When bands make strong debut EP’s and sign a record deal, it is often a death trap.
Record companies generally want a full-length out quickly thereafter, forcing the band to remix a few old songs and half-heartedly throw together five or six new ones.
The result ends up being an album that causes the band to lose what made them special in the first place and waters down their entire sound.

For the past few years, bands such as Fall Out Boy, Paramore and My Chemical Romance have exploded to become mainstream successes.

Within the next 12 months, the band All Time Low has a serious chance of being added to the list of bands going from “scene” to “mainstream.

Hailing from the city of sin, The Higher may have made the biggest one possible with their release “It’s Only Natural.”

A few years ago, the band released “On Fire,” a blend of rock and pop that was able to grab a hold of rock fans despite its heavy, cheesy pop elements.

In a movie that took place during simpler times, the storyline took a simple approach in the comedy “Year One.”

The movie is set in time of cavemen and stars Jack Black (School of Rock, Nacho Libre) as Zed and Michael Cera (Arrested Development, Superbad) as Oh.

Catchy hooks. Check. Stereotypical adolescent lyrics. Check. Skinny jeans. Check.

With their latest (and first full length) release, “Off The Deep End,” The Friday Night Boys seemed to take the formula of the typical pop/punk/rock genre band and created something of their own (think Boys Like Girls meets The Maine).

Three years and a major lineup change later, Taking Back Sunday is back with a new release, named somewhat appropriately “New Again.”

In 2006, Taking Back Sunday was perhaps the band of the year. The band’s release “Louder Now” went gold and their singles “Make Damn Sure” and “Liar (It Takes One to Know One)” tore up the radio and catapulted them into near superstardom in the genre.

With a leadership statement approved last Friday during a special session of the Board of Trustees, Central Michigan University is now heading into the recruiting phase in the presidential search.

The leadership statement, which was put together through input from forums and suggestions via the presidential search Web site, is a two-part document explaining what CMU is about and what the candidate should possess if they want to apply for the position.

A few times a year, a pop/punk band will break the mold and create an album that goes beyond the simplicity usually delivered by the genre.

The Dangerous Summer’s latest release, “Reach For the Sun,” is 2009’s version.

The band, who hails from Maryland, grew dramatically from their debut EP, “If You Could Only Keep Me Alive.