“Monster has always been a go-to name for music electronics as well as a big part of music culture. Under the leadership of Noel Lee, who is a true genius, the company has literally been changing the way people listen to music for over 30 years. They built an empire, and my job will be to push the envelope – turn the lights of the castle up really bright and help Monster take its next big step forward. There will be some very exciting things happening in the year ahead, so stay tuned!”

Most notably, Monster is known for engineering the sound of the acclaimed Beats by Dr. Dre^® headphones, and has become the world’s leading manufacturer of high-performance, sonically superior headphones.

Though Stella Hudgens has hinted at a music career before, when she released a cover of fun.’s “We Are Young” along with friends Willow Smith and Pia Mia, she is now venturing out into the industry. Along with her revealing tweet that stated, “I’m in the studio,” Hudgens also granted listeners closer access to her current state as an artist by releasing a quick video of her recording in the studio. Though seven seconds long, it is listeners’ first glimpse of Hudgens as a soloist,  versus hearing her previous harmony parts in the “We Are Young” cover.  The video titled “sneaaky peakkyy )” can be viewed now.  No word yet on when Hudgens will be releasing music officially.

TELL US: Do YOU think Stella will have a successful music career?

Shortly after releasing the deluxe edition of Understanding What We’ve Grown to Be, We Came As Romans released their music video for the song “Hope” off of the 2013 release.  The music video was directed by Rasa Acharya and Dan Kennedy (Little Sky Film - Like Moths to Flame, Say Anything, Patent Pending, etc.) “Hope” is currently available for purchase on iTunes, along with the full deluxe edition release Understanding What We’ve Grown to Be. 

The music video can be seen below. We Came As Romans are currently the main support for this year’s Take Action Tour, which has already begun. They recently revealed to Pure Volume that “It’s been good. A lot of long drives, but the shows have been really fun! A lot kids [have come out], so that’s good.” WCAR also spoke about the re-issue of Understanding What We’ve Grown to Be, adding “We are going to release a hard copy of [the Understanding reissue], hopefully with some DVD footage, kind of chronicling the whole album cycle. So that’s really the purpose: to remember the CD, where the band was when we put it out, and where we are now.” The Take Action Tour completes in March and tour dates can be viewed HERE!

“Here With You” singer, Asher Monroe, surprised fans with the announcement of his new interactive website, ashermonroe.com, 

The newly launched website features enjoyable tabs for fans to browse, now having access to previously unreleased photographs of Monroe. Amongst the new photographs, the new website features videos previously posted on Monroe’s YouTube account (which stands at nearly 8 million total views) and links to his other social media accounts. Even so, Monroe still has a sidebar featuring the live feed of his Twitter account, where he is about to reach 70,000 followers. For those who are interested in learning more about Monroe, past the music and film career, the website also features an “About Me” section, explaining the journey Monroe has taken to achieve the success he has achieved thus far in his solo career.

To check out the website for yourself, head on over to ashermonroe.com,

Both songs’ performances are bound to add to the slight troubles surrounding Gomez, who is currently working through a reported break-up with boyfriend of two years, Justin Bieber. For the couple, “Cry Me A River” marks momentous occassions, both of positive and negative memories. Bieber performed a cover of “Cry Me A River” both during his early YouTube days under kidrauhl and when he joined Gomez on stage in 2011 at the O.C. Fair. Later in 2012, Bieber performed “Cry Me River” following the first reign of break-up rumors with Gomez. The performance followed an evening of indirect Tweets from Gomez’s friends concerning the alleged break-up. Tonight, Gomez performed the song that holds such memories for the couple. She introduced the song by stating, “I’ve kinda been through a lot the past couple of months. It’s been interesting and fun at the same time. And weird and sad but cool. This song has helped me through a lot. This song definitely speaks to me.”

Approximately a month ago, Gomez posted a video of her dancing to choreography for Taylor Swift’s song, “I Knew You Were Trouble.” The posting catalyzed avid controversy, people immediately assuming it an indirect message to Bieber. However, she insisted that the performance was her and her friends “just goofing around” to their “favorite song.” Deciding to switch things up, she performed an acoustic rendition of the song, rather than dancing along to it. When Gomez introduced the song before the sold-out audience, she exclaimed, “I’ll start with a cover that you probably know. It’s by my best friend in the entire world and she’s awesome. And anyone who has felt anything painful to their heart, they know who this girl is.” 

The entire USTREAM of the concert can be seen above.  Gomez’ set also included songs such as “Love You Like A Love Song”, “Who Says”, “A Year Without Rain”, “Bang Bang Bang,” amongst others. However, the signifiance of the event lays in the importance of what the audience supported, not solely the dramatics that are bound to erupt concerning Gomez’s song choices. UNICEF programs provide nutrition, clean water, medicine, education, and more to children worldwide. “Nothing is more important than helping children in need around the globe. I’m thankful that I can use my voice to bring awareness and much-needed funds to UNICEF so they can continue their critical work. Together, with my fans, we can save lives,” said Ms. Gomez.  Visit unicefusa.org for more information.

TELL US: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SELENA PERFORMING “I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE” AND “CRY ME A RIVER?”

Brian Cag stands the vocalist of Action Item, a band who is performing on their home turf at the Gramercy Theater in New York, NY. Though not exactly from the New York are (to be exact, the band’s roots reside in Bergen County, NJ), the band considers the sold out show on January 5, 2013 their home turf. As Cag puts it, “A sold-out, kind of hometown thing going on. We’re super excited.” He of course is referring to the band’s performance at Gramercy, but too the audiences they’ll be performing in front of, as they persist on the Resolution Tour. Plans to not only to take over the United States, but also Canada are solely one purpose of the current tour. Rather excited to establish their international fan base, Cag too recognizes that the tour will act as a catalyst for the featured bands (Before You Exit, Paradise Fears, Max Schneider, GOLDHOUSE, and Hello Highway) to obtain audiences internationally, as well. Who he finds himself connecting with most is Sam Miller of Paradise Fears.  ”We’re really great with Paradise Fears. Sam’s a really great guy. We connect on a lot of different levels. All of us like Sam and the band.” Cag embraces the fact that they now have this opportunity to help other bands, finding it unbelievable himself that Action Item will later be performing in front of a sold out crowd. It’s been a long journey for the band and will persistently be an interesting journey to embark on, but Cag appreciates the success the band has earned thus far, still surprised by its entirety, “I don’t think anyone ever thinks of that [playing a sold out hometown show]. It’s kind of a thought in the back of your head. Like, maybe one day I’ll play an arena. And then that happened.” He pauses to smile. “And I was like “Oh, things can happen if you work hard.”

No remnants of the annual celebration in New York City following the releasing of the renowned NYE ball remain, as the Resolution Tour takes Gramercy Theater on January 5, 2013. Instead, the city shines of hopeful teenagers, looking to escape momentarily while viewing their favorite bands on the Resolution Tour, all bands prepared to perform in front of a sold out audience. Action Item headlines the tour, but the tour features special guests Before You Exit and Hello Highway (several other guests will accompany the tour throughout its duration). It’s a tour that Connor McDonough of Before You Exit states that he is “really excited for.“ Following a year of pitfalls and shortcomings with a formulated lineup change that left original members Braiden Wood and Thomas Silvers as solely live members, and adding brother Toby McDonough to the official lineup – but high points as well (praise from Demi Lovato during their X-Factor audition, extensive touring, and obtaining over 15 million views on YouTube), Before You Exit is ready to take on 2013 with The Resolution Tour. When asked about the other artists accompanying them on tour, Before You Exit commented, “I think the tour’s going to be really fun. Action Item, Paradise Fears, Hello Highway – a bunch of good, talented bands.” 
However, Before You Exit does not find themselves wrapped in the ideology of only performing with other talented bands, but the brothers are instead focused on the accompaniment of their most generous supporters – their fans. “We’re probably most excited about all the fans coming out.” Seriousness is easily conveyed. Often times artists state, in a cliche manner, their gratitude for their fans. But, it’s visible in the way that the band took extensive time with their fans during a pre-show meet and greet. Even though they did in fact push past their limited time, the band established their vehement gratefulness, as if posing for images and signing autographs was nothing but a pleasure for them. Success is driving their attitude right now, but Before You Exit is certainly not constricting themselves to leading a life of selfishness or ungratefulness. In fact, the band has reinstated a special celebratory performance for their fans throughout the Resolution Tour by Before You Exit, as they will be playing a private bus performance on their tour bus after each show. The cost may be $100, but all for an intimate, exclusive performance and the inclusion of a signed poster and listening party, with a chance to listen to new music!

New music seems to be what the band is about today. After reconstructing their lineup and recording new music in Los Angeles, Before You Exit highlighted the inner creativity workings with their latest release of “I Like That” – the band’s current single. Anxious fans awaited the single’s release, avidly flocking to Itunes upon its posting. It’s a song that Riley McDonough describes as, “a song that we [BYE] wrote in LA. It’s basically when you like a girl, [and] you’re trying to show her that you like her, and she doesn’t see that you like her. And you like that she doesn’t see that you like her.” Amdist the slight confusion of his explanation, Connor McDonough displays his protective elder brother instincts, quickly saving Riley, “It’s about liking that humble girl.”

Humility seems to be a common thread for Before You Exit. On his first tour ever, performing before sold-out audiences, occupying venues with avidly yelling teenage girls, Toby McDonough – the youngest of the brothers – chimes in by reinstating that he certainly “isn’t nervous.” Humbly for a youngster to admit, Toby even notes that he “does get butterflies.” It’s interesting to see the dynamic between the three brothers, Connor once again coming to his youngest brother’s rescue, sincerity evident in his voice’s persuasion, “It’s alright,” he tells Toby, “everyone does.”

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