SLEEPING WITH SIRENS - The Crofoot

Pontiac, MI // July 17, 2022

Sleeping With Sirens brought their Ctrl+Alt+Delete tour to The Crofoot in Pontiac, MI on 7/17/22, with support from Don Broco, Point North, and Garzi. In the days prior to the event, Sleeping With Sirens released a new song called “Crosses” with Spencer Chamberlain of Underoath, so everyone was buzzing with excitement waiting for the show to start.

Garzi started out the night with a noteworthy performance, followed by an electric set by Point North, playing songs that included “Into The Dark” and “Ghost In My Home”. Don Broco was next and played an energetic, dance driven set that got the crowd jumping around.

The lights went down as Sleeping With Sirens hit the stage. Roaring applause came from every person in the room as the band started to come out member by member. “What’s up the mitten? If you got it in you open that shit up” said singer Kellin Quinn, opening their set as they jumped into "Break Me Down". Later Kellin would reminisce by saying “last time we played at this venue was 2 days before the whole fucking world shut down. 2 and a half years later we’re back here!” Playing songs like “Kick Me”, “Better Off Dead”, and “Agree To Disagree” the fans were in for a surprise with what was next.

The lights dimmed and the band went into an acoustic jam of their incredibly popular cover of “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls. During their acoustic portion, the band also played “Roger Rabbit”. Sleeping With Sirens brought back the tempo and started a wall of death that split the venue in half. The band ended their set playing “Bloody Knuckles” but came back out for a classic encore, playing their biggest hits “If I'm James Dean, You’re Audrey Hepburn” and “If You Can’t Hang”.

If you're heading to one of these shows, definitely get there early to catch everyone, as the bands on this tour are amazing - I couldn’t imagine missing their sets! Sleeping With Sirens are currently still on their Ctrl+Alt+Delete tour, the dates are listed below:

Jul 19 - Philadelphia, PA
Jul 20 - Worcester, MA
Jul 21 - New York, NY
Jul 23 - Baltimore, MD
Jul 25 - Charlotte, NC
Jul 26 - Atlanta, GA
Jul 27 - Orlando, FL
Jul 29 - Houston, TX
Jul 30 - Dallas, TX
Jul 31 - San Antonio, TX
Aug 02 - Tempe, AZ
Aug 04 - Los Angeles, CA
Aug 05 - San Diego, CA

Aug 06 - Santa Ana, CA
Aug 07 - Sacramento, CA
Aug 09 - Portland, OR
Aug 10 - Seattle, WA
Aug 12 - Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 13 - Denver, CO
Aug 14 - Kansas City, MO

To keep up to date with the band and what cities they are playing at, check out their websites

Sleeping With Sirens

Website: www.sirensmusic.co/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sleepingwithsirens

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sleepingwithsirens

Twitter: twitter.com/SWStheband

Written by: Austin Fitzroy, Sonic Live Media

CROWN THE EMPIRE - Saint Andrew’s Hall

 Detroit, MI // June 15, 2022

Crown The Empire brought their 10 year “The Fallout” album anniversary tour to Saint Andrew’s Hall in Detroit, MI, on June 15th, 2022; with bands Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows, The Word Alive, and Until I Wake. The venue was lined up with excited fans who were waiting for doors to open, anticipating a night filled with throwbacks from the 2010’s, along with modern hits. As everyone waited for the first band to come on stage, the crowd poured in, filling Saint Andrews Hall to max capacity.

The lights went dark and the crowd started to cheer as Until I Wake made their way on stage. Vocalist Cody Johnson said “thank God that live music is back so we can come here as a family!” Until I Wake, from Buffalo, NY, was not shy to show the world how passionate they are for music - proven through their lyrics, frantic vocals, and energetic stage presence. They played songs including “Nightmares”, “Inside My Head”, and “Self Medicated.” Until I Wake had the crowd smiling and singing along, and started the first mosh pit of the night. 

The next band to take the stage was The Word Alive from Phoenix, Arizona. Vocalist Telle Smith took a moment to thank a fan in the audience who was attending their 80th The Word Alive show. The band kicked off their set by jumping right into “Misery”. The set was a emotional roller coaster, playing songs such as “MONOMANIA”, “Wonderland”, and “Life Cycles”. Their set hyped the crowd up - people were crowd surfing, moshing, jumping, and screaming along to every word. At the end of the set, Telle said “we are going to finish recording our 7th full length album and we are coming back to Detroit to see you guys!”

D.R.U.G.S. (Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows) was next to take the stage. The band formed in Pontiac, Michigan in 2010, and fans were excited to see the home town band return to the stage, after re-uniting in 2020. Vocalist Craig Owens remarked “Damn, I never thought I would be saying a new D.R.U.G.S Album is coming out in 2 days ever again!” The crowd went wild, and fans were crowd surfing by the first song in their set. Songs included “Sex Life”, “Destiny”, and “Mr. Owl Ate My Metal Worm” in which Telle Smith came out and performed with the group. The energy only intensified as the set continued. The group ended their set by playing their biggest hit “If You Think This Song Is About You, It Probably Is”. 

The lights went dim and the music stopped, allowing Crown The Empire to enter the stage. The crowd roared - this was the moment everyone had been waiting for.  The band started with the title track of their “The Fallout” album, but had to cut it short due to technical difficulties. Taking a 5 minute break to resolve their problem, the band started partying, as concert goers crowd-surfed shots of tequila to the band & guitarist Brandon Hoover played a song by Creed. Vocalist Andy Leo said “I have the day off tomorrow, I don’t have anything to do, so if I lose my voice, oh well! I’m singing with you all!” Jumping back into “The Fallout”, Crown The Empire performed a solid mix of old and new songs, including “Machines”, “BLURRY”, and “Memories Of A Broken Heart”. The energy of the crowd was a level that you don’t see at shows anymore, it was wall to wall crazy & couldn’t be contained. They blew the roof off the venue!

This tour was one for the books. If you can make it out to one of the shows, definitely do it, as the energy of this tour cannot be matched! Crown The Empire is still on the road finishing their tour with D.R.U.G.S., The Word Alive, and Until I Wake. The dates are listed below: 

Jun 20 | Pittsburgh, PA | Mr Smalls 

Jun 21 | Toronto, ON | Opera House 

Jun 22 | New York, NY | Gramercy 

Jun 24 | Reading, PA | Reverb 

Jun 25 | Boston, MA | Paradise 

Jun 26 | Baltimore, MD | Baltimore Soundstage 

Jun 28 | Atlanta, GA | The Masquerade 

Jun 29 | Tampa, FL | The Orpheum

Jul 01 | Houston, TX | White Oak Music Hall 

Jul 02 | Dallas, TX | South Side Music Hall

Jul 03 | San Antonio, TX | Vibes Event Center

To keep up to date with the band and what cities they are playing at, check out their websites

Crown The Empire

Website: www.crowntheempireband.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/crowntheempire

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Crowntheempire

Twitter: twitter.com/CrownTheEmpire

Written by: Austin Fitzroy, Sonic Live Media

JOYWAVE - The Magic Stick

 Detroit, MI // March 2, 2022

Nobody wants you to know about Joywave. That’s a line ripped straight form their mech booth as it adorns a few different items. But I am here to tell you about Joywave! And they are fresh off the February 11 release of their fourth album, ‘Cleanse’, Joywave is hitting the road and touring the US with night two happening in Detroit. Daniel Armbruster, the lead singer of Joywave, even proclaimed on stage that, “Detroit is one of my favorite cities in America, and I don’t say that about every city.” Even if it may have been a bit tongue and cheek the crowd still roared at the sentiment, and it really set a good, fun tone for the show to follow.

Joywave kicked the night off with the lead single “Cyn City 2000” and a stage setup resembling a carwash, a job the group made up of high school friends all shared as teens, complete with the rear end of a Chevrolet Corvette, those spinning washing things, and a custom Michigan license place, the latter of which will be changed out for every state. Daniel even jokingly noted that the Michigan plate having michigan.org in a tiny font was, “a real nice touch.”

A few songs in and Daniel took a short break to talk about the pandemic and having released their third album, ‘Possession’ in March of 2020 just as COVID-19 grabbed hold of the country and how the group never had a chance to tour the album. Luckily, we were all treated to a handful of tracks including “Obsession,” “Half Your Age,” and a personal favorite “F.E.A.R.”

That’s not to say there wasn’t a mix off of the latest album either, they made sure to play “Buy American,” “After Coffee,” and “Goodbye Tommy.” The hit “Every Window Is a Mirror” was certainly a crowd favorite getting heads bopping while at the same time getting everyone singing the name of the latest album.

The night was finished out with a quick discussion about how Joywave historically doesn’t play an encore, so instead, bartered with the crowd for some additional songs. In the end we were treated to what Daniel said was the, “Spotify Top 5 playlist” that unfortunately only gave us 3 songs, but they were the ones even casual fans would know. The barter session started with “Tongues” followed by the collaboration hit with Big Data, “Dangerous,” before giving us what we all wanted, some “Destruction!”

Joywave never disappoints. I can guarantee you will get a kick out of the on-stage antics, you’ll laugh at some good jokes, and you will bop your head for 2 straight hours. With their tour just kicking off and hitting nearly every state between the time you read this and the final night in their hometown of Rochester, NY on April 8, you need to go see these guys!

To keep up to date with the band and what cities they are playing at, check out their websites

Joywave

Website: www.joywavemusic.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/joywave

Facebook: www.facebook.com/joywave

Twitter: twitter.com/joywave

Written by: David Painter, Sonic Live Media

THE RECORD COMPANY - Saint Andrew's Hall

Photo Credit:

Samantha Nork

Taken at Saint Andrew's Hall Detroit, MI 2021/10/13

 Detroit, MI // October 13, 2021

Grammy-nominated band The Record Company stopped in Detroit on October 13th to play a captivating show at St. Andrew’s Hall. In the days following up to the show, the band released their 3rd album Play Loud, so fans were in for a treat.

JJ Wilde started out the night with an electrifying performance. Her and her bandmates didn’t stop moving and dancing the entire performance. Wilde played a variety of songs including a few from her new EP Wilde that debuted in May.

Other songs performed were “State of Mind”, “Knees” and “The Rush”. She also did a cover of “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” originally by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty. It was incredible hearing the audience sing along to this classic tune. JJ Wilde and her band were incredibly entertaining and I cannot wait until they’re back in town. They brought such a wonderful energy to the show and definitely made the audience cheer for more.

Shortly after JJ Wilde warmed up the audience, The Record Company hit the stage. They started out with a song called “Out of My Head” from their new album. I would like to point out that the audience was very diverse in age. Some were young, some were middle-aged and some were even older than that. I love when I go to a show and see so many different people. Even though not everyone in the crowd knows each other, the music is what connects them. It was just extraordinary to see the range of fans The Record Company has gathered over the years.

The majority of their set was nine tracks from the new album as well as numerous fan-favorites including “Rita Mae Young”, “Turn Me Loose” and “On the Move”. Near the end of their set, they played two of their most popular songs, “Off The Ground” and “Life To Fix” and the audience went crazy.

The band closed out the show with a cover of “Boom Boom” by John Lee Hooker, which left the audience cheering ecstatically. The Record Company played their hearts out and definitely left Detroit with some new fans. It was a delightful show filled with rock n’ roll and slick guitar solos. I was very lucky to have been in attendance.

To keep up to date with the band and what cities they are playing at, check out their websites

THE RECORD COMPANY

Website: www.therecordcompany.net

Instagram: instagram.com/therecordcompany

Facebook: www.facebook.com/therecordcompany

Twitter: twitter.com/therecordcomp

JJ Wilde

Website: www.jjwilde.com

Instagram: instagram.com/jjwildechild

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jjwildechild

Twitter: twitter.com/jjwildechild

Written by: Samantha Nork, Sonic Live Media

DANCE GAVIN DANCE - Masonic Temple

Photo Credit:

Matthue Cole

Taken at Masonic Temple, Detroit, MI 2021/9/25

 Detroit, MI // September 25, 2021

On April 13, 2020 Dance Gavin Dance (DGD) was set to rock the packed Masonic Temple but, as we all know, that didn’t come to fruition. Instead, Detroit had to wait almost a year and a half for the return of Dance Gavin Dance. After a year and a half of waiting, the road back to touring for DGD didn’t go off as planned.

Band members Tilian and Jon missed shows due to testing positive for Covid-19. The Detroit show at the Masonic Temple was the first time all the band members were healthy but turns out this will also be their last time for this tour.

The night started off hot thanks to performances by Wolf & Bear, Eidola, Veil of Maya, and Polyphia. The crowd went wild when the lights went out and DGD started to play, “Prisoner” from their 2020 album, Afterburner. From the beginning things started off kind of rocky. It was Jon’s first show since testing positive for Covid and there were signs of rust, but he got better as the show went on. The same could not be said, however, about the drummer Matt Mingus. Things really turned for the worse after only the third song of the set, “Son of Robot,” when Matt was coming in late and missing beats. At first I thought it must be due to technical difficulties because knowing how professional and precise Matt is it couldn’t have been his fault but this was not the case.

Towards the end of the song Tilian can be seen visibly upset as he ended up punching a water bottle and slamming a mic stand on the floor before saying, “this is un-f***ing believable guys, our drummer can’t play.” After they concluded playing “Son of Robot,” Matt was kicked off stage and drum tech, Dakota Sammons, filled in to finish the rest of the set.

Even though it started off rocky, the band powered through the setback and managed to give Detroit a solid show. The setlist for this tour was filled with banger after banger, with the show ending with crowd favorite “Inspire the Liars.” People around me were having fun and shouting every clean and unclean vocals back at the band. At the end of the day, Detroit really just wanted to rock to DGD after one and a half years of waiting. 

A few days after the show it was announced that Matt Mingus will be entering rehab and will not be joining the band for the rest of the tour. Speaking of behalf of DGD fans, we just wish the best for Matt and hope he gets through this stronger on the other side.

To keep up to date with the band and what cities they are playing at, check out their websites

DANCE GAVIN DANCE

Website: www.dancegavindanceband.com

Instagram: instagram.com/dancegavindance

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DanceGavinDance

Twitter: twitter.com/DGDtheband

Written by: Paul John Farinas, Sonic Live Media