Is it scary yet?

Holy fox! It has actually been a while since I last wrote something down here. It's late and I can't sleep, so I thought I might drop a line. Or six. Stuff has happened since the last time I updated. I went to a bunch of shows and I finally let go of the 'I'm only going to shows of bands that have to do with Fall Out Boy or Mika'-attitude. I'm really glad I did. Otherwise I wouldn't have seen All American Rejects, All Time Low and Lady Gaga.

I had to go babysit the day All Time Low came to Brussels, so I missed the instore at Free Record Shop and I barely made it on time for the show. (Darn lockers in the basement) But I'm so glad I went. I went in not knowing half the songs but by the time I came out of the venue I fell in love with his new band. I realize they are not a 'new' band, but to me they are. Since FOB decided to go on hiatus, indefinitely, I kind of felt lost. It might seem unimportant to whoever is reading this, but FOB is what kept me going. I always looked forward to what was coming next. With them on hiatus, I no longer have something to look forward too, other than them returning. That's why I'm so glad ATL came along. They kind of help filling the void FOB left behind. Again, I realize this might not be understandable for some of you. So now, until FOB decides to get things going again, ATL is keeping me going. I am still backing and supporting 1000% what Patrick, Pete, Joe and Andy are up to, which is why I went to the 'The Damned Things' show in July. I'm also not viewing ATL as merely a void-filler. Right now, they are more than that. But in the grand scheme of things it's still FOB > ATL. As a result of this newfound love, I will be going to both their Pukkelpop and Rock en Seine show next month. I'm honestly stoked to go. See, now I have something to look forward too. Not minimizing the other bands I adore.

In hindsight I wasn't all that stoked to see ATL play the first time, but that drastically changed when I heard them live. I even regret not attending the instore. I fell in love with not only 'Therapy', but other songs too. That being said, 'Therapy' is the first song in a long time that made me feel some genuine emotions. On top of that Alex decided to perform that particular song during the show, unexpectedly. It literally sent chills down my spine. Had I known what I know now, I would have been way more stoked to see them live. Which is why I'm taking the opportunity NOW to see them again live, twice.

Whoo, this post is chaotic. It'll take some time to get back to some good writing, so bear with me for this time. I hope you at least get the gist of it: All Time Low makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, something I haven't felt in a while. ATL will forever be important to me but the original feeling of fuzziness, will always and forever belong to the members of Fall Out Boy, whatever they may do. They are the ones that pulled me out of where I was. ATL is making sure I don't fall into the hole I was slipping back into. Thanks, both of you.

Up next week, a lighter post regarding Cobra Starship, Mika and Lady Gaga.

There's a story at the bottom of this bottle and I'm the pen...

XO-reos

Monco

Come one come all...

Dear everybody,

This blog has been on the back of my mind. I know I haven't updated BUT I'll get to it as soon as exams start. There will be:

• A review for the All Time Low show
• A review for the Cobra Starship show
• A review for the Mika show
• A review for the Lady Gaga show
• A review fot the The Damned Things show as soon as I went
• A slideshow of a newly visited cemetery
• Some random music gossip
• And as usual me going on about stuff I want to write about

So stay tuned, blogs will be written!

XO-reos

Monco

Booh!

It has been so long since I updated that this blog wasn't even in my google-chrome history anymore. Sad!

That was it...

As I write this, the New Year has already begun in my part of the world. So first of all: Happy New Year. It was quite a tumultuous year, 2009. Not always in a good way. Some of the world's most beloved people died, some of the best songs ever were written, great bands broke through and others decided to go on a break for a while. I personally don't believe in 'ends of eras', beginnings of new times, decades ending and new ones beginning totally different. Radical changes are not for me. However, I hope this day motivates you to do something great with the rest of your life and I hope that you achieve anything you ever wanted in the next ten years.

These are your good years...

XO-reos

Monco

Hi everybody! As we speak, or type, my laptop is processing my little home-made movie about my cemetery visit two weeks ago. I'm not a pro photographer nor a big-shot movie maker so it is low quality and there is no need for you guys to point that out to me. I put it all in a mini-movie so that I could compile all my photos and videos into one presentation. It's up to you to figure out whether you actually want to see it or not. Whatever floats your boat.

While we wait: Steven Victor Tallerino, aka, Steven Tyler will not be leaving Aerosmith, however Joe Perry let us know they are looking for a new lead singer. How does that work, I ask you. On Tyler's Wikipedia it says that Perry and the other Aerosmithsonians are afraid Tyler is doing drugs again. I'm inclined not to believe that. I used to kind of like Joe Perry, now I don't. It's not just the recent happenings, I just think he has too big of a head. Aerosmith will be nothing without Tyler just as much as it would be nothing without Perry, Kramer, Whitford or Hamilton. However, Tyler's vocal sounds can not be replaced, while the others are a little more replaceable imo. So, dear Joe, leave Tyler be, before Aerosmith implodes. Oh yeah, and the gray streak in your hair, is so 1998.

I also wanted to get something straight, while I'm at it. Before you start sending me your condolences, Fall Out Boy is not breaking up. So dear tabloids, before you start making asses of yourselves, you should look up the definition of hiatus or break, get your facts straigh and get back to us later. Yes, they are taking a break, and yes it is indefinite but yes, they are coming back. So be warned, the first one to ask me if I'm ok about them breaking up is getting a lecture, mark my words.

I see that my little movie is published so I will put it right here for you to see, or avoid, again, whatever floats your boat.

There you have it folks, the first of many cemetery visits. Mind you that this tour wasn't finished. My battery was very drained but there was also this woman crying over her dead relative's (or friend's) grave, so I felt kind of weird being there. That's why I left before finishing the last couple of galleries.

Actually this leaves me with nothing more to say but, so long, adieu and see you next time!

Listen very carefully, I shall say this only once...

XO-reos

Monco

Ahoy, Mateys!

Holy time warp, Robin! I fell asleep a month ago and I woke up today. How on earth is that possible? Either way: due to heavy rainfall on the planned day of my cemetery trip and the lack of time afterwards, I haven't been able, bla bla bla (you guys know the drill). So far I haven't been able to fulfill half of the plans I make on this blog, so I have decided to not do that anymore. Someday this month I will visit the cemetery of Saint-Josse-Ten-Noode (not sure what the English spelling is) and Molenbeek. I don't know when, I do know where. My plan is tomorrow, but if the big guy above hears about it, my trip might rain out.
During the time that I haven't updated, I've seen two shows, and two movies.
Two shows:

• The All American Rejects: I can honestly say I've never seen that much energy on stage, ever. Plus Tyson Ritter has this insane way of looking at you that makes you fear for your life for a bit. The crowd was not in control, which forced me to plow my way through the crowd and towards the back of the venue. The verdict is that the Rejects are great live, however it's not really the best show I've ever seen, regardless of the crowd. I had fun though, but that was mostly because of the company I kept. Thanks again, Astrid. Oh yeah, the opening band, totally bored me. They were not good live, but they might surprise me on cd. Who knows...
  
• The show I had been looking forward to and that surprised me, was The Sounds. I'm not a lesbian, but if I were I'd totally crush on Maja Ivarsson. Anyway, the pre-show was pretty good, although they might have wanted to check that the drums, bass and guitar didn't overpower the sound of the mic, I have no idea what the guy was singing and I didn't get any of what was said, that's a bit of a shame. It's one of the few opening bands that didn't suck live. (The Sounds, Nailpin, You Me At Six and Boys Like Girls were the only other ones) I was so excited for The Sounds because I knew they are awesome live and I remember being a bit disappointed to see their sets end before respectively Panic! At The Disco and Fall Out Boy. I was surprised, to say the least, to see that the had a rather big fan base. I thought nobody here knew them, obviously I was wrong. They came through and amazed me by putting on a full length show that didn't suck one bit. It was awesome and for such a 'small' band to overpower what I felt for the Rejects is pretty amazing. I'm sure that the Backstreet Boys were good that same night, but I wouldn't want to have traded. I think I had more fun there, that night than I could ever have had with Nick Carter. Maja's pinky alone has more charisma than BSB all together. Verdict, definitely one of the best shows I've ever seen.

Two movies:

• I finally got to see 'Let The Right One In'. I have to say that this is, at the moment, one of the best vampire movies I've ever seen. It's based on a book 'Låt den rätte komma in' by John Ajvide. The movie tells the exceptional story of Oskar a small-town boy that is constantly bullied at school. Eli moves in next door and the two establish a remarkable friendship. I won't say more, except that it beats the hell out of the Twilight fairies and it is a must-see, really, trust me.
• Finally two nights ago I saw 'New Moon' the second of a long list of Twilight-saga movies. My opinion? I didn't like it. I read the book, which was semi-okay, but the movie, I don't know. I already got a bad case of the 'mockings' when I saw Edward Cullen sparkle for the first time. The second time I kinda laughed at the so-called werewolves, although I must say that the CGI was very well done. But those weren't werewolves, my Great Dane looks more ferocious than Jacob Black. I laughed my way through 'An American Werewolf In Paris' but at least that wolf was kind of scary. I still believe Kristen Stewart's acting is off and sometimes plain bad (notably the scene in the Volturi palace, where the one dude hurts Edward), it did get better when it was just her and Taylor Lautner. The highlight of the movie was very much Michael Sheen, who was cast for the role of Aro, the vampire king, so to speak. I adored him with the red eyes and the maniacal smile. Now he made me cringe a bit, I don't care what way you take that. Verdict: I was bored and I'm sure I'll refrain from spending any more cash on movies I know I won't like. Shame on them if they fool me once (although Twilight didn't completely suck in retrospect), shame on me if they fool me twice. Sorry friends but Eclipse is a no-go. (I'm selling the latter three parts of the Twilight-saga, leave a comment if interested AND living in Belgium)
• Bonus movie: This Is It. I've seen it, and it was what I expected. A video montage of what was supposed to be Michael Jackson's big comeback, and some bits and pieces to illustrate Michael's perfectionism. I loved it, but I also knew beforehand not to expect a huge show. Michael looked good, and even resembled his 'Jam'-self a bit. Kenny Ortega is a bit of an ass-kisser ("Yes, Michael, that was what I was thinking." "Yes, Michael, I agree." "Yes, Michael, you're right.") and the guitar-playing girl, Orianthi Panagaris, is pretty awesome. As is Judith Hill, who has amazing vocal skills.

I should go to bed so, this is it for today (see what I did there?). I probably forgot to say some stuff, but seen as I can't remember what, it's probably not important. Tata for now!

Watch us until we blur...
XO-reos
Monco

Concert Schedule:

No update, just a concert schedule for the next 12 months:

• All American Rejects: October 20th 2009
• The Sounds: November 20th 2009
• Mika: March 12th 2010

I heard Blink 182 might be going on a European tour in 2010, and we wouldn't want to miss that now, would we?
Taphophilia news: I will be re-visiting the cemetery in Laeken on October 13th. When the crypt re-opens I will return for a third and probably final documented visit.
Book news: First idea has been dismissed due to similarities between my idea and an old tv show with the same theme. My new idea however, is unique (to my knowledge).

Sayonara my friends and stay golden!
XO-reos
Monco

P.S.: Anybody who feels like joining me on one of the two final shows, let me know and we can make plans.