Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Thursday, 24 March 2011
The Logo/Lettering
The Lettering of 'Reckless Abandon' will have an american college or 'varsity' style to it. This is used very often in the genre and will appeal to my audience. These are the ideas for my logo/lettering so far, however it is still possible I might shorten the name to either just 'Reckless' or 'Abandon'.
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
My Contents Page Concept
I have decided that my contents page will follow roughly the same format that NME uses each week; with a long list of bands down the left-hand side (like an index) and a few pictures to show the main articles. This will involve taking a couple of photos of other artists to go into my contents. I will also have to decide on a colour scheme before starting and then stick to it.
My Photo Shoot
I have 2 ideas for my photo shoot. The first of these is to re-create an iconic album with the members of my band. However, this will probably be hard to pull off as if it isn't done accurately it will most likely turn out quite sloppy. I do like this idea though so it remains an option. My second idea was to do 2 separate shoots using my actual band. The first shoot will be a posed one using the general pop-punk band characteristics and in a urban environment. Whereas the second shoot will involve taking live shots whilst performing. I will then mix the photos for different parts of my magazine.
Some of the iconic albums I was thinking of re-creating:
The Beatles - Abbey Road
Oasis - Definitely Maybe
Patti Smith - Horses
The Clash - London Calling
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
Ramones - Ramones
T-Rex - The Slider
Some of the iconic albums I was thinking of re-creating:
The Beatles - Abbey Road
Oasis - Definitely Maybe
Patti Smith - Horses
The Clash - London Calling
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
Ramones - Ramones
T-Rex - The Slider
Thursday, 17 March 2011
The Pop-Punk Evolution
It is not clear when the term pop punk was first used, but pop-influenced punk rock had been around since the mid- to late-1970s. An early use of the term pop punk appeared in a 1977 New York Times article, "Cabaret: Tom Petty's Pop Punk Rock Evokes Sounds of 60s". In the mid-1990s, the California pop punk bands Green Day and The Offspring really kicked the genre as a seperate entity off to a start.
power pop bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s helped lay the groundwork for the pop punk sound, which emerged at the onset of punk rock around 1974 with the Ramones. The Ramones' loud and fast melodic minimalism differentiated them from other bands in New York City's budding art rock scene, but pop punk was not considered a separate subgenre until later. Several UK bands of the late 1970s also played what can be considered pop punk. The music of the Buzzcocks, Generation X, The Jam, The Rezillos, The Undertones and The Toy Dolls (to name a few) featured catchy melodies, as well as lyrics that sometimes dealt with relatively light themes such as teenage romance. The US band Bad Religion, who started in 1979, were another band that helped lay the groundwork for contemporary pop punk.
By 1981, hardcore punk had emerged in the United States, with louder, faster music than punk bands. Vocal harmony, melodic instrumentation and 4/4 drumming were replaced with shouting, discordant instrumentation, and experimental rhythms. A few bands, such as Descendents, Screeching Weasel, and The Vandals, began to combine hardcore with pop music to create a new, faster pop punk sound, sometimes referred to as popcore or skatecore. Their positive yet sarcastic approach began to separate them from the more serious hardcore scene. In the 1980s, the term pop punk was used in publications such as Maximum RocknRoll to describe bands similar to Social Distortion and Agent Orange.
power pop bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s helped lay the groundwork for the pop punk sound, which emerged at the onset of punk rock around 1974 with the Ramones. The Ramones' loud and fast melodic minimalism differentiated them from other bands in New York City's budding art rock scene, but pop punk was not considered a separate subgenre until later. Several UK bands of the late 1970s also played what can be considered pop punk. The music of the Buzzcocks, Generation X, The Jam, The Rezillos, The Undertones and The Toy Dolls (to name a few) featured catchy melodies, as well as lyrics that sometimes dealt with relatively light themes such as teenage romance. The US band Bad Religion, who started in 1979, were another band that helped lay the groundwork for contemporary pop punk.
By 1981, hardcore punk had emerged in the United States, with louder, faster music than punk bands. Vocal harmony, melodic instrumentation and 4/4 drumming were replaced with shouting, discordant instrumentation, and experimental rhythms. A few bands, such as Descendents, Screeching Weasel, and The Vandals, began to combine hardcore with pop music to create a new, faster pop punk sound, sometimes referred to as popcore or skatecore. Their positive yet sarcastic approach began to separate them from the more serious hardcore scene. In the 1980s, the term pop punk was used in publications such as Maximum RocknRoll to describe bands similar to Social Distortion and Agent Orange.
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Media Theories
The hypodermic needle model is the theory that the media 'injects' messages to their audience which they play a passive part in and are unable to resist. This theory is now discredited as it is simplistic and out dated. It is suggested that people are not as passive anymore. Although to some extent, peoples opinions are influenced by what they see or hear through media.
Cultivation effect (Drip, drip, drip effect) is when the repetition of a message or opinion has an effect on an audience; causing them to believe the opinion that the media source is putting across. Music magazines often use this as a means of advertising albums and live events.
Two-step flow. Step 1 - media introduces an idea. Step 2 - these ideas are discussed with friends and we reach an opinion. This definitely applies to music magazines. Music magazines introduce an audience to artists, albums, events and a whole list of other things. And from this people will always start discussing what they've read; mainly because people like to seem knowledgeable.
Limited effect - the idea that we are not at all affected by the media as we are 'media literate'. However, in modern times it can clearly be seen that media affects everyone. Whether it's the radio jingles someone hears in the morning or the adverts on a roadside bus stop.
Media Dependency is the belief that media becomes a need. So is it an addiction or a choice? In my eyes it's an addiction. The majority of people spend a large amount of their day either watching TV, on the internet or reading magazines. Without having these media sources people would have no means of obtaining current news or be simply entertain themselves.
Diversion is the theory that people use media as an escape from reality or problems, to distract themselves. This can be applied to the majority of media and works for a lot of people
Personal relationships is using media as topic conversations with friends and using media as a substitute for real contact. This theory applies as magazines offer opinions and often new music which you will then discuss with your friends; however I doubt very many people use media as a substitute for socialisation.
Personal identity is the idea that people use media to define themselves. I think this is true to all media especially things like music magazines. Who people are friends with, how they dress, how they act is all influenced by their interests which are made evident through the media they use.
Surveillance - finding out about the world. This is one of the main appeals of a music magazine as the entire point of reading one is to find out about artists.
Cultivation effect (Drip, drip, drip effect) is when the repetition of a message or opinion has an effect on an audience; causing them to believe the opinion that the media source is putting across. Music magazines often use this as a means of advertising albums and live events.
Two-step flow. Step 1 - media introduces an idea. Step 2 - these ideas are discussed with friends and we reach an opinion. This definitely applies to music magazines. Music magazines introduce an audience to artists, albums, events and a whole list of other things. And from this people will always start discussing what they've read; mainly because people like to seem knowledgeable.
Limited effect - the idea that we are not at all affected by the media as we are 'media literate'. However, in modern times it can clearly be seen that media affects everyone. Whether it's the radio jingles someone hears in the morning or the adverts on a roadside bus stop.
Media Dependency is the belief that media becomes a need. So is it an addiction or a choice? In my eyes it's an addiction. The majority of people spend a large amount of their day either watching TV, on the internet or reading magazines. Without having these media sources people would have no means of obtaining current news or be simply entertain themselves.
Diversion is the theory that people use media as an escape from reality or problems, to distract themselves. This can be applied to the majority of media and works for a lot of people
Personal relationships is using media as topic conversations with friends and using media as a substitute for real contact. This theory applies as magazines offer opinions and often new music which you will then discuss with your friends; however I doubt very many people use media as a substitute for socialisation.
Personal identity is the idea that people use media to define themselves. I think this is true to all media especially things like music magazines. Who people are friends with, how they dress, how they act is all influenced by their interests which are made evident through the media they use.
Surveillance - finding out about the world. This is one of the main appeals of a music magazine as the entire point of reading one is to find out about artists.
Tropes & Memes
Tropes are recurrent figures, images, patterns which organize a way of thinking. The repetition of a trope tends to reiterate or at least carry traces of it's historical meaning and function. They circulate as convention, but also as shorthand tactics for conveying meaning. Memes however were pitched by Dawkins as the cultural, semantic equivalent of a gene. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena.
Monday, 14 March 2011
My Title: Reckless Abandon
After a lot of thought and consideration I have settled on the name 'Reckless Abandon' for my magazine. The phrase itself means to do or say something without regards for the consequences. Firstly, this is a relevant to the attitude of my chosen genre as the music often takes this approach. Secondly, the phrase could also be seen as a reference to a relatively unknown blink-182 track. As seen below it also came out as my participants favourite name in my survey. It is also an option that I just shorten the name to 'Abandon'.
Monday, 7 March 2011
Deconstruction Of a Pop-Punk Band - Hey Monday
Hey Monday was formed in March 2008 after Cassadee Pope and Mike Gentile's former band Blake broke up. Pope and Gentile wanted to continue playing music and began holding auditions for a new band around their local Florida music scene. Pope and Gentile quickly recruited rhythm guitarist Alex Lipshaw and drummer Elliot James. Soon afterward they enlisted bassist Michael "Jersey" Moriarty and Hey Monday was formed. They were discovered when Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz heard one of their demos while he was in the Crush Management office. Wentz wanted to sign them to his label, Decaydance, but Columbia Records was also interested so the band ended up signing a joint deal with both labels.
Hey Monday are an up & coming female fronted pop-punk band. And frankly, they opitomise the genre. They way they sound, the way they look and simply the way they go about their business just screams POP-PUNK. In terms of dress sense they are all pretty casual most of the time. Even though they make a fair amound of money, the majority of the time they look like they've just been picked up from a skate park.
"Alternative Press: You’re debut record ‘Hold On Tight’ hasn’t even been released in the UK yet. You have fans every night singing along to every word. How does that make you feel?
Cassedee Pope: We feel accomplished but have a long way to go but really surprised how kids have taken our music so far and how soon it’s all happened. We owe a lot to Pete (Wentz) promoting us and to our label Columbia and Decaydance. It’s insane!"
This is an extract from an interview Hey Monday did with Alternative Press. Like most pop-punk bands interviews tend to be casual and quite personal. How many Rock bands or Pop acts do you know that would use the term "It's Insane!"?
Their artwork tends to be extremely simple and blunt with the odd attack of colour. Like many pop-punk bands, Hey Monday have kept their visual appeal to a minimum and chosen to focus on portraying their songs and charisma as reasons for people to like them.
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Bio Of 3 Pop-Punk Musicians #3
DAN "SOUPY" CAMPBELL
Dan 'Soupy' Campbell is the lead vocalist of the rising Pop-Punk band "The Wonder years." The Wonder Years are an American pop punk band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that began in June of 2005. Since then, they have released 2 full length albums, 2 EPs, and several splits/compilation contributions. The band are basically unknown to most people, however by many followers of the genre they are viewed as the rising stars of Pop-Punk.
The Wonder Years' first two years of existence amounted to two relatively unknown split EP's with Lansdale bands that are no longer together. Their first split with Emergency and I was released in 2005 and featured two songs that would later be included on their first full length Get Stoked on It!. ("I Fell in Love with a Ninja Master" and "Buzz Aldrin: The Poster Boy for Second Place").
The Wonder Years quickly followed up their 2005 release by putting out another split, this time with a band called Bangarang! In a similar fashion to their split with Emergency and I, The Wonder Years' split with Bangarang! featured two songs that would later be on Get Stoked on It!. ("My Geraldine Lies Over the Delaware" and "Let's Moshercise!"). The bands first full length album, Get Stoked on It! caused their then-small fan base to grow significantly. Get Stoked on It! was released on October 30, 2007 and featured 12 songs, all playfully titled.
Like many Pop-Punk bands a large sense of comedy is expressed in their work. Looking at rising stars such as The Wonder Years and comparing them to bands such as Paramore, who are around the same age, show the many directions that Pop-Punk has split of into. Bands such as The Wonder Years tend to be less commercial and focus more on the roots of the genre.
" Everyone moves in with their Girlfriends, In one bedroom apartments, in the towns they grew up in, and are happy in bar bands, and can just afford the rent. I couldn't go back to that again!"
Soupy like many Pop-Punker's before him had quite a troubled up-bringing and has constantly had financial troubles which are the topic of many of his lyrics. He describes being in The Wonder Years as a dream which he never thought would go this far; and is clearly grateful for this oppurtunity. The band have recently signed to Hopeless Records which is a rather small label that aims to propel Pop-Punk bands to further stardom.
Dan 'Soupy' Campbell is the lead vocalist of the rising Pop-Punk band "The Wonder years." The Wonder Years are an American pop punk band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that began in June of 2005. Since then, they have released 2 full length albums, 2 EPs, and several splits/compilation contributions. The band are basically unknown to most people, however by many followers of the genre they are viewed as the rising stars of Pop-Punk.
The Wonder Years' first two years of existence amounted to two relatively unknown split EP's with Lansdale bands that are no longer together. Their first split with Emergency and I was released in 2005 and featured two songs that would later be included on their first full length Get Stoked on It!. ("I Fell in Love with a Ninja Master" and "Buzz Aldrin: The Poster Boy for Second Place").
The Wonder Years quickly followed up their 2005 release by putting out another split, this time with a band called Bangarang! In a similar fashion to their split with Emergency and I, The Wonder Years' split with Bangarang! featured two songs that would later be on Get Stoked on It!. ("My Geraldine Lies Over the Delaware" and "Let's Moshercise!"). The bands first full length album, Get Stoked on It! caused their then-small fan base to grow significantly. Get Stoked on It! was released on October 30, 2007 and featured 12 songs, all playfully titled.
Like many Pop-Punk bands a large sense of comedy is expressed in their work. Looking at rising stars such as The Wonder Years and comparing them to bands such as Paramore, who are around the same age, show the many directions that Pop-Punk has split of into. Bands such as The Wonder Years tend to be less commercial and focus more on the roots of the genre.
" Everyone moves in with their Girlfriends, In one bedroom apartments, in the towns they grew up in, and are happy in bar bands, and can just afford the rent. I couldn't go back to that again!"
Soupy like many Pop-Punker's before him had quite a troubled up-bringing and has constantly had financial troubles which are the topic of many of his lyrics. He describes being in The Wonder Years as a dream which he never thought would go this far; and is clearly grateful for this oppurtunity. The band have recently signed to Hopeless Records which is a rather small label that aims to propel Pop-Punk bands to further stardom.
Bio Of 3 Pop-Punk Musicians #2
HAYLEY WILLIAMS
Hayley Williams is arguably the most well known pop-punk star of all time. As the lead vocalist and pianist for the hugely successful band Paramore, at the age of only 17 she found herself as part of what was to become one of the biggest bands on the planet. In 2002, at the age of 13, Williams moved from her hometown, Meridian, Mississippi, to Franklin, Tennessee, where she met former band members Josh Farro and Zac Farro in school. Shortly after arriving, she began taking vocal lessons and while still in school, she tried out for a local funk cover band called 'The Factory' where she met Jeremy Davis.
Paramore was created in 2004, with Hayley Williams alongside Josh Farro, Jeremy Davis and Zac Farro. Prior to forming Paramore, the other members of what was soon to be Paramore had been "edgy about the whole female thing" of having Williams as singer. As any Pop-Punk band would be; having a beautiful female front person was unheard of in the genre. But as they were good friends she began writing with them and eventually became a member. The fact that they had a female singer was basically the foundation of why they became as big as they now are. The band has released three studio albums, "All We Know Is Falling", "Riot!", and "Brand New Eyes" as well as two live albums and three EPs.
Williams and Paramore evolutionised the genre in more ways than one. Firstly the most obvious thing is that having a female singer was extremely rare at the time of their formation. Secondly another interesting aspect of Paramore is that they were all privately educated and were not 'short of money' as some would say. Due to the roots of Pop-Punk coming from a broken home and being raised in a working class enviroment, this was also pretty much unheard of and caused the band to be looked down upon by many other bands of the style. A lot of followers of Pop-Punk give bands such as Paramore, All Time Low and You Me At Six a hard time because they are not from the same background as most people in this cliqué; they are also often seen as too commercial and it is not un-common to hear them called 'sellouts'. But hey, they make millions, do you really think they care?
"Sometimes it takes a good fall to really know where you stand."
Putting aside the labels she is given, Williams maintains a look which still encaptures Pop-Punk but does so in an almost cleaner way. She still wears artsy clothes, skinny jeans and skate shoes but also manages to wear them in pristine condition. If this is not POP-Punk by nature then I don't know what is.
Hayley Williams is arguably the most well known pop-punk star of all time. As the lead vocalist and pianist for the hugely successful band Paramore, at the age of only 17 she found herself as part of what was to become one of the biggest bands on the planet. In 2002, at the age of 13, Williams moved from her hometown, Meridian, Mississippi, to Franklin, Tennessee, where she met former band members Josh Farro and Zac Farro in school. Shortly after arriving, she began taking vocal lessons and while still in school, she tried out for a local funk cover band called 'The Factory' where she met Jeremy Davis.
Paramore was created in 2004, with Hayley Williams alongside Josh Farro, Jeremy Davis and Zac Farro. Prior to forming Paramore, the other members of what was soon to be Paramore had been "edgy about the whole female thing" of having Williams as singer. As any Pop-Punk band would be; having a beautiful female front person was unheard of in the genre. But as they were good friends she began writing with them and eventually became a member. The fact that they had a female singer was basically the foundation of why they became as big as they now are. The band has released three studio albums, "All We Know Is Falling", "Riot!", and "Brand New Eyes" as well as two live albums and three EPs.
Williams and Paramore evolutionised the genre in more ways than one. Firstly the most obvious thing is that having a female singer was extremely rare at the time of their formation. Secondly another interesting aspect of Paramore is that they were all privately educated and were not 'short of money' as some would say. Due to the roots of Pop-Punk coming from a broken home and being raised in a working class enviroment, this was also pretty much unheard of and caused the band to be looked down upon by many other bands of the style. A lot of followers of Pop-Punk give bands such as Paramore, All Time Low and You Me At Six a hard time because they are not from the same background as most people in this cliqué; they are also often seen as too commercial and it is not un-common to hear them called 'sellouts'. But hey, they make millions, do you really think they care?
"Sometimes it takes a good fall to really know where you stand."
Putting aside the labels she is given, Williams maintains a look which still encaptures Pop-Punk but does so in an almost cleaner way. She still wears artsy clothes, skinny jeans and skate shoes but also manages to wear them in pristine condition. If this is not POP-Punk by nature then I don't know what is.
Bio Of 3 Pop-Punk Musicians #1
TOM DELONGE
Tom DeLonge is the guitarist, and one of the two lead vocalists, for the American pop punk band blink-182. as well as the guitarist and lead vocalist for the alternative band Angels & Airwaves. He was also the guitarist and lead singer for the post-hardcore band Box Car Racer. Raised in Poway, California, DeLonge developed an interest in punk rock during his teens. After being expelled from Poway High School for drinking at a basketball game, he attended Rancho Bernardo High School where he met both Mark Hoppus & Scott raynor, who as a trio went on to form blink.
Delonge has also pursued non-musical endeavors; he created a social networking website called Modlife, as well as two clothing companies. In 2001, he started Atticus Clothing and Macbeth Footwear with Mark Hoppus. DeLonge sold his shares in Atticus Clothing, and is currently the sole owner of Macbeth Footwear.
Finally he has also released two signature guitars that are meant to be 'perfect' for playing the pop-punk genre. They are extremely simple and leave out many things that regular guitarists would hate to not have. However, the simplicity just reflects the musical ethics of pop-punk. I own one of his signature guitars and I love it.
"I knew exactly how hard I had to work in school. As long as I got that C, I wouldn't try one minute extra to get a B. I just cared about skateboarding and music."
As an extremely well know pop-punk pioneer Tom DeLonge has managed to capture and help to create the aspects which make up the attitudes of the genre; both musically and generally. He is now admired by people worldwide and is seen as an idol & role model to many, including myself. (We even have the same birthday)
Tom DeLonge is the guitarist, and one of the two lead vocalists, for the American pop punk band blink-182. as well as the guitarist and lead vocalist for the alternative band Angels & Airwaves. He was also the guitarist and lead singer for the post-hardcore band Box Car Racer. Raised in Poway, California, DeLonge developed an interest in punk rock during his teens. After being expelled from Poway High School for drinking at a basketball game, he attended Rancho Bernardo High School where he met both Mark Hoppus & Scott raynor, who as a trio went on to form blink.
Delonge has also pursued non-musical endeavors; he created a social networking website called Modlife, as well as two clothing companies. In 2001, he started Atticus Clothing and Macbeth Footwear with Mark Hoppus. DeLonge sold his shares in Atticus Clothing, and is currently the sole owner of Macbeth Footwear.
Finally he has also released two signature guitars that are meant to be 'perfect' for playing the pop-punk genre. They are extremely simple and leave out many things that regular guitarists would hate to not have. However, the simplicity just reflects the musical ethics of pop-punk. I own one of his signature guitars and I love it.
"I knew exactly how hard I had to work in school. As long as I got that C, I wouldn't try one minute extra to get a B. I just cared about skateboarding and music."
As an extremely well know pop-punk pioneer Tom DeLonge has managed to capture and help to create the aspects which make up the attitudes of the genre; both musically and generally. He is now admired by people worldwide and is seen as an idol & role model to many, including myself. (We even have the same birthday)
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