King of Amarillo

            The band Issues is a relatively new group to the post hardcore rock scene. They formed in the summer of 2012 by Tyler Carter and Michael Bohn, former vocalists of the band Woe, Is Me. Issues music blends elements of rhythm & blues and rap beats with the heavy chugging of metal core guitar riffs. They burst onto the scene with their leadoff single “King of Amarillo”, from their EP, “Black Diamonds”. They created this band to use their fame and talents to try to be a positive influence on this generation. The name Issues is in homage to all the problems that they and this generation face.

            Because of the messy break up situation that occurred between vocalists Carter and Bohn and their previous band Woe, Is Me, they (Carter and Bohn) felt as though they were looked at by fans of Woe, Is Me as traitors. They felt that fans would look down on them for leaving, as if the band wasn’t good enough for them. They also assumed that some people didn’t think that they were likely to achieve the same success that they had gained by being in Woe, Is Me. Essentially, they had their backs against the wall. In the first Issues song “King of Amarillo”, they made sure that they remind fans that they are indeed very much alive, and still doing well at what they do.

The song title “King of Amarillo” doesn’t make sense to most people who just look at it. But using strange and peculiar names as song titles is a common practice for most rock bands in this day in age. By just listening to the lyrics, many words jump out at you. The lyrics contain many words that are not exactly the nicest ever. Words like “wrath, broken, demise, fear” make the song sound very sad. But the overall message portrayed throughout the song is a sense of moving on and becoming who you want to be, without being held back by others that may try to bring you down. This is something that can definitely apply to all people. No one wants to be help back from doing what they want and love, and Issues has gone through this exact problem, and they want to let the world know that they you can come back from something like this.

From the first lyric that Michael Bohn screams out, “Wrath to the Industry!” you know that the song is about to have a very hard to swallow message. “Get over yourself, we can see right through you. We are the future like no one ever knew you.” As guitarist AJ Rebello pounds away with the heavy chugging of his electric guitar, Bohn starts with the fact that the members of his old band have become too confident because of the fame that they have gained from touring the world. Bohn continues to explain that the fame that was achieved was partly because of Carter and Bohn as well as the others in that band. “If you don’t like these lyrics then go listen to Genesi[s]. He then turns his attention to the audience and tells them plainly that if they don’t like what Issues has to say, they can simply go and listen to Woe, Is Me’s new album, Genesi[s]. The last lyric is the most interesting however. “… if you took demise we’ll take your fame.” This is a play on words to the song, “Fame over Demise” that was written by Bohn and Carter while they were still with Woe, Is Me. This is quite a diss to their former band, taking a song that carries their name and using it against them. This is somewhat strange however because they were the two vocalists in that song as well, and even thought they try to put Woe, Is Me down with it, they almost bash themselves in the process.

This is where Carter comes in with his high, melodic vocals. With the lyric “I can’t wait to say whatever… and get on with my life”, He belts out to Woe, Is Me that he has grown tired of being controlled by them. With their new band Issues, they can talk about the things they want to talk about, and are free to speak their minds. Carter and Bohn feel refreshed now that they can start over and do what they want.

Bohn then starts to put the hurt on with the next lyrics. “I’ve heard from your stricken with fear, desperate for press on your pathetic career.” This is where he points out that since he and Tyler left, Woe, Is Me is losing the fame that was brought because of the two vocalists. “Can’t get out of debt since your sales took a dive…” They are now struggling to stay afloat and produce a good record that is well received by fans. While the new Issues EP had generated a lot of hype because of the household names of Michael Bohn and Tyler Carter, Woe, Is Me lost a huge chunk of their fan base. This was because there were many people that came over with Tyler and Michael when they left Woe, Is Me. On top of this, Woe, Is Me has two new vocalists who were relatively unknown to the rock and roll world, which didn’t exactly help with their success.

            It is at this time that the tempo of the song calms down from its heavy guitars and screaming into a calm and simple R&B beat. “You think you’re buying your way to the top with all that bull s*** that you sell.” This is where Tyler states that the members of Woe, Is Me have been struggling so badly that they have even gone as low as to bash Tyler and Michael simply because of their differences musically (Tyler Carter had gone solo to do R&B music for himself shortly after he left the band.) Tyler makes the statement that Woe, Is Me is now fiercely trying to one-up Issues and will go as far as to deceive fans about the true reasons why they separated from one another. “God’s not naïve like those fans you deceive.” Carter finishes with the fact that he doesn’t judge them, but that God does.

            

           The feud between Issues and Woe, Is Me is still on today, but Issues has tried to steer away from bashing them and try to focus on their own future. They only needed their first song to put themselves out there and show where they stand in this issue. Issues other songs talk about other real life problems, such as a father abandoning his wife and children, relationships with others, and misunderstood kids. Tyler Carter and Michael Bohn have branched out and shown their true musicality more through Issues than they had through Woe, Is Me. They created this band because they wanted to talk about things that would apply more to fans, having explained through multiple interviews that they do what they do because they want to make a difference in someone’s life. Because they have witnessed first hand for so many years how music has an effect on people, they believe the best way to influence someone is indeed through music.

 You can listen to the official lyric video for "King of Amarillo" here:

Where Will Amazing Happen This Year?

For professional players of the National Basketball Association, the greatest achievement is to play in an NBA Finals game. Reaching this goal means you are one of the best of the best. You have fought through round after round of other teams to make it to the ending point. After battling injuries through a grueling 82 games in the regular season as well as an average of 20 hard fought playoff games, the only thing standing between you and the glory of being the top team in the nation is the other team right across from you trying to do the same thing. It is you vs. them, and the winner is given “championship rings” as a symbol of the victory.

            When it comes to that time of year for the NBA finals to be played, there are a number of ads that circulate throughout magazines and television, which makes people more excited to watch the games. There was one such ad in an ESPN magazine that stood out to me. The ad was one that shows the progression of the game of basketball from where it began to where it is now, starting from the early 1960’s of basketball and going all the way to the modern age of stars like Kevin Garnett and Lebron James. 

The Progression of Basketball

            When you first even glance at the ad, you immediately see a darkened court, and if you look closely you can see in the background are the thousands of fans in the stands cheering the players on. You also notice the flashes of cameras to get every action on the court as possible. Starting from the top of the three point line on the court is an image of what looks like a player from the early days of basketball. He is dribbling the ball towards the hoop. As you look at the ad, you see there are about six or seven different players on the court, all of them dribbling towards the hoop. But the funny thing is that all of these players come from different eras of the game of basketball. As you get closer to the hoop, the players get more modern and recognizable. This type of ad shows that ever since the very creation of the game, people have had one goal in mind: reach the NBA finals and win to show the nation that you are the best team in the land.

            For those that follow the NBA, they may recognize that almost every era of basketball is represented in the ad, with players like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Shaquille O’Neal among others in the ad. Some things that stood out in the ad was how perfectly in a row all the players represented are. They are also all doing something different, weather it be dribbling, running, shooting, or dunking. All are in the motion of going to the basketball hoop, but some are at a different peak in their jump, or at a different area on the court. The closer to the hoop, the closer that player is to making his shot.

            In the early days of basketball, short shorts were common to every one. But as time progressed, basketball shorts became longer and longer down the players legs. This was a style change that caught on in the later years of basketball, around the 1980’s. You see in the ad that the first few players are wearing very short shorts. As you get to Michael Jordan, you see that his shorts are longer, because it was a little before his time that longer shorts became a popular trend among basketball athletes.

Another thing that I noticed about the ad was how the basketball court was darkened with only a single light shining on the players. Normally when a basketball game is played, it would make sense that the court would be lit with more than just one spotlight shining near the hoop. Why is that? Well for the creators of the ad, I believe they obviously wanted to give the focus mainly to the players and to not have them lost in the ad. If the lighting was like a normal basketball game, the players would almost fade into the crowd and it would be harder to distinguish which player he is. Another reason for the lighting is to put the players on center stage, as if the whole world was watching, which is really what happens. To put you in the mood, the ad creators make it seem like each player is going for the game winning shot, to win the NBA finals and be crowned the champions of the nation. 

Comparisons between former players like
Michael Jordan (left) are made to current players like
 Lebron James (Right)

One final thing that stood out to me about the ad was the actual players themselves. If you look closely, you will see a common trend as to which of the 30 teams are represented. You notice that out of the seven players represented, five of them are in Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics jerseys. Why did the ad favor these teams so much? If you know much about basketball history, you may know that the Lakers and Celtics are bitter rivals, having played many NBA finals games against each other. The majority of early Finals games have been played by theses two teams, so it is only fitting to show who has been dominating the NBA for so long.

Even with most of the players in the ad wearing Boston or Los Angeles jerseys, the ad wouldn’t be complete without the greatest player to ever play the game: Michael Jordan. Jordan’s face and stance in the ad is especially intriguing because he is in his well known, legs spread, feet out, mouth open dunk attempt. This dunk stance is his signature, and its even the logo on his Nike shoe brand “Jordan”.

The words across the ad read: “Where will amazing happen this year?” Amazing things happen in the finals. Teams come back to win, teams lose in disappointing fashion, or it will go down to one shot in the last game 7 with everyone in the country sitting at the edge of their seats. The ad’s statement can excite anyone even with its five words. The words give somewhat of a mystery as to what actually might happen this year. Not only that, but it also give some hope to fans of all the teams in the league that their team might actually have a shot at getting to the finals, even if their team is very bad. Every year is different in the NBA, and every team has a shot at making it to the big game.

            The overall point of the ad is to get fans excited for the biggest game of the year for basketball. It shows the importance of the finals for each era of the game, and the different players who defined those eras. The NBA wants people to be drawn to the game to not only increase television ratings, but to continue on the tradition that basketball has carried on since the beginning of the 20^th century.
                                Watch An amazing video featuring old and new players