WKNC 88.1 FM - North Carolina State University Student RadioAlt rock and grunge lover.
It is officially that time of year: Spotify Wrapped has been released. This event is a much anticipated one by many a Spotify listener and I have decided to share my wrapped, unedited. Some of these songs have explicit content, so fair warning to everyone.
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Another day, another dollar, another “DJ Dragonfly’s Favorites.”
The end of the semester is upon us but that isn’t stopping me from keeping this series going. This month, my tastes seem all over the place. As the temperature cools and the days grow shorter, my music tastes usually grow more distorted. I move away from the upbeat indie beachy Summer-y feel to a more alternative rock, grungey, nu metal feel. Despite this, I have quite a few choices in this playlist that do not fit into that box. So without further ado, the playlist. Some of these songs have explicit content, so fair warning to everyone.
When it comes to anything in life, we tend to have our patterns. Whether it is our favorite foods, movies, activities or music, no matter how broad our tastes, there are patterns. That being said, we often have things we enjoy that are outside of our usual patterns. At times, there are things we enjoy for which we might be ashamed.
Some examples of this might be horror movie fans being into wholesome Disney films, science fiction fans liking chick flicks, quiet and calm people loving adrenaline inducing activities and so on.
CONTENT WARNING: This review, film and/or soundtrack contains themes of sex, murder and infidelity.
I am back with another musical review. This one has a very strong basis on jazz and tells a story of fear of missing out. Let’s get into it.
“Chicago” was originally a play written by Maurine Dallas Watkins in the 1920s. The play was meant to be a satirical interpretation of a pair of unrelated murder cases at the time involving two women who were eventually acquitted. The play was brought to Broadway in 1926 but is now referred to as “Play Ball,” so as to avoid confusion with the more modern musical. About 50 years later, the play was picked up and reimagined for a Broadway musical in 1975. In 2002, the story came to the screens starring Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Queen Latifah and Richard Gere.
I was recently asked how I prepare for a vocal performance. I realized that there are probably other people who are also looking for tips and tricks to prepare for a vocal performance so here you go.
As my regular readers know, I play in a band in Raleigh. I play rhythm guitar and lead vocals in an alternative rock and grunge band. That being said, I have a variety of vocal styles I have to incorporate. Some noteworthy artists would be Layne Staley of Alice in Chains, Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Audioslave, Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries and most recently Leigh Nash of Sixpence None The Richer. As you can see, these four people have vastly different styles. It is also worth noting that I am an alto with a smoother voice but I like to incorporate vocal fries, flips and I’m even learning to scream.
Ever been out in public and see an adorable dog jauntily bounding beside their owner in a snazzy vest with the words “Do Not Pet” on the side? That, my friend, is a service animal.
As someone with a service animal, I thought I’d explain what service animals are, their various purposes and talk about how to properly approach a situation with a service animal.
It’s finally October and sadly it’s coming to an end. With that comes the next monthly “DJ Dragonfly’s Favorites.”
I know that I am not alone in saying that this month has been a rough one. With all the midterms, fall activities and the sun setting earlier and earlier, tensions have been high. I have personally been falling back on comfort and so many of my favorites this month have been repetitive of the last couple months. That being said, I tried to compile a list of songs that I think accurately measure my favorites this month, excluding repeats. Some of these songs have explicit content, so fair warning to everyone.
This month, I feel I have a dichotomy of nu metal or heavy distortion and indie or high reverb feel in my playlist. I like to think there is a gradient especially with all the Halloween playlists I have been working on lately. I believe a couple of the songs in the playlist are kind of Halloween-esque, such as “Oh Klahoma” by Jack Stauber.
I have a couple other songs that I had recently been reminded of and haven’t been able to stop listening to. One example would be “Deceptacon” by Le Tigre. The other night, I was taking my lovely dog Daphne out and I overheard a car passing by with this song blasting. I hadn’t heard the song in ages and decided I needed to listen to it right then and there. Thus, the song has become one of DJ Dragonfly’s October Favorites.
Another example might be “Suffragette City” by David Bowie. I was also reminded of this song as it was playing in a TV show I was watching. I couldn’t just let that song slide. I needed to start listening to it again. That honestly led to a spiral of Bowie songs which of course led me to now want to rewatch “Labyrinth” from 1986. I suppose I have my evening plans. I hope everyone enjoys this months’ selections.
Daylight savings time has come to its timely close, on Halloweekend no less. While I’m sure many of us enjoyed and appreciated that extra hour Saturday night, there are many more changes still to come.
The days are colder and the nights are longer. The sun is setting earlier and earlier every day and with that comes many an annual affliction. Aside from the flu and getting paler, seasonal depression comes a-knockin’.
Officially referred to as seasonal affective disorder, this silent criminal of good feelings is not an all or nothing affair. There are many ways to combat the seasonal sadness most tend to feel around this time of year and so I have decided to compile a list for anyone in need.
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We are officially in the middle of the fall semester. That can only mean one thing: midterms. I can’t speak for everyone, but most everyone I know, present company included, have been drowning in exams, projects, presentations and extracurricular activities. The most prevalent feelings I have observed in myself and others have been stress. That being said, I think it’s high time I did another mental health check in.
With it feeling like everything is happening all at the same time, I want to provide a guide for how to deal with the stress and how to get through this dreaded period of the semester.
CONTENT WARNING: This review, film and/or soundtrack contains themes of sexual expression, violence, assault and conspiracy.
Around this time of year, hundreds of movie theatres across the country host midnight screenings of cult classic, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” While I have yet to actually go to one of these events, I have seen the movie numerous times. I love the film and feel like it is rightfully a cult classic.