I've had a ton of good blog ideas lately, but the Lydia post has kept me from adding more lately. It's tough to let go of them, but I've got a strong enough reason to now: another fantastic concert, perhaps the best one of them all. Wednesday night (the 15th), my buddy Trevor and I went to the Sherwood w/ The Dangerous Summer concert. What a show! Three amazing bands opened for them including Soletta, a new favorite of mine. Then the Dangerous Summer came on (honestly the group I was most excited for) and I belted out lyrics like I never have before. When they finished up, I got to talk to all of the members when they came back to their merch booth. I got a poster and personally had it signed by all four! Honestly one of the coolest moments of my life. Next up was Sherwood, who had some awesome live tricks. Their keyboardist jumped on his keyboard and accidentally knocked over the guitarist's huge amp in the middle of a song, it was hilarious! It was getting late so we left before Sherwood finished, but, all in all, it was an amazing experience. Here's a rough overview for ya:
1. To The Ends Of The Earth by Soletta
"If my ship loses sail, I will row to the ends of the Earth. Though I know I may never return, I still go and I give it my best because every stumble and fall, I will know I have given my all."
When I saw that Soletta was gonna be in the concert, I decided to look them up. From what I heard in the samples, I was excited for them. When they finished playing, I ended up getting two CD's. Yep, they were that good. Here's one of their songs I remember from the concert best.
2. This Road - Soletta
"We both know time is anything but slow."
This seems to be Soletta's most popular song. It didn't stick out to me much at first, but it's quickly catching on my mind. I remember the bassist rocking out hard to this one, hard enough to knock over his mic. He was too cool for words (this concert was a huge one for bass guitarists, which are my idols! The bass players for The Dangerous Summer and Sherwood are both the lead singers!). See what you think bout this tune.
*3. Where You Belong - Soletta
"It's the ones you love that mean the most and need you more than you could ever know or say."
This one, on the other hand, had me hooked right away. This song alone pushed me to purchase the CDs, and Soletta's tunes have not let me down. This singer has such a cool voice that fits so well with the style of music. Another amazing group I'm proud to have in my musical collection. (By the way, Soletta has this love song called Only You that is shockingly sweet, but wasn't performed at the concert...check it out anyway!)
4. Maybe This Time - Sherwood
"If I made a list of every chance I've missed, what would that accomplish?"
The Dangerous Summer played next, but they were so awesome that I've got to save them for last here on my blog post. Here's the song Sherwood started out with. Because I didn't really recognize the members and was matching the voice to the singer for the first time, I didn't enjoy these guys quite as much as The Dangerous Summer, even though I love their songs just as much. Still, Sherwood's performance has boosted my love for them and has brought some of the song I overlooked to the forefront of my mind. This song's one of them. (You must check out this music video, it's hilarious!...but can't be embedded here)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GKiy1-BU00
5. Make It Through - Sherwood
"I can't find where I belong without you."
On this song, Sherwood invited anyone who knew the lyrics to come up and sing with them. My biggest regret of the night was being too chicken to join them. Only 2 or three fans went up, along with some of the members of the other bands. It was super cool seeing the Soletta bass player, the Dangerous Summer drummer, and the merch people all up their singing along with Sherwood. Next time, I won't be so wimpy.
6. Middle Of The Night - Sherwood
"Tonight I'm wondering how this could've felt so right."
I'm super glad they decided to play this one from their earlier album, because just a few weeks ago it suddenly became one of my favorites from that CD. (PS I've only known these guys since my birthday this year, which is when I got their two latest albums) The chorus is so awesome! This is probably the rockiest Sherwood music gets too, which was extra fun to see live. Check it out.
*7. Ground Beneath My Feet - Sherwood
"If I knew my time would come, with lines rehearsed, but never sung, I'd leave the chorus on your tongue. I swear."
This is the biggie. The one Trevor and I were searching for. Oh, a bit of interesting info: One day, while driving home together from Darrell's place, Trevor said to me something like "Have you heard of Sherwood". He proceeded hook his ipod up in my car and play this song. That's right: Trevor introduced me to Sherwood, and there we were, rocking out 15 feet from them. Pretty dang cool. I've shared this song on here before, but iy deserves another go. I recorded this song live in full and have it posted on my facebook profile, if you're interested in seeing it.
8. Northern Lights - The Dangerous Summer
"I hate staying up late cause you're not here and I'm not there."
The Dangerous Summer! I never thought I would be so ecstatic to see them on stage! And then talking to them at length right after? Priceless! Just like with Lydia, I've only known these guys since Christmas, which is when I picked up their latest album. I can't believe I've grown so fond of those two bands in such a short amount of time like I have! This song right here used to be pretty emotional for me. It's a sweet tune with amazing lyrics. The Dangerous Summer's first few seconds of it brought the memories rushing back. I LOVE this song and, as embarassed as I might be to say it, I can't wait to share it with that special someone. It's just that sort of song, you know? Don't miss out.
9. Symmetry - The Dangerous Summer
"I was always in a way just a long shot. I was never in the clear of that. I am lucky just to be a potential, but I will always make a mess of that."
This is one of the tunes that stuck out to me very soon after I found these guys. It's one I can relate to, sadly, but also one where I quickly came to know all of the thoughtful lyrics by heart. I would say that this one highlights AJ's amazing lyric writing skills, but when I think about it I realize that every song does. Their the sort you really ought to pay attention to and think about, which, as you all know, is one of my favorite things to do!
10. Never Feel Alone - The Dangerous Summer
"A feeling's just a feeling 'til you let it get the best of who you are."
This is an amazing love song too, but with more of a sad message to it. I never really saw it as super emotional until I saw AJ singing it live. He's my hero! My memory keeps flashing back to the moment he grabbed my hand to shake it and thanked me for coming. Awesome! No other vocalist can write lyrics quite like his, much less pull off the expression of them quite like he does.
11. Surfaced - The Dangerous Summer
"I haven't found what I've been looking for yet, but you can count on me to stay forever."
Every Dangerous Summer chorus is so easy to become addicted to. The melodies behind them flow so nicely, as do the lyrics, which are always jam-packed with meaning. They're all so distinct and easily recognizable. This one is especially catchy. As with every Dangerous Summer song, the lyrics have a lot to share. I feel that I can say they are the better than those of any other band I've ever heard so yeah...good stuff. Give em a listen.
*12. Where I Want To Be - The Dangerous Summer
"It's in the way you had me all wrapped up like I'm a part of something finally and I'm never looking back."
Anyone remember my "best songs of 2009 countdown"? This song was number 2, but I feel now that I should go back and make it number one. I've listened to this song 100 + times, which may not sound super impressive, but that puts it in the top 0.5 % of my songs. It's got one of my favorite music videos (my most watched for sure), it's one of my favorite love songs, and it has some of my favorite lyrics of all time. It shows off the guitarists, the singer, has an amazing drum solo...few tunes beat this one. Definitely one of my top ten songs of all time. I've put it on my blog before, but let's face it: it should go up here every time! I'll have to give it more thought, but this just might be my favorite live song I've ever seen! I've got the whole video up on my facebook profile, so please check it out!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_K1lywPZms