So most of the time, I actually listen to different types of music based on my mood. When I'm really happy I'll listen to pop or hip hop. Anything that makes me dance is a possibility. When I'm feeling kind of down, I listen to really slow songs. They aren't necessarily sad, but they definitely have a slower pace to them.
I actually have a go-to album when I'm down in the dumps. It's called "Slow Songs" which is a very creative title, if I do say so myself. There are a lot of good songs on there that I would like to share with you. The disclaimer is that you should actually listen to these when you are in a good mood. Listening to sad songs when you are sad only causes you to be in a worse mood. It doesn't necessarily do that to me, but I just wanted to say that it could happen to someone.
One of the songs on the album that is one of my favorite slow songs is called, "This Year's Love" by David Gray. I found it via the movie, "Crazy Beautiful" which had Kirsten Dunst in it. It was about a girl who was on the wrong track and a guy who was a little bit more mature. They fall in love bla bla bla. It's a good movie. You should watch it. Anyways. The song has really good lyrics. If you haven't noticed, I'm a romantic. I hope this doesn't cause you to stop reading my blog.
Another really good song is Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah." This song is amazing. It mentions the Bible in a way that is more inclusive than exclusive. It also has an amazing guitar part that I wish I could play. I guess I've never tried to play it so you never know. The picking is just very melodic and sweet. The lyrics, "Love is not a victory march. It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah" resonate with me for some reason. It just makes sense is all. It's a long song, but it's worth listening to.
"The Book of Love" sung by Peter Gabriel is yet another romantic song that is so sweet and pretty. It would make a really good slow song on the dance floor, too. I can imagine dancing to this with a special someone. "But I love it when you sing to me. And you can sing me anything." This is an example of the kinds of lyrics are in this song. They just make my heart go pitter-patter with delight. Even listening to these songs when I am in a good mood makes me feel like taking the nearest person and slow dancing close to them. The violin in this song sounds really good, too.
The last slow song that I want to talk to you about is "Storm" by Lifehouse. I have always liked the band Lifehouse. They are really good. The lead singer's voice is really good, too. "And I will walk on water. And you will catch me if I fall. And I will get lost into your eyes. I know everything will be all right." The chorus is like a lullaby in a sense. It's just so comforting, almost like chicken noodle soup or hot chocolate.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Rock Band
Though some of you may argue that people cannot actually make music via the video game, Rock Band, I would have to disagree. The guitar, drums, bass and vocals are channeled through the video game and through the speakers on the television screen to make a semi-authentic form of music. It's not the same as if it were through actual guitar and actual drums, but it's still similar.
I usually end up doing the vocals since, if you haven't been reading my blog lately, I am a singer. That's what I do. I sing. I've tried doing the guitar, the bass and the drums, but I suck at all of them for some reason. I blame it on my lack of hand-eye coordination. That's why I played soccer. It wasn't as necessary as foot-eye coordination which I didn't have that much of either.
I do enjoy playing the acoustic guitar better than the guitar on Rock Band. I know that I'm not very good at the acoustic guitar. I've accepted this. This is why Robby plays the guitar in our band, Karma Pills. I just really like playing it. I always end up playing it really late at night when my parents are asleep. I always feel bad because I don't want to wake them up, but I'm not going to sacrifice my practicing time just for the sake of them getting a little bit of shut eye. I know that sounds really selfish, but it's not like I practice every night or anything. I should, though. I would probably improve, then.
Another instrument that I play is the flute. I have been playing the flute since the fourth grade. I played in the marching band, the wind symphony, a flute choir and the Flint Youth Symphony in high school. I was what you would call "dedicated" to say the least. I don't know how it is that I didn't join the Wind Symphony when I got to college, but it wasn't a priority for me any more. I did pick up the flute again when I started dating this guy who played the piano. We used to play "Moonlight Sonata" together. I still find that song to be the most beautiful thing in the entire world. You should listen to it some time. It's really majical.
Now the only time I really play my flute is in my band. I don't play it often enough, but it's not high on my list, sadly. My mom always tells me about how astounded I was to hear about my flute teacher not playing the flute for a period of her life. I thought it was the most awful thing in the entire world. At the time, I was still playing it a lot and couldn't see a reason to stop playing it. Now I have classes, student organizations and a couple jobs that take up the majority of my time. I can't help these things.
Another reason that I put the flute down temporarily was because I wanted to focus on the guitar. I started taking guitar lessons at the end of my senior year of high school. I took them for a year until I realized that they weren't really worth the money that I was paying for them. I didn't practice enough (which hasn't changed much). Oh well. I still get a lot out of it. I don't usually play in front of an audience so it doesn't really matter. My dad thinks that I sound good so that's what counts.
The weird thing is that I would actually consider myself better at the acoustic guitar then I would at Rock Band. I guess it just happens that way sometimes.
I usually end up doing the vocals since, if you haven't been reading my blog lately, I am a singer. That's what I do. I sing. I've tried doing the guitar, the bass and the drums, but I suck at all of them for some reason. I blame it on my lack of hand-eye coordination. That's why I played soccer. It wasn't as necessary as foot-eye coordination which I didn't have that much of either.
I do enjoy playing the acoustic guitar better than the guitar on Rock Band. I know that I'm not very good at the acoustic guitar. I've accepted this. This is why Robby plays the guitar in our band, Karma Pills. I just really like playing it. I always end up playing it really late at night when my parents are asleep. I always feel bad because I don't want to wake them up, but I'm not going to sacrifice my practicing time just for the sake of them getting a little bit of shut eye. I know that sounds really selfish, but it's not like I practice every night or anything. I should, though. I would probably improve, then.
Another instrument that I play is the flute. I have been playing the flute since the fourth grade. I played in the marching band, the wind symphony, a flute choir and the Flint Youth Symphony in high school. I was what you would call "dedicated" to say the least. I don't know how it is that I didn't join the Wind Symphony when I got to college, but it wasn't a priority for me any more. I did pick up the flute again when I started dating this guy who played the piano. We used to play "Moonlight Sonata" together. I still find that song to be the most beautiful thing in the entire world. You should listen to it some time. It's really majical.
Now the only time I really play my flute is in my band. I don't play it often enough, but it's not high on my list, sadly. My mom always tells me about how astounded I was to hear about my flute teacher not playing the flute for a period of her life. I thought it was the most awful thing in the entire world. At the time, I was still playing it a lot and couldn't see a reason to stop playing it. Now I have classes, student organizations and a couple jobs that take up the majority of my time. I can't help these things.
Another reason that I put the flute down temporarily was because I wanted to focus on the guitar. I started taking guitar lessons at the end of my senior year of high school. I took them for a year until I realized that they weren't really worth the money that I was paying for them. I didn't practice enough (which hasn't changed much). Oh well. I still get a lot out of it. I don't usually play in front of an audience so it doesn't really matter. My dad thinks that I sound good so that's what counts.
The weird thing is that I would actually consider myself better at the acoustic guitar then I would at Rock Band. I guess it just happens that way sometimes.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
My Band
So I wanted to let you know that I am officially in a band again as of this week. Apparently, my bandmate has moved back to this side of the state. This means that we can have band rehearsal again. I'm not sure when I'm going to fit it into my schedule but I'm sure I'll be able to find time.
The band name is Karma Pills and it is with me and my friend, Robby. He plays the guitar and I sing or play the flute depending on the song. We've only done one performance so far, but I'm hoping to do more once we have more songs and such.
We did actually do a demo, though. It didn't turn out as good as I had hoped, but it was the first time I had ever recorded so I didn't expect that much out of it anyways. I also didn't have that much time to work with because I had to go to work that evening so it's not like we had all day.
The one performance that we did do was at Good Beans on their Creative Colab Night which was really cool. We performed three songs and they went pretty well from my perspective, at least. I also had my family come watch which was cool because they had been wondering what I had been doing with these so-called "rehearsals." My whole family seemed to like the songs which was really cool.
There is only one song on the demo where I play the flute. It's the introduction to the album so it doesn't really have a title which is kind of unfortunate. It's really cool, though, because I wrote the flute part to the song. I've been playing the flute for the majority of my life, but most of the time I play other people's music, not music that I wrote. It's a really exciting thing to see something that you created come into fruition. It's almost like making a child except without having to become pregnant.
The band name is Karma Pills and it is with me and my friend, Robby. He plays the guitar and I sing or play the flute depending on the song. We've only done one performance so far, but I'm hoping to do more once we have more songs and such.
We did actually do a demo, though. It didn't turn out as good as I had hoped, but it was the first time I had ever recorded so I didn't expect that much out of it anyways. I also didn't have that much time to work with because I had to go to work that evening so it's not like we had all day.
The one performance that we did do was at Good Beans on their Creative Colab Night which was really cool. We performed three songs and they went pretty well from my perspective, at least. I also had my family come watch which was cool because they had been wondering what I had been doing with these so-called "rehearsals." My whole family seemed to like the songs which was really cool.
There is only one song on the demo where I play the flute. It's the introduction to the album so it doesn't really have a title which is kind of unfortunate. It's really cool, though, because I wrote the flute part to the song. I've been playing the flute for the majority of my life, but most of the time I play other people's music, not music that I wrote. It's a really exciting thing to see something that you created come into fruition. It's almost like making a child except without having to become pregnant.
We don't have a website at the moment, but once we do, I'll definitely let you know what it is.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Singing
"Sing to the Lord a new song..." I don't know the rest but for some reason I remember that verse. I love singing. I've been missing out lately since my band kind of broke up. It's hard to stay a band when my band mate and I live so far away from each other. It's pretty crazy. Another factor is that we both are busy with school and stuff. That usually influences a lot of the activities that I do, though.
I have been in the mood to sing karaoke lately. I know that a lot of people associate karaoke with drinking since most of the places that have karaoke are bars, but I usually tend to stay away from alcohol when I'm singing. I have no knowledge that this is actually true, but I feel like alcohol would harm my vocal chords in some way or another.
If you can't tell, I'm a singer. I've been singing probably since elementary school. I remember singing in my church choir when I was really little. I actually remember the song that we sang. "What can one little person do? What can one little me or you do? What can one little person to help the world go round?" and on and on.
Music has always been a part of me in an almost spiritual way and it's not just because I've been singing in church for a long time. It's also because it somehow brings me closer to my creator. I love singing by my pond and whenever I sing, I feel like I am singing to God. I feel like He can hear me, too.
Without music, I don't know where I would be or what I'd be doing, but I know for a fact I'd be less happy than I am now. Even when I'm in a bad mood, singing can get me in a better mood. It's just the way that I've been my entire life. I always sing when I'm cleaning. Either that, or I'll have music playing and I'll sing along to that. That way, it makes the time go by faster.
All I can say is:
Karaoke anyone?
I have been in the mood to sing karaoke lately. I know that a lot of people associate karaoke with drinking since most of the places that have karaoke are bars, but I usually tend to stay away from alcohol when I'm singing. I have no knowledge that this is actually true, but I feel like alcohol would harm my vocal chords in some way or another.
If you can't tell, I'm a singer. I've been singing probably since elementary school. I remember singing in my church choir when I was really little. I actually remember the song that we sang. "What can one little person do? What can one little me or you do? What can one little person to help the world go round?" and on and on.
Music has always been a part of me in an almost spiritual way and it's not just because I've been singing in church for a long time. It's also because it somehow brings me closer to my creator. I love singing by my pond and whenever I sing, I feel like I am singing to God. I feel like He can hear me, too.
Without music, I don't know where I would be or what I'd be doing, but I know for a fact I'd be less happy than I am now. Even when I'm in a bad mood, singing can get me in a better mood. It's just the way that I've been my entire life. I always sing when I'm cleaning. Either that, or I'll have music playing and I'll sing along to that. That way, it makes the time go by faster.
All I can say is:
Karaoke anyone?
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Music of Dancing
I have a confession to make. I love to dance. I dance in my pajamas, in the kitchen and in my bedroom. If I had the ability, I would dance instead of walking. Walking is so boring to me. One foot in front of the other which is basically the same dance move over and over again.
I am mentioning this because I sometimes pick music based on the fact that I can dance to it. One of the songs that I love dancing to is "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry. I am obsessed with this song right now. I don't know why but I love it. It has amazing lyrics. It makes me want to go back in time and have a romantic relationship with someone as a teenager. It sounds so appetizing because of her lyrics. I am sure there are a lot of babies being made to this song.
Another song that I love dancing to is 3OH!3's "My First Kiss" which is a really fun song. It's a different type of dancing but it's dancing, nonetheless. I also love the "mwah" sound in it. The line "I'm gonna get you out your panties" is so funny. All the songs on the album, "Streets of Gold" are funny. It just seems like these guys pretend like they have game, but they really don't. Then again, now that they are musicians, they probably get laid all the time.
Weezer's song "Beverly Hills" I can also dance to. I love that song so much. Also, I love the little "Gimme, gimme" that is intermitently sung in the chorus. It just makes me happy. I sing along to this song like it is the soundtrack to my life which it kind of is. If you had seen my car, then you would understand what I'm talking about. It's not exactly new and it's not exactly free of rust. "Preppy girls never looked at me. Why should I ain't nobody, got nothing in my pocket" is another awesome line from Weezer. I love their lyrics so much. I can relate to them for some reason.
I am mentioning this because I sometimes pick music based on the fact that I can dance to it. One of the songs that I love dancing to is "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry. I am obsessed with this song right now. I don't know why but I love it. It has amazing lyrics. It makes me want to go back in time and have a romantic relationship with someone as a teenager. It sounds so appetizing because of her lyrics. I am sure there are a lot of babies being made to this song.
Another song that I love dancing to is 3OH!3's "My First Kiss" which is a really fun song. It's a different type of dancing but it's dancing, nonetheless. I also love the "mwah" sound in it. The line "I'm gonna get you out your panties" is so funny. All the songs on the album, "Streets of Gold" are funny. It just seems like these guys pretend like they have game, but they really don't. Then again, now that they are musicians, they probably get laid all the time.
Weezer's song "Beverly Hills" I can also dance to. I love that song so much. Also, I love the little "Gimme, gimme" that is intermitently sung in the chorus. It just makes me happy. I sing along to this song like it is the soundtrack to my life which it kind of is. If you had seen my car, then you would understand what I'm talking about. It's not exactly new and it's not exactly free of rust. "Preppy girls never looked at me. Why should I ain't nobody, got nothing in my pocket" is another awesome line from Weezer. I love their lyrics so much. I can relate to them for some reason.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Weezer
Like many of you know, Weezer came into the music scene in the early 90's. I was only a week tyke at the time of the band's formation so I obviously didn't get into them until later. Their first album "Weezer" a.k.a. "The Blue Album" had a few hits that made it a success. One of the songs that I personally like from that album is "Say it Ain't So." It's got just enough rock it to please my "rough" side and just enough pop it to make it listenable.
I have to say that I have listened to "Pinkerton" in its totality and did not enjoy the album very much. I guess it's too hardcore for my taste. I think there was a couple of songs that I enjoyed on that album, but I would have to re-listen to the album and I don't really want to do that.
I will have to tell you that my all-time favorite Weezer song is "Beverly Hills." It's from the album, "Make Believe." I have no idea what it is. Part of it is the lyrics, "no class, beat down fool." Ahh the description. It somehow always gets me. That and honesty. I'm a fan. The video is really funny, too. You should check it out some time if you want a laugh.
Another song that I really like that comes off "The Red Album" is "The Greatest Man that Ever Lived." It's a very cocky song, which I like for some reason. It's kind of arrogance that you can laugh at because you know that it's not true. I'm sure there is some truth to it. The best lyric from that song is "You come like a dog when I ring your bell." The simile and imagery in that one phrase is one word: amazing. I cannot help loving that line as much as I do.
I did not like Raditude very much. I felt like it trying too hard to have a hip hop feel to it, if that makes any sense at all. I just feel like Weezer should go back to their roots. They need to go back to the good old days when they actually knew how to make and perform good music.
Here's an example of one of their good songs.
I have to say that I have listened to "Pinkerton" in its totality and did not enjoy the album very much. I guess it's too hardcore for my taste. I think there was a couple of songs that I enjoyed on that album, but I would have to re-listen to the album and I don't really want to do that.
I will have to tell you that my all-time favorite Weezer song is "Beverly Hills." It's from the album, "Make Believe." I have no idea what it is. Part of it is the lyrics, "no class, beat down fool." Ahh the description. It somehow always gets me. That and honesty. I'm a fan. The video is really funny, too. You should check it out some time if you want a laugh.
Another song that I really like that comes off "The Red Album" is "The Greatest Man that Ever Lived." It's a very cocky song, which I like for some reason. It's kind of arrogance that you can laugh at because you know that it's not true. I'm sure there is some truth to it. The best lyric from that song is "You come like a dog when I ring your bell." The simile and imagery in that one phrase is one word: amazing. I cannot help loving that line as much as I do.
I did not like Raditude very much. I felt like it trying too hard to have a hip hop feel to it, if that makes any sense at all. I just feel like Weezer should go back to their roots. They need to go back to the good old days when they actually knew how to make and perform good music.
Here's an example of one of their good songs.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Deviation from Nineties' Music...for a second
So I'm going to be doing a few more posts about nineties' artists. Until then, I'd like to give you a taste of what I'm listening to right now.
"Misery" - Maroon 5
"Misery" - Maroon 5
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Awesome Nineties Artist
If you were born in the nineties, then thumbs up to you. The nineties were a good decade when it comes to music. There are a lot of bands that I love from that time period. Some made it out with a few fans and some were one-hit wonders. I'm still amazed that people like Uncle Kracker and the band, Smashmouth are around. I guess there is an audience for every kind of music out there. Even The Backstreet Boys are still touring. Now that is just crazy.
One band that I really like from the nineties is Savage Garden. They definitely had hits that were popular at that time. Their debut album, titled, "Savage Garden," had some really good songs on it. In particular, I love the song, "Truly, Madly, Deeply." The lyrics are very powerful to because they are about the kind of love that really can change a person because they want to be better for the person that they are with. The melodies in the song are good, too, but I think that I am in love with the lyrics from this song. I feel like I could listen to this song and never really tire of hearing it. I would probably get tired of hearing the same music over and over again, but the lyrics are the kind of lyrics that could stick around forever.
One of the songs that I really liked was "Crash and Burn." If it's not technically a classic, then it should be.
Their second album, "Affirmation," is the album that the song is on. There's another song that I liked on that album called, "I Knew I Loved You" which is a very romantic song. It's kind of crazy if you think about the lyrics too much, though. I don't think it's possible to know that you're going to fall in love with someone before you actually meet them.
One band that I really like from the nineties is Savage Garden. They definitely had hits that were popular at that time. Their debut album, titled, "Savage Garden," had some really good songs on it. In particular, I love the song, "Truly, Madly, Deeply." The lyrics are very powerful to because they are about the kind of love that really can change a person because they want to be better for the person that they are with. The melodies in the song are good, too, but I think that I am in love with the lyrics from this song. I feel like I could listen to this song and never really tire of hearing it. I would probably get tired of hearing the same music over and over again, but the lyrics are the kind of lyrics that could stick around forever.
One of the songs that I really liked was "Crash and Burn." If it's not technically a classic, then it should be.
Their second album, "Affirmation," is the album that the song is on. There's another song that I liked on that album called, "I Knew I Loved You" which is a very romantic song. It's kind of crazy if you think about the lyrics too much, though. I don't think it's possible to know that you're going to fall in love with someone before you actually meet them.
This is the cover of the band's second album, "Affirmation."
Subject matter
I am going to be blogging about my favorite music, artists and concerts and my not-so favorite music, artists and concerts. Nothing gets left out.
I just wanted to let you know what all this is about.
Have a nice day.
I just wanted to let you know what all this is about.
Have a nice day.
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