popwreckoning

Rock Chalk Jayhawk! Kansas pride was running high at the Beaumont Club Sunday and it isn’t even the season for college sports. The occasion? A Panic! at the Disco concert.

The Kansas City club was packed with a surprisingly diverse group of crowd – yes, the expected screaming tween girls were there with their parents, but so were some young adults and many guys.

California’s Funeral Party opened the night with their brand of punk dance rock. Their songs are very anthem-structured. It’s easy to sing/cheer along and get revved up, especially on a tune such as “Finale.” Funeral Party has been getting some radio play in Kansas City and that seemed to help increase the amount of people singing along. The five band members seemed a little crammed on the stage with their many synths and guitars and the covered instruments of the bands to come. However, the cramped space didn’t stop singer Chad Elliott from bouncing around and dancing across any inch of stage left uncovered by equipment. These guys were a great warm-up for what was to come.

The next act up was the upbeat indie pop of New York’s fun – seriously – I’ve seen them perform in the form as a trio to the now six-piece. Fun. is a hodgepodge of some very talented musicians that you might recognize from their work with other bands. For example, in the trio that makes up the official members of fun., you might recognize the distinctive vocals of Nate Ruess from The Format, multi-instrumentalist Andrew Dost from Anthallo and guitarist Jack Antonoff from Steel Train. The touring members have an equally impressive history; drummer Will Noon‘s from Straylight Run. Finally, if you flash back to this post’s opening “Rock Chalk Jayhawk” cheer – I have to give a major shout out to Nate Harold. Harold was rocking a KU basketball jersey – but this wasn’t one of those gimmicks where the artist dons local paraphernalia just for the city’s show and then ditches it. Harold really does have ties to KU and KU’s home in Lawrence. Harold is a Lawrence musician. His music resume includes several Lawrence bands such as Buffalo Saints, Kelpie, Koufax and Big Surrender. He’s lent his talents to Get Up Kids‘ live shows and Hidden Pictures‘ latest album. As if that slew of Kansas bands wasn’t enough, he’s also known for his work with Waking Ashland. So it’s pretty exciting to this bassist on this national tour. Of course, Kansas City, is mostly in Missouri, so there are plenty of Mizzou fans that weren’t exactly the most thrilled with a KU shout out in the middle of the set. To keep things light-hearted, singer Ruess said he’d represent Missouri for that night. ‘Light-hearted’ is exactly how you could describe fun.’s music. Serious musicians with a light-hearted sound. Even when a song whose title and primary line is, “At least I’m not as sad as I used to be,” would give you pause to state aloud, when singing it there’s no doubt: you’re happy. There’s no way you could be sad listening to the bubbly piano-chords and singing “oh oh ooohs” on various fun. tunes. Lastly, I don’t want to end without mentioning how much I love the addition of Emily Moore on backing vocals and keys. She really adds a nice depth to the already flawless vocals of Ruess with her harmonies.

Now on to Panic! at the Disco – a band worth of having an exclamation in their name.

If you had asked me what I thought of the band when I first saw them perform in 2005 – ‘green,’ ‘pitchy,’ ‘eh’ would have been my reaction. They were excited, but not quite familiar with their instruments. They seemed a little nervous back then. By 2007 – I would have called them ‘too showy.’ It seemed like they were overcompensating with elaborate sets – at times it was impossible to even find the guys playing instruments amidst all the other skits happening on stage.

With this tour, they seem to have found that sweet spot between not overcompensating with an overdone stage set up and instead finding that confidence in their own talents as musicians. Don’t sweat if you liked a fancy stage piece – they still have a cool backdrop for this tour which was like Phantom of the Opera meets steampunk – (Phantom! of the Disco?). Eerie green lights highlighted organ pipes mountaining up from around the drum set. Fog billowed out from the pipes as our synth-organ-maestro Brendon Urie pounded out riffs on piano and guitar while the other original P!ATD member Spencer Smith dropped the beats that provided the backbone to the group’s many dance numbers.

Of course, as tickled as I was to see Brendon Urie display his ability to play multiple instruments (anyone remember back in ’05 when we weren’t even sure if he can play an instrument?), the real reason he makes the girls swoon is his voice. As I mentioned before, in ’05 I would have written Urie off – I found him unbelievably pitchy, but he really has been practicing training and now I see the charm of his vocals – a charm that really helps deliver songs such as  the hugeness of opening number “Ready to Go,” the subtle mood of “Lying Is the Most Fun” and the sweetness of “Always.” I love seeing a musician willing to work at their trade to improve – this is a job after all – so I really applaud Urie on how much he’s improved. I knew he had showmanship, but this tour really helps show that he also has musicianship. My only critique now is that when he can overuse vibrato, especially if a vocal is just a hair past his comfort level, but really his overall improvement makes that critique seem nitpicky.

Of course, Urie isn’t the only one who has done wonders impressing me over the years – drummer Spencer Smith – hot damn! I think because of that previously mentioned overdone stage set up a few years ago, the one that had Smith placed up on a platform 30 feet above the rest of the band – I had no idea how good this guy was. You couldn’t see him and you forgot to really listen to him in the melee of the theatrics. I’m so glad that they’ve taken him out of the shadows and placed him in better view because he should never go overlooked again. He packed some wicked syncopations into some of those numbers.

Now, for anyone who has been following P!ATD’s history, you’ll know that the band lost two of its members prior to this tour and their album. Joining Urie and Smith for the live performance were Ian Crawford (ex-The Cab) and Dallon Weekes. These guys did a great job keeping the sound full and complete, but I have to wonder if the line-up change was the reason for so few songs off of Pretty. Odd. It was expected that the band would play mostly off the latest release, but it did seem like Pretty. Odd was being neglected until toward the end of the set when they worked in two numbers. Of course, this is more of an observation – the fans still loved every minute of the set regardless.

Fun. wasn’t the only band that gave Kansas a big homage during their performance. P!ATD gave a special tribute of their own. When P!ATD returned for an encore, they treated everyone to a cover from rock group Kansas. It was a tight cover and you could see that many of the older crowd there really perked up with this addition. All these Kansas tributes made for a truly special night (but of course, you have to neglect that we were in Kansas City, Missouri).

P!ATD Set List:
Ready to Go
But It’s Better
Mona Lisa
Lying
Trade Mistakes
Camisado
Hurricane
Only Difference
Kill Tonight
Always
Nine
Things Have Changed
New Perspective
Calendar
Sins
//
Carry On (Kansas cover)
Nearly Witches

Indie-pop quartet Funeral Party will be opening for Panic! At the Disco along with fun. at the Beaumont Club in Kansas City this Sunday,  June 12^th. Their debut album, The Golden Age of Knowhere (released March 29^th), was produced by Lars Stalfors (Matt & Kim, The Mars Volta) and mixed by Dave Sardy (Band of Horses, LCD Soundsystem, Oasis). They’ve already performed on David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel, and have supported the likes of The Faint, Cut Copy, The Mars Volta, and Crystal Castles.

Amongst the insane amount of momentum they are gaining globally, Funeral Party is an Alternative Press Band to Watch for 2011 and they performed several sets at SXSW last March in Austin. With all of this press, they are definitely a band to see sooner, rather than later!

So how would you like two tickets to go see Funeral Party and fun. supporting Panic! At the Disco at the Beaumont Club in Kansas City on June 12^th? Leave a comment below by 12pm on Friday, June 10^th telling us the name of your favorite Funeral Party song and why. The comment that stands out to the Editors the most, wins.

Please remember to include a working email address so we might contact you about picking up your tickets.

California band Funeral Party have been chosen as the next artist to watch by VEVO, the world’s leading all-premium music and entertainment platform, and will be featured on their emerging artist platform, LIFT.

Kicking off June 9 and for the next eight weeks, the world will have the chance to get to know Funeral Party through exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, video premieres and intimate live concerts.THE LIFT gives fans the opportunity to get to know new artists like Funeral Party through social media interaction, including a new Facebook application. Using the app, fans can be a part of the Funeral Party team and directly help spread the word on their music. Access Funeral Party on VEVO at www.vevo.com/lift.

Funeral Party recently wrapped up a string of tour dates with Deftones, and are currently on tour with Panic! at the Disco and fun. Be sure to catch them at The Beaumont in Kansas City this Sunday, 6/12.

www.funeralpartymusic.com

Gearing up for a summer tour in support of their new album Hell Is What You Make It on July 12, Breathe Carolina is ready to showcase some fun dance-floor anthems.

The Rockstar Presents The Scream It Like You Mean It Tour will kick off on July 15 in Seattle, WA at El Corazon, heading across North America and finishing with a homecoming show for the band in Denver, CO. Direct support comes from Chiodos, as well as I See Stars, The Color Morale, Tek-One, and The Air I Breathe.

The band’s new album was recorded with producers Ian Kirkpatrick (Plain White T’s, Neon Trees) and Matt Squire (Panic At The Disco, 3OH!3, All Time Low) and is featured as one of Alternative Press’ 100 Most Anticipated Albums of 2011.

Visit their site here to listen to a clip of “Wooly” from the new album.

And check out their official website www.HellIsWhatYouMakeIt.com for a complete list of tour dates that trek all across the U.S.

Along with their exclamation point, Panic! at the Disco is back with their third album. A lot has changed in the P!ATD camp aside from their usage of punctuation. When the promising young group exploded in 2005 with their debut A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, they were a four piece and the primary lyrical songwriters were Ryan Ross and Brendon Urie. The debut album was ambitious – elaborate instrumental arrangements with lyrics borrowing from traumatic events and literary works. For their sophomore release, Pretty. Odd., the guys went a completely different direction and the vaudevillian sound was traded for a more folk rock pop sound popularized by the Beatles. Now, for their third release, P!ATD have returned to those vaudevillian roots and elaborate arrangements for Vices & Virtues. Though the genre makes it familiar, in many ways, this is a whole new band. Half of the band – singer/guitarist Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker split from the group after the sophomore release. P!ATD continued on as just Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith for the resulting Vices & Virtues.

Knowing that history helps put some qualities of this album in perspective. Urie was the primary creative force behind the circus/vaudevillian/burlesque sound of Fever, so it makes sense that this album returns to that. It also makes sense because the elaborate arrangements with synths and strings help bury that the writing for bass and guitar lines are light throughout this record. It also explains why the drums are bigger than they ever have been on a P!ATD record – and boy, does Smith shine. Lyrically, this record has its ups and downs – that’s partly why this record would best be called a grower. They have changed and as they try to find their footing as a two-piece, some of the songs can be a little sloppy. The tight arrangements and subtle lyrics can get lost, but this is still a very catchy piece of work and simply fun.

“The Ballad of Mona Lisa” begins “Vices & Virtues,” and just as art critics and fans question what the da Vinci painting’s subject is hiding behind her smile, these lyrics beg, “Say what you mean, Mona Lisa.” It has a big chorus and those previously mentioned big drums. The piece also follows a popular P!ATD structure: a quiet bridge with mysterious piano enters around the 2.20 mark before they finish out big with a giant chorus. A singalong bit of “oh-oh-oh-oh” pretty much guarantees this will be a standout live – and judging by the Youtube videos from the bands early debut of this song support that.

The chance to singalong to an “oh oh oh” bit continues into “Let’s Kill Tonight.” A tune that almost sounds video game inspired – at time it has the building frenzy of “Tetris” and the dark mystery of the “Mario Dungeon” music. This song gives the first taste of the primary problem with this record – at times there are too many effects and the song loses direction and falls to chaos. That struggle to find a balance in the arrangement causes later pieces such as “Trade Mistakes” to just be chaotic messes. Not only are the lyrics sloppy, but the genres and influences on “Trade Mistakes” are all over the place. A string arrangement appears out of nowhere and adds nothing. At another moment, the piece almost turns into a salsa number. Then again, the chaos finds itself on “Sarah Smiles,” which goes from polka-like to rock and has just a metallic sound from the overuse of effects that puts listeners at a distance.

Fortunately, this album has several stand out tracks that make out for the messiness dribble of “Trade Mistakes” and the disenchanting “Sarah Smiles.” “Hurricane” is a track not to miss. The dynamics on this and the progression make for a catching and interesting number. “Hurricane” begins with a little bit of incidental music that sounds like leftover bits from “Let’s Kill Tonight” turned into a ringtone. Once that is away, you have a big anthem of a number. “Oh, kiss me,” Urie whispers – sure to have his female fans squealing at live shows. Then the chorus hits as big cheer, “Hey, hey, we are a hurricane. Drop our anchors in a storm.” The music is swirling – just like a hurricane and Smith’s part on the drums are impressive. He has this great rhythm he’s rolling out by getting a clacking sound from hitting the side of the drum. This song even has a killer bass line – which is something that isn’t really noticeable on other songs. Then you have to love the line that closes at the song, “You’ll dance to anything.” There’s so many possible innuendos to that and it makes the piece all that more fun. Around four minutes, the piece morphs again into a piano/brassy musical bridge. This is almost an inbetween and incidental musical bit, that it’s hard to even think of it as part of “Hurricane.” It calms down the storm of a song before entering the more reflective, slow number “Memories” – a love song gone sour that’s a lot like the plot to the film “Blue Valentine.”

The other song to be sure to catch out is “Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Head).” Just like some earlier songs on the album, there’s some great singalong “oh oh oh” moments. There’s also some beautiful string arrangements on this piece that seem more purposeful than the strings on some other tunes. It’s upbeat and motivating – it would probably do well on a workout mix. It will also probably do well in the live shows, but that’s assuming Urie can pull of the vocals. There are quite a few range leaps and bends. It would be easy to fall off pitch live, but it’d be all that more amazing when those notes are hit correctly. This again utilizes that ever popular effect of a quiet bridge that has a string tremolo buildup before a big final chorus. These guys sure now how to put that effect to good use.

Another song that’s really going to put Urie’s vocals to the test? “Always.” This acoustic ballad is the most stripped down on the album and puts Urie singing in a minor key against an acoustic guitar. The lyrics are metaphor and fairly cheesy: “I’m a fly that’s trapped in a web, but I’m thinking that my spider’s dead.” Uhh, seriously? This would almost be labeled a skipper if it wasn’t for the vocal challenge that Urie’s putting himself through and another impressive drum arrangement from Smith. There’s some beautiful clicks and bass drum accentuating this song.

The guys pick up the pace with the catchy chorus of “The Calendar,” but almost kill the momentum with “Sarah Smiles.” The album ends with an out-of-their-norm song, “Nearly Witches.” This song acts like its in a classroom with a school choir recording a burlesque radio drama with lots of crazy effects. “It’s never silent,” says Urie before one of the biggest fortes on the record. This is an interesting number that really grows on you after a few plays – partly because you find something new with each listen.

Vices and Virtues still has the Panic! At the Disco characteristic stamps, but it also does a lot of new things. The guys have been through some tribulations, but aside from a few missteps (“Trade Mistakes” and “Sarah Smiles”), they seem to have come out of their trials strong. They really found their footing with their big anthems (“Hurricane,” “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” and “Ready to Go”), so it will be even more exciting to see what their future brings.

Vices and Virtues is in stores now. Find more from Panic! at the Disco here.

Track Listing:
1. The Ballad of Mona Lisa
2. Let’s Kill Tonight
3. Hurricane
4. Memories
5. Trade Mistakes
6. Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Head)
7. Always
8. The Calendar
9. Sarah Smiles
10. Nearly Witches

Saturday at SXSW was a day of great excitement mixed with a little sadness. This was the final day of the festival, which meant there some big heavyweights to look forward to, but this was also it. When the music stops on this day, it’s time to go back to reality.

I had big plans for Saturday, and sorry folks, but they didn’t include Kanye. I didn’t really care to trek all the way out to that venue just to gain street ‘cred.’ Saturday I was anticipating seeing Community’s Donald Glover rap, Panic! at the Disco‘s return with just two of the original members and of course, some of my favorite local bands.

I began my day on a very sunny rooftop (hello, sunburn) to interview some of the fantastic artists on Big Picture Media‘s roster. PopWreckoning talked to bands such as LoveBettie, Death on Two Wheels and more. We even talked to a representative from To Write Love on Her Arms. You will find those interviews posted on PopWreckoning in the come days.

After grabbing some much needed coffee after the interviews, I decided to check out the PureVolume House. I hadn’t been yet this year and was feeling guilty for already missing out on so much of their amazing lineup. PureVolume throws one of the best parties at the fest. After grabbing some free pop chips and and a drink, I found a nice spot to watch James Vincent McMurrow. I had heard the name, but had yet to actually hear any of the music. The vocals were amazing – just beautiful. The gentle folk tunes performed a nice backdrop for this guy’s standout voice.

Home Video followed with some fun pop rock songs, but I had to head out after just a song because I had a long walk to catch one of my favorite formerly-local bands.

I hope these guys know how much I love them, because it was quite a trek across the interstate to find the tiny park that the Noise FM were about to play in. My poor feet! This Chicago trio (formerly of Lawrence, Kan.) delivers fun indie dance rock songs. Singer/guitarist Alex Ward‘s voice was a little scratchy from the jam-packed week of performances, but it was still fun and his sore throat didn’t stop his good humor – there were plenty of jokes to be had about the Pabst sponsorship.

From there it was back to the main stretch of the fest to catch the ever-so-wonderful Chop Shop/Atlantic Records Showcase. (PopWreckoning has interviews to come from that showcase as well, so keep an eye out). Scars on 45 had just started when I made my way in. The six-piece British band quickly had me hooked with their catchy indie pop tunes with passionate lyrics.

After Scars on 45, I caught another performance from Kansas City’s very own the Republic Tigers. I had already caught them at SXSW at the Central Presbyterian Church, which was an ok performance, but the guys seemed a lot more together for this one. It was a huge improvement and especially showed on their newer songs, which were a lot more engaging this time around. Perhaps all they needed was that extra rehearsal, but boy, what a difference it made. “Merrymake It With Me” especially stands out from the new material and really gets you dancing.

My final Chop Shop/Atlantic performance was the rock/punk act the Joy Formidable. Frontwoman Ritzy Bryan was mesmerizing to watch as she executed some beautiful dynamic control. The petite woman has some power to her pipes.

A brief phone charge and a giant water later, I found myself in line in front of Red 7. A group of us were eagerly anticipating seeing one of our favorite NBC comedy stars: Donald Glover. But instead of performing comedy, we’d get to see him rap. Unfortunately there seemed to be some confusion about what line we were supposed to be in. Our line had merged with a line for the Beauty Bar’s “secret show.” The secret act? Death from Above 1979. It was very tempting to stay in the line I had accidentally ended up in for Death from Above 1979. Very. But I was excited about Glover and there were like 20 other acts I wanted to still see that night. If I went to DFA, I’d be committing myself to only seeing them after a long wait. I tweeted what I was considering, but settled on finding the correct line for Glover.

Some running around with a group of Glover fans and we finally found where we were supposed to be for Glover’s performance as Childish Gambino. By some crazy luck, once inside the venue, I found myself standing right next to Glover’s “Community” co-star: Danny Pudi. Nicest and most genuine guy ever. He talked to everyone around him, answered tons of questions and took photos with a people with a very authentic smile. It was great to see him there supporting his best friend, not only on television, but in real life as well. When it came time for Childish Gambino to start, Glover began with, “Alright. Where’s my boy, Danny? Let’s get a light on Danny.” A spotlight found where Pudi was standing and everyone cheered. With a big grin, Glover finally set into his first rap.

Glover’s rapping isn’t quite as smooth as his acting, but he has a lot of potential. His lyrics are hilarious and filled with pop culture refrences. Some roughness to his voice and occassional rushing of the lyrics against the music where his primary flaws, but those are things that I have no doubt he can work out with more practice and chances on stage. This was, after all, one of his first live performances as Childish Gambino.

From Childish Gambino, I found myself at Stubbs. I had no idea who was about to perform, but there was a group of guys very, very excited in the front row. I asked them the band about to play. “Tres Mountains!” they excitedly responded. They looked a bit aghast when my face still didn’t register any sign of recognition. “Pearl Jam‘s guitarist!” They finally cheered together. I admit, the music was not my type of thing. The guitar solos were pretty amazing, so I get the excitement there, but as a whole, the songs really blended after awhile: none really stood out.

In complete contrast to Tres Mountains, the band that followed blew me away. Awolnation came out and the way the audience responded, you would have thought that this was some sort of legendary act that had been around for years – not some band that just got their first single on the radio just a few months prior. Perhaps some of the excitement was carryover for singer Aaron Bruno, who started Awolnation as a solo project after his other band, Under the Influence of Giants, went on hiatus. Awolnation is atmospheric indie rock – there’s almost a spacey quality to it, but it is also very heavy, and thusly, grounded. It isn’t what I’d usually call danceable, but there’s an element of dance to it at times. It’s a big blend of a bunch of different genres and these guys pull it off well.

Bruno is very charismatic on stage. A stretch of his arms produces a wild cheer from the crowd. A reach out of the microphone gets a huge chorus response. Bruno was also the first musician that I heard bring up the tragedy of the earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan. He not only voiced his concern and support of the country, but he also wrote it on his arm.

The band I was most eager for at Stubbs was Panic! at the Disco. I know that I lose hipster points for liking such mainstream music, but I can’t help it; they’re fun. This performance was a of particular interest to me because not only were they debuting several new songs, but it was also one of their first performances since the band was reduced to just two of the original members: singer/pianist Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith. Two friends filled in on the bass and guitar parts vacated by the former bandmates.

This was a ridiculously fun set. We laughed, sang and danced. Urie has one of the most animated faces that I’ve ever seen in music. Even when he flubbed some lyrics on a new song and had to peek at a cheat sheet, it was still a fun moment. I also really enjoyed when he squeezed in “super moon,” into of his lyrics: “your eyes are the size of the super moon.” This band has come a long ways from when I first saw them six years ago and brushed them off as Fall Out Boy ripoffs. I stand corrected for my younger self’s comment.

To end out my night, I decided I would hole up at the PureVolume House. They had a great lineup planned to close out the evening. One of my favorite violinists, Owen Pallett was finishing tuning when I arrived. I found some friends at the venue and found a spot to watch Pallett. They had never even heard of him and were a bit wary of a guy with a violin, doubting he could really rock out. Their jaws dropped once he began playing. Pallett is a one-man show, but he creates his full sound by engaging in loops. He plays out a line on the violin and records it. Then plays it back as he plays or sings something new. It’s fun to watch him build songs on stage. His music is sweet and breathtaking. For those unfamiliar, you might recognize his signature sound on some early Arcade Fire work. He used to heavily involved with their string arrangements and he even wrote one of his songs about the love story of Will and Regine from that band.

I had already caught a Cults set during SXSW, but they continued to impress with their mysterious lyrics and lo-fi indie rock.

It was getting late and I was ready to grab some Z’s before having to drive back home the next day. However, I was determined to make SXSW go out with a bang, so I planned on sticking around for PureVolume’s final band of the night: Das Racist. Some DJ kept the crowd awake and moving, but what should have been a fifteen minute started to turn into over an hour. Finally, the duo in Das Rascist jumped up on the stage. After all the anticipation, this was my biggest flop of SXSW. These guys were so drunk that they were barely together and coherent. It was a complete mess. Some drunk kids up front still seemed to enjoy it, but after waiting for as long as I did for the shit show, I quickly left after two songs. This was not worth it, but at least I saw plenty of other amazing acts to make up for it.

My phone had died ages ago, shortly after my last tweet about possibly seeing Death From Above 1979. So I was surprised when I had tons of missed calls, missed texts and missed tweets about what happened to me. True, I hadn’t meant to be out past four – dumb Das Racist’s fault – but the amount of worry about my whereabouts seemed a bit much. Turns out the Death from Above 1979 set turned into a riot and police had to come pepper spray and taser some of the crowd. People thought I might have been a part of that because of my last tweet. Eeks. Maybe I ended out my night the right way after all. Regardless, this was a very memorable experience and I look forward to seeing what future years at SXSW bring.
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Check back for interviews from SXSW. You can see more from PopWreckoning’s Bethany and her experience at SXSW at the following links: Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3. Check out more photos from Saturday, March 19 below:

Panic! at the Disco has announced a North America tour in support of their upcoming album, Vices and Virtues.

The tour begins May 22 in boston and continues through June. Foxy Shazam joins for the first half of the tour and Funeral Party joins for the latter half.

Panic! at the Disco will also be performing this week at SXSW in Austin at Stubb’s.

Vices and Virtues arrives in stores March 22. It is the band’s first release in three years and their debut as a duo comprised of singer/multi-instrumentalist Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith.

You can stream Vices and Virtues now on Facebook.

Tour Dates:
5/22 – 6/7 w/Special Guests fun. & Foxy Shazam
6/9 – 6/29 w/Special Guests fun. & Funeral Party
MARCH
19 Austin, TX SXSW – Stubb’s Bar-B-Q
MAY
20 Philadelphia, PA Radio 104.5’s 4th Birthday Show
22 Boston, MA House of Blues
24 New York, NY Terminal 5
25 Hartford, CT Webster Theatre
27 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
29 Pompano Beach, FL Pompano Beach Amphitheatre
31 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore
JUNE
2 Norfolk, VA Norva Theater
3 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
4 Detroit, MI The Fillmore
5 Toronto, ON Sound Academy
7 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
9 Columbus, OH LC Pavilion
10 Milwaukee, WI Egyptian Room @ Murat Center
11 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
12 Kansas City, MO Beaumont Club
14 Dallas, TX Palladium Ballroom
15 Houston, TX House of Blues
17 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre
18 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
19 San Diego, CA House of Blues
21 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
22 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
24 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
25 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre
26 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
28 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
29 Omaha, NE Sokol Auditorium

There were bits of Panic! at Butch Walker‘s recently when superfan Brendon Urie spent the day at Walker’s after buying the $25,000 pre-sale for his new album. Turns out Butch (or should we say Butcher?) really does like it better when you have no heart.

Watch the “American Psycho” inspired video then pre-order I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart. Buying anything but the $25,000 pre-order is a safe bet.