Buzz Bake Sale a review

Buzz Bake Sale
By Ben Pawliger
The 16th annual Buzz Bake Sale, sponsored by 103.1 The Buzz, was a day where South Florida Rock fans can really enjoy some live, loud, captivating music. Many Florida rock fans came out to the Cruzan Amphitheater on a warm South Florida December day to watch their favorite bands perform live in front of thousands of fans.
These bands include Seether, Hinder, Everlast, Art of Dying, Middle Class Rut, and Falling in Reverse. Fans of these bands included everyone from teenagers to retirees. All day South Florida rock fans were singing (or shouting in some cases) while jumping with fists high in the air along with their favorite bands on stage. Other fans though, brought lawn chairs and towels and just lied down on the large field facing the stage while their favorite bands performed. Some highlights of the day for the fans other than seeing their favorite bands perform live, was meeting them!
Many bands, once they performed, got to meet their fans, as well as give out autographs to those who wished. The whole day of performances cruised into the night, until Seether rocked the whole place off its feet, ending the venue with fans pleased. “They really rocked the show! It was an amazing performance!”-one Seether fan said after watching them close out the concert. Overall, Buzz Bake Sale was a day for South Florida Rock fans to listen, sing along, and have fun with their favorite musicians!

Jingle Ball 2011 Miami

by Jake Wasserman

As the doors opened at 6:00, South Floridians started entering the stadium to see the Y100 Jingle Ball.  When it was about a half hour until show time, fans were in their seats apprehensive to see the first performance.  At 7:00, the show kicked off with American singer Demi Lovato.  The crowd roared as she stepped onto the stage and sang one of her most popular songs, Skyscraper, which debuted on Billboard 100, a ranking of songs based on Billboard magazine, in the top ten.  She released her third studio album on September 20, 2011, titled Unbroken, which has made her very popular in the recent months.

Next, an American pop music duo appeared towards the back of the stadium, called Karmin.  They performed their unique cover of “Look At Me Now,” which was originally recorded by hip-hop artist Chris Brown.  Nick Noonan played the resounding chords on the keyboard in this song while Amy Heidemann sang the vocals.

Then, Foster the People took the stage and the crowd went nuts.  The pop band is composed of lead singer Mark Foster, drummer Mark Pontius, and bassist Mark Pontius.  They made sure to play their hit song “Pumped Up For Kicks,” which is on their debut album Torches, which was released in May 2011.  This song hit number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

Cody Simpson came on next, appearing in the back with the spotlight on him.  He is only 14 years old, yet he is an up and coming Australian pop singer.  He has a great voice and sings along with his acoustic guitar.

Gym Class Heroes was the next act and they lived up to the expectations.  They came out with their old classic song, “Cupid’s Chokehold,” from their album As Cruel As Children, which they released in 2006.  There is a story behind their group name, as lead singer Travie McCoy and drummer Matt McGinley met and became friends at their high school’s gym class in ninth grade in Geneva, New York.  They came to be in 1997.  Travie McCoy also has a bit of solo career, as he performed his single “Billionaire” which he recorded with Bruno Mars.  They finally played their latest hit song, “Stereo Hearts,” which is off their album The Papercut Chronicles II.  Adam Levine from Maroon 5 helped to record that song, and it hit #4 on the Billboard 100.

Canadian pop singer Avril Lavigne was next to perform.  Bringing back memories for every teenager in the building, she played her song “Sk8er Boi,” which comes from her debut album Let Go which was released in 2002.  While she played her song “Girlfriend,” she was dancing all over the stage ad made the mood very energetic in the building.  The Script, which we had previously interviewed over the phone, was the next act.  They are a band from Ireland.  Our interview about them can be seen here: http://www.sweptawaytv.com/index.php/2011/09/the-script-interview/.  They ended with “For the First Time,” and really got the crowd into it as they sang the chorus in sync with the crowd.

An American band formed in New York City called Cobra Starship came on next in the back of the crowd.  They are composed of lead singer Gabe Saporta, guitar Ryland Blackinton, bassist Alex Suarez, drummer Nate Novarro, and keytarist Victoria Asher.  They made sure to play their hit song “You Make Me Feel…” off their album Night Shades, and Asher got the crowd “La La La”ing with the chorus of the song. ***Ryland and Alex are Boca Raton natives and graduated from Olympic Hts High School.

Next was Kelly Clarkson, an American pop singer who came onto the scene in 2002, when she won American Idol in its debut season.  She has always been well known but she recently has been popular after releasing her fifth studio album Stronger in October of 2011.  She sang “Mr. Know It All,” which is her first single off the album.  In the background on the screen during the song, criticisms of Kelly Clarkson came on in a montage, one of them saying “Kelly Clarkson is fat.”

The highly anticipated LMFAO came on next, with the people of Y100 saying they did all their previous shows to warm up for this one.  The crowd exploded into screams, and LMFAO came out opening with “Sorry for Party Rocking.” They are an electric pop duo consisting of Redfoo and SkyBlu, who is Redfoo’s nephew. LMFAO is known for their dance moves, and when they ended with their hit song “Sexy and I Know It,” they made sure to “shuffle” and “wiggle” the whole time.  The crowd knew the lyrics to all their songs and made sure to sing along and dance.

Known as the world’s best DJ, David Guetta came out next and got a loud cheer from the audience.  He is a French house music producer and DJ, and is popular all across the world, especially in Europe.  He made sure to mention that Miami always played his records back when he was not as popular, while the rest of America played house music from other artists.  He got the crowd dancing and moving with his rhythms and beats off of his fifth studio album, Nothing But the Beat, which came out in August of 2011.  His performance included many unique designs lighting up the screens in the background.  Flo Rida made an unexpected appearance, and performed in David Guetta’s song “Where Them Girls At,” which also features female sensation Nicki Minaj.

Flo Rida loves to interact with the crowd, as he came out on someones shoulders touching the crowd’s hands.  Lastly, known as Mr. 305 as he is from Miami, Pitbull came out in his standard suit, tie, and sunglasses.  The crowd loved him and sang with him in every song.  He made sure to play hits from his latest album, Planet Pit, which was released in June of 2011.  Songs that he sang from this album included “Hey Baby (Drop it to the Floor),” which he produced with T-Pain, and “Give Me Everything,” which features Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer.

The show was then over after Pitbull performed “Hotel Room Service,” which hit #9 on the Billboard 100, and all the fans got what they wanted hearing today’s hit songs live.  Overall, the Y100 Jingle Ball was a spectacular show.

Y100 Jingle Ball Miami

y-100 Jingle Ball 2011 by Ben Pawliger

LMFAO Jingle Ball 2011

December 10, 2011 was the day for Y-100’s annual Jingle Ball concert, a night full of today’s top pop and rock artists performing. Live from the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida performed huge musical stars such as Pitbull, Demi Lovato, the Script, Kelly Clarkson, LMFAO , and more. Thousands of South Florida music fans came out to watch their favorite musicians perform their top songs during this annual holiday festival.

Demi Lovato Jingle Ball 2011

The show opened up with Demi Lovato who came out singing her top songs such as Unbroken, Skyscraper, and My Love is Like a Star.  Following Demi was Brookline Massachusetts’ new band, Karmin on a separate stage. The 2 member band came out singing their remake of Look At Me Now, Firework, and more. Foster the People then came out with extreme enthusiasm singing their top single, Pumped Up Kicks. Foster the People also sang Don’t Stop(Color on The Walls) causing the whole building to sing along with them.

Karmin

Back on the second stage came out the love of every teenage girl’s life, Cody Simpson. With his acoustic guitar, Cody sang along with his fans in the arena, causing thousands of people to sing along with the young Australian. Following Cody was American Pop and Rock Band Gym Class Heroes. With Miami’s own, Travie McCoy, the band sang Top songs such as Stereo Hearts, Billionaire, and Cupid’s Chokehold. Next came Y-100’s own DJ Mix Cartel playing some tunes before Canadian Pop Artist Avril Lavigne got ready. Once Mix Cartel was over, Avril came out and sang some of her most famous rock songs such as Girlfriend, Skater Boy, and Complicated. Avril and her rocking band shook the arena with her performance.

After Avril came out Irish Rock Band, the Script. The Script came out singing their top singles Breakeven, For The First Time, and More. The band performed terrifically, with Danny O’Donoghue and Mark Sheehan rocking the show. Next came out Cobra Starship on the second stage singing the top hits, You Make Me Feel.., Good Girls Go Bad, and Middle Finger.  Succeeding Cobra Starship was American Idol Winner, Kelly Clarkson. Singing along with the thousands of girls, young and old in the stands, Kelly sang Stronger, Behind Hazel Eyes, Since U Been Gone, and more.

After Kelly came the most interesting performance of the night, LMFAO. Currently holding the #1 song and #11 song in America, LMFAO sang their top songs, such as Party Rock Anthem, Shots, Sorry For Party Rocking, I’m In Miami B*tch, and of course, Sexy and I Know It. Even though Sky Blue was absent, LMFAO with the help of their mascot robot shuffler and their world famous wiggling and shuffling rock the Bank Atlantic Center.

Once LMFAO left the stage, world famous French DJ David Guetta came out and rocked the room. Playing top songs of the day and some of his own with other artist, Guetta changed the tone of the show from a fun atmosphere with LMFAO to a nightclub atmosphere. With Guetta came out Florida’s own, Flo Rida. Once Guetta left the stage, Flo came out again singing his top new hit, Good Feeling, while moving around in the crowd on the shoulders of his body guard. After Flo came out the closing act of the night, Mr. 305 himself, Pitbull. Pitbull came out in his suit and shades singing his top hits such as Hotel Room service; Shut it down, Calle Ocho, and Rain over Me. With the crowed with him, he closed the show with his former #1 hit, Give Me Everything. The song was a great way to end a great, star filled night.