Well, This Is It (Maybe)

I don't know if you know, but this blog is a school project for Honors English and to be honest, I wasn't very excited to do it. I mean why would I want do more homework? But it actually has been fun. I have enjoyed writing about music and expressing what I love, and even though there's only a few of you, I am glad that some people with the same interests have found my blog. True, it was harder than I thought, there's been times where I had zero motivation to write, or I could not think of a quality topic, or both. Many times I have felt like all my post suck and that I am a disgrace to the music world but it worked out in the end, My posts are at least decent and not to brag, but I've been getting good grades too.

Now here we are at the end of my blogging journey and I take this time to reflect on myself (cheesy I know). I feel that I have grown so much in the past months as a writer. I have found "my voice"  as a writer and was able to write in such a way that it sounded as if I were talking to you the way I would in person instead of like a formal essay or something. The look of my blog as improved a lot too if you notice, as my first few posts look like crap but now my more recent ones look at least half way decent.

Now, seven months and 17 posts later, we come to our end. I am not sure if I am going to continue blogging after this project is over, but either way, I'm glad I'm glad that my teacher made me do this. I am glad that I got to rant about music and share my favorite songs and my passion for Fall Out Boy with you. It was fun sharing this stuff with people who actually enjoy it as much as I do.

Since this may or may not be my last post, I am going to recommend one last song for you. I don't know if you've noticed but I've been kind of obsessed with Foxes lately. So I am recommending her song Cruel. I really love this song because it's a fun pop song and I don't know why but the chorus is really fun to sing along too.

Patrick sending thanks
( photo via justfalloutboythings)

It's been fun, thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Maybe I'll see you in a while. :)

A Rookies Survival Guide to Concerts

So I've been to a lot of concerts including Bastille, Panic! At The Disco, Twenty One Pilots, Fall Out Boy, Ed Sheeran, etc. I think this makes me qualified to give some rookies some advice on how to survive a concert or music festival.

Concerts: What to bring and how to survive

Fully charged phone with plenty of storage space - this is essential. If you're anything like me, you want to document the amazing time you had and that means taking lots of pictures and videos. Make sure your phone is fully charged because taking videos drains the power fast, and make sure that you have plenty of storage so you don't have delete apps in the middle of the concert to make space for your photos.

Ear Plugs - I know what you're thinking, ear plugs are for the weak, I thought that too. But then my first concert I was stuck right in front of the speakers and I couldn't hear properly for 2 days. Concerts are loud and your ears might need a rest so do yourself a favor and and buy some $2 ear plugs.

Money, and lots of it - You are going to want to buy some merch, I can guarantee it. Concert t-shirts usually cost between $30 - $50, so save up. Sweatshirts, posters, hats, etc are also available for sale, so I would bring about $80 just to be safe.

Now that we have the essentials, you're going to want to keep your phone and money in your front pocket. This makes it so it’s hard to be pick pocketed, and that happens a lot at concerts, so keep your mula safe.

I recommend getting to the concert an hour - 3 hours early. This is so you can get some good merch and if  you're in the mosh pit or have general admission you  can get a good spot right in front of the stage. Speaking of merch, get it before the concerts starts. You want to do this because it sells out fast and after the concert you probably don't want to stick around in a long line to buy a t-shirt.

Have fun! Once the concert starts, don't give a crap about what people might think of you. Sing as loud as you want and break out some dance moves, just don't be that person everyone wants to kill, there is always someone who just doesn't make the concert fun for everyone.

Concert Fun ( photo via Intel)

Music Festivals: How to survive

To be honest, I've only been to one music festival, but I learned a lot. It's like a concert times 7. You're going to want to bring what you would a concert, plus a little extra. Before you go, check the weather, most festivals are outside. Don't be afraid to bring a rain jacket and warm coat, at my festival it was raining/snowing, so dress appropriately, I know you might think it’s uncool to wear a coat to a festival, but it’s uncool to freezing cold too.

You're going to have to deal with a bunch of weirdos at festivals, no avoiding it. There is almost always beer being sold somewhere so you might run into a few drunk people, just ignore them and get as far away as possible from them. And to be honest, you might get a beer thrown at you, I did and my hair smelled like cheap beer the rest of the night, so just be prepared.

There will be merch being sold, so I would go buy some while a band you don't know/like is playing. There will usually be less people in the line and it's nice to get out of your seat/the pit for a while. In fact, there are usually booths around so feel free to explore them, it's pretty fun.

I hope this was helpful! Just make sure to have fun at your concert or festival and it will turn out to be awesome.

Say It Wrong And I Will Slap You

It has come to my attention that some people do not know the correct names of bands and/or the correct names of the musicians. This is probably one of my biggest pet peeves and if I hear someone say a band the wrong name I literally have to restrain myself from slapping them. With that in mind, I have made it my mission to explain to you good people the correct names of a band and its members so you don't have to get slapped.

First off, there is Panic! At The Disco. The most common mistake people make is leaving out the '!' in the title. Why is this a big deal? Because people are panicking! At the disco. The real reason behind the '!' though, is that when they first started the band, Panic! At The Disco put the exclamation point in the title once as a joke and fans kept on using it until it stuck. So remember kids, keep that exclamation point in.

Still on the subject of Panic! At The Disco, let's talk about their lead singer, Brendon Urie. Let's repeat his name a couple of times: Brendon Urie, Brendon Urie, Brendon Urie. Got it memorized? Good, because another common mistake people make is calling Brendon either Brandon or Braden and it is annoying and that is not his real name. Remember: it's Brendon Urie.

Concerning Twenty One Pilots, most people for some reason think it's written with the number '21' but it is in fact, spelled out so it reads "Twenty One Pilots" and not "21 Pilots." People also abbreviate it to "21p" when it is simply "top." Don't ask me why Josh Dun and Tyler Joseph decided to make their title that way, all I know is that it's supposed to be said correctly.

Now we have Fall Out Boy, glorious Fall Out Boy. I can't tell you how many times I've seen some imbecile spells it "Fallout Boy", "Fall Out Boys," and the worst, "Fallout Boys." It drives me crazy, and people know it. My best friend finds joy in torturing me with misspellings and it pains me to have to read such abominations. Here is conversation we had recently:

 

My friend torturing me
(via my phone)

It is "My Chemical Romance" not "My Chemical Romans." It's "Blink 182" not "Blink 182 Times," it is not "Black Veil Birds" it is "Black Veil Brides." Please, people of this earth, if you have a shred of decency you will write these names correctly and spare me and my fellow music nerds the pain of seeing it the wrong way, and spare yourself the pain of getting slapped by me.

On that note, hope you all have a fantastic day! :)

What Even Is Music?

So I mean music is pretty cool, like if you think about it, music is literally different vibration frequencies fighting against each other and for some weird reason humans enjoy it. And it is also weird because we are able create and alter these sound waves the way we want to to create something new, and sometimes we even use our own voices to make these sound waves.

Sound Wave (via Electric Design)

Another reason why music is weird is because its has been around for 40,000 years, and it has changes so much but so little at the same time. The first musical instrument was a flute made of birds bones, and though we no longer carve our modern flutes out of bones, we still use them today. And that's not the only one. We use drums and harps and lutes and many other instruments, and though they have evolved they are still the same! That's crazy!

And then there is the fact that there are so many different types of music: grunge, punk, indie, classical, K-pop, etc, etc. All these different genres sound so different and yet they are made up of the same instruments and technology and vibration waves. And for some reason these waves are are sometimes appealing to the human brain and sometimes we just can't stand it. Is that not just the weirdest thing to think about? The sound hits our ears, travels to our cochlea, which then hits these tiny hair cells that send electric signals to our brain and it there our brain decides whether we like the music or not. If you want more information on this, you can go here.

But it goes beyond that. The sounds that are produced from our mouths, the sounds that humans use to communicate, they can go as far as saving someone's life, literally. There are so many people who have connected to the lyrics of the music they love so much and it helps them get through bad times, some worse than others, but bad times all the same. Some people don't understand how much music can mean to someone, and as I've mentioned in a previous post, you should not insult someone's music because you have no idea how much it means to them.

One last amazing this about music is that it is fun to dance to. I don't care if you are the worst dancer on the planet because either way you know you secretly love to dance, especially when it's a great song playing. A personal favorite of mine is Wannabe by The Spice Girls. An ultimate goal of mine is to get a video of my entire water polo team dancing to it because let's be honest, that would be some amazing crap.

That’s all I have to say on this subject for now, but I might come back to it because it is one I am very passionate about. Thanks for reading! :-)

All Music Is Music

Hello good people of the world and welcome to my rant. Yes, I am going to rant about music because I see a lot of crap in the music world and I have something to say about it. (DISCLAIMER: This post is person opinions and there no scientifically proven facts except for the fact that everyone likes Taylor Swift a little bit and even that one isn't very scientific).

People, you need to understand that just because you don't like a genre of music or a band or song, it doesn't mean its bad. Compare music to food. You have pizza, which almost everyone loves. Pizza is like Taylor Swift because no matter how much you deny it, you kind of like her music at least a little bit. Now take cheese, some people like it some people don't. Cheese is like rap music because there are people who love it people who would rather listen to Adele. Then you have a strange food like eggplants. How can someone like eggplants? Well this food is like Justin Bieber. You think that no one would like it, but people do, they're just hiding.
You might be wondering what this has to do with anything. Well your brain is like your tongue. Some  music is appealing to your taste buds while other music isn't your favorite but you'll still listen to it and there are just some music genres that taste sour and bitter to you. But heres the secret: just because you don't like it doesn't mean its bad.
What's that? You didn't hear me? Let me repeat myself. JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE IT DOESN'T MEAN ITS BAD MUSIC.

All Music Is Beautiful
(Via Sleek Cover)

There are so many people out there that give other people a ton of crap because they think their music taste is crap. Well you know what? What if that person doesn't like John Cena and you do? How would you feel if they started telling you that John Cena was crap and not real music? I would be mad as heck (you have no idea how I react when someone insults Fall Out Boy).
Why can't we all just accept the fact that our brains work differently and not all music is appealing to us? This leads me to another point: if you show someone a song you like and they don't like it, don't be mean to them. So what if that person doesn't like a Adele's amazing and revolutionary work of art? They can't control the fact that they don't have a good taste in music. I'M TOTALLY KIDDING. Like  I said before, people have different tastes in music and that's okay.

My fellow music junkies, we are all here for the same reason, because we love music. So let us come together in one big punk-grunge-rap-country-pop-classical-rock and roll-hip hop-dubstep hug and share our love with one another. Let's remember why we love music and not why we hate some music, because all music is music.

She's Not Sleeping Beauty, But Might As Well Be

Recently, my friend has introduced me to this Norwegian singer called AURORA (yes she spells it in all caps). Needless to say I've become obsessed with her music and thought I would share my love for her with you.

A BRIEF HISTORY

Aurora Aksnes, her stage name AURORA, was born in 1996 in Bergen, Norway. She first discovered music when she found an electric piano in her parents attic. At the age of 1O, she began writing her own songs, and her mother encouraged her to play her music publicly.

AURORA
(Photo Courtesy of wfuv.org)

She released her first single Under The Stars in 2014, followed by her single Runaway in February 2015. She received attention from pop star Katy Perry, who later made an appearance at one of AURORA'S shows in LA. AURORA then released her EP Running With The Wolves in April 2015. After a massive amount of attention from Radio One, Radio Two, and many other national BBC radio stations, she released two other singles called Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) in September of 2015 and Half The World Away in November 2015. AURORA plans to release her debut album Winter Bird in February 2016.


WHY I LOVE HER
There are many reasons why I love AURORA, but I think the main reason is, like the Broods, is because of the lyrics. They speak so much meaning to me and I can relate to them as well. My favorite song by her is Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1). There is something about the simple lyrics that gets to me every time I listen to it. I also love melody because its just so simple but powerful at the same time. My second favorite song by her, Running With The Wolves is amazing too. My favorite part about the song is the beat and melody. It's kind of upbeat but calm at the same time, leaving this satisfying feeling like to one you get after a long run. The lyrics of course, are amazing as well. Like all the others, they are well thought out and really work and flow together.
Another reason why I love AURORA so much is because of her voice. Her Norwegian accent sounds so cool with her music. It's also how deep her voice is too. It's not too deep, it's almost right between being a soprano and alto. Not deep, but not high either. Her voice complements her lyrics very nicely and I feel like if some else tried to sing her songs they just wouldn't sound nearly as beautiful.


MUSIC
ALBUMS:
- Awakening - Single
- Under The Stars - Single
- Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) - Single
- Running With The Wolves EP
- Half The World Away - Single

SONGS:
- Awakening
- Under The Stars
- Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)
- Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) [Acoustic]
- Runaway
- Running With The Wolves
- In Boxes
- Little Boy In The Grass
- Half The World Away

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Please please check our AURORA I promise you won't be disappointed. :)

Twenty One Pilots Blast

Recently I have had the pleasure of seeing the amazing band Twenty One Pilots live, and I can honestly say it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. They were so interactive with the crowd and they were so amazing live.
But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself, let me start from the beginning.

OPENING BANDS
The band to open are called Finish Ticket. They were really good and interactive with the crowd, bringing a good vibe and great music. My personal favorite song that they played was off their EP called When Night Becomes Day.

Finish Ticket
(Photo Cred)

The second band to open was Echosmith, you may recognize their hit song Cool Kids. They were really good as well. They were amazing live, and interacted with the crowd a lot as well. They closed with Cool Kids and it was amazing having everyone sing along to that amazing song. In the middle of the song, the lead singer Sydney Picks began talking to the crowd, telling us that we don't have to fit into labels to be a cool kid.

Echosmith
(Photo Cred)

TWENTY ONE PILOTS

Twenty One Pilots
(Photo Cred)

Finally, the moment we've all been waiting for: Twenty One Pilots. They were amazing. Josh Dun played the drums like none other, and no one can make playing a ukulele while "rapping" seem cool like Tyler Joseph.
The opening song was Heavydirtysoul, and they couldn't have opened with a better one. While Josh played the drums and Tyler the tambourine, the audience sang their hearts out to the chorus.
After a few songs of pure awesomeness, Tyler began talking to us, like really talking to us. It wasn't just the normal rehearsed stuff that they say at every concert, no, this was just for us.  He began talking to us about how the Saltair, where the concert was, was the most interesting venue he had ever been to, seeing how its right next to the Great Salt Lake in Utah. He then said that he doesn't really like to talk in between songs as he thinks that it ruins the vibe, but that he just couldn't stop because we were so amazing and felt that he needed to just interact with us.
After that, they began playing , and during one of the songs (forgive me I can't remember it was a long show) Josh got down off the drums and came over to stand on the piano with Tyler, and did a freaking backflip off it! What!? It was by far one of the best things that happened that night.
During The Run And Go, Tyler told us to go to the person next to us, whether they be a friend, cousin, brother, complete stranger, and get work out who would be getting on the other persons shoulders when he said "get up." It was amazing to see half the audience on each others shoulders.
More songs, more awesomeness, and then they invited this kid named Jacob to do the handshake from the Stressed Out music video with Josh and they totally killed it. (Jacob you lucky little child.)
Now, the time has come for the concert to come to an end (sadly.) So what song do they choose to end with? Trees. It was amazing, awesome, brilliant, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Words can not describe it. And the best part? Josh and Tyler both played the drums, while the mosh pit held them up!

Josh Dun and Tyler Joseph being held up by the audience while playing the closing song
(Photo Cred)

I highly doubt that any other band can do something as awesome as this, because it was freaking amazing.
Then it was over, even though no one wanted it to end. It is a concert that I will never forget because it was a blast.

Thanks, Twenty One Pilots, you're the best :)