Hi. I'm Katie.

It was the summer of 2007 when I heard that Boys Like Girls would be headlining a tour in the fall with All Time Low, The Audition, and Valencia. I was thrilled. Boys Like Girls would be coming back within 3 months of their Warped Tour appearance. WOOHOO!! And since I like to rock out like a knock out, I had to learn the words to all the songs of the other bands that would be performing. I already knew the words to the songs off of Controversy Loves Company by The Audition... Danny Stevens attended my high school, so I was familiar with his band... which meant that I only had two bands to look into. All Time Low. Valencia*. Cool.

I looked up All Time Low first since they’d be on the Warped Tour and I would be able to see them twice, too! So I hit up their PureVolume site and took a listen to some of the available songs; namely Coffee Shop Soundtrack (which was also a FREE download), Jasey Rae, Break Out! Break Out!, and The Girl’s A Straight-Up Hustler.

Ladies and gentlemen, the music that greeted my ears can only be described by one word: LOVE.

Omaigoshhh. I fell head over heels at the first words out of the singer’s mouth. “Should I write myself out of the history books? And mark a place in time for every chance you took?” It was as though my earbuds were a slot machine and I just hit the jackpot. Sweet, sweet victory. I downloaded Coffee Shop Soundtrack and put it on every playlist and mix-CD I made over the next -->>long-span-of-time-here<<--. That was until I express-delivered Put Up Or Shut Up to my home as fast as mail-manly possible. I could not get enough! I made the All Time Low Fans Group sometime in the midst of my obsession and tried to find as many ATLovers as I could. Who else had been keeping this stellar quartet a secret?!

Alex Gaskarth – Vocals
Jack Barakat – Guitar
Zack Merrick – Bass
Rian Dawson – Drums

aWesoMe... names that I couldn’t forget even if I were concussed by a gorilla and got a terrible case of amnesia. They are engraved in my mind, not only for the talents they have shared with me, but also from the number of times I have tagged them in my pictures or videos here on Buzznet, the number of times I’ve had them sign my now-priceless CD-cases and posters, and, of course, from the number of times I’ve screamed “I LOVE YOU JACK!” at the top of my lungs at a concert like the little fangirl I am.

Oh All Time Low, I am such a fan. But notice that I am not an “original fan” like so many people claim to be. (I’m also not a stalker because I believe in loving the music rather than wanting to marry those who create it.) I didn’t hear The Three Things To Remember When Dealing In The End or The Party Scene until after I had memorized Put Up Or Shut Up and was eagerly awaiting the arrival of So Wrong, It’s Right. I did not see All Time Low in concert before Warped Tour ’07 nor am I their number one friend on Buzznet because I was the first to add them. Fortunately for me what matters is how I love All Time Low and not how long I’ve loved them.

Two years, though, is still a pretty good span of time for listening to this band, considering that is about one-tenth of my existence here on Eee-arth. For those of you who are wondering or who have ever asked, received an answer, and then forgotten, I have seen All Time Low on 5 or 6 different occasions during this wonderful time period... always on their amusingly (or absurdly or ridiculously... you can really pick any adjective) titled tours, such as The Man Whores and Open Sores Tour, The Shortest Tour EVER, The Compromising of Integrity, Morality, and Principles in Exchange For Money Tour, and the like. I have a nice little file on my computer entitled “With The Band” where I have my picture taken with each member on 2 or 3 occasions! I just haven’t uploaded those to Buzznet because I am selfish and keep those gems to myself.

Sigh. It’s a good life. One where I am comforted and kept awake by their up-beat, pop-punk, rock-and-roll music that isn’t overplayed eeeven when the iTunes play count far exceeds Z, where Z=5!*3*ln(7). And right now I am sitting here (yes, here) on my family room sofa soaking in the new tunes... don't worry, I am only streaming the record (Nothing Personal) one time around because I honestly cannot tame my curiosity. I AM UBER EXCITED!

So to you, my friends on Buzznet.com, I must admit that I have been anticipating this album like no other... getting more anxious with each passing day... and now that it is FiNaLlY HERE... I must profess myself one extremely satisfied fan.

There is no denying that it is a new sound for All Time Low. They are maturing as musicians, and with several different producers on this new album it’s hard to keep things the same as they “used” to be. There will always be people who mention that they wish Nothing Personal sounded more like Put Up Or Shut Up and that they love the original The Party Scene record the best of all (and will constantly badger the band for an original copy of the latter CD, when the members don’t even have any for themselves [or so I’ve heard]). But all of this wishing for a different sound and hoping for them to “go back to their roots” isn’t going to create a new record. So why not enjoy the one they’re putting out now?!

Nothing Personal is a solid album. The worry I had built up inside my mind about not-enjoying-their-new-record was put at ease after just one listen to the album on MTV’s The Leak. Weightless. Break Your Little Heart. Damned. Lost In Stereo. Stella (listen to this one with headphones; there are really neat effects between the ears). Sick Little Games. Hello, Brooklyn. Walls. Too Much. Keep The Change, You Filthy Animal. A Party Song. Therapy. HUZZAH!! A full twelve-song album made by All Time Low for All Time Low fans. The same four musicians we have grown so fond of worked their badonkadonks off to get to where they are today and have certainly delivered an album to be proud of with Nothing Personal. It’s a great CD. That’s all there is to it.

Come 07 JULY 2009, I’ll be more than ready to own each and every song. At midnight-oh-one I’ll be staring at my computer just WAITING for iTunes to start downloading Nothing Personal, which I preordered for the B-Side and remix (in addition to the preorders I have coming in the mail from SmartPunk, Glamour Kills, and The Hustler Club for a special edition Jac Vanek bracelet, t-shirt, and autographed copy, respectively).

I. am. psyched. Bring on the tunes.

*I am sorry to say that I have yet to really get into Valencia. I know the words to “Away We Go” and the first minute of “The Space Between”. I was a tad side-tracked. Ooops.

1. Oftentimes I find myself alive and thinking coherently. And then, I just come to realize certain things that make me feel smart... or stupidly sarcastic and witty in ways only I'll ever appreciate.

2. Whenever someone picks up a spherical piece of fruit, it is immediately thrown into the air, either from one hand to the other or in an up-down fashion. This is to prove hand-eye coordination to all of the people watching, where the audience size is usually upwards of zero.

3. People who are fascinated by how much water I drink in one day usually say “Oh that’s so good for you! I should start drinking more water like you.” They never do. People just like to talk because they are disconcerted by silence.

4. I have bought birthday gifts for my friends over the past few years... yet the friendship never seems to be going well when my birthday rolls around and I don’t receive anything in return. Ever. WTF? I blame part of my poorness on having to buy my own birthday presents. And no, I do not feel needy and greedy because I want to be showered with love on my birthday in the form of new material possessions. Every now and then I like a new t-shirt or an iTunes gift card or something made by my little sister. So sue me.

5. Students are more likely to fall asleep in class if the teacher is monotonous. It’s not always because they didn’t get a lot of sleep or have a hard time focusing. I develop my attention level based on (1) my interest in the class, (2) the teacher’s energy and frequency by which the tone of their voice changes, and (3) who I sit next to. And since first is the worst, second is the best, and third is the one with the hairy chest (*takes breath*) I have to (1) try to only pick interesting classes, (2) find the greatest teachers, and (3) sit next to dudes in order to do well in school.

6. Everyone keeps secrets. I don’t think there is a way to have someone who knows everything I’m thinking unless we share a brain... and that would just be weird.

7. If you tell someone their fly is down (i.e. the zipper on their pants is not zipped fully) they think you were staring at their crotch.

8. Air conditioning is the only way I stay alive during the summer.

9. The Friday Night Boys have a great EP, a stellar first record, and so much potential. I had been listening to their stuff for a little while before the concert, but ever since I saw them live I AM OBSESSED! iLike “Suicide Sunday”, “Stuttering”, “Permanent Heartbreak”, and “That’s What She Said” the most. And if I had to pick a ballad, I would choose “Can’t Take That Away”. zomg. It’s a fiery infatuation all around.

10. 95% of the male population will crumple up their paper and shoot (not throw or toss) it into the waste paper bin. 99% of those men will call “Kobe” in honor of the American basketball player Kobe Bryant, and the other 1% of men who call “Bobby” in honor of the American quidditch chaser Robert Green.

11. Most of the people I drive behind start breaking before they turn on their blinker to signal that they are turning and not just mentally deficient. One day I’ll end up giving one of those people a love-tap just because it frustrates the hell out of me.

12. Not enough people watch and appreciate Spongebob Squarepants.

13. I don’t have ADHD (I think). I have PROCRASTINATED (for those of you on the unawares, that stands for Probably Ruining Only Chance Remaining At Success, Thumbing Incessantly, Never Amounting To Enything Disorder... I am co-founder of the movement trying to legalize it as a real disease... we’ll be approved sometime after medical marijuana).

*13 is said to be an unlucky number. That just makes it my favorite.

This is a photo journal for all of my favvvorite pictures I took at last night's show (Let's Make A Mess Tour in Pontiac, MI). Click Here for the full album, with about 160 goodies (condensed down from over 400 I took at the show) :D After I post this, I'm going to bed (I'm dead tired, haven't slept much recently... too much awesomeness!!1!) and I'll do my best to respond to everyone sometime over the next few days. Thanks for all your lovely notes and comments :D ttfn PS. Please comment/buzz the pictures you like too! Thanks :)

Oh oh oh, I almost forgot... I also got some video of 6 Months by Hey Monday, Run Don't Walk by Hey Monday, and My Beautiful Rescue by This Providence. Be sure to checkkk those out in my video gallery :D

I think it's fair to say that the majority of you know that I reeeally really love All Time Low. But what you might not realize is how much I love Boys Like Girls.

So let's take a trip down memory lane and I'll show you the depths of my affection. It was spring of 2006... April the second, to be exact. I went to see a Motion City Soundtrack concert with The Matches, The Format, and Men Women and Children. It was a phenomenal show. And the first rock show I attended without my parents; it was just me, my twin sister Jill, and my older sister Anna. I was 16 (and a half!) years old. I will always remember 02 APRIL 2006 because it was the beginning of my concert obsession.

• waiting in line outside the venue for doors to open
• visiting the merch tables with tip jars saying that a unicorn will die if you don't tip
• squeezing in between complete strangers to get as close to the stage as possible
• holding up the camera and praying to get a good shot
• hanging out with the bands during set changes and after the show
• looking around and seeing everyone rockkk along to every song

I just love concerts. I love to live in the music as it is played before me. Nothing can replace concerts for me.

And so after that show we found a few others to see, but could hardly wait for Motion City Soundtrack or The Format to come back to town. We checked their web pages for any news of upcoming tours or concerts that we'd be able to go and see them at. And then a tour was announced... Tournado on 18 DECEMBER 2006. Lineup? Motion City Soundtrack (YES!). The Format (YES!). The All-American Rejects (WOOHOO!). and Boys Like Girls (who?). Our curiousity was sparked. We looked 'em up and liked the songs they had released so far... and a new album was coming out soon!! How exciting.

So we waited for 22 AUGUST 2006 to come around (3 days before my birthday :). Eventually it did, and we bought it, aaand I listened to that record a trillion times. I could not get enough of it. The Great Escape. Five Minutes to Midnight. Hero/Heroine. On Top of the World. Thunder. Me, You and My Medication. Up Against the Wall. Dance Hall Drug. Learning to Fall. Heels Over Head. Broken Man. Holiday. Songs that I know better than the United States Constitution. 

And so the day of the concert came. And I was one of maybe 10 people in the crowd who had heard of Boys Like Girls, but I sang along to their songs as loud as at least 5 people. I was floored. Their show was awesome. It made me appreciate them even more (bands should be evaluated on not only their studio abilities, but also their live performances... Boys Like Girls passed both with flying colors). Over the next year I saw them in concert:

1. 11 MARCH 2007 with Cartel and Cobra Starship
2. 12 MAY 2007 with Hellogoodbye and The Rocket Summer
3. 27 JULY 2007 on the Warped Tour
4. 09 NOVEMBER 2007 with All Time Low, The Audition, and Valencia

And then my streak ended when they decided to tour with Avril Lavigne.

My love for Boys Like Girls has never faltered. I am a loyal fan through and through. And if truth be told, they are the reason I joined Buzznet.com in the first place... I wanted to enter a contest... I got second place. WOOHOO! I also won an autographed drum-head through one of the Warped Tour contests. Needless to say, I am really happy with how the contests went and how my time on Buzznet has been spent.

So anyway, let's fast forward to today. I wake up and hop onto my computer and low-and-behold... THERE'S A NEW BOYS LIKE GIRLS SONG!! Love Drunk. I flipped not one, not two, not three, not any shits because I don't even know what that means. I screamed, turned the song on, and listened to it a dozen times before realizing I could buy it and turn it on single repeat, rather than replaying it on their myspace page. I have since listened to it at least 50 times (SINGLE REPEEEAT!) and keep finding myself hopping out of my chair to dance along. It's such a great song. Good beat. Entertaining lyrics with a supadupastella melody. And there's a swear word... Martin says "bullshit". Yes.

I have been anticipating a new album for years, and now that one is just around the corner, I hardly know what to do with myself!! I am so excited I don't even know how to contain my energy!!1! So I expel it through dance!! and sing along, of course ;) I highly recommend checking out their new single Love Drunk. I loveLoVeLOVE it! You might not like it, but you'll enjoy the thoughts of me dancing around my family room in my jammies when the chorus kicks in.

This is a featured journal.

I. am. a. cookieholic.

There is no way around the fact that I love cookies... possibly more than anyone in the entire world. I eat tons of fruits and vegetables, but at the end of the day those just don't leave me feeling satisfied. I need to fill my cookie quota. The smell, the texture, the delicious flavor! All such magnificent qualities of the food that I love (and need) the most.

I eat cookies like they're falling off the top of the food pyramid right into my mouth.
I eat cookies like there's a diamond at the bottom of the jar.
I eat cookies like my life depends on it.

OM NOM NOM COOKIES! omgomgomg. And the worst part is that I make some of the most delicious cookies. Whenever I so please, I'll pull out the flour, the sugars, the baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, eggs, butter, and (depending on my mood) chocolate chips or M&Ms. Then I mix it all togteher, eat half of the dough, and make the rest into the most scrumptious cookies my heart desires.

But do you know what really drove home my cookieholicism? I took a facebook quiz the other day to see which LOLcat I am aaand I ended up with this one:

HOW DID THEY KNOW? 
My problem must be really obvious.

So now that I've stated the problem, we'll see what I can do about it...

1. Drink a lot of water and see how long I can go without taking a trip to the toilet.

2. Turn down the brightness on my computer. It saves energy and is way easier on the eyes.

3. Wander around Costco on free sample Friday.

4. Put on a song. Listen to the whole thing. Then write down what song I want to hear next (it just comes to me... like, “Damn. I want to hear ____________________ next.”) and turn it into playlist.

5. Lie on the floor and wait for my puppies to sit on me.

6. Doodle. Or just make something. What? Anything. That’s what’s so great.

7. Find some glow sticks, turn on some Basshunter, and throw myself a European Dance Rave in the middle of my family room.

8. Invest more time in the All Time Low Fans Group. Because I love them.

9. Consider cleaning the basement. Go downstairs to clean the basement. Then decide it’s a lost cause, grab a fudgsicle out of the freezer, and go back upstairs.

10. Stalk my friends on facebook.

11. Get a sunburn and see how quickly I can get rid of it by means of supadupa moisturizing.

12. Work with the lights off and count how many times my Mom asks “Do you want me to turn on the light?”

13. Stare at myself in the mirror Pride and Prejudice style and just think about myself. Everyone deserves a few minutes of vanity here and there.

14. Go to a concert. It’s an indescribable feeling.

15. Poke my stomach fat.

16. Visit the zoo and ponder ways I can take home a red panda. So far, I think it would be easiest with mischievousness, a good distraction from nearby lions, and a backpack.

17. Look through family photos and use the good-old-fashioned VHS player to watch family videos. It’s safe to say that I was an amusing child.

18. Use my imagination to see shapes in the clouds. People who say “there’s nothing there” sound ridiculous... it’s like saying there’s no Santa Claus.

19. Reread the Harry Potter series to prepare myself for the letter that’ll one day come from Hogwarts. It’s never too late to lead a magical life.

20. Put on some spandex shorts and try to do the splits. If my little sister can do it, so can I. Afterall, “you can do anything if you put your mind to it.”

My Last Playlist still gets a regular play every now and then, but I make so many different playlists that it doesn't get the "repeat all" it used to. Here is the current list of songs I've had going recently. I lovelovelove music.

Dance Inside - The All-American Rejects
Come Back To Me - Plain White T's
Stay Over - The Rescues
No Such Thing - John Mayer
Your Guardian Angel - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Burn The Night Away - There For Tomorrow
Ms. Heather and Mr. Grey - Jason Mraz
Welcome To The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
Mr. Brightside - The Killers
Bruised - Jack's Mannequin
About a Girl - The Academy Is...
Run, Don't Walk - Hey Monday
The Party Scene - All Time Low
Waiting - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Drella - Pierce The Veil
When I Grow Up - Mayday Parade
Dont Trust Me - 3OH!3
All I Ever Wanted - Basshunter
All the Above (feat. T-Pain) - Maino

Hey Buzzies :)

After all of the positive feedback I got from my All Time Low Toy Story Contest Entry (http://katiejrod.buzznet.com/user/video/3815341/all-time-low-lifeless-but/?p=4) and Skittles Contest Entry http://www.buzznet.com/groups/skittles/video/69618851/), I was persuaded to start a singing video blog! I was wondering if you could take a look at what I've done so far and let me know what you think.

Thanks so much!! Love, Katie

http://katiejrod.buzznet.com/user/video/4124091/should-tell-him/
Newest video here!

http://katiejrod.buzznet.com/user/video/4049441/shook-myself-broken/?p=2
First VLOG here

http://katiejrod.buzznet.com/user/video/4109311/jasey-rae-revised-katiejrod/
Here's my version of All Time Low's JASEY RAE

http://katiejrod.buzznet.com/user/video/4053321/untitled-1/?p=1
Untitled 1

http://katiejrod.buzznet.com/user/video/4063741/untitled-2/?p=1
Untitled 2

http://katiejrod.buzznet.com/user/video/4074521/untitled-3-version-2/?p=1
Untitled 3

http://katiejrod.buzznet.com/user/video/4120061/untitled-4/
Untitled 4

Currently listening to There for Tomorrow's new album A Little Faster. In stores nowww!

So for the past three days I've been in super-buzznet-mode. I've spent from 2pm-12am on this excellent website mon, tues, and weds. Why? You might be asking... the answer is simple! I haven't updated a whole lot over the past few months! I've been supa-dupa busy with school and rowing and relationships, but now that I am home I have more time for other things. 

On Monday I spent a lot of time editing photos for myself and for the fans. I made a brand new background and header for my favorite group on buzznet, that's right! The All Time Low Fans Group! It was well worth all the time I spent on it. Also on Monday, I played around with the brand new All Time Low photo that was posted to Buzznet that day. I had tonsatonsatonsa fun with that. And in addition to that, I also did more of my buzznet-music-guiding by filtering through some All Time Low tagged media. Woohoo!

On Tuesday I spent a lot of time on my profile picture and accompanying image. I had a really fun time with the mirror and trying out some editing techniques and such with it. I am so pleased with the final products. Also on Tuesday, I made a new video for my singing vlog called Untitled 4. I never can think of what to call them because they're really just thoughts for me.

On Wednesday I spent 3 hours pouring over All Time Low's Buzznet page to find users who have posted comments or dropped notes on some of their stuff over the past few months, copying their usernames into a file, and inviting over 600 people to my All Time Low Fans Group. It took a lot of time and patience, but I love spreading the word about the group. It's so great to have a common place to talk to other fans here on Buzznet. Once I was done with that, I cleaned up the Fans forum and deleted about 25 topics that were dead. Aaand after that I spent the remaining 5-6 hours on my own profile... changing the color scheme to promote the new ATL album, updating pictures for the Insult contest, responding to messages and notes and comments, cleaning up my galleries, etc. 

Now I'm into the wee hours of Thursday and I could not be happier with how things have turned out. It's been a really good couple of days on buzznet and I can now go to sleep feeling happy and fulfilled.

YAYAYAAA BUZZNET!

-katie