Under the Mistletoe

Under the Mistletoe is the first Christmas album and second studio album by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber, which was released on November 1, 2011 by Island Records.

Background

On August 25, 2011, Bieber announced that he would be releasing his first Christmas album and second studio album later in 2011. Manager Scooter Braun and vocal producer Kuk Harrell confirmed a week later that Bieber had collaborated with Sean Kingston and Taylor Swift and had also worked with producers The Messengers. Later that month, it was announced that Boyz II Men, Usher, and The Band Perry were also collaborating with Bieber on the album. On September 30, 2011, Bieber released the official album cover and album name on Facebook. On October 4, 2011, Mariah Carey revealed that she and Bieber recorded her song "All I Want for Christmas Is You" as a duet for the new album. Justin's version of the song "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" samples the song I Want You Back by the Jackson 5.

Singles

Justin Bieber

Justin Drew Bieber (/ˈbiːbər/; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. Bieber released his debut EP, My World, in late 2009. It was certified platinum in the U.S. He became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut record chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Bieber released his first full-length studio album, My World 2.0, in 2010. It debuted at or near number one in several countries and was certified triple platinum in the U.S. It was preceded by his most successful single to date, "Baby".

Following his debut album, he had his first headlining tour, the My World Tour, released the remix albums My Worlds Acoustic and Never Say Never – The Remixes -- and the 3D biopic-concert film Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. He released his second studio album, Under the Mistletoe, in November 2011, when it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Bieber released his third studio album, Believe, in 2012. His fourth studio album Purpose was released in November 2015. His U.S. album and singles sales total 44.7 million.

Mistletoe

Mistletoe is the common name for most obligate hemiparasitic plants in the order Santalales. Mistletoes attach to and penetrate the branches of a tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they absorb water and nutrients from the host plant.

The name mistletoe originally referred to the species Viscum album (European mistletoe, of the family Santalaceae in the order Santalales); it was the only species native to Great Britain and much of Europe. A separate species, Viscum cruciatum, occurs in Southwest Spain and Southern Portugal, as well as North Africa, Australia and Asia.

Over the centuries, the term has been broadened to include many other species of parasitic plants with similar habits, found in other parts of the world, that are classified in different genera and even families — such as the Misodendraceae and the Loranthaceae.

In particular, the Eastern mistletoe native to North America, Phoradendron leucarpum, belongs to a distinct genus of the Santalaceae family. The genus Viscum is not native to North America, but Viscum album has been introduced to California. European mistletoe has smooth-edged, oval, evergreen leaves borne in pairs along the woody stem, and waxy, white berries that it bears in clusters of two to six. The Eastern mistletoe of North America is similar, but has shorter, broader leaves and longer clusters of 10 or more berries.

Front Porch Step

Front Porch Step is the solo acoustic project of Newark, Ohio musician Jake Mcelfresh.

History

Front Porch Step began in 2012. In 2013, Front Porch Step signed to Pure Noise Records and released his debut album Aware. In 2013, he supported Never Shout Never on four of their tour dates. In the summer of 2014, Front Porch Step played on the Vans Warped Tour. In the fall of 2014, Front Porch Step played on the Pure Noise Records Tour with State Champs, Handguns, and Forever Came Calling. In February and March 2015, Front Porch Step planned to go on his first headlining tour, with support from Have Mercy, Alcoa, Hotel Books, and Head North. Due to sexual harassment allegations, Mcelfresh has suspended his tour until further notice. Front Porch Step was going to partake in the 2015 Vans Warped Tour, which is held annually throughout the summer, but was removed from the tour due to the allegations brought up against him.

Sexual harassment controversies

Jake Mcelfresh has been accused by several young people of sexual harassment through mobile phones, including sending nude pictures of himself to underaged girls. This led to a petition demanding he be removed from the 2015 Warped Tour. His record label, Pure Noise Records, and Kevin Lyman, creator of the Warped Tour, have announced they are aware of the allegations.

The Downtown Fiction

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The Downtown Fiction is an American pop punk/power pop band from Fairfax, the band consist of guitarist and lead vocalist, Cameron Leahy, bassist and backing vocalist, David Pavluk, guitarist and backing vocalist, Wes Dimond and drummer Kyle Rodgers.

Music career

Lead singer/guitarist/primary songwriter Cameron Leahy met former drummer Eric Jones at Westfield High School, where they became friends. They had a mutual interest in music, and formed The Downtown Fiction in the summer of 2008. They began to post demos on the band's MySpace page, where their fan base initialized. Needing a bassist, Cameron and Eric added David Pavluk to the band, who also is responsible for background vocals. "The Downtown Fiction" is inspired by the film Pulp Fiction, a favorite film of the band.

The Downtown Fiction toured for a year, and were soon signed to Photo Finish Records, an independent New York record label. They toured on the Bamboozle Road Show 2010 and the Warped Tour 2010. The band was featured that year in the “100 Bands You Need To Know” issue of Alternative Press Magazine. A self-titled EP by the band was released in March 2009, featuring a few of their rising hit songs, including "Is Anybody Out There?" and "Living Proof." This was succeeded by an additional EP a year later in March 2010 entitled, Best I Never Had. Later a compilation was released, The Double E.P., incorporating all of their preceding EP's tracks, and a rough demo of "Keep On Moving." In late February 2011, the band began The Glamour Kills Tour which featured The Ready Set as the headliner, along with Allstar Weekend, We Are The In Crowd, and briefly Marianas Trench.