Emo not dead...Yet.

Although many say the Emo/Pop-Punk scene is dying, the House of Blues hosted a sold-out show last night featuring Hawthorne Heights, From First To Last, Secondhand Serenade, Brighten, and Powerspace. I think anyone there last night would have something to say about Pop-Punk's rumored death rattle; This music is not dead yet, and from the look of the crowd last night, it's still kicking your ass.

The show started out lukewarm with a band from Illinois. Powerspace opened with their rock looks and pop sound. They sounded clean, but the vocalist needed to iron out his performance a bit. He had a ton of flat notes, and it was a little jarring to sit through.

Thank God for Brighten. They absolutely shined, setting the tone for the rest of the night. They opened with the sickly-sweet tune "More Vacations." Sounding crisp like the brightest new linen, their lyrics and live presentation evoked feelings not unlike the purest of teen love anthems reminiscent of The Swiss Army Romance era of Dashboard Confessional. This is the kind of sweet sensitivity that I was hoping for last night. Brighten is what good Emo is supposed to sound like. When a band you've never heard makes your heart feel sick, you know it's working.

Secondhand Serenade was a tasty little treat in between Brighten and FFTL. John's crooning voice and heartfelt lyrics left me craving more after his short set. I know there are folks out there that blame him for sounding like a cheap version of early Dashboard, but I don't care. He rocked last night. What he does is genuine and from a real place, whether he chooses to express himself through the very narrow and overdone genre of "guy-with-a-guitar."

The next act was definitely a crowd favorite. From First To Last's metal attitude ripped the pit a new a-hole. Kids were churning like wicked butter during their entire set. They presented the audience with the perfect blend of Emo-angst and frustrated violence. Their sound was definitely different from everything else we had heard already that night, and it was a delicious twenty minutes for everyone.

By the time Hawthorne Heights took the stage, the crowd was more than warmed up. It was a little odd transitioning into their set since they are a much mellower brand of Pop-Punk than From First To Last. But once they got cooking, we were ready for what they had to dish out. Their sound was the tightest of all the bands. You could tell that they were the seasoned professionals of the night.

All in all, this is a great tour to see. All the bands believe in what they are selling, and it seems that the crowd was buying.

"Lip Gloss" Agenda for Teens a Sloppy Mess

Music Video:LIP GLOSS (CLEAN) (by Lil' Mama)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qs3PLop4Jo

The MTV generation has done it again. This time by allowing another mediocre artist to come onto the hip-hop teen scene with yet another song without a message. Oh, wait. There is a message: Lip Gloss is cool.

Li'l Mama is an up and coming hip-hop artist with nothing to say. The song "Lip Gloss" is banging hard in the bedrooms of teens all over America. This scares me. What does this mean? Why is this generation so distracted by such musical junk food? Would it hurt to have MCs that actually have something to say? It's not like there is a lack of material to raise awareness out there. Take your pick: teen violence, drug abuse, the sexualization of our children, slave labor, obesity, or even war (any war will do).

It seems that today's generation has their heads so deeply buried underground that it makes me wonder if they even care. And can we blame them? Look at the role models out there in the current scene. It seems that the pickings are slim. Hip-Hop music geared for teens only deals with limited topics, and none of them are worthwhile. Whether its being " up in 'da club," or your "milkshake" capable of bringing all the boys to the yard, no one is saying anything. The messages they do get are loud and clear: School is unimportant, looks are everything, sex is cool, and drugs are fun.

Where is the TuPac of this generation? The Public Enemy? In the 1990's hip-hop had a strong voice. You could hear the dissent in the lyrics. There are tons of messages that opposed underage sex and addressed the hard topics of government conspiracy and corporate corruption. Now all we hear are groups that encourage consumption and unhealthy lifestyles.

It is time for another Queen Latifah or another Nas. Enough with all this floss and gloss. All they do is smear the horizon, making for an unclear road ahead.