News Year: 2012 (× Clear Filter)
Happy New Year 2012
Jan 1, 2012
Happy New Years from the American Music Standard! 2011 was a great year for the band, and we have high expectations for 2012 too, especially with the upcoming release of our first album. We've been celebrating and enjoying the holidays a lot lately, but we've still managed to get a lot of recording accomplished over the past few weeks. However, we still have plenty of work ahead of us. Besides…
First Album Ready for Mixing & Mastering, Merch Video Available
Jan 12, 2012
Well, it's been quite a few days since our last update, so we'll try to fill you in on all the latest news. First, the band has completed almost all of the raw recording for the album over the past month; we just have a few more guitar and vocal overdubs to add to certain songs. Now that most of the recording is done, Ian has left the band's studio in Memphis and travelled to Nashville to start…
Congratulations Abby K., Fan of the Month
Jan 22, 2012
Recording and mixing is going well, but today's update isn't about that. Today we're happy to announce our first ever fan of the month: Abby K. from Kansas has won a free poster for being a loyal fan and friend of Tyler's since before the band officially started about a year ago. Watch for a new fan of the month in a few weeks, and don't forget that all of our fans have a chance to win free…
First Album Promo Video Now Available on YouTube
Jan 29, 2012
We're about half way finished with the mixing process, so the upcoming album should be released on schedule. Besides the usual mixing work, we also just finished the interview video which is now available on YouTube. This video features an in-depth discussion with the band about the upcoming album. If you want to learn more about the album and all the work we've put into it, this interview is…
Welcome to the New AMS Website
Feb 22, 2012
Hey everyone! Welcome to our new website. We are American Music Standard, formerly known as The Rock n' Roll Refugees. All future content will be posted here, but you can still access our old content in the news archive.
The Rock n' Roll Refugees Are Now American Music Standard
Feb 22, 2012
Well, it's finally time for us to reveal the big announcement: after careful consideration, we have officially decided to change our band name. At the time of this news update, we will no longer be called The Rock n' Roll Refugees. So what's our new name? American Music Standard.
Congratulations Steve H., Fan of the Month
Feb 29, 2012
There's an extra day in February because it's a leap year, which gives us just enough time to announce the fan of the month: Steve H. from Virginia will receive a free signed copy of the album upon its release! Speaking of the album, more details about the release are coming soon.
New Album Cover and Name Announced: No Morals
Mar 4, 2012
Head over to our Facebook page and see the official cover design of our upcoming album titled No Morals. Two free singles will be pre-released and available for download shortly.
Two FREE Singles from No Morals Now Available for Download
Mar 10, 2012
Wanna hear a small sample of what we've been working on the past few months? Two free singles from "No Morals" have been pre-released and are now available for download. You can get them from our ReverbNation and Bandcamp pages (and they'll be available on even more sites in the near future). Make as many copies as you want, send them to your friends, etc. These two songs are…
The Story Behind the Name "No Morals" Explained
Mar 15, 2012
Some people are surprised when they hear the title, "No Morals". So where does the name come from? Here's a preview of what's in the album booklet (available in both the digital & physical copies): "This album documents the story of Tyler Hopgood's life. It is raw, sincere, intimate, and uncensored. After Tyler's idealistic upper-middle class lifestyle was shattered, he…
Happy 19th Birthday, Tyler
Mar 17, 2012
Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone, and happy 19th birthday to our talented lead singer, Tyler Hopgood. Have you heard his energetic vocal performance on those two demos yet?
Old Website Permanently Shut Down, But AMS Is Here to Stay
Mar 23, 2012
If you've been to AmericanMusicStandard.com lately, you probably noticed that we've been working on the new website. We transferred some of the old RRR content that was worth keeping, and we used this opportunity to make a lot of small improvements. We're definitely happy with the new site, and we hope you'll agree. We might add/change a few more…
Release Date for No Morals Announced!
Mar 25, 2012
Big news: We have an official release date for No Morals! Digital copies of the full album will be available for download on March 30. We'll keep you guys updated as we put the finishing touches on everything during the next few days. Get excited and spread the word!
No Morals All Set for Tomorrow's Release
Mar 29, 2012
Well, tomorrow is the big release day, and AMS is working hard to put the finishing touches on everything tonight. That includes double-checking the mastering and the album art. A digital version of the full album will be available for download before the end of the day tomorrow, so watch for another update about that. Hopefully everyone is as excited as we are!
No Morals Album RELEASED TODAY
Mar 30, 2012
We've been talking about it for months, and the release day is finally here! Get your copy of No Morals now. You can download the complete album for $4, or buy songs individually for $0.50 each. Right now it's available through Bandcamp, but it will be available through more sites soon (including our own). The two pre-released singles are still free to download and distribute, so they aren't…
Congratulations to Linda P., Fan of the Month
Apr 12, 2012
The fan of the month for April is Linda P. from Rossville, TN. This loyal fan has won a free copy of No Morals signed by the band. Congratulations and enjoy :D Watch for next month's winner for your chance to receive free music, merch, tickets, and more! We love rewarding you guys for your support.
Upcoming Show: May 19th at the 1884 Lounge
Apr 17, 2012
We're excited to announce our first big show of the summer: American Music Standard will be playing on May 19th at the 1884 Lounge at Minglewood Hall in Memphis. It starts at 9 p.m. and it's an 18+ show. The two Closson Brothers from The Young Guns will be joining us. The Young Guns are a fellow Memphis band full of awesome musicians, and they're good friends with AMS (Tyler used to play bass…
No Morals CDs, Album Artwork Available Online, Videos on YouTube
Apr 24, 2012
So, you've probably seen the announcement about our upcoming show, and we have more news about that and other shows coming soon. But besides playing shows this summer, we have some other fun plans we'd like to tell you about. Here's what you can be looking forward to: Physical copies of No Morals (you remember what CDs are, right?) with extended album info and artwork (come to our shows and get…
Ongoing Search for New Bassist, Hear Behind The Scenes Music on YouTube
May 2, 2012
As we prepare for our upcoming shows this summer, we've been practicing hard and trying out a few potential bassists. If you wanna hear a little behind-the-scenes action, here's a clip from one of our latest practices. We were screwing around and tried out a fun jam song to put our…
1884 Lounge Photos Coming Soon
May 19, 2012
It's been a few weeks since we did a blog post here on the site, so hopefully everyone has been keeping up with our short, regular updates via Facebook and Twitter. Tonight is our first show in over a year, and the first show we've done since releasing our first album No Morals and changing the name to AMS. I won't bore you with any more details about the show (go check Facebook if you need any…
Show at 1884 Lounge Was a Huge Success, Photos Coming Soon
May 22, 2012
We owe a big thanks to everyone for an awesome show on Saturday night. Thanks to the Closson Brothers/Young Guns and the Impeccable Miscreants for playing with us. Thanks to Minglewood Hall for letting us use your fine venue. Thanks to LiveImage Production Studios for handling all the pictures and videos throughout the night. And finally, thanks to all the fans who came out and supported us.…
Photos from 1884 Lounge Posted Online, and Happy Memorial Day 2012
May 29, 2012
Hopefully everyone had a good Memorial Day yesterday. In case you haven't seen them yet, pictures from the show are being posted to this album on the LiveImage Facebook page as they get edited. We still have a video on the way too. The video captures some of the most memorable moments from the show…
Congratulations Maddie B., Fan of the Month
May 31, 2012
Today is the last day in May, which means it's the perfect time to announce May's fan of the month. Maddie B. from Germantown, TN has won a free t-shirt! Wanna win some sweet band merch too? Make sure you watch for June's fan of the month in a few weeks. Oh, and speaking of merch, we've been working on setting up the new online store at our official website. If you've been to the store page…
Merch Store Now Up and Running. Give Us Your Money! (please)
Jun 7, 2012
As we mentioned in the previous update, one of the biggest things we've been working on lately is setting up the new merch store on our website. Not only did we update the logo to reflect our new band name, but we took this opportunity to make a bunch of other small improvements to the products and the store. So after putting a lot of work into it, we're happy to announce that it's finally…
Missed Our Show on May 19th? Watch the Footage Online!
Jun 9, 2012
Several videos from the May 19th show have been uploaded to our YouTube channel. Check out this playlist to see them all in one place, pick and choose which ones you wanna watch, or watch them all continuously. If you couldn't make it to the show, watching the footage is…
Ian Travels Abroad to Study International Music
Jun 24, 2012
Hey everyone, how's life been going since our last update? In case you're wondering what took us so long to do another post, don't worry: We have a good excuse! The band is taking a break from the usual practice and song writing because Ian is traveling to several different countries in Europe. After spending a week in London, Ian just arrived in Spain. Although he will be spending most of the…
Ian Gives an Update on his International Travels
Jul 16, 2012
It's been a few weeks since our last update and a lot has happened, so I'll do my best to summarize everything: First of all, I'm having a great time and learning a lot while traveling through Spain and studying Spanish music. I've been studying some of the most noteworthy Spanish composers throughout history (such as Manuel de Falla) and listening to samples of their work. It's always fun to…
Ian's International Trip Comes to an End with a Performance at the SGAE
Jul 25, 2012
My trip in Spain is coming to an end and I'll be back in Memphis (and back working on band stuff) on Saturday. But before I talk about that, here's a few things about what I did since the last update. First of all, I celebrated my birthday on the 21st of July. Thanks to everyone for their happy birthday wishes on Facebook and elsewhere. Needless to say, being in Spain was a great opportunity to…
New Projects in the Works, No Morals Still Available for Purchase
Aug 13, 2012
Now that Ian is back in town, American Music Standard is back into the usual grind of practicing. However, we've also been working on some new material and we've been doing a lot of planning for upcoming projects. It's only a matter of time before we will announce a big surprise related to that...but we can't get your hopes up too much yet because it still needs some work. To hold you off until…
AMS Album Download Available for $4, Physical CDs $6
Aug 21, 2012
Last week's offer is now over so unfortunately the digital booklet is no longer available as a free download on the website. However, the booklet will always be available with all purchases of No Morals. Remember, the album is available for immediate download in several high-quality file formats at our Bandcamp store for only $4. Get your digital copy at…
Happy 16th Birthday, Ashton
Sep 9, 2012
Today is Ashton Drake's 16th birthday. Our drummer is celebrating by getting a new car! He's been helping us with a lot of new material during practices lately, and it won't be long before we get him in the studio again to lay down some drum tracks. And we have that long awaited interview video planned with him too! We are really excited about all of our upcoming projects, and we have more…
AMS Announces New Album to Begin Soon
Oct 11, 2012
Loyal fans, After a brief gap in updates, and a few ambiguous updates before that about "upcoming projects", it's finally time for us to reveal the big news: American Music Standard has officially decided to start working on our second full-length album. In fact, we will start recording as early as this weekend. We've been doing pre-production for the past few weeks and months, and…
Follow Twitter, Facebook for Live Recording Updates
Oct 23, 2012
Have you been keeping up with our Facebook and Twitter? Last week we posted some pictures and news about recording. We got a good start on drum tracks (2 songs done), and that's only the beginning. More updates coming soon.
Photo Gallery Posted on Facebook with New Recording Pictures
Nov 6, 2012
We just created an album on Facebook and uploaded some nice recording pictures from this weekend. It's a small behind-the-scenes peek of Ashton recording the drum tracks for our second album at Ian's home studio. We'll be gradually adding more pictures throughout the coming weeks to…
AMS to Play at New Daisy Theatre December 22, 2012
Dec 5, 2012
Listen up people! We're taking a break from our usual recording updates to make an important announcement: We just found out that AMS has a show scheduled for Dec. 22 at the New Daisy in Memphis. There will be several bands playing in this showcase event, including our friends in Burn the Sun. And if great local music isn't enough, it's a charity event and a big chunk of the ticket sales are…
Thanks to All Who Came Out to the New Daisy Show on Dec. 22
Dec 23, 2012
Thank you to everyone who came to the show last night. We hope you had as much fun as we did. Pictures are on the way :) Now that the show is over, our main focus for the next 2 or 3 months will be recording and finishing our second album. We're hoping to finish guitar tracks and start on vocals within the next week. Keep checking back for more details about the release, which will be announced…
With the Holidays Over, Work Continues on the Second Album
Dec 28, 2012
Sorry about being so quiet the past few days. We took a short break from band stuff to celebrate Christmas with our families. We hope everyone had a great time like we did. Santa brought us a lot of new music gear (pictures coming eventually), and it even snowed a little bit here in Memphis (an event that occurs maybe once or twice per year). With Christmas behind us, we're right back in the…
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