Motionless in White - The Most Badass Pennsylvanians

Discovering new bands is one of my favorite things in the world.

About a month ago, I bought a ticket to The End Is Here Tour. Naturally, I was hype to see the one and only Mr. Ronnie Radke of Falling in Reverse and stupidly didn't pay attention to who else was on the tour.

A few weeks ago, I decided to take a look at who the supporting groups were to get familiar with their music and not be completely lost during the first few hours. I already semi-knew Issues and their song "Never Lose Your Flame," which has been blasted on repeat in my car countless times.

I had heard of the name Motionless in White, but knew nothing about the band. After a quick Google search, I was severely questioning what I had gotten myself into. These dudes were like nothing I'd seen before, except perhaps Marilyn Manson. The tattoos I could easily get past (have you seen Ronnie's forehead?), but it was the eye shadow and full-face makeup that was another story.

Still, I pulled up their page on YouTube to check them out, and ended up spending an entire lunch hour playing one video after the next. I was still kind of freaked out but simultaneously mesmerized by this band. Their sound, appearance, and lyrics combined was something new for me, but deep down I new I found something special. I quickly learned that they're fellow Pennsylvanians, which is where the song "570" gets it's origin. The lyrics just hit home for me...

"And when I'm facing a wall I do not quit, cause if you mean it, you will make it."

I listened to Motionless non-stop from that day until the concert on Jan 28th, and was possibly just as excited to see them as Falling in Reverse. Their stage setup was pure perfection and something out of The Nightmare Before Christmas. There were pumpkins and glowing candles that gave the illusion of trespassing upon a haunted church. Even the drum set had a pumpkin head emblazoned on the front.

Motionless in White did not disappoint. They played the songs I had grown to appreciate, including "570" and "America," and I was able to belt out the lyrics back at the lead singer, Chris "Motionless" Cerulli. He had on his signature makeup, plus some glistening leather pants that most women couldn't dream of pulling off like he did.

A giant pumpkin man even graced the stage and my inner child deemed him the best part of the night.

Motionless basically solidifies some changes I've made over the past few years. All through my teens, I was up to date on the latest boy band crazes and rocked my hot pink UGG boots. Something shifted when I hit my twenties, and I discovered how happy the color black makes me and how truly amazing tattoos look. Yes, I still stalk the solo careers of One Direction members. But there's just something about the angst and inspiration of metal/punk music, and guys like Chris and Ronnie screaming in my ears at 8am on a crowded subway that gives me the energy to go out in the world and kick some a**.

Check out Motionless in White's latest single, "Eternally Yours" below...it's freaking amazing.

Obsession of the Week - Pentatonix

One night after an exceptionally long day at work, I was watching some music videos on NickMusic. After one forgettable pop song after the next, my mind was drifting elsewhere until one line caught my attention...

"I've heard there was a secret chord, that David played and it pleased the Lord..."

"Hallelujah" has always been one of my favorite songs since I first heard it in Shrek as a kid. Over the years, endless people have covered it, but this version by the acapella band, Pentatonix, was different.

I always enjoyed listening to Pentatonix around the holidays, and that was it...until this song. The video is simple but captivating. It starts off with one of the lead vocalists, Scott Hoying, singing the first verse and staring into your soul through the camera. Each member then follows suit and crushes each of their own solos. Meanwhile, Kevin Olusola makes it sound like there's an entire drum section behind the band using only his voice and body.

Hands down, the best part of the song is Mitch Grassi's solo towards the end. His voice is absolutely beautiful and managed to give me goosebumps the higher he sang.



Over the next week, I listened to the song any chance I got - before work, before bed, before going out. etc. My dad quickly jumped on the Pentatonix train as well, and also had the video on repeat. One night, inspiration struck - the band was going to be in Philly on Sunday, Nov 13th, so I offered to take him as an early Christmas present. After the shock of my offer wore off, he was all for it and I purchased tickets within the hour.

Pentatonix was quite possibly one of the best groups I've seen live. It was easy to forget that there wasn't a live band behind them because you still felt that thump in your chest from Kevin's percussions and Avi's insanely deep voice. They sang everything from Michael Jackson to Justin Bieber, and threw in a few original songs like "Sing."

Pentatonix live at Liacouras Center in Philadelphia Nov 13th
From L to R - Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, Scott Hoying, Avi Kaplan, Mitch Grassi

Towards the end of the show, they mentioned the great Leonard Cohen, and the entire crowd went nuts because "Hallelujah" was finally next. It sounded even better than the record and tiny Mitch with his enormous voice managed to bring out the goosebumps once again.

As part of their encore, they sang the eerie "Light in the Hallway" but took it a step further. The entire arena was asked to not make a sound, while Pentatonix huddled in the center of the stage and performed the song without microphones. They sounded exceptionally beautiful, and managed to keep hundreds of people engaged with just pure, raw talent. 

Their Christmas album, A Pentatonix Christmas, is out now and they'll also have their own NBC special on December 14th. Only 29 days away?? Let the countdown begin. 

Green Day - Even Better With Age

Every morning before going to middle school, I would eat my Frosted Flakes and watch music videos on MTV. One particular morning, I stopped dead in my tracks, spoon in one hand, backpack in the other. There was this dark haired, tattooed man on my television screen singing something about walking alone and a boulevard. I was immediately drawn in to this band, who looked so unlike anything that I was listening to at the time *insert cute, blonde boy band members here.* Thus began my love of Green Day.

Fast forward 12 years and a few albums later, I'm driving in torrential rain after working from 4:00am on a Saturday to pick up their newest release in several years, Revolution Radio. Did I feel like getting drenched? No. Did I know it would be completely worth it? Yup.

Revolution Radio is everything that I could've asked and more for new Green Day music. It has that 21st Century Breakdown political, angsty vibe, but with a more punk feel, much like their early work on Dookie.

While the whole album is freaking amazing, there's a select few songs that I've been listening to about 20 times a day since the release on October 7th:

"Bouncing Off The Wall"
This song......SO CATCHY! It's been a little while since I've gotten so excited over a song, but when I heard the first verse, I literally squealed like a teen girl because it was just SO good. While the lyrics talk about Satan, bombs, and idle threats, the melody makes you want to blast it in your car on a sunny day with the windows down, which is simply genius on their part.

"Ordinary World"
Two weeks ago, I saw Green Day live at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia as part of their small venue tour. After the supposed encore of "American Idiot," only Billie Joe walked back on stage with his acoustic guitar. With no introduction, he starts singing this song, and it was such a perfect and intimate moment with the crowd. Fans were screaming and carrying on around me, but I was so entranced by his performance and delivery of the lyrics, it was like they weren't even there. "What would you wish if you saw a shooting star in an ordinary world?" Ugh, perfect.

"Still Breathing"
This is one of the few songs that I heard before the full album when they released a lyric video for it. Much like "Ordinary World," the lyrics are extremely inspiring and something that I can relate to at this point in my life. "Just shine a light into the wreckage, so far away..." Even though we may be going through some difficult times and hardships, we're still alive and there's always a light trying to break through the darkness. When it comes to life struggles, Green Day gets it.



As if this wonderful masterpiece of an album wasn't enough of a treat, Billie Joe is starring in a movie called "Ordinary World" (I'm going to assume the song is in the soundtrack...) which hits theaters Friday, October 14th. Unlike his extremely cool and still attractive true self, Billie Joe will be playing a washed up rocker trying to get his life back together. If his acting is even 1/5 as good as his musical talent, we're in for a treat.