Rock on the Range 2016: Lineup Announcement

Rock on the Range 2016: Lineup Announcement

Rock on the Range released it’s lineup on Monday, and after two days of letting it marinate, I had to get some thoughts down on what is sure to be a fantastic, record-setting weekend in Columbus. Rock on the Range is North America’s biggest rock festival, and they are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. For the eighth straight year, The Music Pill will be gathering our crew and heading from Indianapolis to Columbus to participate in the chaos.

Here is a breakdown of the lineup, including my opinion on the headliners, a breakdown of many of the middle-of-the-pack bands, a few bands that have something to prove, and some can’t miss bands that you may never have heard of. Hope you enjoy!

Follow The Music Pill on Social Media!!

Hi all! As most of my readers know, I am headed to Rock on the Range in Columbus, OH this weekend. I cannot wait to get there, for the seventh consecutive year, and catch the mayhem!

If you aren’t already, this is a great time to follow The Music Pill on social media to get updates, pictures, and thoughts on the weekend. Thanks again for your support!!

facebook.com/themusicpill

twitter.com/MusicPillBlog

If you’re going to be in Columbus this weekend, let me know!

Cheers.

The Music Pill’s Bucket List – 2014

So, I’ve been to hundreds of shows and seen hundreds and hundreds of bands play. While some might think that’s crazy, I think it’s very cool that I’ve been able to follow my passion so closely for so many years.

However, even after all the late nights in loud venues and sweltering days at summer festivals I’ve spent listening to live music, there’s still some bands that I just haven’t really seen yet. I think about these bands…my proverbial “bucket list”….in my head all the time, and get very, VERY excited when I get to check something off. So, I figured I’d jot down some bucket list shows so I don’t forget any of them. Plus, this gives me a list, and if you know anything about me, you know that crossing things off of a list is very satisfying to me. 🙂

Random Thoughts: Epics

I’m often told that I’m far too quick to change the song while I’m in the car with other people. Often times, its only one chorus and a verse into a song before I’m reaching for the seek button to head off to the next one. This is ESPECIALLY true when a song is longer than it should be – if it’s longer than 4 minutes, it better be good or it doesn’t have a chance.

HOWEVER, occasionally, I come across one of these long songs that just really blows me away. These ‘Epics’ (a very technical term that I just made up) turn out to be some of my favorite songs, because in order for them to be great AND really long, they have to have something special or something unique about them that makes them really stand out.

So, I threw together a list of ‘Epics’ that I really like, and while they range from metal masterpieces to borderline broadway songs, they have two things in common: They are all really long songs (most 7-8 minutes), and they are all really unique and worth your time. If I’ve done my job, I hope you are intrigued enough to go check some of these out. I’d love to know what you think! (click on the song title for a link to the song on youtube)

Random Thoughts: Happy Holidays!

Random Thoughts: Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from the Music Pill!! To celebrate the Christmas season and share a little holiday spirit, I thought I’d do a blog on two of my favorite things in the world: Music and Christmas.

Here is some really great new Christmas music that I found, as well as my favorite Christmas Albums of all time to listen to throughout the holiday season. Hopefully at least some of this is new to a few of you, and you can listen to some new material this holiday season!! (These are all available on Itunes, or wherever you get your music.)

Random Thoughts: System Overload

Prepare yourselves. I know this is usually a metal/hard rock blog, but everyone needs a little variety.

So, I have a somewhat secret love for a capella music, and my ever famous “musical background” that all my friends make fun of incorporated quite a bit of singing without background music.

I don’t get the chance to listen to it often, but my wife and I stumbled upon a show the other night called The Sing Off, (which screams “how can we make money like American Idol?”). It was “hip-hop” night, which immediately made me gag just a smidge. The first couple we watched were marginal, but the third group was five 19- and 20-year olds that call themselves “Pentatonix”. And they absolutely blew me away, so I thought I’d share my thoughts.

Random Thoughts: Most Frequent Songs

So, as I am starting a new job soon, I spent about 3 hours the other day transferring approximately 120 gigs of music from my work computer (which I always have with me) to my desktop at home. However, I was very sad to see that my ratings, play history, and smart playlists did not transfer over (still working on figuring this out).

Since I’ve been listening to songs on this computer every day for about 5 years, I thought it would be interesting to look at my 20 most frequently played songs over that time period. I had no idea what to expect when I looked at the list, but found it quite interesting. Check out the 20 songs that are played the most here at the Music Pill. Some are legendary, some are embarrassing, and some are suprising as many of these wouldn’t make it anywhere close to a list of my favorite songs, but apparently I have the desire to hear them more frequently than anything else. To break this top 20 list, the song had to be out for a really long time, and I had to reallly like it. (For reference, the top Killswitch song has 231 plays in the last 5 years. Obsessed much?)

Random Thoughts: Evanescence 2.0

Maybe its because I am disgusted with the Colts and football right now, but I decided to let the Women of Metal rock out a little bit today here at the Music Pill, so I thought I’d share my thoughts.

Evanescence just released a new self-titled album that fans had been waiting for for over 5 years. Amy Lee proves on this album once again why she has been so successful in the music industry. Her powerful voice, extreme talent behind the keyboard, and great song writing deliver another great album that Evanescence fans will really enjoy. In addition, she continues to push the envelope, adding full orchestral instrumentals to some of her songs to make them bigger and even more impressive. All in all, a solid album, and I look forward to the opportunity to see them tour it next year. Check out the new single What You Want, or check out My Heart is Broken for some great work by Lee on the keys.