Weezer, All Time Low, Rob Zombie, Panic! At The Disco, and Sum 41
Amongst Star-Studded Appearances, Live from the Quicken Loans Arena
See All Performances and Award Presentations at www.altpress.com/aptv
Cleveland, OH — Cleveland truly rocked harder than ever last night (July 22, 2015) at the second annual Journeys AP Music Awards fueled by Monster Energy Drink. The event celebrated a stellar sophomore year that captured both the hearts and ears of underground rock fans around the globe. Social media reaction and fan response flooded the internet following the opening red carpet and awards ceremony event at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Fans enjoyed a program that included a high spirited, acrobatic kick-off by The Cavalier Girls, Q Spirit Squad and Q Scream Team, prior to top music stars arriving and walking down the red carpet and joining the AXS TV pre-show.
This exciting APMAs pre-show previewed the forthcoming once-in-a-lifetime performances from chart-topping artists, both brand new and legendary.
Hosted by Alex Gaskarth and Jack Barakat of pop-punk princes All Time Low, the 2015 APMAs featured many inspired performances and special collaborations. The Contemporary Youth Orchestra performed an overture of the show’s Song Of The Year nominees. All Time Low offered a punk history lesson with a medley of cover versions of classic songs written by such punk avatars Joan Jett, the Ramones, Nirvana amongst others. Weezer were joined by Candy Hearts frontwoman Mariel Loveland on their song “Go Away.” Panic! At The Disco pulled off a stentorian rendition of the Queen classic “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Black Veil Brides threw down a blistering version of Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell.” New Found Glory were joined by Paramore vocalist Hayley Williams for the bouncy ’n’ crunchy “Vicious Love.” Brooding electronic rock trio PVRIS teamed up with Issues frontman Tyler Carter for their song “My House.” Hard rockers Halestorm were joined by Slipknot/Stone Sour vocalist Corey Taylor for a cover of Seattle supergroup Temple Of The Dog’s “Hunger Strike.” Pierce The Veil showered the crowd in both confetti and decibels during “Divine Zero.” Canadian pop-punk institution Simple Plan enlisted Mike Herrera from MxPx for a version of “Responsibility.” Spooky-glam outfit Motionless In White turned in a furious two-song performance which included their powerful single “Reincarnate” and a pummeling cover of White Zombie’s “Thunder Kiss ’65” where they were joined by Vanguard Award recipient Rob Zombie. Sum 41’s comeback was positively celebratory, marking the return of original guitarist Dave “Brown Sound” Baksh, and delivering rousing versions of Run-DMC’s “Mary Mary” and “King Of Rock,” fortified by none other than DMC himself. Scene staples Taking Back Sunday’s performance of “Better Homes And Gardens” resonated with the crowd.
Make sure to check out official videos and media from the APMAs at altpress.com
See below for the full list of all the APMAs 2015 award winners:
BEST VOCALIST presented by AXS TV: Hayley Williams, Paramore
BEST INTERNATIONAL BAND presented by AP Japan: The 1975
ICON AWARD presented by Artery Recordings: X
VANGUARD AWARD presented by Equal Vision and MerchNow: Rob Zombie
BEST BASSIST presented by Razor & Tie: Zack Merrick, All Time Low
ARTIST PHILANTHROPIC presented by Sub City/Take Action:
Taking Back Sunday for American Cancer Society
BEST LIVE BAND presented by Macbeth: A Day To Remember
BEST DRUMMER presented by DW Drums: Rian Dawson, All Time Low
BEST FANDOM presented by Tumblr: 5 Seconds Of Summer
BEST MUSIC VIDEO presented by Journeys: “Drown,” Bring Me The Horizon
SONG OF THE YEAR presented by Epitaph Records: “Kick Me,” Sleeping With Sirens
BEST UNDERGROUND BAND presented by Sumerian Records: Being As An Ocean
MOST DEDICATED FANS presented by Fearless Records: All Time Low’s “hustlers”
BEST GUITARIST presented by Gibson Brands: Tony Perry, Pierce The Veil
BREAKTHROUGH BAND presented by Splat: PVRIS
ARTIST OF THE YEAR presented by Monster Energy: Issues
ALBUM OF THE YEAR presented by Journeys: Black Veil Brides, Black Veil Brides
The four-hour show went far to transcend generations, genres and preconceived notions about the current state of underground rock. The 2015 APMAs was a night to remember and another reminder why Alternative Press magazine will always remain in the forefront of the next shift in music culture.
The APMAs is produced by Josh Bernstein, Mike Shea, Kevin Lyman, Dawn Marshman, Joe Scarpelli and Marc Grant.