Hey J-14ers,
If there are two things I'm pretty much obsessed with when it comes to music, it'd be classic rock and pop-punk. Yeah, I know, they're both in the rock genre, but it's what I love! But that's why I was pretty psyched when Punk Goes Classic Rock landed on my desk.
The entire CD is made up of some of my favorite bands (like VersaEmerge, Mayday Parade, We The Kings, and Every Avenue) and your faves (like The Maine and Never Shout Never) covering some of the greatest rock tunes of all time! The Almost pump up Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'," making it even more upbeat than the original, and VersaEmerge's version of The Rolling Stone's "Paint It Black" is more modernized and feels ready for pop radio. A lot of the songs don't vary too far from the originals, like The Maine's take on Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me" or Mayday Parade's version of Queen's "We Are The Champions," but that can be taken as a nod of appreciation to the original bands.
The cool thing about the album is that it will introduce you to the music your parents love without giving you that cringeworthy feeling. Hear me out -- the lyrics are classic and mean something and your fave bands are introducing you to it (not you discovering old tunes just because your 'rents are forcing you to help them burn their CDs onto the family comp!). Downloading these songs is a way better lesson in classic rock history than teaching mom what an mp3 is -- trust me.
And for some behind-the-scenes album fun, check out this vid of The Almost recording their version of "Free Fallin'":
Tell me -- what do you think of Punk Goes Classic Rock?
<3,
Emily, J-14 editor
Photo: Adam Elmakias
