Known for playing Malcolm, a ”normal” middle sibling in a family of lunatics  in Malcolm in the Middle, and the superkid spy in Agent Cody Banks, Frankie Muniz is now found with a bit of more facial hair, a fohawk or mohawk (whatever the hell it is) and piercings as a drummer for a band called You Hang Up.

This rock piece comes from Phoenix, AZ.  In first impressions, they don’t really stick to me- they’re kind of plain, a little boring, no hooks, nothing catchy.  Sorry, but it’s just my opinion, so you be the judge.

Taken from You Hang Up’s myspace biography: “…Frankie moved to Arizona in 2008 to take a break from acting and pursue a professional career in racing, but has now become a permanent fixture of You Hang Up. Between Frankie’s incredible drumming skills and his passion for music in general, he adds a flavor to You Hang Up that could not blend better with the group.”

What I just found to be intriguing is the image Muniz is going for now.  It’s actually kind of humorous.  He looks ridiculous- the piercings, the mohawk, the facial hair- it’s impossible to take him seriously.  We get it Muniz, you’re no Cody Banks anymore, but really..??

After his Grammy Awards performance on Sunday, MTV News caught up with, Blink 182 drummer, Travis Barker and threw him through a gauntlet of questions mostly directed towards the bands much-anticipated upcoming album. The word on the street has been that the album was going to release in 2011, while others have heard that it will be coming out sooner. But according to Barker the band has to finish their own side-projects before they start working on the next Blink album.

“We’re about to start working on it. I’m gonna try to wrap up my album and, uh, Tom has his band, he’s wrapping up that album, and then we’ll start working on a Blink record.”

It has been nearly 7 years since the band’s last album was released in 2003, and it will be interesting to see what kind of sound they bring to the table nearly a decade later. Judging by Sunday’s performance with Lil’ Wayne, Eminem, and Drake, I think it’s safe to say that Barker still has the sound that can keep up with the music of today.

All in all, it seems as if we’ll have to play the waiting game until we find out.

Check out the full interview here.

Since the band’s hiatus announcement in November of 2009, the guys of Fall Out Boy have now moved on to other projects.  Andy Hurley (drummer) and Joe Trohman (guitarist), for example, have started a metal band called The Damned Things with members of Anthrax (Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano) and Everytime I Die (Keith Buckley), whereas Pete Wentz (bassist/emo’s pretty boy) has rendered out into the business world writing comic books, opening a night club, and much more.  No worries, Wentz still has a place in music, for he just collaborated with Mark Hoppus (Blink 182) in contributing a song to the Alice In Wonderland soundtrack. 

But just last week, Fall Out Boy’s frontman Patrick Stump released a video on his newly revised website (www.patrickstump.com) that shows a little snippet of what’s to come from the Stump himself.  The video is a compilation of Stump playing different instruments, including keys, drums, and even a trumpet, that all layer into one song, ending with the caption ”I’m working on an album.  I’ll be writing, producing, performing everything myself.  Stay tuned.” The video can be seen by click here.

This is sure to be an exciting release, hopefully combining the catchy melodies we’ve heard and loved from Fall Out Boy with this seemingly new found progression in funk and maybe soulful concoction.  Or honestly this can just be a new side of Stump the world has never seen.  We’re sure to be surprised. Stay tuned.

(RIP Fall Out Boy)

Believe me when I say this, posting something about Twilight is the last thing I wanted to do but when I was enlightened on this soundtrack it blew my pants straight off. Honestly, this soundtrack is stunning. I’ve been waiting for many moons (pun-intended) for a compilation to de-thrown the almighty Garden State soundtrack and that day has finally come. This album boasts huge bands ranging mostly in the alternative indie genre but still packs an insane punch. Heading the cavalery is the Death Cab for Cutie song (Meet Me On The Equinox) which is everything it was built up to be and is coupled by some other monumentally epic songs from Thom Yorke, The Killers, Muse, and the list only gets better. CHECK IT!

Death Cab For Cutie – Meet Me On The Equinox

Yule Shoot Your Eye Out by Fall Out Boy

“We’ll Be A Dream” by We The Kings featuring Demi Lavoto.

First off apologies for the brief hiatus! Now that that’s out of the way, we are going to embark on  a month dedicated to riding music because snowboarding season is kicking off right round the corner. The fundamentals of perfect riding music derive from a sense of flowing, if it flows you’ll flow. Hip hop is notorious for flowing and what better band to present than Jurassic 5. They’ve been in the game for years and they’re newer stuff  has taken a progressive turn, but the old stuff, damn! My personal favorites have gotta be Jayou and the entire Quality Control album.

Jurassic 5 – 18 – Jayou

Hailing all the way from Lutherville Timonium, Maryland, the young lads of All Time Low have set foot into the pop/rock scene with their boyish charm and catchy hooks with their never changing mindset of not taking anything seriously.

I’ve heard about these guys since their EP Release of “Put Up or Shut Up,” and ever since I’ve fallen in love (no homo).  Their sound definitely blends well in today’s “glamour” pop/rock, exceeding those who just focus on their emo-hair styles complementing a V-neck t-shirt.

These guys are young, catchy, and about to bring back the cheesy pop/rock songs into the world.

Here’s my track to track review on All Time Low’s newest release Nothing Personal:

“Weightless” is the introduction to the album as well as the band’s first single.  What can I say?  After about 2 listens, I already had the chorus memorized in my head, but it’s a something you won’t mind singing mindlessly when going walking down the street.  A definite solid opener for the album.

“… you were fake, I was great, NOTHING PERSONAL” is part of the first couple lines in the second track “Break Your Little Heart,” which to me, in my opinion, was the actual true kickoff to the entire album.  I was a little skeptical in the intro and verse, but come the chorus, All Time Low do what they do best and deliver the in-your-face chorus that you can’t help but to love.  The song definitely grew more and more on me, becoming  one of my favorite tracks off their album.

No surprise that “Damned If I Do Ya (Damned if I Don’t)” would be the band’s next single.  The song has all the elements to have radio listeners requesting this song over and over again.  It’s absolute ear candy.

“Lost in Stereo.” This track is probably my least favorite off the entire album.  I will admit that it’ll definitely be a crowd favorite because it’s so big and has that anthem appeal, specifically the part in the chorus when there’s the repeating chant,”Lost in stereo, lost in stereo!”  Prepare to scream your hearts out at the next All Tiime Low show you go to, kids.

I didn’t even pick this up until my good friend told me: “Stella” is about drinking, more than likely referring to the beer Stella Artois (duh, no shit).  I guess you can say the admirer for this Stella is…. love drunk?

All Time Low have a soft spot, some dark secrets, and can be serious at times…. but not too serious, don’t worry.  Exposing some insecurities and the fact that things aren’t always glamorous comes from the next track “Sick Little Games.” Although it taps into what may seemingly be a touchy subject, the song still fits in well with the album’s upbeat and light hearted vibe.

All Time Low will party city after city after city…. and they don’t care if you’re there or not.  “Hello Brooklyn” is the personal invite to join All Time Low in celebrating their adventures that lead them to “London, Tokyo, Boston, ‘Frisco….” and so on and so forth.

“Walls” explores young love’s journey up to when fate finally ends it.  There is the realization that things change and that life and love must goes on, a message conveyed through the song’s powerful presence with lines saying,”…together we’ll move on, just don’t turn around… let the walls break down.”  The song brings forth a more meaningful and emotional side to the band.

On that note, the next song “Too Much” ties in perfectly to this more serious theme that is being unveiled.  This song is the most different on the album, taking on more of the electronica sound with its constant bass drum and various synthesized effects.  “Too Much” again discusses the unfortunate end of young love but on a more sympathetic level with admitting mistakes and realizing the faults.   Although it’s different, the song is probably on my top of favorite songs on the album, probably for the soul fact that it IS different, and shows a newer side to what this band is capable of.

Bouncing back into the poppy rock that we all know love comes “Keep the Change, You Filthy Animal.” A solid “in-between” song in the album, one that could easily be looked over.  I gave it a chance, of course, and surprisingly found that it holds one of the catchiest chorus on the entire album.  But really, it’s nothing too special, but would be a good song to see live regardless.

Put on your dance shoes, grab a drink, gather your friends, and throw a party.  Party.  Party all fucking night.  Here is your next  drinking anthem; your next party karoke song.  It’s cool, it’s energetic, it’s a positive atmosphere.  Ladies and gents, here is when we get crunked: “A Party Song (Walk of Shame).”

You always want to leave that lasting impression when concluding an album, and I think that’s what All Time Low exactly do.  In this sea of partying, drinking, love and relationships, their closing track “Therapy” shows that this band is human.  They’re not perfect, they’re young, and they’re exactly like you and me.

Although it’s cheesy and nothing ground-breaking, Nothing Personal is the result of four young boys seizing the opportunity to show the music industry something that not many artists do, and that’s being themselves.   This album may not have exceeded their last album, but you gotta admit it’s a catchy and solid, solid pop rock album.  You will not help but to listen from start to finish, but I warn you to try and not to listen to this album too much, because it’s one of those easy listens that you can get tired of really, really quick.  Hey, nothing personal.