Gregory Alan Isakov & Newtown Faulkner

I'm been an Aware rep for numerous years. I've been able to sell merch an numerous concerts because of it. This rep program has gone down the pooper since they branched it into 2 categories. I chose the less time commitment since I don't have time to be plastering the city with posters and voting for stupid things like VH1 top 20 countdown. I wish this program would actually become useful for me again, but as of now, it's not looking this way.

One of the best things about this program was discovering bands that I might not have heard of. I'm highlighting 2 of these artists, Gregory Alan Isakov and Newton Faulkner.

Gregory Alan Isakov opened for Brandi Carlile at World Cafe Live and I was selling merch. I popped my head in the venue during Gregory's set was instantly liked him. After the show I was able to chat while cleaning up and it turns out that he had lived in the Philly area when he moved state side from South Africa. He had sense moved to Colorado I believe. Unfortunately I haven't been able to see him again. He was a performer on Cayamo in 2010.

I own both of his albums, "That Sea, The Gambler" and "The Empty Northern Hemisphere". I'm more of a fan of TSTG, but I can't pinpoint why that is. The song that stands out is "The Stable Song" from "The Sea, The Gambler". All his songs are good, but this one just hits me in the way a great song should. On "The Empty Northern Hemispher", Brandi Carlile is the back up vocals, so if you're a fan of hers, definitely worth checking out.

Newtown Faulkner is a red head with dreads from England. He is someone that would stand out of the crowd. I had the pleasure of seeing him a few years ago when he was supporting his album "Hang Built by Robots". I ended up selling cds at World Cafe Live for him, otherwise I probably won't have gone. He does a lot of work with percussion on his acoustic guitar. It sounds awesome and creates another layer of sound. The themes of his songs tends to be more upbeat than Gregory Alan Isakov. He has one song titled "UFO".

This is one of his slower songs that I relate to:

You can get a glimpse of his percussion in this video:

Warped Tour 2010 Camden, NJ

I only started going to Warped tour when I was 18, I think, which started me off older than the majority of people in attendance. Now that I'm 26, I am definitely a fish out of water. After every warped tour I think that it will be my last. Then March hits and I buy a pre-sale ticket and end up going. I have this feeling that I'll miss out on some great performances or finding my next favorite band.

This year there were a bunch of bands that I wanted to check out. As usual, they were overlaps and I couldn't see all of them. Overall I'm satisfied with the amount of bands I was able to see, but wish I could've checked more of them out.

Andrew WK - He was one of the 1st acts and only caught 2 songs, but I enjoyed what I heard. I only know 1 song of his and will be checking out more. I was disappointed not be to able to hear more.

Reel Big Fish - How can you not like fun ska music? It was the 1st full sets I saw and started the day off right.

Fight Fair - Wasn't a fan. Similar to Sing It Loud, but I like them. I left soon after they started playing.

We The Kings - This is a guilty pleasure of mine. They are just so much fun. They're songs are really catchy and upbeat. I haven't given their new cd much of a listen yet, but I love their 1st one. They brought up Bryce of the Rocket Summer and the female singer of Hey Monday, both bands I don't care for, to sing with them. It's always nice to see bands bringing up other to play with them, even if you don't care about their perspective bands.

Bright & Early - They played on the Ernie Ball Stage. I really enjoyed them. I will be checking out more of their stuff. They're from S. Jersey/Philly. Kinda remind me of The Classic Crime. Pop/Punk with aggressive music and a non-whiny singer.

I See Stars - Wasn't a huge fan of them. The singer is whiny and there is some screaming, which I don't generally care for, but I like the aggressive music.

Anarbor - I've previously seen them with Sparks the Rescue and liked them but not enough to follow up. Then, a few months ago I started seeing "The Brightest Green" on mtvU and loved the song. One thing I really like about this band is that they're a band, nothing more. Unlike a good percentage of bands in the scene, they don't really care about fashion. That gets props from me.

Sparks the Rescue - This band is one of my guilty pleasures. They are a fun pop/punk band that has some great catchy songs and I love them. I've seen them numerous times and I'll keep seeing them. They are also the shortest band I've seen.

Mike Posner - I never heard of him before this and I he played directly after Sparks so I just waited around for a song or 2. I don't know why he was at Warped. He was basically a Justin Timberlake wannabe. He sang R&B type stuff with pre-recorded music. He did play the keyboard/synth for some of the songs. This was not my thing and I left he stage area immediately.

Motion City Soundtrack - Ohh...It's been years since I've seen them. I haven't been a huge fan of their stuff since "I am the Movie". I watched 3 songs, 2 of which I knew and it was great seeing them.

Hiccup Hellen - I only was able to hear a couple songs but I liked what I've heard. Driving music caught my attention while I was waiting for another band. The singer is a little whiny. I will be looking more into them.

Am Taxi - I became a fan of Am Taxi after seeing them in Alternative Press. I saw them once opening up for Tyler Hilton and was definitely looking forward to seeing them on Warped. They're from Chicago and their singer has a raspy voice. I highly recommend checking this band out. I talked to a few of the guys and they were really nice.

Set Your Goals - I've never seen SYG before and I was impressed. I thought they put on a great show, high energy. I only knew half the songs due to the fact I'm only familiar with their latest album. Side note, one of their vocalists is tiny.

Caleb Lovely - I saw Caleb when I was waiting for the next band to start. It was just him and his acoustic guitar. I didn't love it, but it was a nice change of pace from the day. From his performance I did want to check out his stuff. From the music video below, it seems that he plays full band.

Sum 41 - There are only a few bands that I'll go into the pit for their show. Getting really sweaty and being squished by teenagers isn't my idea of a good time. At this years Warped, Sum41 was one of those bands. The stage has limited space and it's always crazy because only the real fans get into this area. It was crazy and awesome. It was hot, the energy level was intense, it was one of the last shows of the night, it was worth it.

Another Option - While watching Caleb Lovely, I got talking to a guy who is somehow associated with Another Option. I didn't get a chance to hear them, but I'm planning on checking them out. At lot can be said for a band who has good people. I automatically like a band more when I know they're nice. From the 1 song I listened to on their Myspace, they are up my alley, aggressive, non-whiny.

Far From Finished - The AM Taxi guys said to check out this band. I wasn't able to see them at Warped , but I plane on looking them up.

I checked out Bring Me the Horizon they're from the UK and have been featured in Alternate Press. I was expecting harder music, but I wasn't expecting screaming. They didn't do it for me sadly.

Bands I wanted to see and wasn't able to included: Four Years Strong, You Me At Six, Parkway Drive, Dinner and a Suit, Mayday Parade, Polar Bear Club, ...

My rants....
1) $25 for parking is absurd. There isn't another place to park and public transportation sucks from Philly. I haven't checked out of the ferry, so maybe that is the best option. I can't imagine parking from that side of the Delaware is much better.
2) $4 for water and $6 for Powerade, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Especially on a day where there is a heat advisory and 90+ degrees. You can buy a case of water for around $4. Yes, you can bring in your own water, but you don't always have time to refill between bands you want to see. People were needing EMS left and right, as if that's a shocker.

The Rock Boat X

Dates: 1/7/10 - 1/11/10
Ship: Inspiration out of Tampa, FL
Destination: Cozumel, Mexico

Artists:
Sister Hazel
Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers
Will Hoge
Marc Broussard
Gaelic Storm
Wideawake
Blackberry Smoke
Carbon Leaf
Green River Ordinance
Oval Opus
Tyrone Wells
Jim Bianco
Tony Lucca
Michael Tolcher
Yacht Rock Revue
Dexter Freebish
Augustana
Pat McGee
The Bridges
Evan McHugh
Sum Domingo
Fransico Vidal
Scott Munns
Andrew Hoover
Chelsea Williams
B-Liminal
Maurice Mangum

Concert List

2010

1/6/10 - The Rock Boat pre-parties (B-Liminal, Fransico Vidal & Scott Munns)
1/7/10 - The Rock Boat X
1/8/10 - The Rock Boat X
1/9/10 - The Rock Boat X
1/10/10 - The Rock Boat X
2/11/10 - Green River Ordinance & Sleeperstar @ The Note, West Chester, PA
2/16/10 - Green River Ordinance & Sleeperstar @ Mercury Lounge, NYC, NY
2/17/10 - Green River Ordinance & Sleeperstar @ Club Cafe Live, Pittsburgh, PA
2/18/10 - Green River Ordinance & Sleeperstar @ Musica, Akron, OH
2/19/10 - Green River Ordinance & Sleeperstar @ Radio Radio, Indianapolis, IN
2/20/10 - Green River Ordinance & Sleeperstar @ The Basement, Columbus, OH
2/22/10 - Green River Ordinance & Sleeperstar @ Jammin Java, Vienna, VA
3/1/10 - Jack's Mannequin w/ Fun. & Vedera @ Electric Factory - Sold Merch for Vedera
3/4/10 - w/ Jesse Ruben @ World Cafe Live
3/8/10 - Five For Fighting & Matt Wertz @ Electric Factory
3/9/10 - Mat Kearney & Ingrid Michaelson w/ Angle Taylor @ Chameleon Club - Sold Merch for Angel
4/7 - Needtobreathe & Will Hoge @ World Cafe Live
4/21 - Twin Atlantic @ 1st Unitarian Church
5/3 - Sleeperstar @ Jammin Java (Vienna, VA)
5/13 - Two Door Cinema Club @ Johnny Brendas
5/16 - Mumford & Sons @ TLA
7/8 - Greg Holden @ M Room
7/10 - Boyce Avenue @ North Star Bar
7/15 - Jesse Ruben @ World Cafe Live
7/23 - Every Avenue @ The Troc
8/20 - Tony Lucca & Ernie Halter @ Tin Angel
9/29 - Sleeperstar @ Chameleon Club (Lancaster, PA)
10/4 - Four Year Strong, Comeback Kid & Wonder Years @ Starlight Ballroom
10/14 - Two Door Cinema Club @ The Church
10/15 - The Alternate Routes & The Kin @ Brownies 23 East
10/20 - Lifehouse @ Electric Factory
10/27 - Local Natives @ The Troc
11/2 - Green River Ordinance @ WCL
11/6 - The Script @ Electric Factory
11/17 - Anarbor, The Dangerous Summer & Conditions @ The North Star Bar
12/3 - Minus the Bear @ Electric Factory
12/17 - The Starting Line @ North Star Bar

2011

1/6-10 - The Rock Boat
1/16 - Truth & Salvage Co @ WCL
1/18 - Ingram Hill & Curtis Peoples @ WCL
1/22 - Tokyo Police Club & Two Door Cinema Club @ The Troc
1/23 - Young the Giant @ North Star Bar