#//yes this Is because cello music started playing on my spotify

[countercharmda]

serendipity plays the violin often while he's on the road, but he finds himself drawn to the cello during his time in the castle. in some instances, he played his first spell on his trusty cello -- a gift from his father on his 16th birthday that was waiting for him still when he returned back home.

[iantimony]

i once again am overwhelmed by stupid busywork. Get Me Out

listening: finished the counter/weight prequel eps! feels good to be listening to a friends at the table thing in-time with when they're released, lol. i fully laughed out loud at the heartfelt moment between aria and hymn being interrupted by austin's fucking ice machine. incredible. no notes. "people are gonna go insane about aria in this one" keith you are SO right.

music for the week was the spotify release radar! just gettin some new tunes. i'm thinking of making a playlist that's just the songs that i like from release radar and the at the end of the year i can have a New Of 2024 list, idk. i AM going to try and be more discerning about what things i post, though - it would be very easy to just drop a huge list of all the songs on there that i kinda liked with no commentary but i think it'll be more fun to do fewer songs and actually talk about them, y'know?

philadelphia (matt maltese): feels like a mug of tea. very soft. nostalgic for something i've never seen. travels (rob blivion): really does seem like it should be playing over some indie film montage of someone travelling through mists in the scottish highlands. harsh truths (lemoncello): another indie soundtrack song. i think there's a bass in the background? although in retrospect i think it's a cello. lemoncello. duh. anyways it's very good. burning down the house (paramore): this is SUCH a fun cover. what can't paramore do for real. oh no::he said what? (nothing but thieves): BOUNCY. toe tapper. i am driving down a neon highway at 10000mph. coming home song (sammy rae & the friends): back to wistful and nostalgic. feels a certain kind of way especially right now because i am in the process of finding a new apartment, entirely alone for the first time. jolene (maneskin & dolly parton): speaking of really fun covers, yes yes yes. everything i would have wanted from this.

honorable mention to love me not (emei). i do not like this song particularly. it is stuck in my head though.

reading: fallow.

watching: just like last week: with the boyf, the newest dungeon meshi, i loved the way they animated the mimic. then some kill la kill. we're up to episode 11 now, almost halfway! also went to a superbowl party sunday. basically what you'd expect. fun socializing though.

playing: only had the one dnd last weekend, the one i run! went well. definitely was kinda sleepy and not as focused as i'd like. sigh.

making: mostly fallow...i cut out some of the border pieces for my handsewing project in a nice matching solid blue during the superbowl but have not attached any of it yet. started idly crocheting a rectangular prism-shaped object to use as a mtg deck case.

drew a little birthday card for my grandma i guess? mostly watercolor pencil, some prisma marker for the background. can't be assed to rotate it the right way, sorry, lol

pottery-wise, i did not take pictures but i have some fun interesting stuff in the works! biiiiig pot for my mom (got a little busted. but i think it'll make it). mug. glazing a bowl using sgraffito to carve out some waves (my roommate accidentally dinged the rim and i'm incorporating that into the design). did not take any pictures last week but i'll get some tomorrow for the next tuesdaypost.

eating: my roommate made a truly enormous focaccia in a 9x13 glass baking dish to cut into super bowl party sandwiches. they were delicious and we are still eating them for lunch basically every day. she also made a marinated beef bulgogi-type object, served over rice with veg and a fried egg and some spaghetti squash...yumb.

misc: i can't even be like "i just have to make it through this week" because i know next week will look literally exactly like this one (homework due wednesdays for one class, fridays (plus ANOTHER assignment alternating wednesdays) for the other). really bad vibes. just gotta make it through this week this semester.

[yoylechess]

Do you have a Spotify, SoundCloud, or any other music related app/website account? Have you ever used any music making apps/websites?

i have a soundcloud! and ive messed around before... like in bandcamp and various websites. i would like to get into making music definitely! something i dream of. unfortunately i lose interest in things fast and its hard to start yk? also, not necessarily apart of the ask BUT related, i have played a little bit of piano and harp before (also [The Instrument] but i like to pretend that didnt happen) i played piano for a while and god forbid i remember anything bout it. harp i was the most interested in and passionate about, (in terms of instruments ive gotten my grubby grubby hands on) and unfortunately i was allowed to play a little harp like 3 times and NEVER AGAIN!!! little me curses the sky. i almost played cello, my nana really wanted me too, and it almost happened! then it didnt. i dont know what instrument i would pick up now if i had to choose i honestly wish i just knew every instrument i like already, guitar, trumpet, synth, i love the accordion but idk if i would play it, i almost put down keyboard here which is in a grey area because i did know how to play but not anymore.... ive getting way off track though.... so uhh

TLDR : YES

[imorphemi]

downloaded spotify again on my laptop for sky music, and well, i dont put my headphones on very often when im playing sky which is kinda sad...the music is beautiful, as well as having very interesting titles...

Anyways, ive only listened to the first few and some of them im just trying to remember which belongs where. Just gonna lay out a few of my thoughts here

yknow, the manta theme just doesnt seem to fit without the manta calls in it.

The elders and their temples do have a leifmotif across their songs

Ok at some parts it really reminds me of the Great Sea in Wind Waker

AD GET OUT OF HERE

EFF OFF

I HATE YOU

A Portentous Walk? I did not know what that word meant XD

It means ominous. Sounds about right for forest. But for this part? Not very ominous...well until you get to the low notes...

I LOVE WALTZING IN THE RAIN (has a sudden desire to draw forest elder dancing in the rain)

I love this theme so much askfjhadlskjd

It has that swaying feeling that could lull you to sleep man. I want a version of this but with rain ambience

Now this one, an Invention. I dont recognize this theme OH THE NOTES SOUND ODDLY OFF? Im guessing its referring to darkstone, or the thing that molds darkstone...yeah i cannot remember where this theme plays i will need to go through the game again with headphones. I do need to go through forest next.

Faded Glories eh? thats...interesting. 

Anyways, just gonna pop this in here but i was really hoping for the butterfly charmer theme to be in here.

SOMERSAULT!!! Love this theme! Now i can listen to it without it fading out when im going too slow!

Ok but i kinda dont like how theres no background music in the rink. It makes it feel simply empty and cold, unlike Somersault

Diving in to the race aight!

GO AWAY AD I WANT TO LISTEN TO SKY DSLKJHLSDFHFDS-

WHY ARE THERE TWO??? EFF OFF! I DONT CARE ABOUT SCHOOL RIGHT NOW

THERES ANOTHER MCDONALDS ONE??? WHAT THE FRICK?

...And now theres a fourth no i dont want to listen to it i want to listen to sky

FINALLY

ELDER CUTSCENE TIME

Shall we play? eeee i love the little jingles in there

Before A Fall ohohohoho 

...Two Heroes? hmm

Where does this play??? I need to go to wasteland anyways today ill have to check that out.

VAULT!!! Music is so soothing here

An Invitation...OHHHHHHHH

Im also currently looking through the concept art and um, the starting area was once called Mental Space???

For those who have come before

that is...interesting. What does it mean?

EFF YOU AWKWARD SILENCE I DONT CARE GET OUT OF HERE YOU STUPID AD 

WHY IS THERE ANOTHER MCDONALDS ONE???

NO LET ME LISTEN TO SKY GET OUT

ARG this is why i dont like spotify

YES YES YES THE MANTA ONE I LOVE THIS THEME

AN UPWARDS DANCE OMG

The story thus far is unclear and i need more lore pls

oh

oh

oh thats pretty

thats really pretty

Hmm very ominous (the current)

Well actually as i type that is it referring to the current, like as in right now, or current like water?

I also do not know where this plays pls help

Dang those accidentals

eeeeeee its like krill has spotted you

they’re putting together a lot of notes that dont really harmonize but it still sounds dope

reeeeeeeeEEEEEEEE (me hearing one note in a bunch that is off)

and...soothing music-nope still ominous

The Deep...Im pretty sure this is all eden lol

I dont know where this plays tho. I dont go to eden often and when i do, usually its without headphones.

might solo run eden sometime

where the heck does this play???

Exhale is coming up...

GOSH DANGIT AD

WHY HERE

WHY

<KJSDFSFDLUSFKHJFSDKLHJSDFKLHJ

‘takes off headphones’ im just going to wait until this bastard gets out of here

Why is there always a mcdonalds one???

Ok exhale

yknow, interesting word choice there

ok i love the little reversed notes playing in the background

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

OOOH THE CELLO (Lost and Found)

OOOOHHHHHH

I am going to get another four ads in here before i finish listening to this playlist arent i

Flight!

I LOVE THE BEGINNING FIRST OF ALL? ITS SO PEACEFUL? EVEN THOUGH THERES LIGHTNING LITERALLY EVERYWHERE? AND EVERYTHINGS CRASHING DOWN?

DEM BELLS

HERE COME THE VOCALS!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

to orbit!

Cloud Messenger? Oh this is like, when you first start out the game

Cloud Messenger...thats interesting

The light beyond! Its so pretty! I hope those vocals arent just rambles and are actually words and mean something because its really pretty

Also, Orbit doesnt have much of a soundtrack but the sound design of the place is really, really dang pretty and cool.

I THOUGHT SO

AN AD

DUDE I JUST HAVE THE CREDITS TRACK TO LISTEN TO GET OUT

ooh it be pretty 

oho i hear a bit of forest in there

SO!

That was amazing and i love it asldfkjhasdlkfhladf

But i hate spotify. I usually listen to music on youtube with an adblocker so

Anyways, congrats for getting to the bottom of my rambles! You get a heart!

[queertazsecretsanta]

A gift for @dork-empress, created by @all-made-of-stardust!

I am always down for some good wholesome Taakitz, and this was no exception.  For best reading experience, listen to this song once Kravitz turns on the music ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCabI3MdV9g

~~

It was Candlenights eve, and everything was perfect.

Their whole family had already come and gone.  Magnus with the dogs, Merle with his kids.  Davenport had actually managed to schedule shore time to come say hi, hell, even Lucretia had popped in, if only to hug the people that would hug her, and in the end Taako didn’t mind so much.  At least everyone else was happy.  Angus had begged to stay the night but it was Magnus’ turn to host the kid.

Lup and Barry were the last ones to leave.  Lup had been clingy ever since she got her body back, and Taako had to convince her that yes, Lup, we’ll see each other again, yes, Lup, you can come over for dinner, yeah sure, Lup, let’s do it tomorrow.

But for now, Lup had gone home with Barry, and it left Kravitz and Taako in a warm haze.  Taako had magicked up a fire in the fireplace, and they were both sitting on the couch, Taako curled up against Kravitz’s chest, Kravitz with his hand wrapped around Taako’s shoulder.  He was absentmindedly running his fingers through Taako’s hair, which by now had fallen out of its braid.

Skeletor, the gray tabby (the first one they had adopted), had wrapped himself under Taako’s hand.  MewMew (named by Kravitz after a night of too many drinks), the black tuxedo, was walking along the top of the couch, and was nuzzling Kravitz’s face.  And of course, Lup II (why not Taako II? - Because I’m the better twin! - Who decided that? - Uh, both of us? – Yeah, when we were five!), the calico, was busy purring loudly by the fire.

Jury was still out on whether they were adopting a fourth, a spectral skeletal cat.  Barry’s vote was an enthusiastic yes, he would even provide the kitty himself, but Kravitz vetoed the idea of deliberately reanimating a cat just for the sake of keeping it as a pet.  Taako thought it might be too confusing, given the fact that they’d already called the first one Skeletor.  Lup thought she could name it Skeletor II, and had smirked at Taako.

Taako was half into meditation, enjoying the feeling of Kravitz’s rejuvenated heart beat against his, when Kravitz stirred slightly.

“Taako, how much music have I shared with you?”

Taako hummed a tune he thought he’d hear Kravitz sing before, and Kravitz laughed.

“That sounds more like what Lup might listen to.”

Taako yawned.

“Then I don’t know.  Why, you wanna share some with me now?”

“I’ve had one stuck in my head all day.  Could I share it with you?”

Taako stretched and sat up, frightening Skeletor into leaping off the couch.  Kravitz stood up as Taako rubbed his eyes.

“I’m sure it will sound amazing, Krav.”

He loved everything about Kravitz.  He really did.  But from what he’d heard, his taste in music was...boring.  There was only so many times Taako could listen to a cello play a harmony.  He remembered listening to Lup and Barry’s Legato performance, and smiled.  As much as he loved listening to the culmination of his sister’s true love, he could have done with more...pizzazz.

Kravitz fiddled with Fantasy Spotify, selecting a song.

“It’s a Candlenights one!” he said excitedly.

“Mmhmm.”

The music started, and Kravitz sat back on the couch.

A singular cello started playing an old Candlenights tune that Taako was familiar with.  An old carol, with sad notes.  Taako hummed along as the cello continued.  As it reached a lower note it sustained it, drawing it out into silence.  Taako saw Kravitz sit forward in anticipation.

“Well, it was pretty.  But what is - ”

Drums.  A guitar.  A heavy triple beat, accentuated by large bells ringing loudly in the background.  Taako felt his heart leap a little at the turn, and was suddenly very interested.

Violins, overlapping and louder and more forceful than he’d ever heard them, screamed out another familiar melody, but instead of it being soft and serene it felt powerful, with purpose.

Kravitz was grinning.  He was tapping his foot in time with the beat, and when the piano cut in, pounding down the notes in a jarring chord, Kravitz playfully mimed the movements along with it.  Taako found himself laughing.

The music faded out briefly, still keeping its foreboding tone, as a piano lightly tapped out the beginning melody.  Kravitz stood, and took Taako’s hand.

“Shall we dance?” he chuckled, sweeping Taako into a waltz, but it wasn’t slow and romantic, it was fast and active and almost terrifying.  Kravitz whirled Taako around the room, the cats darting away from them.  Lup II had already leapt from her spot by the fire and was now staring at the two in wonder as they spun and danced and twirled as the music got louder, the guitar more intense, ripping out the chords like it was the end of the world.

It grew into a crescendo, the violins going crazy, and Taako laughed as they gave up on the waltz and simply danced, jumping up and down, Kravitz beaming ear to ear.  The song ended on a long drawn out chord, triumphant and joyous, and Taako started giggling as Kravitz brought him back down to the couch.  Skeletor hopped up again, confused as to why the two were laughing so much.

Taako managed to take a breath and kissed Kravitz, before falling on top of him again, his heart still pounding from the song.

“Alright, I admit it.  That was pretty badass.”

“They have a whole album...” Kravitz teased, and Taako shot up.

“A whole trove of classical songs that don’t put me to sleep?”

Kravitz nodded, and Taako grabbed his hand.

“We’re doing nothing else tonight but listening to this.”

Kravitz smiled, and selected the songs.  Around them, the cats rolled in, almost as if they wanted to join in on the dancing too.

[dotzines]

Artist Spotlights!

🎤 Keldan 🥁 KentuckyTheFried 🎷 Kisse

🎺 lemonbaristas 🎸 LicoriceRoll 🎻 Linkyu

Interview below the cut!

Introduce yourself

🎤 I'm a hobbyist artist. Wander around the Fire Emblem fanbase mostly. Social media: https://twitter.com/KeldanCon 🥁 Hi there! I’m a 19 year old hobby artist with a passion for designing OCs and fantasy/sci-fi characters. I’ve been drawing seriously for the past three years, but only got into digital art in September 2018. I’m active on Twitter (@KentuckyTheFry) 🎷 I’m a commission artist with a media background. I enjoy drawing cats, plants and lgbt+ topics. You can find my art on my website at juliusjoki.com, on instagram at @kissegram or on twitter at @kissecatte. 🎸 Hey there! Im an art student, I draw on both digital and traditionnal, mainly fandom stuff~ You can find me on twitter and insta @Licoriceroll , and tumblr @lico-arts :) 🎻 Hi, I’m Linkyu; I am here as a digital artist, but I’m also an independent game developer at Duality Workshop. My favourite genre is Sci-Fi, closely followed by Fantasy. I like to write dark themed stories, but most of the time I’ll make sure to make them hopeful. I don’t like sad endings. I'm currently most active on twitter, where you can find most of my recent art here: https://twitter.com/search?q=from%3ALinkyuTL%20%F0%9F%8E%A8&src=typed_query&f=live

Do you do commissions post? Where can we find the info?

🥁 My comms are always open and available right here: https://twitter.com/kentuckythefry/status/1171914175028875270 🎷 http://teaspionage.com/blog/work-and-commissions/ 🎸 https://twitter.com/LicoriceRoll/status/1151212909067931649 🎻 I do, actually; it's the pinned post of my twitter: https://twitter.com/LinkyuTL/status/1197969362096992257

Do you listen to music (or tv shows/films/anything else) when drawing?

🎤 Between music and contingency podcasts. 🥁 All the time! I actually find it hard to draw WITHOUT something in the background. I usually listen to music, but if I’m in a particularly good headspace and have a ton of work to do, I’ll listen to episodes of Critical Role ~ 🎷 I listen to music almost all the time and spotify is my best friend. I also watch a lot of documentaries while I draw. 🎸 I never do anything without music playing, silence gets too lonely ._. 🎻 Yes, although I tend to avoid lyrical songs because otherwise I end up distracting myself singing along and… not … drawing,,,

What’s your favorite music artist/band? If you could ask your favorite band/music artist one question, what would it be?

🎤 Nightwish. Are you ever gonna make a recorded concert with a full orchestra? 🥁 Right now my favorite artist is Aurora, and if I got the chance I would ask her for a hug - she strikes me as he type of person who would give good hugs xD 🎷 I don’t have a single favourite but I’ve been listening to a lot of Japanese rock music and city pop recently. Right now I’d like to know what art styles the members of BUCK-TICK find the most inspiring. 🎸 My favorite band is BBHF (ex Galileo Galilei) 🎻 Dave Grohl, by far. He is the musical embodiment of the philosophy that I adhere to.

Do you play an instrument? If not would you like to play one? Which one?

🎤 Guitar and keyboard. 🥁 I’ve been playing guitar for twelve years and violin for ten! If I got the chance I’d love to learn cello or harp. 🎷 I used to play the violin before I lost my instrument. I’m also interested in the bass guitar. 🎸 I never took actual classes but a friends taught me the basics of ukulele and piano. Outside of that I just sing a lot~ 🎻 I've played a fair amount of bass guitar, and some normal guitar too. I've started picking up the keyboard again for composition too, and I'd like to do some drums too in the future, actually.

Which song(s) are you going to draw?

🎤 Children of Bodom - All Twisted 🥁 I’m drawing Godhunter by Aviators! (It’s a BOP, highly recommend) 🎷 Morning Hangover by King Quartz 🎸 Im drawing Tsugi no Hi from BBHF 🎻 Definitely Hail to the King, from Avenged Sevenfold. Maybe more?

What do you expect from this zine?

🎤 Keep improving my art skills and find some interesting fellow artists to follow. 🥁 I’m challenging myself, in a sense! I always tell myself I’m gonna draw something based on one of my favorite songs but I never do, so this zine was a great opportunity to just sit down and say “yes! I’m drawing this!” ~ 🎷 I’m excited for creating original work and illustrating music as well as looking at how other people have interpreted songs that I know. 🎸 I think it's great to step ouf of my confort zone when it comes to illustrations: drawing for a song can be a lot more abstract than drawing for a specific character. Being more loose with the interpretation is pleasantly freeing ^^ 🎻 I'm mostly in it for more incentive to draw. I don't get commissioned very often, and I tend to neglect my art for other hobbies instead, so participating in zines forces me to keep the pen moving, you know what I mean? Besides, I get to see some nice art and the DotZine community has been great, so, it's also a nice ride.

Anything else you want to add?

🥁 Just some words of inspiration - whatever it is you’re doing, whatever you’re going through, don’t give up on your dreams! You’re stronger than you know 💕 🎻 Keep Rocking 🤘

[esther-ti-designs]

Hey everyone, uhh so I have some tea for you all.

So I met this guy (I’ll refer to him as J) during the last meeting of the quarter for the graphic design club last fall.  Here’s everything that happened between December 5 through February 22.

December 5

Honestly, I haven’t noticed J at any of the previous meetings, but that one night, he just came up to me out of the blue and complimented me on my cozy winter gear.

So J and I happened to be taking Intro to Design that quarter and we talked about our group projects for the class, which we just turned in earlier that day (I had just pulled two consecutive all-nighters and had just taken a 3-hour nap prior to the meeting, so I was very sleep deprived at this point).  We continued our conversation while walking down some stairs and outside the building, and he asked me about other clubs that I’m involved in, to which I told him that I’m the secretary and Head of Hufflepuff for the Harry Potter Alliance (HPA) and that I’m also in the ballroom dance club.  He seemed very interested in HPA.  He mentioned that he played second violin in the video game orchestra (VGO) and that they were having a quarterly concert that weekend.  A friend in HPA had promoed the VGO concert the night before, but I wasn’t really interested, as I had no knowledge of video game music.  J and I exchanged Instagram handles and later that night, I answered all of his questions about HPA.  Then on Sunday, sort of at the last minute, I found out that a few friends from HPA were going to the VGO concert and I went along because $5 for a concert is not bad, and I haven’t been to an orchestra performance in a while.  The concert was so much better than I expected!

December 9

Finals week just started and J randomly asked if I was studying on campus 👀

December 11

We met up at a boba shop near my apartment to study for the Intro to Design final (it was raining pretty hard and J refused to have me bike out to campus in the rain).  We studied off a Quizlet set for about 3 hours until my laptop’s battery was running low, and then we talked for another couple hours!  It turns out we have a lot in common!  We’re both only children, 22 years old, left-handed, design majors (J is actually a design and managerial economics double major), and we play the violin (I used to play violin and cello, but I digress).  Oh and we both have an iNTeResTinG injury story haha.  Then, before we went our separate ways, he gave me a one-armed hug, which I couldn’t reciprocate because I had my arms full with a cup of boba and my umbrella.

December 12

J DM’ed me out of the blue asking for my Spotify wrapped up.  I normally don’t give in to trends easily, and this was something I wasn’t really interested in sharing with the entire world, but I shared it with him anyways (Spoiler: It’s mostly Game of Thrones soundtracks, Taylor Swift, and BTS).  Despite being an orchestra nerd, I find it really difficult keeping up with popular music, and my musical taste stays fairly consistent even several years later.  I was kind of expecting him to laugh at my musical taste, but he actually complimented me for liking dramatic tv/film soundtracks.  And then we arranged another study session right before the design final.

December 13

The Intro to Design final was supposed to be 50 questions, all multiple-choice, no trick questions.  It was supposed to be really easy, and I thought we got almost everything down at the previous study session.  So why were we having another study session right before the exam?  I thought either he really wanted an A in the class, or he wanted to see me again before we went on winter break.  Right before going in for the exam, he asked if I wanted to meet up again for a “post-final celebration” when we were done with the exam.  Okay, now I was really starting to think he wanted to spend some more time with me before winter break 👀

So after the design final, we walked down to one of two boba shops on the edge of campus and downtown.  We both ordered our drinks, he got some popcorn chicken, and we talked for four hours!  I can’t remember everything we talked about, but time really flew by.  And then, before we went home, he gave me a one-armed hug again.

December 14

I had plans to fly home to LA today.  I had spent the previous night cleaning my apartment and packing stuff (I managed to forget to bring a pair of sneakers because, for some reason, dumbass me decided to wear heeled boots to the airport because ~fashion~).  I was sitting in the airport, about to board the plane, when I got a message from J.  He remembered that I was flying that day and was asking if I got home safely.  Aww he actually cares.  I told him that I would be boarding soon and will be offline for the next couple hours.  And then I updated him when I got off the plane, when my parents picked me up at LAX, while we sat in the typical LA traffic, until we all made it home.

December 15 - January 5

Over the next few weeks of winter break, we messaged each other a couple times every day.  We shared pictures of the holiday decorations in our home, and I shared pictures and video clips of my pet bunny too.  On Chistmas Eve, he asked if I had any plans, to which I told him we were going out for dinner to celebrate my mom’s birthday.  He wished my mom happy birthday and I passed the birthday wishes to my mom. “Hey mom, my friend says happy birthday.” “Thank you — who???” And I had to tell my mom about J (whoops).  Her judgmental ass was not exactly happy to hear that J is a Caucasian dude from yeehaw country, and after showing her J’s Instagram feed, she was not a fan of his art style smh.  Anyways, the day I was coming back to Davis, J was like AHHHH you’re back!!!!!!!  Just pure excitement 💖

January 9 - 16

We met up at yet another boba shop after the first week of classes.  Our meeting was shorter than all our previous meetings, because I had to bike back to give an apartment tour later that afternoon.  Two weeks into the winter quarter, we met after our design studio classes and walked to an HPA meeting together.  We also went to a graphic design club meeting together, after which he offered to drive me home so that I wouldn’t have to bike with the cold wind on my face.  I trusted J at this point, so I gratefully accepted.  I think my trust in him went up at least 10 times in this moment, because J managed to secure my small and heavy bike to the bike rack on the back of his car, which already had his bike strapped in.  After dropping me off at my apartment, he invited me out for dinner that weekend (it was also MLK weekend).

January 18

J picked me up at 7.  The restaurant he chose was hella ~ f a n c y ~.  It was an Italian restaurant downtown with dim lighting and pasta priced at $13 - $16.  He said he didn’t know the place would be that fancy and that he trusted Yelp’s description of “casual Italian.”  I told a friend about our sort-of-date night and she thinks J picked a date-y restaurant on purpose 👀  Oh and my mom went the extra mile of writing down J’s name, the place we were going to, and I was to call home at 10 PM (I ended up getting back and called an hour early).

February 14 - Valentine’s Day ❤️

Unfortunately, J never came to another HPA meeting because the campus radio station, KDVS, holds meetings at the same time, and he’s trying to get a job with them.  And we don’t really see each other very often because design classes are usually 3-hours long and J is really busy with 5 classes.  But J has been super excited about Yule Ball ever since he met me.  J came over while I was tabling for ticket sales.  He mentioned that VGO was going to see Sonic that night, and invited me to hang with VGO.  Let me tell you, it was quite an experience and definitely not the typical Valentine’s Day date.

We pulled into a Sonic drive-in for dinner (because gotta get in that Sonic mood lol).  A girl introduced herself as D (name altered to protect identity, of course).  She clearly has some sort of leadership role in the group because everyone pays attention to her, but she constantly makes jokes about being everyone’s daddy.  The jokes are so vulgar and obscene.  It was like weirdest video game nerd and band kid hybrid (J later tells me she’s a violinist.  What?!  Orchestra people are usually super chill lol).  After dinner, we get in our cars and head down the street to the movie theater.  The VGO had reserved seats in Row J.  J and I had just booked our tickets several hours earlier and we were in Row F.  Throughout the movie, someone in the theater yelled at every pivotal moment (including, yes, that Tails reveal in the post credits).  J thoroughly enjoyed the movie and laughed along with whomever was yelling behind us, while I knew absolutely nothing going into it, except that Sonic is a blue hedgehog that can run super fast.  J also gave one additional bit of info before the movie: Sonic really likes chili corn dogs for some strange reason???

So that’s how my Valentine’s Day went lol

February 18

J came by around 3 in the afternoon, right before we were going to pack up for the day, and purchased a Yule Ball ticket.  He’s obviously very excited to go to Yule Ball with me but he says he doesn’t know how to dance.  I told him we have a waltz lesson planned.  He’s like aww and says he wants me to personally teach him (my heart 💕).  And as always, he gave me a hug before leaving to go to class.  Recently, I noticed that J has been giving full hugs instead of his usual one-armed hugs, though it depends on the situation.

February 22

✨❄️ Y u l e   B a l l ❄️✨

J and I arrived separately at Yule Ball because I had to help set up the venue for the event and I had spent the entire day working on an Azkaban wanted poster prop and literally finished it two hours before our meeting time for setting up the venue.  The dance was supposed to start at 7 PM and J got there early enough to help me out with last-minute decorations.  I had signed up to be in charge of the photobooth from 7 to 7:30, but no one came for pictures during that 30-minute period, so I was free for the rest of the night.  J and I had a fantastic time admiring the detailwork in the decorations around the venue and laughing and dancing to the weird selection of 2000s music.  J did pretty okay with learning waltz basics and I gave him tips here and there on standing in closed frame, balance, the slight tension in the left hand, etc.

Sometime towards the end of the night, my ballroom friend pulled me aside for a bathroom chat and asked if we’re dating.  I don’t know???  We haven’t decided to call it official so ??

After helping clean up everything at the end of the night, J dropped off a friend and right before turning to drop me off (I live across the street from that friend), he remembered that I hadn’t had actual food all day prior to Yule Ball (aww he actually cares, and he probably wanted some extra time with me even though my apartment was right there).  So we went downtown for (a very late) dinner.  While we chatted over food and boba, our conversation drifted towards soundtrack music and I mentioned The Theory of Everything soundtrack, my favorite soundtrack besides Game of Thrones.  J immediately searched up The Theory of Everything soundtrack album and streamed it on the way home (that’s some serious dedication right there), and he liked it!

Oh and I forgot to mention that J forgot to bring a jacket and I had a very warm scarf and coat, so we held onto each other with a one-armed hug while we walked to his car.  I really love his hugs, one-armed or full hugs.

I usually post a picture from Yule Ball every year so here’s this year’s!  Yep, that’s J.  And we’re both Ravenclaws :)

I’ll end this post here, so I don’t end up with a romance novel in a single post lol

[shemakesmusic-uk]

Getting to Know...

Alana Henderson.

Weaving pop, folk and electronic elements to craft a sound which is strikingly unique, Alana Henderson's Museum EP is “based on relationships in their various stages of evolution. You have the falling in love, falling apart and looking back, and each song is a different part of that." 2019 sees Alana with her trademark cello now bolstered with shimmering electronics and ghostly slide guitar, influenced by the likes of Arthur Russell and June Tabor, whilst receiving worthy comparisons to Joanna Newsom and Laura Marling.

Alana Henderson made her debut in 2014 with Wax & Wane, an organic, slow-burn success which has amassed 9 million streams to date on Spotify alone. Lyrics that flirt with levity but lean towards the confessional, innovative cello playing, delicate production and a sense of intimacy. A two-year stint moonlighting as Hozier's touring cellist saw Alana travelling the World paying her musical dues but homecoming brought about a self-imposed hiatus and drawing-of-breath, punctuated by one haunting single release, ‘Let This Remain' (2017) which is also included in her Musuem EP.

We had a chat with Alana all about Museum and what she has planned for the rest of the year. Read the Q&A below.

What led you to make music? Who and/or what are your influences?

"I was very fortunate be brought up immersed in Irish Traditional music - my whole family plays - and I sang traditional Seán-nós (old style) and played traditional wooden flute and tin whistle from about aged 7. When I was 18 I heard Arthur Russell for the first time. I couldn’t believe the sounds he was making with a cello. It led me to trying to use the cello as an accompaniment instrument to singing. That and hearing Rushad Eggleston play cello for Crooked Still - a bluegrass band - as a teenager and subsequently having some lessons with him. I realised that I had all the components I just needed to find a way to piece them together. I’ve always loved language and songwriting is something I would probably do for my own pleasure even if no one ever listened!"

You've just released your new EP Museum. What was your inspiration for the record?

"Yes, ‘Museum’ came out on October 18. The songs on the Museum EP are sort of vignettes of various pivotal moments in a relationship; ‘Museum’ itself is about finding closure and watching a past love move on, ‘Anyone’ is the nervous energy and infatuation of meeting someone new, ‘Let This Remain’ is trying to forge real connection with someone, beyond the merely physical, and ‘On Board’ is about the instinct to be guarded for self preservation and ultimately dropping your guard enough to let new love in.

What do you hope listeners take away from Museum?

"On ‘Museum’ I sing about ‘curating a museum of thought’. I suppose by that I mean that you can choose how to hold the memories of your past. It’s quite an empowering realisation that you don’t have to torture yourself with where previous relationships went wrong and you could instead just respect what it taught you and visit the memory once in a while.

"I hope that anyone who listens can find some sentiment in the songs that resonates with their current situation and maybe get some comfort from that."

What was your songwriting process for the EP?

"The songs on this EP were all written quite quickly and naturally. I didn’t really sit down and try to write. It is an unashamedly personal record. I think I just wrote it as a way of unpicking how I was feeling.

"‘Anyone’ was the track that took the most time from its inception to completion. I shied away from recording it initially because it’s much more upbeat than anything else I had written. I wasn’t comfortable with it at first but when we started to record I actually enjoyed embracing the playfulness of the lyrics and allowing myself to be a few shades poppier with the production."

Finally, what does the remainder of 2019 hold for Alana Henderson?

"I have just released a music video for ‘Anyone’ that I made with my good friend and director Seán T O’Meallaigh. It was another lesson in embracing the lightheartedness of that song and allowing myself to ‘play’ a bit! So you can watch that now!

"I’ll be playing a few local shows in my home city of Belfast including one at The Naughton Gallery at Queen’s University on 11th December. Otherwise I’m currently scoring a film and working on new music."

Photo credit: Christopher Barr

[gimmesumsuga]

50 Questions Tag

tagged by the illustrious @cinnaminsvga (thankoo Zee, Ily) 

This could get longwinded, so it’s going under the cut... 

1. What takes up too much of your time? 

Admin related stuff at work.  Chasing up appointments, making endless phone calls... 

2. What makes your day better? 

Lots of different things!  An unexpected compliment, coming home to find my fella has bought us something extra special nice for dinner, getting snuggly and warm on the sofa watching one of my fave tv shows (I’m addicted to Luther, atm)

3. What’s the best thing to happen to you today? 

I’d been given a work-related task to do that had the potential to be horrendously long-winded and time-consuming, but it turned out to be not nearly as bad as I’d thought it would! 

4. What fictional place would you like to go to? 

Middle earth, most definitely.  I’d love to spend some time with the Hobbits!  

5.  Are you good at giving advice? 

Uhhhmm... I suppose it depends on what kind of advice people are looking for.  I’ll usually always try to give practical solutions to problems, and then find it difficult when there isn’t one I can give.  I also worry so much that I might be giving bad advice that sometimes I’m afraid to say much at all.  

6.  Do you have a mental illness?

Luckily, I’ve always been blessed with fairly good mental health.  I’m so thankful for that.

7.  Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis? 

Nope, and I have absolutely no desire to.  

8. What musician inspired you the most? 

It’s going to have to be BTS.  I’ve never written for any other fandom as much as I have for this one. 

9. Have you ever fallen in love?

I have, many a time.  I’m a bit of a hopeless romantic tbh.

10. What’s your dream date? 

I’m pretty traditional and boring like this, really!  I guess it depends on what number date it is, too.  I’m someone that embarrasses easily so I’d hate to be taken on something totally out of my comfort zone before I know that person really well.  

Just going out to a movie and then getting something tasty to eat afterwards is good enough for me.  Or maybe dinner and then drinks at a bar?  Something where we’ve actually got time to talk to each other properly. 

11. What do others notice about you? 

Uhmm... apparently I have a nice smile! 

12.  What’s an annoying habit you have? 

I don’t know quite how to describe this but I have a tendency to... ask questions as a way of hinting at things lol  I remember one of my friends doing my nails once and I was like ‘oh... were you going to do ‘x/y/z’ too?’  and she was just like, Steph, if you want it doing just SAY that’s what you want, don’t just dance around it.  

I guess that’s pretty annoying lol I’m sure there are other things, too.  

13. Do you still talk to your first love? 

HA.  Noooooooooooooooo.... 

14. How many exes do you have? 

Oh dear. Uh. This might take a while.  

*much counting on fingers later* 

Like... 10?  

15. How many songs are on your playlist? 

I don’t really have a playlist, to be honest.  I use spotify and just put that shit on shuffle.  

16.  What instruments can you play? 

In school, I played both the cello and the flute, but I doubt I’d be any good at them now.  I can also play one song on the piano really well, but just that one song lol 

17. What do you have the most pictures of? 

It’s gotta be either BTS or my doggo, Shiro

18. Where would you like to go before you die? 

The Grand Canyon. 

19. What’s your zodiac? 

Taurus! 

20. Do you relate to it? 

Lord, yes, and I think it shows in some of the answers I’ve given up above (like what makes me happy and what my dream date would be)

21. What is happiness to you? 

A hug from someone I love, a comfortable blanket, and a full stomach.  

22. Are you going through anything right now? 

A bit of writer’s block, I suppose.  Procrastinating doing this probably isn’t helping lol 

23. What’s the worst decision you ever made? 

I can think of a couple of exes that spring to mind haha

24. What’s your favourite store?

Hm.  If we’re talking designer, I love All Saints.  Oooohhh, I LOVE Paperchase though, too.  I could spend a fortune in there. 

25. What’s your opinion on abortion? 

I pro-choice, but I have to admit it starts to get my back up a little bit when people use it as a form of contraception rather than a last resort.  

26. Do you keep a bucket list?

Can’t say I do, nope. 

27. Do you have a favourite album? 

I really do love Love Yourself: Answer.  It has so many great tracks 

28. What do you want for your birthday?

Seeing as it’s coming up next Tuesday, I’ve been asked this quite a lot just lately lol the only thing I can think of is a Fitbit, really.  I’ve been working out quite a lot lately and I’d be interested to know what it’s looking like calorie-wise.  

29. What are most people’s first impressions of you? 

I have no idea!  I hope they’re positive.  I think most of the people I come across professionally tend to think I’m a lot younger than I actually am when they first meet me.  

30. What age do you seem according to most people? 

Ha, I didn’t even see this question before writing that last answer!  Um, most people put me at around 23-25 when I ask them.  Hopefully, it stays that way! 

31. Where do you keep your phone while you’re sleeping? 

Under my pillow.  I know, I know, it’s a bad idea. 

32. What word do you say the most? 

I really don’t know.  There’s nothing that sticks out particularly.  

33. What’s the oldest age you would date? 

Hm.  I’d probably date a 40-year-old but no older than that.  I think it’s all well and good at the age I am now, but a ten year age gap might really start making a difference as time goes on. 

34. What’s the youngest age you would date? 

I think 20 is my maximum, and even that seems a big gap this way around.  Plus it really depends on the maturity of that person.  

35. What job/career do most people say would suit you? 

No-one’s really made that kind of observation in a very long time, to be honest. I know my manager is currently trying to get me ready and primed to take over when she retires, though lol 

36. What’s your favourite music genre?

I like all sorts, really.  I guess I’m a pop-rock girl at heart.    

37. If you could live in any country in the world, where would it be?  

Despite the rain, I quite like the UK!  Although Australia would be a nice option if I could take all my family with me. 

38. What is your current favourite song?

It’s gotta be Make it Right.  Man, I can’t get it out of my head. 

39. How long have you had this blog for?

I believe it’ll be 2 years in July! 

40. What are you excited for? 

My bachelorette party this weekeeeeeend!!  And my wedding, of course haha

41. Are you a better talker or listener? 

Either!  I give as good as I get

42. What is the last productive thing you did? 

Finished that work thingy today

43. What do you want for Christmas? 

My mum’s Christmas dinner.  Her roast potatoes are fucking amazing. 

44. What class did you get the best grade in?  

English Literature and RE (religious education). I got an A* in both subjects, and a First in my degree.  

45. On a scale of one to ten, how are you feeling right now?

Eh, I’d go for a 7.  I’m alright! 

46. What can you see yourself doing in ten years? 

Complaining to my husband about what a fucking mess the house is because of our two kids, most likely.  

47. When did you get your first heartbreak? 

When I broke up with my first ever boyfriend, I guess 

48. What age do you want to get married? 

Well, I mean it’s happening next month sooooo 30! lol 

49. What career did you want to have as a child? 

I think I wanted to be a vet for a while.  I also wanted to be a traffic warden.  It STILL pisses me off when people park in parking spaces that they shouldn’t. 

50. What do you crave right now? 

The dinner I can smell my brother-in-law cooking.  I’m hungry, damn it. 

Wooooooow that was long! 

Imma tag @readyplayerhobi @johobi @hoseokiehopie @underthejoon @kpopfanfictrash @floralseokjin and anyone else who’d like to do it! 

[stephfm]

Does Classical Music Deserve a Reprise?

Classical music itself is a tricky term. To most, it’s an umbrella term used to describe music you associate with grand concert halls, orchestras, and composers such at Beethoven and Mozart. To those with musical literacy, however, it’s a specific period of music that started in the mid 18th century till the early 19th century. But, that is not the point of this article. Today, let’s use the term to refer to what most people think of when thinking about Classical music. It’s old, it may even be boring, but more importantly, it’s dying. Concerts are receiving less government funding and the audience is somewhat depleting. 

The Audience Agency’s report on UK’s classical music audiences that covers classical music events from 2014 to 2018 demonstrates that the average age for Classical music is increasing. Like how several countries in the world are battling the problem of an ageing population, Classical music is too. But why is this so? Is it possible that Classical music events are just catered to the older generation? People above their 40s probably have more disposable income, more leisure time to attend concerts and are more interested in investing themselves in cultures that nourishes them beyond having Instagram worthy content. Maybe it’s possible that the lifestyle that comes attached to the Classical music scene is more suited to the older generation, but I’m guessing there’s more to it.

So, is there something about Classical music itself that puts off the younger generation? If we look at the music listening habits of the younger generation, YouGov, in a survey commissioned by the Philharmonic Orchestra, younger people do in fact listen to Classical music. Some listen to it by choice, like when studying, and some when they happen to be at a social event that has it on loop in the background. With Spotify dominating in the music-streaming sector, they too offer a wide range of Classical music. From having artist profiles of composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and more, to creating playlists of Classical music streamers can tune in to. In 2018, streams of Classical music rose by 42% according to an article I came across published by The Guardian. Furthermore, with the rising popularity of film music, the younger generation does in fact engage in some form of Classical music, even if it’s just tracks of Hans Zimmer on repeat.

However, looking at the numbers now on Spotify itself, Classical playlists only have the smallest fraction of listeners compared to other more popular genres of music. Again, I’m asking, why is this so? Maybe it’s the fact that it’s instrumental and the younger generation needs lyrics to relate to the music. But I’m sure if they gave it a chance, they will find how moving Classical music can be. In saying that, I do need to admit that I am a millennial who listens to Classical music, so I may be a tad bit biased. If I think about myself, the reason why I got into Classical music is simple—I grew up singing in choirs and I’m now studying Music in University. This then brings me to the idea that perhaps, Classical music has a sense a exclusivity to it. Do people feel like they need to be part of this imagined musicians-only sphere to appreciate Classical music? Do they feel they need some level of musical literacy to even begin listening to it? Perhaps.

Going back to live concerts, I feel like I can describe the audience pretty easily and this is based on my personal experience as well, both as a performer and an audience member. If I look around a concert hall, it’s filled with people that belong to one of these three main categories. First, they are friends and family of a performer on stage. Second, they are frequent Classical concertgoers, the so called connoisseurs. And if they belong to the second category, they most likely fall in the third and last one too—the older generation.  So again with the question, why does the younger generation not want to give Classical concerts a go? I’ve asked a few of my non-music University friends before and most of them shared the same sentiments. They never saw the need to, didn’t know how to and just never thought about it in general, assuming it wasn’t “their thing”. With the misconception that Classical music concerts are for the upper classes, costly, maybe even boring, and not forgetting how some still think they need to show up in black-tie appropriate outfits, I see where they are coming from.

Now, you might be thinking—the younger generation may not attend the concerts, but at least more of them are giving Classical music a shot by simply listening, so what more am I asking for? There’s a difference between streaming a piece of music and watching it live, and I believe most can agree with me when I say that this applies to all types of music. Just walking into a concert hall and seeing a full orchestra in front of you is an experience on its own. This brings me to my final questions. If Classical music was able to survive over a thousand years, why should it die now? If concert-going behaviour is still thriving in the pop music industry, why should Classical music concerts die now? More importantly, how can we help make Classical music and related events appealing to the younger generation to keep it alive?

There are three names that come to mind when I think about that last question. First is Lindsey Stirling, an American violinist, singer and songwriter. She is known for her choreographed violin performances of classical, pop, rock and electronic dance music. 11 million subscribers. Second is 2Cellos, a Croatian-Slovenian classical trained cello duo. They play instrumental arrangements of well-known pop and rock songs, as well as classical and film music. 4 million subscribers. What Lindsey and 2Cellos have in common is that they do use Classical instruments in a pop context or at least one that “spices up” Classical music. Yes, they show what a Classical instrument can do and try to make it more relevant today, but I can’t help but dwell over the fact that their covers of popular music have more views than their Classical performances. Do we really need to forgo centuries of tradition and integrity just to make Classical music relevant again? And if we do re-contextualise Classical music to fit into the modern day taste in music, are we really doing it justice or simply finding ways to force it down people’s throats? Please forgive me for being crass, but I think that’s just the easy way out and dare I say it, sell-out. Don’t get me wrong, they are amazing at what they do and there is no doubt that they have talent, but I think we need other ways to re-introduce Classical music today.

This then brings me to our last case study, TwoSet Violin. Made up of two classical trained violinists, this duo are the faces behind a Youtube channel that has gained over a million subscribers in a few years. Their content revolves around skits, react videos and games incorporating the violin. Some of their most viewed videos are those funny and sometimes painfully accurate ones portraying the life of a Classical musician. You may think, isn’t this still exclusive to people who are musicians themselves? Yes, you are right, but let me tell you about what they achieved in recent years.

Their mission is to make Classical music more accessible to all and with that, continue to inspire the next generation. They did exactly just that with their unique take on a Classical recital. In 2016, TwoSet Violin gave up their respective positions in Sydney and Queensland Symphony Orchestra to host live Classical comedy performances. They created a show which offers an experience, one that integrates humour with actual recital, while still upholding the integrity of Classical music. I never gotten the chance to watch them live, but after scrolling through videos and reviews on various news platforms, I saw how they managed to attract a diverse crowd, one that includes the younger generation and one that includes those who have never been to a classical concert before. From 2017 to 2019, their efforts were channelled into their world tour. With each show, they put in effort in making each one unique, tailoring their show to suit each culture and audience. None of their performances were the same. It is also worth mentioning that it was the first ever crowd funded Classical world tour. Through this, they managed to show that Classical music need not always be dependent on government funding and the typical concert-going demographic, and more importantly, people are willing to give Classical music a shot if you give them a reason to.

We started this article talking about the ageing audience of Classical music concerts and how we may witness the death of Classical music one day. It is safe to say that interest in Classical music is dwindling, be it in terms of concert-going behaviour or listening habits. I, however, have hopes that that day won’t come, or at least not as soon as we think. If we think about how we can “rebrand” Classical music and its related events, without compensating on the quality of it we admire, I believe that a wider audience, including the younger generation, will give it a chance.

Here’s my take—just like every other genre of music, Classical music may not be for everyone, but I urge you to give it shot. Give it try outside of using it as background music when you study. Maybe even attend a concert one day to experience the auditory and visionary spectacle for yourself. I can assure you that you don’t need any level of musical knowledge to listen to and maybe even appreciate Classical music, you just need your ears. You never know where listening to just one piece will take you because in Classical music itself, there’s so much to explore in terms of genres and forms. And if you do give it shot, but still feel like it’s not for you, that’s perfectly fine. I’m just one person and what I do won’t make much of a difference, but I guess this is just my little way of trying to keep a part of history alive.

[loneberry]

The Sound That Arrives As Light: Manifestations of the Harp

Silver lyre from Ur (Mesopotamia), Sumerian harp from the tomb of Queen Puabi, both from around 2600BC // seen yesterday at the British Museum

Here is a mix of music that prominently features the harp—that most ancient instrument which appeared around the world in variegated forms beginning (as far as we know) around 5,000 years ago, when both written language and civilization appeared on the scene. Did harps evolve from the hunter’s bow? Unlike bone flutes, harps are usually made of wood, so an earlier harp would have not appeared in the archeological record and would’ve been lost to oblivion. 

Harp and poetry are primordial bedfellows (lyric->lyre). I hope to eventually reunite the two à la Sappho, who performed her poetry with a lyre, like so many of the ancients! 

Mix Notes:

This mix features a variety of harp music: classical harp, Burmese harp (saung), west African harp (kora), Paraguayan harp, New Age harp, Celtic folk harp, indie harp, experimental harp, ambient harp, and jazz harp. The mix starts off slowly with Mary Lattimore, contemporary master of the loop method of composition. Next we have the most famous movement from Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, the Adagietto, for solo harp and strings—one of the most memorable appearances of the harp in classical music. 

The upbeat portion of the mix begins with Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal on kora and cello, followed by a short dance suite composed by harp maestro Carlos Salzedo, the father of the harp technique I’m currently studying. The energy of the mix peaks with “Pajaro Campana,” performed by José Véliz. This is the absolute best recording of this song I could find—the high pitched glissandi sound like aliens!! Yes it’s the actual timbre of the Paraguayan harp (played with the nails!), which was introduced by the Spanish colonialists but evolved its own indigenous tradition. 

Next we have the Malian kora maestro Toumani Diabaté with the gorgeous and uplifting “Konkoba.” What I love about kora music is the way it’s both melodic and percussive—you can groove to it. The mix starts to slow down with the a track consisting of saung (Burmese harp) and mournful vocals. I don’t know anything about this multi-volume recording—the song had a whopping 0 views when I looked it up on YouTube. 

We get another beautiful song of harp and voice with a track from Harold Budd’s The Pavilion of Dreams. The recently rediscovered Carol Kleyn brings the Celtic folk harp, followed by two indie harp tracks from Emilie Kahn and CocoRosie + Devendra Banhart. Georgia Kelly lulls us into oceanic consciousness with “Seapeace” (featuring harp and violin). We continue with more harp and strings (cello) with Fauré’s “Pavane,” a piece I hope to learn in a couple months.

Up next are two jazz harp masters, Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. Alice began learning the harp at the same age as me (30), soon after John Coltrane died. Taking up the instrument was a form of bereavement—John had ordered the harp before he died, but the assembly was only completed after he had passed away. The instrument sat unplayed by a window, and the wind blowing in through the window would produce a celestial sound when it passed through the strings of the harp, which inspired Alice to teach herself the instrument. 

We begin our descent with a dark track from Aine O’dwyer and an oneiric composition by John Cage, followed by a live Björk track from her collaboration with harp experimentalist Zeena Parkins. Next we have another collaboration between experimentalist Anne LaBaron (on a “prepared” harp), Kiku Day (on shakuhachi), and Kanoko Nishi (on koto). We conclude the mix with Czech composer Smetana’s epic tone poem “Vltava” (Die Moldau)—not originally composed for harp, but a staple of the harp repertoire nonetheless. 

A note on the difference between the Spotify and YouTube versions of the mix:

Glaringly absent from the Spotify version is Joanna Newsom because she’s not on Spotify (she called Spotify a “a villainous cabal of major labels”). Since the Carol Kleyn track isn’t on YouTube I added Newsom to the YouTube version of the mix. The tracks “Pavane” and “Underlight” are also missing from the YouTube version. The recording of “Pajaro Campana” on the YouTube version of the mix is not nearly as good as the one on the the Spotify version because my preferred recording is not on YouTube :( But on the plus side, you get more live video action on the YouTube version.

Enjoy!!!!

Tracklisting: 

Mary Lattimore - The Quiet at Night

Gustav Mahler - Symphony No.5 In C Sharp Minor: 4. Adagietto 

Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal - Niandou

Carlos Salzedo - 8 Dances Suite: No. 6. Seguidilla

José Véliz - Pajaro Campana

Toumani Diabaté - Konkoba

Inle Myint Maung - Ma Hi Yin Baung (Pyo) [feat. Yi Yi Thant]

Harold Budd - Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord/Butterfly Sunday

Carol Kleyn - Lorelei

Emilie Kahn - White Lies (Solo)

CocoRosie - Brazilian Sun

Georgia Kelly - Seapeace

Fauré - Pavane, Op. 50 

Dorothy Ashby - Moonlight in Vermont

Alice Coltrane - Wisdom Eye

Aine O'dwyer - Underlight

John Cage - In a Landscape

Björk - Generous Palmstroke

Kiku Day, Anne LaBaron, Kanoko Nishi - Song of Marble

Bedřich Smetana - Má vlast: No. 2, Vltava (Die Moldau) 

Listen to the Spotify version here.

Listen to the YouTube version here.

[grassangel]

Tag Game

RULES: tag ten followers you want to know better!

Tagged by: @zabbers

TAGGING: Not tagging because ten is a lot

STAR SIGN: Libra

HEIGHT: 165cm or about 5′ 6″

PUT YOUR ITUNES/SPOTIFY ON SHUFFLE. WHAT ARE THE FIRST 4 SONGS THAT POPPED UP? Let’s try what Spotify gives me, because the music I have on my laptop is sometimes hilariously old and my Spotify collection is slightly newer though slightly more obscure.

For Those We Loved - Austin Wintory (Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate OST) White Winter Hymnal - Portland Cello Project Hey Little Songbird - Hadestown: the Myth, the Musical Dansaðu vindur - Eivør (there’s also a charming version on YouTube with a sign language performer as well, though the videographer/editor of the video doesn’t include her consistently) So uh... foreign language tracks, soundtracks and obscure little bands. Mostly soundtracks because that’s seemingly what I use Spotify for the most.

GRAB THE BOOK NEAREST YOU AND TURN TO PAGE 23. WHAT’S LINE 17? Going with Good Omens over The Missy Chronicles: “Having a baby is the single most joyous co-experience that– (–two human beings can share, and he wasn’t going to miss a second of it.)

EVER HAD A POEM OR SONG WRITTEN ABOUT YOU? No? I don’t think so, but it’s entirely plausible someone has just not shared it with me because that’s a bit weird. (Stuff written for me on the other hand, yes.)

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU PLAYED AIR GUITAR? If air conducting/air drums count, probably a couple of weeks ago. 

WHO IS YOUR CELEBRITY CRUSH? Look, I’m very very ace. There are people who I admire and people who I could stare at for ages, so lets have Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Sarah Millican and Rose Matefeo for the former and Hannah John-Kamen, Gemma Chan and Jodie Whittaker for the latter

WHAT’S A SOUND YOU HATE + SOUND YOU LOVE? HATE: Open mouthed chewing & the sucking sound when people try to clean something stuck between their teeth with just their tongue.  LOVE: Heavy rain, and the wind causing a fire to roar even louder.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS? Not in the sense of visible apparitions, or spirits with a particular purpose. But, to borrow an idea from a favourite series of mine, a place can be imbued with a mood. (And the mood that sticks around strongest is one of despair/loss.)

HOW ABOUT ALIENS? Yes. In the very cynical, on far off planets and probably only bacteria 85% of the time kind of way.

DO YOU DRIVE? In theory. I have a learners license and have done for ages and even failed a try at my restricted, and I should try again, even if it’s only for automatics. But I hate it. May the reign of self-driving cars come quickly, because I don’t trust other people in fast-moving metal shells one bit.

IF SO, HAVE YOU EVER CRASHED? No. Thankfully.

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? The Missy Chronicles.

DO YOU LIKE THE SMELL OF GASOLINE? Yes.

WHAT WAS THE LAST MOVIE YOU SAW? Star Trek: Into Darkness. (Kind of, I wasn’t particularly paying much attention to it on the TV, but it was enough to get the gist of it.)

WHAT’S THE WORST INJURY YOU’VE EVER HAD? Sprained ankles times 5? I did have to have surgery twice to remove an abscess, but that isn’t an injury.

DO YOU HAVE ANY OBSESSIONS RIGHT NOW? I’m still deep in the Doctor Who, Doctor/Master pit. And I probably won’t leave until at least the new series starts up, and even then I’ve got the image of Thirteen/Missy wanting to be realised.

DO YOU TEND TO HOLD GRUDGES AGAINST PEOPLE WHO HAVE DONE YOU WRONG? Yes. Generally of the once bitten, twice shy kind of grudge. (Which tend to dissipate quickly if it’s a friend who did wrong and they don’t repeat what they’ve done/continue that attitude).

IN A RELATIONSHIP? Nope. Please refer to the very ace comment above. (Though I’m also bi and poly, so yes please, but no thank you if that makes any sense.)

[secondhandnewsradio]

SHN INTERVIEW: Thea Mundy

by Claire Silverman

Thea Mundy, a recent graduate from The College of Saint Rose in Music Industry, released her debut album Frame by Frame in March 2021. Mundy grew up in Long Island, New York, and became an active guitarist and songwriter at age 15, playing gigs in the New York City area.

CS: Hi Thea! Congrats on releasing your debut album, Frame by Frame! It’s awesome.

TM: Thank you so much!

CS: I was thinking we could do a little deep-dive into a few songs off the album. Starting off with the first track, “The Quiet”--epic way to open up your album. What was the writing process of that song like, and how did it end up as your first track?

TM: All of the songs in this album were written between my junior year of high school and the fall of last year. I hadn't planned to have them all be connected in the way that they are. But “The Quiet” is a song I wrote during my junior year of high school, about how much I wanted to go away to college and just leave home and start over, and so much wanting in that moment for things to change. In the last year or two, I looked at it again, and I always really liked the song, so I went back and edited certain lines and wrote a new bridge. I felt like now that I had been in college or a few years, and studied composition, I had the tools to go and tighten things up. It felt more like “oh, this is really a song I think could kick off the album.” Partially just because it felt like it was the beginning of the journey of “Oh my gosh, I'm ready to leave, I'm ready to do big things.” My family and friends heard it five years ago when I wrote it, and now hearing it produced is very exciting for them and for me, because I had always only played it on guitar and now hearing it with everything is really crazy and cool.

CS: I also want to talk about your song “Obsessed,” I feel like there’s definitely a story in there.

TM: Oh yeah! I wrote “Obsessed” during my freshman year of college. I had been challenging myself that first semester of school to write a song every week. We have a student record label here, and I was part of the songwriting group. I remember a lot of the songs I was excited to write, but maybe they weren't my best. But it was good to get the creative juices flowing and just start being able to pump out songs like that. I had never really done that before. I had this crush on someone. “Obsessed” is about [that moment] when you know you're really into somebody and you know it's not going to work out but you're already too far into it to stop yourself from feeling that way. So  you kind of have to  let yourself feel it all and go through it and ride the roller coaster. But it was definitely a kind of painful moment. Obviously, some of it is creative liberty, but it was about taking very raw feelings and being like, “this is how I'm feeling.” I had met my friend Bailey Gore through Quadio, the college streaming service app. We were in a songwriting workshop together for a few weeks, and every single song he'd bring in would be stuck in my head for days after, and I thought “I have to work with him.” He is in New York City, and I was [in Albany], so we produced the entire song over Zoom by sending files back and forth, trying to figure it out. I co-produced, but he really was the one going in there and finding things and giving it that sound that it now has, and my roommate did the backing vocals, which was really fun as well.

CS: What's your attitude towards putting pronouns in songs? I'm just curious as to what's your process with that?

TM: For me, I think putting in the pronouns of the person I'm talking about feels correct. When I was writing certain songs on this album, I had debated changing the pronouns. I was like, “would this make me more comfortable if I changed it and made it kind of more anonymous?” but then it’s not going to feel correct to my experience, because I remember specifically writing “Obsessed” and thinking should I change this to “he,” so people don't ask me? But, no, because I was trying it, and I was singing it in there, and I thought “this doesn't feel right.” For me, it feels more authentic to incorporate that, and there's a power in that as well. I remember watching an interview with King Princess, who I really like, and she was talking about the power of putting pronouns in the song and how it's liberating in a sense to just be able to say, whatever it is about, whoever it is about, you can just put it in there, and having the power to have that narrative is really special. So for me, it was important to stick to it.

CS: I want to ask you about “Frame by Frame” because that's the title track on the album. That one feels a bit more calm compared to some of the angst of the other songs, so how did that song come about? And how did you end up landing on naming the album “Frame by Frame.”

TM: I think the theme of that song just kind of summed up what all the other songs are about, which is why I felt like this one should be the title. That's my favorite song on the album, for sure. It sums up a very big learning experience for me about the overarching theme of change, of dealing with and accepting change when it's good, and when it's bad, and when it's bittersweet, and then all the things that happen in between. I had gone through like a falling out and lost some people in my life that I wasn't preparing to lose, and when things end that you're not ready for...am I equipped to handle that, do I want to handle that, and feeling like I have to be present in the moment of “Okay, this happened, I have to process it.” But then at the same time feeling like, “I'm grieving for my innocence, I wish I could just go back and change it and make it less painful.” And the feeling of wanting to know the full picture before you're supposed to. I remember in that moment, I was like, how is this supposed to measure out in the grand scheme of things? This visual of wanting to watch it back like a movie, even though I'm not supposed to know how this ends right now. I could visualize this picture of me in the mirror, and I thought it could be a really cool idea. And definitely it was a very big moment in my own growth that I wanted to document.

CS: So what first got you interested in music?

TM: Oh, man, big question. I've been singing since I was maybe seven or eight. I grew up singing in church, and I still sing in church. I’ve been playing the cello since third grade or so. Those were the things I enjoyed doing more than anything else. I was really big into Taylor Swift, around the 2010 Speak Now time, when she put that record out. After that album, which she  wrote all herself, I saw somebody who's writing all their own music, and it's really good and people respected it and listened to it and connected to it, and I connected to it. And, wouldn't it be crazy if I could do the same thing. I’ve been on this path to learn the guitar and write my own songs. I wrote throughout high school and of course they started out very rough and funny. I didn't really show my music to a lot of people, I was writing for myself and trying it out and playing guitar. But then just after years and feeling like I was good enough at it, where it could be a thing I studied further, or something I wanted to keep studying further, I thought I want to do this in college. And then I was here at college actually doing it, which is cool.

CS: We’ve talked a bit about Taylor Swift, but do you have any heroes you dream about collaborating with?

TM: Oh, yes. Yeah, probably Taylor Swift would be awesome, in a dream world. Taylor Swift. I love Phoebe Bridgers. I love Orla Gartland. I know you play her on the radio, which is exciting. I didn't know if a lot of people know her or not because I know she's very big in Europe. I’d say the three of them, maybe Clairo as well. I love Clairo. I feel like I'm just so much more interested to hear what female artists have to say. There's some male artists I love. I love Jack Antonoff, I love Harry Styles. There's great male artists, but I feel like my top favorites are all women.

CS: Since you’ve just graduated from college (congrats by the way), do you have an idea of what your plans for the future are?

TM: Thank you. It's very strange. I'm currently trying to look for internships. I'm hoping to intern my way into having some sort of job because I don't personally feel very prepared to have a job [right now]. I haven't had any internships because I was supposed to intern last summer and they got cancelled because of COVID. It's less scary to me to start as an intern and then hopefully branch out into either meeting people that are looking to hire or like being hired by wherever I am.

CS: What music have you been enjoying lately?

TM: Oh my gosh, there's just so many things. I think the big one has been Arlo Parks’ new album Collapsed in Sunbeams is really great. The Charlie Hickey EP Count the Stairs and Claud’s album Super Monster are really awesome. Those are the new releases I'm really enjoying.

CS: Well, it was great to chat with you. I've got my fingers crossed that everything works out for you the way you want.

TM: Thank you! I'm honored to have been asked.

[This interview has been edited for clarity and length]

WHERE TO FOLLOW THEA MUNDY:

INSTAGRAM: @theamundy

TWITTER: @theamundy

YOUTUBE: Thea Mundy

SPOTIFY: Thea Mundy

Originally published on Instagram @shnradio on May 28th, 2021.

[knamjoonswhore]

1-40 for the music asks! :))

did this take all day??? yes. yes it did. AND SOME REMAIN KINDA UNANSWERED BUT MAN I JUST NEED TO POST THIS ALREADY

1.    a song from the year you were bornpure shores by all saints(was number one when i was born!)


2.    a song that reminds you of schoolfrom nowhere by dan croll it was my alarm for most of year 10 and now whenever i hear it IT (see: THE PAIN) ALL FLOODS BACK TO ME 


3.    a song tied to a specific moment in your lifepumped up kicks by foster the peopleidk if this is lame but i just vividly remember it playing at the first ever house party i went to it was like a Big Deal for me


4.     a song that is not sung in your native languagela boheme by charles aznavourmost songs i listen to rn aren't actually sung in english but this is the one i love the most rn


5.     a song over 5 minutes longspiegel im spiegel by arvo partjust beautiful tbh


6.     a song under 2 minutes longhorn by nick drakethis track is just so simple but pensive and beautiful idk can u tell i love nick drake


7.     an instrumentalnemo egg by thomas newmantell me this song doesn't make u cry just TRY ok


8.     a classical piecenocturne in e-flat major by chopintotally well known piece but its one of my faves


9.     a song with no percussionamar pelos dois by salvador sobralAKA A WORTHY WINNER OF EUROVISION 2017 (tho i love u 2 francesco)


10.   something you’ve heard performed livetime is dancing by ben howardI've seen MANY people live but this was the song that meant the most to me actually hearing it in person


11.   something you’d give ANYTHING to hear performed livejohnny belinda by active childhonestly it gives me chills whenever i listen to it so i just rlly wanna hear it live


12.   a song by an artist who’s from where you’re from (town/city/state/country)dancing song by little cometsthey're from my county!! i acc rlly love their music too 


13.   a song made suddenly precious because of a special someonebrown eyed girl by van morrison


14.   a song made suddenly awful because of a special someoneready to start by arcade firei mean suddenly awful is a bit far but it was one of my get over my breakup songs so now when i hear it its.. instantly associated w that which is a SHAME but its still a BANGER ok 


15.   something to BELT SHAMELESSLY tofairytale by alexander rybakno one can stop me,,,,,,, i will ,,, play the air violin,, i will jump up and down,, when that chorus hits,,


16.   something to SCREAM ALONG totheme of king jj from yoiim literally so passionate when i hear this song I'm pure screaming along ily JJ


17.   a song for ragingpain by jimmy eat worldthis my ANGRY SONG


18.   a song that demands lipsyncing into a makeshift microphonehomosapien by pete shelleyhonestly what an iconic gay tune i truly recommend


19.   the last song you had stuck in your headblowing like a storm by elephanzMY SUMMER SONG!!


20.   a song you’re dying to master all the words tochurch by t-paini somewhat embarrassingly can already sing the chorus BUT I NEED THE VERSES


21.   a song that you could SLAY at karaokebohemian like you by the dandy warholsHONESTLY the absolute performance i would make out of this song is2g


22.   a song you can’t help but dance todancing with myself by billy idolhonestly i don't think ANYONE can stop themselves dancing 2 this???


23.   a song that makes you want to dance on a tabletake ya’ dancin’ by say hiwow there’s a recurring them w dance-y songs and the word dance in the title WHO KNEW


24.   a song that makes you wanna STRIPnothings gonna hurt you baby by cigarettes after sexi dont rlly get if this is like strip with PASSION FOR HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS SONG or sensual strip ;))););)) so i went w the latter lol 


25.   a song with a great music videocome by jaingotta love that #aesthetic lol


26.   a song that makes you act out the music video when you hear iti dont know any music videos mannnnn I'm sorry


27.   a song with countingseven deadly sins by man with a mission


28.   a song with spellingkill v. maim by grimes


29.   a song with lots of clappingone, two … one by say hi


30.   a song 40+ years older than youcello song by nick drakenot much explanation other than a BEAUTIFUL SONG


31.   a song you wish your parents didn’t know the words tocant rlly think of any tbh as my mother and i share a collective embarrassing love for shayne ward so i cant call her out for that one :))) 


32.   a song whose lyrics shocked you once you were old enough to understand themHMMMM not quite the same but when i found out what enrique was saying in duele el corazon’s first few verses lets just say i was v shocked xxxx


33.   a song you have ZERO patience forroar by katy perryliterally i’d just rather not thank u xx


34.   a song you’d like your favorite artist to coveri have,,, NO CLUE ,,


35.   a great song you discovered thanks to a moviethe big ship by brian enofrom me, earl and the dying girl! honestly it came from such a beautiful scene too id rec the film


36.   a great song you discovered thanks to televisiontake me home by aqualunghonestly i thank the oc and one tree hill for so many amazing songs this is just one of like 50 


37.   a song you’re ashamed to have in your music libraryhonestly i have absolutely no shame for the music i listen to ,, i’ll listen to things unapologetically on spotify WITHOUT PRIVATE SESSION (thats right)


38.   ok what’s the song you were too ashamed to even post for #37but if there were to be.. any shame… its probs that i like the song hologram by jedward non-ironically : ))


39.   the most played song in your music libraryi have no actual way of knowing (thanks spotify,,) but i know most recently it was amy by the oral cigarettes that id listened to most in like a week


40.   favorite disney songyou’ve got a friend in me by randy newman from toy story!!i feel like i love every single aladdin song so much (PRINCE ALIII FABULOUS HEEE) but ultimately this song is just my fave (i also love the spanish version from TS3 lol)

[agent-fitz]

I'm asking you all the questions to get even for you asking me all the questions. It's gonna take me forever to answer them :P

1: it's the apocalypse. you lay next to the person you trust and love most, and start talking. you know your time is limited. what is the one thing you want them to know before you two die? that life is a great adventure, and it’s been an honor to go through it with them beside me, but that there is even more adventure to come, and not to despair.

2: you are faced with an almighty spirit. it tells you that you must choose two emotions\feelings - one of them you will never feel again, and the other becomes your most dominant. which two are those? this is really difficult because i can see how every emotion can be vital in certain circumstances. is boredom an emotion? can I choose to never feel bored again? and my most dominant emotion... excitement. just, pure eagerness and enthusiasm for life. like that feeling when i’m standing on a mountainside.

3: what is the one thing you want your best friend to never do? why? how will you react if they do it? regardless of which best friend i’m referring to, i never want them to settle in life. because we only get one of these things and we should really not be rationalizing “the logical thing to do” but instead living it the way we want to live it. but, my idea of them settling might not be their idea of them settling, so if i were to feel like they had settled i would love them through that and support whatever decisions they’d made--while still nudging them toward whatever forgotten dreams they might have.

4: do you have a favorite tv show? why is it your favorite? what is the reason you started watching it, and what is the reason you continued? er...i jump around with shows a lot, so it’s hard to say. i guess my all-time favorite has been grey’s anatomy, though it at its current state is definitely NOT my favorite show on tv. but it’s my favorite because it allows me to feel things, and gives me reason to feel things, that i often don’t get to feel just on a daily basis. it reminds me of hidden things that need to be addressed. or, it used to, before it became all drama. i started watching it out of curiosity, because i was stuck at home in 9th grade and needed something to cry about. i continued because my heart got attached.

5: do you have a favorite musical instrument? if yes, why exactly is it your favorite? can you play it/would you ever? i really like the cello or the violin. it just amazes me that those instruments can make such a wide array of sound, and they’re so full of life and zest and emotion. i don’t know how to play it nor will i probably ever learn.

6: who is your all-time favorite character? why exactly? do you relate to them, and how? all-time favorite character...this is nearly impossible. okay, whatever, this is probably not my all-time favorite but for character development purposes we’re gonna say it is, I’m going with Zuko from Avatar the Last Airbender. His character arc is done FLAWLESSLY and he just represents so much of what and how a person wrestles with finding who they are. I really, truly love watching him grow into his own person, and especially how real it is with the amount of times he messes up or second guesses himself. And yeah, I definitely do relate to him, because he just feels things so intensely and sometimes it’s too much and he literally wants to explode and that’s...me.

7: is there anything you believe in? what is it? why do you believe in it? can you tell us something that explains this belief? I believe in God, and I believe in Jesus Christ, and I do believe that He is the Son of God and He came down to earth and died for all of us so we can have relationship with them again... I believe it because every other option sucks, and because I’ve seen how God has changed me and countless others, and frankly because the evidence points to it being true. Jesus clearly was a man who lived, and most people like to say He was a prophet but not God Himself in human form. Except, Jesus said himself that He’s the Son of God...so He’s either a liar, a raving lunatic, or telling the truth. And men actively chose to give their lives based on the truth that Jesus rose from the dead and is the Son of God. I believe in logic, and the logic of all of that says that Jesus was telling the truth. And why be afraid of that? If he was telling the truth that means there’s a loving, forgiving, desperate God out there who wants to KNOW me and love me and take care of me. Why would I want to convince myself that that’s not true?

8: you are locked in a room until the day you die, and have a choice to spend this time with one person. will you choose someone? if yes, who is it? why? Okay, well, can I choose Jesus? If I can’t choose Jesus (which would be stupid and I totally choose Jesus) then I think I probably have to pick my cat. OR a character from Harry Potter because that would just be entertaining. Also, both Jesus and an HP character could get me out of the room so...going with them.

9: what is the book that got you into reading, if there even is one? what was so special about it? when did you read it? I dunno, either the HP series or the Magic Treehouse series. Dope stuff.

10: what is the song i have to listen to so i could know you better? Stay Alive by Jose Gonzalez.

11: do you prefer being outside when its sunny or when its dark? When it’s sunny.

12: do you like the rain? why? do you prefer storms or light dripping? I do like the rain, but I prefer the weather either cold or warm sunshine, so rain isn’t my favorite. If I had to choose I’d rather a storm, so it makes it dark inside and you feel like you should light candles.

13: hot chocolate with cinnamon, marshmellows, both or none? Marshmallows.

14: do you like tea? why? if yes, what is your favorite kind? The only tea I’ve really enjoyed was the English Breakfast Tea I had in London when I went for afternoon tea. That stuff was addictive.

15: do you enjoy coffee? if yes, do you drink it for the taste or for the caffeine? COFFEE

16: what is your perfect playlist for studying? where is the perfect place to listen to it? I like the productive morning one on Spotify, or the soft jazz. In a coffeeshop.

17: what is your favorite color? why? what is your least favorite shade of this color? So I like gray, green, and pink. Gray can be any shade. Green needs to be a darker green or a like...almost camo green? Anything that’s a more faded shade or forest green. Pink, gotta have it blush or soft pink or salmon or something. NOT hot pink.

18: think of a person you love. now describe them, using only stuff that only you would describe them with. (for example - my person would be described by reading a new book while there's a storm outside.) Eating burgers and fries after playing little league baseball.

19: what is the song you feel like you HAVE to know to play? I do not fully understand this question but it is my goal to learn the full Titanic theme song and be able to play it with TWO HANDS, like accompaniment and all.

20: do you like writing? do you prefer to write on a computer or in a notebook? I love to write. And it depends on what I’m writing. Stories are better on the computer, thoughts and journal things are better on paper.

21: shuffle your playlist until you get to a song you will never skip. what is this song? why do you never skip it? do you recommend it? Boston, by Augustana. It feels like it was written for me. And that piano riff, I can’t skip that. Yes, obviously do recommend, especially if you’re feeling nostalgic. 

22: do you like stargazing? why? Yes. Because I love realizing how small I am, and how little my worries matter, and how little my decisions matter, and that there is this entire universe out there and yet God loves me and takes care of me. It strips me of all my fears.

23: what is your favorite hour of the day? I think I enjoy early in the morning, right after the sun has come up.

24: what is your harry potter house? did you get sorted on pottermore or do you think it represents you better? Slytherin. I did get sorted my pottermore, yeah. And before that, I didn’t really know where I belonged. I thought my Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, but I see now why Slytherin fits and I wouldn’t belong anywhere else.

25: what is your patronus? A brown owl (:

26: do you want to write a book? if yes, did you start already? Yes, I do, and if by having started the first few pages that means I started, then yes.

27: what is your favorite smell? Christmas trees :D or just the woods in general.

28: picture yourself at ease. now describe what exactly did you picture - with who you are? where? what exactly put you at ease? I’m in a field laying on a blanket, the sun is warm on my face, I have a good book and my journal with me, I can hear some water nearby so I can go play in the river when it gets too hot, and I’m alone. I’m at ease because I’m in nature, but also because I’m free of any responsibilities.

29: you have the option to forget one book/series completly and reread/rewatch it from the start. what book/series is it? Avatar the Last Airbender, for sure. 

30: what do you love most about humanity? That we’re all connected. It doesn’t feel like it, but we’re all so similar and we have the same pain and the same wants and the same needs and there is so much love that is needed and so much love that could be given if we just stopped to realize that once in a while.