Sex, drugs, and rock n' roll…or in Hinder's case, Playboy, Amsterdam, and hard rock. One can only imagine the life of a rock star. The lead songwriters of the band Hinder engaged in a conference call in the Vanguard office to discuss the release of their new album. Best known for their hit single "Lips of an Angel" that reached #1 on the Billboard chart in 2005, Hinder is back for more fame and glory with their second album, Take It to the Limit. The band plans to release their new composition on Election Day, November 4th."We just thought it was a very important day for our country and a very exciting day…We just thought it would be cool to jump on and give our fans something else to be excited about," said Cody Winkler, the lead drummer. "We will actually-this is awesome-we will be in Las Vegas. We're doing a records release party at the Palms there and having a big blowout and probably not waking up for a few days after that."
Austin Hanson, the lead singer, who commented several times during the interview about the "girl perk" of being in a rock band, is also looking forward to the party. "It's going to be pretty awesome. We rented out the Hugh Hefner suite, and we've got a bunch of girls from Playboy coming, and it's going to be pretty insane. It's going to be a great time."
The boys of Hinder are very proud of the record itself and its representation of how far they've come as a band since the release of their first album Extreme Behavior. "Growth…It's just something that comes with time and learning experiences and life experiences that you go through, and like, you know, with anything, with time, it just gets better. And I absolutely think that we've matured as songwriters, and this record is definitely a step up from the last one," Austin described. "On this record, we just let our influences show a little more, and as a collective whole, Guns N' Roses is probably our biggest influence as a band, so we got a chance to make the record that we wanted to make this time and, like I said, let our influences show a little more."
The band members are very confident with the music they chose to record on Take It to the Limit. "… Sonically, it sounds better. The songs are better…it's a step up. We're taking it to the limit, if you will," one band member added. "The melodies just kind of come to me…like Cody'll usually come up with the chord progression and then I'll bat out a melody, and if it sounds catchy enough and hooky enough, we'll keep it. If not, we'll suggest something different, but there's no kind of structured thing that we do. It just kind of happens."
Not only does the band have exceptionally high expectations for the new album, but they are also eager to start performing and touring for their fans. Austin says that "The fans can always expect the unexpected from us and a great show. And we're actually very excited about going out and performing the new songs and, actually, just for the record to come out so the fans can have it." In a discussion about Hinder's fans, Cody remarks, "Our fans come from a wide range, from like, eight-year-old girls, to 60-year-old men, and they're all crazy. And they love us and we love them." Austin agrees with Cody, and laughing, adds. "I think our fans like to party as much as we do, so that's why we get along so well…"
Hinder has strong ties with their fans, but part of the reason enjoy playing together is the strong friendships share. When it comes to what they like to do in their little spare time, Austin says, "You'll pretty much find us doing the same things at home that we do out on the road. Anytime we have a chance to hang out with each other, we do, so it's kind of fun." As a band, Hinder is known for having most of their fun when they are our partying. When asked if they have ever been out-partied by another band or group they have been with, Austin immediately responds with "No, There's no chance in hell." Cody adds "If there's anybody out there that wants the challenge, bring it on."
The party in all of the band members came about long before they became famous. Austin knew he wanted to play the guitar from a young age. "It's crazy. The first time I saw somebody play an acoustic guitar that was actually really good I just kind of knew that I wanted to do something with music and I wanted to play the guitar. And I was just very, very ambitious about it, and I haven't stopped since." On the other hand, Cody had a different idea of what his future might hold. "Well, myself, whenever I was younger, I wanted to open up a strip club, actually. That was my goal, so now it's kind of worked out nice. I just get to do that every night on the bus, so it works out alright."
Until the release of the new album, all the band can do is sit in suspense and wait to see how their fans and the public reacts. Cody explains "You never know if it's all good until the release date comes, but we don't really feel any pressure. We know we delivered the best record we could-and our fans are going to love it."

Source: The Vanguard

Ever heard of the catch phrase “Love story in reverse?”

Well, if you had the chance to watch How I Met Your Mother, you’d recognize this simple catch phrase.

How I Met Your Mother tells the story of Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) as he narrates to his kids in the year 2030 the story of how he met their mom. With his friends, engaged couple Lily (Allison Hannigan) and Marshall (Jason Segel), hot newscaster Robin Scherbatzky (Colbie Smulders) and Ted’s best friend [according to him] Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris), Ted goes on in the search for the perfect girlfriend he wants to marry. Each episode is funny in its own right and I have to commend the scriptwriters’ creativity for coming up with such hilarious and downright funny quips and comebacks. Aside from the humor, you can’t help but be inspired and look at how they go about their daily lives and be able to see yourself in one of the characters in the show. As for me, I’ve been able to relate with either Ted (for being the hopeless romantic) or Barney (for the downright humor).

With currently 4 seasons, HIMYM is by far one of the best sitcoms I’ve had the privilege of laughing my ass off. And like any other TV series, it will leave you wondering who Ted is really going to marry in the end. Each season shows a little clue about who his wife is like the yellow umbrella, blond hair and a wedding scene.

I would really love to recommend this show to you, my faithful readers and I hope you would enjoy it as I did.

Wishing everybody a happy new year.2008 has been a blast for me. I have had my share of ups and downs (mostly ups, but what can I say, what goes up must come down.)

But now, with the end of another year and the start of another, one cannot help but look back at the disappointments, struggles, hardships and how it has made all of us into the person that we are now. New Year's Eve is certainly a day in everyone's lives wherein the moments of happiness and sadness are merged into one huge reflection within the short span of 24 hours.

As for me, I look back into the 364 days of happiness and sadness and realize that I have had a better year.

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow a mystery. But today is a gift, that's why it's called the present.

I just hope that 2009 will be a better year for me.

To all of my faithful readers and to the entire blogosphere and to the millions and billions of people worldwide, I wish you a Happy New Year!