It's a little ridiculous how many things have happened this year that are noteworthy. In fact, there were so many things that were noteworthy, that we all had a hard time picking out our top five moments from 2008, but because we love you, we cowboyed up and did our jobs. So without further ado, here are each of our top five moments of 2008. Here's to hoping that you had a great year also, and that if not, that 2009 is all that and more!

Now see, everyone else has these snappy little subtitles for all their best moments (as you'll see below), but I'm a minimalist at heart (also, at the moment, somewhat uncreative), so well, here they are, in no particular order, really:

The Sound Faction came to be this year of 2008! After a sort of test run early 2007 that left Caity and I scratching our heads as to why we couldn't friggin maintain this thing, we thought the idea had just sort of fizzled out. But thanks to a Silverstein show, Jen and Natty, the idea was revived and stronger than ever! I couldn't be happier with the way the last ten months have gone. In fact, I'm awed we've done as well as we have, and this entire sha-bang still makes me amazingly happy, and it's all I could ever ask it to be.

Yes, I did, in fact, finish school. Completely. (And yes, I'll only be turning 20 in the next few days.) Mind you, it was film school, so it didn't really count, but I did in fact go to a post secondary institution, and finish. Mind you, I'll more than likely end up going back in the future for some journalism classes or something, but Toronto Film School? I'm done with you. So screw you (To all the people I met there, you I'll miss. The school can go to hell for all I care at this moment).

It has been an awesome year for me for traveling. Whether it was just a hop across the border for a show in Buffalo, or epic Greyhound trips to Chicago, it's all been a blast! I've never had such amazing friends who would go to the same lengths as I would for a good show, and traveling with them, and sitting in lines for ungodly amounts of hours, and just being with them, have been some of the best moments of my life. These are the times I won't forget, these are the times I'm living, and all of it's been fantastic. I would pick a favourite, but hell, I just can't do it!

I know I'm sort of pulling a cop out here (same as I sort of did for road trips...) but I swear I really can't pick one awesome show from the others! 2008 was an epic year for me for good shows and good music. Some outstanding examples would definitely be the two My Chemical Romance shows that we all saw back in April in Detroit before the band took a much deserved break, and the Suburban Legends / Aquabats show that happened just in November. I'm a sucker for a good show, and if you can entertain me for any number of hours, you go into the plus column, and really, I don't think there was all too much that ended up in the minus column in 08 (If it did, well... we're just not talking about it here, are we? This is a 'best of's)!

I'm not going to lie (this one's kind of boring and introspective, you can skip it, I won't be insulted. I promise, go ahead), I've changed a lot for the better over the last year. I have friends I know I can depend on, a stable family situation, and plans for the future, which is something I didn't have for a really long time. I'm a happier person now than I've been in years, and I'm proud of myself for that. It's actually something I only noticed this past week, when our on Doc pointed out how positive I am, to a fault almost (and to where she couldn't tell if it was me, or my being Canadian that did it, haha), and that was something I never would have thought to call myself. Until I thought about it after she mentioned it, that is, and when I did put a bit of thought there, I realized that, yeah, I am a positive person now, and I'm so, so happy, and a lot of it has to do with this site, and the people I've met through it, and the people we've gotten to talk to, and all the girls here.

It's been a good year. Thank you, everyone. Here's to hoping 2009 is just as good.

I would say that my best memory from this year would be Warped Tour in Toronto, mid-day the skies opened up and it rained hell upon us, just in time for my hometown homeboys Madina Lake to take the stage and unfortunately one member of our party was deathly afraid of rain so he went inside and the rest of us got our second-wind from the rain and rocked the hell out! Unfortunately after that the torrential downpour turned into hurricane force winds mixed with the rain so we left.

My best concert this year was without a doubt seeing The Rikters, Suburban Legends, and The Aquabats at Metro Chicago on November 22nd! I said before on this site that it was my dream concert, and I hold to that, for sure! Manda and Travis and Sarah (friends of The Sound Faction) traveled to Chicago to spend a weekend with me and see the greatest concert ever! The show was phenomenal, and I was so lucky to be sharing it with such great friends, I have so many awesome memories and inside jokes from that weekend, and a great concert to boot!

I am constantly crawling MySpace for fantastic bands to pass along to you readers, and my daily crawls prove to be worth the time every time I find something rad! Not too long ago I was searching for bands with the UK filter, and came across The Colours, a band out of Reading, UK. The first song that played was Minutes and Hours and it took all of five seconds before the grin that spread over my face was permanently attached for the rest of the night. True story, I put Minutes and Hours on loop until 3:00am and was physically unable to stop grinning and dancing around. I quite seriously DARE you to listen to Minutes and Hours and not fall in love with it, because I honestly don't think it would be possible.

I... LOVE... music DVD's. I'm a sucker for them. I'm not even kidding. So when one of my favourite bands released a music DVD, I was beyond stoked! So my pick for Best Music DVD Release of the Year is HIM's "Digital Versatile Doom", their live concert from The Orpheum Theatre. HIM puts on an amazing show always, and now all the energy and sultry vocals are immortalized in this DVD. Valo's recently found sobrity is evident in the way he performs like never before, his energy is obvious and his voice is much clearer than previous shows. He truly puts on an interactive show engaging the crowd on such crowd-pleasers as "Poison Girl" dispite a case of the gigglefits.

(Special mention goes out to another Music DVD, because it was honestly a tie for first... the other best Music DVD release of the year would definitely have to be Suburban Legends' Poisonous Candy Factory. Both DVD's are reviewed in the Reviews section so check 'em out!)

Cake. On many levels... Cake. Said with purpose. Cake. Oh all right, I'll give you a bit of an explanation... while Travis (Friend of The Sound Faction and appointed Homeboy) was visiting Chicago for the aforementioned Best Concert of the Year, we had to wake up at an ungodly hour (4am) to pick up Manda and Sarah from the Grayhound Station (at 5am) When we got there, we were pretty bummed out to find that their bus had been delayed and they wouldn't get to the station for three more hours. Being the sleep-savvy people we are, we went back to our hotel room and zonked out for a few more hours to wait for them to arrive. While I was asleep I had the most random dream of dreams... We were all sitting around the hotel room, discussing our upcoming interview with the Suburban Legends (which was later that evening). We had put together a little Thank You goodie package for them with Sound Faction T-shirts, Ketchup Chips (which they had loved when they were in Toronto talking to Jen and Natty) and other little goodies. Well, dream-Travis stated that he had the "best idea of all time" and with a dramatic pause, he told us... "...Cake." Cake? yeah, Cake. Needless to say, when I woke up, I laughed at the silly dream, but the more I laughed about it, the better the idea was, so when we picked up Manda and Sarah at the bus station, Travis and I declared that we MUST in fact, put a cake in the goodie package for the Legends.

The cake went over well, a big 'ol sheet cake from Jewel, and we laughed about it for the rest of the weekend, and still even now we laugh about it. The Suburban Legends were pumped to discover cake in the bag, and we laughed even harder about it then. So I would say without hesitation that my favourite inside joke of the year is definitely cake.

(there are other inside jokes in fact INVOLVING cake... special mention to the Birthday Prom, Pretty Boys... and Cake)

Thomas Jefferson sitting on a bench in Merchants Square, with a writing desk, and thoughtfully staring out at the crowd. Seriously, that statue has caused me more heart jumps than anything else, especially at night. TJ should never be a menacing figure, but when he's cast in bronze, staring into space, he becomes one.

Toronto! 10 hours in a car (much of it through Quebec) with Caity, and our Ontario companion, Stumpy Weezemiester (a canadian happy meal toy we got after we crossed the Ontario boarder.) This trip is when we discovered that French directionals make great German techno, GPS directions can take you on Quebec back roads that suddenly aren't paved, and the epic quest to find Project Runway on DVD.

Madina Lake. At the Warped Tour in Toronto, the skies opened up, and the other SF girls and I got soaked, and another member of our party was scared of water (seriously, don't ask.) Things were looking pretty down for a bit, then we heard Madina Lake start their set, and raced towards the stage. That band managed to lift all of our moods, with their music and a beach ball. For that, they win at rainy concert life.

Katy Perry. Now reader, you may wonder why Katy Perry would get this honor, because all she does is sing catchy songs with "controversial" lyrics in vintage onsies. But, she has one attribute that makes her scary: her vapid staring eyes. She follows people with those eyes, for no reason. Those eye bore into you, and are quite scary. I wouldn't want to run into Katy Perry in a dark alley for anything.

While I wasn't there, because of a bout of mono, the best SF band moment of the year has to have been Vince Walker of Suburban Legands offering the SF crew fruit. Because who doesn't like a random banana or orange or apple out of the band's van? Vince, you single handedly upped the potassium, zinc, and fiber intake of every member there. Plus, you saved Travis from scurvy. This moment was random, yummy and nutritious, which is why it has to have been the best SF band moment of the year.

You know 2008 started off as a year like any other, however, that quickly changed early in the year when I met up with Jen to go see Silverstein. It was there that I was able to meet Manda (and see Laura again, YAY LAURA). It was at that point that life took a turn that I had been waiting for for so many years. It was when The Sound Faction was brought to life. I think in the beginning we were all extremely pumped and couldn't wait to get things started. We all wanted things to succeed but never did we think it would get as far as it has in such a short time. We never thought we would have a reader base that checks back all the time to see what we've been doing, and have people suggest bands that we should listen to. It's a surprise everyday to each one of us and not something that we take for granted at all. With the creation of The Sound Faction though, it brought one thing to life for all of us, a friendship that we didn't know existed. With this site I found four of my best friends. Four people whom I know no matter what I can count on for anything. What a great way to start a year huh?

What do we do when it rains? We mosh out to Madina Lake. Yes that's right the ladies of the Sound Faction don't let a little rain stop us (of course when it starts to hurt and threatens our safety then we flee). Warped Tour 2008 was an amazing time, for numerous reasons, one of them being that I got to hang out with Doc and Caity for the first time, and you had all us Sound Faction girls in one room (which can be dangerous by the way, just letting you know). It was the first time I got to see so many things, I got to see The Pink Spiders after waiting years, and actually finally got to talk to Matt Friction, which was a highlight of my life I have to tell you. I got to expose some non-The Academy Is fans to the band and get them to fall in love. I got over my deodorant issues (yes yes I did imagine that). I stood in long lines with people who made me laugh, smile and just enjoy life.

Well I guess you can relate this one to point number 2 up there, but at Warped us girls did a lot of promo, and little ole me went up to a man by the name of Paul and handed him our flyer and a button and he handed me a copy of a demo album, which I took gratefully and filled away for listening when I had some time. Well, I had some time, and I took the chance to listen to it and I feel in love with a little band called Teeter. After I contacted them for nothing more than an interview, we got the first chance to cover their album release party. Which to use was a huge opportunity. That night we had the best time, listening to some amazing music and getting to meet some amazing new people. Getting to share something amazing with the girls I love (of course we all wished Doc could have been there). I have to say thanks to finding out about Teeter, my eyes and ears have been opened to the Toronto music scene more than it ever has before.

You know how sometimes you keep hearing about an artist but you never really take the time to sit down and listen to them until a CD gets tossed in your lap and you finally make the time for them? Well that is what happened to me and Jack's Mannequin. I had always heard about Something Corporate but never actually listened to them, why you may ask, well I don't really have an answer for you on that. But, when I got The Glass Passenger passed to me I couldn't help but fall in love and when the chance came to interview Andrew about his music I was excited and nervous all in one shot. Mostly because I knew what he had been through and I didn't want to flub up the interview and make a mistake and bring up something that shouldn't have been brought up. However, the minute we sat down to talk it was like this window was open and the words just came so free and clear. This is a man that I can sit and talk to for hours and would never get tired of listening to him talk. He is on this whole other level when it comes to music and you can't help but be in awe of his courage and determination. I don't like comparing people to others, but I think you can say that Andrew is a modern age John Lennon. Getting to share 20 minutes with him was one of the highlights of my life that I will never forget.

Now for everyone who knows me, they know how big of a fan I am of Avenged Sevenfold. I mean heck I have the death bat tattooed on my back. The last time I saw them was in September of 2006, when I took a road trip to Ottawa and London to see them. I was supposed to see them on September 11 of this year but it got postponed and we had to wait till December 17. To say the wait was worth it would be a mild understatement, waiting out in the cold for over 6 hours to get inside, standing at the barricade and waiting for another 2 and then, the main event happened and my whole body shivered. It was even better than anything I had ever hoped for. I realized something that night; I will never wait that long again to see my favourite band ever again.

Well, there you have it, my top 5 moments of 2008. There are of course more and I could go on for pages and pages about the things that happened in 200, but these five are the ones that shaped my year and made my life come out bright and shining and ready for 2009.

After six months, two hospitals and having to re-learn how to walk, talk, chew and swallow, my cousin walked out of the hospital and back into his home for good. Now, everyone knows the story. I mention it a lot as it was something I would never wish to happen to anyone. Not even my worst enemy. And I'm sure I've mentioned how proud of Ken I am, but I think I have failed to mention that I am not only prod of Ken, but my whole family. My family means the world to me and 2008 put everyone in some of the worst situations, not just with Ken, but with the whole family and all of us have managed to keep our spirits high, our minds on the positive and grow closer and just be thankful for all the good that has come. Even if it meant something bad had to happen first.

2008 brought me so much closer to some people I met the year before, and it introduced me to some of the best friends I know I will have for the rest of ever. And now that I'm in Toronto and not the middle of ass-crack nowhere, girls nights and random shows are bound to happen all the friggin time (did you see what I did there? I snuck another one in!! OOOHHHH NOOZ!!!)

Oh, we took a chance. And it turned into one of the best moves we've made. Of course I'm talking about the chance we took with The Sound Faction. When Manda brought it up to me I had no doubt in my mind. At all. I wanted to do this. As did Natty. And we already knew Caity would be up for it. (I didn't know Doc was in on it until we started!) None of us expected to be where we are right now. It hasn't even been a year!! We can only hope it keeps going the way it is and we make so many more memories with it, as well as bring some fantastic bands to everyones' attention.

Okay, so I didn't cross the ocean, but I did cross SEVERAL huge ass bridges over some sketchy waters to see my favorite band in my first ‘out of country' show. And I am friggin terrified of bridges!! In April Manda, Natty, myself and our very good friend Laura headed to Detroit to see My Chemical Romance with Billy Talent and Drive by, not once but twice!! They were such amazing shows and the trip holds so many memories with some of my favorite people of life. My second ‘out of country' trip came when we made our way to Buffalo to see Leathermouth. Which was one of the best shows if ever gone to. Even if I did have to cross like, eight bridges to get there. Seriously, why?!

That is exactly what I plan on doing. I made a lit of things I wanted to do before I turned twenty-two. So I followed through with one of them. I said that I wanted to see fifty bands before I turned twenty-two. Well, I think I've seen over seventy. A lot of them in 2008! I know what you're thinking, Silly goal right? Well not for me. Music is my life. I can't remember a time when it wasn't. 2008 gave me some of the best opportunities to show everyone how much music means to me. I had so many dreams come true this past year. Not only did I get to see one of my favorite bands of five years, but I got to talk to the lead vocalist. Like actually have a conversation! I got to find out where a quote I live for, came from! Not only did I go to shows in Detroit and Buffalo, but I went with my best friends. I went to my first festival show in July. It downpoured, but the part I was there for was incredible! I didn't get to see two three of the five bands I went for, but one I'd seen before and the other two came back before the years end. And those shows were phenomenal! Hahaha, one of the funniest moments of Warped Tour was when Doc and I were waiting to get me Anberlin merch and no one was helping us, so we started plotting to just grab a shirt and throw the money at the guy because we had to leave...meanwhile Caity and Travis had like a UFC throw down in a giant puddle right beside us!!(LOL)

I fell for the first time in a mosh pit and even though I walked out looking like the grudge and was sick everywhere, it was such an intense memory that I will never forget!! Like, I was being sat on!! I got to attend so many amazing shows and meet so many great musicians, reps and new friends. Holy gosh, I even called a band during their sound check and we laughed about it!! I think that band has THE most inside jokes with everyone here at The Sound Faction. We truly love the Legends! The Sound Faction got to cover a CD release party. It was an epic amount of fun and we found some more great bands! One of my top memories was just the opportunities I've been given and the things I've experienced. I think the title just explains everything. I would rather live for today and the things that make me happy, like music, than live for the sake of living. “There's more to living than being alive.”

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