Sometimes, when your city's date falls towards the end of a band's tour, it can feel like torture. You see the pictures form other cities on Instagram and wonder of they'll still have your size in t-shirts before they get to you. But in the end, it is so, so worth it. Finishing out the Pure Noise Records Tour on a three-night run in New York City, State Champs brought enough energy for the entire island of Manhattan. The mixture of immediate nostalgia for the tour that was co

While many of us may find comfort in sticking to just one or two genres of music, there is nothing like cleansing your palate with something new. Here at Us For Once, we are always searching for unique music that will inspire us and change our perspective of certain genres, so we could not be more excited about pop singer Salt Ashes and her new EP ‘counting crosses' Real name Veiga Sanchez, Salt Ashes is a synth-pop princess coining her own sound with confidence. The connotat

If you haven’t heard of Belmont by now, we’d have to ask where you’ve been for the past couple of months. After touring with Grayscale on Part 1 of the Nella Vita Tour last year, this Chicago born band has now hit the road with Sleeping With Sirens on the Medicine Tour, which began in early January. With that original pop punk sound that's so hard to find these days paired with an enigmatic stage presence that captures the ears of those who have never even heard of them, it’s

There is nothing like being home for the holidays. And thanks to State Champs, Upstate New York served as home or many people who were far from it. 2019’s Frozen Fest was held in a venue called Upstate Concert Hall in the beloved band’s hometown of Albany, New York. Along with a small stage and concert floor, which created an intimate experience for their fans, the boys also adorned the rest of the venue with many interactive pieces. A game station included ring toss and corn

This is not a drill: alternative rock has a new leading lady on the rise and she goes by the name of Eliza. She and her band, The Delusionals, are making their way onto charts outside of their native country of Australia, and there is no doubt that greatness is on the horizon for them. Following their U.S. debut single “Just Exist,” Eliza & the Delusionals found themselves with a number one spot on SiriusXM’s Alt Nation radio station. With a mellow tune and dream-like vocals,

On December 14, 2018, legendary band Taking Back Sunday graced the stage at Starland Ballroom in New Jersey, adorned in suits printed with loud Christmas tree patterns to play their 5th Annual Holiday Spectacular. But this time was different. They had just recently announced that they would be celebrating their twenty years of being a band with a colossal world tour in 2019. So why not kick it off early? Taking Back Sunday 20 started that night in New Jersey with a flip of a

Before the wildly loved band called The Maine graced the stage at Webster Hall in New York City, another group jammed out for the already-packed venue. The concept of having opening bands started with the idea that they would get the crowd excited and hyped up for the main act. While there is absolutely no doubt that they accomplished this, it would seem that Twin XL had another objective in mind as well. Their set began with a monologue that told the crowd to make friends w

In a packed out room in The Bowery Ballroom, located in Manhattan, I was sure there would be no room for any mosh pits at the Enter: Shikari show. But unlike any crowd I had ever seen before, those fans found away. Starting off the setlist with their first single since joining the SO Recordings team, “Stop The Clocks,” Enter: Shikari turned a quiet room with a mixed crowd into a room of crowd-surfing friends for the night. From singing with a fan on stage to jumping directly

Following their latest release, entitled ‘Morbid Stuff,’ Canadian punk rock band PUP set out for a North American tour mid-April of 2019. In New York City, they played at the very compact Brooklyn Steel. With no barricade and limited side-stage space, it was a night PUP was used to: sweaty, intimate, and loud. However, they decided to have a round two of North American shows, starting early September. The Falls Apart 2019 tour features venues that are a bit bigger. Or, in the

Traveling for concerts is the dream. But sometimes you don’t have the time or money to spend on plane tickets and hotels and, frankly, on feeding yourself. Especially when you’re a college student. But there are ways to start. I’ve been listening to Hoodie Allen for years now. Every year when he pulls through with those tour dates, I don’t hesitate to buy myself a ticket to the New York City date, which was previously a two-hour drive from my house but is now currently m

On April 10th, 2012, an EP by the name of All American debuted at number one on the iTunes ‘Top Albums’ chart. The artist behind the album was an independent rapper known as Hoodie Allen. Having created this album at the age of 22, his lyrics were about living carefree and captured the essence of college life in one’s early 20’s. About seven years later, more mature and experienced, Hoodie Allen has released the extension to All American on August 16th, it’s title being Whate

There’s a reason Frank Iero is one of our favorite artists to see live. The raw passion and energy he puts into every note of his recorded songs carry over incredibly to his live performances. Every single night he gets on that stage, he plays as if his life depends on it. And considering his dedication to music throughout life, in a roundabout way, that might just be the case. His fans can easily reciprocate that feeling, creating an electrifying environment at his concerts.

On May 10, the band Citizen embarked upon a co-headlining tour with fellow midwest rockers Knuckle Puck. Completing that lineup as the opening bands are Oso Oso and Hunny. From start to finish, it’s a lineup like no other, evoking sing-a-longs, crowd surfing, and mosh pits in cities all across the US. Fans of Citizen are nothing short of loyal, arriving in line hours before doors and holding their own against barricade for even longer, just waiting to hear that first note of

Many current indie music lovers once went through a punk phase. Occasionally, those indie lovers would like to once again feel as if they're in a '90s teen angst movie, looking out their window in the suburbs as the perfect background music plays from their speakers. As strangely specific as that might sound, there's a band out there with music that will make you feel nothing less of that. The 1984 Draft's new LP 'Make Good Choices' provides us with that perfect combination o

Going to concerts frequently is obviously the ideal way of living. But between tickets, merch, parking, and food, that money has to come from somewhere. Let’s talk about something most people do but never discuss. The glory of leaving work to go straight to a concert. Whether you are literally getting in your car after that last shift or you have just a bit of time to go home and get changed, there is definitely a way to organize your scattered thoughts. Step One: Pack a bag.

A lot of my pieces on Us For Once are about punk rock. I believe in the scene wholeheartedly and find myself always looking for new subgenres of it to immerse myself in. I will admit, however, that it is my biggest fear that the scene will one day soon die out. It takes a band such as Project Revise to resolve those fears of mine. Upon listening to the band's 2017 EP 'Songs That Sound Like Songs,' not only can I confirm that these songs do in act sound like songs, but I

Adam Lazzara had the whole crowd clapping their hands in unison at that beautiful Philly venue on the Delaware River. "Feels good, doesn't it? You know why it feels good? Because you're doing it together." His words capitalized on one of my favorite thoughts to have at barricade: the hundreds of people behind me were all going through different things in their life right now. But tonight, the artist on stage was here to sing all their worries away. Taking Back Sunda

When you think about the term “punk rock,” what comes to mind? Maybe a bunch of dudes with mohawks in leather jackets. Maybe screamed lyrics and smashed guitars. Maybe unapologetic political statements and radical thinking. All of those things used to come to mind for me, as well. That’s until I discovered a one-man band called The Homeless Gospel Choir. His real name is Derek Zanetti and he’s got quite a lot to say about punk rock. He is very open about his history with depr

Here at Us For Once, we strongly believe in paying attention to opening bands, being respectful during their sets, and remembering their names. At some point, every concert-goer watches an opening act and silently wishes their set would be over quickly so they could get to the reason they really came to the show. In the moment, it might be quite hard to fathom that an opening band would ever become a headliner or move onto venues bigger than a one-room bar. Luckily, that

In the middle of what seems like Nowhere, New Jersey, sits a music venue called Starland Ballroom. It attracts local bands and radio names alike. It is a dream venue for some and a gateway to the local music scene for others. The venue is extremely well organized and functioning with perks like a thorough security check, clean eating areas, and a simple layout. I for one am always keeping up with the shows being announced there and trying to work as many as I can into my sche