Warped Tour 2012 Line-Up

Photo courtesy of www.vanswarpedtour.com

Warped Tour is a pretty tell-tale sign that Summer is in the Air. One of the most popular travelling music festivals will be making a stop in Toronto/Mississauga for yet another year. While I've heard some people complain that the lineup has gone downhill over the years, this year has a pretty solid lineup and will probably gather a ton of music fans in the GTA and Ontario area. With only TWO Canadian stops this year, fans can attend Toronto and Montreal or go over the border and see a show or two there.

The feature band this year that will be headlining most of the tour is The Used. No strangers to Warped Tour, there will sure to be a large crowd. The last time they were in Toronto they were performing before thousands at the ACC, so it'll be interesting to see the reaction at Warped. They just released a brand new album this past March so they'll more than likely perform an array of new and old tunes!

Other popular favourites will be New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday and Yellowcard.

This year there is a skew of bands for everybody's taste. While Warped Tour typically showcases bands in the pop-punk-hardcore genre, you'll find an abundance of choice that will suit everybody's tastes.

There are way too many bands to mention (and as Warped Tour gets closer I'll focus more on individual bands), so right now I'm just going to list the faves that I'm excited to see!

All Time Low - Saw them open for Simple Plan this past February. The set was less than ideal at a total of 25 minutes. I need some more All Time Low!

Falling in Reverse - I never heard of these guys until my best friend introduced me to them. They're a little dark but the songs "Caught Like a Fly", "The Drug in Me" and "I'm not a Vampire" are pretty damn good!

Mayday Parade - I've been listening to Mayday ever since I heard them perform with All Time Low back in 2007/08. Their songs are pretty damn good and I can't wait to see them again.

Rise Against - A great rock band. Can't really say more than that.

Ten Second Epic - Followed these guys since they were virtually unknown. I think the last time I saw them perform was in a church for a charity event.  They're Canadian and they're awesome!

The Used - My other best friend made The Used known to my ears. They're pretty awesome and her favourite band so that has to tell you something right!?

Taking Back Sunday - They've been around for years (upon years it seems) so I think you're going to find a lot of old time fans checking these guys out. A perfect punk-alternative sound, they're sure to please quite a few ears!

You Me at Six - First heard these guys at Warped tour in 2010. They're catchy and if it's not your type of music, just listen to them when they speak. Who doesn't enjoy listening to British accents? I sure do!

Tickets went on sale March 30th, so be sure to grab yours while you can!

Keep your eye on my blog for more Warped features on bands starting in late May/early June!

- T

The Lucky One - Review

**Spoilers**

The Lucky One follows Logan Thibault (Zac Efron), a  U.S. Marine Sergeant who managed defy all odds while serving three tours in Iraq and having to watch fellow comrades fall beside him. The reason? Cleaning up after the aftermath of a night raid, Logan is lead to a picture of a beautiful girl in the sands, when not even seconds later (where he was standing) and IED goes off. Ever since discovering the photo and being unable to find it's rightful owner, Logan has had luck where most would have seen tragedies. After returning to the States and being unable to fit in with his family, he begins his search to find this mysterious woman. After searching on the internet, Logan and his trusty companion Zeus travel by foot from Colorado to the small town of Hamden, Louisiana* in search of his guardian angel.

Upon meeting Logan Thibault, Beth (Taylor Schilling) instantly feels reluctant to allow a former Marine into her business, let alone her life. There's something about that distant connection to her brother that has her hesitating and unable to accept Logan.   Beth and her son Ben live in their family home and run a Kennel business with her grandmother Ellie (Blythe Danner). And while Beth can't seem to accept Logan, Ellie instantly hires him to help with the Kennel and things fly off from there. Beth's son Ben becomes easily enthralled with Logan, happy to have a positive influence in his life. Eventually, after warming up to Logan's sweet nature and hard work ethic, Beth finally begins to falter and allows Logan to take apart her wall, brick by brick.

Keith Clayton (Jay R. Ferguson), Beth's ex-husband and Ben's father, is the town's sheriff and takes an instant dislike to Logan's presence. Still possessive over Beth and his son, he does everything possible to keep Logan away. Including snooping through his belongings and revealing Logan's true purpose of being there.

The Lucky One follows the ups and downs of the emotions of accepting the past and moving forward into the future. You'll feel love, heartbreak and maybe even a little bit of anger as Logan re-finds his place in the world and Beth comes to terms with what happened to her brother.

--

I am a hopeless romantic, and I will never, ever deny it. I love being enchanted by a love story that's been brought to life on the big screen. I'll try not  to put all girls into a stereotype, but seriously, what girl doesn't like a good chick flick, and hot guy, to swoon over? The best of the best movies always include all the important variables that make a great film: drama, comedy and of course the romance. While The Lucky One, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, does capture the essence of the book, I was a little disappointed in the lack of connection between Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling. Sure they were playing their individual characters well, but when it came to the romance, the spark seemed to only be a flicker. I felt there could have been so much more between them that could have made for one steamy film. I can't decide though if it was Taylor Schilling herself or something else.

Individually I thought they did a rather awesome job. Sure Efron still has some growing up to do when it comes to his acting skills, but he's a far cry from his days as High School Musical's teen hunk Troy Bolton. He's able to grasp more complex concepts and take on roles that are more mature and allow for a larger audience. And you can't deny that he's definitely "grown" up as well. He is most definitely easy on the eyes and I won't lie, he's definitely one sexy man. I've never heard of Schilling until this movie so I can't really judge her progress, but while her connection with Efron was lacking, I felt she played the role of Ben's mother really well. You could see her passion and love for her child and I only wish she could have done that for the romance.

Overall The Lucky One wasn't an Oscar-nominee worthy made film (then again which Nicholas Sparks inspired movie is?) but it was definitely cute and worth a cheap Tuesday movie night for the girls. The one thing I have no complaints over (besides Efron's beautiful bum) was the soundtrack. I always notice the music, and I quite enjoyed listening to it!

- T

* - Depending on where you get your info from, the plot actually takes place in Hampton, North Carolina (in the novel). In the movie, it's in Hamden Louisiana.

The Hunger Games - Movie Review

**SPOILER ALERT**

I am by no means a professional reviewer, but I do know what I like and what I don't like. Everybody's tastes are different and everybody has different criticisms but in the end it's what you thought that matters most. I am very much the type of girl who reads before I see a movie (in most cases) and this time was no different. The Hunger Games has been a highly anticipated movie ever since they announced that it was going to the big screen. With all the hype from Harry Potter (amazing) to Twilight (not so amazing), it was a toss-up when it came to
whether or not they could pull this off.

The Hunger Games is the first in a series of three books which revolves around a young Katniss Everdeen. A 17-year-old girl trying to keep her family together in a dystopian era after her father was killed in a mining accident. Panem, the world formerly known as North America resides in a totalitarian society where the government rules all and says all. The Hunger Games represents each district's chance to show their loyalty by electing (drawing randomly) a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to represent their district in a fight to the death. Each tribute must show their worth, their cleverness and their loyalty to their district by killing off all the other tributes until there is only one.

The opening scenes show Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and her longtime friend Gale (Liam Hemsworth) hunting in the woods, trying to find food to survive. The sad but simple life that they've lived every day before them. On the day of the "Reaping" Katniss then volunteers herself as tribute when her young sister's name gets called. Bravery and loyalty for her family brought her forth but will she really survive?

 Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) join 22 other tributes in the Capitol of Panem as "star-crossed lovers". At the hint of a past together, they play upon the strings of Panem's heart and become a quick favourite for the games. Throughout the movie you see Katniss' struggle with wanting to survive for her family and not wanting to kill other tributes. But of course survival wins as she fights to save herself from a raging forest fire, a sting from a Tracker Jacker and of course the other Tributes.

I'm sure you all know what the end is like.

As I said there will be critics who liked the movie and critics who don't. I for one thought it was extremely satisfying even if they did miss a few points and didn't really venture off into new territory. I will say the one disappointment was not seeing the "clock" feature that was in the books. Each "section" of the stadium had some sort of heavy-duty natural disaster that affected the outcome of the Tributes and their coruse of play. Yes they did a hint of it with the fire and the creatures at the end, but it in no way encompassed the rest of what happened.  Other than that, the director was very by-the-book. Everything seemed to be in place, including the dialog. The difference I found, between The Hunger Games and Twilight was the level of acting that took place in the movie. Yes it's one thing to have a cast of well known characters, it's a whole other story if they can act. With Jennifer Lawrence in the hotseat coming off her debut from Winter's Bones, she played her character to a T. She got Katniss spot on when it came to her passion, her inner war of right and wrong and her instinct for survival. I could not be any happier with their choice. You also have characters like Cinna (played by a very understated Lenny Kravitz) and President Snow (Donald Sutherland), who may only have had a few minutes of screen time, but helped to build the character of the movie.

The two things that got to me most had to have been the costume design and the score. Besides the acting, if you don't have believable characters then there's no point in having a movie at all. Some people may have found the change in costume from District 12 (drab mining garb) to District 1 (outrageously coloured and bold) a little drastic but if you've read any of the books, you'd understand that the outrageous clothing is exactly what is called for. Not only does it represent that District 1 (also known as the Capitol) is the richest of all the districts but it's also the district that is in control. Same goes for the make-up. While it may have seemed gaudy and unrealistic, it's absolutely perfect.

Anybody can watch a scary movie if you turn off the sound. Have you ever watched a scary movie on mute? You can add your own dialogue and make it your own. You can make it from a horror story to a comedy. The music is always important to me because it's the reason why your heart races or causes you to jump at an extremely intense moment. The score for The Hunger Games was thrilling, passionate and at times sad. You could feel the goosebumps and the pain and everything in between. I don't know about you but I was definitely impressed.

Overall the movie is a great watch, for those who've read the books and for those who haven't. I look forward to seeing the  reviews of fans and the reaction of the film industry. I really hope it gains enough buzz to allow Lionsgate to continue on with the other two books. I think they'll be an excellent series to add to my movie collection!

Taryn

HockeyFest 2012

HockeyFest is a yearly music festival that has only been around for the last three years and has brought some big name bands to the virtually unknown town. With bands like The Trews, My Darkest Days, Martina McBride, Finger Eleven, Our Lady Peace, Three Days Grace and Sublime, each year is gaining more and more popularity with musicians and fans.

It's exciting to see some amazing Canadian and American talent come together to produce three days of great music and this year is no exception. From June 1 - 3 fans can expect to hear from bands like:

Friday June 1

CREED  |  THEORY OF A DEADMAN  | 
PUDDLE OF MUDD  |  BLEEKER RIDGE

Saturday June 2

WEEZER  |  TO BE ANNOUNCED  | 
THE TREWS  |  FOXY SHAZAM

Sunday June 3

MARIANAS TRENCH  |  DOWN WITH WEBSTER  | 
ILLSCARLETT  |  KO

I know I'm pumped for this weekend and you should too if you know what's good for you. A) It's an outdoor festival that brings TONS of fans of music to one spot and B) It's an official kickoff to summer. If you enjoy camping, friends and great music...you won't be disappointed! Check it out!

You are able to purchase tickets at Ticket Scene, or at other participating outlets. Be sure to check out the HockeyFest website for info on the event, camping and other exciting stuff!

Hope to see you there!

Taryn

The Hunger Games Out March 23

Hey friends!

I can't believe that March is almost over already! But with this fabulous weather, winter officially over and summer ahead of us...I'm overjoyed!

Since I'm in such a joyous mood, I'm excited (literally, you have no idea) to say that The Hunger Games is set to be released in theatres across the world THIS FRIDAY! I'm a big fan of the books and after hearing/reading all of the reviews on the movie, I'm extremely excited to see the movie once it hits the big screen!

With all the hype of the Main boys coming to New.Music.Live. at Much Music on Monday and the Toronto premiere monday night, the city of Toronto as well as the rest of the world

So I know I can't review it (not yet anyways), but I thought I would post the trailer just to create some excitement! Feel free to comment and let me know how excited you are too!

Shipwrecked: Hedley Make Their Way to Toronto

Call me biased because I'm a fan, but I have never been disappointed with a performance by Hedley. I've seen them MANY times over the last seven (yes SEVEN) years and I always come out with a big smile. Maybe it's because their music has been there when others haven't, or when tough times really got me down, but I've come to love these guys like I've ever loved any other band.

This last minute concert (literally... I found out six hours before I was supposed to be there), was definitely not a disappointment. While I missed the opening acts, Hedley made up for that with an upbeat, energetic and sincere performance that had all 6000+ girls - and some guys of course - screaming (and probably crying) for their 95 minute set last night at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Where I was seated I had a full view of the ACC and ALL the fans that were accumulated there. While it was only the Lower Bowl seating plan, it was filled to the brim and full of passionate, and loving Hedley fans. It was amazing to see the camaraderie, the love and the excitement that filled the arena. Signs were everywhere, some including "It's my FIRST concert", and "I love Hedley". As much as I've been with them since the beginning, I love to see all the new (and younger) fans who have come to love them as much as I do. As much as I don't like sharing with people, the world needs to look out because Hedley is going to wash up on their doorstep.

As another reviewer at toronto.com states, they leaned heavily on their recent album when it came to performing songs. Well...duh. The tour is called "Shipwrecked" and focuses on their 2011 release of Storms. The album focuses mainly on inspirational lyrics and music while providing soulful ballads and upbeat songs that will definitely have you dancing on your feet. Focusing on their singles One Life and Invisible as well as songs such as Hot Mess, Bullet for your Dreams, Beautiful, Heaven's Gonna Wait, and Darling (I Won't Let You Go). My favourite part of the evening (even though they did sing my fave Never Too Late), was the fabulous performance of All You Get is Sound. Watching the stage as well as the big screen, you could tell that Jake Hoggard was putting a lot of passion behind the lyrics. It was soulful and sweet.

Keeping to their roots though they filled the arena with favourites like 321 (opening song), On My Own and Trip. Adding favourites like For the Night I Can't Remember, Never Too Late and Old School rounded up the evening and making it a fun-filled show.

They are currently finishing up their tour after a week off and some postponed shows due to Jake becoming sick and unable to perform. They're onto some western dates before hitting up Toronto and Ottawa again for Canadian Music Week (ChumFM's Fanfest) and then the 2012 Juno Awards where they are nominated for 4 Juno awards as well as performing once again for the second year in a row. They'll go back to Quebec and Eastern Canada to make-up their missed dates and make their loyal fans extremely happy! I'm sure the summer will bring lots of exciting Hedley moments and I'm pleased to find out that Hedley will kick of the summer with opening for Weezer at Brantford's HockeyFest in early June! I can't wait to spend the weekend with the boys as well as some amazing musical acts!

Keep Calm and Play Hedley
Taryn

To find out more info about their tour, head to their website or follow them on twitter! (@tommymac1, @daverosin, @jacobhoggard, @chriscrippin)

Stop KONY 2012

It's unbelievable at how fast something can spread if people are passionate about it. Our world is full of technology and that is part of the reason why it's so great to live in the 21st century. People can share ideas, create commotion and  initiate action all with the click of a button. And today is no different.

It's weird because as I was watching Machine Gun Preacher tonight, the online world blew up with the video that can and will change 2012. It's crazy at what goes on in this world but for nobody to know about it is even crazier. Joesph Kony has been a Guerrilla group leader for more than 26 years. For 26 years he's been kidnapping and forcing children to become apart of his army so he can keep his "power". That's right, he's forcing children to murder, mutilate and become a criminal just because he wants to be more powerful. Young boys are being forced to wield guns and shoot their parents and other people while young girls are being forced to be raped and become the wives of military men.

Does this seem right to you? When you think of children do you automatically think of war?

It's insane that it's only really gaining light now, but let's make 2012 a year to remember. Let's help gain the attention of international leaders and even followers so we can help put Kony behind bars and free children so they may actually know what a childhood looks like.

On April 20th at sundown people all over the world are gathering to "cover the night" their hometowns in Kony 2012 posters to make sure people are aware of what is going on. Look for events on facebook, listen by word of mouth, or create your own event. Even if you are just one person, you can and will make a difference. The world is such a brutal place these days, why not make it a little bit better. If not for you, think about your future generations.

Watch this video. Share this post. Do anything you can in YOUR power to make a difference. Let's STOP KONY.

For more information, to purchase your t-shirt or action kit, visit www.kony2012.com

I know where I'll be April 20th.

Let's do this.