I just got off the phone with Fred Mascherino of The Color Fred (and formerly of Taking Back Sunday). No shit, Fred has to be one of the nicest people in melodic post-punk pop-rock (or whatever you want to call it. You tell me.). Actually, maybe I’ll ask him what I should call it (besides damn good) when Synthesis meets up with him for an interview at Ryan’s. We’ll also be filming some of his live show at the Senator Theater (look to www.youtube.com/synthesismagazine in the next couple of days for the goods). The Color Fred is currently on tour with Chiodos, MxPx and Protest The Hero.

Here’s a video of the recording session of The Color Fred’s debut album, “Bend To Break,” courtesy of Equal Vision records.

Tour Dates after the Jump:
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(note: Spoiler Warning. Be forewarned. And I may ramble on a bit. Again, be forewarned )

I remember how excited I was when I first heard of A Scanner Darkly’s impending release on the big screen. I, along with at least 200 other people, eagerly anticipated the film adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s drug-mired future dystopia. (The film ended up grossing $391,672 its opening weekend….not stellar numbers by any means).

While a great number of the film’s enthusiasts got on board because of their appreciation for Philip K. Dick’s writings, I was not among them. Like every nerd, science fiction holds a dear place in my heart, but over the last decade I’ve not cracked open a science fiction novel, save rereading a few classic favorites (you can’t front on Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land or Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange). My nerdliness taking a shift towards music & art rather than Dungeons & Dragons, and never being a particular fan of Dick’s writing in the first place, I was on board because of a particular name attached to the film. And this name was not a part of A Scanner Darkly’s leading cast — all in their real lives inextricably linked to delinquency and drug-usage (Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson and Winona Ryder) or, failing that, dumb-as-dirt-ness (Keanu Reeves) — but instead, the film’s director and screenwriter, Richard Linklater.

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