To Whom It May Concern????

Straight from the PATD website:

To Whom It May Concern…

July 6th, 2009

Ryan Ross and Jon Walker will be leaving Panic at the Disco to embark on a musical excursion of their own. Though the four of us have made music together in the past, we’ve creatively evolved in different directions which has compromised what each of us want to personally achieve. Over the years, we have remained close and honest with each other, which helped us to realize that our goals were different and that parting ways is truly what is best for each of us. We are all excited for the future, you should be too.

-Ryan & Jon

Stay posted to the Panic site for updates on Ryan and Jon’s new project, as well as a message from Brendon and Spencer who will continue on as Panic At The Disco. All touring and album plans for Panic will continue as previously announced.

Well you know what? It concerns me and just about every other fan of Panic. I mean, who the hell is going to write the music if Ryan's not there? Panic at the Disco is pretty much defined by Ryan Ross, which sucks wayyyy too much. Arg. WTF Jon? I'm going to miss your flip floppity ways. Well, until you start a new band with Ryan.

This is heartbreaking news.

Photography

If you enjoy photography, check out http://www.cbeckettphoto.com/ for Courtney Beckett's new portfolio. She does food and drink campaigns as well as photographs of people she knows, which are pretty neat. Click on the samples below to link straight in to her page, because she's awesome.





Also, I want to say that whoever took/photoshopped this picture of Brendon Urie (Panic at the Disco) is my favorite. There's something about this shot that I just love:

And so starts my first actual blog that doesn't pose as another type of website.  Unless you count livejournal.  Does that count?

I'm going to pick up where I left off on my myspace blog.... I don't exactly know where that was.  I haven't written in it in quite some time.  I wrote a post in the first few days of 2009 that was Aurora's best of 2008, and it covered music but nothing else.  I haven't finished every section of it yet, and maybe one day I will and I'll actually post it, but until then I'll just post my top 8 albums of 2008, which is all people really care about anyway, right?

1. Fast Times at Barrington High - The Academy Is...

2. The Glass Passenger - Jack's Mannequin

3. Raise the Dead - Phantom Planet

4. Pretty. Odd. - Panic at the Disco (although sometimes depending on my mood, this becomes number 3)

5. Sweat It Out - The Pink Spiders

Honorable mention goes to Ivy League for This Is Ivy League and The Hush Sound for Goodbye Blues.

I give serious props to Greta of The Hush Sound for taking vocal lessons or whatever it was that she did to change her voice from the sweet little girl voice, to the amazing, womanly voice that we hear in songs such as Honey and Medicine Man: