#This band has such an insane lineup

[minstrel-in-the-gallery]

Why YOU should get into jethro Tull!!

You’ll never run out of things to listen to, with over 200 songs and 23 studio albums!

Each album has a slightly different genre to the last, you can go from blues to prog to folk to hard rock!

Every single member is so darn cute 😭 that’s like an added extra bonus

They’re pretty too 🥰

They have about 1,034,264 line up changes, so you never run out of new musicians to obsess over!

You gain a new friend (me!) and a close knit community on tumblr of regular Tull posters (again, me!)

No one else knows them, yet somehow they were one of the top ranking bands in the 70s. Flex on your family and friends with your cool knowledge! For example, did you know Jethro Tull is in fact not a the lead band member, but rather the name of the band? Cool stuff right 😎

1979 😐

They have amazing musicianship! They’re insanely talented, and absolutely blow your socks off in live performances. Give “Bursting out”, their live album from 1978 a listen, or chuck on a concert from YouTube!

Where should I start?

Well, that depends on you! Because each album is so different, it can be hard to choose. Here are a few helping notes to consider

The 70s were their peak era, any album from this time is gold! Songs from the wood, Heavy Horses and Stormwatch are known as the folk trio. Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play are proggy concept albums. Aqualung is super rocking, Minstrel is acoustic and This Was is blues. Venturing into the 80s and beyond may not be wise for the first time, unless you really like your synth.

Whose who? What’s all this I hear about lineups?

Jethro Tull went through a lot of personnel. Some names you might keep hearing are

Ian Anderson. He’s the main guy, and he’s on every album. Does the flute, singing and weird faces

Martin Barre. Guitarist for almost every album except the first! (And the last 2 but we don’t talk about that.) literal cutest person in the world. His middle name is Lancelot, for crying out loud

Barriemore Barlow. Drummer from ‘72-‘79, insanely talented, loves his short shorts and singlets (in red). Was favoured as a replacement for Bonham in Zeppelin.

John Evan. Piano player, half insane half beautiful mermaid person thing??? His fursona is a rabbit and has a habit of chucking stoves out the windows.

Basically, you can’t go wrong! Enjoy this train wreck of a band <3 (and if I don’t see any Tull dedicated blogs popping up in the next 24 hours I’m hitting someone over the head with my flute)

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

The Origins, Ramsay Fiction & The Confusing Mishmash of Everything Before Fix Me - A Marianas Trench Retrospective

Okay, so my post got likes, but I only got one actual response from anyone, agreeing with me on the fact they like things in chronological order. So, I guess it's time to talk about the bands early days, eh?

The truth of the matter is, the band as many know them started in late 2003 and early 2004. Anything before that gets placed in this weird murky middle section with a name change, members leaving, and also a complete and utter mess of when Ramsay Fiction came to an end and where Marianas Trench begins. We have located a demo disk from 2001 with the Marianas name on it, but we also don't have any dates as to when certain things were recorded or uploaded onto MP3.com.

Here's what we do know: Josh Ramsay, a teenager dealing with both an addiction to heroin and an eating disorder, loved music from a young age. His father owned a recording studio, and his mother was a vocal coach. Music was literally in his blood, but even though the two had connections into the industry and everything, he set out to make it into the business on his own. And he knew one thing for certain: He DID NOT want to be a solo act, he wanted to be in a band.

The issue for Josh was getting that band together. At first, it was him and his sister Sara (backup vocals), her then boyfriend and later husband Trevor Spilchen (on bass, even though he was a guitar player), Josh's friend Steve Marshall (on guitar and backup vocals, despite being a BASSIST), and a rotating list of drummers, eventually finding Ian Casselman in a series of classifieds in a newspaper late into the bands life. This lineup didn't last long, as once Sara became pregnant with her and Trevor's first kid, they stepped aside... leading to 2 new members joining: Josh's friend Matt Webb (originally a keyboardist), and Steve's pal Morgan Hempstead (the man who bestowed them the Marianas Trench name). It's tough to say who plays what on a lot of the Ramsay Fiction tracks that make up Cooler Than Me, as I think they come from two different recording sessions, if not more. Same goes for a lot of the self-titled EP work too, as we know at least two tracks from that era, an early recording of Fix Me, and a early recording of Skin & Bones, were both first made public to people in 2004... months after Steve and Morgan left, and Mike Ayley joined the group after getting to know everyone as Ian's roommate.

In fact, for the longest time, a lot of the Ramsay Fiction stuff was lost media, songs that nobody outside of a rare few had ever heard. As of April 1st this year, this is no longer the case, and all the songs have been found and preserved (yes, even PMS... despite it being taken off Youtube, has been saved.)

To talk about these songs is hard. There's definitely a lot of emotion and pain in these tracks, and the overall sound is very 90's, going for more of heavy grunge and alternate rock sound, very reminiscent of Matthew Goode. But you can also hear those other elements creep in from other acts Josh has referenced time and time throughout in small snippets. The biggest thing holding a lot of these songs back is a mix of production (which is still insanely impressive for the time period and the fact it was done by a teen no less), and lyrical ckunkiness, making them semi hard to decipher.

What do I mean by this? Take track 1, the one everyone knows: Primetime. The song's verses speak about how something is this, but the person is the opposite... bu we don't get a clear picture of who the person is.. only that supposedly a hit of heroin will make everything feel better. It's odd that this is the song that's somehow lasted the test of time out of all these tracks. But hey, it did lead to a great callback on End of An Era.

Track 2, Shiny Like Dirt (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG-OoIsFbow), is truly a song where Josh took a ton of ideas he had for songs, and threw it against the wall to see if it would stick. And... it does stick, but also doesn't? The chorus is super catchy, basically admitting he's a confusing person, and that nothing he does makes sense... and yet, despite it all, he still has fears of the unknown. The "coming up for air" bridge is probably my favourite part, but it's definitely an earworm I return to occasionally. I've also linked it in case you've yet to hear it.

Track 3: Shallow. The song we've known about for the longest time, the one the fandom cherished like a baby... and honestly, it's probably my least favourite? I've tried to decipher the lyrics on this one for ages, but I can't come up with anything concrete. I do think the song has a good tone, and the guitar solo is totally awesome. In fact, there's a lot of great guitar and bass work throughout a lot of these songs. But there's something missing for me on this one.

Track 4: Playing Dead. This seems to be the earliest recorded song of this bunch, going off Josh's voice here. And honestly, I think it's the closest tonally to a current day Marianas Trench song. There's a bit of a swing sound going on in the drums, the harmonies.... and it's an interesting number overall. Also, it's our clearest sampling of Steve's voice, and just how close it is to Matt's vocals xD... it seems to be a simple love song about a girl and how he's open to roleplaying almost anything with her, using "playing dead" as his main metaphor. It's the black sheep of the CD, but a good one.

Track 5: Hideous. Here we go... the first track Josh ever wrote about his bulimia and depression... and how it was eating him from the inside... and how he was asking for help, even though he wasn't fully ready to accept it at the time. The beginning parts are very slow, and methodical.... only for the song to pick up energy in it's second half and become truly one of the standouts on this album.

Track 6: PMS. Okay... so... this one is tough to talk about. We knew for years it was supposedly very comedic in nature and that it was also politically incorrect, but that was it. For those of you who still have not heard it, there's a copy of it in this Discord server in the links and archive section: https://discord.gg/d5M3xVN9

As for the song itself, I personally really love it. It's a song about Josh being petty to a girl and truthfully telling her off. It's definitely of its time period, but in the best way possible. And once again, the guitar work here is SO GOOD. If you can stomach a song that truly is a time capsule and understand that Josh would never write anything as juvenile today, give it a listen.

Track 7: Don't Touch Me. The song that holds a special place in my heart... as I was the one to LOCATE IT after 18 years in the massive pile of MP3.com links that were given to the Internet Archive in 2021. And it's a ballad all about Josh dealing with both the arguments and turmoil he would feel when coming down from getting high. Truthfully, this might be the most emotional song of this batch, and one that definitely sticks its landing.

So, my overall thoughts here are to give these songs a listen, and understand them for what they are: the start of a musical prodigy finding his footing and his sense of style while getting clean and hoping somebody, anybody, would give him a chance. While the tone might not have influenced Josh’s style fully going forward, there are elements from these songs that were taken and repurposed into later Trench tracks.

Luckily, and also sadly... Jonathan Simkin & Chad Kroeger gave him that chance. And thus, we got ourselves a self titled EP... and a full title debut. But that'll be next time.

[gabessquishytum]

Just got back from a concert and had to sent this in before the idea left my brain! At the concert, there's a song that he normally sings with his wife, but wife isn't on the tour, so instead, she had filmed her singing her part and had it playing on the giant screen behind the band. The best part was that the main singer just turned to the screen and sang their duet love song to his wife's face.

So!!!! Dreamling Singer AU. I picture it's Hob on tour and Dream's busy with other things and was unable to join (much to his dismay). Given this, Hob was determined to put in *their* song into his lineup so that he'd always get to see Dream's face and sing with him once each night.

They film it, it's fantastic and dramatic just as Dream likes it and the first night on tour, hundreds of miles away from the man he loves, Hob sings their song together, never taking his eyes off of those giant blue ones on the screen. He has to take a pause at the end of the song to pull himself back together (he nearly didn't get through it, he was so choked up). The cameras pan up to Hob's tear-stained face as he's staring up at the end of the song, smiling.

Of course, that gets recorded and goes kinda viral, pretty quickly (at least for those in Hob's fan's circles of the internet) so by the time Hob manages to lie down and call Dream before going to bed, his husband has already watched the recording over a dozen times, falling more in love with the man each time.

Very sweet!!!! I love the idea of Hob as a hopeless romantic who is just insanely obsessed with his boyfriend. Like he’s got all these groupies and fans but all he wants to talk about is Dream. It’s very cute, and everyone is kind of excited to see what he’ll do during the shows because the fans know that there’s no way he’s going to make it through 3 hours without talking about how much he loves Dream. Nobody quite predicted that he would make such a grand declaration of love via the recorded duet.

I also had an idea: what if Dream uses the video as a way to propose? It’s the last show of the tour, and the video plays as usual… Hob sings with Dream and gets all misty eyed as the fans sway and sing along. But instead of ending, the video goes on and Dream talks briefly about how proud he is of Hob and how much he loves him. Then, in the video, he pulls out a ring box and asks Hob to marry him!

Hob is stunned, but he’s even more shocked when Dream walks onto the stage! He was there all along, hiding out in the back as a surprise. He’s got the ring box, and he kneels down right on the stage to ask Hob to be his husband. Of course Hob says yes - and nearly throws himself and Dream off the stage in his haste to tackle-hug his fiancé!!!!

[gerardpilled]

New fan here!! What exactly happened at pro rev? I see people talk about it a lot but I can't find out exactly what went down

Lol I love seeing this question asked on my dash and thank you for trusting me with the response. This kinda became longer than what I was expecting but I love to over explain sorry:

Okay so pro rev is kinda famous in the fan community because of how insane everyone seemed to have been acting during it. mcr was always known for their stage antics - even in the early days - and specifically for how they responded to homophobia (and to be clear- they faced a lot of it) by not denying being gay, but encouraging the idea. Specifically Gerard and Frank would kiss each other or Gerard would kinda feel-up the other guys in what people coined as “stagegay”. Although mcr fans were kinda weeded out to expect and accept this, festivals like Warped Tour were always the biggest issue for them because they were in front of thousands of people who didn’t necessarily want to see guys in eyeliner and eyeshadow*.  

Then comes 2007 - Linkin Park hosts another “Projekt Revolution” which was kinda a mini traveling festival with about 10 or so bands in the lineup and would run from July 25th to September 3rd. Mcr was actually second bill so while not nobodies, most of the audience still consisted of Linkin Park fans. I know nothing about the music or guys of Linkin Park, but they simply attracted a different kind of crowd and might have heckled mcr more than a mcr-headlining show. The guys really played this up and seemed to turn up the stage antics A LOT. (I say ‘seemed to’ because I do think the number of people in attendance and the fact more people had access to digital cameras in 2007 than 2004 might have just resulted in more examples being recorded and uploaded)

They were grinding on each other, chewing on condoms, licking each other, fake masturbating, fully making out, and fighting on one occasion. Gerard would ask the boys in the audience to take their shirts off during Prison to which Ray joined in once. Frank specifically was acting kinda wild and was just commonly writhing around on the floor and flinging his guitar a lot. The main famous “frerard kiss” was said (by Gerard) to be the result of Frank rubbing his bloody finger on Gerard’s face and Gerard opting to seek revenge by kissing him.

The funniest part of all this is that it could theoretically be explained away by the fact they were probably just frustrated from being away from their families on tour for so long at this point (notably, Mikey did not attend prorev because of his recent marriage and/or mental health issues) if it weren't for the fact that at the start of tour Gerard began dating Lindsey (m. Ballato) who played bass in another band. Gerard was seen watching her play a few times and the couple would also have matching slogans written on their bodies (presumably by each other). The couple then got married on the last night of tour by an ordained member of the crew backstage while wearing matching airbrush unicorn shirts with each other's names. This was all very sudden for fans especially because it was only around May of the same year when Gerard is thought to have broke off an engagement with his ex girlfriend.

Another notable point is that this was the first time mcr had two tour buses because Frank brought his WIFE. I don't see a lot of people pointing this out, but I believe Jamia was there. Also Frank appeared on an episode of Kat Von D's tattooing show in the middle of tour lol

The aftermath of the tour has kinda become equally as famous due to rumors and theories. Specifically the fight has been speculated to be the result of deeper drama where people think Frank was hurt by Gerard's new relationship or whatever. All that is speculation and mostly baseless. Bottom line is this did influence a ton of fanfiction and kinda made the band known for their stage behavior. They really calmed down on the more homoerotic aspects of their stage personas in later years which more conspiratorial fans contribute to Gerard's marriage. More likely is that they realized the intended reaction of pissing homophobes off was being lost, and instead people were into and sexualizing it more than anything. Gerard once tweeted about it.

I think it's all very funny because to be honest and until they talk about it in any meaningful detail, we still have no idea what going on with them. Just a fun period in mcr herstory.

Links to magazines covering the tour:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Other stuff I couldn't think of a place to mention:

David Cassidy

Gerard singing Umbrella

"it's like having buttsex"

gerard hugging worm

infamous hickey gerard had that he tried to cover with a bandana

Gerard on "my super sweet 16" in the middle of tour

____

*That's not to say mcr was facing the most discrimination ever at this show. I have no knowledge of how people who were outwardly lgbt (such as Brian Molko of Placebo) were treated. Also it's important to note that there was a severe lack of racial and gender diversity when it came to this tour's lineup. There was not a single band with a non-white front person and only 1 band with any women in it.

[crmsndragonwngss]

“People aren’t having a difficult time wrapping their head around the prospect of LINKIN PARK reinventing itself,” [Jaime Bennington] wrote. He went on to point out that the issues he and fans of the band have are Armstrong’s “history in the church,” referring to Scientology, and support of Masterson. Bennington goes on to say that the band has “quietly erased [his] father’s life and legacy in real time…during International Suicide Prevention Month.”

Bennington goes on to call out the band for not acknowledging controversies and points out that Shinoda and the rest of Linkin Park “have betrayed the trust loaned to [them] by decades of fans and supporting human beings including myself.”

He continues: “We trusted you to be the bigger better person. To be the change. Because you promised us that was your intention. Now you’re just senile and tone deaf. Insane.”

[hattiestgal]

SHOW ME YOUR LINEUP!!! 🫵🫵🫵💖

Oh boy oh boy!!!

Riley Foxglove (They/It/She): Fennec fox full of trauma and mischief. My sona, and the menace of Little Pocket. Bassist and vocalist for her band, BOY GIRL MISCHIEF! (<3 with Violette)

Violette Burrows (She/Her): Rat equally full of trauma, but also goth sass. Finally feels like she found home after an entire childhood spent traveling the country with her parents for business. Car mechanic and drummer for BOY GIRL MISCHIEF (<3 with Riley)

Omen Poe (He/They): Raven that is very much the falco type. Employee of a local hobby shop, tsundere but if you called them that they'd punch you, and the biggest egg you'll ever meet. Guitarist for BOY GIRL MISCHIEF! (<3 with Finnegan)

Finnegan Oakes (He/Him): Red fox soft kind boy. Wildlife photographer and trumpet player, and the carrier of many family legacies. Has a bit of an obsession with with historical aircraft, despite being avidly against war. A baker at heart (<3 with Omen)

Alex Lyn (She/Him): Spotted hyena washed out uni student who's finally figuring out his life. Avid hockey player, occasional strongman competition participant and ever sleepy. (<3 with Harlow)

Harlow Reese (They/It/Xe): Black cat equally washed out on uni, but being so silly about it. A complete nerd and appreciator of butches. Occasionally competes in super smash brothers competitions, but otherwise generally collects old obscure manga and video games (<3 with Alex)

Jack Foxglove (He/Any): Wolf tired gayboy, and older brother of Riley. A kind soul looking to help others by studying to become a therapist. Very full of punk swag and an absolute role model all round

Cake (She/It): Shiba inu girlthing. Consumer of many burgers and knower of an absurd amount of obscure facts about early generation game consoles. Collects a wide variety of retro games

Kiera (She/Her): Dragon sleazy cursed artifacts saleswoman. Actually the result of a god's divine punishment turned gender euphoria. While what she sells is cursed, she more realizes peoples fantasies while delivering justice to those who abuse their money

Lizzy (She/They): Taur arctic fox and the result of one of Kieras cursed artifact sales. Originally down on her luck, becoming a taur allowed her to capitalize on the novelty of being one to attract customers for a wide variety of services. Often appears at parties and is very well fed.

Lucy Diggs (He/Him): Rabbit loaded to the BRIM with trauma. Caught in a world constantly at war, given a new headmate with lightning powers and then quickly thrusted into the spot of figurehead for a freedom fighting rebellion to topple the system that perpetuates it he's being so brave about it.

Allison Dudz (She/Any): Albino alligator ex military soldier and mech pilot. Holds down a refuge in the abyss for those who walk it. Is actively on the run by a military force called ELIAS and the sort of kind of parental figure for Lucy. Another figurehead in the rebellion

(Currently Unnamed) (She/Her): Grey cat full of yuri related injuries. Also ex military but then she like kinda joined back in a way under a new name. Fought her way up the ranks to become the head of ELIAS

VUL-TURE (It/Its): Robot bounty hunter thats also a bit of a girlthing. Sucks at its job like really badly but tries its best. Has tried to assassinate the head of ELIAS twice to absolutely no avail

Scribley (It/Any/All/Your Pronouns): ??? BADASS AND INSANE. A BEING BEYOND GODHOOD MADE OF PURE MAGIC. UNSTOPPABLE BY ANY KNOWN MEANS

[spooky-stille]

Hello you lot, it’s been a little while, how are you all doing?

I’m writing this, distracting myself from last minute packing for Glastonbury which is coming at me quick this weekend. I’m massively disorganised at the best of times so it’s absolute chaos round here. Piles of stuff all over the place. Gambling on no rain which feels like a bit of a risk, but hey. Glastonbury for me is like summer’s answer to Christmas, so I’m well excited. Some of our most surreal and favourite gigs ever have been there, but I’ve also been coming as a punter with my mates for years and years. And while I know the idea of living in a busy, noisy field to watch music for 5 days straight is a lot of people’s idea of hell, I can’t bloody wait (even if I’ve got that anticipation-sick-stomach feeling you get before a big night). There’s so much great music on the lineup this year, but that magical parallel universe of a festival site is vast and sprawling, so feel free to imagine me and my mates - running around like headless chickens, trying to be in 6 places at once - from now til Monday. Actually don’t do that, no one needs that image.

 

 

The main reason I’m writing this is because I’ve made some new music and am in the process of getting it all ready for you to hear. I wanted to find a way to be directly in touch about all of that, about what’s been happening with us, what’s to come, and as a way to share a bunch of recommendations and things that I think are interesting (and hope you will too).

So, this is a hello to anyone who’s new here, and of course hi again to anyone who’s been around for a while. Cheers for reading this (I’m impressed if you’ve made it this far). I’m properly excited for what’s up next (more on that later) and in the meantime I’ll do my best to make these mails worth your time.

When me and the guys and our whole touring team finished our tours at the end of last year it felt like the right time for us all to take a proper break. Obviously we’re insanely lucky to get to play music and to travel all over the world with it, but we hadn’t really, properly stopped at all since we started out more than 10 years ago. Touring’s been this dominant line that’s cut right through and across most of our adult lives. While it can be an amazing whirlwind and is of course a huge privilege, it can also be completely all consuming, and, like loads of things in life, it’s not without its challenges. So, for that and for many different reasons, this year felt like the right time to not book any gigs at all and see what life looked like. It’s genuinely the first time since Bastille started that there’s been nothing scheduled. Mad.

We’ve all been off doing different things and getting on with life, while getting used to being in one place for a while. For me - in what’ll come as no surprise to anyone who knows me - I’ve not really been that great at sitting still or taking a break. I’ve been busy working on some fun things… so why would I want to not be doing that?!

 

Being home and being around has been genuinely brilliant, I’m really loving it. Part of that has been because for the first time in ages I’ve had the time to work on music and songwriting at home on my laptop, very much like how I did back when I was making the songs that became Bad Blood. This year so far has been such a fun and creatively satisfying time and I’ve felt well lucky having the space to chase a bunch of ideas and see where they lead and what they become. It probably sounds (and is) pretty self indulgent, but it’s been great.

Amongst all of that stuff (and general life stuff) I’ve used the time to travel a bunch, to take in as many films/books/gigs/shows/art as possible, I spent some time out at sea on the Greenpeace boat in the Bermuda Triangle (?!?!?), ran a half marathon for Warchild with some mates (thanks so much to anyone who sponsored - you’re brilliant), Tour-Managed my friends band FOURS on their UK tour with To Kill A King, and have been working away on a whole load of different projects with some brilliant people. I’ve also been learning the guitar… something I’ve always wanted to do but never seemed able to properly focus on.

 

 

And the reason I’ve learned guitar has to do with that new music I mentioned. There’ll be loads more news to come on that in the very near future (I’m excited to talk about the process and ideas behind it all… come on guys it’s my weird brain here so nothing’s ever as simple as it could be). I’ve tried to approach the whole process of recording and beyond in a totally different way, and I’m beyond excited to share it all with you.

For now… I’ve got to get back to packing or I’ll find myself on Sunday with no clean pants. I’m  here in my room with my head in my phone, sat amongst these piles and I haven’t even found a bag for any of it yet, so I better get on with it.

And to anyone here that’s also heading to Glastonbury this weekend, I hope you’re all packed and ready, and maybe I’ll bump into you there somewhere? (Oh s**t, also don’t forget to come to Pilton Palais on Sunday to join me and the editor of Empire Magazine having a chat about Nosferatu and horror films!)

Speak soon.

Dan x

[clubnate]

I am not the anon who followed for cobra and now will accept my fate as a tai fan, but please, please, please explain the connection between The Academy Is and Cobra Starship.

Unabridged is preferred tbh.

i got 2 anons about this and this is literally the thing i'm the most insane about omg ok warning this is gonna be long cause i'm just gonna include everything ive got on my google doc about this

TLDR; same record labels, snakes on a plane, lots of tours together, music videos, webshows and general friendship is the conncection

It starts pre-cobra with midtown. iirc, tai were just fans of midtown pre-tai and in the early days, they're from chicago and came up in the same scene as fob, mike carden (tais guitarists) old band had fob open for them and he was even asked to join fob in an early version of it, so fob, tai and midtown all eventually become friends which is when they met gabe and eventually they toured with midtown twice in 04-05.

2006- midtown dies in 05 and from the ashes rises COBRA STARSHIP. Cobras gets signed to fueled by ramen and decaydance records, which is the same 2 labels as TAI. while gabe's working on the music, tai's bassist, sisky finds out about snakes on a plane and suggested submitting their song to be on the soundtrack. Then william beckett the singer of TAI suggested to gabe that this would be perfect for cobras and he should put a song forward, which he does. Gabe makes some changes to the lyrics, adds william, travie and maja and Bring it (snakes on a plane) was born. (source) Sometime around 2006-2005 gabe briefly featured in the music video for 'the phrase that pays'

2007- things ramp up and they start touring together. Both bands are supporting acts on the honda civic 2007 tour and are featured at 3 separate Decaydance fest shows in Paris, Kohn and London. They also do a series of international festivals together like reading and leeds, pukkelpop, summer sonic, ect AND they do an australia tour just the 2 of them, this was all through summer. At the end of the year cobras jump on TAI's headliner tour, they weren't supposed to butviva la cobra came out earlier than planned so they had no tour to promote it so tai let them open for the last month or so. Both were also apart of the MTVu campus takeover this year. TAI had a webshow and cobra are featured multiple times from 2007-2008, this is actually where they got the idea for cobra cam and even stole TAI's camera man to film it. also somewhere someone released official merch that included cobra, TAI and fob that said 'gabe is not a ynonym for sisky' and they promoted it together.

2008- Both bands are part of the lineup for warped tour this year, snakes was played a lot and when suarez had to leave the tour for a couple days, sisky and the butcher (TAI's drummer) covered for him. TAI's album was released in august and featured backing vocals from Ryland, Alex and Gabe, and every member of cobra is mentioned in the thank yous. Right after warped both bands go to australia and opened for panic at the disco (bonus info: victoria, sisky and ryan went bar hopping for ryans 22nd), then right after they go and do a japan tour with the hush sound and the cab. For welcome to the new administration, suarez remixed TAI's song 'automatic eyes'

2009 onwards- Things slowed down after this. The butcher is briefly featured in the good girls go bad music video. in 2011 both band play at the 15th anniversary of fueled by ramen, this ended up being TAI's last show before they split. After they split, butcher was the drum tech for cobra from 2011-2012. When TAI had a reunion in 2015, suarez played bass for sisky with carly rae jepsen so he could play on their reunion tour. Also around 2015 Gabe and Mike started TAG music together, i think mike has left since then though.

Extras: at every TAI show since their 2022 reunion they have played snakes on a plane, with gabe or without. Gabe also always does backing vocals for the song 'classifieds' if he's there. Sisky used to do travies rap during snakes if he wasn't there, he did it a bunch on warped 2008.

Sisky commented this during cobrakkah in 2021 and i think about it a lot tbh. I think they were just best friends who got to tour the world together in their youth and are still friends and still hold a lot of love for eachother :,)

hope that wasn't too much, i'm pretty sure i covered everything that i know about. Decaydance is my favourite thing so i have a google doc of all their connections so i remember them all :D

something to add would be that TAI are opening for fob on the 3rd in LA and a few cobras live there, so i wouldn't be suprised if they show up for snakes on a plane!

EDIT: if you want photos of any of these things I mentioned I probably have some so please ask! and if you don't want to, search my tag #thepolycule and there's a bunch of photos of decaydance bands hanging out together, including TAI and cobra

[black-arcana]

The top 20 best Nightwish songs ranked

By Catherine Morris

From Nemo and Élan to Greatest Show On Earth and Ghost Love Score, these are the best songs by symphonic metal icons Nightwish - as chosen by you

It’s simply not possible to talk about symphonic metal, or indeed Finland, without hearing the name Nightwish. From their humble beginnings playing acoustic songs around the campfire in their hometown of Kitee, Northern Karelia, to the stages of arenas and stadiums around the world, Nightwish have become the most successful Finnish band globally and one of their country’s best-selling acts. 

It’s been an eventful and at times, turbulent journey: in their nearly thirty year career, the band have endured less-than-cordial splits with two out of three singers, and all the backlash that went with the controversial decisions. More recently, they’ve undergone more lineup changes within the fold, but they’ve always come back, seemingly stronger than ever – and in their current incarnation, fronted by the insanely talented Floor Jansen, they continue to dominate.

With nine studio albums, a feature film and around 117 total recorded songs in their back catalogue (some of which have never been played live, we put it to you, the fans, to definitively rank the best musical offerings from the band’s varied and illustrious career. Three distinctive voices have all made their mark on the Nightwish sound during her ‘era’, and each one has had her moment of glory, as evidenced by the below list.

Which one came out as the definitive fan favourite? Keep scrolling, and you’ll see… 

And if you want to read more about Nighwish, be sure to pick up this month's issue of Metal Hammerwhere Finland's finest symphonic export are once again gracing our cover. From getting Tuomas Holopainen to talk us through every Nightwish album to date, to an in-depth chat with Floor Jansen about her upcoming solo record and recent breast cancer diagnosis, there's plenty to get into for Nightwish fanatics and newcomers alike. 

20. Wishmaster (2000)

From the album of the same name, the lyrics of this Lord of the Rings-inspired track might initially be hard to decipher for some (some pretty spectacularly misheard versions exist online), but the punchiness of the chorus and Tarja Turunen’s haunting siren-call in the verses make Wishmaster a firm fan favourite.

19. I Want My Tears Back (2011)

This sweet uptempo jig from the band’s conceptual Imaginaerum album takes listeners into the Disney esque dreamscape of Tuomas Holopainen’s lost childhood, with its charmingly nostalgic lyrics and Troy Donockley’s uilleann pipe riff as the song’s focal point. It quickly became a staple on tour setlists and has remained so ever since.

18. The Islander (2007)

One of the few occasions former bassist Marko Hietala provided lead vocals, with then-singer Anette only a ghostly echo in the chorus, was on this folky acoustic ditty from Dark Passion Play, which provides a soothing respite from the overall heaviness of the record and was the first Nightwish to feature Troy prominently.

17. Bless the Child (2002)

The second single from Century Child is a sparkling, operatic mid-tempo lament that’s 2000s- Nightwish through and through: spoken word, lyrics lifted from Walter Raleigh’s poetry and plenty of navel-gazing. Century Child is the band’s first album to feature an orchestra, and they certainly got their money’s worth on Bless The Child.

16. Amaranth (2007)

After Dark Passion Play ballad Eva leaked online, the world’s first visual introduction to Anette Olzon came in the form of the album’s first music video for the catchy and upbeat Amaranth. Showcasing a dramatically different singing style to Tarja, her impressively high belting won over many sceptical fans.

15. Élan (2015)

Similarly, the band’s first single that introduced singer Floor Jansen made a spectacular impression – a tribute to Tuomas’ hero Walt Whitman, the Endless Forms Most Beautiful track is a rousing ode to the beauty and mystery of life that gently introduces the listener to the album’s themes of evolution and natural history.

14. Dead Boy's Poem (2000)

One of Tuomas’ most personal compositions, the penultimate track on Wishmaster has a slow, hymnlike pace and deeply melancholic lyrics; introducing the ‘Dead Boy’ motif to represent the songwriter and employing a child narrator, the song climaxes in a stunning vocal delivery by Tarja that never fails to induce goosebumps.

13. 7 Days to the Wolves (2007)

“The wolves, my love, will come,” purrs Anette at the beginning of this Dark Passion Play track that sits firmly at the heavier end of the Nightwish oeuvre. Ostensibly inspired by Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, the build into its middle 8 section is one of the most thrilling moments on the album.

12. Song of Myself (2011)

The last proper song on Imaginaerum is a thirteen-minute-long epic in four parts. Taking direct inspiration from the Whitman poem of the same name, it’s a grandiose, sprawling track that ties together all the themes of the record and ends in a lengthy spoken-word section narrated with Troy’s soothing Northern lilt.

11. Shoemaker (2020)

Human. :||: Nature’s only entry on this list is Shoemaker, the band’s tribute to Dr Eugene Shoemaker, a planetary scientist who became the first man to be buried on the Moon per his wishes after dying in an accident. The song’s repeated outro of “Ad Astra!” sees Floor go fully operatic and it is simply, heartbreakingly beautiful.

10. Last Ride Of The Day (2011)

A rollercoaster of a song, this is the track from Imaginaerum that flips the power switch at the abandoned theme park that forms the album’s richly-imagined backdrop, turning all the rides back on for one last hurrah. The dynamics in Anette’s voice from the whisper-soft verse to the dizzyingly high final note make it a thrilling sonic journey.

9. Wish I Had an Angel (2004)

The second single from the Once album is a back-and-forth duet between Tarja and Marko, with an intoxicating dance beat and lyrics positively oozing with lust. Consistently one of their most-performed songs with each of their three singers, it’s a perennial favourite that never fails to get the crowd moving – what’s more, it charted in ten countries including the UK and went gold in their home country of Finland. Kaching!

8. Dark Chest of Wonders (2004)

It comes as no surprise that multiple Once tracks made it into the top ten, as arguably the band’s most successful album to date in terms of sales, and the one that put them on the global map. Dark Chest of Wonders is a perfect album opener in many ways: the hushed tones of Tarja’s “Once, I had a dream…” straight into a guitar riff punctuated by dramatic orchestra hits and culminating in a triumphant final cadence.

7. Storytime (2011)

The chart-topping lead single from the Imaginaerum record is a song that perhaps best encapsulates the band’s sound of that era. A testament to the imagination of Tuomas Holopainen and his love for children’s fantasy tales, his lyrics reference literary icons such as Alice and Peter Pan, as well as the beloved titular character from The Snowman, and the track opens the gates to the album’s tumultuous carnival ride in signature Nightwish style.

6. Sleeping Sun (1999)

Being the only ballad to make the top ten just goes to show the impact of Sleeping Sun, from a standalone maxi single named 4 Ballads Of The Eclipse that was released to coincide with the total solar eclipse of August ’99. Introspective and reverential, this gorgeous ode to the beauty in darkness is powerfully evocative in a way only someone who has experienced Arctic polar nights could know. So good, they recorded it twice.

5. Nemo (2004)

Undeniably a breakthrough track for the band, earning them their first entry into the UK charts and hitting the top ten in multiple countries, the lead single from Once remains their most-performed live song to date. Accompanied by a big-budget music video set against a fittingly wintry backdrop, the sparse piano hook and infectiously catchy chorus melody set it apart as one of their more accessible songs that still packs a punch.

4. Ever Dream (2002)

Famously the song that got Anette Olzon the job of Nightwish lead singer when she chose to audition for the band with it, the band’s fourth studio album Century Child saw the inclusion of Marko Hietala on vocal duties alongside Tarja for the first time, adding a brand new dimension to the band’s evolving symphonic metal sound with his powerful power-metal screams. 

Ever Dream earned the band their first platinum record, and with good reason: full of light and shade, the dynamic contrasts between the verse, chorus and middle eight, as well as between Tarja and Marko’s voices, all serve to heighten the drama of the song.

3. The Poet and the Pendulum (2007)

Starting a record with an opening track just shy of the fourteen-minute mark was certainly a bold choice, and a fitting way to set the stage for Dark Passion Play. 

From the youthful voice of a boy treble in the introduction to Marko’s furious, blasphemous snarls and an astonishingly beautiful performance by Anette in the final movement, it’s a multi-part epic that encompasses seemingly every emotion that can be expressed with music, albeit at the darker end of the spectrum; all of the turbulence and personal strife experienced by its composer shrouds the song in a stormy cloak of angst.

2. The Greatest Show on Earth (2015)

Enter Floor – with eight years in the band already under her belt, it’s only fitting that one of the Dutch singer’s stunning contributions to the Nightwish canon should make it into the top ten; even more so that it’s the closing track from Endless Forms Most Beautiful. 

Another one of their signature multi-part compositions which, at twenty-four minutes long, is their longest, most ambitious and arguably most progressive to date, The Greatest Show On Earth is a celebration of life on our blue rock that draws inspiration heavily from Darwin’s On The Origin Of Species. A live favourite (in an abridged form) ever since Endless Forms… came out, the climactic chant of “We were here!” is its crowning moment.

1. Ghost Love Score (2004)

Of course, the number one spot on the list could only go to one song: Ghost Love Score. The ninth track on the double-platinum-selling Once unofficially sort of marks the beginning of an arc of ten-minute-plus songs composed of multiple distinct movements that have been present on every Nightwish album since. 

The Poet and the Pendulum, The Greatest Show on Earth, and Song of Myself all continued this pattern, but Ghost Love Score is still, for many, the blueprint, having taken on a life beyond its original form thanks to many now-legendary performances of the song by Floor Jansen, everywhere from Buenos Aires to Wacken Open Air. 

Compositionally perhaps their most accomplished song, it’s always played in its entirety, unlike the aforementioned tracks; it flows beautifully from one movement into another, changing time signatures from 4/4 to a waltz seamlessly for its cinematic “seafaring” middle string section and returning to its original themes at the end to bring it home. 

Add to that the hopelessly romantic lyrics (“You were the one to cut me, so I’ll bleed forever!”) and the fantastic backing of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and there you have it: Nightwish’s best song, as chosen by the fans.

[hum--hallelujah]

re: oil and water fob, maybe it’s kind of like soap? Joe and Andy have both been called the glue, but maybe they’re the lye in some way (?)

(We are both slacking at work together hi <3)

HIIII we rocking with time theft Thursday together!! (technically I'm allowed to do whatever if the store is empty, my boss is aware that I screw around here when it's slow lol)

but YEAH. like the fact that this band has kept the same lineup for over 20 years is insane already but genuinely they need all four of them and their friendships for the band to function. like... that's why playing EOWYG songs now, with Andy, feels so meaningful to me at least. FOB stands for family of boys fr fr

[jackinalex]

I've been seeing posts about the shows and I can tell you this much:

Alex brought something between three to four shirts for a 10 day trip

Jack was using this Garbage shirt at ALL airports and Metallica tees through concerts

Rian's been a bit off, sometimes he's an angel with fans and other times he pretends to be on the phone so he doesn't need to talk to them (?)

Zack's been a little MIA on their free time, but he has been seen going to gyms lol

Swank is just living, nothing much

Ricky and Phil are also loving the trip

We have a fan group on WhatsApp with over 50 people, and a lot of them are going to all shows and are sending update pics of them and boy, Alex completely forgot to use sunscreen in Recife and ended up looking like a shrimp

(I his defense, the boys from Simple Plan and Mayday Parade did the same)

PS: All bands line-up at the festival are, in order of shows:

Fresno (Brazilian band)

Plain White T's

Mayday Parade

Pitty (Brazilian singer)

Boys Like Girls

Asking Alexandria

The Used

All Time Low

The All American Rejects

Nx Zero (Brazilian band)

A Day to Remember

Simple Plan

It's the first time we're getting a pop-punk/emo themed festival and the country is going INSANE over it lol

It's all everyone talks about here!

I guess they know that they have to travel light after being on tour for years and years. And years and years. But Jack really finds a single shirt and wears it every single day until he finds another ONE he likes. And apparently, Alex finds three. I have nothing to say about Rian bc I do not trust him anymore. Zacky just going to the gym feels so correct, like one thing he's always gonna be is at the gym. I'm just glad the crew boys are having a good time.

Alex should have known to get fucking sunscreen jfc. He played WARPED TOUR. What an idiot. I love him, but he's dumb. That lineup is insane, though, and I'm still waiting patiently for my chance to see ADTR. A 50 person gc is craaaazy but the guys seemed so happy at these shows. I'm glad y'all got to see them and that they had a great time, too!

[airbrushfather]

OKAY IM ABOUT TO START SPEAKINGGGG

the fact they're still doing staggered teasers is INSANE behaviour. it's august 24th, and if we assume there's going to be 7 or 8 attractions this year (3 mazes, 3 zones, a show, and possibly a roaming team) even if they were dropping one announcement a day that would put them at august 31st-september 1st for announcing the whole lineup - but the kicker is - They Don't Drop A Teaser Every Day.

let's live in a world for a second where they do drop a teaser every day for the next week. that still leaves the park with only seven days to drum up excitement for oktoberfest, which is any uk park's least attended event simply because it happens in september - which is a low foot-traffic month to begin with. plus, oktoberfest at merlin parks is famously underwhelming -- i've never felt the urge to go to an oktoberfest event and i'm the freak that i am. maybe it's of more interest to the general public than it would be to me (or even your standard enthusiast) - because of the beer - but the fact is that oktoberfest is simply the least engaging of the 4 events tpr are offering this year - there's no exclusive food offering, very little entertainment (carnival and mardi gras have shows, fright nights has the scare attractions, oktoberfest may have like. an oompah band.) there's not even extended opening hours - a smart business decision by tpr, yes, but one must wonder if it would draw more people in - perhaps an evening crowd would be enticed if there were extended hours, people coming after work or school to enjoy the 'vibes' and a coaster or two. but, i digress. all of this is to say - oktoberfest needs all the help it can get. leaving it with only seven days of devoted social media attention, especially after the buzz that would be caused - at least in the enthusiast community - by the fright nights lineup announcement.

whatever the play is here, it's wild, and it does disservice to what could (potentially) otherwise be an event just as exciting as carnival or fright nights, if it was given the right amount of attention and marketing. i love the staggered fright nights teasers (and i hate them, it's a double edged sword), but it must be drawn into question whether - with the lineup announcement being made such a big deal, as it has in recent years since ka productions started leading the marketing - they are unintentionally erasing oktoberfest from the public conscience, and whether, were the timings handled differently, oktoberfest could thrive and not just serve as something to tide over the ents team between summer and halloween.

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

NERVOSA Announces New Album 'Jailbreak'

Thrash metallers NERVOSA will release their fifth full-length album, "Jailbreak", on September 29 via Napalm Records. This will be the first NERVOSA LP with guitarist and founding member Prika Amaral on vocal duties, and it will showcase the band's new lineup completed by Michaela Naydenova on drums, Hel Pyre on bass and Helena Kotina on guitars.

Following the standalone single "Endless Ambition" with "Seed Of Death", NERVOSA serves up a second taste of what's to come. Starting off with a beautiful, epic intro, "Seed Of Death" features philosophical lyrics that explore questions about the never-ending cycle of life, grabbing an omnipresent issue relevant to all of us.

Amaral on the new single and album: "I'm very happy with the result of this song and our new album. I always wanted to have a song like this but it never happened for different reasons and now we can finally make it happen. Also, we were able to take even more risks and do new things. With two guitars, the doors open to a whole new world of possibilities. In fact NERVOSA had two guitars in the beginning, but then we decided to go with one guitar for logistical reasons, since it would be easier to move with one less person for tours. Now NERVOSA has a much bigger structure that allowed this addition, and we are really enjoying this moment of the band. The process of writing this record was the most fun and brought the most musicality, enriching the band."

Kotina adds: "I think 'Jailbreak' is NERVOSA's most revolutionary record, both musically and lyrically. It was a very challenging process but at the same time very constructive. We were able to take care of every detail until we obtained the best result."

Among its various themes, "Jailbreak" explores messages of breaking free from everyone and everything holding you back from doing exactly what you want to do. It encourages the listener to be proud of who they are, and to trust in themselves and the strength that lies within them. The album kicks off with charging "Endless Ambition", a track previously released in early 2023 that acted as a first harbinger for everything that is about to come on the album. The track immediately showcases the incredibly powerful attitude and talent of Amaral as frontwoman. Raging "Suffocare", which deals with several aspects of toxic relationships, and "Ungrateful" continue on the path of the intense opening track. Relentless title track "Jailbreak" attacks with a thrash metal chorus and roaring guitar solos. As a very special treat, NERVOSA spices up the intense track "When The Truth Is A Lie" with none other than an impressive guest contribution from legendary EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt, while INFECTED RAIN/DEATH DEALER UNION vocalist Lena Scissorhands provides another strong guest feature by lending her voice on "Superstition Failed". "Elements Of Sin" features some of the album's most insane guitar work and thundering vocals, before uncontrollable closing track "Nail The Coffin" seals the 13-track album with a forceful thrash banger.

In true NERVOSA style, the album's lyrical themes comment on our society in a direct, critical manner, with messages delivered through intensely fast-twitching, raw soundscapes. On "Jailbreak", the band continues their powerful collaboration with Martin Furia, who produced the four-piece's successful previous records.

"Jailbreak" track listing:

01. Endless Ambition 02. Suffocare 03. Ungrateful 04. Seed Of Death 05. Jailbreak 06. Sacrifice 07. Behind The Wall 08. Kill Or Die 09. When The Truth Is A Lie (feat. Gary Holt) 10. Superstition Failed (feat. Lena Scissorhands) 11. Gates To The Fall 12. Elements Of Sin 13. Nail The Coffin

NERVOSA 2023 is:

Prika Amaral - Vocals and guitars Helena Kotina - Guitars Hel Pyre - Bass Michaela Naydenova - Drums

Photo credit: Gregory Dourtounis

[iamthecomet]

There is something truly fucked up about finally having the insane desire to write (no more writers block), AND THEN NOT HAVING THE TIME TO WRITE.

School has been railing me in the ass so I havent had time to sit and write. All of my ideas and damn near fully formed stories are just floating around in my head— taunting me. I cant wait to catch up on kinktober. There’s so much in my head that I just dont have the time to get out onto paper.

Anyways. There’s Vee’s yelling of the week cause no one irl knows I write, so I cant bitch and groan to them.

How have you been?

No writing time for me, but I’ve been making time to consume kinktober works (obviously you included). And Ive gotta say, this is one of the very. very few things getting me through it all. Its all so fucking good. Everything.

Shit has me barking.

Have some nipples as a thank you.

Also. Idk of it’s exactly what you’re into. But did you see the Sick New World lineup? Im so gd upset I cant go. It looks so cool. I like upwards of a dozen bands playing that day.

This happens to me WITHOUT FAIL when I'm driving, or in the shower. I hope that school stops railing you and you find the time to get the words out soon! I'm trying to get caught up with Kinktober, and having a blast with it. I'm glad that you're enjoying reading it. There is SO MUCH GOOD SHIT. I haven't gotten caught up with everyone else's writing/art (or my own) yet and I'm trying, but it's HARD. It's such a good month. I'm so glad October exists. Sick New Word lineup is VERY good. Honestly if I lived near there I'd think about going SOLEY for System of a Down since we all know they're never going to do an actual tour again. I just want once chance to see them live, JUST ONE. But besides them the lineup is STACKED, and it's going to be an insane show. Thank you so much for the NIPPLES. I love this picture of him very much.

[estradasphere]

oh shit, the 2006 version of the site has a "band history" section. no mention of quadropus for some reason but it does have some valuable info on the band's beginnings (put it under the readmore)

1990- Tim Smolens and Jason Schimmel - future Estradasphere bassist and guitarist, respectively - meet at Miraleste High School in 7th grade. Later around 1997 the band Don Salsa recorded its first album.

1998- Tim and Jason move to Santa Cruz. Tim starts to play on the streets with John Whooley (sax) and Dave Murray (drums); soon Jason joins in.

1998- John, Dave, Tim, Jason Conception, and Jason Schimmel among other local musicians play on the streets of downtown Santa Cruz, usually in front of Bookshop Santa Cruz . It is at this time Richard Carse, a friend, mentioned the name Estradasphere.

1998- Jason Conception starts to focus on his other project, Netwerk:Electric, leaving Estradasphere.

Dec. '98- Timb Harris joins the band. Estradasphere is still playing on the street and local coffee shop Java House.

March '99- George, friend of the band, reads at his first show.

Jan. 7, 2000- Estradasphere’s first show at the local Kuumbwa Jazz Center. The band started playing only clubs; the street was something of the past. The band opened for larger acts coming through the area.

March 3, 2000- It's Understood CD Release Party at Palookaville, a local Santa Cruz club (RIP), was packed with fans in costume. There were two stages to accommodate the circus acts and the band.

May 19- June 18, 2000- with their first official CD the band hits the road, opening for the Secret Chiefs 3. They played 28 shows in clubs all around the US and Canada. Tim played bass on this tour for SC3; other members of esphere would also appear throughout SC3's set.

You can read the Tour Journal, written by drummer David Murray.

January 5, 2001- 2nd Annual First Friday at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center sells out. The Band plays 7 debuts in two sets, with a double encore.

April 1, 2001- Estradasphere plays a full show at the Knitting Factory in LA. The largest crowd for the city.

2001 - Estradasphere releases a live EP entitled The Silent Elk of Yesterday. It features over an hour of songs from live shows.

Summer 2001 - 2nd North American tour, with Tub Ring

Spring 2002 - Buck Fever is released, and Estradasphere embarks on its third North American tour.

Dec. 2002 - The Norwegian band Farmers Market fly all the way to the US for a brief California run with Estradasphere. Could this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship?

March 2003 - Making splashes, Estradasphere attends the South by Southwest (SXSW) music conference in Austin for their first time.

2004 - The band is reinvigorated by drastic lineup changes, as sax man John Whooley parts with Estradasphere, moving to Joshua Tree, California. The band then mutates into a six-piece; new members are: Adam Stacey (keyboards, accordion), Kevin Kmetz (tsugaru-shamisen, guitar), and the band's new permanent drummer, Lee Smith.

2005 - Hiding in their studio, bandmembers work daily on a mysterious new, currently untitled album.. No word yet on a completion date, but insiders label the new material as the band's most "epic" and "insane"… only time will tell.