I'm constantly goin through crisis, so maybe I could remain silent, but I ain't got no reason to hide it.

I find that it is much easier for me to write in this blog when I feel stressed out. I guess its just more fun to bitch and complain. And I guess I kind of need a break from typing up papers to type something that will alleviate a little stress.

Life right now... well life is a big mess for me. And its not necessarily a bad mess, its just that my life is in general is messy. I have a lot of things going on in my life and I guess I can just be easily overwhelmed.

A few weeks ago was Bellwethers EP release, and I think that was probably around the last time I felt sane. The show itself was defiantly something that I needed. Nothing could ever make me feel like I'm not worthless the way playing music does. It always doesn't hurt to have the most incredible fan base a band could ask for. They come out and give their all no matter what. It really does mean the world to me. Without all you guys, I probably would of been a statistic for the Verrazano Bridge by now.

Big things are coming up for Bellwether too. I am not sure how much I am allowed to say, but we are getting out of state very soon, and fairly frequently.

I met a lovely girl recently. She is me with vagina. Loves music, loves Star Wars is terribly adorable. It just so happens that as soon as things were starting to build up momentum, I lose it. I just couldn't handle it. I don't know if its still too soon for me to get into anything serious, or if I am just so consumed by all thats going on recently that I just bailed like an asshole, but whatever I am having anxiety about, I hope it passes soon. I haven't spoke to her in about a day, and I am conscious of how shitty that is, especially because she is so sweet, but I think, at least for now, its best if I just keep to myself till I can get a grip on all this shit.

I have been acting rather reckless recently.

I did the Broadway Bomb last Saturday with James, Bob, Rob and Nick. It was truly one of the greatest experiences of my life. I have to say that there was something about the race that just made me feel whole. Perhaps its the liberating feeling of totally disregarding the law and risking your life competing to cross through red lights and not get annihilated between a bus and a taxi that I needed to reassure me that life isn't this completely dark and abysmal waste land that we occupy until we die.

Aside from the Bomb, there were a few instances of anonymous group sex that took place since my last post, which basically sums up my reckless behavior. Wild times.

I guess I really should get back to my papers. I can honestly say that I feel a little more calm and relaxed having wrote this.

Good job Andrew, good job.

This is me coming clean.

As I sit in my room mulling over the new EP, I can feel the tears swell up and out of my eyes. This band has existed over a little more than a year and it has been a roller-coaster ride, and everything we have ever said or done in this band will all accumulate this Saturday.

I am writing this not to promote the show, not to promote the EP and not to rant on about some nonsense. I am writing this to say all the things that I feel need to be said in regards to all of this. I have a feeling that emotions will be running high on Saturday, so it is best that I say all of this now before I become too overwhelmed and can't phrase it just right.

This band started with the intention of 5 dudes coming together to make some music that others might enjoy. We had no idea that THIS was going to come out of it.

From the absolute bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you to everyone who stood by us. Thank you to everyone who learned the words to the songs simply by coming to as many shows as possible and for making those shows seem like the most important thing happening in the world at that moment. Thank all of you for spreading our word like wild fire. Thank you for being so patient for this EP. And thank you for being our friends.

The line between friend and fan gets blurred pretty often. I think that this is the exception to the rule. When no one else was there to listen, you guys were.

So thank you guys for everything.

If you haven't checked out the EP yet...

Listen to it here:

http://www.xeasycorex.net/2011/09/exclusive-bellwether-elephant-in-room.html

Pre-order it here:

http://meadowbrookrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-elephant-in-the-room

Watch it happen here:

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=237278002975264

Thank all of you so much, this means the world to me.

I'm not sad anymore...

I am just slightly irritated and beyond flabbergasted.

Guys, I think it is great that you have all found a band that has said something that bands like H2O, to a lesser extent Set Your Goals and countless others have been saying for years. But this shit has got to stop. The Upsides was great for what it stood for a year ago. Now it has become like an oath for anyone associated with pop punk. When Kevin posted a link to a facebook page for a company that is going to be making profit off selling bracelets that say "I'm not sad anymore", I died a little inside. I am beginning to fear that this overwhelming influence that The Wonder Years seems to have is going to result in a loss of creativity and originality.

I guess my main point is this, and I'll even say it in a way everyone can understand: '

Can someone tell these kids liking the rain "I'M NOT SAD ANYMORE" no longer counts as an idiosyncrasy.

P.S. I would like to state that I do in fact like The Wonder Years and I do enjoy listening to The Upsides. However, by putting a price on a message severely decreases the value of the sentiment itself (as if it wasn't cheapened enough by its seemingly never ending utterance).

The entire idea of selling this message is no different and no better than pop bands selling their image.

I saw your ghost tonight.

As promised, here is the blog about blink, and the a whole bunch of other seemingly unrelated nonsense.

So on Friday, Travis, Nick, Hannah, Ally, Heather and Ian all took a trip out to Hershey Park to go camping, ride some coasters and see blink. I had been looking forward to this weekend for a long time because it was really like a vacation. I was able to escape the hellish life that is sitting in my room till its time to go to class, work or band practice.

Each night camping was absolutely great. We cooked food over a fire, drank a lot of rum, ate at Sheetz and walked around the camp grounds nude. This was my first time to Hershey, and although I enjoyed the roller coasters, I could of been more thrilled with them. My buddy Rob pointed out that Great Adventure is amongst some of the highest ranking theme parks in the world, so I guess that may have been a contributing factor to my expectations. Regardless, I had a good time.

So the entire point of this weekend was to see blink. I have to say that they did not disappoint. They played the best I have heard them play live, through in some songs that weren't on the original set-list and sprinkled hilarious banter throughout the set. I am really stoked to hear the new album after that night. The 4 new songs sound really, really good, and quite frankly, they give me erections.

Worthy side note: There was a very attractive young lady sitting behind us at blink. Her and I spoke a little bit and I was able to get her to perform felatio on me while My Chemical Romance was playing. That was pretty cool, but some of the parents there didn't think so.

So I started my last summer class last week, and I will finish it next week. It is another Shakespeare course, and I am enjoying it a lot. I have to say that the English Department at Hofstra is fucking incredible. The faculty there treats me like an equal, rather than subordinate.

I am happy to announce that I have put an end to what seemed to be a never ending conflict this weekend. If you are reading this, thank you for putting up with my shit, I'm sorry it went on for so long.

And finally, this week is a busy one for Bellwether. We got a show today in Hicksville, our listening party tomorrow at F and S in East Meadow, and we have another show Friday in Queens. Go to facebook for all the info, and get your ass to at least all of these things. It's gonna be a killer time. Good music, good food, good people, good sex.

Can't fight against the youth.

This weekend I skated down to Jones Beach twice to listen to blink-182 in the parking lot. Both nights they were incredible. But as much as I would love to talk about that, this blog isn't about that. The blink blog will come next week though, after I see them in PA, don't worry.

This blog is about how the cops at the beach were nothing less than a bunch of assholes and bullies!

When I first showed up on Saturday, I met up with all my buddies and began to party in the parking lot. A cop car circles us a few time and finally parks to confiscate our beer. Normally this wouldn't bother me because they were just doing there job. What did piss me off about this is that when they opened up their trunk for us to put the beer in, the had a cooler of ice, just empty ready for our beers. While this was happening, they made our friends who were drinking much cheaper beer just pour it out. This infuriated me. They weren't looking to keep anyone safe or enforce the law, or ever do their job. They were looking to get drunk off our beer.

Tonight made me much more angry though. Tonight the cops totally abused their power. Pushing my friends and I around the parking lot like captives in a concentration camp. Some cops would drive up on the sidewalk, get as close as they could to a group of kids and sound the most annoying horn I have heard repeatedly and forced them to all move or risk getting hit by a car.

I am beyond irritated, and anyone who was there tonight knows exactly why. I hope that if you were harassed by the cops tonight, that you join me in writing a series of angry letters and emails. It is our right to enjoy music and it is our right to enjoy the beach. And it is my god damn right to enjoy beer!

Can't fight against the youth!

I guess I kept everyone waiting for this blog long enough.

Well here it is guys, and it is going to be cram fucking packed with all the awesome shit that happened this week.

First and foremost, I would like to thank all the kids that came out to the show on Sunday and totally went apeshit, Tim Shortell for filming and putting together that sick trailer, and Dob for putting on such a sick show.

Overall the show was incredible. The energy was high and the crowd response to our set was unreal. The big slip up during our set was of course my good buddy Sebastian getting thrown out for dancing. I heard a lot of bullshit about this like "He swung at the bouncer" or that "The bouncer was just doing his job". I watched the whole thing happen right before me and I can assure you that Sebastian, who is small as fuck, did not swing at the bouncer. And as for the bouncer doing his job, well lets just put it like this. At a bar like Ollie's Point, that hosts very different events, you would think that the staff would learn how to diffuse certain situations without it escalating. Sebastian was thrown out of the venue like he was 6 feet tall, 220 pounds and 14 beers deep. In reality, he probably weighs a little over 100 pounds, cant be more than 5'5'' and doesn't drink. For a short time I was a "security guard" at the Vibe Lounge, and I have never put my arms around some ones throat, no matter how rowdy they were. The bouncer could have handled the situation a lot better than he did. In the end though, the problems were resolved and the crowd was able to go nuts for With the Punches and Hit the Lights, so I am happy that there was a resolution.

Other than that slip up, the show was probably one of the best shows I have ever played.

So, anyone who has been on facebook this weeks knows that their has been a campaign for my friends in No Good News to open up for Stereo Skyline at Vibe this summer. I have gotten several messages from guys in the bands that are already playing that show and I figured I would address that here.

What has been happening in regards to that show is all in good fun. I am not looking to ruin anyones time, just to stir the pot a little bit. Not everyone is going to like your band, in fact, I am not a big fan of any band playing that show, and they probably aren't the biggest fans of me, and that is fine. Wether or not you agree with what has been said for or against any of the parties involved, one fact is undeniable: Everyone has gotten a little more attention than if no one said anything. Don't feel attacked or discriminated against, cause the truth is wether No Good News plays or not, I probably wont be at that show, nor will any of the other kids that hopped on that band wagon, we are just having a good time dickin' around.

To put it simply, our case holds no water.

Well thats about it. I hope to see you guys at the show tomorrow!

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=167479929979836

Check out the trailer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlNSo4JFZ4I&feature=youtu.be&hd=1

And check this out too!

http://touchdownboyli.bandcamp.com/

Up All Night.

I figured this deserved its own post.

When I was in 3rd grade, I discovered blink-182. I was watching the VMA's on MTV and they performed All The Small Things.

Here is the footage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRMkD5n6WuY

Since then I have been a die hard fan.

Today was the first time I have heard any new material from them since the release of Not Now in 2005.

I have noticed that a lot of people really don't like the song; most of them are complaining that it sounds too much like AVA. And thats fine, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I however, have a much different opinion, and it is not because I will just like anything they put out. This list is why.

-Listening to the intro brings me to a place I have never been with blink, or any other band really. The phaser on the guitar isn't simply just used as an effect, it is a melodic device. If you listen to it, it descends with the bass and it compliments the chord progression without having to put to much emphasis on the descending line. Not to mention that Travis is totally fucking killing it. Listen to all the shit going on in that beat, on the hi-hat and the ride. Dudes a monster.

-Now we are at the second part of the intro. The transition from what is a spacey and ambient part to a heavier part is flawless. This part reminds me a lot of Box Car Racer, very much like I Feel So. Fast and dirty.

-I am assuming the verse is the part of the song at which people start to feel like they are listening to AVA. Well guys, I hate to break this news to you all, but both bands have the same lead singer. If you listen to the guitar, Tom is just pounding out one octave the whole time, while Mark plays the chord progression over it. This is very Take Off Your Pants And Jacket; just listen to the song Shut Up. And still during the verse that descending guitar with the phaser is going, linking the verse to the intro very nicely.

-Now the chorus does the opposite of the intro, the chord progression is ascending, giving the song a good contrast. I will admit that I am not the biggest fan of Tom's vocals here, but it suits the song well. At the end of the chorus, the song progresses into a bridge/post chorus that sounds very similar in vibe to the bridge after the first verse in Asthenia off the self titled.

-Back to the second intro and then into the second verse. Mark is playing a different chord progression here, although this verse sounds identical to the first verse due to that one octave chord. Non-the-less, the subtle difference here holds your attention even if you aren't aware of it. The phaser is still going on here too.

-After the second chorus, there is a slight pause before they go into that second intro again. Only this time, its in half-time, giving it a breakdown type feel. The song comes to a close with the into returning to how we first heard it, and then double time, and finally with heavily accented eight notes. So now we have heard that one idea done numerous ways.

-Just like the self titled, the verses are split between Mark and Tom, once again giving the song a nice contrast between vocalists.

After analyzing the song, I don't see how anyone can say it sounds like AVA, cause it sounds very much like blink.

In the end I think the song is great, not everyone will agree and thats fine. I think this is a logical step forward for them, but if you listen close enough, you can see that they are still the same old blink!

Shameless plug:

Check out my new, and old, songs!

http://touchdownboyli.bandcamp.com/