I'm still alive!

So, I haven't updated this blog once in 2015. Yikes. I do have a couple good reasons—I got promoted at work and I'm in the middle of planning a wedding, so things are a bit busy! But I want to get back into blogging about music more regularly. Not sure exactly how frequently that will happen, but I'll do my best to pop in at least more than once a year!

I have still been writing about music though. This summer, I started doing musician interviews over on AbsolutePunk. Here's some of what I've been up to:

• I interviewed Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind about the band's new album, Dopamine.  Say what you want about Stephan, but this was possibly one of the most pleasant interviews I've ever done.
• I chatted with Jarrod Gorbel of Night Terrors of 1927, and resisted begging him to bring back The Honorary Title. That's a major accomplishment in my book.
• I spoke with Jose Pasillas of Incubus. As I've mentioned before, an article about Incubus that I read in high school made me realize I wanted to be a journalist. So this was one of those moments that made me reflect on how far I've come.

Looking forward to interviewing more amazing artists over the coming months! If you're on AP.net, feel free to shoot me a note and say hi.

Jarrod Gorbel announces Night Terrors of 1927

I’ve been a big fan of The Honorary Title since I was in high school, so naturally I was heartbroken when they broke up a few years back. But I’m so thrilled that lead singer Jarrod Gorbel just announced his new project, Night Terrors of 1927. Two songs have been released so far, and I like what I’m hearing so far! Check them out:



The synth pop style of Night Terrors is very different from the acoustic guitar that usually accompanies Jarrod’s voice, but it’s nice to shake things up a bit. I always admire a musician who tries something new, rather than writing the same song over and over again.

The release says that the band will be releasing its first EP in the fall, followed by a full length early in 2014. I don’t know if Night Terrors of 1927 will be able to fill the Honorary Title-sized hole in my heart, but I’m looking forward to seeing where this band goes in the future.

Valentine's Day music

Happy Valentine's Day! Obviously I need to make a themed playlist today, since I do one for most holidays. Yeah, these are all love songs, but they're all so rockin', you can enjoy them even if you're single.

But before I get to the list, here's my favorite Valentine's Day video, made by the hilariously bizarre Jarrod Gorbel of the Honorary Title.

He is ridiculous, and I love it.

All right, on to the music:

1. I’m In Love With You – Timbaland featuring Tyson Ritter
2. Cupid’s Chokehold – Gym Class Heroes
3. Love You Madly – Cake
4. Inches and Falling – The Format
5. L.O.V. – Fitz and The Tantrums
6. I Believe in a Thing Called Love – The Darkness (C’mon, I had to)
7. You’ve Got The Love – Florence and the Machine
8. Home – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
9. Love Is A Fast Song – Copeland
10. Tearjerker – Fenix TX
11. Your Song – Ewan McGregor (from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack)
12. Echo – Incubus
13. Mona Lisa (When The World Comes Down) – The All-American Rejects
14. Inevitable – Anberlin
15. The Book of Love – The Magnetic Fields (or the live cover by The Airborne Toxic Event)
16. Wouldn’t Do – A Fine Frenzy
17. I Will Follow You Into The Dark – Death Cab For Cutie
18. Last Night on Earth – Green Day
19. Baby I Love You – The Ramones
20. The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room) – Flight of the Conchords
21. U + Me = Us – 2gether (no love playlist is complete without this gem)
22. Falling For You – Weezer
23. Friday I’m in Love – The Cure
24. Hard To Concentrate – Red Hot Chili Peppers
25. I Miss You – Incubus
26. I Want To Know Your Plans – Say Anything
27. Lost In You – Sugarcult
28. No One’s Gonna Love You – Band of Horses
29. Love Song - Adele (cover of The Cure)
30. I Want You – Third Eye Blind

Enjoy!

Album review: Jarrod Gorbel - Devil's Made A New Friend

Jarrod Gorbel's deep, soulful voice always makes me want to burst into tears. There is something so personal and emotional about every song he writes, whether it be for his previous band, The Honorary Title, or for his current solo work. Devil's Made A New Friend is his first full-length on his own, and while it's still hard for me to accept that The Honorary Title is no more, this album should satisfy fans in need of a Gorbel fix.

Make no mistake; Devil's Made A New Friend is not Scream and Light Up The Sky Part 2. Both are beautiful blends of folk and Americana, but Gorbel's solo songs feel even more raw and less produced that most of the music by The Honorary Title. They are calmer as well, with less of the rollicking energy found in many songs by THT. In a few occasions, these new songs seem almost too mellow, and a few of the tracks start to blend together, making it hard to tell them apart. But for the most part, as soon as this starts to happen, Gorbel's voice will pull through, making the music distinctive again.

Gorbel's lyrics are always so personal that I almost feel embarrassed for peering into his private life. It always amazes me that someone who is so funny and wacky onstage can belt out lyrics like, "Taking me forever to accept this weakness / That I've been defeated / I need help, I need you." But that, my friends, is precisely why I love Jarrod Gorbel.

Overall, Devil is a good debut solo album for Gorbel. It's may be unfair to compare it to THT's music, but it's also inevitable and impossible not to. Fans should just be glad that Gorbel is still making music, and that he's doing it for himself, the way he wants to. While some of the tracks in the middle just aren't as exciting or moving as they could be, Gorbel's voice is the saving grace. It is so comforting and familiar, yet every time it cracks, I get goose bumps. And that's what makes this album satisfyingly solid; the style of music has changed a bit but Gorbel's incredible voice is always there to keep you enthralled (and maybe make you weep).

Check out: "Extraordinary" and "I'll Do Better."

www.jarrodgorbelmusic.com