A little while ago, Pittsburgh's pop-punk darlings Punchline embarked on a quest to have the #1 album on iTunes with their new EP, So Nice to Meet You. Bassist Chris Fafalios threatened to quit if they didn't succeed, but I think most Punchline fans knew he wouldn't. We chose to indulge him anyway while naysayers sat back, called him a douche, and said the band only wanted money and the whole thing was a publicity stunt. I can see how it looked that way on the outside, but anyone who's ever been to a Punchline show knows the opposite.
The boys succeeded--almost. They hit I #7 overall and did take #1 in rock. Pretty impressive. All because their fans pushed to make it happen. People were banding together, buying copies for people who couldn't afford it, etc. It was pretty cool to watch it unfold on Facebook and Twitter, and it was great to see the band so happy about something they admitted they didn't think would happen.
And the songs are good--really good. Delicious and sweet pop rock, all about love. "Universe" and "Everything I Wanted" are the immediate standouts, with Punchline's distinguished sound, great lyrics, and infectious hooks. Check it out for yourself. And no pressure to get them high on the charts this time.
By the way, although the release did coincide with singer Steve Soboslai's appearance on the show "Mobbed," I'd hardly call his valiant and successful attempt to woo a lady by singing "I Want You to Want Me" a publicity stunt. I call that smart marketing and an adorable tie-in of sorts to the show. The cover is even featured on the EP, and Punchline's one of those bands that can really rock a solid cover.
Showing posts with label Punchline. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Punchline. Show all posts
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Friday, May 20, 2011
Pittsburgh's Latest
Well, sort of.
Blue of Colors is the solo project of Punchline lead singer Steve Soboslai. Despite Steve's unique voice, the song is definitely a departure from Punchline's pop-punk--it's nice, mellow music for all you fans of folk- and indie-type stuff.
"Goodbye Stranger" is the first song Steve's put online. Enjoy.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Because Covers Are Fun
If you saw any commercials for the Pens/FSN a season or so ago, you heard The Clarks' cover of "What a Wonderful World." But chances are you haven't had en equally epic cover - that of Punchline.
Somehow, pop-punk makes it even happier.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Pittsburgh Area Bands: Punchline
Pittsburgh Area Bands: Punchline
Just so you know what you're getting into from the start: I'd go to the ends of the earth for this band. I first heard them back in middle school when "The World" made school dance rotations. Saw them live around 14 or 15. Am now 20 & have seen them live more times than I can count. Literally. My brother & I have seriously gotten into light-hearted arguments about just what the number is. I wrote a review of them live for an online local magazine once. I'm actually wearing a Punchline shirt right now (this is a coincidence, I swear). So yeah.
I'll cut to the chase as quickly as I can: I really don't have a single negative thing to say about this band. Sure, there are songs I don't like as much as others, but that happens with every artist. What matters is the fact that the good songs are more than good. They're stellar. If they weren't I, & others, (including my little brother) wouldn't keep coming back, or blogging like crazies. They're pegged as pop punk, but personally, there's more to their sound than that. I can't nail it down to a genre that's not general and huge like just plain rock, but there's more depth - musically and lyrically - than the typical pop punk connotations bring to the genre discussion table. They're responsible for some of the songs I consider to be among my favorites of all time. Yes, that's a very bold statement. I stand by it.
They're also amazing live. What's the difference between a good live band & a great live band? Great live bands get you and your friends to a point where you say, "Oh man, we haven't seen Punchline in a while. We need to do something about that." This happens frequently, except for this year - I think my brother & I managed something like 4 shows so far plus one coming up. Combine that with merchandise and music & the amount of money I've spent on just Punchline just in 2009 is probably an embarrassing figure.
Their most recent release was the online b-side collection Night Lights, and we all know that I loves me some b-sides. And what makes it interesting is the money factor - free for a few songs, $6 for the whole thing - or more, if you feel so inclined. I gave $7 because that's all I had in my PayPal. Hey, I'm in college & I haven't freelanced and gotten paid for it since October. I'm pretty broke. And the money goes towards recording more material, & what fan wouldn't want to contribute to such a wonderful cause as that?
So, humor me & check them out. Really, you can't go wrong here.
Punchline on MySpace!
Just so you know what you're getting into from the start: I'd go to the ends of the earth for this band. I first heard them back in middle school when "The World" made school dance rotations. Saw them live around 14 or 15. Am now 20 & have seen them live more times than I can count. Literally. My brother & I have seriously gotten into light-hearted arguments about just what the number is. I wrote a review of them live for an online local magazine once. I'm actually wearing a Punchline shirt right now (this is a coincidence, I swear). So yeah.
I'll cut to the chase as quickly as I can: I really don't have a single negative thing to say about this band. Sure, there are songs I don't like as much as others, but that happens with every artist. What matters is the fact that the good songs are more than good. They're stellar. If they weren't I, & others, (including my little brother) wouldn't keep coming back, or blogging like crazies. They're pegged as pop punk, but personally, there's more to their sound than that. I can't nail it down to a genre that's not general and huge like just plain rock, but there's more depth - musically and lyrically - than the typical pop punk connotations bring to the genre discussion table. They're responsible for some of the songs I consider to be among my favorites of all time. Yes, that's a very bold statement. I stand by it.
They're also amazing live. What's the difference between a good live band & a great live band? Great live bands get you and your friends to a point where you say, "Oh man, we haven't seen Punchline in a while. We need to do something about that." This happens frequently, except for this year - I think my brother & I managed something like 4 shows so far plus one coming up. Combine that with merchandise and music & the amount of money I've spent on just Punchline just in 2009 is probably an embarrassing figure.
Their most recent release was the online b-side collection Night Lights, and we all know that I loves me some b-sides. And what makes it interesting is the money factor - free for a few songs, $6 for the whole thing - or more, if you feel so inclined. I gave $7 because that's all I had in my PayPal. Hey, I'm in college & I haven't freelanced and gotten paid for it since October. I'm pretty broke. And the money goes towards recording more material, & what fan wouldn't want to contribute to such a wonderful cause as that?
So, humor me & check them out. Really, you can't go wrong here.
Punchline on MySpace!
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