My top 20 favorite albums

These are the albums that have most affected my life and continue (to this day) to inspire me and make me love music without question. . .In no particular order.

1: UnderOath – “Define The Great Line”

2: Confide – “Introduction”

3: Confide – “Shout the Truth”

4: From First to Last – “Heroine”

5: My Chemical Romance – “The Black Parade”

6: Bring Me the Horizon – “Suicide Season”

7: Taking Back Sunday – everything they’ve ever made [couldn't choose just one album. haha]

8: A Skylit Drive – “Wires…And the Concept of Breathing”

9: Placebo – “Meds”

10: Blonde Redhead – “Misery Is A Butterfly”

11: The Beatles – “Abbey Road”

12: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus – “Don’t You Fake It”

13: Lorene Drive – “Romantic Wealth”

14: The Almost – “Southern Weather”

15: Chiodos – “Bone Palace Ballet”

16: akissforjersey – “Keep Your Head Above the Water”

17: In Fear and Faith – “Your World On Fire”

18: Dance Gavin Dance – “Dance Gavin Dance”

19: UnderOath – “They’re Only Chasing Safety”

20: Emarosa – “This Is Your Way Out” [even after all this time & all the bullshit, this EP is still extremely relevent to me]

ALBUM REVIEW: “Adelphia”

*7.5 out of 10*

A Skylit Drive’s album “Adelphia”, released on Fearless Records on June 9, 2009, is a perfect example of post-hardcore. Mixing an incredible range of melodic vocals with high and low screams, melodic close to whimsicle guitars with heavy breakdowns, and almost dance like synth patterns with double bass kick drumming. There is an undeniable uniqueness in singer Michael Jagmin’s voice and melodies that will either make or break this album depending on if the listener can accept that it is, in fact, a man singing and not a woman. His talent and range is apparent but if the band didn’t have bassist’s Brian White’s screams to add balance, the singing might be just a little too penetrating. A Skylit Drive is lacking general song structure but somehow still find a way to make the album overall an enjoyable and likable listen. Lyrically, you are taken on a journey through a conceptual story about the town Adelphia and its phenomenons. For a concept album, there is still a great deal of relate ability and emotion in the lyrics which is perfectly complimented by both guitar and keyboards.

A Skylit Drive will undoubtedly do well with this follow up to 2008′s “Wires…And the Concept of Breathing” but as far as gaining new fans may come up short. If you didn’t like post-hardcore or A Skylit Drive before, there’s no bind-blowing aspects of “Adelphia” that is suddenly going to change your mind.

Track 5, “Eva the Carrier,” incorporates slightly more impressive guitar and drum patterns and is easily the most likable song on the entire album. The song itself takes you on a journey seemlessly going from heavy to light and back to heavy but still missing the structure a trained ear might  listen for. Other notable tracks are the piano driven “I Swear This Place Is Haunted” and “Children of Adelphia” which is scattered with breakdowns and lyrically gives the most obvious description of what the whole album is touching on.

This band has been on the rise for the past 3 years and if you haven’t heard them yet, you may have been living undearneath an anti-scene rock. But that’s alright because “Adelphia” might just be their golden ticket to the top.

My Chemical Romance @ The Roxy – August 1, 2009

A once in a lifetime chance.  It’s not too often a band capable of selling out 20,000 seat arenas plays two shows in a 400 capacity venue. Lucky for me, My Chemical Romance was doing just that at the Roxy in Hollywood, California. Not lucky for me, I couldn’t get tickets. The shows were announced only a few days prior when an e-mail was sent out to those in the My Chemical Romance fan club. By the time I got the e-mail all the tickets were gone. For two days I stressed about not getting a ticket to these absolutely legendary shows at The Roxy, the first of which on Friday July 31st.

On Friday, I went to The Roxy around 5:30. Even if it was the day of the show, I wasn’t done trying. The line was quite short at that time and I walked past every person with incredible envy. I hung around for a while to at least maybe get a glimpse of one of the band members. I did hear them sound checking but no glances of the band and alas decided to go home. I later heard that they let in a mere six extra fans without tickets that night.

The next day, the band posted a blog saying that they wanted all the fans not fortunate enough to get tickets to have a chance to see Saturday’s show. All you had to do was show up! Obviously, I was ecstatic when I read this. I had been given another chance!

I got to The Roxy for the second day in a row at 4pm and quickly realized that I probably should have showed up a few hours earlier for many others had read the same blog. Two girls went down the line writing numbers on all the non-ticket holder’s hands. I was number 40. It wasn’t bad, at least I was under 50. Unfortunately, no one could give us any confirmation if we were going to get in or not. We simply had to wait it out.

Around 5:45, after sound check was done, Gerard came out to sign things for some of the kids in line. I’ve never once asked anyone for their autograph, it’s never been my thing, but I did stand there in awe. This was the first time I had ever seen any member of MCR offstage. I will admit that I am an absolute fangirl for this band and it is something I have never tried to hide. Nor did I try to muffle my uncontrollable giggles when standing less than 10 feet from Gerard Way; one of the most important musicians my generation will see (whether you want to admit it or not). For anyone that’s unsure, I can officially confirm that he is not a hologram…he is a real-life person. =p

At about 6:45, two more girls went down the line and gave out green wristbands to the first 100 non-ticket holders in line. We all went nuts with excitement! We were sure this was the final confirmation that we would be let into the venue to see them play! It’s a good thing I didn’t let myself get too excited just yet because the girls with the coveted wristbands quickly informed us that these were not confirmed wristbands but simply to separate us from the ticket holders. FML. There would still be another 3 hours of sitting on that sidewalk having no idea how the night would turn out.

9:45 – 15 minutes before My Chemical Romance’s set time they let the first 38 non-ticket holders go in. They cut it off with one person infront of me. Even at this point they were telling us that they didn’t know if we would get let in. As I watched the band no more than 20 feet away doing their pre-show rituals, Gerard embracing Mikey and giving him a pep talk, Bob stretching, Frank and Ray jumping up and down laughing with one another; I made the conscious decision that it was officially time for me to start begging for admittance.

The band walked in the venue, I heard the lucky people inside The Roxy go nuts and “I”m Not Okay (I Promise)” opened the set. This is when the pleading began, not just from me but the people next to me in line as well. Whatever composure we’d all had the entire day quickly left as we heard the first notes of that song.

As the the last notes of “I’m Not Okay” rang out and Gerard’s voice echoed through the walls and outside to all of our very desperate ears, I was finally given my wristband for admittance. With my eyes tearing up, I bolted through the doors and pushed my way through the crowd. I’d done it! I got into the show!

As I moved into the venue and found a spot in front of stage left (a.k.a. Ray Toro) I looked up and realized how startlingly close I was to the stage…..or better yet to the members of MCR!! I’ve seen them a few times before but not like this! I spent the entirety of the next 2 songs literally with my mouth hanging open and small tears running from my eyes. I just simply could not believe it. If it hadn’t been for that 6 and a half hour wait on the sidewalk I would’ve thought I was dreaming. I shamelessly  allowed tears to stream down my cheeks.

As they played through their repitoir of songs from 3 different albums plus others, I slowly got over my initial shock of being able to make legitimate eye contact with Gerard Way and decided to have as much fun as possible. I definitely tried to open up a pit several times and was successful for only moments until security threatened to kick me out. There is one extremely prominent aspect of MCR shows that I love above any other in absolutely any scene or genre. Whoever you are, what you look like, whatever bands you listen to doesn’t matter once My Chem starts playing. Everyone in the crowed puts their arms around each other, jumps up and down together, screams their hearts out in unison. You become, for as long as they keep playing music, a family with the other fans around because My Chemical Romance seems to make people (young or older) so damn passionate about music.

I don’t think my memory will cooperate with me enough to give a full set list of what they played that evening. It was an hour and a half set so obviously it was jam packed with over 15 songs. They definitely played “Desolation Row,” “Mama,” “Teenagers,” “Thank You For the Venom,” “Cubicles,” “Cancer,” and of course all their famous singles; closing with “Helena” as their encore.

If I didn’t award this as the best show I’ve ever seen I would be doing it an injustice. I am so utterly grateful to have been there that night and wish every single show I went to had even a quarter of the energy, passion, and emotion that was eminating in The Roxy on August 1, 2009. I never want to forget that night and I know I never will.

Featured Band: Miss May I

Miss May I live

Another band hailing from Ohio. They’re heavy, have breakdowns, signed to Rise Records, and are from Dayton. Sound at all familiar? Maybe that’s because there has been somewhat of a trend of Ohio bands rising onto the scene (The Devil Wears Prada, Attack Attack!, agraceful). It’s taking Miss May I, a metalcore band comprised of 5 members none of which are over the age of 19, a tad longer to make their way to your town. You see, they had to finish high school first! There has been a wave of very young bands doing national tours, often with only a couple members high school graduates. Not Miss May I. Before setting out on tour, they were committed to all members being out of high school. They now have a contract with Rise Records, a full-length album out, and a full U.S. tour under their belts all in under a year! Not to mention the impressive list of tours they are scheduled for for the rest of the year. To say they’ve had a good year would be an understatement.

Miss May I does have a a slight advantage over some of their peers – they have Chris Rubey (TDWP guitarist) managing them and blue printing a career plan that directly follows what high rollers The Devil Wears Prada did on their rise to the top. (Personally I would say that headlining Warped Tour and selling over 30,000 records the first week of their new album being out is the top) Not to mention that Miss May I is apart of the Artery Foundation; working with Dave Shapiro who is a great asset for any band to have.

Their debut album, “Apologies Are For the Weak,” was released June 23rd and since has sold 4,000 copies. A rather successful first month for a band that has only completed one full tour and been signed for under a year. Though they didn’t jump on the “Christian band” bandwagon, Miss May I still has many endearing qualities for kids that are fans of The Devil Wears Prada, As I Lay Dying, or Bring Me the Horizon. Metalcore guitar riffs paired with gnarly double-bass, a breakdown here and there, Levi Benton’s commanding yet emotional scream, and of course the clean vocal melody sing-along. Possibly not quite thrash enough for the Suicide Silence type crowd but still metal enough to intrigue fans of The Ghost Inside or Impending Doom.

Look for Miss May I coming through your town with Bleeding Through this summer or with Attack Attack! and Our Last Night in the fall.

"Apologies Are For the Weak"

ALBUM REVIEW: “Someday Came Suddenly”

*7 out of 10*

Don’t let this band’s “talk of the town” repuation fool you just yet, Attack Attack! might just be the new face of modern heavy music. On first listen, it’s hard to see how fans could dislike this band’s debut record “Someday Came Suddenly” released on Rise Records in November 2008. They have catchy, voice coder sing alongs, dance beats, catchy synthesizer, catchy drum lines, even catchy break downs! To give you a visual, it’s a mash-up of a hardcore show and rave. This album from a technical standpoint is by no means brilliant but at the same time, through the 11 tracks it’s never boring either. Their writing skills are admittedly immature and at times incredibly simple, but they’ve still managed a record that is enjoyable, fun, and overall an easy listen. The album’s lyrics suggest that Attack Attack! is a Chrisitan band which indicates that along with auto-tuning & voice modifying they have also jumped on the Christian hardcore bandwagon that has gained so many bands popularity. They’ve created a genre of their own (happy hardcore, crabcore) and after selling more than 40,000 records will sureingly be duplicated. These kids are bringing hardcore music to the masses and made a record that has undoubtedly turned into the “hardcore kid’s” guilty pleasure.

Where did all the inspirational musicians go?

In Fear & Faith live

Two years ago, about a year after I’d really started getting into music, all the bands I listened to seemed to have so much more meaning to every aspect of their music. It could be that after three years and about 250 shows I’ve created some sort of immunity to the emotions music (especially live) makes me feel. Something about the whole experience of a show or an album coming out felt so different, so much grander. The same thing that made me feel so alive is now making me question every part of my life.
There are a handful of bands that started it all for me. Bands that made me feel truly alive for the first time ever. Bands that helped me realize and understand spirituality. A huge part of me misses the days (so long ago) when I didn’t know so much about musician’s personal lives. When I could still view them as whatever kind of person I wanted them to be in my heart. The days when I thought being in a “Christian band” actually meant you were a Christian and actually meant you were trying to spread the word of Jesus to everyone you met. I never expected any person to be perfect, I just wanted them to be…really, really badly. Now some of the people that gave me my first look into a relationship with God and worship through music are the same people that I feel disgrace the Lord by simply giving themselves that title.
It seems to me that because a band’s lyrics seem like they’re pointing us fans in the direction of Christianity or that the lyrics could be associated with God we automatically assume that these are words to live by and every member is a person of faith and therefore someone to look up to. From personal experience of befriending such bands, I see so clearly that that is not the case. I’m not saying that they aren’t still good people but I am saying that lyrics are not a direct reflection of everyone in the band.
“This Is Your Way Out,” Emarosa’s EP from 2007, was an album that helped me grow closer to God. The lyrics aren’t completely obviously Christian but considering the band had one or two Christian members (including their front man) it was easy for me to interpret them that way. I confessed to the person that wrote these lyrics that he helped open my eyes and heart to the Lord. He told me that that was his goal when writing and playing music – to bring young people closer to God and Christianity. A year and a half later, I found out that the same person was spreading entirely factious lies about me that were really hurtful. He’s now the screamer in a different “Christian band” but looking back, I have never witnessed this guy doing one Christian-like thing  in the 2 years I’ve known him. This is one personal experience that has led me to ponder: where did all the inspirational musicians go?
How far a musician is willing to go for his band is in direct relation to his pure, uncorrupted passion for music. This passion for music is going to tbe the exact thing that inspires true music lovers (like myself) to do and be exactly what they want to be. I have surely noticed that many musician’s individuality in music genre, lifestyle, religion, mindset, and the way they dress/look has led so many people to explore their own individuality. This is inspiration. This is why I love music. Because when I was a fresh 17, that was exactly what I needed. I felt accepted at shows. I felt like it was ok that I was eccentric and weird because I was in an environment where everyone was feeling the same emotion, the same passion I felt. Now going to shows doesn’t feel as much like a community but more like a competition. I don’t feel like bands are trying to inspire anymore nor do I feel like the “fans” attending shows want to be inspired.
I want to feel uninhibited at a show like I did when I was 17 or 18. When all that mattered was feeling the euphoria live music brought upon me. I didn’t have any drama with others attending the show, or somebody’s girlfriend, or other “band girls,” or the band members themselves. I would be down right lying if I said it was still all about the music; for myself or anyone else. This scene is missing the substance it had when I first discovered it.

I’m not going to pretend that there aren’t any musicians that don’t still inspire me. I get inspired all the time by the people I’m around. every time a band is stoked about their new album and thinks it is the most incredible thing they’ve ever created (whether it is or not) I admire them greatly. If someone isn’t pumped on their own music, no one else is going to be. every time a friend (or stranger) talks to me about their new music in that overly excited, kid in a candy store tone I feel like it’s a pep talk and I get excited for something I know nothing about! Some of my favorite times are when a friend is recording or just got the final mixes for their new record. That is when I see the true passion for what they do.
A slightly unlikely but totally inspiring band for me is In Fear and Faith. Admittedly, they are not one of my favorite bands but every single time I see them, I am reminded why I love music, why I’m passionate about it. They bring back that sense of “community,” that sense of family at a show. That’s how music should make you feel, like you’re apart of a family whether you know the bands or not. To be honest, morally and ethically In Fear and Faith are not the most life changing people I’ve encountered. They aren’t Christian, they drink (a lot =]), they smoke cigarettes, they hook-up….and they tour more than anyone else I know. I’ve seen them extremely tired on tour but never once have I ever felt like those guys didn’t want to be there playing a show. They love their job. They love getting on stage and playing for kids and for that 30 minute set I really feel apart of something so much bigger than simply my enjoyment of their music. Offstage, they all are some of the most real people I know. No acting like something they aren’t, no sugar coating anything, no bullshit. This leads me to ask: why, as fans, do we bullshit ourselves?

Do u remember what it was like to go see a band you love to death and not give a fuck what you looked like while singing along to every word or if it was “uncool” to be in the front row or middle of the pit, sweaty and jumping around uncontrollably? Not caring for a second what the people around you thought because while that band was playing you felt more alive than at any other time in you life! I am not that carefree anymore but I can remember how amazing it was. I walked away from every show looking like pure hell but feeling happier than I ever had at any time in my life. Now I worry about what I look like at a show. Not necessarily my outfit or hairdo or make-up choices but I worry about how much emotion I show while watching bands.
When I become friends with a band I suddenly become much more self-conscious about them knowing just how big of a fan I am. I start wondering if they see me as a fan…or more as a friend that likes their music. I worry about how dumb I look 2-stepping and screaming every word. I worry about looking a certain way to the people I’ve hooked-up with. In reality, I really don’t want to give a fuck about these things. I just want to express myself during their set without any judgment.  So, why am I bullshitting myself at shows to try to look “cool” or keep a certain “image”? Isn’t my connection with music what really matters?

I suppose my arguement on inspirational music could swing either way. I do think a lot about music, bands, and shows these days is really shallow and is on its way to a downward spiral if we aren’t careful. At the same time, musicians find little ways to inspire me every single day. It sometimes comes from the most random people and in completely unexpected ways but its still inspiration all the same. When it comes down to it, I just don’t want to see fans or bands get caught up in anything besides the music.

Screw the scene. Screw moshing. Screw wearing band merch to be trendy. Screw egos. Screw bragging rights. Screw image. Screw status.
Just do it for the music

Artery Foundation Across the Nation Tour 2009

Artery tours are my favorite Always the most fun and best bands!

June 30th @ Key Club in Hollywood, CA

I wasn’t planning on going to this tour at all because I thought I would be on tour myself but I’m really glad I did. I missed Our Last Night so much. I really haven’t spent much time with them but they are some of my favorite dudes to I’ve met on tour. They just like to kick it, no hooking up, no drama, no extreme partying.

The show in Hollywood was really fun. It was kinda like a big bro down because there were so many different homies there.  Amber & I were driving down Sunset Blvd. and oddly enough passed Eric, Chris, & Devin from I See Stars walking toward the venue. “uhhh don’t we know them….?” I said to Amber. “hahahahaha! omg!” she exclaimed as soon as she saw who I was talking about. “Should I pick them up?!” I asked skeptically. “Of course!!” she replied.  So, I veered right, across a couple lanes, and waited for them to walk past the car. They were just as shocked to see us and they all piled in and were very grateful to not have to walk the rest of the way back. We dropped them off & parked.

We strolled up the hill on the right of the Key Club to the load-in area. It was so good to see Our Last Night! They all thought I wasn’t going to make it out to the show so I think they were glad to see me too. It’s been way too long! In Fear & Faith couldn’t play that night because of Mehdi (drummer) having swine flu & his brother Ramin (guitarist) having some unexpected legal trouble but Cody and Tyler still rolled out to the show. Billy (Confide) came out to the show also to hang out! Jerry Roush (Sky Eats Airplane) who I knew was in town & before I saw him knew would be at the show. He was there kickin’ it all night, being his ridiculous self.  Shane (The Divine) was also there & is somehow still surprised that Amber & I are at every show he goes to. My friend Willie was there who I literally know from pits. We go to an uncountable number of the same shows & are always throwing it down in the pit together.

After spending a lot of time sitting & chatting in Our Last Night’s van, we decided to head in to watch Burden of A Day who I hadn’t seen in over 2 years. They were good, legitimately really good. I would highly suggest checking out their new album.  I See Stars played next & I have NEVER seen them that good. Normally, I don’t even watch their entire set cause I’ve just never got into them but I was thoroughly impressed this night. While watching them I became increasingly puzzled at why people are constantly comparing them to Attack Attack! I guess they’re in the same genre but they really don’t sound or perform anything alike.

After getting myself a Cherry Coke, we went outside to cig and shmooze. Our Last Night was getting ready to perform & Woody was doing the most extensive stretches on the sidewalk that I have ever seen any band dude ever do. haha I talked to Shane for a while….or more like just joked around with him for 10 minutes straight. That guy is every level of good. Soon enough, Our Last Night was starting & we ran back in. I realize I don’t see them play too often but I’m positive they get better every time. Woody (bassist) is one of the most physical people I have ever seen onstage. He’s all over the place, doing jumps & kicks & all kinds of crazy shit. Trevor’s voice keeps getting better. A lot of people had their speculations because he’s so young but I was always positive he would only improve. For being so very very young he has always had a surprising ability to really command the crowd.

Emarosa. I could probably write a book about this band but I’ll keep this short. They were incredible; and that coming from me is really saying a lot. Their live show has turned into something that is completely stunning. First of all, they couldn’t sound better musically if they tried. Visually, it’s breathtaking. I also have to give kudos to their choice of songs.  Jerry (Sky Eats Airplane) got onstage and did a cameo for their encor which was “Casablanca.” An old song from their EP before Jonny was in the band. It was pretty obvious that Jerry did know a damn word but kids don’t care. Everybody just seems to love cameos.

After their extremely respectable set was over, I got myself another Cherry Coke & hung around a bit as the venue cleared out & the guys in Emarosa got offstage dripping with sweat. Will (Emarosa bassist) came over to me while I was at the bar, unaware that I was even at the show, and gave me a big wet hug. It was good to see him, it’s always good to see him. The venue had been vacated with only a few friends still hanging around. Jonas said Hi to me from stage and said he had no idea I was there. Then again, they’re not really the band that I hit up anymore when I’m going to be at their show. A security guard told us all to either leave or move backstage so Jerry, Billy, Amber, & I headed downstairs to the green room. Jonny and his girlfriend were the only ones in there and I’d be lying if I said he was at all happy to see me walk through the door. Just as I was telling him what a great show it was, he quickly told me to shut the fuck up and some other rude comments that he often throws my way.

For some reason, he insisted that everyone in the room take a shot of Jack Daniels. Jonny Craig is the kind of guy that when he tells you to do something…..you kind of just go along with it without even thinking twice. haha It was hilarious watching him try to hand Billy a shot. If you don’t know who Billy or his band Confide is, they’re a Christian screamo band that is more known for sharing the gospel than liqour or drugs. Billy simply said, “no thanks, dude. I don’t drink.” Jonny glared at him for what seemed like an over extended moment & then simply replied with, “I respect that.”  The rest of us took a shot and left. The green room is generally boring at Key Club.

Back outside, Cody & Tyler from In Fear & Faith suddenly reappeared [I hadn't seen them since I first got there] much drunker than they were early in the night.  All the bands hung out on the sidewalk for a while, laughing, joking, talking. It was a good time. It felt  simple and easy and fun in a lot of ways….all things I didn’t always feel at shows anymore. I See Stars left, Emarosa left [basically only saw them onstage] and soon Our Last Night, Billy, Amber & I headed down the street to get pizza. It was a lovely night. I truly enjoy Hollywood shows over an other city.

Warped Tour Day 2: June 27, 2009. San Francisco, CA

In retrospect, this day was basically a fail on my part. It was fun…..at the time.

After driving all night because of Craig’s amazingly good persuasion skills, we arrived at the venue at 6am. We parked next to Uh Oh! Explosion’s van & fell asleep in the backseat. I wake up after only an hour of sleep to Johnny crawling into bed with October & I. I decided to just get up at that point. The only reason I agreed to go to San Francisco was because Craig promised he could get us in no problem. But, of course, we get there and his extremely high level of intoxication the night before meant he did not put us on the guest list.
“I wish I could escape the fate of Craig’s stupidy”

After walking the line, holding signs for Attack Attack!’s set time (who played first of the day again)  and missing their set all together, Craig walks out…soon followed by Max. They got ambushed by fans but we got an adorable hang out sesh recapping the events of the day before and talking about ex-girlfriends. After a while, they simply walked us into the venue no problem. I guess if you want to get into Warped Tour illegitimately, those r the people to roll with.

They had to immediately go to the Hurley stage since they played early that day and we set off to wander around & sit in the Hurley Zone with Dougie until it was time to watch Escape the Fate. We mosied over to their stage, saw some guy in a Borat bathing suit (that was disturbing), and watched them play with Gabriel (Black Tide) who we met on ETF’s headliner in March. Their set was definitely enjoyable that day. There were the usual haters in the crowd that are yelling for old songs and Ronnie and for some reason still come to watch them. Some kid was holding up a sign about Ronnie and Craig decided to shoot down their confidence real quick with, “Maybe instead of holding up that sign, you should spend your time on a treadmill”

There wasn’t anyone playing for a while and I had just said that I wanted to get drunk that day so we went with Gabe to hang out on his bus with the rest of his band for a little while. Basically, a little while turned into a very long while, a very fun dance party, and Tess getting very drunk and very high. At one point I decided to get off the bus and harass the catering line where I found Mike Money & James (The Devil Wears Prada) and started talking to both of them [still wasted] about going to the Golden Gate Bridge. The time had come for UnderOath to take the stage so I dragged both Gabe and October off the bus and back into the hot bay sun.

This is the part where everything about the rest of my day gets very very hazy. Apparently I wandered around the entire venue several times, holding Gabe’s hand while October tried to keep up with my drunken wandering (which I’m kinda known for if you’ve ever been around me drunk). I do remember unknowingly passing by Attack Attack!’s signing. I could barely walk or focus my eyes but through the crowd I got a glimpse of Whiting’s chest piece. I cut the line, pushing fans out of the way and went right up to him to put my arms around him while the whole band is saying, “Oh shit, there Tess is…..!!” and other such things. Just as I was putting my arms around him, he pushed me away and the rest of the band (not even realizing I was drunk) told me to get the fuck out.

Gabe, October, and I eventually found the main stage where UnderOath had already started their set. I soon realized I was too drunk to stand there and watch not only my favorite band but the entire reason I believe in Jesus. So, we found our way back to the bus which had now become pretty crowded with people. I was trippin’ so hard by this point, I whispered to October to take me to Attack Attack!’s bus because I knew I could lay down and chill out there. As we’re walking across the street to their bus, Whiting is walking in the opposite direction……for some reason half naked and graffitied with Sharpie art. October: “Whiting, can Tess lay down? she’s…uh…not feeling so well” Andrew: “Yeah, sure. She can sleep in my bunk”
and sleep is what I did………..for the next 5 hours!!! By the time I woke up, I was still very drunk and the show was over! holy fuck, I never do that at shows. I felt terrible but stumbled off the bus where a group of people eventually commenced.

Though I had slept the day away (their bunks are disgustingly comfortable, btw) this part is still quite hazy. I do know that I spent an extended period of time hanging out with Jeffree Star and Daniel Hilton while they were their usual crazy and hilarious selves and Andrew asked Jeffree to do a cameo during their set. Somehow we ended up back on the bus where Jeffree called me a diva and I think I went either in the back lounge or back in Whiting’s bunk. Still unsure.

I do know for sure that somehow the party excalated on their bus, how it happened…I’m not sure. Maybe some other people had started drinking as much as I had been the entire day. Daniel Williams for some reason appeared on the bus and I suddenly decided to show all these guys who I’d been friends with for 8 months exactly how Tess parties. Shit got fucking insane and their is documented evidence of it. FML

Needless to say, I boned out of there before bus call and before I sobered up enough to realize my actions. I want to thank October again for doing the entire 7 hour drive while I layed in the back drunk texting people. Next stop = Ventura a.k.a. my last day on the tour until August.