Summer Ends Some Things Acoustic Video

Here is a video we took while hanging out on Christmas night. We decided to play a few songs so we took some video for you guys to check out. Here is an acoustic version of our song Summer Ends Some Things off of our newest album Autumn in the Evening. Hope you like it!

A Quick Update from D&S

Hey friends! Nick here. I had some time and I thought I'd come on and write up a quick update for you guys on what's going on with the band.

Some exciting stuff has happened in the past few months for us. We finally, after four or five years as a band, are working on putting together a solid, full band for live performances. Last year our good friend Ray moved back into town. Ray is a really good friend of ours and just happens to be an great bass player. He immediately took on the role of playing bass for our live show and will most likely be writing and recording bass tracks for any recordings we do in the near future. The addition of Ray to the band really boosted our enthusiasm to play more and more live shows. Around October we recruited a new friend of ours, Anthony, to play the drums for us. So far we have had some pretty laid back jam sessions with him and everything is sounding great. It's been really fun to work on all of the songs with an experienced drummer. He's really brought a lot of great ideas to the table when playing the older D&S songs. We are currently booking a bunch of shows in the winter and spring of 2010, all of which will be in California, but it's a start. Be on the look out for those dates soon!

As far as new material goes we have been taking a really relaxed approach to writing new songs but we have a bunch that are coming together and sounding really great. I personally have been battling health issues since summer time and haven't been able to put as much time into it as I have wanted. I really haven't had a strong singing voice since september which makes writing music a bit hard but Easton has picked up the slack and written a ton of great songs. I cant say for sure what will be next for us as far as recording goes but I wouldn't be surprised if we have some sort of new material for you in 2010.

We have been doing our best to keep posting interesting stuff on this website for you guys to read and we appreciate all of the comments! Keep them coming! We should have some more info for you all regarding new shows and new music very soon so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading and listening - Nick

The Dreamer and the Sleeper's Albums of the Year 2009

Hey everyone! Both Nick and Easton have posted their favorite album's of 2009 on their dreamofsleeping.com blogs. Check them out using the links below and be sure to leave them comments letting them know what you think!

Nick's Favorite Albums of 2009

Easton's Favorite Albums of 2009

Nick's Blog #019: Favorite Albums of 2009

So here we are again at the end of December! Crazy isn't it? I've actually been waiting pretty impatiently to make this blog post because there were so many albums that came out this year that I absolutely loved. Almost all of which came out after we released our second album Autumn in the Evening. I personally had both been really immersed in the recording and mixing process that I felt like I hadn't had time to really just sit and enjoy some good music for a long time. And it seemed like once we released our album there was like one really great album a month that came out. So it was a really great year for music for me!

Anyways, these are my favorite albums of the year. Not necessarily the albums that I think are the best (although often the two come hand in hand) but just the albums that I enjoyed listening to the most this year. Hopefully you will find something you like or rediscover one of your favorites! Enjoy.

10. Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything to Nothing
Released on April 27th, 2009

More info at Last.fm"So I prayed for what I thought were angels, ended up being ambulances" Manchester Orchestra put out, what I think to be, the most original sounding album in the indie/pop-rock genre this year. Combining the sounds of bands like Foo Fighters, Brand New, and even Nirvana and adding a whole bunch of a sound that is all their own. Mean Everything to Nothing is a series of peaks and valleys, aggression and silence, white noise and soft melodies. All of these elements are smeared over super catchy pop songs which makes for a really cool and original sound. Almost every song on this album is great but in particular I enjoy I Can Feel a Hot One, The Only One, and I've Got Friends.

9. The Lonely Island - Incredibad
Released on February 10th, 2009

More info at Last.fm"Three-way climax! Best friends forever! What a blessing to have lost our virginities together!" This album is fucking funny as hell. Damn near comedic genius on some specific songs if you ask me. Being a pretty big fan of Saturday Night Live over the years (even though the show has had some atrocious seasons in the past decade) I was stoked for this album to come out. But as the show SNL rarely has as of late, this album fully exceeded my expectations. It's a type of comedy you either get, or you don't. But it just happens to be right up both Easton and I's alley. Do yourself a favor and listen to the song We Like Sportz, if you get it, you will love this album. My favorite tracks include The Old Saloon, Space Olympics, We Like Sportz, and Incredibad.

8. Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk
Released on August 21st, 2009

"Guess I'll lay my head against my elbow and the window, and watch the wheels go, watch the wheels go" Conor Oberst has been on a roll these past few years, but in my eyes it's not Oberst who necessarily excels on this album. The real greatness on this album comes from Jim James and M. Ward. In case you are unaware Monsters of Folk is a sort of super-group consisting of Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, and M. Ward. If you are looking for gems with Oberst taking center stage you may be better off checking out last years album entitled Conor Oberst. James and Ward bring the freakin' heat on this album with songs such as Slow Down Jo, The Sandman the Brakeman and Me, and His Master's Voice. If you happened to miss this album definitely give it a listen.

7. Fireworks - All I Have to Offer Is My Own Confusion
Released on March 24th, 2009

Listen at Last.fm"Wha-oh-ah-oh! YOU DON'T NEED MAPS! WHEN YOU KNOW WHERE THE SIDEWALK CRACKS!" This album fucking rips through eleven awesome pop-punk songs, all of which sound like they could have come straight off of an early 2000's New Found Glory album. I highly recommend checking this album out if you are a fan of that (now old-school) pop-punk sound that NFG or The Movielife did so well early in the decade. Some favorite tracks of mine are Holiday, I Support Same Sex Marriage, and Detroit.

6. Cassino - Kingprince
Released on November 12th, 2009

Listen at Last.fm"The boat that failed it's only sail, is burning in the river, it's heating up the water mains, while the rest of the house just shivers" I cannot say that I was not a bit let down by this album. I had been waiting for a follow up to Sounds of Salvation since it was released in 2007. In one word it's a bit "boring". After a few listens the songs tend to mush together. But this is the extent of my complaining as I still think this is a fantastic album with some brilliant songs. If you have never heard Cassino I recommend checking out both this album as well as their debut album Sounds of Salvation. I will admit that maybe I put some unrealistic expectations on this album, basically planning on it being my number one album of the year before I had even heard it. Instead it sits at six on my list, which means that I will probably wait just as impatiently for a third Cassino album and most likely build expectations just as high. If you are new to this album I recommend checking out Djom, Kingprince, and The River. All three are absolutely beautiful songs. If this was their first album it probably would have been much higher, but don't get it twisted, this is a great album.

5. Brand New - Daisy
Released on September 22nd, 2009

Listen at Last.fm"And there's a lake, and at the bottom you'll find all our friends, they don't swim 'cause they're all dead, we never are what we intend, or invent" Oh, look. Brand New has a new album coming out this year. Will they continue the bi-polar rampage that we heard on 2006's The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me? Will we hear them revert to their epic melodic hard-rock sound that they displayed on 2003's Deja Entendu? Or will they return to their roots and release a full on pop-punk album in the vein of 2000's near legendary album Your Favorite Weapon? The answer of course is none of the above. Brand New's Daisy sounds only like Brand New's Daisy. From the first time I listened to this album I loved it. I guess you could say that Daisy is more experimental, but in all honesty what Brand New album isn't experimental? This album needs to be heard in order to fully understand it. But you should know if Daisy is for you about one minute and thirty seconds into the first song. Some favorite tracks of mine include At the Bottom, Gasoline, and Bought a Bride but in my humble opinion the main highlight of the album is the seventh track Sink.

4. Third Eye Blind - Ursa Major
Released on August 17th, 2009

Listen at Last.fm"Give me back my photos will you? You fucking whore I'll kill you!" There really isn't much I can say about Third Eye Blind that I haven't said a million times before. After nearly five years will almost no action from this band they emerged last year playing sporadic shows which quickly turned into frequent shows. Then in August of this year they released their first album since 2003's Out of the Vein. When Out of the Vein was released I was a freshman at USC. I've now been out of college for a few years and I can honestly say that I get the exact same feeling from Third Eye Blind's music now as I did way back then. This is a great album that I'm sure I will enjoy for the next six years until Third Eye Blind releases Ursa Minor. Yeah, I said it. My prediction: Ursa Minor, 2015. I am taking my time with this album. Pacing myself not to burn out on it too quickly. Otherwise it may have been higher on this list. But I can almost guarantee you that I will be listening to this album long after the others on this list have faded into the background. Favorite songs on the album are Don't Believe A Word, Dao of St. Paul, Sharp Knife, and Summer Town. "I WISH I WAS A SPRAY CAN!" :)

3. Sherwood - QU
Released on October 13th, 2009

Listen at Last.fm"I could have seen it all coming I guess, I'm sleeping out on the couch, you in your half of the bed" I saw Sherwood live early last year sadly it was a snooze-fest. I'm not sure if I was just reeling, punch-drunk from the amazing set I had just seen performed by The Matches or if they are just a boring live band. In either case after having QU for a couple of months now I can't wait to give them another chance live. I only bring this up because of the stark contrast between how I perceived the live show and what I hear recorded on their albums. Both QU and A Different Light are packed with bright, energy filled pop songs. It could be forty-five degrees and raining outside... pop in a Sherwood album and you are immediately transported to mid-June where the weather is great and everyone is happy to be alive. It's that good. I actually envy them a bit as it's a certain quality that I think me and Easton strive for in a lot of our songs. But when it comes to translating into audio form what it feels like to be in Southern California in early summer, in my opinion, Sherwood is king. I will most definitely be pulling this album off the shelf throughout this winter just to get a taste of warmer times.

2. Say Anything - Say Anything
Released on November 3rd, 2009

Listen at Last.fm"Life is not a spark in space, an episode of Will & Grace, controversial yet mundane, Debra's 'Messing' with your brain" Honestly I don't know how this happened. Before this album came out I don't think there was a band whose music irritated me more than Say Anything. Unintentionally fueling my distain for this music was my college roommate Adam, who has been an admitted Say Anything super-fan since day one. It wasn't his fault. I could see the appeal and I could hear the talent in this band I just could not, for the life of me, grow to like it. Fast forward to 2009 and Say Anything releases their self-titled album. I have just one question. Where the fuck was this album when I was living with Mr. Adam Fox? I absolutely love Say Anything's self-titled album. I can't understand it. I don't want to understand it. All I know is this is great album. Now if I could only get the years and years of that damn Pinocchio album out of my head... Adam, all I can say is... I guess you were right all along!

1. fun. - Aim and Ignite
Released on August 25th, 2009

Listen at Last.fm"I'll bet I'm coming home alone tonight. I don't need to be reminded that this is how it was, I moved on, I passed a billboard down my block. It asks if I've had enough, and aloud I say 'I've had too much', when the truth is, I'm just getting started" Fun.'s debut album may very well be the greatest debut album I have ever heard. But is it really a debut album? It does seem that Nate Ruess, formerly of the band The Format, has picked up right where Dog Problems left off. Whether Aim & Inite is considered a brand new band's creation or a continuation of The Format's work it is an amazing album. There is nothing that I can write that will do justice to this album. Just listen to it. Every song is amazing. This album is by far my favorite album of 2009 and most likely will live as one of my favorites of all time. Go fun.

Easton's Blog #007: Favorite Albums of 2009

10. The Lonely Island - Incredibad
Released on February 10th, 2009

More info at Last.fmSo if you haven’t watched Saturday Night Live in the last few years, you may not know about these guys. Headed by comedian Andy Samberg, this group has dropped hits like “I’m on a Boat” to “Jizz in my Pants.” If you want a solid laugh, give these guys a listen..

9. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
Released on January 11th, 2009

First, let me thank Johnny Kreitzman for getting me into these guys. My love for this album started with “My Girls.” The arpeggio in this song is fucking awesome. I don’t know what it is about these guys, but I really love their mix..

8. Flight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky
Released on October 20th, 2009

So I know these guys find their way on to my top albums all the time, but with good reason. The first time I watched through the second season of this show, I was a little unimpressed in retrospect of the first season. However, after this album was released, I listened to just the songs devoid of the videos, and I absolutely fell in love with FOTC all over again. After listening to the whole album, I watched the whole second season again, and a second time through was all I needed to realize that every single one of the FOTC episodes are brilliant. Favorite tracks: “Carol Brown”, “Friends”, “Too Many Dicks on the Dancefloor”.

7. Death Cab for Cutie - The Open Door EP
Released on March 31st, 2009

Another band that never really gets old to me. I know our bassist Ray may have this EP as one of his top 3 albums of the year, so I apologize for it being #7 on my list before hand. Even though Ben Gibbard got skinny and landed a hot wife, Death Cab’s music has had the same underlying tone for the majority of their albums, as far as I’m concerned. They really explore some new rhythm’s as far as guitar is concerned on this short EP, but nonetheless, it’s hard to say this band has ever strayed from going in a really good musical direction.

6. Brand New - Daisy
Released on September 22nd, 2009

Listen at Last.fm I feel like every new album that Brand New releases is like some expedition to an unknown planet. From “Your Favorite Weapon” to “Deja Entendu” to “The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me” to “Daisy,” some people may wonder if this is the same artist recording all of this stuff; This, however, is not a negative comment. If you’ve never listened to Brand New, I find it really hard to explain just what kind of sound they have. I mean, it’s hard rock, but still really melodic and indie all at the same time. That being said, you probably won’t find much disappointment in giving this album a try.

5. Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3
Released on September 8th, 2009

Okay, now we’re really to my favorites. Some people are surprised at how much I L-O-V-E rap/hip-hop/R&B, but I got immersed into this stuff in 3rd grade when my Mom bought me Warren G “This DJ” on cassette tape. Both my mother and I both discovered what “Parental Advisory” meant, subsequently. But, here we are with the Blueprint 3. Jay-Z makes me laugh my fucking ass off. His lyrics are so creatively funny: “I know we facin’ a recession, but the music y’all making gonna make it the great depression.” Anyways, if you like rap, you’re an idiot if you don’t like Jay-Z. Anyone that tells you the status-quo for good rap/hip-hop is anything other than Jay-Z probably is related to Kanye, but he is really good too.

4. Say Anything - Say Anything
Released on November 3rd, 2009

Listen at Last.fmI was so utterly disappointed with Max Bemis’ last release “In Defense of the Genre.” I remember my sister bought me Madden 2008 the same day I illegally downloaded this album. I was so pumped to kick some ass in Madden and listen to a new 2 disc “rager” from one of my favorite bands. Not only did I get my ass kicked in Madden, the album was, for lack of a better word, bad. There were a handful of songs that I liked, but even then, it would have been a struggling one disc album as far as I was concerned. However, now the self-titled was released, and I can say I am very, very pleased with the result. Even though I had heard a few of these songs in the past, the mastering on the album is so good that they may as well be new songs (Listen to “I Hate Everyone”). This album progresses really well for what it is. “Do Better”, “Crush’d”, “Mara and Me” – these are just a few good songs. I love the way these songs progress within themselves as well – one of the things I think has always kept me a Say Anything fan.

3. Third Eye Blind - Ursa Major
Released on August 17th, 2009

Listen at Last.fmNick and Ray may beat me up for this not being my #1 this year, but shit man, between “Ursa Major”, “Aim and Ignite” by fun., and “Kingprince” by Cassino, it’s really, really hard to say which I really like more. I know Nick and I had been waiting FOREVER for this album to drop. Last time 3EB dropped an album, I was working at the Wherehouse, and I’m pretty sure we all know they’re nowhere to be found anymore! It took Jenkins long enough, but once again, a solid 3EB album was put together. Favorite tracks include: “Water Landing”, “Monotov’s Private Opera”, “Don’t Say a Word”, “Bonfire” – shit, I guess I like all the tracks.

2. fun. - Aim and Ignite
Released on August 25th, 2009

Listen at Last.fmThis album is INCREDIBLE. Stop reading this right now and go get it. I got this album before it was released in July, and I played it every waking second for like a month and a half. This is like an all-star band in my eyes – the best of the best from The Format, Anathallo, and Steel Train (some of TDTS’s favorite bands). From start to finish, there’s not a track on this album I’m not crazy about. “Barlights” and “Walk the Dog” are enough to get you into drinking mode for the weekend, and “All the Pretty Girls” is enough to get you going for, well, enough said...

1. Cassino - Kingprince
Released on November 12th, 2009

Listen at Last.fmSo, Cassino’s first album, “Sounds of Salvation” was our favorite album of the year a couple years back. I know it seems trite to list their follow up right up there, but I know I’m not going to regret placing this album so high. The first time I listened through this album, I couldn’t believe how much all the songs kind of sounded alike to me. After a few more listens, it troubles me even more, primarily because I was loving the album, but I couldn’t understand how I could if all the songs had very similar qualities. It’s just the very stripped down nature of this band I love so much. As many of you know, I drive a lot from Santa Barbara to Monterey, so for the short time I drive through what we Californian’s like to call “countryside,” this album is right there with me with all the acoustic guitars, harmonicas, and banjo’s a travelin’ kid could ever want. Pretty much everything you’d expect from a home-grown Alabama style band. Favorite tracks include “Kingprince”, “Maddie Bloom”, “Cannonball.”

Happy Holidays from The Dreamer and the Sleeper!

Hey everyone! We want to wish all of you a very happy holiday season this year! Thank you all for the amazing support that you've given us throughout 2009. As a holiday gift from us to you we would like you to have a very special acoustic version of our song A Flurry of Red and Green. This version was recorded last December as part of an acoustic ep that has since been put on the back burner. We want you guys to be able to enjoy it and we hope that everyone has a great holiday and an even better new year!


A Flurry of Red and Green (2009 Acoustic Version)


Click here to download the song

Nick's Blog #018: My 50 Favorite Albums of the Decade, Pt. 5

This is the fifth in a series of five posts. The other posts in this series have been archived due to them being too long for the front page of the website. All of the posts can be found using the links below:

(Albums 50 - 41) --- (Albums 40 - 31) --- (Albums 30 - 21) --- (Albums 20 - 11) --- (Albums 10 - 1)

From the original post: I was browsing the internet the other day and came across an article that was titled "Best (so-and-so's) of the Decade". I realized that, as crazy as it seems, with this coming New Years the 00's decade was coming to a close! Well every year me and Easton like to write a little blog naming our favorite 10 albums of that year. So I thought why not throw together a list of my favorite and most influential (on me!) albums of the past 10 years! Narrowing my favorite albums from the past 10 years down to just 10 albums was ridiculously hard, so I decided to expand the number to 50. So in 5 parts, I'm going to try and list the top 50 albums that have been my personal favorites and have influenced my music the most that were released in the past decade (2000 - 2009).

I personally love reading these types of lists because whenever I do I tend to find really awesome music. So hopefully by checking out my personal favs you will find something that you love that maybe you haven't had the chance to check out yet! With each album I'll throw in a stream from grooveshark.com of a song that I think is particularly interesting. As well as some quick notes from me telling why I like each album so much.

Here are the top ten albums I chose for my list:


Favorite Albums of the 00's
(Albums 10 - 1)

10. The Format - Interventions and Lullabies
Released on October 21st, 2003

More info at Last.fmI can remember the first time I listened to this album. I specifically remember thinking: Holy shit, how have I been missing out on this? The Format quickly became one of my favorite and most inspiring bands of all time.

9. Blink 182 - Take Off Your Pants and Jacket
Released on June 12th, 2001

Listen at Last.fmI have so many great memories associated with this album. A great majority of these memories involve underage drinking. Me, Easton, and our high-school friends would wander aimlessly around our relatively small home town armed only with this album and Mickey's 40's.

8. Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This to Memory
Released on June 7th, 2005

More info at Last.fmFor some strange reason as I get down to these last few albums I am finding it harder to express why I love them so much. This one is really tough. I guess I'll just say this album is good, really good. It is an album filled, first song to last, with amazing pop rock songs. Every song is amazingly catchy and has great vocal melodies that are fun to sing along with (in a lower octave of course!). For some reason, I'm not sure why, but I am particularly attached to this album. If you've never given this album or band a listen all I can say is you're missing out!

7. Angels & Airwaves - I-Empire
Released on November 6th, 2007

Listen at Last.fmI tend to keep up pretty well with my music news which sometimes includes a bit of gossip. I visit absolutepunk.net along with a bunch of other sites more than once throughout the course of a day. I was along with many others was super bummed when Blink 182 split. I was there reading along when former Blink member Tom Delonge went absolutely off his rocker in 2006, basically stating that Angels and Airwaves was the best thing... ever. I've seen the incredible amount of hate slung the band's way since then. And I will admit, in the past I have let some of the things I read on these websites get in my head. If you read "so-and-so's band sucks!" enough times, it gets hard to not think that "so-and-so's band" actually does suck. So I fully get why there is so much hostility towards this band. But somehow I have managed to quietly stick to my guns. I have managed to put Tom's craziness behind me. I have managed to ignore the absolute stinky-ness of this band's live show. I have managed to like Angels and Airwaves for what (I think) they truly are: A truly epic sounding rock band. Nothing more, nothing less.

6. Rogue Wave - Descended Like Vultures
Released on October 25th, 2005

More info at Last.fmThis album has a more distinct and original sound than maybe every other album on this list. Every song on this album is drenched in this quirky indie sound that only Rogue Wave can produce. At the same time every song is extremely catchy and will stick in your head for days. It's tough to really explain this album, you will be best just checking it out yourself!

5. Cassino - Sounds of Salvation
Released on March 19th, 2007

When the band Northstar broke up I can remember them announcing that they were forming a new band. This band was called Cassino and it would be a very different type of music than Northstar was. They released one song: Tin Man's Throne. From the first listen I was hooked. I waited months for their debut, self-released album Sounds of Salvation to come out. When it did it lived up to all of my expectations and more (which is rare for some reason). Since this album was released in March of 2007 it has been playing in my car stereo fairly consistently. It may be a little hard to find but if you can get yourself a copy of this album I highly recommend it.

4. Eve 6 - Horrorscope
Released on July 25th, 2000

Listen at Last.fmAs I stated on the previous Eve 6 album I talked about on this list I can definitely see how someone would find this music irritating. The lead singer has a very distinct voice and vocal delivery. And well, if you don't get it, you don't get it. But in my opinion, song for song, this is one of the best pop-punk albums ever recorded. Every song explodes with energy at one point or another and EVERY SONG is catchy as all holy hell. I think of this band as sort of a mix between Blink 182 and Third Eye Blind. They have a ton of similarities to both so if you enjoy these bands as much as I do you will love Horrorscope.

3. New Found Glory - New Found Glory
Released on September 26th, 2000

Listen at Last.fmWithout this album The Dreamer and the Sleeper does not exist. I got this album for free when I was a Junior in High School. It completely changed the way I looked at music forever. It was something I had never heard before. Before this album I was a fairly big music fan but my catalogue didn't reach any further than what was on the radio. This album led me to discovering a whole new world of indie and lesser known music. The rest is history.

2. Brand New - Your Favorite Weapon
Released on October 9th, 2001

More info at Last.fmOkay, so remember a couple of albums back when I stated "one of the best pop-punk albums ever recorded"? Well, this album is the best pop-punk album ever recorded. I'm really at a loss of words when it comes to Brand New's Your Favorite Weapon. If you enjoy any sort of pop-rock, pop-punk, indie... etc. and you don't own this album... what are you waiting for? Go out and buy it right now.

1. The Format - Dog Problems
Released on May 18th, 2006

Listen at Last.fm
Certain albums seem to attach themselves to you. For personal reason's this album means more to me than any other album, ever. It may get played out. The band may break up. The members may go on to create even more creative, original music. I hope that I never have to find another Dog Problems again, but I sure am glad I did.

Easton's Blog #006: More Writng, More New Lyrics

I know I've got a lot going for me
so why can't I get what I want
cause what I want's becoming what I need

fast weeks the lead to my favorite Friday
and I swear the smoke spells out your name
baby, it scares you to be crazy around me

and now my heart
is breaking off

she knows she's got a lot going for her
and who am I just to call her
cause she's tired, so I figure

or is it that I might be the guy
you wanna spend all your time with
baby, it scares you to be crazy around me

and now my heart
is breaking off
and now you've got
a little of my love

Nick's Blog #014: Whoops, New Song Clip Leak... (Sort of)

So I stumbled upon this video late last night and found something rather interesting. The video was put up by us last March in promotion for Autumn in the Evening which was released in June. It features two second samples of every song on the album... sort of. We made a quick change in the track line up after Easton wrote Mistakes! sometime in April. What I hadn't realized before now is that that video contains a full two seconds of the original 4th track to Autumn in the Evening.

Exciting, isn't it? I know. Try to keep it under control. You can hear this sneaky little clip at 0:30 seconds into the video. :)

Easton's Blog #005: I Wrote A New X-Mas Song!

Here are some lyrics to a new xmas song:

when it comes to Christmas
it brings out these things in me
and since i love to see you
can't you just pretend that you wanna see me
and all the things we could do
in a weekend or two
just call me a snowman
melting for you

and all my past endeavours of winter
have left me sick
and i just gotta change the spin
but first i gotta find a way in
oh all the things we could do
in a weekend or two
just call me a snowman
melting for you
to think this carol could bring us both together

so I will try
yeah I might die
just to find someone to hold
for the first time
I will love
I don't care, I don't care

you can bet I'll keep on bringing it
if only for the evening, baby
oh I pour my heart out
and they just don't care
but you bet your ass I'm bringing it
if only for the evening, baby
oh I'll bleed my heart out
and these bitches couldn't give a shit, sing it

and you think you find a diamond
that's only falsely shining, baby
cylinders are firing
and you just don't care
and I'd keep you smiling
and only happy crying, darling
Christmas is calling
and I'm yours
I'm yours

Easton's Blog #004: New Lyrics

Some lyrics to a new song:

i’m thinking that it’s time
for things to fall into place
it starts out with a girl
and a smile on her face
young adults will wine and dine
and I’ll pretend to know the rhyme
but all I can do
is get to know you
cute girls will point their toes
if only just to end a look
you make me a fool
i’m here to crumble for you

i’m here to crumble for you
and oh babe, well how’s your day going without me
yeah I want all my days to end with you

i’m thinking that it’s time
for me to care like I used to
well, when I used to love
but those feelings just die and rise
and die and rise
I never thought that I would be
such a subject of a balcony scene
all I can think
is what’s she thinking
cute girls will point their toes
if only just to end a look
you make me your fool
i wanna crumble with you

i wanna crumble with you
and oh babe, well how’s your day going without me
yeah I want all my days to end with you

November 6, 2009 @ Hot Topic - Monterey, Ca

November 6th, 2009 @ Hot Topic, Monterey, Ca - 4:00 PM

In store performance at Hot Topic in the Del Monte Shopping Center, Monterey, Ca

We played a really cool, laid back, acoustic in-store performance at Hot Topic in Monterey, Ca. Big thanks to everyone who came out to watch. Without you this could have been very, very awkward. :)

Setlist for November 6, 2009 - Hot Topic In-store Performance, Monterey, Ca

1. Mistakes!

2. Halloween

3. The Psychologist

4. Across the Water

5. The Regular G (Days Away Cover)

6. These Inevitable Insanities

7. Dog Problems (The Format Cover)

Nick's Blog #017: My 50 Favorite Albums of the Decade, Pt. 4

This is the fourth in a series of five posts. The other posts in this series have been archived due to them being too long for the front page of the website. All of the posts can be found using the links below:

(Albums 50 - 41) --- (Albums 40 - 31) --- (Albums 30 - 21) --- (Albums 20 - 11) --- (Albums 10 - 1)

From the original post: I was browsing the internet the other day and came across an article that was titled "Best (so-and-so's) of the Decade". I realized that, as crazy as it seems, with this coming New Years the 00's decade was coming to a close! Well every year me and Easton like to write a little blog naming our favorite 10 albums of that year. So I thought why not throw together a list of my favorite and most influential (on me!) albums of the past 10 years! Narrowing my favorite albums from the past 10 years down to just 10 albums was ridiculously hard, so I decided to expand the number to 50. So in 5 parts, I'm going to try and list the top 50 albums that have been my personal favorites and have influenced my music the most that were released in the past decade (2000 - 2009).

I personally love reading these types of lists because whenever I do I tend to find really awesome music. So hopefully by checking out my personal favs you will find something that you love that maybe you haven't had the chance to check out yet! With each album I'll throw in a stream from grooveshark.com of a song that I think is particularly interesting. As well as some quick notes from me telling why I like each album so much.

Here are albums 20 - 11 I chose for my list:


Favorite Albums of the 00's
(Albums 20 - 11)

20. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
Released on February 7th, 2006

More info at Last.fmIf you've never listened to Belle and Sebastian or The Life Pursuit expect to be fully addicted by the time this album is through. There's something about it that is infectious and there is undoubtedly a great amount of influence on the early Dreamer and the Sleeper songs. I think this album can officially be dubbed the happiest sounding album on this list. Definitely give this one a listen!

19. Matchbox Twenty - More Than You Think You Are
Released on November 19th, 2002

More info at Last.fmOkay, so... there is definitely some songs on this album that some people may find... hmm, what's the word I'm looking for here... annoying, I think is a good way to put it. I mean, lets be frank, did any of us really need to hear Rob Thomas crooning "you left a sh-tain!" every half hour on the radio for a year straight? No, no we didn't. But with the song 'Disease' set aside this album is an incredible collection of epic sounding, pop-rock songs. Bright Lights, Hand Me Down, The Difference... There is so many really good, slower tempo-ed songs on this album it's sick. As I think I said with the first Matchbox Twenty album on this list, it's not the songs you hear on the radio that carry this album. It's everything in-between that really makes this a great pop-rock album.

18. Third Eye Blind - Out of the Vein
Released on May 20th, 2003

More info at Last.fmAlright, so if you know us at all you know that we are huge fans of Third Eye Blind. I'm sure there are some people who are thinking "ew" because of the impression they have gotten from certain Third Eye Blind radio singles. Third Eye Blind is fucking good. If you don't think so then I will fight you in a dark alley. Mmmm-okay so not really... but this album is disgustingly underrated, along with the rest of 3eb's catalogue.

17. Boys Night Out - Trainwreck
Released on July 26th, 2005

More info at Last.fmI'm really not sure how widely listened to this album is. I was sort of a quasi-listener of Boys Night Out before this album was released. Make Yourself Sick was a fun album to listen too but when the concept album Trainwreck was released it bumped Boys Night Out up a few rungs in my book. It's an amazing rock album that tells the story of a man who, during a crazy nightmare induced rage, accidentally murders his wife. Heavy? Yes. But putting the lyrical content and concept story aside the songs are super catchy pop/rock songs that will stick in your head for days. This is a great album that I highly recommend especially for a road trip or sometime when you can focus on the story that is told, because it also makes for a pretty interesting listen.

16. Cartel - Cartel
Released on August 21st, 2007

Listen at Last.fmThis album got an amazing amount of hate from fans of the band. Yes, it was recorded in a Dr. Pepper inspired bubble somewhere. Yes, it was all broadcast on "Mtv 5". Yes, it has been consistently labeled as a "huge let down" on message boards everywhere. But I cannot dislike this album. In fact I love it. I lived in San Diego for about 18 months right about the time this album came out and this disc wasn't far from my car stereo the entire time I was there. I'm really not certain how I feel about Cartel as a band. The Ransom EP was great, I could never fully get into Chroma (which if my memory serves me correct was loved by most fans of the band), and the new album Cycles just hasn't done it for me yet. Anyways, I guess my advice would be: if you have enjoyed most of the albums so far on this list, you may have similar taste to me. In this case definitely check this album out.

15. The Early November - For All of This EP
Released on November 5th, 2002

Listen at Last.fmWhen this album came out I was a freshman in college. At the time it was something completely new for me. I had listened to New Found Glory, Fenix TX, and Blink 182 consistently in high school and even though there was a lot of similarities to these bands, The Early November brought something new. Even now when I listen to this album there is something really genuine about it. It isn't ultra-polished, which was the direction that pop-punk style music had gone at that time. To me this is just a really honest album that doesn't try to be anything it's not, and I loved it for that.

14. Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American
Released on July 24th, 2001

Listen at Last.fmI really didn't know what a huge Jimmy Eat World fan I was until I started going through my CD collection to put together this list. As with the album above, this album (although very polished itself) brought something new to the table. Something completely different than what I had been listening to.

13. New Found Glory - Sticks and Stones
Released on June 11th, 2002

Listen at Last.fmSo with the last few albums on this list you have heard me say stuff like "something different". This album, along with a few others, weren't exactly something different. They were the norm. The standard. A great pop-punk album by one of my favorite bands of all time.

12. Coldplay - Parachutes
Released on November 7th, 2000

Listen at Last.fmI really didn't start listening to this album until well after it was released. Yellow was all of the radio in high school, kids were obsessed with the song Spies in my college dorm, and Sparks had a standout spot in the movie Wedding Crashers. Once I finally realized that all of these great songs came from the same album I was hooked. From first song to last, this album is fantastic.

11. Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends
Released on March 26th, 2002

Listen at Last.fmI first heard this album blasting out the window of some kids dorm room while I was on an absolutely brutal walk of shame during my freshman year of college. I walked back to my dorm room, searched the lyrics online, illegally downloaded the album as any good college student would, and listened to it while taking a long, scalding hot shower. Those were the days.

Continue to Albums 10 - 1 >

Nick's Blog #016: My 50 Favorite Albums of the Decade, Pt. 3

This is the third in a series of five posts. The other posts in this series have been archived due to them being too long for the front page of the website. All of the posts can be found using the links below:

(Albums 50 - 41) --- (Albums 40 - 31) --- (Albums 30 - 21) --- (Albums 20 - 11) --- (Albums 10 - 1)

From the original post: I was browsing the internet the other day and came across an article that was titled "Best (so-and-so's) of the Decade". I realized that, as crazy as it seems, with this coming New Years the 00's decade was coming to a close! Well every year me and Easton like to write a little blog naming our favorite 10 albums of that year. So I thought why not throw together a list of my favorite and most influential (on me!) albums of the past 10 years! Narrowing my favorite albums from the past 10 years down to just 10 albums was ridiculously hard, so I decided to expand the number to 50. So in 5 parts, I'm going to try and list the top 50 albums that have been my personal favorites and have influenced my music the most that were released in the past decade (2000 - 2009).

I personally love reading these types of lists because whenever I do I tend to find really awesome music. So hopefully by checking out my personal favs you will find something that you love that maybe you haven't had the chance to check out yet! With each album I'll throw in a stream from grooveshark.com of a song that I think is particularly interesting. As well as some quick notes from me telling why I like each album so much.

Here are albums 30 - 21 I chose for my list:


Favorite Albums of the 00's
(Albums 30 - 21)

30. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
Released on October 21st, 2003

More info at Last.fmI didn't catch wind of this album until waaaay after it was released. For years all I knew about The Shins was that they were mentioned in Garden State. Finally, when Wincing the Night Away came out Ray sent me some songs. Even then I didn't listen to this album much. But holy crap, when I finally discovered it's awesomeness I completely fell in love. This album contains what I think are the best lyrics of any album on this list. While writing lyrics for Autumn in the Evening I had this album very close by, referring to it more than once inspiration.

29. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
Released on January 23rd, 2007

Listen at Last.fmAs I said in the album above this: I sort of missed The Shins train... by like 5 years. But this was the first album that I was introduced too. I'd say this one and Chutes Too Narrow are about dead even in my book. But this album has a couple songs that tip the scale for me. Australia, Red Rabbits, Turn on Me... talk about songs that I literally try to replicate sounds in while recording and mixing. If you are like me and are late in joining in on being Shin-ified, do yourself a favor and listen to these songs!

28. Eve 6 - It's All In Your Head
Released on July 22nd, 2003

Listen at Last.fmEve 6 is one of those bands that I love, but at the same time can totally understand why someone might find them completely obnoxious. The delivery of the lyrics for me is genius (and in this instance when I use the word "genius" I truly mean "genius") but I guess I can also see how someone might be put off by it. I think that because they had that one "her's 2 the nieeete" song all over the radio a while back, people may be afraid to really give this band a chance. Both me and Easton really have a weird obsession with this band's music. I can't really say for sure but I tend to see a lot of the bounciness and sheer poppyness of Eve 6's rhythms in a lot of Easton's songs. Go listen to the vocal patterns in Ashes Ashes and then check out the chorus of the song posted above. I think a lot of Easton's rhythm guitar playing style may have come from playing Eve 6 songs way back in the day, and Easton has an EXTREMELY distinct rhythm style when he writes. Again, that's not anything Easton has said, just an observation of mine! The song I chose to post from this album is the last song on the album and is an absolutely EPIC rock and roll song. When the chorus finally kicks in two and a half minutes in, it is like your a kid whose been waiting up all night for Christmas morning and when it finally comes you find that Santa brought you that sweet Huffy along with a stack of one-fucking-hundred dollar bills. It's THAT GOOD. Check it out.

27. The Postal Service - Give Up
Released on February 18th, 2003

More info at Last.fmOkay, so who's music do you NOT hear this album in these days? When this album came out bands all across the indie music scene started throwing in crazy electronic elements into their songs. What writes songs with glitchy, low-fi beats and has two thumbs? This guy. If you don't hear this albums influences on songs of ours like Seventy-six, This Glorious Pain, or Astronauts you may be a zombie. You may literally be a walking dead living among normal human beings.

26. Days Away - The Feel of It EP
Release date Unknown, 2002

More info at Last.fmEaston had bought this ep during our senior year of high school and I ended up listening to it a ton over the course of the next few years. It is a collection of five really catchy and fun pop songs. Days Away went on to drastically change their sound after this ep was released, and all of it was equally as good. But in the end it is this ep that I listen to the most. It is near impossible to find now-a-days and is not available on itunes but if you check out this grooveshark search you should be able to give it a listen.

25. Jack's Mannequin - Everything in Transit
Released on August 23rd, 2005

Listen at Last.fmThis album was basically the soundtrack to my final year of college at USC, which was also the year me and Easton formed The Dreamer and the Sleeper. The album had a great influence on a lot of our early songs, especially some of the piano based songs like Leaving the Hospital. It was basically the reason I sat down at a keyboard and decided that I would attempt to write a song on it even though I had never touched one before in my life.

24. Brand New - The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
Released on November 21st, 2006

Listen at Last.fmBrand New's album The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me isn't an album to listen to on lovely sunday morning, or too enjoy before a night out with friends. It's an album to listen to and be pissed off. It's super aggressive, the lyrical subject matter is heavy as all holy hell, and it is a LOUD album to say the least. Everyone needs an album to fight off their demons to.

23. Motion City Soundtrack - Even If It Kills Me
Released on July 17th, 2007

Listen at Last.fmThis is one of those albums that gets better and better with time. With every listen a new chorus tends to pop out at you making that particular song your new favorite. Every song on this album is great. A fantastic follow up to one of my favorite albums ever: Commit This To Memory.

22. The Matches - Decomposer
Released on September 12st, 2006

More info at Last.fmTo say that this album is perfect would imply that I consider every album higher than it on this list to be better than perfect, which isn't necessarily the case. What this album does do that is perfect is stay consistent with a particular feeling and theme throughout. Even the album artwork tends to fit right into this little world The Matches have created that is Decomposer. If you listen to the song Sunburn vs. The Rhinovirus (posted above) you basically get a feel for what you can expect to find in every deep dark corner of this album. That's not to say that every song on the album sounds the same, in fact, this statement could not be further from the truth. But every song fits perfectly into the creepy, quirky theme of Decomposer.

21. The Elected - Sun, Sun, Sun
Released on January 24th, 2006

More info at Last.fmThe Elected put out an amazing album in 2006. For fans of Bright Eyes and Conor Oberest. Did I mention the dude was the bully on Boy Meets World? Not the fat one, the skinny one... yeah.

Continue to Albums 20 - 11 >