Cherub
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Crystal Ballroom; Portland, OR
Written by Kelsey Rzepecki

Portland could not get enough of Electro Pop duo, Chreub, delighting us all with a long set last Thursday that went into the early morning. The night started with the bass-heavy Hippie Sabotage as the ballroom emerged into a vibrating, up-beat atmosphere playing all of their hit songs including ending their set with the timeless track “Your Soul”.

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All Time Low, Sleeping With Sirens, and One OK Rock
Friday, October 23, 2015
The Shrine Expo Hall; Los Angeles, CA
Written by Natasha Mayani

It seems like All Time Low have just had never ending success. This year marked the release of their sixth album, Future Hearts, they filmed a live DVD at Wembley Arena, had a Spring tour supporting Future Hearts and now they’re back again for the Back to the Future Hearts Tour, this time with Sleeping With Sirens, Neck Deep, and One OK Rock.

Sleeping With Sirens is their direct support, and with the dedicated and huge fanbase that they have accumulated throughout the years, I couldn’t think of a better band to join this tour. They kicked off their set with “Kick Me,” one of the singles from Madness, their fourth album that was released earlier this year. Their large logo illuminated the room and drummer, Gabe Barham, is lifted on a tall riser with his drum kit that has him hover over the entire band. Smoke fills up the entire stage as the crowd goes crazy and the band is feeding off their energy.

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Shakey Graves
Wednesday, May 27th, 2015
Crystal Ballroom; Portland, OR
Review by Kelsey Rzepecki

A big “Howdy Ya’ll!“ came from the voice of Alejandro Rose-Garcia, better known as Shakey Graves, as he introduced himself with a friendly toothy grin to the audience on Wednesday night. The Pacific Northwest was granted a little dose of Southern Hospitality that night as the historic Crystal Ballroom was transformed into a sweaty, funky folk love fest. Strong scents of incense and body odor were the recipe for a lively audience with nothing but smiles.

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Written by Kara Kokinos and Eric Riley.
Photos by Eric Riley.

After Friday’s introduction to Boston Calling 2015, there was an incredible buzz for what Saturday’s artist would bring. What seemed to be an almost entirely new crowd in attendance held many diehard fans clamoring for spots on the barricades, while other attendees swarmed the various vendors, waiting for their favorite acts or looking for an opportunity to discover a new one. It was pretty easy to discern when fans were waiting for certain artists, specifically those waiting for Gerard Way while donning old My Chemical Romance tees, or the Marina and the Diamonds fans dressed in glimmering neon and glitter. But, as clear (and, to be totally honest, kind of humorous) as it was, it was a solid example of what has made Boston Calling so successful over these last few years – its diversity. A staple of the festival has been its clear effort to cater to music fans of all tastes.

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The Used with Every Time I Die, Marmozets, & The Eeries
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Upstate Concert Hall; Clifton Park, NY
Review and photos by Eric Riley.

I’m going to be pretty blunt here – at the time I was writing this, Age of Ultron came out in just about two days, so I was finding it pretty difficult to be excited over anything else. But, that doesn’t mean it was impossible. For instance, say, hypothetically, one of my favorite bands from high school was playing a show a few miles away. That would do the trick. Besides, by the time door opened, there were still, like, 48 more hours before The Avengers premiere - might as well kill some time, eh?

All comic-based sarcasm aside, this was a show that had been on my radar for some time; The Used are screamo royalty, while Every Time I Die have been on my “must-see” list for ages. I had heard rumblings about Marmozets here and there, and opener The Eeries were one of those bands allowing me a fresh, new first impression. Kicking off the show, they made a fast statement.

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Circa Survive with Balance and Composure & CHON
Saturday, May 2nd, 2015
Upstate Concert Hall; Clifton Park, NY
Review and photos by Eric Riley

On what was being talked about as “the greatest day in sports history” (something about some important horse boxing match or something?), there was a possibility for other events to be put on the backburner. Luckily, nothing happening that day interested me more than having the chance to see one of the most phenomenal acts around, a week after their debut album turns 10 years old.

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The Devil Wears Prada, Born Of Osiris, The Word Alive, Secrets
Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD
Monday, April 6th, 2015
Review by Caitlyn Willard

Baltimore Soundstage was filled with anxious fans ready to see the “Zombie 5 Tour”, a celebration of The Devil Wears Prada’s Zombie EP which was released five years ago. Although most were there to see TDWP, plenty were just as excited for the openers: SECRETS, Born of Osiris, and The Word Alive.

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Cartel
Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015
Review and photos by Caitlyn Willard.

Cartel recently came to Baltimore to celebrate the anniversary release of their debut album Chroma, which was released 10 years ago (CRAZY!). They played to an almost sold out room, full of fans waiting to relive their early teenage years. The band also brought along with them Hit the Lights, TEAM*, and Driver Friendly.

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Motion City Soundtrack
Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR
Monday, February 17th 2015

Motion City Soundtrack made a stop in Portland for their 10th year Anniversary tour in celebration of the 2005 album, Commit This To Memory. It was only appropriate that the small, intimate venue of the Hawthorne Theatre hosted this event giving a subtle nod to the nostalgic feel of small, underage emo-punk shows despite the nights “sold out” status.

Lead singer William Beckett of the band The Academy Is… joined along as the opener belting out classic emo pop hits from the bands old days as well as his own work deriving from his solo career. Motion City Soundtrack put on an incredibly electric performance from the start coming greatly from the enthusiastic keyboardist, Jesse Johnson, who was head banging uncontrollably throughout the show and at one point was whacking a cowbell like nobodies business. The overall onstage chemistry of all the band mates was something to be admired and caused a rowdy atmosphere among the crowd.

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Bad Suns
Thursday, January 29th 2015
Hawthorne Theatre; Portland, OR.
with Maudlin Strangers and Coasts

In the historic, intimate venue located in the notorious hipster Hawthorne neighborhood in Portland, the indie rock Los Angeles group, Bad Suns, made a stop in Oregon on tour to celebrate their first album Language & Perspective released in August 2014. This young group aging from 19-22 years old prove to possess a strong perspective developing a distinctive, signature sound feeding off eclectic 70’s and 80’s sounds that contribute to the catchiness of their music.

Not well versed in their music, I was going into the show with an open mind and ear as a friend of mine shared with me how this band helped her immensely when going through a rough break-up in the past month. I was skeptical based off their catchy single “Salt” I kept hearing on the alternative radio station in Portland that they have the potential to be a one hit wonder type of band but nonetheless I was hopeful and eager to hear them in person.

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