cartel

Premiere:: “Cold (Revisited)” – Amanda Markley

We are thrilled to share that we have teamed up with the incredibly talented Amanda Markley to premiere her latest single, “Cold (Revisited).” Much like the weather in the city she calls home, this stripped-down version of Seattle vocalist Amanda Markley’s “Cold” is dark, damp, and dreary. But lowered temperatures and tempos come with plenty of chills, and Markley’s aching voice sends shivers running over your skin. “‘Cold’ is a song about longing and sadness,” Markley states, “and I wanted to revisit it because I connect so closely to its lyrics. I wanted to record a version where the raw emotions I was feeling in the lyrics match the way they’re delivered.”

Markley has been hard at work over the last few weeks, diligently writing and recording her self-titled EP, which will be released May 6th. The five-track EP, which was written and produced with the help of some fellow Washington-based artists (Adamm Mitchell, Chase Manhattan, Matt Bacnis, and Chloe Hendrickson), features this revisited single. Whether it’s the fuller version or its gray counterpart, “Cold” is sure to please and Markley is poised for something special. Don’t believe us? Give “Cold (Revisited)” a listen below!

Following the release of her brand new EP, Markley will be heading to Nashville to record a few songs with singer/songwriter/producer Will Pugh (Cartel) and fans should keep their eyes peeled on a possible duet in the near future! To stay caught up on Amanda Markley and all her music making magic, check out her socials below.

Amanda Markley:: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Cartel Announces Special Acoustic Album

For us Cartel fans, it’s been a very exciting year. The band did a special 10-year anniversary tour for their album Chroma (which was then streamed live on Yahoo for those of us who weren’t able to physically attend a show) and a (band approved) 10-year special edition vinyl of the album as well! Now they’re back with even more amazing news: a full acoustic album filled with fan favorites and the most perfect title, Bare Essentials (seriously perfect, right?). Recorded with long-time friends and producers Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount, who recorded Chroma and the band’s self-titled records.

The album is available for pre-order now and includes an instant download of “If I Fail.” On Monday, the album will be available on iTunes and will be released with matching acoustic videos for each song which will be available for purchase/download here.

Below you can find the artwork and track listing for Bare Essentials.

1. Say Anything (Else)
2. If I Fail
3. Faster Ride
4. Deep South
5. American Dreams
6. I Will Hide Myself Away
7. Only You
8. Honestly
9. Run Away
10. Take Me With You
11. Minstrel’s Prayer

20 Shows To See Before 2016

With only three weeks left of 2015, we put together a list of shows happening this month that we think you guys should check out! This includes holiday shows, album release shows, 10-year album anniversary tours and even a 10-year birthday bash! What show are you seeing before the end of the month? Shoot us a tweet (@_lucyoutloud) and let us know!

Check out our list, in alphabetical order, below!

Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties
❆ Tour w/ WATERMEDOWN
» 12.11 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
» 12.12 – Lansing, MI @ Mac’s Bar

Bayside
❆ 2015 Holiday Tour
» 12.15 – Pawtucket, RI @ The Met
» 12.16 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
» 12.17 & 12.18 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
» 12.19 & 12.20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
» 12.22 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony

Cartel
❆ Holiday Acoustic Show
» 12.23 – Decatur, GA @ Eddie’s Attic

Eli Young Band
❆ Winter Tour w/ Kevin Fowler, LANco, and Abi Ann
» 12.11 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
» 12.12 & 12.13 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues

Emo Night Brooklyn
❆ Glamour Kills 10 Year Birthday Bash w/ Jack Barakat, Tay Jardine, and Vinnie Caruana
» 12.20 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall

Firestarter
❆ Deck The Halls Tour
» 12.11 – Terra Haute, IN @ The White House
» 12.12 – Springfield, IL @ Black Sheep Cafe
» 12.13 – Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club
» 12.14 – Louisville, KY @ Spinelli’s Downtown

Jack’s Mannequin
❆ 10 Years In Transit
» 12.31 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues

JoJo
❆ I Am JoJo Tour
» 12.11 – Toms River, NJ @ Pine Belt Arena
» 12.12 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
» 12.14 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
» 12.15 – Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
» 12.16 – Ferndale, MI @ The Magic Bag
» 12.20 – New Orleans, LA @ Hi Ho Lounge

Kill Hannah
❆ The Final Shows
» 12.18 & 12.19 – Chicago, IL @ Metro

Knuckle Puck
Tour w/ Seaway and Light Years
» 12.16 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Pyramid Scheme
» 12.17 – Columbus, OH @ Woodlands Tavern
» 12.18 – Hamden, CT @ The Space

Patent Pending
❆ 2015 Holiday Tour
» 12.11 – Berwyn, IL @ Wire
» 12.12 – Akron, OH @ Rialto Theatre
» 12.16 – Clifton, NJ @ Dingbatz
» 12.19 – Stroudsburg, PA @ Sherman Theater
» 12.20 – Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Club
» 12.26 – Amityville, NY @ Revolution

Peru The Band
❆ w/ Adrian Daniel
» 12.15 – New York, NY @ The Bowery Electric

SECRETS
❆ Album Release Shows
» 12.12 – San Diego, CA @ SOMA
» 12.13 – Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction

She Is We
❆ Show w/ Amanda Markley, Chloe & Matt
» 12.26 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon

Silverstein, Senses Fail
❆ Co-headlining Tour
» 12.11 – Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage
» 12.12 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
» 12.13 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
» 12.15 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
» 12.16 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
» 12.17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
» 12.18 – Worcester, MA @ Palladium
» 12.19 – New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall

Taking Back Sunday
❆ Second Annual Holiday Spectacular
» December 18th and 19th, Starland Ballroom; Sayreville, NJ

The Academy Is…
❆ Almost Here 10 Year Anniversary Tour
» 12.12 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero Theatre
» 12.13 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
» 12.15 – New York, NY @ Best Buy Theater
» 12.17 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
» 12.18 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall
» 12.19 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
» 12.20 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
» 12.22 – The Rave @ Milwaukee, WI
» 12.26 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory OC
» 12.29 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom
» 12.30 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park

The Starting Line w/ The Movielife and Somos
❆ Annual Holiday Show
» 12.27 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom

The Suffers
» 12.18 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
» 12.31 – Houston, TX @ House Of Blues

The White Buffalo
» 12.18 – Carpinteria, CA @ Plaza Playhouse Theater

Show Review:: Cartel 4/22

Cartel
Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015
Review and photos by Caitlyn Willard.

Cartel recently came to Baltimore to celebrate the anniversary release of their debut album Chroma, which was released 10 years ago (CRAZY!). They played to an almost sold out room, full of fans waiting to relive their early teenage years. The band also brought along with them Hit the Lights, TEAM*, and Driver Friendly.

Driver Friendly, who hail from Austin, TX, were the first act to play. Driver Friendly is fairly new to the scene, having only been around since 2012, but have already opened for bigger names such as Motion City Soundtrack, Relient K, and now, Cartel. The first time I saw them was during Warped Tour 2013 and I’ve been a fan ever since. With an incredibly energetic live presence, the band had the attention of everyone in the room. Driver Friendly even played a cover of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” which had the crowd dancing and singing along. This is a band that definitely shows a lot of promise.

TEAM* was up next. The band, which started in 2013 includes two past members of Forever the Sickest Kids, Caleb Turman on vocals and Rico Garcia on drums. Their music had an indie/beachy sound with a mix of rock and was very catchy. The crowd seemed to enjoy them and with the fans from some of the members past work, I’m sure they’ll start building a solid fan base soon.

Hit the Lights, like Cartel, has also been in the scene for many years and had a solid fan base in the crowd. Opening their set with their new song “Fucked Up Kids” from the latest release Summer Bones, the band had great energy throughout their whole set. It was clear that the energy in the room really began to build as Hit the Lights began playing some of their older songs such as “Stay Out” and “Drop the Girl” and closed their set with fan favorite, “Body Bag”.

It was now time for the band of the night. Cartel opened with the first song off Chroma, “Say Anything (Else),” and the venue instantly exploded. Their set included every song from Chroma, front to back. It was clear that this album was very influential to the fans in crowd, as it is to us over at Lucy Out Loud. Every person sang their hearts out to each song along with the band. At the end of “Burn This City,” Cartel even stopped playing the last verse so the roomed was filled with nothing but the audience singing the words back to them. In the middle of the set vocalist, Will Pugh, came out on stage out by himself to play a very intimate performance of “Save Us.” This might have been my favorite moment of the night and some parts honestly gave me goosebumps. The energizing set concluded with “Q” and “A.”

For the encore, Cartel played a couple fan favorites including “The Fortunate” and “The Perfect Mistake”. The crowd gave their all from beginning to end and it was certainly a night to remember.

LOL Gallery: Driver Friendly, TEAM*, Hit The Lights, Cartel

Who: Driver Friendly, TEAM*, Hit The Lights, Cartel
What: Chroma 10th Anniversary Tour
When & Where: 4/22/15, Baltimore Soundstage; Baltimore, MD
By: Caitlyn Willard

For full gallery, click here!

8th Annual South By So What?! Music Festival

Today kicks off the eighth annual South By So What?! festival in Grand Prairie, Texas and we’re pleased to announce that we will be covering the festival! This year’s festival showcases over 100 bands from a range of genres including major artists such as, Circa Survive, Motionless In White, Atreyu, Mayday Parade, Hatebreed, La Dispute, Memphis May Fire, Suicide Silence, Cartel, Chiodos, Crown The Empire, Balance & Composure, Emmure, The Maine, Title Fight, and more!

Head over to our Instagram to catch updates from our photographer, Mercedes, who will be covering the festival all three days!

50 Acts You Won’t Want To Miss At SXSW (Part 1)

It’s that time of year again and South By Southwest (SXSW) is just around the corner! We’ve decided to bring back our “50 Acts You Won’t Want To Miss” feature, which will run from today until March 16th, the day before the Music section of SXSW begins! Check out our first installment (acts 1-10, in no particular order) of artists we think you need to check out below!

*Note: some acts we’ve included are performing at South By So What?! and not South By South West. However, since the festival takes place during the week of South By Southwest, we’ve decided to still include them in our list!

Royal Teeth
After being a standout at the second Boston Calling festival, Royal Teeth have found continued commercial success over the last eighteen months or so. While they’ve been heard in a handful of ads or trailers, don’t mistake them for sellouts – it’s not their fault that their dual-vocalled brand of high-energy pop is unignorably catchy. Or, well, I suppose it is.
Where to catch Royal Teeth: 3.20 – 5pm – NoiseTrade Day Party @ Swan Dive; 3.21 – 5pm – BAM! The Future of Rock and Roll Vol 2 @ Peckerheads; 3.21 – 10PM – Official SXSW Showcase @ Buffalo Billiards; 3.22 – 4pm – South By Sendoff @ Stubb’s.

Lydia
Following the success of their revival, coupled with a 5-year anniversary Illuminate tour, Lydia have been keeping busy. With performances booked at SXSW, Bled Fest, and a nationwide tour in support of The Early November, there are plenty of chances to catch these guys play. But why would you want to wait any longer than you have to?
Where to catch Lydia: 3.20 – South By So What?! @ QuikTrip Park.

COIN
While their first full-length is still eagerly awaited, what we’ve gotten thus far from COIN (a three-track EP that will dance you out of your shoes) leaves me very optimistic for its June release. I’m sure their set will be more than three songs, so I’m jealous of anyone who will get to hear what else this band has to offer.
Where to catch COIN: 3.18 – 8pm – Hype Machine @ Hype Hotel; 3.18 – 1am – Paradigm @ Maggie Mae’s Rooftop; 3.19 – 3:45pm – Most Definitely @ La Barbecue; 3.19 – 11pm – SONY @ Tap Room At The Market; 3.21 – 4:30pm – IFC @ Palm Park.

Night Riots
In support of their latest EP, Howl, a half-dozen songs packed with bright, moody electronic pop, this LA five-piece are preceding their summer on Warped Tour with a run at SXSW. If you miss your chance to catch them now, you’ll have another shot when Warped stops in your city, though their crowd is bound to be much bigger by the time that rolls through.
Where to catch Night Riots: 3.19 – 4:20pm – Big Picture Media Showcase @ The Bling Pig; 3.19 – 10pm – Official SXSW Showcase @ Buffalo Billiards; 3.20 – South By So What?! @ QuikTrip Park.

Dylan Gardner
This time last year, Dylan Gardner’s record landed in my inbox. And it didn’t take long for me to hear that there was something special about this 17-year-old kid’s self-written, self-recorded, self-produced debut album. And after jumping at the chance to sign such a great young talent, it seems it didn’t take Warner Bros. Records very long to realize it, either.
Where to catch Dylan Gardner: 3.20 – 8pm – Official SXSW Showcase @ Victorian Room at The Driskill; 3.22 – 7pm – House of Blues Cambridge Room.

Redlands
One of the newer bands we’ve been introduced to, Denver’s Redlands blend together elements of country, pop, and old-fashioned rock & roll into a tightly-structured sound that could appeal to most music fans. Before their newest album hits shelves early this summer, this is a band you’ll want to get acquainted with.
Where to catch Redlands: 3.18 – 7pm – The Prophet Bar; 3.20 – South By So What?! @ QuikTrip Park.

The Maine
Since the announcement of American Candy (expected March 31st), The Maine have had their fanbase in a stir since word of their fifth album hit the internet. As a band that has progressed and matured with each album or tour, I’m always interested in whatever The Maine have lined up next.
Where to catch The Maine: 3.18 – 9:30pm – Official SXSW Showcase @ Emo’s; 3.20 – South By So What?! @ QuikTrip Park.

MisterWives
Whether it’s lead vocalist Mandy Lee’s soaring voice, the band’s catchy dance-pop sound, or any combination of these along with countless other factors, there’s a lot to be said for MisterWives. But whatever I could say about them wouldn’t do justice to what they’ll show you themselves.
Where to catch MisterWives: 3.19 – 6pm – The Spotify House; 3.21 – 7pm – House of Blues Dallas; 3.22 – 7pm – Fitzgerald’s.

Cartel
To help celebrate 10 years of Chroma, one of the most solid pop/punk records of the era, Cartel are embarking on an anniversary tour later this Spring. But before they hit the road, they have their sights set on Austin, ready to make all of those high school emotions flood back.
Where to catch Cartel: 3.20 – South By So What?! @ QuikTrip Park.

MC Lars
The self-proclaimed master of lit-hop puts on a show that few can rival. Energetic, entertaining, and potentially educational, Lars shouldn’t be missed (if you’re hyphy enough to handle it).
Where to catch MC Lars: 3.17 – 10:25pm – Official SXSW Showcase @ Flamingo Cantina; 3.19 – The Bedlands.