Our Last Night

It’s always awesome when you unintentionally discover a lesser-known artist or band. Spotify is a fantastic platform to expand your musical horizons even if it’s only within your preferred music genre(s). I’m picky when it comes to rock covers of popular songs. Several months ago, Spotify recommended a cover of Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” by a band called Our Last Night. I’d never heard of this band. I had no idea what to expect. After listening to their cover song, I was pleasantly surprised. It was much heavier sound than majority of my other rock bands. Yet, I liked it. The band name doesn’t give any indication of which rock sub-genre it is. This piqued curiosity to check out more of Our Last Night’s music.

Post-hardcore is on the heavier end of the rock spectrum. It’s only a few steps away from metal. Technically, it is considered a sub-genre of punk called hardcore punk. I’m no stranger to punk rock genre. I’ve been listening to pop punk and emo genres since I was a teenager. Hardcore punk maintains the fast-upbeat tempo and creative expression of punk rock while simultaneously incorporating a more aggressive, loud sound tone. Also, there is often sporadic bursts of screamed vocals. There is a mixture of clean and unclean vocals in post-hardcore genre. The best of both worlds.

I explored Our Last Night’s other cover songs and original songs. Their music quickly grew on me. They are much lesser-known then the other more mainstream hardcore punk bands I listen to. In a way, it makes them an underdog to keep a close eye on. They will eventually break into the ranks of mainstream post-hardcore bands. They honestly have so much potential. It’s only a matter of time.

(From left to right: Woody, Tim, Trevor, and Matt)

I’ll give some background about Our Last Night. It was co-created by two brothers, Trevor and Matthew Wentworth, in early 2004 in Hollis, New Hampshire. Trevor and Matt are co-lead vocalists. Trevor provides both clean and unclean vocals. I like his screaming style. I’m quite picky when it comes to screamed vocals. Also, Matt plays the electric guitar, piano and keyboards. Matt is the lyricist for the band’s original songs. Trevor sometimes plays the guitar for acoustic songs. Alex aka Woody is the bass guitarist and provides backing vocals. Tim is the drummer. Their current line-up includes a total of four members since 2006.

Our Last Night has released four studio albums. Their debut album, The Ghosts Among Us, came out in March 2008. Their sophomore album, We Will All Evolve, came out in May 2010. Their first albums feature more unclean vocals given off a more metalcore vibe. Age of Ignorance, the third album, came out in June 2013. Their music style transitions from metalcore to post-hardcore after their third studio album. Younger Dreams came out in June 2015. The band has come out with many EPs as well. In terms of their original songs, Oak Island and Selective Hearing are most notably my favorite of their EPs. Oak Island was released in 2013. Selective Hearing is their latest EP which released in June 2017. I highly recommend checking out their full-band covers of pop songs on their official YouTube channel as well.

Our Last Night’s music has drastically evolved over the past 14 years. I’m more biased to post-hardcore style than metalcore style. I prefer sporadic bursts of screamed vocals over sustained screamed vocals. They have beautifully blended hardcore and melodic pop music styles together in their music after 2012.

I usually see well-known bands in concert. AFI. Fall Out Boy. Paramore. Panic! at the Disco. Switchfoot. Black Veil Brides. Lifehouse. Asking Alexandria. Apart from three, I’ve seen the rest of these bands two or three times live in concert over the years. I wanted to switch things up. To see lesser-known bands before they break into mainstream hardcore scene.  I discovered Our Last Night was launching a US tour for their new EP album, Selective Hearing. One of the tour dates was coming nearby me. Best of all, Baltimore Soundstage is a small, intimate venue compared to other concert venues I’ve checked out. My ticket for Our Last Night’s Selective Hearing tour came to $25 with fees! That’s super cheap! The last time I paid $25 for a concert ticket was for mtvU’s Sunblock music festival with Boys Like Girls, The Academy Is, The Veronicas, Never Shout Never, and Kid Cudi back in July 2009 at Pier 6 Pavilion venue. Over the past couple years, I find myself often buying concerts 3-6 months in advance. This is a good thing especially since almost all the dates on Selective Hearing tour were sold out concerts.

I was bubbling with excitement the weeks leading up the Our Last Night concert on March 23, 2018. There are certain rock genres I’m skeptical how they sound live in concert. Post-hardcore is one of these genres. But I wasn’t worried about Our Last Night not sounding as good as on their recorded albums. The day of the concert finally arrived. I love Friday evening concerts. It starts off the weekend in a kick-ass way.

My $25 ticket was part of a “buy one, bring one guest free” promotion Baltimore Soundstage had on select concerts during Black Friday period. Also, I was eligible for a free meet and greet session with Our Last Night. How could I say no to such an incredible opportunity?! I had planned on going solo for the concert. Very few of my friends appreciate post-hardcore rock sub-genre. My longtime friend, Erika, and I share many music genre interest in terms of rock music. I decided to bring her as my free guest to the Our Last Night concert. Concerts are more fun when you can share the experience with someone who has similar music taste.

I literally got off work and ran to make it in time for the designated time for the meet and greet session. There were about 100-ish people in line. I wasn’t expecting that many people. It was a mixture of people who had been longtime fans and new fans of Our Last Night’s music. Baltimore Soundstage staff was efficient in ensuring only those on the list got in for the meet and greet. After waiting in line for one hour, the doors opened and we were allowed into the venue. Our Last Night band members were standing spread out in the “pit” section. There wasn’t really any strict protocol except politely wait in line until it is your turn to talk with the band members. I wasn’t sure we’d get much chance to converse with them seeing with how many people came for the meet and greet session. Matt, Trevor, Woody, and Tim made effort to have actual conversation with each of us in line. I was quite impressed. We had an hour for the meet and greet session. I wasn’t actually nervous when it came to my turn to meet the guys. They’re super chill and awesome people. I told them how thanks to Spotify I randomly discovered their music. Also, I had candid conversation with each of them. Each of them autographed my concert ticket and took a photo with me. (Side note: They give great hugs too. I’m usually not a huggy person. But I make some exceptions of course.)

Another perk of the meet and greet session was we got to choose our spots for the concert before general admission people streamed into the venue. I no longer get an adrenaline rush being in the “pit” standing area right by the main stage. First of all, I actually want to get photos and simultaneously not worrying about fending for my own safety. I honestly have no desire to know what it is like to be in a most pit. I had no doubt there would be one for a post-hardcore concert. It ain’t an uncommon occurrence. Erika and I chose to stand more in the middle of the venue. This area was slightly elevated compared to the ground level standing area. We had much better overhead view of the stage. Also, the acoustics are generally better farther away from the stage. Baltimore Soundstage is a small, intimate venue so everyone can have great view of the stage no matter where you stand in the place.

The opening bands for Our Last Night were Jule Vera, Don Broco, and I The Mighty. Surprisingly, one of Abercrombie & Fitch’s store playlist featured a Jule Vera song called “Bad Company”. Otherwise, I’d never heard of any of the other two opening bands. But I had an open-mind when listening to the bands’ music. I liked them all. Out of the three opening bands, I really enjoyed Don Broco’s set the most. They have a quirky musical style. I’m excited to see Don Broco again at Vans Warped tour in July.

One perk of smaller concert venues is being able to meet the bands for free. I decided to check out the merchandise table before Our Last Night went on stage. This was right after Don Broco’s set and before I The Mighty’s set.  I was sad there wasn’t any Don Broco merchandise. At Our Last Night’s table, I purchased a Selective Hearing tour tee ($25) and two CDs ($10). I accidentally bumped into someone on the way back to my spot. It turned out to be Don Broco’s lead singer, Rob Damiani. I apologized first before proceeding to chat a few minutes with him. He was so chill. I also took a photo with Rob before heading back to my spot.

It was finally time for Our Last Night’s set! Not surprising there was a mosh pit at some point of their performance. That’s why I didn’t want to be too close to the main stage. Trevor mainly provide commentary between songs. At one point, Woody, the bassist, crowd surfed from the stage to the bar and back to the stage. It was quite impressive. Our Last Night certainly know how to energetically engage the crowd. This sold out concert date had approximately 1,000 to 1,100 attendees. Despite the small stage, Our Last Night sounds amazing live! I love when a band/artist sound even better live than on their recorded albums.

Our Last Night performed a jam-packed 15 song setlist. Most of the songs were from their recent Selective Hearing EP. There was mixture of songs from Younger Dreams and Oak Island albums. The setlist even included two cover songs.

Our Last Night Baltimore Soundstage setlist

 

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Our Last Night is an up-and-coming post-hardcore band to tabs on. I have no doubt they’ll break into mainstream hardcore scene eventually in time. Our Last Night has gained a new fan. I’m glad I randomly discovered them through Spotify’s Release Radar playlist. Life is full of surprises. I eagerly look forward to their upcoming original and cover songs. Also, I’ll definitely see them again live in concert when their next tour comes nearby me.

 

My Chemical Romance

Back in middle school, “scene” genre was considered part of mainstream popular music. Oh the nostalgia when rock music was played on the Top 40 radio. It saddens me I didn’t begin to explore the “scene” genre until 2008. At this point, this genre’s popularity was slowly waning within mainstream music. Rock was beginning to become a niche music genre again.

My Chemical Romance released their third studio album, The Black Parade, back in October 2006. The Black Parade is essentially a rock opera album. I was well-aware of this band’s popularity among my fellow school peers. Yet, I wasn’t willing to give this band a chance. It wasn’t the right time in my life.

My love for rock genre music has exponentially grown since 2006. Of course I only discovered some “scene” artists several years later. In certain circumstances, time better allows you to embrace something with a more open-mind perspective. I can now approach certain pop-punk artists from the mid-2000s I had previously refused to listen to. My Chemical Romance definitely falls into this category.

One of my college friends is a huge fan of My Chemical Romance. She had often recommended this band to me. She swore they fit well within my rock genre musical taste. But I was still very hesitant.

So what exactly convinced me to listen to My Chemical Romance’s music? In short, my obsession with Andy Black’s solo album, The Shadow Side, played a key role. On Andy Black’s solo album, the co-founders of My Chemical Romance, Gerard Way and Mikey Way, contributed to the track “Louder Than Your Love”. Gerard co-wrote the song lyrics. Mikey played bass guitar parts for the song. Somehow, this finally convinced to listen to My Chemical Romance. I cannot even tell you the reason why for this sudden, impromptu decision. Only took me ten years before I was willing to give this band’s music a chance. It is strange how some things work out.

I listen to my fair share of rock bands. Generally, I’ve gotten used to tenor vocal ranges when it comes to lead vocalists. Yet, I can still differentiate the various tenor vocals among the lead singers of my bias bands. Of course, some lead vocalists have unique singing vocals. Black Veil Bride’s Andy Biersack and My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way falls into this category. Andy Biersack has a beautifully deep raspy baritone vocal tone. Gerard Way has an intriguing sing-screaming tenor vocal tone. Both are definitely acquired tastes and not everyone’s cup of tea.

Almost two weeks ago, I began my journey to discover My Chemical Romance’s music on Spotify. They have an extensive selection of their full studio albums, live albums, and EP albums. Best of all, they have all the uncensored versions of their songs. Censorship of profanity in bias rock band’s music is one of my biggest pet peeves. Among my bias rock artists, there isn’t that much strong profanity overall. Typically “clean” versions of explicit rock songs are pretty shitty. It doesn’t even properly edit out the swear word. You can still figure out what the swear word is despite the censorship within the song. Apologies for that slightly off-topic rant.

Anyway, I created a My Chemical Romance playlist on my Spotify. I was a bit thrown off by the sing-screaming vocals of Gerard Way at first. Some of lead singers in my favorite rock bands have sing-screaming vocals. Red, Linkin Park. AFI, Black Veil Brides, Thirty Seconds to Mars, and Three Days Grace to name a few. But nothing quite like Gerard Way’s vocals. His sing-screaming vocals are distinctive. Pretty clean cut in regards of easily making out the lyrics in MCR’s songs. But not so refined it feels too polished. Yet, it conveys a wide range of intensely raw emotions. Not only different types of frustrated or angry emotions. After two or three days, I got accustomed to the lead singer’s unique vocals.

Now I comprehend why people love My Chemical Romance. Out of most “scene” genre artist, this band has heavier tones injected into their music. I tend to gravitate to bands whose music has darker undertones. Even many years later, I cannot explain why this is the case with some of my rock genre music. Some things in life are just inexplicable conundrums. Anyway, I’ve really come to love My Chemical Romance’s music. I don’t necessarily have strong connection with their song lyrics. Although, My Chemical Romance meets the three essential elements I look for in rock music. Beautifully complex layering of instrumental sound, emotionally-charged vocals, and confessional lyrics. Also, not too repetitive lyrics or song beat. These are more than enough reasons for me to become very attached to a band. In addition, I really love the creative cinematic theatrics incorporated into their music videos. Not many of my “scene” bands have included theatrical elements into their music. The exception to this are AFI, Panic! at the Disco, and Fall Out Boy.

Sadly, My Chemical Romance officially announced their disbandment back in March 2013. Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys was MCR’s last full studio album before their disbandment. Following their break-up, the band released their greatest hits collection album, May Death Never Stop You. in March 2014. This greatest hits collection album included content spanning their 12 years music career and one unreleased single track titled “Fake Your Death”.

MCR recently posted an extremely cryptic video teaser promoting the date of September 23, 2016. This sent fans into a frenetic frenzy. People basically assumed the band was reuniting. Nope. Not the case at all. My Chemical Romance later revealed the significance of September 23, 2016.

In honor of its 10th anniversary, The Black Parade album will be re-issued as a deluxe edition. This version will include The Black Parade’s full-length album along with never-before content such as 11 demos and outtakes from the album’s original recording session. The actual 10th anniversary is October 23, 2016. I shall be eagerly looking forward to their The Black Parade/Living With Ghosts album.

Unfortunately, I have the tendency to discover some bands after they’ve officially broken up. Just my luck. Now I will never have the opportunity to see My Chemical Romance live in concert. I shall vicariously live through concert videos posted on YouTube. Also, I have Spotify to get My Chemical Romance music fix. That is more than enough to make me content. Overall, My Chemical Romance has earned a new fan even if I’m very late to the party.

 

Rock Music

I didn’t grow up listening to rock music. Middle school was truly when music became an integral part of my life. It wasn’t until 2006 I discovered the rock genre. There is a three way tie with artist/band who introduced me to this particular music genre. Skillet’s Comatose album. Three Days Grace’s One-X album. AFI’s Decemberunderground album. 2006 was a pivotal year that left an indelible impact on my musical taste. This would shape my music preference as a teenager along with well into adulthood years.

In my previous blog post, it recounted of my discovery of AFI thanks to Smallville’s episode 6.09 titled “Subterranean”. YouTube’s debut in 2005 was monumental for the music industry. People had more access to music from their favorite artists and bands. It wasn’t until 2006 I regularly used this video-sharing website. Around this time, Smallville and Gossip Girl were my TV show obsessions. Fandom subculture was further perpetuated within society thanks to technological advances of the internet. YouTube was one of the leading technological platforms which influenced the fandom subculture. TV show fan-made YouTube videos related to Smallville and Gossip Girl was my official introduction to Three Days Grace and Skillet.

100 Years of Rock Music’s Evolution (Infographic)

Rock music has a plethora of sub-genres. Further sub-genres continue to proliferate within the rock genre still to this day. My rock music interest lays mainly in “scene” genre. Although, some of my rock bands are on the heavier spectrum in terms of musical style. So they don’t exactly go into the “scene” categorization. Over the past 10 years, I’ve broadened my music horizons and discovered many more rock artists. Way too many to list. Often, I’ve branched out to other rock artists as a result of influences from my friends or social environment.

My bias rock bands are usually categorized in 3-5 sub-genres. It gets so confusing to keep track of what genre classifications my artists fit into. Cumulatively, my favorite rock bands have many genre labels. Pop punk rock. Alternative rock. Christian alternative rock. Nu-metal. Hardcore punk. Alternative metal. Progressive rock. Symphonic metal. Hard rock. Post-hardcore. Electronic rock. Gothic metal. Punk rock. Glam metal. Emo pop rock.

Over the past few years, I’ve adopted the philosophy of keeping genre classifications as broad as possible. I’m not even sure of the exact distinction between sub-genres at times. Some sub-genres sound too similar to me.

Also, certain rock sub-genres are surrounded with much stigma and inaccurate assumptions. It promotes a closed-minded, ignorant outlook on certain types of music. Those alone can cause a person to not give an artist or band a chance. This is why if people ask about my bands I keep genre labels as very general. Not using very niche sub-genre classifications. I will only do this with individuals who are already familiar with the particular niche sub-genre. Sometimes, sub-genres constrict people from generating more vast variety among their artists. It will pleasantly surprise you what artists/bands you discover when you embrace a more open-minded perspective. This is certainly true when it comes to my rock genre artists.

I tend to gravitate towards emotionally-charged rock with confessional lyrics about life in general. The moments of joy, frustration, hope, and sorrow to name a few emotions. Cliché concepts don’t bother me too much as long it is brilliantly executed within the song’s lyrics and musical style.

Lately, I’ve contemplated what drew me to my favorite rock bands. Often, people’s attachment to an artist or band revolves around emotional connection to song lyrical content. This is not case for majority of my rock bands. What a fascinating conundrum. Then why do I still listen to my bias rock bands many years later? I look for three essential elements in my rock music. Beautifully complex layering of drums and guitars, emotionally-charged vocals, and confessional lyrics. Not too repetitive lyrics or song beat. I want to be able to tell my rock songs apart. Often, this cannot be said about pop genre music.

To date, there are only three rock bands who have invoked such strong emotional connection from me through their confessional lyrics. Skillet, Three Days Grace, and Black Veil Brides. Also, they have a much heavier rock sound incorporated into their music. Times when I’m experiencing any sort of anger, frustration, or sorrow I’ll listen to heavier tone rock music from my hardcore genre artists.

I do listen to other music genres like soundtrack, Asian pop, and smidgen of mainstream pop. Yet I don’t listen to these genres as frequently compared to rock music. I can listen to my beloved rock artists regardless of my mood. Also, his particular music genre is extremely therapeutic. Over the past 10 years, my love for rock genre music keeps exponentially growing. It never gets old. Only getting better with age like a fine wine.

Emo Rock

Mainstream music has drastically evolved since I was a child in the 90’s. I have always loved music but it didn’t become a prevalent part of my life until late-elementary school. Yet it wasn’t until around 2006 or 2007 I even discovered the rock genre. In fact, “emo” genre was my official introduction to the world of rock music. This realization only recently dawned on me.

I won’t go into detail about the history of emo rock genre. You can always consult Wikipedia if you want to learn more about this genre’s history. Emo rock genre is often associated as emotionally-charged punk or hardcore rock music with confessional song lyrics. I remember emo rock becoming part of mainstream culture around mid-2000s. Essentially this music genre has been a prevalent part of my life from middle school to high school years. Emo rock genre’s mainstream popularity began to decline around early 2010s.

I don’t know what exactly prompted my interest in emo rock music. It is a tie between my social environments and TV shows. AFI and Fall Out Boy were my official introduction to emo rock genre.

First, I’ll elaborate how TV shows influenced my music tastes. My love for science-fiction superhero genre TV shows and movies was rapidly growing during this time. In 2006, I randomly discovered The CW’s Smallville as I was casually browsing the television channels. X-men trilogy and original Spider-man trilogy movies had formed an unintentional bias to Marvel universe. Yet, Smallville was my official introduction to DC universe. I will discuss my Smallville obsession in another blog post at a later date. This particular show had a fantastic selection of music incorporated into its episodes. Smallville is the reason it introduced me to many great artists and bands between 2006 and 2011. I can tell you the exact moment my interest in AFI was sparked. Smallville season 6 episode 9 which was titled “Subterranean”. In the final scene of this episode, it brilliantly depicts the villainous, bad-assery of Lex Luthor. AFI’s song “Prelude 12/21” plays in the background of this final scene. The song plays only for 1 minute long in the episode, but it made quite the lasting impression on me. This prompted me to check out AFI’s new album, Decemberunderground.

Second, I’ll elaborate how social environments influenced my music tastes. In 2005, Fall Out Boy released their sophomore album, Under A Cork Tree. This band was most popular when I was in middle school. There was excessive hype surrounding them. I’d frequently hear my fellow peers talk about them throughout the school week. Fall Out Boy was frequently featured in many teen magazines as well. All these factors shaped my outright refusal to not listen to them. I had a close acquaintance who was very much obsessed with this band. Shakira made it her mission to convert me to their music. It was uphill struggle for a while as I continued to refuse to give them a chance. One day I couldn’t deal with the constant badgering and caved to her demands by listening to some songs from Under A Cork Tree. I was pleasantly surprised by Fall Out Boy’s music. But I wouldn’t exactly call myself a fan. Their third album, Infinity on High, was released in 2007. Typically, you gained access to your favorite artists’ music was by physically owning their CD albums. Or having a friend burn a CD for you. CD albums are an outmoded concept to any Generation Z kids born after mid-2000s. Anyway, I randomly picked up Fall Out Boy’s Infinity on High album from my local library. My former reluctance to listen to their music a couple years prior had completely vanished. I fell head over heels in love with Infinity on High album. Fall Out Boy had gained a new fan.

AFI and Fall Out Boy had formed my appreciation for the emo rock. Yet I only began to listen to this music genre around 2008-2009. Emo rock was slowly losing popularity within mainstream music. I’m pretty sure this was the main reason I decided to venture into this genre. Apparently I was a borderline hipster in my early teenage years.

107 Emo Bands You Knew About Before Anyone Else

Wikipedia’s List of Emo Artists

In July 2009, I attended my first concert. mtvU’s SunBlock Festival line-up had Boys Like Girls as the headliner with supporting acts of The Academy Is, Never Shout Never, The Veronicas, and Gym Class Heroes. My main motivation to go for SunBlock Festival was to see The Veronicas. Yet this music festival formed my appreciation for Boys Like Girls and The Academy Is. I attended another mtvU music festival in October 2009. mtvU’s Ulalume Festival line-up had Paramore as the headliner with supporting acts of AFI, Dead by Sunrise, and Kid Cudi. I was super excited to see AFI in concert. I had been avidly listening to AFI since 2006. In preparation for Ulalume Festival, I listened to Paramore’s newest album, Brand New Eyes. I was very impressed. These two music festivals strengthened my love for emo punk/ hardcore genre.

I mentioned earlier how Fall Out Boy was my official introduction to emo rock. Fueled by Ramen label enabled me to discover other similar bands within this particular genre. The Academy Is. Paramore. Cobra Starship. This occurred between 2008 and 2009. It wasn’t until 2011 that I discovered Panic! at the Disco. That’s a long story for another blog post.

I formed my love for emo rock from 2008-2010. It was surprising the wide variety of artists I’d discovered within this genre. Because of my closed-minded attitude, I joined this party late. This deeply saddens me still to this day. I missed a golden opportunity to meet others who had similar music interests to me. Throughout middle school and high school, not many of my friends were fans of rock music. My love for rock genre really intensified in high school. It wasn’t until college I found friends who shared similar rock music interests. Emo rock helped me branch out to rock sub-genres like hardcore, post-hardcore, nu-metal, and symphonic metal. What I love about these rock genres it has beautiful storytelling in their songs. It addressed the ups and down moments of life. Also, there is emotional depth in terms of lyrical content. Most of all, the beautifully complex layering of music and vocals within the songs. These are all elements seriously lacking in mainstream music over the past five years.

Emo music scene perpetuated the “emo” look. This fashion style varied from clean-cut to more punk. The most prominent aspect of emo fashion was the hairstyle. Short, choppy layered flat-ironed hairstyle with side-swept bangs covering one or both eyes. Hair color could be standard black, brown, or blonde to the opposite spectrum of various bright colors like blue, pink, purple, or red. Excessive amounts of black worn are often associated with “emo” fashion. Darker shades of eye-shadow and heavy eyeliner are part of this make-up regiment. You can’t forget the staple of this look. Tight skinny jeans and band tees. Often, there was confusion between emo and goth fashion styles.

It never ceases to amaze me the negative stigma surrounding the term “emo”. This never bothered me much when I was discovering this particular genre. As I grew older, the inaccurate stereotypes surrounding emo subculture really pissed me off. I personally love emo rock genre, but I’ve never dressed emo. I describe my fashion style as nerdy chic with hint of preppy. Although, I do prefer incorporating darker shades of colors into my outfits. I own a fair amount of band t-shirts as well. Stereotypes about someone solely based off their music tastes or fashion should be eliminated within our society.

Stereotypes promote a “us versus them” mentality. This perpetuates a closed-minded attitude toward life. I firmly believe stereotypes are divisive tools that don’t teach people to love others for their differences. We should embrace diverse personalities, music tastes, and fashion styles. Not be judgmental about a person’s differences. Variety makes the world a beautiful place. Therefore, I’ve come to passionately hate the term “emo” regardless if it refers to people or music. My deep hatred for the term “emo” is the reason I refer to emotionally charged punk rock music as part of the “scene” genre.

Quite frankly I’d rather listen to music within scene, hardcore, post-hardcore, nu-metal, symphonic metal, and alternative rock sub-genres. It is like a fine wine…it gets better with age. I’ve been listening to the many of my rock bands for nearly 6-10 years. The quality of mainstream music has drastically declined over the years. I can tolerate no more than 1% of mainstream music. This is why I all together stopped listening to Top 40 radio stations several years ago. Basically I rely on iTunes, YouTube, and Spotify to listen to music.