Advertising

We've all heard the jingles that are used by our favorite brands or signify our favorite companies. Whether it be the ding of the taco bell or a famous song used in a car commercial. Advertisers find many ways to become familiar and easily remembered. If you have the McDonald's "I'm lovin it"  seared in your brain as most of the world does, that simply shows the success made by McDonald's. They found a perfect sound to make even your subconscious aware enough to link a simple three word message linked to the food you enjoy from the restaurants. 

A simple tune can help portray any message they are trying to put across to make you go out and purchase whatever it is they are selling. If the sound can easily be sung back or duplicated, people will repeat it and help spread that company to have their awareness skyrocket, thus resulting in a giant increase in profits. As of today I'm sure we are all familiar with those JG Wentworth commercials. The ones where a group of actors who must also be fantastic opera singers, sing that overstocked JG Wentworth phrase "it's my money and I need it now" song. Whether we've payed attention to it or not that song has sunk into your memory. For me it was beyond annoying but I do remember it, which is their goal from the start.  Another great example is the "gummi bear" song, so simple with a bit of an annoyance. It makes it so easy for us to remember and duplicate I wouldnt be surprised if all your your friends knew of it. When a company or artist can find the right sound to put out its fairly easy for them to become recognized. Recognition is what makes the jingle worth while, it may seem like a small factor to their overall success but it's just as important as what they're selling. If you have a great product but lack the advertising techniques you won't have a very successful company. The tones that make up the McDonald's jingle make you think of more than just the song that is played. Your brain will begin to connect the dots that is the song itself. You will think of those golden arches filled with the foods inside. The smells you like and the tastes of your favorite order. Which will make you hungry and begin those actual cravings for the food. 

Music has changed our lives in so many ways not only is it something we enjoy when we are trying to relax or have a good time with friends.  It is also used as an almost manipulation technique to lure you in by many companies. Whether good or bad, music is and always will be a giant aspect of the world we live in and the things we've come to find in our daily lives.

Piracy

So looking over a recent article that had caught me attention, I decided to pass it on through this blog. We all know someone or have even fallen victim to it ourselves. Illegal downloading has finally caught up to a service provider and they are on the receiving end of a lawsuit. Out of the millions of people who do in fact pirate music and movies alike, only a certain few are ever caught and receive any legal trouble. This is a different situation however, Cox Communications is the I'm in question over their lack of control over those who do pirate and those who do uncontrollably after repeated confrontations.

This lawsuit against Cox, in my opinion is a waste of time. Yes, they are providing the means of the piracy and should be watching for an unusually high amount of downloading and should ban those repeatedly warned subscribers from their services. However, this will not stop anything, those with the means and know how will always pirate things from the internet. I believe it shouldn't be as big of a deal as it is, honestly. Yeah, some people take it too far and try to make a profit off of the downloaded material. The people trying to profit from others work should be the ones who receive a firm of punishment. The ones who download for themselves shouldn't be bothered with because it is simply sharing previously purchased material. In my eyes the idea of piracy has always been a way of people sharing data with others not for a personal gain or profit. There shouldn't be laws against sharing even though it is a reduced amount going to the rightful owners. People should have the choice to share their purchased items, regardless of a difference in virtual or in a solid for. You can borrow a CD to your friend, why should you not be able to send your friend an album online and let them download it for their personal enjoyment.

I found this to be important enough to speak on due to ITunes being one of the largest sources for purchasing music online. I question why every song must be $1? If you like more than a couple bands you must be rich to be able to afford the virtual albums you will never actually put your hands on. If you have to pay for the phone just to be able to put the music on it why must you pay a premium price per song? To me that's just as bad as those taking the music themselves and spreading it around. Either way someone loses out on money. I believe when sharing with others becomes illegal all ethical motives go out of the window.

Musical Interests

When friends come together and all enjoy the same type of music it generally makes for a decent night. As the music plays and you're having fun and laughing with your friends there's certainly an uplift in everyone's mood. Whether you're into classical or country, when you're with those who have the same interest it it, you tend to have a better time and build a bond with those among you. In my opinion there's nothing greater than a night with your friends and good music to listen too. It just gets everyone pumped up for a good time. This past weekend I was hanging out with a group of my friends and a few of us had started drinking, as it was my cousins 21st birthday. So, when I'm drinking I like to have music playing and had suggested it to them and they turned it down. This had me thinking as to why they would rather have nothing playing.

These friends can be very alike, but when it comes to music they all vary from each other. Which made no music the easier choice. We were all having a good night as it was and if we had played something it could have made our night deviate from the initial plan. As I drove them home the day after, we also ran into the same problem. My play listen work for me but they don't have the same musical interests as I do. I just find it strange as to how people act differently when there is a different style of music being played. Our friends try to get us interested in what they like but many times it doesn't work. I question how someone can have a party when the musical interests are so wide spread. I feel if we all had the same interests last night, those of us who were drinking could have brought the room to life. We all did have fun with lots of jokes and laughter. Although the few of us that did drink didn't really liven up the night. It was more of a few beers each and a held a steady buzz while watching a couple shows and movies. I didn't mind the relaxation of it, but I wanted something to do. I had gotten relatively bored and wanted to listen to music and play some beer pong. I just had the urge to get involved in something. I feel like the interest in music drives nights to go certain ways and if none is played, the night won't get very hype. I would have liked to have seen last night be more fun with the whole group being interested in a more group involved time, but I'm overall satisfied with the time I did get with my close friends and also hope my cousin enjoyed his 21st.

Spotify

So, a few weeks ago I had  noticed Spotify introduced a new promotion which cut the premium price in half for all students. I've used Spotify in the past and figured why not take advantage of this promotion. So I went ahead and got the subscription and started filling some playlists with all my favorite bands and artists. As a couple of weeks have gone by I'm still happy with my membership even though there are a certain few songs that aren't on there, I'm overall content.

What I have noticed is I basically have my music broken up into 3 playlists. One for all of my favorite metal-core like bands; Bring Me The Horizon, Of Mice & Men, A Day to Remember, Crown the Empire, Ice Nine Kills, Issues, BlessTheFall, SECRETS, etc. I also have a playlists for the rap music I listen too, which I haven't yet blogged about. This playlist has many artists such as; Wiz Khalifa, Juicy J, K Camp, Lil Wayne, Childish Gambino, Kat Dahlia, Drake, Eminem, etc. Thus leaving the last playlist which has new popular songs ranging from different artists including; Jason Derulo, Ariana Grande, Macklemore, Sia, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Woe is Me, SECRETS, and others.

So from these 3 different playlists I've began noticing myself choosing based on the current mood I was in. When I am calm and doing homework or relaxing after work I would play my "Let Them Sing" playlist which has the obvious metal-core bands. When I'm hyped up or in a partying mood I'll play my "dopee" playlist, which contains the rap music. When I'm basically not in the mood for either of those and just want something else to listen too I'll play songs from my "general" playlist. I categorized them by mood just as a coincidence. I mean most of the time people don't through two completely different types of music together and hope they flow at least half way decent, but with my separation it really captured all I am in the mood for. Not saying I don't listen to each type in other situations or moods but they generally fit each mood pretty well.

I wrote this blog on Spotify to highlight on how great this deal is and how happy I am to have it. The student discount is half of the normal membership fee of $10 a month, which I thought was all too much. So $5 a month for at least a year is something I have no problem paying. That's only $60 for an entire year of all your favorite music on your computer or mobile devices. I plug my phone into my car stereo and listen to anything I want on my way to and from school, work, friends houses and any other trips I need to make. As a music lover I find $60 cheap to have almost any song, album, or playlist available all at the push of a button. I highly suggest any student interested to take advantage of the half off student discount.

A Day To Remember

A Day To Remember is an American rock band that was formed in Florida in 2003. They produce metalcore music with almost angelic chorus'. I've enjoyed listening to this band for years now and have never gotten sick of their classic songs. The sound they put out and the lyrics they play have actual meaning. One of my favorite songs by them is called "Here's to the Past". The song speaks on how you alone have made it through the hard times you've encountered and that you can in fact make it through anything if you stand up for yourself. I find this song to be relate-able because we've all gone through hard times and even though it seemed impossible, we all made it. Some people may bully or belittle you but all you need to make it through is yourself. You alone can make it through the impossible.

Another song I really like I'd called "Out of Time", it speaks on how we all are looking for someone who knows how to solve every problem we are faced with and that we all envision how things will go for us in our lives. We all look for what we've had and basically are open books to someone who would put you first in their lives. I really think this song stands out and speaks a truth we can all admit to searching for. We all seek for that person who would do anything for us exactly when we need them and in this search we are truly running out of time. The hardest part about it is when you think you've found that and everything soon falls apart. That person leaves, loses feelings, or even cheats. You feel as if you've given everything and exactly what they wanted. When in reality you simply haven't, which leaves you crushed, confused, and out of time.

Lastly, if you've ever listened to ADTR you've inevitably heard the song "All I Want". The music video itself is amazing, it features many singers and musicians alike singing along to the song as if they all strongly relate to the songs message. "All I want is a place to call my own, to mend the hearts of everyone who feels alone.. Woahh.. You know to keep your hopes up high and your head down low". This song speaks on all of the struggles where you've felt entirely lost and alone and that you do have the strength to take yourself as far as you want to go in life. Don't live in the past and where you come from, but focus on where you want to go and the ropes that will help you get there.

I find these songs to be important for the messages they pass on and the positive feelings they leave you with. No matter what you've been through there will always be someone who can relate to you. We've all endured some challenging things in our lives and you must know that you're not alone. Which nowadays is one of the most significant things needed. There will always be someone who would gladly give their time to listen, you simply need to let them in.

Hollywood Undead & Gone

Classified as rap rock and rap metal, Hollywood Undead came out of Los Angeles, California in 2005. I had first listened to them with their first album release Swan Songs. This had been my favorite album released by any band. It featured many graphic songs with little emotion held back. At the time, it was all I wanted to listen too. 14-15 years old having a rough go at life, while most of which was out of my control. I would put my headphones in and wander the streets at two in the morning. It really didn't matter if it was raining or snowing, I honestly didn’t care. What I find hard to understand is how that music I listened to back then and occasionally over the years has now hit the ears of a few of my friends’ mothers. I know the bands tone has changed since then but, like really? Mom's are now listening to these songs. . .

I'm sure they heard it from their children, but in my opinion it’s just a kind of “no” reaction. Many of these songs are upbeat depressing or sing of drugs, alcohol, and suicide. How can someone’s mother listen to it with their children? After the release of Swan Songs, I started losing interest due to many bad songs following it. With the lack of interest building up and the front man Deuce leaving the band I basically gave up on them. Ill admit I have liked some of the newer songs but nothing they could come out with now will even come close to being comparable to that first album. The first track I heard was “My Black Dahlia” from that point I was hooked and immediately listened to the rest of the album and had known I found my new favorite band. They had the sound that I just connected with. I can still find certain songs that are similar such as off their most recent album Notes from the Underground, “From the Ground” and “I Don’t Wanna Die”, but even these songs cant bring my faith back to them. Im unsure if they will ever be able to meet the interest I had in them nearly seven years ago, especially without Deuce.

Deuce released an album himself a year or so after leaving and in my opinion it blew Hollywood Undead’s American Tragedy album away. They released it with the addition of the singer who replaced Deuce and he didn't match him in any way whatsoever. Even with that being noticeable from the first song I listened too, I still gave their newer albums a chance. I am however, way more eager for the release of another album by Deuce. With the newly added fanbase of friends’ mothers, im not even sure I want to attempt to listen to any new songs Hollywood Undead puts out, honestly. I simply find it odd that they are now fans. More the merrier I suppose, but I have lost interest.

Thanks for reading

Bring Me The Horizon "Drown"

When you love a particular band you become anxious for the release of a new album. You may end up waiting years for it and it may not live up to your expectations. However, it may just exceed all you thought it to be. While hanging out with a similar music lover they told me about a new Bring Me The Horizon single that had come out a few days ago. She had said it was a decent song but had none of the bands well known screaming. I became sceptical and hoped they were not changing their tone. So we then listened to the song. It was called "Drown" from their album being released in December. The music video has gotten 2 million views in 4 days, which isn't bad at all. The song has an upbeat tone with a soft display of Oli Sykes vocals. It is a more melodic song with a catch chorus. I personally love the song already and I'm listening the first time for the second time as I'm writing this. 

I get the feeling that the song doesn't show the tone of how this album will be but does make for a great accompanying track to its list. I am still a bit nervous as to how this album will be and I'm hoping it will be great. BMTH has been my favourite band for awhile now and I would really like that to stay the same with this new release. My cousin lost interest in the band after the previous album as they became more harmonic and included more soft chorus', which I personally enjoy. 

I feel like BMTH has plenty to still offer and will continue to produce songs I enjoy even if they cause others to lose interest. I felt like this was a good topic choice because it really does have an impact on what you will listen too until a next release. If a band produces a bad album, you're basically stuck with it and have to have faith the next one will be better and have to find someone else to listen too in the mean time. The songs that make it onto and album have to be the correctly chosen one or else the album can severely suffer. That's goes along with releasing all of the best singles before the album drop leaving nothing of equal value when it is actually released. The biggest change I've seen is a band or artist actually switching their style up entirely. Which is gutsy and may or may not even work out. I feel that band should stick to their roots and expand upon them not change who they are and what they even sing for. Music is an ultimate form of expression and if you make it big in a genre, you should know your fans love you for that reason not for how many genres you can form together. Fans will remain loyal as long as you remain loyal to them, they are your reason for all your success in the music industry.

Thanks for reading

My Music and When I Listen To It

So I'm not even close to a strict type of music listener. I do prefer metal-core over the rest but there really isn't many genres I won't listen too. I listen to certain things depending on what mood I am in and what sounds to be on point in the situation. When I'm by myself playing video games, taking a shower, exercising, driving around, etc. I love listening to A Day to Remember, Bring Me The Horizon, Asking Alexandria, Avenged Sevenfold, Falling in Reverse, Deuce, and Crown the Empire altogether in a playlist with others with a similar sound. When I'm in more of an older type of music mood I love listening to Linkin Park, System of a Down, Godsmack, Papa Roach, Three Days Grace, and many others I used to listen to almost religiously. When I'm around my friends and in the party mood I like listening to rap such as; Wiz Khalifa, Juicy J, K Camp, MGK, along with whatever else others feel like playing. I'm not a very picky person when it comes to what others want to listen to unless it's country. I've tried and I really cant get into most of it. I think it's due to my grandparents listening to it so much. It threw me off the genre entirely.

When I get some alone time I love turning on my music while doing some sort of activity and relax to the music. I've yet to find someone who enjoys the exact same situation as I enjoy even though I'm sure it's quite common. I'd love to meet someone who wants to hang out, turn some music on, and just enjoy the moment. I can spend hours simply relaxing and playing something with constant music in the background I can sing along with. It really is one of the things I enjoy the most. Living a busy life I don't get to do this very often anymore, but when I do I couldn't be happier. Whenever I'm working on homework I do turn my music on and it does help me get it done but it's not nearly the same as the times where I have noting to do or things I have to worry about.

As responsibilities build up and the amount of time available to get them all taken care of. I don't have the time to just do nothing for the night and listen to music and I would like. I miss it, but I know it must happen as a part of life. Just now writing this I would love to set my homework aside and just enjoy a couple hours of music and gaming. I cannot responsibly let myself do it, even though that's all I have the urge to do. The bliss I find in music when I'm alone has helped me through many hard times I've found myself in. Regardless of the cause or what I'm then faced with I know I can manage as long as I can have some alone time to listen  to what will help me get my thoughts out to help determine where I will go from there and how I will deal with whatever is now in my way.

Thanks for reading.

A Connection or Nah?

As I continue to write these blogs I'm starting to realize how much music really does mean to me. I've always appreciated it and would listen to it whenever I had the desire too. I know I'm not the only one who has a connection to it, but music couldn't feel more personal. No matter what mood you're in, you can always find some sort of songs for that exact situation. So, with that in mind I've noticed more and more movies, TV shows, commercials, etc. Where they have a given scenario and a song to accompany it. What's odd with that is I've spotted out certain times where the music just simply doesn't fit or it could've been even greater due to the intensity of the actions, but have too soft or a song to capture the intended mood. Thus, leading to my current thoughts on how powerful music can really be and how detrimental it can be to your moods. The music you have playing can make any bad night into a salvageable one. A night with friends can turn into an all out party. It all depends on capturing the right mood and the ease into it by the correct song choices. I've yet to actually test this, but I'm quite sure the steps taken have to be well thought out. A swift change from Avril Lavigne to "TURN DOWN FOR WHAT!?!" will have a WTF?? reaction out of the listeners. This is why guaging the audience and overall flow of the situation must be right.

On the other side of music and your personal taste. You've probably found huge differences in taste with what you're accustomed to and what others listen too. It isn't easy to get others to appreciate the same music type as you do. Majority of the time it never really grows on them and feels similar to the first time you've asked them what they're into. You can listen to the same style for years and play it around a friend who hates it just as much as they did the first time if not more for making them listen to it again and again. I've tried getting friends who have other music preferences interested in mine but it's never really worked out. Everyone enjoys their own type even if they try to force it on themselves it may never work. This is why I've come to accept other people's music decisions, if they can relate to it as I do with mine, I'm happy. I simply don't want people to miss out on something so easily passed by in the world. I'm in no way saying I will listen to the same stuff 5 years from now, but I guarantee it be listening to what I find enjoyable.

Thanks for reading.

Frustration & Stress vs. Music & Disc Golf

Interests coming together...

Music is a great thing we've come to casually live with and enjoy it in many ways and for many reasons. I like a lot of others have found it to be a great stress reducer as well as an easy way to find a peaceful source for immediate relaxation. When listening to my favorite bands and artists it helps me focus more on what I'm working on at the time.

I had recently started listing to music while disc golfing and found it really does help me keep my frustration down when I go for a long drive that requires exact precision in a throw, which can easily cause anyone to grip-lock the disc for a second which will make you throw it directly off of the target and generally into a tree no more than 15 feet away. Listening to something makes it so much easier for that frustration to be mellowed and actually possible to say oh well, and make it up with the next shot when you're more relaxed and less set on "I have to make this throw or this hole is going to cost me." I'm not that great by all means but listening to a familiar tune certainly made the day go more smoothly resulting in more pars'.

Don't get me started on how it helps the frustration of searching for your favorite disc when you have no idea how far it cut off the fairway. This had been my first time discing while listening to music, I have no idea why I didn't sooner but I really did enjoy it. It kept me quite calm throughout, the only thing it didn't help with was the bad weather. It felt like it was in the 30's and was raining periodically making the course slippery and muddy.

My newest disc! Totally love it :D

One thing it helped me notice is after I've been listening to something I don't like to just shut it off and stop listing to music for awhile. I find it hard to understand how some people flat out dislike music in general. A buddy of mine doesn't listen to anything unless it's a night where we are all hanging out drinking, playing beer pong, or socializing. I have no idea how he can drive his truck all day without the radio on or any source of music whatsoever. I guess that's where it comes down to the individual and what they are interested in themselves. To me you couldn't have a better day than listening to music on a beautiful day out on a discing course with all of your buddies. All of the combinations lead to a great decrease in stress I've come to find out. On days where I cannot get to Wickes to disc I simply listen to music like normal, whether it be during homework, or unwinding from class and work. It helps bring my day to a relaxing close and on some days I couldn't ask for anything more. In the right mood music can bring me to my bliss, where no matter what obstacles I face in the day can compete with my fulfilled and relaxed sense of mind. 

Thanks for reading :)

Dalefest Part 2

So, day two of Dalefest...

The next morning we woke up to the night time warriors who hadn't yet been to bed. Their loud roars of "WAKE UP AND RAGE!" usually followed with a "DO IT FOR DALE!". Who had been the guy that started up the shows way back in the day, as we were told. So as we stumbled out of our tents we decided to cook up some bacon, we had a little burner and a skillet and we just started cooking. Those late night warriors had finally gone to sleep and we had our fantastic breakfast in the middle of tent city. We found that singer from Blue to Grey passed out on top of a as table, someone had then knocked him off of then he continued sleeping underneath. As the day went on we talked to a few people we had recognized from the night before, one woman who had shown up with a complete jerk and we couldn't understand why she was with him. We noticed her a few other times throughout the day, and no, let's just say he wasn't her boyfriend. He was just one of the 6 or so guys she got with in that one day long period. At one point she had even stumbled up on stage and started stripping. Many people had gotten annoyed at her presence, but apparently some of the guys had other ideas in mind. After they let her have her fun on stage, the band's set up and began playing. After a couple of hours it had started raining, the band's continued but we just sat in our large tent and just hung out and sipped on some of the Gatorade drink, everyone else was out in the pouring rain keeping themselves to drunk to care. Jacob and Nich on the other hand were already fed up with the entire trip and we're ready to leave the minute we woke up that morning. They didn't drink at all and from hours in the sun were as I could imagine in a horrible mood.

I haven't yet been to a show or event that could top that first night of Dalefest, just for all the experiences we had. Most of which happened when just Dalton and I were awake. Night two was definitely a let down, especially after it had started down pouring. I won't forget my first Dalefest and I'd be up for going to another one or something similar. This trip really made me notice music is truly a culture. All of these people were a breed all their own and it was an unforgettable experience to be there and witness all Dalefest had to offer.

Day two was pretty bad to be honest, we sat in the sun the entire day with no shade of any kind. We all ended up sunburnt because of it. Day two was in no way comparable to the events of the first night.

Thanks for reading (many things did get cut from the story)

Dalefest Part 1

A couple summers ago we heard of this two day camping and live bands event called Dalefest. They weren't big bands but they were local ones you've probably heard of if you were into local metal music. This had originally been a trip my mom and her best friend Debbie were planning on going too. As we heard more and more about it we became interested. So the trip turned into a group effort. Our group consisted of my mom, Debbie, Bridget(Debbie's friend), my sister Courtney, her boyfriend Dalton, our cousin Jacob, Nich(my friend), and I. We loaded up two cars for this trip which was roughly an hour and a half away in Imlay city. Debbie and Bridget went in another car and on their own trip there, so it was just us in the cars tailing each other. Jacob was driving the second car and I was leading the way from the first. It had got so frustrating just getting there due to the fact that every time we started maintaining a speed, Jacob and nich would severely fall back. This happened the entire trip so I was so thankful when we had finally reached the place.

As we were pulling in we were curious to the kind of place we had brought ourselves into. The house on the property was kind of ran down and the actual field where we would be camping at had a stage, Porta potties, and a sort of concessions shed. I made a comment that this feels more of an off the main road kind of crazy biker rally, just by the feel and visuals this place had along with its operators. We decided to stay and play it out and began carrying all of our tents, coolers, bags across their entire property to the field. We got set up before barely anyone had even shown up, I had a feeling we were going to be "that family" the one who is just completely out of place and had the wrong idea of what we had come too. As everyone started arriving we had gotten more comfortable and didn't feel out of place. Most people started drinking and we're how you'd say partaking in the consumption of illegal substances. Since we were minors we had to be careful with drinking even though it was going to be fine, since we were supervised and no one was driving. The band's had finally gotten on stage late in the afternoon and we just hung out by our tents and started drinking and listening to the music. A few of us had vodka mixed in gatorade, while Jacob and Nich went full force on the beer. Jacob drank as almost if it had been a race and within a matter of hours was drunk and completely sitting back in his chair. Nich on the other hand had drank slower and gradually got more drunk as the night unfolded. He started getting really into the music which made us all start cracking up. This music was so far off of what Nich normally listens too, it was just funny watching him get into it.

As the evening slowly approached and headed into the night, both Jacob and Nich had gone to bed to sleep off the alcohol. By this point there were a ton of people around, along with an abundance of drugs. There was so much that people literally walked around offering them. The place we had come across was really quite strange. I'll say without saying, a few of us did actually try something that night and it did make for a crazy unforgettable night. I had brought a couple high powered laser printers and made a laser show on the trees behind the stage for all the drunk and people tripping to watch along with the music. Many people had wandered over after a band had finished their set, and before the next band had gotten their equipment set up for their performance. By the time it had gotten into the late hours of the night, most of our group had gotten too drunk so they had gone to bed and mom was off with her friends. Which left Dalton and I sitting at our table, a couple members of bands that played that day had come over to comment on the lasers and talk about the shows. Most came by for the big tub of butter pretzels my mom had brought, they left a taste in your mouth that just made you crave a few more. The singer from a band called "From Blue to Grey" sat down with us and had an actual deep and meaningful conversation with us. All three of us were drunk to say the least but we actually had it maintained enough to carry out the night. 


Dalton and I were finally thinking of going to bed after Bridget had stumbled over to our table with her guitar. She sat down and just started strumming fast and repeatedly, it sounded awful and quickly started ruining the night. She wandered off after a bit, hopefully realizing no one wanted her there playing as much as she did. She came back a few minutes later yelling nonsense at us which got the staffs attention. They told her she was going to have to leave if she kept it up, she then got up and charged away in my direction. I at the time was trying to pack up a few things for the night because I was so done with her already. I was holding a candle which had been sitting on the table the entire night and she rammed into me and got the hot wax all over me. I was already pissed at her for just being around but that definitely sealed it. I got what I could off and just changed and went to bed. I just didn't want to deal with her for the rest of the night.



Thanks for reading (yeah, part one is ridiculously long but didn't want to break up day one)

The Shows

So, I totally hate when they come around and I miss them....


One regret I have is not making more of an effort in getting to the shows when my favourite bands come to Michigan. I mean in the past couple of years it seems like all the ones I love listening to the most have come to places like Grand Rapids, and Detroit. Which, are a ways away but not at all impossible to get too if it'd actually get planned out. Like tomorrow the 15th, A Day To Remember and Bring Me The Horizon are coming to Grand Rapids to put on a show together as a stop on their Parks and Devastation tour. I really want to be there but once again I'm pretty sure I'll be missing another concert I should have been at.

In the past, I've had a couple groups of friends who've gone to concerts I wanted to go to but never asked around to see if anyone I knew was going or not even though I should've. Once was Dirtfest where Falling in Reverse was performing and I later found out my cousin and his girlfriend were going with one of her friends and I would've been stoked to catch that show. Another one I missed was a Lights concert a couple of friends had gone too (Lights is so not metal core but has been in a few BMTH songs as well as BlessTheFall and a few other bands). I didn't find out my friends had went to that show till later that night and earlier in the day I had been at my grandmothers funeral, so I really couldn't go either way. But at that time I was all like omg Lights (fangirl all up in everyones face). That day was all around sad especially due to everyone crying and mourning over my grandma. Which is understandable, I was right there with them and I was sad and missing her too. What sucked even more was the fact my friend Kyle had later sent me a picture and a video, the video was part of a song during the show and the picture was her autograph he got after the concert. I got even more upset after that but was glad he at least got a chance to meet her. That was totally cool, I was just upset because I didn't get the opportunity too.

Just before school had started another friend of mine had gone to warped tour and I was jealous again because as I recall Falling in Reverse had again come back along with, Of Mice&Men, Crown the Empire, Parkway Drive, Chelsea Grin, Issues, and SECRETS had all been there too along with a ton of other bands. Since warped tour was an all day event I had her keep me updated on who all she was seeing and what pictures she had gotten. She met every member of CTE, SECRETS, and had said the guys from Issues were actually kind of douchebags for not meeting with their fans or doing autographs like all the other bands had been doing. She ended up getting a bunch of pictures and autographs, mostly of CTE and SECRETS. She didn't even half the band's I would have went for, mostly due to conflicting playing times and overloaded crowds for the bigger bands but had a blast regardless of who all she actually got to see and meet.

Thanks for reading :)

So Music?

Music is a culture. Wouldn't you agree?

I like many other people have found a deep connection with music. No matter which genre of music a person prefers, their choice can be connected with by someone and your preference of it doesn’t affect how they relate to it and how strongly they feel about it. Music is socially accepted all over the world and each genre acts as a voice for all the people that follow it. I personally prefer thrashing yet melodic tone of metalcore as it has become known as. Which may raise the question as to why or the need of the loudness or thrashing sound that is played. But to many people including me it sounds entirely different than a loud rage of yelling. The sound these bands play and the vocals that most of the time many will hear as nonsense or “screaming” to those who haven’t acquired the ability to listen to what is actually being performed. 

The bands and songs I listen too for the most part have a deep meaning behind the vocals that many people overlook. Which is really upsetting because a lot of these songs are of life and experiences we’ve all gone through or can relate to in some way or another. It’s these songs many people love to listen too because it helps them feel like they are not alone. When you’re having a rough day, where you just want to be left alone with your thoughts or just want to relax and unwind, many people would want to turn on some calm and soothing music they can sing along too. I prefer to turn on some music that gets me fired up and out of the mood that was just bringing me down. While some loud music with all of the parts of the band going, I do love many of the songs that have a slow and melodic chorus that anyone could find appealing. That slow chorus is usually what brings the whole song together and there are even a few songs I only enjoy listening to for the amazing chorus. 

Whether it's slow or fast paced I love the music I listen too, I find it hard to go a day without it. I like many people listen to music almost constantly, when I’m out jogging, in the shower, driving around, or just hanging around the house or with friends. I’m always looking for new bands to listen too, even though I don’t get sick of the ones I’ve already listened to for what seems like forever. To my personal taste this type of music can never get old, I’ve yet to get sick of my favorite bands and have many of their songs throughout my playlists. I feel bad for those who don’t give some of these bands a chance. I know just because I enjoy them doesn’t mean everyone else will but I do believe there are songs we all can connect with in some way. Which is why I find music in general to be a great asset I don’t think I could live without.

Thanks for reading!