Maroon 5

Maroon 5 is one of my favorite bands and I remember the first time I heard them; it was March 2007 at the Kids Choice Awards. I had no clue who they were and at that moment it really didn’t matter. They were playing their hit single at the time, “Makes Me Wonder.” It was an amazing song with a really catchy chorus and from then and there I needed to hear more from then. 

Over the years I have listened to so many of their songs, from their first album, Songs About Jane to their latest, V, loving so many of the songs from all five albums. Currently they are working on their sixth album and I can’t wait for that as I need some new Maroon 5 songs to listen to. However, with so many it makes it extremely difficult to choose a favorite, yet I lean more towards the older tracks like “Harder to Breathe” and “She Will Be Loved.”

Vocalist Adam Levine is the only person most people can name from the band. Yet, without members Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden, James Valentine, Matt Flynn, and PJ Morton Maroon 5 wouldn’t be the same. The fans would be missing the beautiful melodies created by these people. Though I must admit that without Adam, the band wouldn’t have the same sound either. I love him so much he’s pretty much the only reason I watch The Voice.

Currently the band just finished touring South America over the course of this month and will travel to Europe and North America later this year, which will finish their world tour for their fifth album, V. Also Adam is working on the tenth season of The Voice, which will begin their live shows in the upcoming weeks.

Makes Me Wonder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAebYQgy4n4

Harder to Breathe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV8NHsmVMPE

She Will Be Loved: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIjVuRTm-dc

                                                                                                                                                                              

Review: Death of Bachelor

  The fifth studio album released by Panic! at the Disco is Death of a Bachelor.  This album came out on January 15, 2016 and introduced a new sound for the band since it was preformed and written by the only remaining member of the band, Brendon Urie.  It consists of 11 songs, the most popular being "Victorious" which has become somewhat of a sports anthem.  I think that the album is great overall, and I can't find a song that I dislike on it.  I know I can go to this album for uplifting music or music that you can fall back on when you're down.  In particular, the song "The Impossible Year" hits a deep emotion tone that other songs on the album like "Crazy=Genius" don't touch upon.  Either way the album is to me one of them best to come out of the band, even if it isn't really considered a band as only one member remains.  I would highly recommend the album to anyone even if they aren't into the pop punk genre. 

Victorious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUChk0lxF44

The Impossible Year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6XHLcIGESY

Is Paramore Still a Band?

Bassist Jeremy Davis performing at Wango Tango 2015

     Feelings of shock and sadness spread through the entire Paramore fan base on December 14th when the band announced that bassist Jeremy Davis would be leaving Paramore. Davis is one of the co-founders of the band, which was formed a decade ago. Paramore broke the sad news through a Facebook statement, writing, "We've written and re-written this countless times and there's just not a good way to put it... Jeremy is no longer going to be in the band with us."

      "These last few years have held some of the most fulfilling moments we’ve had yet... as people, as friends, and as a band," the band continued. "The Self-Titled era was one that we knew would be important for us but also one we'd eventually have to move on from. In moving forward, there is growth, pain, and change... and sometimes the change is not at all what you hoped for. To be honest, this has been really painful. After taking time to consider how to move forward, we ultimately found that we really do believe Paramore can and should continue on. And so we will."

     Paramore has had a string of bad luck with their lineup over the past five years, considering Davis isn't the first member to leave the band. Back in 2010, co-founders Josh and Zack Farro left the band in a nasty split. Since then, Paramore has consisted of three members- until now, of course.  

     Nevertheless, this isn't Davis' first time leaving the band. At the very beginning of Paramore in 2004, Davis left the band for about six months and then returned. This fact is what has the Paramore fan base holding on to the idea that he will soon return, something I wish I believed.

    Davis' departure from Paramore leaves two members standing: lead singer Hayley Williams and guitarist Taylor York. That's hardly enough members to even be considered a band, however, the two decided to remain devoted to what they've spent their entire lives doing. Williams is now the only original member left in the band since York joined the band in 2007, two years after it was formed. 

    So many questions are left looming in the air: Why did Jeremy leave so suddenly? Will a new bassist be chosen to take his spot? Most importantly, who will do the signature back-assisted flip with Taylor York during live performances of 'Pressure' now?

     Many were left wondering whether or not Parahoy!, the band's 4-day cruise filled with performances, was still set in stone after losing a member. The show went on after all and Paramore-or at least what's left of it- set sail on March 5th. During the show, Williams gave a shout out to all former members of Paramore saying, "It’s been an honor to play music with Josh [Farro], with Zac [Farro], with Jeremy [Davis], everyone that’s ever played with Paramore. It’s such an honor, to have friendship and music rolled into one thing."

Fall Out Boy

  Fall Out Boy, a staple name to every person getting into the pop-punk genre.  The band, consisting of: Patrick Stump (lead vocalist), Pete Wentz (bassist), Joe Trohman (guitarist), and Andy Hurley (drummer) has had continued success over the past decade.  Even after their brief hiatus lasting from 2009 to 2013, faithful fans supported the band.
  Fall Out Boy shocked fans with their comeback as the day before, Wentz denied that they would get back together any time soon.  Though their sound changed, their comeback single, "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)" gained positive reception and the band plenty of new followers.  They would soon announce their first album since getting back together, Save Rock and Roll.
  The album touched back on their roots, but also added new sounds that the band hadn't worked with before.  One of the newer aspects was the large amount of guests they had on the album including Courtney Love, Elton John, and Big Sean.  This is something Fall Out Boy rarely worked with unless the artists were under the same label as them, so having different artists adding a new sound was a welcomed change.
  After Save Rock and Roll, they released a short punk album called PAX AM Days.  They went on a short tour to promo it, but after that songs off that album were no longer played live as it was just a one-off thing that they made for fun.
  The band toured for a while and eventually went back to the studio to record their seventh album, American Beauty/American Psycho.  For this album, the band "split" the album into two parts, one being the "beauty" and the other the "psycho".  They played around with sound and clips from other songs to incorporate them into their music.  This tripped up critics and the album went to get mixed reviews.
  Right now the band is on tour and recently played for a sold out Madison Square Garden.
My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkIWmsP3c_s
American Beauty/American Psycho:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smdNetoPFV0

             Mariah Carey is known for her confounding vocal abilities that she shifts to her signature squeak effortlessly,  which is known as melisma. Her proficiency of melisma draws a likeness to her love of butterflies, whose fluttering notes feature in songs like, Honey, and of course, Butterfly.
            Carey's love of butterflies is a staple in her everyday wardrobe but has extended to things like her Van Cleef diamond ring that she theatrically waves around.
            According to eonline.com, she jokingly tossed it across the room after she mentioned that it was missing a diamond.
             Back when Carey and Nick Cannon were still together, they both had tattoos of each other's names. Carey's lower back tattoo trademarks a pink-and-orange butterfly, whose body was once composed of her ex-husband's name. However, it has since been altered into twisted black lines, according to photos posted on dailymail.com.       
              Her love of butterflies has long been compared to her resilient ability to soar in the face of adversity.
               According to aceshowbiz.com, Mariah Carey was born to an Irish-American mother Patricia Hickey and an African-American/Venezuelan father Alfred Roy Carey.
               Their multiracial family bore the brunt of racial insult and violence from their neighbors. For instance, crosses were burnt on their lawn, their dogs were poisoned, their car was blown up, and a shot was fired through their kitchen window during mealtime. This all lead to Carey's parents' divorce and increased tension within the family.
                Consequently, Carey lived away from her father and had little contact with him. In Long Island, she lived with her mother, a mezzo-soprano New York City opera singer and a freelance vocal coach,  who heard three-year-old Carey imitating her while she was rehearsing her role of Maddalena in Verdi's Opera Rigoletto.
                Hickey nurtured her daughter's budding singing abilities by coaching her at home. With her mother's encouragement, she started singing for her friends and performing in talent shows at the age of six.
                Carey attended Harborfield High where she earned the nickname "Mirage" because she rarely showed up for class. When she wasn't in class, she was travelling from Long Island to Manhatten in order to study music.
                Upon graduating high school, she landed a job as a backup singer for Brenda K. Star. This all lead to her meeting the head of Columbia Records, Tommy Mottola, to whom she passed her tape. Mottola then offered her a record deal with  CBS Columbia.
                  Mottola and Carey married in 1993 and divorced in 1997. According to datalounge.com, he emotionally abused her in that she couldn't collaborate with whoever she wanted, and she was forced to do albums she didn't want to do. He even moved them to a New York home in the suburbs, which she nicknamed "Sing Sing." The reason is that the home felt like a prison where all she did was sing.
                  Thus, Honey chronicles her failed marriage with Mottola. According to est1997.com, Mottola didn't allow her to wear what she wanted, and so she was often seen wearing a black dress early in her career. However, in the music video, she symbolically shreds her black dress, to later materialize in a bikini. Never before had she been free to sing so sensually, or dress so provocatively.
                   Her emancipation from Mottola has led to her ascension to number one 18 times on Billboard's charts. Her song Vision of Love stayed at the top of the charts for four weeks and was nominated for four Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. According to top40.com, Carey even took home a trophy as third nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Artist.
                    As stated on billboard.com, starting March 15, Carey commences her Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour in the United Kingdom but ends in South Africa in early May. Additionally, her made-for-TV Christmas movie A Christmas Melody aired on December, 19.

Honey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3KOowB4k_k

Butterfly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stcdNj0SANw



             
                 ( Van Cleef butterfly ring.)

MISSION STATEMENT

Welcome to our Fabulous Music Fanatics blog!

On this blog, you will find reviews, profiles of various musicians, past concert experiences, information on upcoming festivals, and everything music related!

 XOXO,
Fabulous Music Fanatics: (Gabriella Shery, Jenna Palme, Jessica Charles, and Jillian Geist)