LFA Tour Shirt Review (MSSS Series, Part 3) + BONUS POST

Hi friends! So sorry about this being a day late, I completely forgot about posting it yesterday! To make up for it, I've added on a BONUS POST that might have to do something with Matt T and the Earthquakes, but I'll get to that in a bit...

Today we're looking at the Looking For America '16 Tour shirt as the third installment of the Merch Store Shopping Spree series.

The first thing I want to say about this shirt is how SOFT it is. The material is a bit thin (you can't see though, don't worry) and made of 50% percent polyester, 25% cotton and 25% rayon. Like other Relient K shirts, it features a tear away tag. These little angels are probably the best invention EVER.

The back lists all the tour dates between September and November of 2016 You can still buy these shirts online at relientk.com and they're only $10!

Now, if you're interested more in the bonus post than me rambling on about a shirt, here we go.

About a week ago I remembered how Matt Thiessen opened for a show at City Winery back in December, playing some solo songs. After a quick check from Google and YouTube, I found some (if not all) the songs he played at the show. Here's the list:

1.) DUDE
2.) SPORTS!
3.) MAN OF STONE
4.) MOTHER'S TRIUMPH

I couldn't find any others, so I'm not a hundred percent sure if this is all of them, but still, there's something interesting about this list.

I went to BMI's website, did a little digging (If you don't know, BMI is a company that does music publishing, licensing, etc.), and found a list of all the Matthew Thiessen and the Earthquakes songs that are registered, but the ones he played aren't on the list. He does, however, have 12 songs registered, most of which I've never heard of before. Here's the list:

1.) CALENDAR THE ENERGY
2.) CLOUD OF SMOKE
3.) DUMPED FOR A MODEL
4.) IF I'M DREAMING
5.) IT'S A BROKEN HEART
6.) NOT WITH YOU AND ME
7.) POISON IVY
8.) TAKE IT EASY MATTHEW
9.) TIME STAND STILL
10.) VOLLEYBALL GIRL
11.) WOOL OVER YOUR EYES
12.) WWW BROKENHEART COM

This information is exciting, to say the least. There's enough for a full album here, and seeing as the songs he preformed aren't on BMI's repertoire, that could mean they're pretty new.

If you want to check out the list yourself, you can find it by clicking HERE. I could honestly get lost for hours looking at that website.

And hey, don't forget to check back occasionally, as I will keep you updated about this (and Goodbye Dubai) whenever I learn something new!

Don't blink,
Sahara

Vinyl Unboxing: Air For Free (MSSS Series, Part 1)

Now that all the little added extras to the blog are finally up and don't need my full attention, I can dedicate my time to writing more about the guys, their music, and their merch. Today's post is all about Air For Free on vinyl, and it's the start of a little four part series I'm going to call the "Merch Store Shopping Spree" series.

This is something I've wanted to write about for a long time, and now that I have a record player I can finally do it!

I ordered this vinyl along with some other goodies on December 26th and received my package on December 30. I don't think I've ever been so inpatient in my life.

The 2LP 180 gram white vinyl come packaged in a gatefold jacket along with an insert that features photos of the guys and the Air For Free primary color dots, and a digital download card.

Front and Back

Inside

180 gram 2LP vinyl

Inside Notes

Front and Back of the Insert

The track listing is different than the CD, and is as follows:

Side A:
Local Construction
Bummin'
Marigold
Runnin'

Side B:
Mrs. Hippopotamuses
Cat
Elephant Parade
Man

Side C:
Air For Free
God
Prodigal
Empty House

Side D:
Mountaintop
Sleepin'
Flower
Heartache

Matt Hoopes said a lot of time was spent sequencing the vinyl album. Songs on each side are specifically grouped to give the album a nice flow and allow for quick listening sessions. Personally, this is one of my favorite features of the album. It almost reminds me of how Forget and Not Slow Down goes from one track to another with connecting intros/outros. It all just clicks and works.

As for the tracks that really stood out upon the initial listening, all I really want to talk about Empty House.

Empty House was one of the tracks that really hit me. Hearing any song or album on vinyl is an experience in an of itself, but with a song like Empty House? For me it was like no other. I've heard the song numerous times, and it's one of my favorites, but the first time hearing it on vinyl reduced me to tears. The simple piano track paired with the autotuned vocals just convey this feeling that's like no other. It's a truly moving song, even though I still don't have a clue as to what's sung in half of the first verse.

In the end I just want to say this is an amazing album. Each song is of the highest quality and they all sound spectacular on vinyl. If you haven't listened to it yet, please do! And for those of you who haven't bought the vinyl but want to hear it in the same sequencing as the vinyl, check out Relient K's Spotify playlist here.

Hope you guys have a great New Year's. See you then!

Don't blink,
Sahara

PS: I'm uploading the entries to the Creative Corner tab tomorrow, don't forget to check it out and submit your own edits/art!

Merch Review: Relient K Ohio Sweatshirt

Hey guys! So by now you're probably wondering why I wrote a blog post on a sweatshirt. Let me explain. I'm hesitant to buy things - namely clothing - online, so I figured there had to be others like me and I wanted to help them out. As for the reason I'm hesitant? Quality. One of the absolute worst things is being so excited to get a package in the mail, only to find the quality isn't what you expected. So alas! If you've never bought a piece of Relient K merch before and wanted to know a little bit more before you buy, then this is the blog post for you.

I placed my order for the Relient K Ohio grey sweatshirt (size large) on December 4th, and it arrived four days later, on December 8th. After looking it over I found no stitching or design flaws at all. The shirt is made of 100% preshrunk cotton and the inside is SO soft. Here's a cool pic of me wearing it:

As far as sizing goes, buy the size you normally wear unless you're looking for something that's a bit bigger on you. I normally wear mediums, but I purchased a large and it's very big on me. (At my stop on the tour, I purchased the red Ohio shirt, and it's the same way as far as sizing goes, so I'm guessing that's how all of the sizing runs.)

The guys still have some leftover tour merch on the site, so if you're interested in picking up one of those swaggy shirts, head over to relientk.com. There's also two new beanies and some limited edition Air For Free vinyl bundles that are oh-so-cute!

Until next time,
Sahara