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[Gif by: gifimage.net] Hey, being in a band can be expensive! Replacing cymbals, paying for gas, buying a tour van — it all adds up. Usually, bands foot the bill from their day jobs, but there are other ways. Here are some additional sources of income for your band. Read more: 11 ways to completely destroy […]

Roughly five minutes. That’s the amount of time it takes for live music to permanently damage unexposed ears at a show. Five minutes. That’s one to two songs. And you don’t have to be at a rock show—exposing ears to any sound at a volume of 100 decibels—or a unit used to measure the degree […]

Beartooth bassist Oshie Bichar paints a picture of Ohio State football season that would draw the praise of Claude Monet. “When I was in school, I lived like two blocks from the stadium,” Bichar says. “It’s that feeling that’s in the air on a Saturday. Late fall, it starts to get a little chilly outside. […]

The other week, one of my favorite bands, HEALTH, had their new LP, Death Magic, leak just over a week in advance of the record’s release. After waiting six years for a new record, I immediately snagged a vinyl and T-shirt pre-order, so when I was faced with the link to a leak, I couldn’t […]

In seventh grade, I was enrolled in a music composition class. Every Friday, students were allowed to bring in a CD and lyric sheets to share with the rest of the room to discuss and analyze a chosen song. Because my favorite band was Blink-182 shortly before it was my turn, I opted to showcase […]

Summer should be synonymous with traveling adventures. From going on a road trip to a new city with your closest friends to bussing to different parts of the country for a music festival—there seems to be no limit on what can be experienced during summer months. That is, no limit except for money. Traveling can […]

While Apple is busy converting iTunes fans into Apple Music subscriptions, there are 75 million Spotify users wondering which service best fills their headphones. There’s some interesting new offerings in the Apple Music product like Beats1 and human-curated playlists, but let’s focus on how the new app compares to how users currently use Spotify.   The […]

Art by Alexis Howick In the summer of 2012, I attended my first (and to date, only) Vans Warped Tour. Despite being a fan of much of the festival’s roster for years, it took me until age 17 to feel comfortable seeing most of them live over the course of one muggy July day. Having cerebral […]

Art by Alexis Howick This is the second installment in an ongoing series—click here to read past episodes. There's an episode of The Office (I'm going to reference that show literally every time I can) where, after Dunder Mifflin has been purchased by Sabre, Michael Scott and Jim Halpert are talking to their new boss, Jo […]

Art by Alexis Howick Whether it’s Starbucks finally giving up on pushing them over their counters or Wal-Mart chopping their inventory in half, every few months we see another sign that points to the disappearance of the CD. But are they really as close to death as everyone says they are? As we approach the 30th […]

Art by Alexis Howick Going to a show alone definitely has its perks. You can fangirl all you want—there’s nothing like doing your own version of “throwing down” at the beginning of A Day To Remember’s “Right Back At It Again” with an armful of merch and drink in your hand. You can stand where you […]

Art by Alexis Howick I'm frustrated, and the source of my frustration is our scene. Here we have this amazing community of artists, writers and fans built by our shared love of alternative music—squandered by entirely preventable actions. Destructive things are happening that are holding us back in the public eye and in becoming decent people. […]

Art by Alexis Howick There’s more to festival season than catching as many of your favorite bands as possible at one venue in one weekend. It’s an entire experience—from where you stay, to what after-show you’re attending, to what witty shirt you choose to sport. Food plays a big part in that experience and at most […]

Art by Alexis Howick This column isn't going to be about The Office (though I wouldn't mind writing a column about The Office—Matt Crane, lemme know if AltPress is interested), but nonetheless, the first thing you read from me on this website will be a Michael Scott quote, from an episode called “Broke” in Season 5: […]

Art by Alexis Howick All superheroes have an origin story. For those realizing their musical superpowers, the origin story is usually heard, not seen. Musical superheroes can have an origin story be a saving grace, as was the case for Richmond, Virginia teen, Becca Denius, who promotes local shows and owns the burgeoning booking agency Terminally […]

Growing up, those who support you most will encourage you to find what it is you love to do. From there, it’s your responsibility to make it your life. Making ends meet by means of a passion is the dream for most. So few make that dream a reality. For those that do—those who find […]

Art by Alexis Howick I started going to shows pretty late in the game. I didn’t have very much money growing up, and I didn’t have a lot of friends who liked the same music. It wasn’t until two years ago that I saw All Time Low in the flesh, during the Spring Fever tour with […]