|
The Scoop |
![]() |
Updated
7/3/2008 23:05 EST |
| The Scoop * GigZone * Club Schedules * Local Bands * Guestbook * CD Spotlight * Venues * Links * About |
| Music News | |
|
New / Recent Releases:
Recently Released
June 24
July 01
July 15
July 18
July
August 19
Coming Soon
Visit Billboard's New Release Page for a complete list of upcoming releases. |
What's going on here? - posted 19 April 2008
MMC11 - posted 04 February 2007
Y-Rock on XPN - posted 30 August 2006
Clove Reunion Show! - posted 08 August 2006
Happy New Year / New Featured Local Bands - posted 08 January 2006
New Featured Local Bands - posted 04 September 2005
Wow, updates! - posted 26 July 2005
Rockinpa GigZone - posted 06 May 2005
Y100Rocks.com - posted 17 May 2005
|
| CD Spotlight | |
Green Day: American Idiot
March 21, 2005 Ouch - 7 months since my last CD Spotlight? Sorry 'bout that. Sometimes life gets in the way of these things. Anyway, I hope there's at least a person or two out there who hasn't yet picked up Green Day's latest disc, American Idiot. Otherwise I guess I'll basically be preaching to the choir in this review! Since its release last September, American Idiot has earned critical praise, tons of radio airplay, and an overwhelmingly positive reaction from music fans like you and me. When Green Day gained popularity in the early '90s, they were not my cup of tea. My distaste for them probably had something to do with the fact that they weren't "alternative", and I was preoccupied with all the great alternative albums of the time. Through the years I've grown to enjoy their hits, but never purchased any of their albums before American Idiot. It seems natural to be skeptical about a "punk-opera" featuring two 9+ minute songs and characters/songs with names like "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Whatsername". But I decided to give the album a chance (not a difficult thing to do, considering the lack of good albums over the past few years), and I was absolutely blown away from the very first listen! The first song and first single, "American Idiot", is just under 3 minutes of pure air-guitar-inducing energy. "Jesus of Suburbia" is the album's first long song, and may also be the best song on the disc. It is really made up of 5 short parts (in various time signatures) cobbled together with seamless transitions, some killer guitar solos, and even a little piano! At the risk of discrediting their punk cred, songs like this one put Green Day squarely in the "rock" category (and that's fine by me!). "Holiday" is next, followed by the second single, the sing-along "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." Just when you finish singing along, it's time to drum along to the cool grooves of "Are We the Waiting," which seamlessly morphs into the purist-punk of "St. Jimmy." "Give Me Novacaine" finds Green Day back in acoustic territory for the verses, with an explosive, plugged-in chorus (and another guitar solo!). "She's a Rebel" is next, followed by "Extraordinary Girl", another likely single. "Letterbomb" unleashes the fury, only to give way to the extremely catchy and beautiful "Wake Me Up When September Ends" (complete with concert bells and tambourine - no kidding!). "Homecoming" is the album's second 9-minute tune, and like "Jesus of Suburbia", the 9 minutes really fly! Surprises in "Homecoming" include chimes in one section, and a 50's-rock-style sound, complete with saxophone, in another! The album wraps up with the rockingly upbeat "Whatsername", and I'm usually left wanting another listen from the top! As for the concept behind this concept album... I must admit, I expected much more Bush-bashing, and I think that theme may have been a bit exaggerated in early reviews of the album. But there is definitely a general theme to the album, perhaps best summed up on Green Day's web site by reviewer Tony Hicks as the story of "a suburban kid becoming self-aware and going through the accompanying range of emotions." Of course there is much more to it than that, and like all good concept albums, quite a bit of interpretation is left to the listener. The great thing about this album is that it should please people who like to interpret lyrics and people who just enjoy rockin' tunes. If American Idiot isn't already in your collection, I strongly suggest that you give it a try. You won't be disappointed! Official Green Day web site: http://www.greenday.com |
Past CD Spotlights:
Alter Bridge: One Day Remains
|
|
Upcoming Concerts
Most info here comes from YRockOnXPN.org and Ticketmaster.com. Another interesting site you may want to check out is TourFilter.com. |
||
| Thu Jul 03 | The Black Crowes | TLA |
| Tue Jul 08 | Gavin DeGraw Marie Digby |
Crocodile Rock (Allentown) |
| Tue Jul 08 | John Mellencamp | Mann Center |
| Wed Jul 09 | Ani DiFranco Regina Spektor |
Mann Center |
| Thu Jul 10 | Billy Joel | Hersheypark Stadium |
| Thu Jul 10 | Kittie Dope A New Revolution Panic Cell |
Crocodile Rock (Allentown) |
| Thu Jul 10 | John Mayer | Susquehanna Bank Center (Camden, NJ) |
| Thu Jul 10 | Van Morrison | Tower Theatre |
| Fri Jul 11 | Frankie Valli | Mann Center |
| Fri Jul 11 | Van Morrison | Tower Theatre |
| Sat Jul 12 | Robert Plant | Mann Center |
| Tue Jul 15 | 311 Snoop Dogg |
Festival Pier |
| Tue Jul 15 | Alkaline Trio | TLA |
| Tue Jul 15 | Melissa Etheridge | Sovereign Performing Arts Center (Reading) |
| Thu Jul 17 | Rush | Hersheypark Stadium |
| Sat Jul 19 | Projekt Revolution w/ Linkin Park, Chris Cornell, The Bravery, Ashes Divide |
Susquehanna Bank Center (Camden, NJ) |
| Wed Jul 23 | Tantric Framing Hanley Foster Child |
Crocodile Rock (Allentown) |
| Wed Jul 23 | The Ting Tings | Johnny Brendas |
| Fri Jul 25 | Alter Bridge | Crocodile Rock (Allentown) |
| Fri Jul 25 | Coldplay | Wachovia Center |
| Fri Jul 25 | Avril Lavigne Jonas Brothers |
Hersheypark Stadium |
| Fri Jul 25 | MGMT | Starlight Ballroom |
| Fri Jul 25 | She & Him | Trocadero |
| Fri Jul 25 | Vans Warped Tour 2008 w/ Against Me!, Bouncing Souls,
Pennywise, Reel Big Fish, Story of The Year, The Academy Is, Say Anything, Relient K, Angels & Airwaves, and more |
Festival Pier |
| Sat Jul 26 | 3 Doors Down Staind Hinder |
Susquehanna Bank Center (Camden, NJ) |
| Sat Jul 26 | Mark Knopfler | Mann Center |
| Sun Jul 27 | 3 Doors Down Staind Hinder |
Hersheypark Stadium |
| Tue Jul 29 | The Police Elvis Costello |
Wachovia Center |
| Tue Jul 29 | We Are Scientists | Johnny Brendas |
| Wed Jul 30 | O.A.R. | Festival Pier |
| Wed Jul 30 | Wolf Parade | Electric Factory |
| Fri Aug 01 | Avril Lavigne | Musikfest (Bethlehem) |
| Fri Aug 01 | Sevendust | TLA |
| Sat Aug 02 | Sheryl Crow | Mann Center |
| Sat Aug 02 | Download Festival w/ The Killers, Iggy Pop & The Stooges,
Ghostland Observatory, Louis XIV, Atmosphere, Man Man, The Whigs, Mates of State, Mute Math, The Duke Spirit, The Enemy, more |
Susquehanna Bank Center (Camden, NJ) |
| Tue Aug 05 | Bloc Party Does It Offend You, Yeah? |
TLA |
| Thu Aug 05 | Counting Crows Maroon 5 Sara Bareilles |
Hersheypark Stadium |
| Wed Aug 06 | Judas Priest, Heaven and Hell, Motorhead, Testament | Susquehanna Bank Center (Camden, NJ) |
| Thu Aug 07 | CSS The Go! Team |
Trocadero |
| Thu Aug 07 | Jack Johnson | Susquehanna Bank Center (Camden, NJ) |
| Fri Aug 08 | Jethro Tull | Mann Center |
| Fri Aug 08 | Poison | Hersheypark Star Pavilion |
| Fri Aug 08 | Stone Temple Pilots | Musikfest (Bethlehem) |
| Sat Aug 09 | Maroon 5 Counting Crows Sara Bareilles |
Susquehanna Bank Center (Camden, NJ) |
| Sat Aug 09 | The New Pornographers Andrew Bird |
Electric Factory |
| Sun Aug 10 | Rancid | Electric Factory |
| Sun Aug 10 | Wilco | Wilmington Grand Opera House (Wilmington, DE) |
| Mon Aug 11 | Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band | Trocadero |
| Tue Aug 12 | Radiohead | Susquehanna Bank Center (Camden, NJ) |
| Fri Aug 15 | Paramore, Jacks Mannequin, Phantom Planet | Festival Pier |
| Sat Aug 16 | G. Love & Special Sauce | Festival Pier |
| Sun Aug 17 | The Faint | Trocadero |
| Thu Aug 21 | Jimmie's Chicken Shack | Crocodile Rock (Allentown) |
| Fri Aug 29 | Candlebox | Crocodile Rock (Allentown) |
| Fri Aug 29 | Nine Inch Nails | Wachovia Center |
| Fri Sep 05 | My Morning Jacket | Festival Pier |
| Sat Sep 06 | Ben Folds with full symphony orchestra | Mann Center |
| Mon Sep 15 | The Kooks | Electric Factory |
| Tue Sep 16 | Flogging Molly | Electric Factory |
| Wed Sep 17 | Earth, Wind & Fire Michael McDonald |
Reading Eagle Theater at the Sovereign Center (Reading) |
| Sat Sep 20 | Built To Spill The Meat Puppets |
Trocadero |
| Sat Sep 20 | The Dandy Warhols | TLA |
| Sat Sep 20 | The Mars Volta | Electric Factory |
| Sun Sep 21 | Built To Spill The Meat Puppets |
Trocadero |
| Sat Sep 27 | B.B. King | Sovereign Center (Reading) |
| Wed Oct 01 | Stereolab | Trocadero |
| Fri Oct 03 | Tegan and Sara | Electric Factory |
| Sun Oct 05 | David Crosby and Graham Nash | Sovereign Performing Arts Center (Reading) |
| Fri Oct 17 | Cold War Kids | TLA |
| Sat Oct 18 | Reba McEntire Kelly Clarkson |
Sovereign Center (Reading) |
| Wed Nov 26 | Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Extravaganza | Sovereign Performing Arts Center (Reading) |
| The Scoop * GigZone * Club Schedules * Local Bands * Guestbook * CD Spotlight * Venues * Links * About |
Email Andy Myers with questions & comments.