GarBelle Clothing just got started this year and while they still have a lot of work to do in terms of marketing, their dresses hold a lot of potential. I haven’t had to chance to personally touch and feel the craftsmanship of the garments, but looking through their pics, they seem to be doing everything right stylistically. Pockets and hoods on classic cuts paired with shorter, fuller skirts - pretty fresh stuff. The only problem is they have got to get a better design on their MySpace page and they need a real website too, if they are going to take and be taken seriously. And while they’re at it, they should send Synthesis one in a size 2 so I can model  it and put it in our upcoming digital magazine, and then maybe I can has new pretty sundress for summer??? Ya? iLove…

For some reason, Dashboard Confessional have decided to post the majority of their back catalog for streaming on their Myspace. This includes my two personal favorites, the So Impossible EP and the Summer’s Kiss EP. Today I’m going to pretend like it’s 2002, when I had a mini-disc (yeah, that’s how long ago this was) with the first two Dashboard records, the two aforementioned EPs, and the Further Seems Forever record that Chris Carraba sang on all back to back to back, that I used to torture my coworkers to no end. Today is officially Dashboard Confessional day in the Synthesis office. BE PREPARED!!!11

When our good friends Emery recently announced they were ending their run with Switchfoot and Athlete on the TWLOHA-sponsored Up In Arms Tour a few weeks early, internet naysayers had the rumor mill working overtime. But the band put all rumors as to their demise to rest today with the announcement that they will be joining up with longtime musical cohort Aaron Gillespie on his last tour with The Almost before devoting his attention to Underoath full time for awhile. Here’s the announcement:

We are extremely excited to announce that we will be joining The Almost for their US tour in May and June. We’ve known Aaron for some time, and since our 2007 Australian tour with Underoath was such a good time, we know we had to go out with him again. We will be joined on this tour by Envy on the Coast and Army of Me. We could not be more excited about this tour. Please check back as more shows are announced. We’ll see you soon. Love - EMERY

Also joining them on this tour will be long lost Synthesis blogger Trevor Digby Sellers. Write to him on his Myspace and tell him to start putting his iPhone to use by writing some damn blogs. Tour dates after the jump:

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Having heard them play some of these songs live last week, I can personally attest to the quality of Phantom Planet’s forthcoming record, Raise the Dead, their debut for new label Fueled By Ramen. But you can check it out for yourself, for free, on the band’s Myspace where the record is streaming in its entirety. You can also check out an interview with the band about their newest record over at the Synthesis.net music archive. Who needs Jason Schwartzman when the pissed dude from Donnie Darko is writing straight up hits?

A Florida teenager was ambushed at a residence by her high school classmates in an assault that apparently stems from the victim posting nasty messages on MySpace. For posterity, the attack was videotaped for a future posting online as sweet sweet revenge.

The victim was repeatedly beaten for around 30 minutes by six different girls, and was eventually taken to the hospital by ambulance and treated for concussion, damage to her left eye, left ear and numerous bruises.

One of my shitty bands got the chance to share the stage yesterday with a couple slightly less shitty bands, the surprisingly badass Phantom Planet and a band I’d never really heard of called Takota. I don’t think anyone else had really heard of them either, but I get the feeling that’s about to change: they’re second disc, Just Before Morning is set to come out on Island Records later this year and if it’s anything like their live set, its gonna be filled with epic vocal hooks ( ala Dredg ) set atop guitar-driven midtempo pop rock, with a little synth grandeur added in for good measure. Someone told me they sounded like the Scorpions gone modern emo, which might sound like a dig, but if you know shit about epic ’80s ballads you know the Scorpions are on point. Anyways, since they’re on some major label bullshit they only have brief clips of some songs on their Myspace but you can get a pretty good gauge of what the band is all about regardless. If you’re on the east coast you can also check them out on tour with Third Eye Blind next month. Oh and if yourre wondering who the sore thumb dude is in the above picture (for those too obtuse for old adages, sore thumb as in sticking out) he’s not just some random old dude who slapped on an H&M sweater to try to look more croosh, he’s Justin, one of the old drummers from Reel Big Fish. That’s cred.