Identity X Review

Saturday's show was a pure rock experience. The line up featured all local bands, except 7th Cycle which is a band from Logan, Ohio.

Identity X was amazing live, and I would strongly recommend seeing them any chance you get. Lead singer David Toole also performed the national anthem at Saturday's Penguins game before heading over to the show. The band's album "Perception is Reality" is available on iTunes and a link on their website. Any rock fan should definitely check it out. They also make Journey songs sound a million times better!

Other bands included Color Me Blind, Patron Saint, The Cascade Atlantic, Model Class Citizens, and SIKES. All of the bands performed very well and their sounds were amazing. Patron Saint, The Cascade Atlantic, and Model Class Citizens top my list; but I would recommend all of these bands to any rock fan. The Cascade Atlantic seemed to interact with the crowd the best, but there was also a bit of a bigger crowd by the time they played.

Altar bar is a pretty good venue, but the all ages set up is a bit awkward. A dividing wall was set up to keep people under 21 away from the bar and those that were 21+ could not take their alcohol into the all ages section. The set-up made it hard for groups of friends of mixed ages to watch the show together. It would be a great venue for 21+ shows though.

Identity X Live at Altar Bar in the Strip District

This Saturday, October 9th Identity X will headline a show at Altar Bar. The doors open at 5:00pm and the show starts at 6:00pm. Tickets are still on sale for the show. Visit Altar Bar's website for more details and ticket info. This show will be drummer Chris Sheader's last show with the band. Guitarist DNapps will be missing due to health problems, but will return to the band after he is healed.

I discovered this band when I went to see Rent at the beginning of the year. Lead singer David Toole played the role of Roger in the musical, and his voice is amazing. After I discovered Identity X, I tried to go to shows but always had something else going on. This Saturday I will FINALLY get to see them live!

Check out some of their music here:

This Addiction by Identity X

Overcome by Identity X

The Depth Perception by Identity X

"Here I Go Again On My Own"

Well, it's been a crazy summer, and so far a crazy semester, but here I am again. Summer was spent mostly working, but I did make it to a show here and there:

July- Goo Goo Dolls with Switchfoot and the Spill Canvas: Darien Lake, NY

I took a trip up to New York after work one night, spent the next morning and afternoon in the monsoon that was downtown Buffalo, went to the show at about 7pm, and drove back home (about 5 hrs) to wake up for a doctors appointment at 9:30 in the morning. Needless to say, I was exhausted (I got about 4hrs of sleep) but the trip was amazing. I forgot how much I loved Switchfoot until I saw them live, and the Goo Goo Dolls are one of my favorite bands so naturally I loved them! I strongly recommend seeing both bands live, they interact with the crowd really well and sound amazing.

August- Backstreet Boys: Amphitheater at Station Square, Pittsburgh

My friends and I made a trek to Station Square for a little blast from the past. I missed BSB the first time around when I was between 8 and 12, so I was actually really excited this time around. I am not ashamed to say that I still remembered most of the songs and was singing along the entire time! If you're looking for a hilarious, fun show, this is for you. They took a long time getting out on stage, but it was a fun time.

September- Nickelback, Three Days Grace, Buckcherry: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh

This is the second time I've seen Nickelback and they put on one hell of a show! Last summer they played Post-Gazette Pavilion, now First Niagara Pavilion, and I felt like they did a lot more at this show. The main reason I went to this show was to see Three Days Grace. They rely on their music more than lights and effects and are able to really tear it up! If you want an amazing rock show, GO SEE THEM!! Buckcherry was good, but the lead singer's voice is not so great live.

Kings of Leon...not! This was the show I looked forward to the most this year, and it was cancelled.

Not a big concert season this year, but it was full of awesome shows! See any shows this summer? Feel free to share...
This year it's just me and my writing, no class to have things posted for, just updates and experiences. Enjoy!!

Music's Move From CDs to Digital Forms

An ever changing industry

The music industry is one that changes constantly. A band can be tearing up the charts one week and then drop off the face of the Earth the next week. The same goes for the mediums used to listen to or play music. These days, if you buy any iPod or MP3 player, it’s out of date in as little as one year, maybe even months. The iPod and all of Apple’s products are perfect examples of how quickly today’s music business moves.

The digital age embraced

According to second quarter numbers for the iPhone and iPod, people are welcoming the digital age with open arms. Alexandra Osorio’s article “Apple Earnings Go Kaboom…90 percent Quarterly Gains” for digitalmusicnews.com says that the iPhone sold 8.75 million units (double last year) and the iPod sold 9.75 million units. The number of iPods sold is slowly decreasing, but that is because the popular iTouch and iPhone are slowly taking the iPod’s place.

Further proof that the digital movement is being embraced comes from two Point Park University students who say they prefer the switch. Tamara Rivera says, “it’s a good thing because it saves a lot of space than it would to have CDs laying around. You can have 300 songs without having to carry 50 CDs around all the time.” Cory Bosket adds saying, “you can pick any song you want, any time you want and it’s a lot easier to find the ones you want to listen to.” Other things the students like about the digital age are: the cost is cheaper, it’s easy to share or transfer files to different devices, and it’s easier to use digital versions for projects.

When will CDs become obsolete?

In 2006, Judas Priest front man Rob Halford said, “it’s inevitable that CDs will become obsolete; you have to face the fact.” Later on in his interview with MetalTemple.com writers, Halford said, “I think there’ll always be a market for some kind of physical collection. It’s just moving south fast.”

It is only a matter of time before CDs become obsolete, but it will take a while. In the past; it has happened to 8-tracks, vinyl records, and cassettes, so it is bound to happen to CDs with digital downloads on the rise. People can only guess at when the full transition will take place because even those in the industry are unsure of the progress. It might be in five, ten, or twenty years, but a music world without CDs is definitely on the horizon.

Protest The Hero plays Mr Smalls in Pittsburgh

Protest The Hero is coming to Mr Smalls this coming Sunday, May 2nd with guests: Architects, Oh No! The Afterlife, and Dethlehem. Protest The Hero is a Hard Rock/Metal band that is touring for the newest album Gallop Meets The Earth, which was released in 2009. The bands Oh No! The Afterlife and Dethlehem are both regional bands. Oh No! is from Slippery Rock and Dethlehem is from Pittsburgh, so to any Metal fans out there, head out and support your local bands! The doors open at 6:00pm and the show starts at 7:00pm. Tickets are $12 and are available through Ticketweb. For more information on Mr. Smalls, visit the website here.