NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

I n Western North Carolina, we had two modern rock radio stations. From upstate South Carolina there was  93.3 “ The Planet,”  an Active Rock radio station that played lots of ‘90s rock and neo-90s rock. They loved grunge and post-grunge. They played  Nickelback ,  Seether ,  P.O.D. ,  Flyleaf ,  Puddle of Mudd , and that kind of music. Then there was Charlotte’s  106.5 “The End ,” an Alternative rock station. While playing much of the same music, they also featured some newer groups, such as  Silversun Pickups ,  Thirty Seconds to Mars , and the occasional  The Almost  or  Saosin  song. The Starting Line was one of those emerging bands that was starting to be picked up on radio. The first single, “ Island ,” from the band’s third and final (latest) LP,  Direction ,  was a kind of break out for the band to mainstream alternative rock. The band had toured on their two previous albums and built up a fan base thanks to venues like the  Vans Warped Tour , but some band members grew tired o

In 2008, The Starting Line went on hiatus. Disillusioned from the recording industry after their sophomore record and major label debut, Based on a True Story , was neglected from promotion due to the band’s label, MCA being acquired by Universal Music Group and forming the sub-label Gergen Records. This prompted the band to sign with Virgin Records and release their third record, Direction . Unlike Based on a True Story, Direction was better promoted. Still, even with the new promotion the band had enough. GETTING CLOSE TO WHATEVER MATTERS. The Starting Line’s hiatus included a few tour dates together and live recordings. The band is yet to release a full-length follow-up record to Direction, but in 2016 they released a three-song EP titled Anyways . Lead singer Kenny Vasoli said at the Slam Dunk Records festival in 2011: “ People keep asking us when we're getting back together, and the answer I have is yesterday. And what happens when bands get together? They write music. So, w

  Today, we’ll revisit high school in a playlist The Angsty Aughts. This playlist will compile and celebrate the Emo songs I’ve blogged about. For this list, I’ve decided to focus on scene music from 2003-2009. I’m sure that a second generation of Emo featuring Olivia Rodrigo and Goody Grace will be a post in the future. For this playlist, I've decided to stick to a high school theme because that's what Emo does best, so I listed the song as "Class of" based on the year that the song was introduced. Enjoy! Listen to Angsty Aughts on AppleMusic . 1. " The Sound " by Further Seems Forever (Class of '03), the song of the day. 2. " Embers and Envelops " by Mae (Class of '03) 3. " All of Me " by Watashi Wa (Class of '03) 4. " Coffee " by Copeland  (Class of '03) 5. " Crushcrushcrush " by Paramore  (Class of '07) 6. " Sick in the Teeth " by Jonezetta (Class of '08) 7. " Spiders &quo

Howard Benson has two Grammys for his production and quite a few Dove Awards, the Christian version of the Grammys. Benson started producing hard rock bands in 1989. Ten years later, his production for P.O.D.'s The Fundamental Elements of Southtown went multiplatinum. P.O.D. kept producing records with Benson, and other rock acts followed. Benson's early records have that early 2000s hard rock style you can hear in bands he produced like Crazy Town, Blindside, Trust Company, My Chemical Romance, Flyleaf, and Hoobastank. But little by little, Benson was developing pop sensibilities. In 2005, Benson produced The All-American Rejects' Move Along and Hoobastank's "The Reason" was a pop mega hit. He went on to work with Kelly Clarkson, Daniel Powter, Daughtry, and Rascal Flatts, as well as being a go-to producer for hard rock acts like Red, Skillet, and Of Mice and Men. But somewhere in the middle, lies Benson's alternative and pop-punk records, like Relient K,

  I n Western North Carolina, we had two modern rock radio stations. From upstate South Carolina there was 93.3 “ The Planet,” an Active Rock radio station that played lots of ‘90s rock and neo-90s rock. They loved grunge and post-grunge. They played Nickelback , Seether , P.O.D. , Flyleaf , Puddle of Mudd , and that kind of music. Then there was Charlotte’s 106.5 “The End ,” an Alternative rock station. While playing much of the same music, they also featured some newer groups, such as Silversun Pickups , Thirty Seconds to Mars , and the occasional The Almost or Saosin song. The Starting Line was one of those emerging bands that was starting to be picked up on radio. The first single, “ Island ,” from the band’s third and final (latest) LP, Direction , was a kind of break out for the band to mainstream alternative rock. The band had toured on their two previous albums and built up a fan base thanks to venues like the Vans Warped Tour , but some band members grew tired of touring,