Tag Archives: Nothing Personal

Top Ten Tuesday! My Ten Favorite Bands to See Live!

I love live music. There’s not much better than the energy of a crowd enjoying a live performance. At this point in my life I’ve seen hundreds of bands live, many of them iconic. These are my favorite ten bands that I’ve seen live.

concertfix.com

concertfix.com

10. Fall Out Boy: I first heard about them from a sampler CD that was being given away for free as I left a concert for another band. The video below isn’t them live, but I thought you’d want to hear their remake of the Ghostbusters song for the new movie soundtrack.

9. New PoliticsThey’re different. If you don’t know their music, check it out. The lead singer does backflips and break dances on stage.

favim.com Hayley Williams

favim.com Hayley Williams

8. ParamoreFun music, great band, entertaining show. Lead singer Hayley Williams is not very large as far as human beings go, but on stage she has a powerful voice and never stops moving.

7. Nothing PersonalMy son’s band. I couldn’t leave them off the list or my son would be hurt. He’ll still be mad that he’s ranked 7th. I just didn’t want to show nepotism and I want him to work harder to get to no.1.

6. 3OH!3I just saw them last night at the Alternative Press Music Awards. Flat out fun live. Always a crazy crowd and you can’t help but to jump to their music. Scroll down to yesterdays Phil Factor for a sample.

5. Motion City SoundtrackI just saw them last month in Philadelphia on their final tour. Clever, catchy, pop lyrics. Their stage show is stripped down. No laser lights or explosions, just a great band playing great music with a lead singer Justin Pierre who was probably voted least likely looking rock star in high school.

polyvore.com

polyvore.com

4. Panic! At The DiscoTheir front man, Brendon Urie, is my son’s favorite performer. The bands music is kind of pop alternative rock and Brendon has a Broadway voice and a theatrical stage presence in their shows.

3. All Time LowThey’re a very popular alternative rock band that does a great job at being down to Earth and connecting with their fans. Their shows are full of witty banter with the crowd.

relix.com

relix.com

2. Phish: I’ve only seen this modern day Grateful Dead type band live twice, but one of those times was a doozy. It was at an outdoor venue so as you can imagine, things get a little looser. At their shows the crowd is more entertaining than the band.

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1. Green Day: If you’re a long time reader of my blog you know my love of Green Day. I’ve been a fan of theirs for their entire twenty-something year career. I think it’s cool that guys my age are still popular and playing cool music.

So what are your favorite bands to see live?

Music Monday! Burn Me Down by Nothing Personal

Yes, this is my son’s band Nothing Personal and you can find their new album, Unforgettable, on iTunes and all the other digital music retailers. This is a poignant heartbreaking song about a break-up featuring guest accompanying vocals by Kristin Geary.

As always, if any of you know someone in the recording industry feel free to drop me a line so my son can get started on his career as a rock star. Have a great Monday! ~Phil

Music Monday! Anxiety by Nothing Personal

A catchy heavy alternative rock song that starts slowly and will having you singing along by the end. Yes, it’s my son’s band, Nothing Personal, and they recently released their new full-length album, Unforgettable. So sue me for being a proud dad. This is the last Music Monday I’ll do on them for awhile.

The album is available for download at all the online music retailers. Have a great Monday! ~Phil

Music Monday: Just Breathe

This song kicks the crap out of anything Ed Sheeran has ever done. Yes, I said it. I mean it and Ed Sheeran can come and fight me if he disagrees.

I’m hoping you clicked on and listened to the song before I tell you that it’s by my son’s band, Nothing Personal. I hope you listened long enough to get to the harmonica part later in the song too. That’s pretty cool. My favorite lyric is “I’ll wear my heart on my sleeve, and when it falls you’ll pick it up for me.”

Seriously, if you listened, shouldn’t this song be on the radio? (Yes, you can find this song and the entire album in iTunes and all the other music retailers)

Have a great Monday! ~Phil

Music Monday! Nothing Personal: Poisonous

Poisonous, and your venom fills my veins with every kiss. That’s my favorite line from this song. Or another good one is Hope you know you’re slowly killing me, I’ll still play the fool foolishly. I promise that I won’t post about my sons’ bands new album every day. (This song and their entire new album Unforgettable is available on iTunes and all the other music retailers) Give this song a listen. It’s a fun, different, pop-alternative rock song. If you know anyone who works for a record label please drop me a line.

Have a great Monday! ~Phil

Music Monday! Nothing Personal

This is my son. His bands full length album will be available for pre-sale in the iTunes store on Friday and available for download on the 29th. This article is from his college newspaper.

Rising Student Artist: Liam Taylor leads Nothing Personal

By Alison Flanagan (Staff Writer ) on November 12, 2015.

Liam Taylor keeps Open Mic Night entertaining drawing inspiration from punk bands like Blink-182 and All Time Low. Photo provided by Alison Flanagan

Liam Taylor keeps Open Mic Night entertaining drawing inspiration from punk bands like Blink-182 and All Time Low. Photo provided by Alison Flanagan

Nothing is more unforgettable than bright pink hair. Except, maybe, Nothing Personal. That pink hair belongs to Liam Taylor, a freshman at Oswego State and founding member of the band Nothing Personal of Rochester. Don’t be surprised if you catch the singer with a new hairdo. His hair varies as much as his talents.

As part of Nothing Personal, Taylor is currently part of a nearly completed project to release the band’s first full-length album. Senior Mike McKean is recording and mixing the album for the group.

“I’ve wanted to do a full album for a long time, but I haven’t really had the opportunity,” Taylor said. “It was such an awesome opportunity that Mike McKean gave us.”

The album is titled “Unforgettable” and consists of a variety of sounds. Nothing Personal takes inspiration from their favorite bands, including All Time Low (ATL). Their namesake is a tribute to ATL’s hit 2009 album. Blink-182 and Twenty One Pilots also offer a source of inspiration for Taylor, especially when he writes.

“There’s a lot of, kind of heavier pop punk songs, a lot of brighter ones,” Taylor said. “And then there’s like, a folky, acoustic song on there. I’m really excited about that one.”

The album also includes a duet featuring fellow student artist Kristen Geary.

Having already finished most of the recording process, McKean is eager to finish work on the final product.

“It’s something that I’m proud that he’s getting and I’m also proud to show,” McKean said. “This is what I’m doing with my life so I’d be proud to show this to future employers.”

During the recording process, pride is a visible feature on both Taylor and McKean’s faces. They both have a passion for the project and their roles in the creation process, as well as for the music industry they both aspire to work in. Taylor has enjoyed being involved in the recording process and hopes that “if the whole ‘rock star’ thing doesn’t work out,” he can find success as a producer.

McKean discovered Taylor’s talents at a Thursday Open Mic Night at the beginning of the semester. As a first time performer, Taylor captivated his audience and has done the same each time since. Taylor says he always finds support in the audience there “even if he messes up.” He shows his modesty by making lighthearted jokes regarding his performances, which never seem disappoint his audience.

“There’s never a rude person there,” Taylor said. “They can be so accepting of everyone, and even if someone messes up, they can just keep cheering them on and make everyone feel better. … I look forward to it throughout the week.”

The positive atmosphere at Open Mic is something McKean encourages as the Lifestyles Center Peer Mentor in charge every week. So far, his encouragement has resulted in a nearly completed full-length album, with a hopeful release date in early December.

Have a great Monday! ~Phil

Music Monday! The Joker?

I was going to go with a cool indie alt rock band until I saw my son do this Saturday night. In Heath Ledger Joker makeup he hosted an open mic/costume party at a coffee house. It’s his acoustic cover of the classic Hallelujah. And if you know someone who works for a record company please put them in touch with me.

Have a great Monday! ~Phil

Music Monday! Nothing Personal: The Place That I Call Home

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They didn’t win a Billboard Music Award last night, but this might be the beginning. My son’s band released their second single on iTunes. It’s a truly do it yourself kind of project. The single cover that you see here was drawn by one of their friends and the song was recorded and mixed by a friend with a laptop and some basic software. The song has an alternative rock/Blink-182 kind of sound. You can find it on iTunes for only 99 cents (less than a quid for my U.K. friends) at:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-place-that-i-call-home/id992512728?i=992512730

I also want to give a big shout out and thank you to Dawn Martinez of the blog Slingshot and  the internet radio station Radio World Indie for reaching out to me and offering to play my son’s song on her radio station. The kindness of bloggers always touches me. Dawn has also written a fun book about a sassy, independent cowgirl named Celeste that you might want to check out here.

Have a great Monday! ~Phil

Music Monday! Nothing Personal

This is my son’s band opening for Hawthorne Heights last Tuesday. My son is the singer/guitarist and songwriter.

Have a great Monday!

Monday Music! The Phil Factor has reached an All Time Low

This is the new song/video from All Time Low, my son’s favorite band, that we are going to see live in May for the 5th time.

I’ve grown to like this band quite a bit for several reasons. Because my son likes them so much his band, Nothing Personal,  will usually cover one of All Time Low’s songs every time they play, so I’ve grown to know and like their songs. Also I like them because this is a picture of the lead singer, Alex Gaskarth, sitting alongside the drummer Rian Dawson, holding a sticker of my son’s band:

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What’s kind of cool is that All Time Low named their band after a line in a song by the band New Found Glory, and my son’s band, Nothing Personal named themselves from a line in an All Time Low song. Obviously, somewhere there’s a group of young musicians that will one day name their band after a line by one of my son’s songs.

Have a great Monday! ~Phil