As Good As It Gets: A Conversation with TJ from The Nearly Deads

I have interviewed Ally Dickaty, lead singer of The Virginmarys, Gustav Wood, lead singer of Young Guns, and Rich Meyer, bass and vocals of the Grammy nominated band Highly Suspect, for this blog. Notice a trend there?  All dudes.  All super talented, incredibly smart, wickedly funny, and hellaciously hot but all dudes.

As much as I enjoyed those interviews, it was absolutely wonderful to finally get to interview a kick ass lead singer of a band which has a new EP coming out on May 26th.  I had the pleasure of talking with TJ of The Nearly Deads and this is what transpired. 

14 Anti-Valentine's Day Songs For The Trenches

Little known fact about me:  I'm addicted to makeup.  It's my crack but at least it helps me look and feel prettier, doesn't rot my teeth, destroy relationships with everyone who loves me, and make me look 87 years old prematurely.  When you're Sephora VIB Rouge and the girls (and fabulous guys) who work there ask you where you've been when they haven't seen you in a few weeks, you start to realize you may have a problem.  Emphasis on the word "may."

Steph's Top 10 Albums of 2016 - The Never Too Late Edition

I was supposed to put this countdown together for Fran a few weeks ago but then I kind of forgot I was going on a last minute trip to Orlando and didn't submit it.  Then school slammed me hard and I've written 15 pages of papers for my Survey of World History class in the last 7 days and have another 5 pages due tomorrow.  Think that doesn't sound too bad?  Go on.  Go type 15 pages of shit about shit no one cares about anymore and see how long it takes.  With references in APA style.  I'll wait.

Yeah.  I thought so.  Lesson learned?  Moving on.

Steph's Top Ten Songs Of 2016 (So Far)

I can always tell what kind of mood I'm in/have been in when I review my last.fm listening charts.  It's never obvious at the time but when I review my last.fm account, it all becomes very clear.  My Top Ten of 2015 was a lot of dreamy, romantic tunes.  Not so far this year.  Apparently, I'm pissed.  Really pissed.

These songs come directly from my listening charts on last.fm and the albums had to be released in 2016.

Concert Review: In This Moment @ Iron City, Birmingham, AL 06/29/16

HELLYEAH had just conquered Iron City Birmingham with some of the best, bone jolting metal I'd ever heard blasted from that stage.  Lead singer Chad Gray had completed his assault on the front line of the crowd (including us in the photo pit) with fake (I hope) blood, bottled water, and probably some bodily fluids.  I have literally never seen a man storm a stage as forcefully as he did and completely own it like he had built the damned stage himself.

  

Lyrical Therapy and Creature Comforts: An Interview With Gustav Wood of Young Guns

The band Young Guns have been very busy the last six years, with three very well received albums since 2010 and one upcoming release in August.  Lead singer Gustav Wood was gracious enough to speak with me by phone from London last week, right before the band comes to America for the Vans Warped Tour, which runs through mid-August.

Concert Review: Disturbed @ Oak Mountain Amphitheatre in Pelham, Alabama 05/04/16

After taking a few years off, the band Disturbed did a show in Birmingham, AL this past March.  The show sold out before I could get tickets.  Last Wednesday night, between hearing some of the band's biggest hits along with some stunning covers, I got to see exactly why the earlier spring show sold out so quickly.

Divides: An Interview with Ally Dickaty of The Virginmarys

I've been listening to The Virginmarys for a while now.  I first heard them via the kick ass song below, which I've given heavy rotation to when I'm at the gym, and well, everywhere, actually.

Concert Review: Halestorm @ Von Braun Center - Hunstville, AL 04/19/16

I don't listen to a lot of female artists.  I don't trust most women.  My childhood friends were all boys, by my choice.  Boys have a disturbing yet refreshing habit of pretty much always telling you the truth.  Girls, on the other hand, are usually petty, jealous, spiteful, and generally ugly.  Girls demonstrated those facts to me time after time as I was growing up and spoiler alert: Grown ass women do it even more, their resources are just better.

Concert Review: Fall Out Boy @ BJCC Legacy Arena - Birmingham, Alabama, 03/17/16

If you look at my last.fm charts, the band Fall Out Boy lands at my number 10 spot of all time most listened to artists.  Save Rock and Roll is listed as my most listened to FOB album but that's mostly due to my kid's love for it.  They requested it incessantly the summer after it was released.  The second most listened to FOB album on my charts is Infinity On High, which is all me.

Concert Flashback: The Black Crowes in Spartanburg, SC, 1992

I was back in my Texas hometown last week, seeing family.  I rarely listen to radio but I ironically almost exclusively listen to radio while I'm there.  I listen to only one radio station when I'm there because this particular station kicks ass and I always add several songs to my playlists when I'm back home, due to 106.3 The Buzz.

Grammys, Tattoos, and Hair: An Interview with Rich Meyer of Highly Suspect

I heard Fran's voice on the other end of my cell phone saying, "This is a good thing, Steph!"  He had called me on a Wednesday night to tell me that I had an interview with the band Highly Suspect on Saturday night.  I had been binge listening to Highly Suspect for around a month, after a friend of mine turned me onto them.  You can read my review of their album here and the concert I attended here.

Concert Review: Bullet For My Valentine @ Iron City Birmingham, AL 02/28/16

My friend, Dan, still owes me a Metallica concert.  About 23 years ago, I sat mesmerized as he told me about seeing the legendary band in concert.  Dan told me how in sync they were with each other, how every beat, every dramatic pause between the head banging thunder was answered by the guitars picking up right where they left off, answering the silence at exactly the same millisecond to rain another heavy metal thunderstorm down on the crowd.  I told him right then that I wanted him to take me to a Metallica concert someday.  Due to relocation and life, I never got to see Metallica in concert with Dan or anyone else but on Sunday night, I got a taste of what it's like to see a metal band perform, not separately, but as one.

Concert Review: Highly Suspect @ Rock Bottom American Pub - Montgomery, AL 02/20/16

It isn't often that you get to see a band perform right on the cusp of breaking big.  In my case, this was the first time I've witnessed this phenomenon.  I not only got to see this wonderful spectacle of burgeoning fame as a member of the press but as a new fan.  Full disclosure, my objectivity may be a bit clouded but what a night in Montgomery, Alabama it was.

Steph's Top Ten Anti-Love Songs of All Time

Valentine's Day is over.  I know, I know.  This comes as a shock to some of you still entangled in satin sheets of love and dick deep in mystery flavored chocolates contained in heart shaped boxes.  I sincerely hope my Top Ten Love Songs Of All Time list helped in your Holiest of Love Night quests.

If you cursed my name a few days ago because you thought I had shunned the other half of the population, the heartbroken, brooding, black hoodie wearing, sad face selfie taking mother fuckers of the world - namely, YOU... I most certainly have not, my friend.  Come on in, let me take that black hoodie from you, pour you some liquor, and let's tandem hate that bastard of emotion named love.

Album Review: Mister Asylum by Highly Suspect

My long time friend, Rho, has pretty excellent taste in music.  Sometimes our tastes don't coincide, sometimes they do, but we always seem to glean something from each other's lists.  She checked out my Top Songs of 2015 playlist and I was thrilled when she made one of her own.  That's how I first heard of the band Highly Suspect.

Steph's Top Ten Love Songs Of All Time

Are you stressing over Valentine's Day with your music geek girl?  Does the immense pressure of sending her the perfect romantic, I want to make slow, gentle love to you all night long love song wake you from sound sleep, drenched in sweat, and screaming?  Go to the store and buy chocolate (and not the shitty kind), champagne and roses.  I've got the music angle covered, guys.  And chicks.  This also works for chicks who have music geek dudes to woo on the holiest of love days.

Steph's Top 15 Albums Of 2015

Because I have to outdo Fran every chance I get, I'm giving you my Top 15 Albums Of 2015.  That's a whole five more albums than you're getting from Fran.  You're welcome.

Concert Review: Civil Twilight and Kopecky at Iron City, Birmingham, Alabama 12/18/15

If you haven't noticed, things are starting to get a bit crazy around this fine music blog.  And I absolutely love it.

This is Halloween: Steph's Halloween Playlist

Every Halloween, my family travels to Orlando to partake in the scary and not so scary festivities the amusement parks there host.  We attend Universal's Halloween Horror Nights and Disney World's Not So Scary Halloween Party.  You can read about some of those adventures on my personal blog here.  The really fun part is that you can dress in costume for the Disney World party.  Here are our costumes from the last couple years.

Album Review: Love Stuff by Elle King

I pay for a Spotify membership so I can hear the latest music as early as I can.  Ironically, I've found very little new music there this summer that I like.  It was my tradition until a few months ago to religiously check the Spotify new releases every Tuesday night to find my new musical fixes.  Most Tuesdays now, I forget to even check Spotify.  Yeah, it's been that bad, my fellow music geeks.

Steph's Top 10 Songs Of 2015 (So Far)

I decided to follow up Fran's post with my own list of favorite songs for 2015 (so far).  These stats come from my last.fm charts and are truly my most listened to songs of this year (again, so far) - whether I like it or not.  These songs are all from complete albums released in 2015.  Here we go, starting with #10.

Concert Review: Marilyn Manson

I often feel like I missed a lot by "blooming" (I hate that term but there it is) later in life.

One of those things I regret missing is seeing a band or singer perform in their heyday, actually getting to witness firsthand the crazy, bizarre spectacles of music legend.  So when I saw that Marilyn Manson was coming to Iron City in Birmingham, Alabama on April 26th, 2015, I bought tickets as soon as they were available online.

What We're Listening To Wednesdays - 06/24/15 Edition

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Concert Review: Chevelle @ Iron City - Birmingham, AL 05/04/15

I took my 13 year old daughter to see the sold out Chevelle show at Iron City in Birmingham, Alabama on May 4th, 2015.  I’ve been to Iron City many times but this was Gracie’s first time.  She loves Chevelle, which isn’t a surprise since I love them and I have excellent taste in music.

What We're Listening To Wednesdays - 06/17/15 Edition

What We're Listening To Wednesdays - 06/10/15 Edition

What We're Listening To Wednesdays - 06/03/15 Edition

What We're Listening To Wednesdays - 05/27/15 Edition

What We're Listening To Wednesdays - 05/20/15 Edition

We're baaaaack!!!!  Aren't you even a little bit curious?  Sure you are.  Come take a look!