I’ll start off with a little background history. For about a year or so now, my friend Megan Grebitus (there’s your shout out) and I have been emailing new music back and forth and sending each other CDs chock full of new rock music. Meanwhile, my brother and sister, Zack and Maggie Conner, have been pretty in tune to new rock bands since they started going to Lollapalooza in Chicago over the past 4 years and have, in turn, become the main source in keeping me up-to-date. New Music Wednesday became official with an email exchange between Megan, her little sister Jaime, and I this past September 16th (yes…historical dates must be documented). Since then, we’ve added Mags, Zack and even Lindsey Grebitus to the mix in order to form the most musically-charged, hybrid family on the face of the planet — The Gronners. On top of my weekly blog, expect to see regular contributions from each member of the fam.
I’m going to kick it off with an untraditional, short playlist of new stuff worth checking out:
1. Heavy Cross by GOSSIP. They’re a band from Arkansas that launched in 2000. They just released a live record/DVD called “Live in Liverpool” and are currently working on their new LP.
2. Alive with the Glory of Love by Say Anything. A punk/pop band straight from Hollywood. They’ve been around since 2004 and are getting ready to release their newest (3rd) album on November 3rd.
3. Belle of the Boulevard by Dashboard Confessional. No need to elaborate, you know who they are. They’ve just been MIA for a little while. New CD (Alter the Ending) to drop on November 10th.
4. Dreaming of You by War Tapes. In my opinion, they sound like a pop/rock band straight out of the late 80s or early 90s. They’re from all over the U.S., took off in 2006, and will release their first full-length album in May.
5. Don’t Believe a Word by Third Eye Blind. I thought this was worth adding to the list since they haven’t released a new album since 2003. Not to mention the fact that they’ve always been one of my favorite bands. I can still listen to their old stuff on repeat for days. I was highly disappointed by their single “Non-Dairy Creamer” on their Red Star EP, which was released last November. When will celebs learn that their fame is not a soapbox for their political opinions? But so far, they’ve redeemed themselves with this song. Now, I’ll just have to see whether or not the rest of their new CD, Ursa Major (released this past August), can live up to their legacy. Don’t disappoint me, boys.
Feel free to leave opinions on these songs/bands, other work by these bands, and even new stuff by totally different bands.
Rock on, peeps.
