Alternative Press Music Awards

In case you didn't know the APMAs are going to be held on July 18th. Alex Gaskarth and Jack Barakat of All Time Low are returning to host. I'm so excited to see what antics they bring to this year. It should be another epic night. There is a long time before the awards, but voting is now open! I went through and voted already. There is some really tough competition. Here are my favorites for this year. 

Best Vocalist: Alex Gaskarth (All Time Low), Kellin Quinn (Sleeping with Sirens), Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Caleb Shomo (Beartooth), Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Corey Taylor (Slipknot). I would be extremely happy if Kellin or Patrick won. My vote was for Alex. 
Best Guitarist: Jack Fowler (Sleeping With Sirens), Kevin Skaff (A Day To Remember), JB Brubaker (August Burns Red), Kellen McGregor (Memphis May Fire), Chad Gilbert (New Found Glory), Misha Mansoor (Periphery). My favorites are Jack, Kevin, and Chad. I put my vote in for Kevin. 
Best Bassist: Kelen Capener (The Story So Far), Skylar Acord (Issues), Ralph Sica (Being as an Ocean), Ryan Neff (Miss May I), Matthew Taylor (Motion City Soundtrack), Aaron Stringer (The Amity Affliction). I would love to see Skylar Acord win. I'm a fan of Issues, but my vote was for the amazing Kelen Capner. 
Best Drummer: Christian Coma (Black Veil Brides), Loniel Robinson (letlive.), Jerod Boyd (Miss May I), Dani Washington (Neck Deep), Maxx Danziger (Set It Off), Aaron Gillespie (Underoath). I wholeheartedly believe that Luke Holland should be in the category. He is sick! However, I'd be extremely excited if Maxx won. He's talented and adorable. 
Best International Band: As It Is, You Me at Six, Parkway Drive, Marianas Trench, Babymetal, and One Ok Rock. My hands down favorite is As It Is. You Me at Six and Marians Trench are both really good nominees as well. 
Best Live Band: Issues, Neck Deep, Motionless in White, Attilla, Beartooth, and Slipknot. I didn't have to think twice about voting for Issues. They are amazing live! So are the other artists, but Issues stage presence sets them apart for me. Motionless in White gives pretty good performances. They scare me a little, but I can see where they deserve this award. 

Issues

Artist Philanthropic...You may want to look these ones up in order to understand them completely. Nominees include: Andrew McMahon (Dear Jack Foundation), Jake Luhrs (HearSupport), The Used (Living the Dream), The Wonder Years (Puppies Behind Bars, After School All-Stars, The Herren Project, Futures Without Violence),This Wild Life (National Breast Cancer Foundation), and You Me at Six (Passport Back to the Bars,The Ghost Inside U.K. Fundraiser, PETA). I believe that I voted for You Me at Six. All are amazing fundraisers and bands. 
Most Dedicated Fanbase: Issues, Mayday Parade, New Year's Day, PVRIS, The Ghost Inside, and The Maine. I'm a fan of The Main and Mayday Parade. However, I think that the fans of The Ghost Inside deserve this one after raising money for the band after their accident.
Breakthrough Band: I Prevail, Knuckle Puck, Neck Deep, New Year's Day, Set It Off, and State Champs. This choice is obvious to me. State Champs all the way. I wouldn't have problem seeing I Prevail or Set It Off win though.
Best Underground Band: Cane Hill, Creeper, Moose Blood, ROAM, Tiny Moving Parts, and Too Close To Touch. I put my vote in for ROAM. It was a tough choice between them and Too Close to Touch.

Time for the big awards that everybody waits through the whole award show for.

Song of the Year: "Just Like You" (Falling in Reverse), "Hey! We Ok" (Never Shout Never), "Would You Still Be There" (Of Mice and Men), "Hallelujah" (Panic! at the Disco), "Divine Zero" (Pierce the Veil), and "Secrets" (State Champs). It's a toss up for me between "Hallelujah" and "Secrets". Both songs are constantly on repeat. I think that I voted for Panic! on this one though. I'd be

ecstatic if State Champs took home the award. I wouldn't mind seeing Pierce the Veil claim it either.
Music Video of the Year: Somethings Gotta Give (All Time Low), Identity (August Burns Red), Emperor's New Groove (Panic! at the Disco), If I'm Lucky (State Champs), Cardinals (The Wonder Years), Stressed Out (Twenty One Pilots). My picks are once again obvious. I voted for All Time Low, but I majorly support Panic! and State Champs. Do you see the pattern yet?
Album of the Year nominees are: Future Hearts (All Time Low), Found in Far Away Places (August Burns Red), That's the Spirit (Bring Me The Horizon), Copacetic (Knuckle Puck), American Candy (The Maine), The Pale Empire (Marilyn Manson), Life's Not Out to Get You (Neck Deep), Madness (Sleeping With Sirens), Around the World and Back (State Champs), and BlurryFace (Twenty One Pilots). I'm dedicated to All Time Low, so I cast my vote for them. I'm also in love with State Champs album. It's had more than one major hit on it. I wouldn't mind seeing BlurryFace win the award though.
Artist of the Year: All Time Low, Beartooth, PVRIS, Fall Out Boy, Motionless in White, Panic! at
the Disco, Real Friends, Sleeping With Sirens, Slipknot, and Twenty One Pilots. This was the hardest category to vote in. Panic! has my vote. Nobody has made a bigger come back than Brendon Urie. I pray that ATL, FOB, Pilots, or Panic! take this one home with them. My chances of ending up happy with the winner are high in this category!
Want to go vote yourself and support your favorite artist? (or my picks) Click here

Sammy Wilk

Sammy Wilk, also known as Sammy or Sam Wilkinson is doing his best to break through in the music scene. Much like his friends Jack and Jack, Sam focuses his musical style on rap with a bit of a pop sound. Sammy is a gorgeous 20 year old from Omaha, Nebraska. He gained his fame through the Internet. That seems to be the best place to start now. Some people can make it. Others can't. Sam is definitely one that can. He started to gain a following in 2013 when he started a Vine account. He gained 200,000 followers by the end of the year. He joined towards the end of March. In 2014 he joined many other Vine and YouTube stars on the MagCon tour. He is also known for his charity work with TreatmentForAll and Unite4Good. Not only is he a pretty good artist, he's also a kind hearted person that's using his rise to fame to better the world. You honestly don't see that much anymore except from humbled people like Sam and his friends. Sam has done calabs with Jack and Jack, Wesley Stromberg (Emblem3), Kenny Holland, and DJ Rupp (Dillion Rupp). However, he is most known for his work with Nate Maloley (Skate). This duet is famously known as Sammy and Skate. As a duo the two were signed on to Freshlee Records. In 2014 they released "Nothing to a King", "Signs", and "Party People". They were also on the bill for Magcon performances together as well as tours similar to it. In 2015 they released "Wassup", "Vibe Out", and featured in DJ Rupp's song "Where Art Thou". Sammy's appearances in music videos include "Vibe Out", "Nothing to a King", "Where Art Thou", Wassup", and he featured in "Like That" by Jack and Jack as well as "Fire" by The Balcony.

Skate and Sammy are relationship goals

On to his career as a solo artist. He is signed on to Freshlee Records as a solo artist as well. He released his first single called "Could You Be the One" in 2014. In 2015 he released "Aye Ma" and "Could Be". As for tours in 2015, he did one with DigiTour plus other mini tours and meet-and-greets. 2016 is going to be his year. That's why I'm writing this now. It's not even the third month of the year and he has already released three singles and music videos. "Chase the Day", "Higher", and his latest release, "Turn the Lights Down",
 are going to be followed by a few more singles coming very soon. Sam has also been dropping hints about an upcoming album. So, yes, 2016 is going to be a great year for Sammy Wilk and you should be there for the ride.

Viola Beach

Why do terrible, terrible things happen to the best people?

 Viola Beach was an amazing band that was struck down way to early. This band was on their way to the top. The band consisted of Kris Leonard, River Reeves, Tomas Lowe, and Jack Dakin. Kris was the main vocals and guitar. River played guitar. Tomas rocked out on the bass and Jack was their amazing drummer. Former members include Frank Coulson and Jonny Gibson. The two left the band to pursue other things. They were an Indie Rock band hailing from Warrington, Cheshire. Their songs have been described as "infectious anthems with hints of slacker pop".

In 2013 the band released "Daisies" which ended up being featured on The Indie Cassette's 2nd album. "Love my Love" was on the websites 3rd volume. Perhaps their biggest hit, "Swings and Water slides", was self-financed and released under their own label Fuller Beans. It was added to BBC Radio 1's playlist in September 2015. The group was supported by BBC Introducing for rising artists. They played BBC's stage at 2015's Reading and Leads festivals. They were also able to record live sessions with BBC in November 2015. In 2016 they released two singles, "Boys that Sing" and "Like a Fool", under a new label called Communion. They were released on January 22. This was the last thing the band was ever able to release.
All four members of the band and their manager Craig Tarry were killed in an unimaginable car accident on February 13th. Kris was 20. Jack and River were 19. Tomas was the oldest member of the band at 27. Their manager was 33. The band was driving back from their first international gig. The accident happened on a bridge near Stockholm. A part of the bridge was being lifted to let an oil tanker pass underneath. Their black Nissan crashed through barriers and signs to plunge 80ft in to subzero water. To make matters worse, the oil tanker saw the car fall in to the water. The crew thought it was just a large chuck of snow, so they ran over the wreckage.
The accident happened around 2 am. The police were notified by witnesses around 2:15. Some articles claim that the band sat in the water for an hour while others say that the first body was found in the water at 2:38. 3 bodies apparently remained in the car. No other information has really been released. Police are investigating why the accident happened. So far they have found nothing. Craig Terry was driving. It is possible that he had been under the influence, but there is no way to prove that as fact.

Last picture of the boys

As soon as the news was released love poured out for the boys. A movement to get the band's single to reach #1 started. It was supported by many different large name artists as well as friends and family of the band. River's stepmom said, "The only thing we have got left is for them to reach #1." All proceeds from their latest single is going towards the families of the members and the manager. The band they were opening for paid tribute to Viola Beach by playing a pre-recorded set in their opening spot. Aside from microphones and a drum kit, the stage sat empty as their songs played. The band was also on the bill for Liverpool Sound City. They were set to play the MainStage. Instead of changing the posters and finding a new band, they plan on leaving them on the set lists and setting up the main stage for a fitting tribute approved by the band's families.
I'd only heard of Viola Beach because of this tragic accident. I wish that I had found them earlier. They were an amazing band. I don't know much about their personality, but judging by the things said by friends and family, they were great people. They were definitely going places. It's sad to see that their lives ended so tragically and their dream ended so early. On the bright side, they died doing what they loved. Please share their music. They are an outstanding band in every aspect. Their music should never die. RIP Kris, River, Tomas, Jack, and Craig!

Make Way For The Kings

EMBLEM3 IS BACK BABY! The band reunited late last year. This meant this dismemberment of The Balcony (Wesley and Kenny Holland), Never Getting Older (Keaton's band), and the end of Drew's solo career. They made it clear they were going to come back and be better than ever when they released their first cover, "Hello", in October with Drew back. They proved themselves by dropping their first single in almost 3 years. Yesterday they released "Now" and blew up social media. They were the number one trend on Twitter for most of the evening. They interacted a lot with fans. I even managed to get the band account to follow me. The only follow I need now is Drew's. That's not the point though.
This is the realest song they have ever done. They really did pour everything they had in to this. They captured the bond that they have between each other and the bond they have with their loyal fans. The lyrics apologized to the fandom. The trio also touched on how people were labeling them without understanding them and that "their business plan" was the real reason why the band had split. Drew spits fire in the versus. Keaton's amazing vocal range allows for a great chorus and amazing back up/acapella style in the versus. Wes' voice smoothly belts out the chorus. "Now" is simply a musical masterpiece.
 I am SO in love with this song and the meaning behind it. Nobody that's not an Emblem will fully understand this. They might not even understand it at all. This song was written for them and for the fandom. It definitely shows how much they care about what they do and the people that have been there to support them. This is there comeback. They're better and stronger then before. I can't wait for them to release an album! And there is an album coming. Stay tuned!

Ooh ooh ooh

Make way for the kings

When E3 steps back in the scene

Just a couple bros, a guitar & a dream

Everything we need to achieve anything

'Cause we got lil' Keats on the Mac making beats

Got Wesley on the mic, he can sing

Me on the side, been banging these strings

Pretty much the same kids since sixteen

But NOW we're back making waves like the typhoon

Couple kids and a million dollar tychoon

Climbing up the Billboard,

Climbing up the iTunes,

Screaming baby, baby

Baby, we're back,

Did you miss me? miss me?

Here on this track

Are you listening listening?

I'm in the stars, yeah

And I'm never coming down 

Oh ooh

No one can stop us now!

Ooh ooh ooh

You see, certain people tried to brand us

Without taking the time to understand us,

I get the fact there's a business plan but,

That shit damn near broke the band up

And this might seem random

But I got to give a shout out to the fandom (I Love You!)

Been a couple years and you all stuck around and

It means more than you'll ever understand 

'Cause we do it for the buzz when we get up on the stage

High like a drug straight shot to the veins

We don't do it for the money, we don't do it for the fame!

We do it for the love and it's never gonna change!

Baby we're back,

Did you miss me? miss me?

Here on this track

Are you listening listening?

I'm in the stars, yeah

And I'm never coming down 

Oh ooh

No one can stop us now!

Ooh ooh ooh

No one can stop us now!

Ye-yeah,

And I'm never coming down,

No one can stop us now!

PILLOWTALK

Let me just say that this song killed me! This is not what I expected from former One Direction member, Zayn Malik. His voice was stellar in the band. This song shows such a different vocal range than what we're used to hearing. It shows a musical side of Zayn that we never saw before. He definitely showed who he really is and separated himself from the image of One Direction. Honestly, I can't wait to see a bunch of people blaring this song like they do all the other songs by The Weeknd and similar artists pretending that it's not from a member of a boy band they made fun of. Everybody's going to be jumping on the Zayn bandwagon.
Not only is the song absolutely amazing, but so is the video. There is a lot of graphic design that went in to it. The only way to really describe it is trippy. There's multiple Zayn's and Gigi's. Flowers melt away and people cry red and black tears. There's also a naked girl that opens her legs to reveal a blooming flower. This was the most disturbing part of the video. I could have done without that. Zayn and Gigi got pretty damn close in the video too. After watching this, nobody is going to believe that they are just close friends. How could you be just friends with Zayn Malik after making out with him multiple times? I think that's impossible.
Zayn also released his first interview since leaving the band. It made me a little upset, but at the same time I fell even more in love with him. He opened up about things that he wasn't able to before. He talked about how he always thought about leaving the band after the first year because they weren't going in the musical direction he wanted to go. The entire time the other four knew that it wasn't his cup of tea. They all tried to help him get more R&B vibes in their music. They tried their best to make him happy. When he left, they were alright with it because they knew he wasn't happy where he was at. They didn't want him to leave, but they cared enough about him that they let him go do his own thing without arguing with him to stay.
Not only has Zayn's debut as a solo artist been a hit with fans, it's been welcomed by many others. The single has been at the top of the charts all over the world since being released at midnight. The video was dropped at the same time and has gathered more than 1 million views. I think it's safe to say that he's caught the attention of a lot more people than just One Direction fans. The boys have even shown their support for their close friend and former band mate. Louis tweeted to Zayn saying he killed it and he was proud of him. Niall was spotted listening to the single while walking around the city. Even members of 5SOS, The Vamps, Emblem3, and The Tide have praised Zayn for his work. Overall, this song was a huge success and I can't wait for his full album!

King Of The Acapella App

Everybody has seen the acapella videos produced by an extremely cool new app. It basically replaced Vine for uprising singers. And for people just to goof around. One kid stands out from the crowd of consumers. That would be Austin Jones. All of his acapella videos have gone viral! But who is he? He's way more than a singer on an app and another teen heartthrob.
Austin is a 23 year old from Chicago. His musical styling ranges from Alternative to pop. Of course he has mastered acoustic and acapella music. Austin is definitely a musical king when it comes to social media. He has managed to gather 528,400 likes on his Facebook page, which for a fairly unknown artists to the public is pretty good. His Youtube channel has rapidly expanded since he first started it in July of 2007. As of right now he has over 117,295 subscribers and, as of today, 3,551,894 total views. His Vine following is roughly around 248,000.
Austin started his musical journey in 2010. He began writing his own music that year after "tragic events". He didn't go much deeper than that as far as I know. Honestly, I don't care. I'm just glad that he started in the first place! Austin released his first EP, "We'll Fall Together", in July 2014. The EP went to #12 on the iTunes charts and hit #34 on Billboard's Heat Seekers Chart. Not only did he have a very successful debut EP, he also had rather successful singles. He's released "Love Yourself (acoustic), Meds and Beds, and Fly Away. All of the above are available for download on iTunes.
Since Austin had gained such a big following in such short amount of time, Alternative Press invited him to join their 2015 Warped Tour. With this opportunity, Austin was able to expand his fan base and work along side big name artists. Some of those names included a few of my favorites: Black Veil Brides, Pierce the Veil, AS IT IS, Metro Station, and Our Last Night. Of course there were many other names. Those were just a few of my favorites.
However, Austin didn't walk away from Warped with all positives. Austin was caught up in the middle of a scandal. While touring he was accused of asking underage girls for videos of them twerking. When the rumors started, Warped was forced to take him out of the line up along with other social media sensations. He didn't deny the rumors long. Instead he released an apology. Austin immediately apologized for asking for the inappropriate videos. He also pointed out the fact that he was unaware that some of the people he was talking to were underage. Apparently he sent silly videos of him twerking back. He wasn't taking them very seriously. It was fun and games. He apologized for his actions and said that he was embarrassed for his family, friends, himself, and his fans.

Austin's "I Write Sins not Tragedies" cover

I believe the incident has long been forgotten. Warped Tour said that he had done nothing wrong and had taken responsibility for his actions. They weren't ashamed to have him on their line-up and would be happy to have him again. Since then Austin has regained a lot of his fans and fame with the help of the acapella app. His most popular videos are covers of Fall Out Boy, Panic!, and even Sleeping with Sirens. Austin has true talent. He has made some mistakes, but unlike many other stars, he took responsibility. There is no doubt that he is the King of the Acapella App.

Kenny Holland: Musical Homie Hopper?

Kenny Holland is a 20 year old singer and songwriter. He self-describes him self as a pop/rock artist. Personally, he is way more pop than rock, which is why it's "self-described". He hails from Phoenix, Arizona. He was also raised in Michigan. Kenny grew up in a musical family. All of his sisters are gifted as are his parents. He learned to play the piano when he was eight years old. He wrote his first song in the 6th grade about a girl in his class that he was crushing on. He continued to shine during his time in school by performing at almost every school talent show.
Kenny didn't rise to fame from his school performances though. He owes his fame to the lovely Vine app and Youtube. You have to love social media! Kenny had a Youtube channel in 2011, but he only really started getting attention when he started posting 6 second covers on Vine. He was one of the chosen to go on tours for Magcon and Digifest. As of right now, Kenny has millions of loops on Vine and thousands of followers. He has 147,602 subscribers on Youtube and has managed to rack up 2,122,532 views. His most recent success on Youtube was his "12 HollanDays"videos. He posted one video every day for twelve days leading up to the release of his newest single "Lifeline". The videos were posted over the holidays and the single was released on Christmas.
Kenny release his first full length album before he actually released any singles. "Heart and Keys" was released in 2012. It consists of 10 songs that show off his smooth vocals and piano skills. "Less Than Three" was his first single, which was released in 2013. In 2014 he released a second single, "This Dance". Of course I said, he just released his third single "Lifeline". Kenny also dropped the bomb that he has his acting debut in the independent film "Saturday's Warrior" in 2015.

Kenny, Sammy, and Skate

Holland is associated with a wide range of artists. He has opened for both Aaron Carter and The Summer Set. Since he came from Vine and went on Magcon tours, he is close friends with Jack and Jack. He even accompanied the duo on a leg of Jack and Jacks tour. Kenny is also associated with Sammy Wilk, who is a rapper and part of the duo Sammy and Skate. However, he is most known for his friendship with Wesley Stromberg of Emblem3.

Kenny and Wesley 

Wes and Kenny started their own band, "The Balcony". As a group, they released their single "Fire". They even had a music video for it. The two of them were constantly working on music together. They were practically inseparable. This caused Emblem3 fans to attack Kenny with an unbelievable wrath. They believed that Kenny was the reason that Wes stopped working with his brother and spending time with Keaton. When Wes was with Kenny, there was no Emblem3. Kenny literally killed Emblem3. Fans were also upset about the fact that Kenny had "ditched" Sammy Wilk for Wes. They also accused him of taking Skate Maloley's place in Sammy's life. People accused Kenny of choosing his friendships to gain fans. As soon as he got what he wanted, he would move on.
I believe those fans were right. As soon as Emblem3 got back together, Kenny was completely out of the picture. The Balcony won't be releasing music together anytime soon. However, Emblem3 will be! Now Kenny is back to being friends with Sammy Wilk. The two of them did a cover together for his 12 HollanDays. Kenny has also been spotted with Jack Johnson yet again. Personally, I am not a fan of Kenny. I do believe that he has a tendency to use people to grow his fandom. I don't like who he is a person from what I've seen. I feel like he is rather fake, someone who is trying to hold on to any piece of fame that he has. However, there is no denying that he has talent and I respect him as an artist. So, if you want, go check out some of Kenny's songs and videosIf you feel like it! Tell me how you feel about Kenny. Is he a musical homie hopper?