Content Warning: This album contains some explicit language.
Most Popular:
- “Anime Intro“
- “Fine!”
- “Sober“
Personal Favorites:
- “Anime Intro”
- “Fine!”
- “Sober”
- “THE HUNT”
- “My Caustic Ego”
- “Babe ur So Exciting”
Alt rock and grunge lover.
Content Warning: This album contains some explicit language.
Have you ever thought to yourself, “Where can I go to see the artists before they become popular?” There are many venues, big and small, all around the NC State and Raleigh area. I’m going to focus on the latter: small house venues.
When we think of the legends of Rock n’ Roll, some of the names listed might be Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Plant, Mick Jagger, Axel Rose, Slash, Eddie Van Halen, Jon Bon Jovi or Kurt Cobain. A simple Google search would show mostly men popping up. I checked and found only two results with any women. Unfortunately, this isn’t surprising. Music, especially rock, has tended to be a male dominated field.
“I grew up in a world that told girls they couldn’t play rock and roll.” – Joan Jett
Since her statement, there have been many noteworthy and successful women in the rock music scene. Sadly, there is still a long way to go. As a woman in the rock music scene, I find it particularly important to have someone to look up to and to be inspired by.
I made a playlist with some bands of various popularity and time periods who have women in strong roles. Many of these bands have women in the front-person or singer’s position but not all. I’ve included women as drummers, bassists, guitarists, keyboardists and even fiddle/violin players.
Content Warning: Some of these songs have explicit content
We all have our good and bad days. Some days, you feel like skipping down the street or singing in the shower while others make you feel like the whole world is against you.
Oftentimes when I’m feeling the former, I like to listen to happy and upbeat music. I like to be embraced and supported by similar energies. A good example of this would be “Walking On Sunshine” by Katrina & The Waves.
When it comes to feeling the latter, what should one listen to? If someone is sad and down in the dumps, should they listen to “Washing Machine Heart” by Mitski? Likewise if someone is upset or angry, should they listen to “Bleed the Freak” by Alice in Chains? Would it be better to listen to someone happy and upbeat to facilitate that emotion?
Whether English or Spanish or Swahili or Japanese, learning a new language is always going to be a challenge. One of the best ways to help with language learning is to immerse oneself in media content with that language being the primary.
CONTENT WARNING: This review, film and/or soundtrack contains themes of war, sexual expression, illicit drugs and racial inequality.
Musicals: some love them, some hate them. I can’t claim to be a big fan of musicals until we get to the specific category of old musicals. “Hair” would fall under this category.
“Hair” started as an off-Broadway musical in 1967 and moved to Broadway the following year. Later the musical was released on film in 1979 with the same title. This story is an anti-war drama with comedy sprinkled in and follows a good ole’ Oklahoma boy being shipped off to Vietnam as he spends his last couple days in New York City. There, he meets a group of four hippies: Berger, Jeannie, Hud and Woof. They turn everything upside down for him and change his perspective.
What does it mean to have a diverse musical palate? Does it mean liking many artists in one genre? Many genres but few artists? Many similar genres? A few wildly different ones? As someone who loves exploring different genres, I don’t think there is a “right” answer.
Everyone is allowed to like whatever they like. There is no right or wrong answer to the question: What is good music?
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” – Margaret Wolff Hungerford.
A less literal paraphrase might be along the lines of: “Good music is in the heart of the listener.” Everyone has different upbringings and experiences and tastes. There might be some music that is objectively bad but if someone likes it there has to be a reason behind it. Maybe they are noticing something others aren’t.
Any musician worth their salt could say with full confidence that practice is the cornerstone of success. Practice at home, in the dorms, in the practice rooms and even in between classes. While your roommates might think you’re strange, it doesn’t matter if you aren’t disturbing anyone. In my case, the one most affected by my practice would be my lovely lady, Daphne. She’s an Australian cattle dog mix and she both loves and hates when I play music.
Sunscreen, cicadas, tan lines, and watermelon slices.
Summer at a quick glance is supposed to be a wonderful time filled with laughter and fun. School is out for most and this is the time when we go home to our hometowns and spend time with our old friends and family. Some of us get jobs too and some of us keep pushing through classes.