boys like girls

Branding is one hell of an important factor to achieving success and maintaining a fanbase in music. So, it’s no surprise that many musicians use their solo projects as an avenue for genre experimentation. We’ve seen it countless times to varying extents. Some artists may just incorporate new, genre-defying dynamics to their foundational sounds, whereas others […]

Martin Johnson may not be a household name across the globe, but his influence in the music industry reigns supreme. Still actively a frontman for scene kings Boys Like Girls, he found success outside of live touring and produced records and wrote songs for the likes of blink-182, the Cab, Black Veil Brides, Ariana Grande, […]

We may be a good decade out from the height of the scene heyday, but that doesn’t mean our favorite artists are anywhere past their prime. In fact, a good number of them have been extending their talents by forming new bands and side projects. Unless they’re getting broad recognition like Simple Creatures, however, these […]

There’s no shortage of casting opportunities when it comes to music videos. With each artist releasing a handful for each album cycle, each with its own storyline and ensemble, there’s plenty of room for cameos. But how often do celebrities answer the call? It actually happens far more frequently than you might think. Some appearances […]

There’s no denying that for 25 years, Warped Tour was a significant rite of passage for alternative bands. Especially during the 2000s, the festival brought us performances by just about every group we knew and loved. “Just about” is a rather significant caveat, though. While the vast majority of active scene artists made a Warped appearance […]

It doesn’t matter what part of the 2000s alternative music spectrum you lean toward. Whether your iPod was dominated by neon, pop punk or screamo tracks, one thing is for sure: Everyone loves an acoustic song.  The trend persists quite actively today. Tune in to just about any band’s quarantine livestreams and you’ll catch stripped […]

Each year comes with loss and change. 2020, in particular, has been one with an overwhelming amount of grief. It’s hard to know what to say when you lose people you admire, whether you know them personally or were inspired by the art they created. Hold the people you care about close and thank them. […]

The 2000s scene nostalgia is real. However, while our “phases” may have never ended, we tend to look back on the era with a limited scope. It’s no wonder that popular tracks by favorites such as Three Days Grace and Linkin Park stand at the forefront of our memories. After all, we could barely turn on […]

Flashback to 2006. Boys Like Girls just dropped their debut album (feel old?). You’re copying and pasting lyrics from a shady website into every song in your iTunes catalog. Most of them are wrong. We’ve come a long way since the widespread use of smartphones took hold. Now, if we’re lucky, Spotify will do the dirty work for […]

The ’80s feel like a lifetime away, and for many in the scene, they actually are (yikes). The good news is the decade has left a longstanding musical legacy. The incorporation of 1980s sound elements into modern music is hardly new, but its frequency seems to be rising. It seems impossible to turn on the […]

The alternative music scene can be home to some serious differences of opinion. Case in point: Just look at the reactions to Machine Gun Kelly‘s chart-topping album, Tickets To My Downfall. These divisions aren’t unique to the modern era, though. Fall Out Boy’s 2008 record Folie à Deux, which is celebrating its 12th anniversary this […]

From low-rise jeans to flashy Myspace themes, the 2000s was an era defined by flamboyancy. While the majority of those embarrassing trends naturally faded with time, one product of the ’00s has overstayed its welcome. The infamous brand Kidz Bop has been churning out family-friendly compilation albums since 2001 sung by kids, for kids.  But […]

Remember the days of rushing home and turning on MTV to catch the latest alternative hits? How about debating which music video you should buy with the remaining balance on your iTunes gift card? Anyone engaged in the 2000s scene knew how important music videos were to it. From artist discovery to the aesthetic, those […]

Do you ever get a pang of excitement when you see the name of your favorite band pop up? Be it on Spotify, Instagram or the Rock Band catalog, we’re positively conditioned to jump at a familiar name. It’s crazy to think that these monikers we’ve come to know were once just loose ideas. We can’t […]

Anyone who’s had any kind of scene phase is likely to look back on the 2000s fondly. With numerous hit alternative albums, including Paramore‘s Riot! and Yellowcard‘s Ocean Avenue, we were really blessed with some great music. Unfortunately, our nostalgia really only tends to gravitate toward a small number of the decade’s countless masterpieces. Don’t believe us? Dig up […]

2020 has really made many of us miss the good old days where we could blast “Party In Your Bedroom” by Cash Cash on our iPod Nano while taking a new cringey Myspace or Facebook profile picture with neon shutter shades and silicone bracelets. The late 2000s and early 2010s were the height of breezy pop […]

In 2009, Myspace was beginning to disintegrate, and scene bands were growing less and less popular. Despite their distinct capabilities of genre-blending emo, pop punk, metalcore, neon pop, electronica and more, the scene started to die and was aching for a rebirth. As the year progressed, new bands emerged, and seasoned musicians cultivated their craft […]

They say you have your entire life to create your debut album, but they’re usually pretty terrible. However, these scene acts went above and beyond the call of duty, making bona fide masterpieces from the very start. There’s hardly any filler on these records, and many of the albums mentioned here are fan favorites to […]

History doesn’t lie. Consult sales charts. Ask Kevin Lyman what Warped Tour‘s box office receipts were like. For all intents and purposes, 2006 could be best described as “peak scene.” Careers were built. Fandoms became strong. The pool of Dudes Playing Guitars Quickly And Loudly grew exponentially. These are the scene albums from 2006 that […]

By 2006, scene culture had grown roots in every mainstream area possible. Myspace took over as the primary mode of social media communication, and bands spread like wildfire once they uploaded music. It was a whirlwind year, as music became more accessible to a larger group of people, Hot Topic brightened its lights and studded […]