in Iowa City at the Blue Moose Tap House.

Hot Chelle Rae finished and Belieber's were getting louder and louder in anticipation for Justin to take the stage.  Disappointment filled the arena when Justin took over an hour and a half to finally start his show. This is not unusual behavior for the 19 year old signer, in the spring he was more than 2 hours late to start a show in the U.K. At moments fans where Booing the pop star for making them wait so long.

Once the lights finally fell, young fans forgot about the long wait and the arena went up in a roar. Even though I am not a huge fan of Justin's I have to admit that he put on a great show, and if I was 14 again I would have thought the night was the best night of my life. However, I am grateful that I only paid $30 for my ticket.





Find more Pictures of the night at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98565101@N05/

Top 5 Things To Do at Music Festivals!

Summer is fast approaching, which means festival season will be among us soon! Arguably, one of the best times of the year. For many it is a time to find new music, finally get to see that one favorite band, and lastly have a ton of fun! Over the past few years I have gone to many music festivals and have recently been seeing tweets asking about what to expect at Vans Warped Tour for example, and how to prepare for it. So in response here is my top 5 must do things at music festivals:

1. Do listen to the band member trying to promote his music to you...they may be your next favorite band. 

It is becoming the norm for new/ up and coming bands to follow more established, more well known bands tours. If you haven't experienced it yet, it will more likely than not happen to you at a festival this summer. A guy in a v-neck shirt , cropped jeans and convers will come up to you and ask you to take a listen to his bands music. While it can be uncomfortable and no doubt gets annoying after awhile, don't brush them off. They are trying to work hard at promoting their music which they have slaved over for months maybe years. Take a listen, no one said you had to buy their music on the spot. Who knows the band you take a chance on listen to their music while you are standing in line might just be your next favorite band. I know this has happened to me many of times.

2. Represent your fan base well.

Nothing is worse than going to see your favorite band live for the first time and the crowd is just rude! Everyone is at the bands set for the same reason. To listen to good music, and have fun. The fun is often ruined when someone in the crowed gets upset and angry that they have no room to stand, they aren't close enough to the stage (etc). This one person, let's hope its not you, makes the set unbearable and gives a bad representation of the bands fans and the overall reputation of the band playing. Which in return  can have a negative impact on the number of new fans that could have been reached, but will not based one bad experience.

3. Do make friends with the people around you.

As I mentioned in my last post, some of my closest friends have been people whom I have meet at concerts. Nothing brings people together faster than standing almost on top of each other   in the heat for hours on end. All the new people you meet can teach you something different, and they may just introduce you to a new band that will widen you music horizon.




4. Do try to meet as many bands as possible.

One of the great things about festivals is that many bands have meet-n-greets, formal, but mainly informal. You always want to keep an eye out as well, as you never know when the lead singer of your favorite band might happen to walk past you. Festivals in that way are compared to nothing
else. You have the opportunity to meet many talented musicians, that you have have to otherwise spend $30 or more to meet. Don't let the chance to meet your music idol slip past you this summer.

5. HAVE FUN! 

It goes with out saying, the most important thing to do at a music festival is to have fun! Go with your best friend, or meet new ones there. You are sure to have a great time with thousands of other music fans, if you choose to make the most out of the day or weekend. Only you can decided what type of experience you are going to/want to  have.





What are your top 5 things to do/ experience at music festivals? Which ones are you going to this summer? Let me know in the comments!

More then just music: a journey to discovering who you are.

For music fans of all types of genres music has become more than just something to listen to. It is an outlet, it is a way to get away from the world for just a little bit. It is a way to lose yourself and become the person you have always dreamed of being. It can bring you back to your feet even when you thought you had fallen too far to get back up.

Part of my concert family: Summer 2012

Through my music discovery journey, I have found that it is not only the music that helps you through life, but it is the other fans who truly help you. It is the fans that you stand nearly on top of for hours on end while waiting for your favorite band to come on stage who help you discover who you are and let you know that whatever you are going through you are not alone.

Music, I believe, is so powerful in that way. It has a way of bring people of all different walks of life together who would normally have no other interaction. For myself I have started to gather a music or  concert "family". They are people who I have meet along the way either online or at concerts who share the same level of passion for music as I do, who are just as "broken" or "lost" or ..."fill in the blank". That's the power of music the ability to bring people together to share life experiences with each other and to learn from each other. While you might not see the people ever again, that one moment you spent gossiping about the band you are about to see or telling other stories like you are old friends is a bond that is hard to break. If you do see them again it is a joyful and exciting moment and a "family" reunion of sorts.

I think it is because of this reason that I am so passionate about music. It is through music that I have found some of my close friends and it is through music that I have discovered who I am.

Be the Fan You Would Want to Have

Over time I have seen a growing upward trend in fans wanting more and more from the bands they follow. Wanting to know every little detail of their favorite band members life: who they are dating, what they had for dinner, what they are doing at every second of their life. Part of this comes from the increase availability we have to connect with each other through Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr (etc.). While I am in no way stating that is is a band thing, I think that there is a fine line that many fans blur. A thin line of  being just a, to just being curious to stocking.

While I too love finding out as much information as I can about my favorite bands. Let's face it, I would love to make a career out of interviewing bands. However,  I had a revelation the other day and realized if I had hundreds if not thousands of people wanting to know as much as they could about me how much would I give to them?  How much could I handle? 

We all need our personal privacy and band members are no different. You don't share your daily life story with everyone. Let's not expect them to do so either. So the next time you tweet a question and don't get a response back, don't get upset, take a breath...life will go on! Respect the band members and their personal life.  Be a fan for the music first and if you happen to find a friendship with the band it is only that much better. Be respectful, and think about how you would
feel if you were on the other side of the situation.

Where do you think the line is between being a fan and stocking? Let me know your thoughts on Twitter @beyondtheradio or leave a comment below. 

Midterms Playlist

For many students midterms are upon them. One of the most stressful times of the semester. Test, projects, other random assignments, on top of making sure you have time to look at cat memes on Tumblr. One of the things that gets me through stressful times, including midterms, is making a playlist on Spotify. Here is my Spring 2013 Midterms Playlist of some of my favorite songs from Midwest bands.

Home by Paradise Fears:

I love this song, its one of my main go to songs when I am stressed out. It's all about trying to get back home to the place that is most comfortable to us, but we are being pulled in so many other directions. Feeling lost, a feeling that I think a lot of college students can relate to.

Shooting Star by Owl City 

A great song to get away from everything. A great song to close your eyes to  and dream of being whoever you want to be.

Oxygen by We Are Leo 

A great song for when you are feeling alone and don't know what direction to go.

Party, Fun, Love and Radio by We The Kings

While not from the Midwest, We The Kings more often than not have at least one song on my playlists. Party, Fun, Love and Radio is the perfect song for when all the stress is finally gone and you can forget about school...at least for a little while.

Fun fact about this video, I am in one of the pictures around the 60 sec mark! 

Can you spot me?

What are some of your go to songs? Let me know below in the comments.

Maiken

 I recently became aware of a new band from Kansas City called Maiken, a three piece band composed of Bryan Gwin, Josiah Walker, and Ahna Borck .  Bryan and Josiah are childhood friends who grew up in California together. After completing high school the two were in a touring pop band, after this band ended Josh moved to Kansas City, while Bryan moved to Nashville to pursue music separately. Bryan says that in the back of his mind he always knew that they would somehow end up creating music together again: "In my head I had a distant thought we would end up doing some sort of music together because we have always had a comfort when it comes to writing and both grew up with similar taste, however, the thought had not crossed my mind or Josiah's mind too much." After a few years in Tennessee Bryan moved to  Kansas City, shortly after moving there Bryan and Josiah met Ahna. Ahna who is from a small town in Minnesota grew up singing in Church and with her sisters for fun. Bryan and Josiah were blown away by her voice. In a last effort to in Kansas City Josiah asked Bryan if he would be interested creating music with her. While hesitant at first, Bryan agreed. From the first time the three of them sat down together  they knew they had something special: "It was as if something inside of us had come alive for the first time."  They are currently pursing the band full time at the moment and expect to be keep releasing music quickly. 

Below you can find more of my interview with Bryan.

What is the story behind the name of the band?

 Maiken is a Danish name.  In english it translates to Mary.  Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ.  "The church, like Mary, is a womb called to give birth to a tangible expression of Christ in the earth."  That is our goal with our music.  To give a tangible expression of Jesus.  Many people have a very false view of Jesus Christ and believe he is an angry guy with a list of rules to follow and just wants to change us.  This is however quite opposite of who he is.  Jesus loved everyone he encountered and love them just as they were.  He gave hope to the broken.  He restored lives.  He gave life where there was death.  We want to make powerful music, tour and love as many people as we possibly can on our journey.

How would you describe your music?

I would say our music is very epic and emotional while maintaing a unique sound.  It will stir up thoughts and emotions in listeners that give them a euphoric feeling of hope and love.   Our music is something that can be felt, not just heard.

How does your song writing process usually go?

Usually one of us will have an idea whether it is just a chorus or a maybe a verse and chorus or a catchy hook.  We then demo out a rough idea in the studio and build upon that.  We sort of write and produce our music simultaneously.  It is a bit of a different approach from a lot of bands, but it works out well for us.  This approach sets us up for trying out many different ideas and melodies within one song.  Often the final result of a song will end up sounding nothing like how it sounded at its original state.  As for the lyrics, so far we have all written the lyrics together.   

Any plans for new songs being released in the near future?

Absolutely.  We have several songs in the works right now and plan on releasing an EP this summer and then we will start performing live.  We will constantly be releasing new music.  The beauty of doing everything ourselves is that we don't have to wait on a producer or a studio.  We can constantly be putting out new music.

Do you have any plans for shows or touring this summer?

We plan on playing live as soon as we release our EP this summer.  Not sure if we will be touring this summer but we will most likely be playing locally in Kansas City.

Where can people go to find out more about you?

Facebook, Twitter and YouTube would probably be the best places to keep up to date on what is going on with us.
www.facebook.com/maikenofficial
www.twitter.com/maikenband
www.youtube.com/maikenband


What's the best way people can support you if they like what they hear?

If you like what you hear you can get our first single "Graveyard" for free at www.noisetrade.com/maiken

I think most bands/artists would agree that the best way to support us is to spread our music around.  Like our youtube videos, leave us comments, like our Facebook page, follow us on twitter, etc. And the other best way to support us would be financially.  You can donate to us at www.noisetrade.com/maiken

I have enjoyed getting to know more about Maiken over the past few weeks, and I am looking forward to  hearing new music from them soon! Have you taken a listen? What are your thoughts on the song "Graveyard"? 

Jocelyn "Storyline" CD Release Show Pictures

On February 7th native Iowa City, Iowa band Jocelyn released their newest CD Storyline. While still a "young band" the Blue Moose, Iowa City was filled with fans from across the country for the CD release show on February 8th. Other bands who played that night included The Strive and Clear Skies, both newer bands from Missouri. The night was full of excitement and crowd energy was high form the first band to the last.

Created with flickr slideshow.
Find out more and keep up-to-date with all the bands:

The Strive:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thestrive?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wearethestrive
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/DrUMK1nG

Clear Skies:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClearSkiesMo?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClearSkiesMo
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/clearskiesmo?feature=mhee

Jocelyn: 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreJocelyn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeAreJocelyn
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/WeAreJocelyn

I'm Crazy Over You!

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm not a person who is huge into celebrating this day, but I thought it was only appropriate to post one of my favorite love songs today.  While there are thousands of love songs out there, one of my favorites has to be Crazy Over You by  Love Out Loud; a pop band from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

What I like most about this song is how different it is from all the other love songs that are out there. It is light, fun and up beat. It's the perfect song if you are deeply in love or dreaming of that perfect someone. Take a listen to the song below!

What are some of your favorite love songs? 

 Find more out more about Love Out Loud from the links below:

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

Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/loveoutloudmusic\

YouTube :http://www.youtube.com/user/LoveOutLoudOfficial

Clear Skies

I recently had  the chance to interview a new and upcoming Pop/Rock band, Clear Skies from Missouri. Clear Skies played  their first show as a band at the Blue Moose as a part of the release show for Iowa City native band, Jocelyn. Jake the lead singer of Clear Skies describes their music as "bouncy" and "fun". I had so much fun with this interview, check it out!

Find out more about Clear Skies:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClearSkiesMo
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClearSkiesMo
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/clearskiesmo

Dead Turquoise

Dead Turquoise is a one man band from Ohio, but get all the preconceived notions of one man bands out of your head right now. This is definitely not the guy you see roaming the streets with the big drum on his back, and guitar in his hands.   Ted, the guy behind the band describes his music as “Dreamy, Sludgy, Surf-Punk”.  A mix of punk, heavy metal and dreamy reverby music, this project started as a result of wanting to combine both.  When asked about the name behind this one man band project, Ted explained the meaning first started out as a way of incorporating both the metal punk sound (Dead), and the more laid back surf sound (Turquoise). After Googling the name, Ted found a deeper meaning in it; through a story about living and dead turquoise. Living Turquoise is the bright healthy looking color; whereas dead turquoise is dull and has a white or black look to it.  Ted at the time was going through a rough part in his life, going to school out of state and eventually dropping out. He made the decision that he can choose to either be the dead dull turquoise or be the living turquoise. Describing it further as we can choose to let things in life get us down or we can choose to defeat what lies in front of us.

"There also exists as well the concept of living and dead turquoise. Living turquoise has a healthy blue color, whereas dead turquoise has turned either white or black. In the natural aging process of turquoise, exposure to light and body oils darkens the color, eventually turning it black. Tibetans compare this to human aging and death.”

https://www.facebook.com/deadturquoise?fref=ts 

Dead Turquoise is still in the early stages of development; however, you can go check out the music at http://deadturquoise.bandcamp.com/ . You can also be on the lookout for a full length album, which Ted hopes to have released sometime in the next year.  If you would like to support Ted and the work he is doing with Dead Turquoise he says the best way is through word of mouth: “ If you like it tell your friends, show your friends and if you like it enough buy a t-shirt”.

Find out more and keep up-to-date with Dead Turquoise by checking out the links below:

Tumblr: http://deadturquoise.tumblr.com/

Twitter : https://twitter.com/deadturquoise

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/deadturquoise?fref=ts

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/deadturquoise

SoundCloud : https://soundcloud.com/dead_turquoise
Buy Merch: http://deadturquoise.bigcartel.com/

GOLDHOUSE

Genre: Electric Pop

Home Town: Chicago

I had the chance to meet up with the Chicago native Grant Harris, better known as GOLDHOUSE on the Minneapolis stop of the Action Item Resolution Tour. I interviewed Grant and the other members of GOLDHOUSE about up coming tours and new music. Take a listen to this electric, techno, pop  music at http://www.youtube.com/user/iamgoldhouse . Check out the interview below!

Check out GOLDHOUSE on Vans Warped Tour all summer long! Tickets can be found at: http://www.vanswarpedtour.com/dates/index

You can find out more about GOLDHOUSE by going to www.iamgoldhouse.com to find links to  Facebook, Twitter, iTunes and more! 

Introducing Me

Hey! I'm Rebecca, I'm 22 years old and currently in my final semester at the University of Northern Iowa. I have always had a passion for music and introducing new music to my friends. I can remember growing up and asking my parents to help me bring to town some of my favorite artist/bands, so I could introduce them to my friends and community.  It is my vision for this blog to be a place where you can discover new local and regional bands, but also a place where you can introduce new up and coming bands to me. A place to go Beyond the Radio!