Having passed the midway point of their second decade, it sounds foolish to say Senses Fail may have found out who they want to be, or better yet, who they are.
Going from being pioneers* of the screamo scene during the mid and late-2000’s, then shifting to more of a hardcore act for 2013 and 2015’s Renancer and Pull the Thorns From Your Heart, they’ve never been an act afraid of approaching new territories. With that, a decent chunk, if not most or all, of the credit goes to Buddy Nielsen, the only remaining member from the initial lineup.
To fully appreciate the glow of If There is Light…, I had to revisit the grit of Pull the Thorns From Your Heart. Where the intensity of “The Three Marks of Existence” from Pull the Thorns… punches your skull in, the opener here, “Double Cross,” grabs you by the collar and pulls you in close; less of a circle pit, more of a crowd surf. It makes good use of one of the handful of instances of screamed vocals on the album, showcasing the album’s range early on – hooks, heaviness, and plenty of heart.
Last year marked the Rockstar Energy Drink Taste of Chaos festival’s return to Southern California after a five year break. Now, for the second year in a row, the festival will return to San Bernadino, CA on Saturday, July 16th at the San Manuel Amphitheater Festival Grounds.
This year’s lineup includes Dashboard Confessional, Taking Back Sunday, Quicksand, The Get Up Kids, The Starting Line, Saosin with Anthony Green, Senses Fail, The Early November, The Anniversary, Hot Rod Circuit, and Reggie and the Full Effect. In addition, the festival will also include food trucks, craft beer, carnival rides, a vendor village and more!
Post-hardcore veterans Senses Fail and Silverstein will hit the road together for the first time in over a decade in just over a week! Joining them on the cross country tour will be special guests Hundredth and Capsize. The tour will be kicking off on November 18th in Rochester, NY and wrapping up on December 19th in Hartford, CT.
Both general admission and VIP packages are still available and can be found here! VIP packages include limited edition items including a Silverstein/Senses Fail split 7″ vinyl, silk flags, pennants, and a silkscreened poster, amongst other things! Some VIP packages also include meet and greets, professional photos with the bands, and VIP side-stage viewing area access!
Below you can find the full list of tour dates!
11.18 – Rochester, NY @ Anthology 11.19 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Small’s 11.20 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues 11.21 – Detroit, MI @ Crofoot 11.22 – St. Louis, MO @ Ready Room 11.24 – Denver, CO @ Cervantes 11.25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ In the Venue 11.27 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom 11.28 – Santa Ana, CA @ Observatory 11.29 – San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park 11.30 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues 12.1 – Mesa, AZ @ Nile Theatre 12.3 – Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey Live 12.4 – San Antonio, TX @ Alamo City Music Hall 12.5 – Houston, TX @ Scout Bar 12.7 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution 12.8 – Orlando, FL @ Beacham 12.9 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade 12.10 – Charlotte, NC @ Amos’ South End 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
It’s that time again, ladies and gents, the Second Annual Journeys Alternative Press Music Awards (APMA’s) fueled by Monster Energy Drink and hosted by Alex Gaskarth and Jack Barakat is just around the corner! July 22nd is only a month and a half away and there are big things in store for those who attend or watch the award show from home! The APMA’s will feature live performances from artists including Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, All Time Low, Halestorm, New Found Glory with Hayley Williams, Motionless in White, Taking Back Sunday, Sum 41, Simple Plan, PVRIS, Black Veil Brides, Corey Taylor of Slipkot and Stone Sour, and Tyler Carter of ISSUES!
In addition to the performances listed above, the APMA’s will also include appearances made by members of ‘68, This Wild Life, Mayday Parade, As It Is, Senses Fail, August Burns Red, Set It Off, Bullet For My Valentine, Parkway Drive, Motion City Soundtrack, Real Friends, While She Sleeps and more to be announced soon! For information on ticket offerings and travel packages, click here!
In addition to the APMA’s, Alternative Press Magazine also announced the launch of their special Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame + Museum exhibit which will open on Tuesday, July 21st. Below you can find more information regarding the exhibit.
On July 21st, the day before the APMA’s, Alternative Press Magazine will be unveiling a special new exhibit, Never Give Up: Alternative Press Magazine at 30, by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum presented by Roadrunner Records, Fueled By Ramen, and Jakprints. The exhibit will feature “a history of the magazine, its best stories and photos, and how the publication contributed a much-needed voice to the underground scene over the years.” It will also include letters to the magazine from fans and celebrities, video interviews, and more! The exhibit will kick-off with a special Sonic Session with New Politics and Vinyl Theatre. More information can be found here!
Senses Fail have announced the details for their highly anticipated sixth studio album, Pull The Thorns From Your Heart, to be released on June 30th via Pure Noise Records. When talking about the album, lead singer Buddy Nielsen says, “This record is the complete documentation of my transformative spiritual experience from the darkness to the light…It is the completion of a journey I have been on since I started making music when I was 17. I want this record to be more than just words and music but a blueprint for how through contemplative practice you can come to love, grow and blossom out of the muck of life and into the light. It is not intended to motivate in steps or exact teachings but empower. It is above all a personal story of struggle and realization.”
You can check out the first single off Pull The Thorns From Your Heart by clicking here. To pre-order the album, click here!
It’s kind of crazy that it’s already been over fifteen years since Bayside
first entered the scene. To mark this monumental occasion, Bayside embarked on
a 15-year birthday tour, making a stop in Baltimore, MD last Tuesday.
Canadian pop punk act, Seaway kicked off the night. The band started
their set with “Your Best Friend”, a track off of their recently released EP All In My Head. There were
definitely a few die-hard fans in the audience and they didn’t miss a beat.
Their set also included songs, “Keep Your Stick On The Ice” and “Shy Guys” from
their full length Hoser.
Man Overboard were up next. These guys are very charismatic on stage and
their set was full of funny moments and dance moves. They started off with
their hit, “Real Talk,” followed by “White Lies” and “Somethings Weird”.
After a few songs the crowd surfers began to emerge, but the crowd became
especially rowdy for fan favorite “Love Your Friends, Die Laughing”. The band
ended their set with “Where I Left You” and “Rare.”
Senses Fail exploded onto the stage with a bundle of energy that
continued throughout their entire set. The band wasted no time, jumping right
into their song “Canine” off of their 2013 album Renacer. Vocalist, James
“Buddy” Nielsen, was constantly moving about the stage, throwing his microphone
into the air, and jumping on the barricade to get close with the crowd. He
really knows how to work the audience and in my opinion is one of the best
frontmen in the biz. The band did include a great mix of old and new material
and I’m sure it made the long-time fans in attendance very happy. Their setlist
included hits such as “Calling All Cars”, “Buried a Lie”, and “Can’t Be
Saved”. The band ended their set with a massive sing-along for
crowd-favorite “Bite To Break Skin.”
The lights went dark and the Harry Potter theme song began to
play. The entire crowd roared in excitement as Bayside’s backdrop started to
glow red. The members of Bayside began to make their way out one by one as the
music continued to play. As soon as the Harry Potter theme song finished, the
band jumped right into playing “Pigsty” off their recent album Cult. The room instantly came alive as the
crowd immediately started singing along to the words. Throughout their
set they played fan-favorites like “Mona Lisa” and “Masterpiece”. After playing
an impressive eighteen songs, they left the stage and the lights dimmed.
Shortly after, frontman Anthony Raneri came out into the audience with his
acoustic guitar to play “Don’t Call Me Peanut” off of their 2005 self-titled
album. The room instantly lit up with phones recording this special moment. The
band then joined back together on stage to end this magical night with songs
“Big Cheese” and “Devotion and Desire.”
Though the tour has come to an end, the band has released a White Edition of ‘Cult’,
which includes four extra songs and is available for purchase here!
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