"Music is what feelings sound like." - Unknown.
Fuse's Much Music Video Awards premiered live last night. Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch the whole show, turning off the TV at 10:30 because, after a long day of walking SPCA dogs that weighed twice as much as I do in the sun for three hours, I was exhausted. (Plus I had to get up early and do it all over again the next day.)
But I managed to sit through Miley Cyrus stiffly co-host, and parade around in a bikini-type top and short shorts that seemed painted-on with a random bandana around her head, and watch performances by Miley, Marianas Trench, and Adam Lambert. (I know I'm forgetting SOMEBODY...)
I also noticed Justin Bieber winning two awards; Best International Canadian Music Video, and Video of the Year. (I may be wrong about the categories - I was making myself a snack during this time :p ) And this is the question that stuck in my head as I watched Justin win his second award - How did this... /kid/ beat out someone like Drake?
Drake's good. He's not the best, but he is a helluva lot better than Justin is. So how did he lose?
And I as I watched a couple of more minutes I had my answer in the form of the little black bottomline displaying texts the stars sent from offstage and tweets or texts from fans themselves. The answer? Girls.
Isn't that always the answer? 99% of the time boys and men do /anything/, it's to impress the girl they're currently into. Male musicians like Justin Beiber target girls (usually aged 9-16) and try to lure them in by their cheezy, meaningless lyrics and their looks.
And the girls? They fall for it. Currently teens and pre-teens across the country are listening to Justin's songs (i.e - "Baby", "One Time", and "Eenie Meenie") and falling under the spell of "Bieber Fever".
And boy does it spread fast. I personally can't go past a magazine rack or surf through iTunes without a headline screaming about Justin's new single, new girlfriend, new /haircut/. And while I'm personally sick of it, I can just imagine how many girls pore through this stuff, searching for any and every piece of info on their beloved Justin. And they, in turn, post MORE stuff they find out.
The thing the personally irks me the most is that I don't think Justin deserves all the recognition. I mean really, what's he done? Spouted some words about love and got big-name rappers to sing with him. When I first saw him on a music video I seriously thought he just won a fan contest to sing with a star. Imagine my shock to find he actually was A) sixteen B) the song was /his/ C) had fans. But that's besides the point.
Bieber fans, if you're reading this, I would like to congratulate you. You've turned a nobody into a big-name star who will probably get a role in a Disney movie somewhere and get even more annoyingly famous, casting the lesser-known stars that are probably better than him but will sometimes never get the chance to show it even further in the dark.
For those of you who stubbornly cling to musicians like Drake and were more excited for Marianas Trench and Katy Perry (yes! I remembered!) then Justin and Miley, I applaud you and I will be forever grateful. And while I know that when Justin's gone, another floppy-haired, brown eyed kid while replace him, leading an entirely new fanbase, it comforts me to know that you'll still be there rocking out.
Peace* :)
Monday, June 21, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Track: 04
"I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music."
- Billy Joel
Music helps get my mind off things. I can pass the whole day in a seething cloud of fury, but the second I pull my iPod out, all is ok again. My headphones seal me off from everyone. They take me to my 'happy place' if you will. Music is generally one of the only things that can change my emotions in such a short period of time.
The best feeling ever is the one you get when you hear a song that you haven't heard in a really long time played again. It's like meeting an old friend after a couple of years.
So today my friend and I finally put the finishing touches on our music video. We had to do a project for one of our classes to incorporate writing and images together, so we decided to do a music video to the song Airplanes by B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams, the lead singer of Paramore.
My friend played the part of B.o.B while I played Hayley Williams, with red hair extensions and everything. (Unfortunately, dying my hair red completely was not an option.) But yeah the best part of the video is pretty much one of the scenes at the end, where the song is winding down. My friend and I jump into a very, very large puddle that formed after an intense, five-minute rain storm. It's my favorite scene because of how the song kind of has this whole optimistic feel to it and I think that scene just matches it perfectly.
We get to see the final product tomorrow and I can't wait to see how it turned out.
The theme of this post is pretty much emotions and the effect music has on people. I kind of feel the need to dedicate a song to one of my friends who's going through a pretty tough time right now. He gets a shoutout because I can't really help in any other way.
So I hope this (somewhat) makes you feel better.
(This is only a part of it, but listen to the whole thing and just get lost in it. Listen to what the words say and how they make you feel.)
"I thought that I was over you
But it's true, so true
I love you even more than I did before
But darling, what can I do?"
- Crying, Roy Orbison.
That song is actually pretty short, that's why the quote from it is so short.
Either way, dude. I hope it helps.
Anyone reading this, keep this song in mind if you're going through something like that. Turn the music up, blare it in your car, your room, or your headphones wherever. Think about the message and maybe the song will help.
Peace*
- Billy Joel
Music helps get my mind off things. I can pass the whole day in a seething cloud of fury, but the second I pull my iPod out, all is ok again. My headphones seal me off from everyone. They take me to my 'happy place' if you will. Music is generally one of the only things that can change my emotions in such a short period of time.
The best feeling ever is the one you get when you hear a song that you haven't heard in a really long time played again. It's like meeting an old friend after a couple of years.
So today my friend and I finally put the finishing touches on our music video. We had to do a project for one of our classes to incorporate writing and images together, so we decided to do a music video to the song Airplanes by B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams, the lead singer of Paramore.
My friend played the part of B.o.B while I played Hayley Williams, with red hair extensions and everything. (Unfortunately, dying my hair red completely was not an option.) But yeah the best part of the video is pretty much one of the scenes at the end, where the song is winding down. My friend and I jump into a very, very large puddle that formed after an intense, five-minute rain storm. It's my favorite scene because of how the song kind of has this whole optimistic feel to it and I think that scene just matches it perfectly.
We get to see the final product tomorrow and I can't wait to see how it turned out.
The theme of this post is pretty much emotions and the effect music has on people. I kind of feel the need to dedicate a song to one of my friends who's going through a pretty tough time right now. He gets a shoutout because I can't really help in any other way.
So I hope this (somewhat) makes you feel better.
(This is only a part of it, but listen to the whole thing and just get lost in it. Listen to what the words say and how they make you feel.)
"I thought that I was over you
But it's true, so true
I love you even more than I did before
But darling, what can I do?"
- Crying, Roy Orbison.
That song is actually pretty short, that's why the quote from it is so short.
Either way, dude. I hope it helps.
Anyone reading this, keep this song in mind if you're going through something like that. Turn the music up, blare it in your car, your room, or your headphones wherever. Think about the message and maybe the song will help.
Peace*
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Track: 03
"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." - Berthold Auerbach
How many times has this happened to you - you're sitting somewhere, minding your own business, listening to music (whether it be your iPod or the radio, it doesn't matter.) When suddenly, a really catchy song comes on. You listen to it once, but then the chorus stays in your head the WHOLE rest of the day.
The worst part is that what stays in your head isn't the whole song itself, but just one section of the song replaying over and over again, like background music you can't turn off.
This usually happens to me, when I listen to a really repetitive pop song on the radio somewhere. But today is the first time that a song that I can't get out of my head has been a showtune. Now, when I get a song stuck in my head, it usually pops up in random moments and I usually hum part of it to myself or just in my head quietly.
But really, how many showtunes can be hummed, let alone quietly?
So here I was, not really paying attention to what I was doing, when I realized my friends were giving me weird looks. Turns out, I'd been belting out lyrics to Wicked's 'Defying Gravity' the entire time.
Ooops.
But really, whipping out the duct tape was not needed. That high note was not that loud. :)
Peace*
How many times has this happened to you - you're sitting somewhere, minding your own business, listening to music (whether it be your iPod or the radio, it doesn't matter.) When suddenly, a really catchy song comes on. You listen to it once, but then the chorus stays in your head the WHOLE rest of the day.
The worst part is that what stays in your head isn't the whole song itself, but just one section of the song replaying over and over again, like background music you can't turn off.
This usually happens to me, when I listen to a really repetitive pop song on the radio somewhere. But today is the first time that a song that I can't get out of my head has been a showtune. Now, when I get a song stuck in my head, it usually pops up in random moments and I usually hum part of it to myself or just in my head quietly.
But really, how many showtunes can be hummed, let alone quietly?
So here I was, not really paying attention to what I was doing, when I realized my friends were giving me weird looks. Turns out, I'd been belting out lyrics to Wicked's 'Defying Gravity' the entire time.
Ooops.
But really, whipping out the duct tape was not needed. That high note was not that loud. :)
Peace*
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Track: 02
“I think all of us, at some point early on in our lives, knew that we wanted to create music. We are still really young and sometimes we do feel like we have to prove we're as great as all the rest of the bands -old and young. But we just do what we love and people seem to be really excited about it.” - Hayley Williams, lead singer of Paramore.
So the other day I was wearing my Paramore shirt that my brother got me for my birthday. The shirt read
'Paramore
It's Worth Fighting For'
One of my friends notices this, and tells me that she doesn't believe that. She doesn't think Paramore is worth fighting for.
Now normally this wouldn't have bothered me, because everyone has their own tastes and their own reasons for disliking something. But when I asked her why, my friend told me that Paramore was selling out their identity as a band and weren't "as good as they were before."
So I did my research and while yes, some people believe that Paramore is somewhat mainstream with their singles 'crushcrushcrush' and 'Misery Business,' they wouldn't go as far as say they were sellouts.
I'll agree that some singles from all three albums have a mainstream feel to them, but I struggle to grasp where my friend got her idea from.
Paramore's first album 'All We Know Is Falling' established them as a rock band, although they don't practice a lot of "bad" habits other rock bands do. The members of Paramore establish themselves as Christian, but deny the "Christian Rock" label. When interviewed on Fuse's Total Access: Paramore, Hayley Williams talks about their tradition of praying before shows, and admits regretting the physical lack of church time while on tour.
From the very beginning, Hayley Williams, along with Josh and Zac Farro, Taylor York, and Jeremy Davis have written and performed songs that have a meaning. For them, it's not 'sex, drugs, and rock and roll.' Their lyrics have expressed their feelings on anything from their personal lives to just hanging out with friends.
In the Fuse interview, Hayley Williams explained how the first Paramore album, All We Know Was Falling was based mostly on her and the band's feelings to losing one of their band members (Jeremy Davis) early on because of 'personal reasons'. The song 'All We Know' was written in his honor, later becoming the title for the album. Williams also expressed herself in the 2009 single from Brand New Eyes, "Ignorance." She says that the song was just her side of the story with what happened during her relationship with Josh Farro.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is that Paramore has been pretty consistant. They tend to play around with different styles of music, they do keep their original sound in.
In my opinion, Paramore hasn't sold out. They haven't changed just to please the masses, generating catchy pop tunes to be played constantly on the radio.
So far Paramore's stayed true to who they are and what they want to come across to other people as.
If you agree with my friend about Paramore selling out, feel free.
If you still haven't made up your mind yet, that's okay too. Don't be too hasty and maybe do a little more research before you pick a side.
Peace*
PS - This has been on my mind since it happened (two hours ago) and I still feel bad.
Dude, I really wish I could apologize again but there's nothing I can really say anymore.
"Don't bide your time
'Cause it is almost over
And I know you're down
And I'll see you around" - I'm Sorry, Blink182
So the other day I was wearing my Paramore shirt that my brother got me for my birthday. The shirt read
'Paramore
It's Worth Fighting For'
One of my friends notices this, and tells me that she doesn't believe that. She doesn't think Paramore is worth fighting for.
Now normally this wouldn't have bothered me, because everyone has their own tastes and their own reasons for disliking something. But when I asked her why, my friend told me that Paramore was selling out their identity as a band and weren't "as good as they were before."
So I did my research and while yes, some people believe that Paramore is somewhat mainstream with their singles 'crushcrushcrush' and 'Misery Business,' they wouldn't go as far as say they were sellouts.
I'll agree that some singles from all three albums have a mainstream feel to them, but I struggle to grasp where my friend got her idea from.
Paramore's first album 'All We Know Is Falling' established them as a rock band, although they don't practice a lot of "bad" habits other rock bands do. The members of Paramore establish themselves as Christian, but deny the "Christian Rock" label. When interviewed on Fuse's Total Access: Paramore, Hayley Williams talks about their tradition of praying before shows, and admits regretting the physical lack of church time while on tour.
From the very beginning, Hayley Williams, along with Josh and Zac Farro, Taylor York, and Jeremy Davis have written and performed songs that have a meaning. For them, it's not 'sex, drugs, and rock and roll.' Their lyrics have expressed their feelings on anything from their personal lives to just hanging out with friends.
In the Fuse interview, Hayley Williams explained how the first Paramore album, All We Know Was Falling was based mostly on her and the band's feelings to losing one of their band members (Jeremy Davis) early on because of 'personal reasons'. The song 'All We Know' was written in his honor, later becoming the title for the album. Williams also expressed herself in the 2009 single from Brand New Eyes, "Ignorance." She says that the song was just her side of the story with what happened during her relationship with Josh Farro.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is that Paramore has been pretty consistant. They tend to play around with different styles of music, they do keep their original sound in.
In my opinion, Paramore hasn't sold out. They haven't changed just to please the masses, generating catchy pop tunes to be played constantly on the radio.
So far Paramore's stayed true to who they are and what they want to come across to other people as.
If you agree with my friend about Paramore selling out, feel free.
If you still haven't made up your mind yet, that's okay too. Don't be too hasty and maybe do a little more research before you pick a side.
Peace*
PS - This has been on my mind since it happened (two hours ago) and I still feel bad.
Dude, I really wish I could apologize again but there's nothing I can really say anymore.
"Don't bide your time
'Cause it is almost over
And I know you're down
And I'll see you around" - I'm Sorry, Blink182
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Track: 01
Introduction
"Music is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture." - Wikipedia
That's the original, no-nonsense textbook definition of music. If you knew that, well good for you. Give yourself a pat on the back.
For those of you who didn't know the meaning, no sweat. Now you know.
Maybe you're like me, who never really believed that knowing the meaning of the word is as important as actually having music mean something to you. Physically. Emotionally. Mentally.
This blog is music. It means a lot to me, and hopefully if you read this, it'll mean a little something to you too.
thanx
peace*
"Music is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture." - Wikipedia
That's the original, no-nonsense textbook definition of music. If you knew that, well good for you. Give yourself a pat on the back.
For those of you who didn't know the meaning, no sweat. Now you know.
Maybe you're like me, who never really believed that knowing the meaning of the word is as important as actually having music mean something to you. Physically. Emotionally. Mentally.
This blog is music. It means a lot to me, and hopefully if you read this, it'll mean a little something to you too.
thanx
peace*
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