Author: Shannon Shumaker

Photos & Review: Vance Joy Featuring: Vance Joy & Kaleo The Gothic Theatre, Denver, CO. 4/21/15 Photos and review by: Shannon Shumaker Full photo gallery HERE Upon walking up to The Gothic Theatre before Vance Joy’s show on Tuesday night, it was hard to tell that the show had been sold out for weeks. There were no long lines or fans waiting outside, but instead, a fairly empty looking box office and smoking section. Thirty minutes after doors opened, the venue was only half full and fans were still trickling in, and I was interested to see how the night would go. By the time the…

Zebrahead’s upcoming “greatest hits” album, The Early Years – Revisited features re-recorded versions of many fan favorite songs, as well as an infectious new track, “Devil On My Shoulder.” With the album dropping soon (April 21st, via Rude Records) we had the chance to chat with vocalist Ali Tabatabaee about the album, the new track and the band’s big plans for 2015. Check out the full interview, as well as the video for “Devil On My Shoulder” below! Interview by Shannon Shumaker The Early Years – Revisited is dropping soon, how exciting! What are you most excited for fans to hear on the re-recorded versions…

Review by Shannon Shumaker Emotion is palpable on Dayseeker’s newest release, Origin. Within the first song on the album, “The Nail In Our Coffin” it’s apparent what to expect with this release; beautiful clean choruses with meaningful lyrics stand out among angry and dark screams and heavy guitar work, and the outcome is incredible. On top of that, the production on this album is spectacular, capturing the true energy and emotion in Dayseeker’s sound. “The Nail In Our Coffin” opens Origin with a dark, angry sound, but it isn’t long before the clean vocals come in and make the song…

Review by Shannon Shumaker Brainwashed, the new album from UK group While She Sleeps, feels larger than life. Aggressive unclean vocals and hard-hitting breakdowns bring in the album, but the clean choruses and melodic guitar work carry it forward, making Brainwashed not only a versatile release, but also fun to listen to. Right away, While She Sleeps waste no time in throwing you into one of the hardest and most aggressive songs with “New World Torture.” The song almost serves as an “opening paragraph” of sorts, telling you just what there is to expect from this album; hard-hitting unclean vocals…

Review by Shannon Shumaker Finding Common Ground’s new EP, The Time That’s Passed is emotional, melodic pop-punk with just the perfect amount punk aggression sprinkled on top. In a genre that becomes more and more saturated every day, The Time That’s Passed stands out from the pop-punk pack with strong bass lines, catchy guitar hooks, smart lyrics and vocals that kill. Right off the bat, you can hear the punk influences in Finding Common Ground’s sound with the bass heavy riffs and gang vocals in the first track, “Cruise Control.” The chorus in “Cruise Control” is comparable to The Swellers,…

Review by Shannon Shumaker Rocky Votolato’s Hospital Handshakes is full of soulful, emotional songs that will leave you hanging on his every word. It’s hard not to feel connected to the words on the songs on this album, many of which are about finding oneself and overcoming hardships. On top of the emotional vocal work and meaningful lyrics, musically, Hospital Handshakes is perfect for springtime, with soft acoustic guitars and a sound that is the perfect combination of bands like Death Cab For Cutie and Augustana. A surprising choice for a first song, “Boxcutter” opens the album on a mellow, somber…

Photo Credit: Laura Audley Denver, Colorado’s Finding Common Ground have premiered “Honesty,” the fourth track from their upcoming EP, The Time That’s Passed. Fans can exclusively stream the track now below!”Honesty is a song about assuming the worst in a situation. It’s about letting insecurities dictate what you think a conversation might be about, when in reality, it is more than likely not as bad as you think. Most of the time, tensions can be eased by just being direct and honest. To an extent, that is what the entire record is about. It is about seeing things in a new light, and using that to…

Photos & Review: The Mindsweep Tour Featuring: Enter Shikari, Stray From The Path, A Lot Like Birds & I The Mighty The Marquis Theatre, Denver, CO. 4/14/15 Photos and review by: Shannon Shumaker Full photo gallery HERE Seeing a band like Enter Shikari in a small venue like The Marquis Theatre (with a capacity of only about 500) is always guaranteed to be a memorable experience, and the band’s headlining show on Tuesday night was no exception. With explosive hardcore band, Stray From The Path, A Lot Like Birds and I The Mighty in tow, the room was already buzzing with anticipation before the first band…

Photos & Review: The Used Featuring: The Used, Every Time I Die, Marmozets & The Eeries The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO. 4/12/15 Photos and review by: Shannon Shumaker Full photo gallery HERE The Fillmore Auditorium wasn’t packed by any means on Sunday night (by the time the headliners, The Used, hit the stage, it was only about half-full) but the fans who did show up for The Used’s headlining show were devoted and energetic nonetheless. As relatively early show, starting just after seven, there were still fans trickling in the door when the opening act, The Eeries, took the stage, but thankfully, it seemed the…

Review by Shannon Shumaker When Dance Gavin Dance begins an album with a rollercoaster of a track like “We Own The Night,” you know you’re in for a real treat. From the very first note all the way to the very end, Instant Gratification throws listeners through loop after loop. From poppy clean vocals, bass heavy dancable tracks, heavier guitar driven songs that are carried by unclean vocals, and even into some hip-hop breakdowns, Dance Gavin Dance pull out all of the stops with Instant Gratification, and the result is mind blowing. The band wastes no time in throwing you right…