Cassie The Venomous' Blog

Sometimes you see things that make you stop whatever you may be vaguely preoccupied with and stand agape for a good moment. I had one of those experiences this morning when I checked Buzznet and found my friends' band, Callahan on the front page squeezed in next to features on Where the Wild things Are and The Academy Is.... Callahan, who hail from my native Springfield/South Vienna, Ohio have been working their way up through the local scene and into a more national scope since their formation a few years ago. Through touring nationally, writing fun and catchy pop-punk songs, and with the help of their supportive fanbase, they have been able to achieve such milestones as: being featured in Alternative Press magazine, playing Warped Tour, traveling overseas to play, having their merchandise sold in select Hot Topic stores, playing with John Legend (another Springfield local), and gaining sponsorships from several beverage companies. Not bad for a little Springfield band. And now...

Columbus, Ohio was a ghastly, foggy sight yesterday when the AP Fall Ball tour was drearily welcomed to Newport Music Hall, but that didn't seem to darken the spirits of those waiting in the rain all day to see City Lights, You Me at Six, The Secret Handshake, Mayday Parade, and The Academy Is.... Unfortunately, many of those line-waiters who stuck it out in the rain all day had several roadblocks keeping them from their ultimate goal of reaching the front row. All shows put on by Promowest Productions venues in Columbus, which include The Basement, Newport, A&R Music Bar, and The LC, grant early admission to members of The Decibel Club . For a fee, members of this club receive such [unfair] advantages as: early admission to all shows at aforementioned venues, 4 free tickets to shows of their choosing, special pre-sale offers, and meet and greet opportunities. I would suggest fans who are going to be seeing one of their favorite bands at any of those Columbus venues to join tha...

Yesterday, an amazing thing happened to My Chemical Romance's online merch store. It had fans bouncing with glee and credit cards a'swiping. What was it, you ask? Oh, a little thing we like to call AN EPIC DISCOUNT ! The current sale, which will last until October 15th, gives the purchaser of a t-shirt 50% off a second shirt, and the purchaser of two t-shirts a third shirt for free. Unfortunately, many people have been experiencing problems with the discount's working. If this happens to you, you can contact Warner Bros Records/ Nonesuch customer service by Email at wbr@b3custserv.com or call them at (866) 759-4843. I've had only positive experiences dealing with customer service, and I'm sure they can help you. So, yes there is the whole matter of a sale, but-- What does it all mean? Well, let's think about this. There have been MANY sales at the MCR store this past year. Fan websites were simply handed coupon codes, a sale of "classic" merch happene...

Alkaline Trio , a long-standing punk-rock threesome from Chicago tend to be known for their remarkably dark lyrics which range in subject from drinking alone and pining after a girl to profiling murderers. The subject of their song, "Sadie," is a real character, a woman known as Susan Atkins or "Sadie Glutz," one of Charles Manson's followers. The song features the words of Atkins' actual testimony on the track voiced by Heather Gabel, who designed Alkaline Trio's well-known heart-skull logo. Atkins, who has been incarcerated for her crimes since 1971, died last night in at age 61 from brain cancer. Sadie Alkaline Trio You're on your own my little nightmare you cannot stay here It's far too bright for you If they attack you just lay there, Play dead dear, it's your only hope of pulling through. And seconds they seem like a lifetime. A dream, recurring, a dream that can't come true. And they'll pin it all on you after all you've b...

Hey, guys! I know things have been pretty slow on here lately. I really need to pick up the pace, I know. If you followed my blog last year, you will know that I used to post daily, sometimes even multiple times a day, but the summer and dial-up internet interfered with that, and things haven't been quite the same this year, but they will be, oh yes, my friends. I have a few upcoming shows I'm attending, and you can expect full reviews of each. I promise! Shows: TONIGHT: Yo La Tengo @ Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville, OH SATURDAY: The AP Fall Ball Tour @ Newport in Columbus, OH OCTOBER 23: Taking Back Sunday w/ Anberlin, fun., and Gavin Castleton @ Lifestyles Community Pavilion in Columbus, OH Are you ready, readers? Also, I want your input. I started a review for this summer's Warped tour, but I never got around to posting it. I WILL post it if you guys want to see it, though. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. In the meantime, check out so...

On Friday September 11th, Jim Carroll, a punk pioneer and poet, suffered a heart attack and died. To honor him, I give you "People Who Died", arguably the most well-known song by The Jim Carroll band and an homage to, as the title suggests, "people who died". The song's upbeat music paired with the very personal depictions of the deaths of loved-ones makes for an interesting vibe that is much better heard than read; so, I have included audio of the song. Enjoy. Jim Carroll, I salute you, brother Teddy sniffing glue, he was 12 years old Fell from the roof on East Two-nine Cathy was 11 when she pulled the plug On 26 reds and a bottle of wine Bobby got leukemia, 14 years old He looked like 65 when he died He was a friend of mine Those are people who died, died They were all my friends, and they died G-berg and Georgie let their gimmicks go rotten So they died of hepatitis in upper Manhattan Sly in Vietnam took a bullet in the head Bobby OD'd on Drano on the nig...

For a limited time, you can get a free download of the track "Fainting Spells" from AFI 's upcoming album "Crash Love" by simply signing up for the band's mailing list here . "Crash Love" will be released on September 29th on DGC/Interscope. AFI will be doing a small-venue tour through October in support of the album. XoXo c.

I love this song so much I wanted to share the video. Tatiana DeMaria, lead singer and guitarist of TAT states in the beginning of the video, "Fuck 'especially for girls.' Why do girls have to suck at everything?'", both making fun of herself and taking a quick stab at the music industry and what it means for a girl to be in it. The "she's good.. for a girl" statement is one that surfaces a lot in the context music, and it's a statement that can make things a lot harder for us to be taken seriously. Now, uber-feminist rants annoy the hell out of me; so, I'm not going to get preachy about how hard it is to be a girl working into the music industry, but you don't hear guys who interview bands and write about them being called groupies, now, do you? Just saying. No one paved the road to paradise or guaranteed that it would be nice XoXo c.

A few released dates for a winter tour featuring All-American Rejects, Taking Back Sunday, and Anberlin have just been announced by Alternative Press online . Announced Dates 11/3 Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 11/4 WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, WV 11/5 Mansfield University, Mansfield, PA 11/6 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT 11/8 House of Blues at Showboat, Atlantic City, NJ 11/10 Showcase Live, Foxboro, MA 11/11 Showcase Live, Foxboro, MA 11/13 Saint Vincent College, Pittsburgh, PA 11/14 Alumni Hall- USNA, Annapolis, MD 11/16 George Mason University- Patriot Center, Fairfax, VA 11/20 House of Blues, North Myrtle Beach, SC 11/24 Bricktown Events Center, Oklahoma City, OK 11/25 Cain's Ballroom, Tulsa, OK 11/27 IP Casino, Biloxi, MS 11/28 Horseshoe Casino, Bossier City, LA 12/1 The Pavilion @ Concrete Street, Corpus Christi, TX 12/2 Sunset Station, San Antonio, TX 12/4 The Swamp, Fort Walton Beach, FL 12/5 House of Blues, Lake Buena Vista, FL 12/6 Fillmore Miami Beach at J...