#every time i listen to love songs from the 60s-70s i have the urge to draw him now

[jthm]

well im not too clever, i just adore you

[rbs appreciated!! <3]

[paperlovesadness]

Ah... I feel a bit strange doing this. Might just stay in the drafts forever. We'll see. But my hands itch to do it every single time I listen to the song so... So here's a lyric analysis of "Star Treatment" and how... it might?... be? A song... About... Miles Kane?? Maybe??? 🫣 (no executions please. I'm really not trying to push this narrative. These things just kind of jumped out at me & I felt an urge to write it down somewhere. And perhaps see if anyone agrees? Comments encouraged! If anyone ever stumbles upon this silly thing) This will get long... Cause that's who I am. And also it references other songs.

Disclaimer 1: I did see someone attempt this on reddit. It was a bit out there though... And maybe ironic? I do share a thought or two with them though.

Disclaimer 2, an Important one: this does rely on an implication that there was something more between the two sometime around/ between 2015-2017ish? I don't want to put any labels and try to stay away from any too specific guesses. But well, I suppose I do kind of personally believe there was something there. If you're not a fan of theories about private lives of real people... I'm sorry. This one's not for you. I really do try to do it as respectfully as possible though. At the end of the day - it's just a theory. And not a mean one. I understand it's all just something that fits together in my head and may be very far from any truth. Disclaimer 3: I know this album is a concept album centered around characters. But I'm analyzing the second, potential autobiogrophical hidden layer beneath the obvious first meaning

Okay, let us have a whack at it now:

I just wanted to be one of The Strokes Now look at the mess you made me make Hitchhiking with a monogrammed suitcase Miles away from any half-useful imaginary highway

This one is very on the nose. But quite literally sneaking in his name in the lyrics -- maybe? we know Alex loves playing with many meanings/hidden messages & double entendres. + the being away from any half-useful imaginary highway makes me think of when he spoke about the fact that he couldn't write any more love-related matarial after EYCTE. And someone encouraged him to just go a different route. That's how TBHC was born. But also implies some trouble in the love-related ascpects of his life around the time. Could've just been trouble around Taylor - who he broke up with soon after the album's release. There's theories about how that happened [current girlfriend invloved] - but maybe there was even more confusion & heartbreak in the mix (ending a tour with someone with whom the lovey-dovey jokes may have gone a bit too far/serious?)

I'm a big name in deep space, ask your mates But golden boy's in bad shape

this is just implying any sort of broken-heartedness.

I found out the hard way that Here ain't no place for dolls like you and me Everybody's on a barge Floating down the endless stream of great TV 1984, 2019

dolls = puppets. And how the industry / society isn't a good place for relationships like this. (People wouldn't understand the type of bond they share?)

Maybe I was a little too wild in the '70s Rocket-ship grease down the cracks of my knuckles Karate bandana, warp speed chic Hair down to there, impressive moustache

Miles and Alex have spoken many times about how their first album was heavily 60s inspired - Scott Walker, The Beatles, 60s Morricone.

What may be less obvious and spoken about is how EYCTE was sort of meant to take their work into the 70s. He spoke about it in an interview when asked about the album cover. It's a 1969 photo of Tina Turner - which Alex commented on by saying: "The idea was to move the artwork on from the ’60s feel of the first Last Shadow Puppets album artwork, so here is Tina on the very cusp of the 1970s" (They also chose to sing covers like Moonage Daydream and Is This What You Wanted during that tour. Both 70s songs from artists that defined the era). So this could be him reflecting on the EYCTE era and how things may have gotten a bit too far during the time. Going in to deep, crossing some boundries and definitions?

Love came in a bottle with a twist-off cap Let's all have a swig and do a hot lap

alcohol? pills? alcohol & or drugs clouding some judgement/helping loosen up and causing the crossing of certain [friendship] boundries?

So who you gonna call? The Martini Police Baby, that isn't how they look tonight, oh no It took the light forever to get to your eyes

It's not a particularly meaningful line in terms of this narrative - but I wanted to talk about it because I find it so beautiful but also so fuck*ng sad. Like - one of he saddest lines I've read. It just hit me in the heart straight away when I heard it. I feel like my personal interpretation is dead wrong. But still choose to see it that way. I also know of the story of how it's inspired by Alex's dad telling him about how we see the light of the stars the way it was in the past bc of how long it takes to reach us. The way I hear this line though is: seeing the bottomless sadness in the eyes of someone who had their heart broken. Someone whose eyes used to be full of happiness - and now it takes forever for any touch of happiness to show up in their gaze. Now a possible interpratation for a second meaning to this whole section could be: calling the martini police = grabbing a drink to help with hearbreak, when there's no other solutions left. Miles has sang in his breakup album Coup de Grace about how he drowned the sadness after hearbreak in alcohol and pills. Mixing stuff together like a mad scientist etc. (Also if you ever saw the interview he did with [the one and only] Martin on his CDG album... Oof... Yeah. There was no light in that man's eyes. Even Martin saw that pain and commented on it. It's a tough one to watch)

I just wanted to be one of those ghosts You thought that you could forget And then I haunt you via the rear view mirror On a long drive from the back seat

This is one of these sections that hits me the most. Cause to me it can be seens as: Alex being aware of how much pain he caused - all he could wish is that he was just another lover whom the hearbroken person [Miles?] could forget. But alas - he still haunts him. Here it gets interesting (or batshit crazy. Cause I might be). Beacause the use of "ghost" just absolutely sends me to Miles' song "Shavambacu" - where he describes the eyes/thoughts of an ex lover still being focused on him after the breakup (this song though could have a whole seperate post of it's own) While "haunting via a rear view mirror" made me jump up and recall lyrics from Miles' song "Dont let it get you down". I saw your reflection, in The backseat of a Chevrolet from Hollywood to East LA NOW - don't shout at me. I know timelines are important. Because Shavambacu and Star Treatment came out around a similar time period. But Shavambacu came out a little bit later. While DLIGYD came out completely after all of hits - this year. So first off - I'm considering the fact that Miles and Alex are clearly still friends and in contact. So could have shown each other songs earlier. But more plausible theory: if these songs are perhaps maybe inspired by one another - they clearly are gonna recall events and/or inside lingo and jokes they both used. Possible situation: post Miles-Alex hearbreak Miles stumbled upon Alex going somewhere in a car. They spotted each other. this also makes me recall the whole:

Swear I saw you smile You try to hide it well 3:15 on the wrong side Columbia Street line from "Killing the Joke". Which many think references the area that Alex lives in. They lived a few minutes away from each other around 2016-2017. So would obviously run into one another often. Even if they were going through something and taking a break/trying not to.

But it's alright, 'cause you love me And you recognise that it ain't how it should be Your eyes are heavy and the weather's getting ugly

This one is also way to sad if you place it in a relationshippy context. There's a few ways I see it: 1) it's alright - no matter what happens, because A. knows M. loves him and will understand why things ended like they did. It shouldn't be this way - but it has to be, because there's things standing in the way. He believes he'll understand despite the grief. 2) dramatic, sad version - the "it ain't how it should be" actually references the "love me part". So M. should understand that things ended because they shouldn't love each other this way. It's just now how it should be and A. believes M. recognises that.

So pull over, I know the place Don't you know an apparition is a cheap date? What exactly is it you've been drinking these days?

once again referencing bumping into each other randomly? And going with it - going some place; talking. Maybe about how Miles' is doing, the heartbreak, how he deals with it - the alcohol (once again - just referencing what he himself sang about in lyrics on his breakup album)

Jukebox in the corner, "Long Hot Summer" They've got a film up on the wall and it's dark enough to dance

"Long Hot Summer" - by The Style Council is actually a song Alex cited to be one of the main references/inspirations used when working on the EYCTE album. So is definitely a nostalgic/meaninful song between the two. They go to a place after bumping into one another - there's a jukebox with a nostalgic song. They can dance together - because it's an incognito, dark place.

What do you mean you've never seen Blade Runner?

Now the Blade Runner line is so clearly Taylor Bagley (the woman is a huge, huge fan of it, apparently) it did have me stumped for a while. But then - maybe it's a clarifying line? Like - if this were about Taylor he would definitely not say that to her. It's obvious she's seen it a million times. Maybe this is here to sort of clarify this?

Oh, maybe I was a little too wild in the '70s Back down to earth with a lounge singer shimmer Elevator down to my make-believe residency From the honeymoon suite Two shows a day, four nights a week Easy money

70s again - EYCTE era But after the tour ended it was time to go back to earth, back to being non-TLSP Alex. Running away from reality into writing music - writing about a make-believe residency (Tranquility Base) Time to leave the honeymoon era = the tour and shows TLSP had together. (also AM may be easy money? Their reputation [very well deserved] makes it so that it's easy - bc anything they come out with will be bought)

So who you gonna call? The Martini Police So who you gonna call? The Martini Police Oh, baby, that isn't how they look tonight It took the light absolutely forever to get to your eyes

...

And as we gaze skyward, ain't it dark early?It's the star treatment Yeah, and as we gaze skyward, ain't it dark early? It's the star treatment It's the star treatment The star treatment

a sad ending. It got dark. A bit too early. It's sad that it all ended. But that's how it has to be - in show buisness, in the industry. They're well known people and it could hurt their careers - also it would just get out easily, so there's no room for self-discovery and just trying it out. That's the star treatment. (This is also a theme I am seeing in Mr. Schwartz lyrics. But that's for another time) Am I crazy? Probably! Is this just accidental elaborate fan fiction? Maybe! But still...I don't know. Song theories are fun. I get that morally it's a gray / or maybe even red area - talking out loud, publicly about theories invloving specific names and relationships. But like... Sue me! Let's call it a guilty pleasure. If anyone ever reads through this wall of text... Hi! Thanks and sorry. And please share some thoughts! (Eh. May just delete this soon anyway) Peace and love

[theboy-thebitch-thelegend]

Here's an ask : what was your first intention you had with the music you hear now

(idk if this makes sense )

YAY MY FIRST EVER ASK 

ok so I think I get what you’re trying to say, like my first interaction/reaction/introduction to the music I like to listen to now? Forgive me if that’s not what you meant. This might be a little long, sorry ^_^

so, my favorite band is Queen, which you can probably tell from my blog lol, but honestly I love classic rock in general- 60s, 70s, 80s- though overall my music taste is quite diverse.

growing up, I listened almost exclusively to:  - classical music - gospel  - Christian ‘pop’ radio  - occasional bluegrass, jazz, and movie score CDs that I found in the basement (rip my Disney Princess CD player)

...my parents are rather conservative and didn’t want ‘bad lyrics’ influencing my thoughts. I was very annoyed by this for a very long time, especially before I had a device that could access the Internet on my own. But honestly? I’m kind of glad I had those influences, because my determination to NOT listen only to the Christian stuff motivated me to seek out ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING ELSE i could get my hands (and earphones) on.

Every now and then, my father would put on some rock & roll- Led Zeppelin, Europe, and Kansas were the main three I remember hearing a lot of. And if Mama was having a bad or stressful day, she would listen to Billy Joel. I learned to love Billy Joel so much I would occasionally pester her to this point because I knew she’d put on the songs. 

I didn’t always understand the lyrics, but I made up my mind that the Piano Man was the most important person in the world- I wanted to be the Piano Man. 

I was learning piano. Started when I was six. Mama was the cleaning lady for the church, and I would go with her and sit in the empty, echoing sanctuary at the big grand piano and try to make my little fingers cooperate. I didn’t have to play very forcefully for the notes to resound around the room, echoing and clear. It was encouraging. One day the choir/music director was there collecting something, and she convinced my parents to get me piano lessons.

I trained classically for several years, but my favorite thing to do was what I called “play for fun”. I’d go through my scales, my etudes, and my sonatinas, and then cheerfully call to Mama “I’m going to play for fun now!!”. I started writing songs. And since I couldn’t listen to all the songs I loved on a regular basis, I would try to play them myself.

One day I watched the movie, Ella Enchanted. In it, Anne Hathaway’s character sings “Somebody to Love”. I didn’t know who wrote the song, I couldn’t look it up; but I rewatched that scene over and over and over until I knew the song by heart. I even stumbled my way through a much simplified piano part. 

Later that year I got an iPod touch- with WiFi !!!! 

GLORY HALLELUJAH, I HAD YOUTUBE

I spent hours and hours every night listening to new music. I discovered (and fell in love with) The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, and many many others that I can’t possibly list all here. Most of all, I fell in love with Queen. 

That was several years ago.

I still stay up too late discovering new music. There’s been so many times I’ve had to resist the urge to get up and jump around and dance in the wee hours of the morning because the SONG’S JUST SO GOOD

When the Bohemian Rhapsody movie came out, I wasn’t allowed to see it.

I still saw it, many many times. (ah the joys of piracy- don’t worry, I’ve paid to watch it at least twice by now, so don’t yell at me)

And, yeah, at that point I kind of became obsessed with Queen, not just for their music (though as a musician and songwriter their music means the world to me) but also as people. And now here I am, running this blog which, let’s be honest, is mostly Queen stuff.

“Somebody to Love” is still my favorite song. “Piano Man” is a close second.

and I know I will never stop discovering music. So, what was my first exposure to the music I love now? Well, as you can see, there’s no short answer. I’ve been pursuing and fighting for my music for as long as I can remember. I can thank my parents for their help, even though my discoveries were half because of, and half in spite of, their efforts. 

But mainly it’s been a very personal thing. I love to sing and play songs; it’s just who I am. 

Thanks for the ask! Hope you don’t mind my kind of.... giving my entire biography, but it’s really the only accurate answer haha

Have a lovely day, darling!

[marymccartneyphotos]

Paul McCartney's Meat Free Monday Mission

June 25, 2009 -- The Telegraph

Sir Paul, Mary and Stella McCartney are leading the Meat Free Monday campaign to persuade people to avoid meat once a week. It is not an attempt to turn the world vegetarian, one day at a time, but a crucial step in the fight against climate change.

There is a charming, seemingly random video on YouTube of Paul McCartney demonstrating how to make mashed potatoes. It's a recipe from Linda McCartney's On Tour book (he is following the instructions from his own well-thumbed copy) and there is something quite endearing about the way he shows you Linda's tip of how to chop an onion, as he hacks away with the knife the way no professional chef would. He is no Jamie Oliver. Obviously, Sir Paul has many other talents and his guide to making mash the Macca way, a video he made as president of the Vegetarian Society, is just a bit of fun – the perfect accompaniment to a couple of Linda McCartney's vegetarian sausages.

Food was a key part of Paul and Linda's relationship and when they decided to go vegetarian in the seventies, it was a spontaneous and joint decision. "Linda and I, we were on the farm and we saw lambs gambolling and we were eating leg of lamb…so it was a compassionate thing. That seems to be the least important thing to people these days. It seems to have gone right out of the window, the whole idea, unfortunately, because it's rather a nice thing, a bit of compassion."

What was it that made this man hate us? These days, Linda's food still brings the family together. They are actively involved in Linda McCartney Foods, which recently had a bit of a dust off and a rebrand. The family all taste and approve any new recipes, and I imagine, their freezers are well stocked with Linda's burgers and sausages. It is important to them, their way of keeping Linda's legacy alive. So when Paul decided to launch a new campaign, Meat Free Monday, it was the perfect opportunity to get together for a rare public group hug.

As he muses over a suitable recipe for another cookery video to promote the new campaign, he remembers one of his father's favourite recipes. "Pea sandwiches," he recalls. "I remember my dad making one for John once." But his daughters groan. "It has to be mum's lasagne," says Mary.

While Mary prepares to take the photographs for this story, Paul takes a tiny mouth organ from his pocket and plays as Stella sings along. "This is why Bob Dylan wants to write songs with you," she laughs. It's a family joke. Despite the news reports that the two musicians are about to record together, Paul tells me later that the rumour is totally unfounded. "No, that's a newspaper thing. He just said some very complimentary things about me in some interviews and I love him. I think he's a great poet and writer so I've always admired him. I don't rule it out and I admire him. But we're not the kind of people who would ring each other up." Mary takes her place in the picture, arranges her dad's hair which is blowing in the wind, and presses the shutter.

The family is famously vegetarian, but Stella says for this particular debate, she wishes they weren't. This is not an evangelical mission to make the world a veggie but an attempt to do their bit to slow climate change. "It's an environmental conversation, not a vegetarian one," says Stella. "It's ok to just give up meat for one day, it doesn't make you a vegetarian if you hate vegetarians, it doesn't make you cranky, hemp wearing pot smoker. It's alright, it's allowed - it doesn't make you a kind of the person you don't want to be. It just means you are doing something positive."

Paul read about the campaign in America and decided he needed to get involved. Over the past year, he has been talking about it, writing letters to celebrities and chefs, talking to schools, and galvanising support from as many people as he can, including Woody Harrelson, Doris Day, and Ricky Gervais. Two weeks ago [Monday 15 June], he held a press conference to launch the campaign at Oliver Peyton's restaurant Inn the Park. Peyton himself – a fully fledged bone marrow sucking carnivore - has agreed to promote meat free dishes every Monday at the restaurant.

The campaign has some weighty research behind it, not least from the UN. "Dad got the report," says Mary, who is softly spoken but has a cool air of authority about her. "You were sent the report weren't you?" She looks at Paul who has joined us round the table at the Portobello Hotel in west London, quietly whistling to himself. "Yeah, I was originally sent it. Livestock's Long Shadow it was called. The UN, who are our appointed global watchdog, said 'hey, cattle rearing is more harmful than ALL transport.' That is the statistic I thought was shocking because until then I thought it was aeroplanes, cars and trucks…"

According to the report, livestock are responsible for 18 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, which is indeed a bigger share than that of transport which accounts for 13 per cent. "We're not just talking about a few cows," says Paul. "We're talking billions. I took a drive from Santa Fe down to El Paso, a road trip I was on, and you go past I think about 15-20 miles of cattle as you drive down the motorway and it's the same cow; it's a brown and white cow. There are billions of them! And that's where it comes home. That's where the methane is coming from, this is the problem, not just a couple of cows on a farm. It's not just Daisy and Buttercup any more."

It seems the world is coming round to the Macca point of view and this is too good an opportunity to miss. It's the first time not eating meat is being promoted by scientists – 'traditional eaters,' as Paul calls them, not vegetarians with a vested interest. For Stella and Mary, following their father's lead is perfectly natural. Linda would certainly have been there, waving her placard. She was already talking about the relationship between food and the environment long before the UN decided it was time to act. This is part of the family's way of keeping Linda's legacy alive. "Ideally yes, be vegetarian," says Mary. "But if not, just reduce your meat intake to make it fun do a meat free Monday."

Listening to them running through the arguments and the statistics backing up their campaign, you feel this is a typical discussion that would happen over a family nut roast. Occasionally, they talk over each other and finish each other's sentences. "It can be so overwhelming," admits Stella. "And you can feel so …oh god, but I've got to get that plane there and I've got to drive my car with my three kids here. You are led to believe that transport is the main problem, but actually it's diet. To be honest we could sit and bang on about it…"

Paul: "But we don't want to bang on, we don't want to say to you look, you have to go veggie. The idea of this is for the environment, for your children's future, would you consider just one day a week changing your habits? And then if you decide to do two days, three, four, then so much the better, but if people would do it, it would have a huge impact."

Stella: "If everyone gave it up on a Monday it would be more effective than everyone stopping driving their car on a Monday. We are not perfect. It's so important to get that across because it's like oh, those bloody Maccas, talking again about not killing cows! It is boring. But the reality is, I like to think I am trying to do my little bit. I will turn off the lights when I leave a room; I will turn off a socket if I don't want to be using the socket. And those are tiny little things."

Paul: "Even President Obama tells you to do that."

It is a small thing they are asking us all to do. Very few of us eat meat every day of the week, but by cutting back on what we eat, we can make a difference. On average we are eating twice the amount of meat we ate in 1961, the year the Beatles first performed at the Cavern club in Liverpool. "The idea of having one type of meat for your breakfast and another type of meat for your lunch, and then another type for your dinner, and in between having your sandwiches with another kind of meat, we really do eat too much of it," says Paul. To produce a single kilogram of beef, farmers have to feed a cow 15 kg of grain and 30 kg of forage. It is a highly intensive business that is ultimately not sustainable. Livestock production is responsible for 70 per cent of the deforestation of the Amazon jungle and by 2050, the world's livestock population is expected to rise from 60 billion farm animals to 120 billion. It is a scary fact when you consider that a single cow can produce 500 litres of methane per day, which has around 25 times the global warming impact of CO2.

"I think we forget more and more that we are animals," says Stella, "and we are part of a planetary system where all of the animals are on this planet together and you are made to feel like a hippy dippy jerk that should go and live in a tipi for even making a point of remembering."

Despite the fact that she rarely gives interviews, Stella is the most vocal of the three, passionately backing up her father, shaking her head, saying 'it's all money, money, money!' about the projected growth of the meat industry (world demand for meat is estimated to double by 2050) and butting in with the odd comment like: 'Greed is not a good look. I was brought up to think this was not a good look. Everything in moderation.' And she knows her stuff. She urges me (and you) to watch a film called Home that was made by the aerial photographer, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, and launched the previous week on World Environment Day. You can link to it from her website.

As she says, she tries to do her bit. Although she already incorporates sustainable and organic fabrics in her mainline collection, she also designs a capsule Green Collection which is as purely ethical and sustainable as she can make it and is sold at Barneys in New York and Harvey Nichols in London. On her website, in between pictures of models looking supremely cool and confident in her clothes, if you click on the 'Green me' button, you can read Stella's eco tips – small things we can all do to help slow down global warming. Her London shop is powered by Ecotricity. Her skincare range, Care, is made using 100 percent organic active ingredients and is Ecocert –certified. And of course, she tells her celebrity friends off for wearing fur and doesn't use leather.

"In my industry, there is no alternative in people's minds to leather shoes. Now I'm not making a leather shoe. I'm doing alright. We can get by. Things change. Humans are the best animals - the best adapters on the planet. We adapt quicker than a tree does in the rainforest. We adapt, that's what we do."

In March, she was given an award by the Natural Resources Defence Council (which works to protect wildlife and wild places) in New York. "I was lucky enough to present that to her," says Paul. "I said that when she joined the fashion world, she first of all was employed by Gucci and my first thought, and Linda's, was uh-oh Gucci is leather city. When you think of Gucci, you think of leather. We thought about how long is it going to be before she caves in on her principles? And we waited, and we waited, and we waited, and she never did. That is a fantastic achievement… and that's what's great about new ideas, different ideas, people catch the fire, they get excited with the stuff. It's just thinking about it instead of just becoming a Gucci slave. Took a little bit of guts to do that."

Despite the fact that Stella feels she has been pilloried for her beliefs and principles, it seems to have paid off. Just as the fashion world has finally come round to her big idea of wearing jumpsuits and your boyfriend's jacket, we seem to have arrived at a moment when having principles – and a bit of compassion – is not such a bad thing. It is perhaps no coincidence that she is the only fashion person to be included in Time magazine's annual 100 most influential people list this year, an achievement she is obviously proud of, giving me a high five when I mention it. Just as any father would, Paul admits to having the magazine on his kitchen table, open at the relevant page – a tribute written by Stella's mate, Gwyneth Paltrow. "Even if you are not vegetarian somehow Stella gets you to believe," she writes. "She manages to convince you (never sanctimoniously from a soapbox) that killing animals is needless and cruel and bad for the environment."

Paul says she didn't have to be that way. "She could have caved in and we almost would have forgiven her. The pressures were so huge but the fact that she did not…" Stella cuts in. "I'm very lucky. I don't think that I am magnificent, I just think I've been very lucky. I think I've been brought up in a certain way. Mary's like that, my brother [James, a musician] and sisters [Heather from Linda's first marriage, and Beatrice from her father's second] are like that. My husband's like that. I think that you do stand out if you stand out against things. It was very hard in my industry especially to have those kind of principles and I did have the mickey taken out of me probably up to about a year ago. And people will probably read this and chuck it on their barbie and cook beef on it but the reality is I'm more impressed by people who take a risk and who stand up to good beliefs and I think in this day and age…"

Paul: "It's how the world changes."

Stella: 'The main thing is not to bang on about it too much. We don't generally bang on about it, I try to keep my head down and get on with it and design pretty frocks, that's my job. And dad makes pretty good records when he's given half an hour in between his potato mashing, and Mary's a fantastic photographer. But I don't think we want to come across as forcing people to think a certain way, I think it's just a very valid issue and life's too short to not do something you believe in. You've only got a short period on the planet to make something of your life."

With all of this passion and desire for change, I wonder if Paul will be writing a Dylan style protest song to promote their cause. "I do have a few sort of animal awareness songs, but they are very difficult to write. I wrote one called Looking For Changes that was applauded by PETA, which started off with 'I saw a cat with a machine in its brain', you know that picture? A hardcore picture. That made me write that, but it's very very hard to do and it's not my forte. I wish it was, that would be kind of nice to be driven in that direction. Songs aren't always what you are passionate about. You'd like to think that they all were but sometimes it's just about I love you, or you're great."

And with that, our time is up. Stella's phone has been ringing non-stop. "We're going to get a bit of flack for this," says Paul, who can't resist singing into my Dictaphone before turning it off. "Why do we feel we need to do it? You know what, because Meat Free Monday is a damn good idea. I mean, what are you going to tell your kids? That we can do something about it. This is one of those things that you can do."

[makingnewenemies]

Hi Hi Hi. Here is a little blurb I wrote off the top of my head about all my friends on this year’s Group Picture Vol. 8. I love them all. I love their songs. And I love that we still keep up this stupid tradition; and somehow the comp keeps getting better and better. Thanks everyone! Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays :) - walt

Sour Guy - All Those Plans Were Wrong

Last summer Kris Schobert (Sour Guy, Walter Etc. / Mitty core member, Ernie…) was admitted to the hospital… and then again… and then again…. I think he spent like a month total in the hospital. It was not chill. But when he got out, the whole experience gave him a bit of clarity and new perspective on his life and the decisions he has made thus far. I won’t speak any further for him, but Kris… hey, nice song! And your quality home recording production and continuation of the WMAHMO slop sound doesn’t not go unnoticed! This song made me tear up in a coffee shop the first time I heard it. 

Slaughter Beach, Dog - Big Band

Slaughter Beach, Dog are randomly GP staples by now but also one of my favorite bands and greatest friends. This song is a bit of a sound change for them, swapping mid tempo soft rock John K Sampson vibes for a theatrical late 60’s / 70’s sound that is a bit more light hearted than normal and I LOVE IT. It’s catchy, it makes me laugh, yet its so true. Glad to have these boys back this year.

Teal & Jer - Alphabet

Portland’s dreamiest duo Teal & Jer (Chain, Riled, Loose, lots of projects) bring a quirky alt edge to our otherwise bland and boring comp. Without them, we’d just be us. I personally would like to hear more Teal solo work??? Teal???

Milk Flud - Rodeo

If you don’t fuck with Milk Flud then you can get out.

Chase Hoyt - Health

Chase Hoyt (Ubu Roi, Feed, Chaz and the Minions of Chaz, The Rodeo…) is a GP fixture by now, and important asset to MNE because it’s his classic rock sensibilities that balance out the overload of folk / indie rock that we swim in. This song not only has a comically true message (health is the most important, i agree Chase) but the vibe, especially the chorus, has my head bobbing and me feeling like I’m on a grassy hillside at an outdoor concert in the 70’s, but also one glass of wine deep making homemade pizzas at an Air BNB with a girl I love, and that is a nice combo of feelings. “Let’s wrap it up / I’ve embarrassed us all enough”

Dry Goods - Learnt Nothing

You hear that flawless acoustic finger picking? That masculine story telling voice that sounds somewhere between a suburban Bob Dylan and a cowboy singing to the emptiness of the high desert? Yup, its Russell Park AKA Dry Goods and FKA Weston Bookhouse coming at us with another folk masterpiece, but this year adding in some new elements we aren’t quite used to- namely some cruisey guitar solos! Rumor has it Dry Goods is in the studio recording a new album right now and I would not be bummed out if this song were on it.

Byronius Punk - Beautiful Things

I just spent 3 weeks with Byronius Punk (Ian Farmer of Slaugher Beach, Dog / Modern Baseball) at his studio The Metal Shop in Philadelphia making a record with his beautiful mind and his new drum machine- so this song really hits home for me. I could write an essay on why this is the perfect Group Picture song- my three main points being - 1. It is a song about the act of creating. (“in everything that exists there lies a certain beauty / I want the world to know how much it all means to me”) which is exactly what Group Picture aims to celebrate. 2. It’s a song written and performed by someone who is usually more in the background of his bands (bassist / backup vox / recording engineer) but here has a platform to express his own individual style and skills, which is exactly what Group Picture wants to promote. 3. It has a Milk Flud name drop, which is a classic and classy GP / MNE move. Thank you Ian. You rule.

Dante Elephante - It Bothers Me

Dante Elephante are Santa Barbara legends and their new album “Rare Attractions” shows them evolving their sound into more loungey and ethereal territory. I am so glad they have joined GP this year, because I see singer / songwriter Ruben almost every weekend when he DJ’s at The Tavern in Ventura and I drunkenly annoy him / vaguely fan boy out on him. Dante being on Group Picture is a sign that our friendship extends beyond Saturday nights at the Tavern. Also their album vibes hard. Check out Rare Attractions on Spotify.

Peanut Butter Cups - Highest Quality

Petition for Aaron Kovacs (Peanut Butter cups, Lauren Records CEO, Winter Break and Summer Vacation drummer) to finally put out a full album? This catchy lo-fi pop rock is undeniably infectious. Fun fact: I’ve been hanging with this boy for almost 10 years and I’ve never heard him sing, but then he sends me these recordings and I’m like wtf your voice is so cool! If he makes a full album, MNE will put out the LP and still give him 100% of the digital income. That is how much I like Aaron’s style. 

Anika Pyle - Young Love

I once wrote a song with the lyric “I’ll probably see her on tour but she won’t be on Group Picture this year.” I’m so glad I was wrong. Welcome to GP Anika Pyle! Anika (Katie Ellen, Chumped) plays raw emotional pop rock songs and this gem “Young Love” is just the tip of the iceberg. When her vocals max out at the end of the tune and you get a little bit of musical goosebumps, that is the feeling you get for a full 30 minutes of watching her play live. Anika, please come in and stay for a while! 

Walter Etc. - This Would Only Happen to Me

Ok ok enough of the soft emotional bullshit. Here’s a song about someone coming to kill me! It’s 100% true. If you’re reading this, help!!!

Jake Lee - Good Run

Jake Lee (Bleeding Gums Murphy) strikes again with a lo-fi indie gem in which we hear Jake Lee reflect on his gaime from last year. Sounds like he made some interesting choices and is coming to terms with them? Or did I miss the mark, Jake? He is and always will be one of my favorite songwriters and his voice in this fuzz effect is not a bad look, I have to admit. The only way my life would be better is if Jake made a full album. Cheers homie.

Babytooth - State Quarters, OR

Technically, this is Babytooth’s official debut on Group Picture, but Portland, OR singer / songwriter Isabel Zacharias had a song on the comp last year that blew me away. It was her vocals and lyrics that hooked me then, and are still yanking me now. Now backed by a full band that gives dynamic range to her songs, it was still that first line “now you know you want a girl without a phone” that had me nodding “yup i love this”. Fingers crossed for Babytooth to become a GP staple.

Trashbike - Weasel

Trashbike is Bread (Blowout, Walter etc., Donkey Lips) and his homie Ru playing the pedals. He told me he wrote this song while stumbling home from the Bye and Bye. Bread is like a sexy emo prince, can’t you hear it? This song rules and I really hope Trashbike is more than just a one and done GP band. I would listen to a few albums of soft songs like this, wouldn’t you?

Banned From Japan - Vegan X

Welcome back to the Socal Valley punk rockers Banned From Japan! If you know that singer / songwriter Matthew Earle has been sober for a few years, this song is hilarious, simultaneously poking fun at vegan straight-edge and himself. The music rips and his vocals are catchy af. Fat Wrecks Chords come and sign Banned From Japan asap!

Walter X - Winter Shy

Ok. This is a bit meta. Walter X (Michael Mahaffie and his WMAHMO / Walter Etc. hardcore chip tune cover project) covers an old Walter GP song as his own GP song. Pretty niche MNE content! This song, in this Lifetime-esque style, his vocals so clear but so gruff, those guitar harmonies, the creative intro and chip-tuney bridge…. this literally gives me chills and is so much better than the original. I encourage anyone reading this to go check out his own original music under the name Jump Cut. It sounds just like this but with Michael’s own songs, shedding the limitations of the musical simpleton Walter songs.  Also, check out the full Walter X album on Spotify! What a talented dude…

Curling - Genkai Trip

Curling released their MNE album “Definitely Band” this year and the musical arrangements / song structures absolutely floored me. Genkai Trip is a song that got left off the album, but lives on through GP! Singer / guitarist Bernie Gelman noted “There's some pretty wacky guitar overdubs where Jojo and I each doubled some guitar parts while the other person was playing with the trem on the guitar, so you get this really weird detuning effect.” and yup that is Curling in a nutshell for you. Always excited to play around with gear and recording techniques that are way beyond my level.  I think this is an extremely underrated band and highly encourage the world to check out Definitely Band on spotify!

Ali Muhareb - DIY Hell

Ali? What the hell did you even make this song? It’s intriguing in the verses and then when the chorus busts out it sounds like if Dough Martsch were an up and coming artist in Portland in 2018. I actually had to text Ali to ask what these guitar sounds were and, if anyone is interested, he responded, “I compressed two guitars together through a virtual amp. And they’re both running through this sick pedal I got called the Data Corrupter.” For sure Ali! Thanks for a bad ass tune.

Dakota Loesch - Don’t Solve My Mysteries

I’ve been listening to a lot of Dakota’s music (solo, Animal City, Lemp Lungs) recently. I keep coming back to it, and its not a mystery. After hundreds of songs in his pocket, songs like “Don’t Solve My Mysteries” still sound musically and lyrically fresh, like Dakota has never had writer’s block in his life. When I listen to his music, I feel like it vicariously breaks down my own creative barriers. For instance when I first heard this song and he dropped the hook “just don’t solve all mysterious” I had that knee-jerk urge to ditch what I was doing and go write a poem or something. His will to create is just that contagious. Combine that with the Casio-keyboard bedroom drum machine vibe that I love so much about his songs like “The Basmati Rice” and you have a 10/10 GP banger. 

Jerbear - Nowhere Girl

Jerbear is Jeremy Murphy (Teal & Jer, Riled, so many) and he is the king of a few things: weird bad guitar tones, asymmetrical organic song structures, rad lyrics that I never understand, and a voice that is universally loved. He stole my heart with Cranberries in the Cosmos on a previous GP, but I think Nowhere Girl takes the cake. Jer- when do we get the full solo album? Please don’t fall into the category of GP lost wonders. You’re not too shabby at this music thing! 

Hemingway - Catch My Cool

Catch My Cool is a B-side from Hemingway’s You Will Never Be Happy.

I played drums in Hemingway at this time and I always vibed that Benny didn’t really like the way this song came out int he studio. I don’t get why? That vocal melody, soft sad and surfy guitar leads… it makes me wanna hold hands with a girl on Christmas Eve while walking down some bougie street looking at Christmas Lights. It sounds like a Starflyer 59 worship track and I love it for that. Benny, you made a mistake. This song should have made the album. 

Alex Maddox - The Hypocrit’s Dilemma

I’ve heard Alex play this song when we get together to jam, and he always laughs it off as a Walter Mitty rip off song. But honestly, this is what I wish WMAHMO would write about if we made a folk punk record today. If you listen to this song knowing that Alex Maddox was a guy who quit his high paying job to travel Europe in his van, surfing and skating and working on farms, the lyrics to this song are way more wanna-be Walter Mitty. The song depicts a transformation in his paradigm and is completely raw, authentic, and sincere. Alex inspires me to chase a wholesome life that is designed for and by myself, rather than the obvious and sterile template that is provided for us, and this song exemplifies that 1000%. 

Uncle Uncle - Nira (I’m Alive)

We played with Uncle Uncle last year in Santa Barbara and I honestly think we should have opened for them. They are actually a good band, both live and recorded. Stylish, friendly, and comically laid back- they might be the quintessential Santa Barbara band. A semi-new band, Uncle Uncle is gaining momentum quickly, and I won’t be surprised when the day comes that Kevin and Dom big time me on State st. Til then, I’m just glad I get to claim that they were on a Group Picture. 

Humphrey Orlando - Set U Free

Ah, Humphrey. No, Humphrey accompanied by Toast. Two legends as old as MNE itself. What is there to say? I could listen to their wandering ballads til I fall into the Big Sleep, and still the melodies linger on…

[geftheshittalkingmongoose]

Ok hot take time about some very left-field drama

Dan Avidan being a scumbag is scumbaggy, but holy SHIT people are wigging out and the pedo/groomer allegations are wild

I'm kinda tired of how every remotely famous person has to either be a pillar of flawless woke living or a damnable monster who needs to disappear

Like... if hes being scummy and waiting for girls to hit him up after shows just to fuck and ghost them, screwing around on women and juggling them for sex, and even cheating, that's one thing, but acting on pedophilic urges and grooming girls who already have a parasocial relationship with him just for sex is so much WORSE and people seem to keep conflating it all

So much of what Ive read online so far REEKS of the classic "a sin is a sin" attitude from centuries ago where murder and adultery were seen as equally harmful. It honestly makes me wonder how many people weighing in 1) are over 18 or even over 25 2) have been with scummy people intimately or sexually and moved on or healed 3) have been with scummy people and HAVENT moved on or healed and just... so much more

Hot Take: it shouldnt surprise you that a famous person uses their fans parasocial relationships for sex. Its bad, yes, but not new or shocking. It was as bad in the 50s and 60s as it is now. It's always been bad to do that.

But ACTUAL PEDOPHILES AND GROOMERS still have fame and still do illegal shit, yet so many people are demonizing this dude just because its way easier to dethrone an internet personality as opposed to an actor or A-list musician.

He sounds like a real scumbag, and I do have love in my heart for the women he hurt, but some of yall need to address the situation in its reality based on what's been proven to be true, not look for any crumb of anything else.

Hes hurt women. Hes done bad things. Support the women hes done this to. Listen to them. Stop looking for other reasons to throw a big "and heres why he deserves to be arrested" post that have no evidence or support behind them.

Put your energy into actually proven pedo groomers, not the dude who cosplays as a 70's rock star and wrote the song "Objects of Desire" that's all about masturbating with furniture.

[backwardblackbyrd]

autumn tag game 🍂 Tagged by @luna-canticum and @petticoated-swashbuckler (Which btw I love both of u) The last: 1. drink: water 
2. phone call: My mom!
 3. text message: “and thank u for sending it" I wanted my boyfriend to tell his roommate about queer ghost hunting group. They were communicating with lesbian ghost nuns and I had to share
 4. song you listened to: black me out by against me! 5. time you cried: literally about 2 hours ago, when I read an article about black poets lol 6. dated someone twice: back in high school and like that guy was a piece of shit and now the reason I typically do not date someone twice lol 7. kissed someone and regretted it: uh, I don't think ever actually. Not like, regretting the kiss specifically
 8. been cheated on: not to my knowledge
 9. lost someone special: well. That's a whole thing. Let's not get into it lol
 10. been depressed: oh buddy
 11. got drunk and thrown up: i! Actually haven't thrown up from being drunk before I've been like. Pissy drunk but I otherwise hold my liquor p well 3 favourite colours 12. Purple
13. pink
14. blue in the last year have you 15. made new friends: I think so lol
 16. fallen out of love: lol lets not
 17. laughed until you cried: definitely!
 18. found out someone was talking about you: ya
 19. met someone who changed you: yeaaaa well.
 20. found out who your friends are: uhh, yea I guess. The answer was way less that I thought lol
 21. kissed someone on your Facebook list: yes! Quite often! general 22. how many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: I've known everyone on my fb list at one point or another. I hardly talk to any of them anymore tho
 23. do you have any pets: 1 Kenyan sand boa named Artemis, a western hognose named Charlie, and a cat named Jenny.
 24. do you want to change your name: I did when I was little but like. Now that I'm older I'm like??? Change it to what exactly??? I did try going by prince for awhile but hardly anyone actually called me that lol
 25. what did you do for your last birthday: spent p much the whole weekend with my boyfriend. We went for small road trip. It was cute
 26. what time did you wake up: i got to sleep in, I woke up at like 8am. I haven't had many days off in the last two weeks and I typically have to wake up anywhere from 3am to 5am for work so lol
 27. what were you doing at midnight last night: I was very asleep. I was so tired. I sleep so much yesterday like probs 12 hours lmao. Again, I've been working a lot
 28. name something you can’t wait for: Halloween!!!!!!!!! And for my daughter Artie to be done shedding so she'll go back to having her face out all the time
 29. when was the last time you saw your mum: literally like 5 minutes ago
 31. what are you listening to right now: an episode of Queer Ghost Hunters. They're on YouTube look em up
 32. have you ever talked to a person named tom: possibly?
 33. something that is getting on your nerves: lol my job, I literally leave so frustrated every time I work
 34. most visited website: tumblr definitely lol with instagram being a close second
 35. hair colour: dark brown
 36. long or short hair: short. I can't keep up with my hair if it's long. I end up with bad cases of depression hair 
 37. do you have a crush on someone: the boyfriend, yes 
 38. what do you like about yourself: I like how much I love my snakes. Reptiles are really often neglected and I'm proud that I give my kids such good care. 
 39. piercings: I have 6 piercings on one ear, my lobe stretched on the same ear, and my conch pierced on the other ear. I also have my septum pierced and my lip technically is still open if I ever felt the urge to wear jewelry in it again
 40. blood type: not a clue, no idea
 41. nickname: i actually don't have one
 42. relationship status: dating!
 43. zodiac: taurus sun, libra moon, and sagittarius rising
 44. pronouns: She/her 
 45. favourite tv show: yikes all my go to tv shows are problematic faves; bojack horseman, it's always sunny in Philly, rich and moaty 46. Tattoos: only one; I got it when I was way too young to be getting tattoos but I love it. It's a clandestine bat like Pete Wentz's over my heart. Everyone always thinks it's batman and I'm like yea that's cool too 
 47. right or left handed: right first 48. surgery: haven't had one yet. Kinda hoping to keep it that way for as long as possible
 49. piercing: ears, I was really young when my mom let me get them, I genuinely don't remember my age 
 50. sport: uhhh I was in the volleyball club in middle school? 
51. vacation: uh mom and I went up to the mountains when I was a kid. I was way too young to appreciate it, I was bored as shit the entire time
 52. pair of trainers: Idek what those are so more general 53. eating: candy that's supposed to be for trick or treaters. Sorry kids 
54. drinking: water, I feel like I answered this already 
 55. i’m about to: finish binge watching queer ghost hunters and then find some other spooky thing to watch 
 56. waiting for: Sweet death, my guy. No, uh idk, the hygrometers I ordered to come?
57. want: to be done with college and to have a better job already
 58. get married: that doesn't interest me
 59. career: one that pays enough money for me to afford being alive and to have my own place and the animals I want to own lmao which is better 60. hugs or kisses: im a Taurus and I have so much Venus energy in my chart, like. Gimme all of it 
 61. lips or eyes: both
 62. shorter or taller: I've dated both and like, it's mostly irrelevant to me
 63. older or younger: very close to my age or older. And by very close I mean like, 1 year, 2 might be pushing it
 64. nice arms or nice stomach: strong arms and a tum is ideal
 65. hook up or relationship: I've always wondered how I'd feel about a hook up, but the reality is I'm a relationship type person.
 66. troublemaker or hesitant: i used to be a trouble maker. My mental health is shot to hell now so I'm much more hesitant than I used to be. Which is. Unfortunate have you ever 67. kissed a stranger: i have wanted to before, but haven't 
 68. drank hard liquor: absolutely, I'm vodka aunt these days
 69. lost glasses/contact lenses: I temporarily lose glasses all the time. I've had one pair permanently lost, I'm p sure I know what happened to them tho
 70. turned someone down: yes lol
 71. sex on the first date: no
 72. broken someone’s heart: yea
 73. had your heart broken: yea but not by anything I didn't cause myself
 74. been arrested: no and let's hope I never do
 75. cried when someone died: yea
 76. fallen for a friend: absolutely. Almost exlcusively do you believe in 77. yourself: sometimes. Not as much as I ever have, but definitely more than when I was like, in grade school
 78. miracles: yea
 79. love at first sight: Nah
 80. santa claus: no
 81. kiss on the first date: yes lmao 
 82. angels: they don't fit into my personal belief system but I know they're real for other folks other 83. current best friend’s name: Allyson! 
 84. eye colour: like, mine? Brown
 85. favourite movie: under the red hood, and kikis delivery service @jasoncorpsedotcom and @sacredheartssclub and @automaticmachinetangerine and @volantamasis only if y'all wanna! It's long so I understand if not lol also p much any of my mutual support are welcome to say I tagged them if they wanna do this :)

[mitzychavezblog]

SEPTEMBER SONG

I’ve always loved the Santo and Johnny version of “September Song” because it tells a beautiful story even with the absence of lyrics. I imagined a bright day in a California beach back in the 60’s spent with a sweetheart. Then soft blue waves gently crashed on the sand while the sun’s reflection shimmered on the water and the sky was illustrated with pink and orange. Everything is peaceful and tranquil. Many songs paint stories and scenes in your mind. Throughout middle school and high school, much of my writings took inspiration from music and how music would create a story in my head and I was always able to put whatever I envisioned into words. Music has helped me become inventive and because of this, I’ve been able to have little to no problem with coming up with things to write about.

In middle school, I spent much of my time listening to different kinds of music and writing various stories based on how the music made me feel. My favorite genre of music was classical and orchestral music because of the way a certain instrument could manipulate your emotions without even saying a word. I would have an idea and I’d keep replaying the song so that I wouldn’t forget the feeling and then plots would form around that idea and I’d end up with a story. 

Every piece that I would write, I would keep a secret because of how shy I was with my writing, I was always apprehensive of my writings being deficient or preposterous. In other words, I was afraid of judgement. That is, until I met my 8th grade English teacher and she would often praise my work for it’s creativity and would encourage me to continue writing and I learned to not be so timid of showing my stories to others. She even showed the school’s principal, Mrs.Quirk, some of my writings and then Mrs.Quirk showed my writings to an english teacher at my future highschool who would later become one of the most important people during my time in high school. And, thanks to my 8th grade teacher’s help, I was able to get into a college prep program in high school called AVID. 

Once I started my first year of high school, I began to get into heavier music and I started experiencing different emotions and I fell into a dark place and lost who I was. Mrs.Smith, the teacher who had seen my writings, was my AVID teacher and she noticed that my grades began to drop, specifically in my honors English class that I needed to keep a grade of C or above in order to stay in the program. I also wouldn’t show up to school often, and I stopped writing as much as I used to. So, she spoke to the director of the AVID program, Mrs.Schwarze, and advised for me to speak with her because I was on the verge of being kicked out of the program. It took awhile for me to express my situation with Mrs.Schwarze because I wasn’t quite fond of her at first. Ultimately, she urged me to come clean and explain to her why my grades were declining, I confessed that I had issues with motivation with school and that I had been feeling a bit despondent. She explained that she would keep me in the program even if I dropped the English class and moved to a regular class. 

Mrs.Schwarze and Mrs.Smith continued to support me even after my decision of departing from the AVID program after two years. On my last year of high school, my mental health hit rock bottom and I had only shown up to school for three days in the entire month of October of my senior year. I was on the verge of not graduating due to how behind I was in all my classes and this caused an immense amount of anxiety for my parents. In November, I began to push myself to complete my schoolwork and put more effort into my education. My second semester of high school, I reconnected with my ability to write stories because of my writing class that I chose to take. Since it was my last semester of high school, I knew I wanted to take a writing class as my English class because I realized it had been a long time since I wrote stories and this class was the perfect chance for me to be inspired again. On the first day of the class, I was delighted to hear that we’d be doing creative writing for the majority of the class. However, she mentioned every assignment would be peer reviewed and also reviewed by her before a portfolio of all our pieces of writing was due at the end of the semester. I was relieved when my teacher explained that peer reviewing was to be anonymous and no one would know who the stories belonged to. The first assignment we did was a short story written in no more than two pages. My peer reviewer enjoyed my story as it was inspired by “Greetings From Califournia”, a song by The Neighbourhood. The rest of my writings were inspired by music from the 70’s and 80’s and I completed the class with my reborn love of writing and an A on my final project which was the portfolio of stories and poems. 

To this day, I feel lucky to be aware of the existence of certain music and artists because of how I’m able to connect to their music and construct something different out of it. Many think music without words or instrumentals can’t be powerful, but it can deliver an infinite amount of emotions and stories. Although currently I do not write, I want to find the time to begin writing once again and continue throughout college as it is one of the few things that bring me happiness.

[worldwidewanderlust]

70 Self Harm Alternatives

This is NOT my list. I found it online in a clique forum (if you copy/paste in Google I'm sure you'll find the original.) But I'm sure the OP wouldn't mind me spreading it since this list makes a nice reminder 1. Say “I’ll self harm in fifteen minutes if I still want to” and keep going for periods of fifteen minutes until the urge fades 2. Color your hair 3. Count up to ten getting louder until you are screaming 4. Sing on the karaoke Machine 5. Complete something you’ve been putting off 6. Make up a new Hobby 7. Make a cup of tea (I love tea) 8. Tell and laugh at Jokes 9. Play solitaire 10. Count up to 500 or 1000 11. Surf the net 12. Make as many words out of your full name as possible 13. Count ceiling tiles or lights 14. Search ridiculous things on Google 15. Color coordinate your wardrobe 16. Play with toys, such as a slinky 17. Go to the park and play on the swings 18. Call up an old friend 19. Go "people watching" 20. Do school work 21. Play a musical instrument 22. Watch TV or a movie 23. Paint your nails 24. Alphabetize your CDs or books 25. Cook 26. Make origami to occupy your hands 27. Doodle on sheets of paper 28. Dress up or try on old clothes 29. Play computer games or painting programs, such as photoshop 30. Write out lyrics to your favorite song 31. Play a sport 32. Read a book/magazine 33. Do a crossword 34. Draw a comic strip 35. Make a chain link out of paper counting the hours or days you've been self harm free using pretty colored paper 36. Knit, sew, or make a necklace 37. Buy a plant and take care of it 38. Hunt for things on eBay or Amazon 39. Go shopping 40. Memorize a poem with meaning 41. Learn to swear in another language 42. Look up words in a dictionary 43. Go outside and watch the clouds roll by 44. Plan a party 45. Find out if any concerts will be in your area 46. Make your own dance routine 47. Trace your hand on a piece of paper; on your thumb, write something you like to look at; on your index finger, write something you like to touch; on your middle finger, write your favorite scent; on your ring finger, write something you like the taste of; on your pinky finger, write something you like to listen to; on your palm, write something you like about yourself 48. Plan regular activities for your most difficult time of day 49. Finish homework before it's due 50. Take a break from mental processing 51. Get out on your own, get away from the stress 52. Go on YouTube 53. Make a scrapbook 54. Colour in a picture or colouring book. 55. Make a phone list of people you can call for support. 56. Pay attention to your breathing (breath slowly, in through your nose and out through your mouth) 57. Pay attention to the rhythmic motions of your body (walking, stretching, etc.) 58. Choose a random object, like a paper clip, and try to list 30 different uses for it 59. Pick a subject and research it - alternatively, pick something to research and then keep clicking on links, trying to get as far away from the original topic as you can. 60. Take a small step towards a goal you have. 61. Re-organize your room 62. Name all of your stuffed animals Play the A-Z game (Pick a category ie. Animals, and think of an animal for every letter of the alphabet 63. Have a lush warm bubble bath with candles! 64. Do some knitting 65. Do some house hold chores 66. Draw 67. Write 68. PM me! 69. Listen to music 70. Come on this app ----------- "You guys mean so so so much to me please try and use some of these. You're beautiful! Please don't hurt yourself. You mean so much to people. They don't want to see you sad. I know things are hard but they will get better. You're worth you're life and you deserve all the happiness in the world. Stay alive. I mean after all... We've made it this far, Kid. -O.P"

[georgipopovich-voiceblog]

iceisnottheonlythingillcumon

I was tagged by @cheese-with-a-dream and @iceisnottheonlythingillcumon

rules: answer these 85 statements & tag 20 people (will try)

the last:

1. drink: Pumpkin spice latte Mun: Cherry caffeine water

2. phone call: Yakov Mun: Brandon (the boyfriend)

3. text message: “I can’t come into practice today, I literally would rather be punched in the face with a literal asshole” Oy.... I was moody this morning, wasn’t I?

Mun: “BOYFRIEND DID YOU KNOW CORGI HUSKY MIXES ARE CALLED SEORGIS” I literally call him boyfriend, not by his real name

4. song you listened to: Helpless-Hamilton

Mun: Take me baby or leave me-Rent

5. time you cried: Um.... I think it was a few days ago.....

Mun: Lol right now

 6. dated someone twice: No, luckily

Mun: lolnope

7. kissed someone and regretted it:....I do regret some kisses, but only because they hurt me...

Mun: Fucking hell, someone tried to kiss me once and I punched them, I didn’t regret that.

8. been cheated on: Ask anya. Mun: Nope

9. lost someone special: Yes..... I miss my parents every day... Mun: Just recently actually...

10. been depressed: You have no idea.. Mun: Yes.... I have depression

11. gotten drunk & thrown up: I’m trying to stop..... Mun: I don’t drink

favorite colors:

12. Purple 

13. Pink

14. Very light green, minty green

in the last year have you:

15. made new friends: I honestly think I’ve been pretty stagnant on meeting people, I think I’ve met all the people I’ll be friends with for a while,  I can be shy Mun: Oh fuck yeah

16. fallen out of love: Only after they’ve hurt me... Mun: Nope

17. laughed until you cried: When I was a teenager, Yakov made the worst dad jokes known to man, but he still holds it against me to this day that I laughed at one of t hem and that’s this one. Mun: yes, I cried and peed a little

18. found out someone was talking about you: Bum bum badum, that’s my life and the media hates meeeee

Mun: Happens all the time, lil shit gibbons

19. met someone who changed you: Vitya....

Mun: My stepfather.... honestly he’s more family to me than most of my family is.

20. found out who your friends are: I’ve never had them doubted

Mun: I’m still figuring out that part of my life sometimes...

21. kissed someone on your Facebook list: I mean... I’m still facebook friends with anya... so yes.... .

Mun: the boyfriend?

22. how many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: Honestly, it’s facebook for sponsors and photo albums, not much else....

Mun: All of them, get me out of this hick town pls

23. do you have any pets: I want one so badly <3

24. do you want to change your name: No, I’ve never had the urge, it’s my father’s proud heritage and my mother’s favorite first name.

Mun: From Hannah to Rose. I hate the name Hannah now...

25. what did you do for your last birthday: I sat in bed and wrapped up Victor’s birthday gift

26. what time did you wake up: I didn’t sleep....

27. what were you doing at midnight last night:  trying to understand why my brain hates me so much

28. name something you can’t wait for: I don’t have much to look forward to

31. what are you listening to right now: The empty house

32. have you ever talked to a person named tom: I think there was a reporter

33. something that is getting on your nerves: Intrusive thoughts...

34. most visited website: Um..... I read a lot of poetry and it’s.... not very appropriate poetry

35. hair colour: Brown

36. long or short hair: I wish I had the ability to grow long hair, but my face looks better with this one

39. piercings: a bellybutton ring~

40. blood type: B positive, I have a more uncommon blood type

41. nicknames: Georgi Porgi

42. relationship status: Single as hell

43. zodiac: Capricorn~

44. pronouns: He/Him

45. favourite tv show: I don’t own a television, I just read mostly... 

46. tattoos: I want one, but.... I think it might be something sentimental to my family name

47. right or left handed: ambidextrous!

48. surgery: You have no idea, I’ve had quite a few.

49. piercing: Uh...

50. sport: Gymnastics

51. vacation: I’d like to go to montreal

52. pair of trainers: Um.... I like fancier shoes, not trainers

more general

53. eating: ...Shit, did I eat today

54. fav drink: Blackberry cocktail

55. what you’re up to: I should be asleep but instead I’m writing

56. waiting for: Sleep to actually do its damn job

57. want: See above

58. get married: I do, I would love eto get married

59. career: I want to skate forever if I can

which is better:

60. hugs or kisses: both

61. lips or eyes: lips

62. shorter or taller: Taller

63. older or younger: both, there’s good in both.

64. nice arms or nice stomach: both ;)

65. hook up or relationship: Relationship

66. troublemaker or hesitant: Hesitant

have you ever:

67. kissed a stranger: I did once, on accident

68. drank hard liquor: Welcome to my alcoholic tendencies, everyone hates them

69. lost glasses/contact lenses: I don’t wear glasses quite yet.

70. turned someone down: I have had to 

71. sex on the first date: Once with Sara

72. broken someone’s heart: Nope, I’m not the heartbreaker

73. had your heart broken: AGain, see anya

74. been arrested: Luckily not

75. cried when someone died: Every day....

76. fallen for a friend: Vitya...

do you believe in

77. yourself: Uh...

78. miracles: I suppose

79. love at first sight: Love is careful and it is not at first sight

80. santa claus: I will never stop believing

81. kiss on the first date: Yes of course

82. angels: Eh.... not actually

83. current best friend’s name: Oh shit, I can’t say this out loud, everyone will hate me

84. eye colour: Dark Blue

85. favourite movie: I’d have to say Casablanca

[ashtenstitches]

Answer them all

omg i mean i asked for this

1. Who was the last person you held hands with?

--Honestly my cat. Otherwise I can’t think of anyone else.

2. Are you outgoing or shy?

--Shy but outgoing when I get to know someone

3. Who are you looking forward to seeing?

--This awesome guy who is incredible. His name is Alfredo. Fettuccine Alfredo. 

4. Are you easy to get along with?

--I’d like to think so

5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you?

--Well I sure hope so!! I already took care of her ;)

6. What kind of people are you attracted to?

--The kind that are you

7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now?

--I sure hope so!!!!!!

8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind?

--My beautiful cat who is perfect in every way shape and form

9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?

--Only if it’s with family lmao

10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with?

--My cutie girlfriend

11. What does the most recent text that you sent say?

--”Then I got sent to voicemailllllllll”

12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now?

--Out Loud by Gabbie Hanna, Best Part by Daniel Caesar feat H.E.R., The Wolves (Act I and II) by Bon Iver, Cherry Wine by Hozier, When by Dodie Clark

13. Do you like it when people play with your hair?

--YES

14. Do you believe in luck and miracles?

--I mean kind of lol I’m pretty unlucky so luck has to be real

15. What good thing happened this summer?

--I got my first client!! And it didn’t come out terrible!!

16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

--Absolutely

17. Do you think there is life on other planets?

--Oh yeah! We can’t be the only things in this GIANT UNIVERSE

18. Do you still talk to your first crush?

--Nope 

19. Do you like bubble baths?

--I love them

20. Do you like your neighbors?

--I don’t really know them but the ones across the street gave us a watermelon when we first moved in

21. What are your bad habits?

--I don’t sleep at a great time, I don’t floss as often as I should, and I bite my nails

22. Where would you like to travel?

--I really wanna go to Australia! But I also wanna go to the other Hawaiian islands.

23. Do you have trust issues?

--Not as much as before

24. Favorite part of your daily routine?

--Eating then sleeping

25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with?

--My feet

26. What do you do when you wake up?

--I pee

27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker?

--My skin is a nice shade of pale white and I’m cool with it

28. Who are you most comfortable around?

--My girlfriend and my family and a few friends

29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up?

--Only one but I was like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

30. Do you ever want to get married?

--Yes pls

31. Is your hair long enough for a pony tail?

--Yessss

32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with?

--Orlando Bloom and Kristen Stewart

33. Spell your name with your chin.

--aqshtednb

34. Do you play sports? What sports?

--Have you seen me....no

35. Would you rather live without TV or music?

--TV

36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them?

--Yes

37. What do you say during awkward silences?

--I just make weird faces

38. Describe your dream girl/guy?

-- @playswithsquirrlz

39. What are your favorite stores to shop in?

--Forever 21 I don’t care how cheap some stuff looks ok I love it also Victoria’s Secret. Also like...amazon

40. What do you want to do after high school?

--It’s been 4 years....and I’m finally doing what I wanted so

41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?

--No

42. If you’re being extremely quiet what does it mean?

--I’m tired/hungry/not comfortable

43. Do you smile at strangers?

--Sure

44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean?

--Outer space. Who knows what scary ass creatures are at the bottom of the ocean

45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning?

--The need to pee

46. What are you paranoid about?

--People breaking into my house, sharp pains in my body meaning that I’m dying, just the usual.

47. Have you ever been high?

--Yeeeeee

48. Have you ever been drunk?

--Nahhhhhh I don’t like alcohol really

49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about?

--No I don’t think so lol

50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore?

--Probably gray since that’s all I own lol

51. Ever wished you were someone else?

--Yes

52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself?

--My lack of motivation. If I had more motivation I would be so fit rn lol

53. Favourite makeup brand?

--Wet n Wild has been awesome lately

54. Favourite store?

--Michaels lmao

55. Favourite blog?

--My own

56. Favourite colour?

--Purple

57. Favourite food? 

--Either the vegan nacho cheese I make or the vegan mushroom sandwich 

58. Last thing you ate?

--Nachos

59. First thing you ate this morning?

--Nachos......

60. Ever won a competition? For what?

--No I didn’t but I was the only one in my class to get a 100% on my final to phase out ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

61. Been suspended/expelled? For what?

--Nah I was a good student

62. Been arrested? For what?

--Nope

63. Ever been in love? 

--Yeah I guess you could say that :P

64. Tell us the story of your first kiss?

--I was in 8th grade and had been dating this guy off an on for 3 years and it was the last day of school. We met at the basketball courts and everyone watched us kiss and I was like wtf so we kissed again lmao

65. Are you hungry right now?

--Not really

66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends?

--I love all my friends!

67. Facebook or Twitter?

--Twitter

68. Twitter or Tumblr?

--Tumblr

69. Are you watching tv right now?

--Nope

70. Names of your bestfriends? 

--Angelica, Tiffany, Brittni, Robbi

71. Craving something? What?

--Mushrooms

72. What colour are your towels?

--Beige and towel

72. How many pillows do you sleep with?

--One technically but I also have my body pillow

73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?

--Nope

74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have?

--A couple

75. Favourite animal?

--Cat. Any kind. Big or small. Or sharks

76. What colour is your underwear?

--Blue

77. Chocolate or Vanilla?

--Chocolate

78. Favourite ice cream flavour?

--The PB & Cookies from Ben & Jerrys

79. What colour shirt are you wearing?

--Gray

80. What colour pants?

--Navy blue

81. Favourite tv show?

--AHS or Skins UK

82. Favourite movie?

--Now Is Good 

83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2?

--Mean Girls of course

84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street?

--Mean Girls lmao

85. Favourite character from Mean Girls?

--Karen

86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo?

--Crush

87. First person you talked to today?

--Angelica

88. Last person you talked to today?

--Well my day is still going

89. Name a person you hate?

--Donald Trump

90. Name a person you love?

-- @playswithsquirrlz

91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now?

--Any nazi

92. In a fight with someone?

--Myself

93. How many sweatpants do you have?

--Probs like 2

94. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have?

--So many

95. Last movie you watched?

--Remember Me

96. Favourite actress?

--Kristen Stewart

97. Favourite actor?

--Orlando Bloom

98. Do you tan a lot?

--I wish

99. Have any pets?

--Where do I start

100. How are you feeling?

--Pretty good

101. Do you type fast?

--I type 68 words per minute

102. Do you regret anything from your past?

--Of course

103. Can you spell well?

--Autocorrect would tell me otherwise

104. Do you miss anyone from your past?

--Just old friends

105. Ever been to a bonfire party?

--Yes

106. Ever broken someone’s heart?

--Oh yeah

107. Have you ever been on a horse?

--Sure have

108. What should you be doing?

-- @playswithsquirrlz

109. Is something irritating you right now?

--Hmm nothing actually wow it’s a miracle!

110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt?

--Yeah

111. Do you have trust issues?

--.........nah

112. Who was the last person you cried in front of?

--My dad

113. What was your childhood nickname?

--Ash

114. Have you ever been out of your province/state?

--Yeah

115. Do you play the Wii?

--Not anymore

116. Are you listening to music right now?

--Nope

117. Do you like chicken noodle soup?

--I like faux chicken noodle soup

118. Do you like Chinese food?

--Oh yeah

119. Favourite book?

--The Lovely Bones

120. Are you afraid of the dark?

--Not anymore

121. Are you mean?

--Yeah jk no

122. Is cheating ever okay?

--Heck no

123. Can you keep white shoes clean?

--Nope

124. Do you believe in love at first sight?

--Eh 

125. Do you believe in true love?

--Yes

126. Are you currently bored?

--Eh not really

127. What makes you happy?

--My cat. Food. My girlfriend. Hawaii

128. Would you change your name?

--Yeah but I won’t lmao

129. What your zodiac sign?

--Aquarius

130. Do you like subway?

--Nah

131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do?

--I remind them that I’m gay af

132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with?

--Angelica

133. Favourite lyrics right now?

--”You’re the coffee that I need in the morning, you’re my sunshine in the rain when it’s pouring....” 

134. Can you count to one million?

--Who has time for that

135. Dumbest lie you ever told?

--That I liked boys lmao

136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed?

--Closed

137. How tall are you?

--5′ 4″ or so

138. Curly or Straight hair?

--I have inbetween but I like all hair

139. Brunette or Blonde?

--What about all colors

140. Summer or Winter?

--Winter but I like wearing crop tops

141. Night or Day?

--Night

142. Favourite month?

--October

143. Are you a vegetarian?

--Even better....I’m a vegan

144. Dark, milk or white chocolate?

--Dark is p good

145. Tea or Coffee?

--Love me a cuppa joe

146. Was today a good day?

--It has been so far

147. Mars or Snickers?

--Neither

148. What’s your favourite quote?

--May the flowers remind us/why the rain was so necessary - xan oku

149. Do you believe in ghosts?

--Oh yeah

150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line on that page?

--Dudley gently released himself from his mother’s clutches and walked toward Harry, who had to repress an urge to threaten him with magic.

[ravetaper]

Snails EDC Las Vegas 2019 Live Set

56-minute live set of Snails recorded at the Basspod stage at Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, Sunday, May 19, 2019.

Ahhh Snails. The one who turned me into a true fan of dubstep. It happened during the live stream of EDC 2015. I was sitting at my computer at home, headphones on, and then his set started. I had heard early work by Skrillex that sounded pretty good, but it wasn't until I heard Snails that I finally understood the power of good dubstep. I remember being awed by the complexity of the rhythms, the richness of the synth tones, and the frenetic energy of the mix. I was overcome with an urge to headbang like a diehard fan at a metal concert. Since that night, I've held DJ Snails in high regard.

I finally got to see Snails play last year at EDC. His Cosmic Meadow set was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend.

Regarding my coverage of dubstep dj's in general, I almost feel like I need to justify my appreciation for the genre. Why? I come from the "old school" of rave. My peers and I attended raves and underground clubs during the early 1990' - the so-called golden age or raves. Since then, electronic dance music has changed a lot. But some folks from my generation haven't embraced the newer styles that have emerged over the last 10 years. Some friends are downright hostile against dubstep.

I believe such resistance is caused by neural nostalgia – the idea that certain songs and sounds become imprinted in the brain during our formative years. As teenagers and young adults we unconsciously connect powerful emotions and memories to the music of the time. As we get older, our ability to embrace new sounds and styles diminishes. We lack the ability to appreciate music that is too dissimilar to the soundtrack of our youth. Eventually, the cycle is repeated and we find ourselves calling our children's music "noise".

It reminds me of watching television shows produced in the 50's, 60's and 70's. The archetypical parental characters could never understand their children's love of rock n' roll. To the parents, rock n' roll sounded like noise. It wasn't "real music" like the crooners and big bands they enjoyed. Old ravers' rejection of dubstep, trap, tech house and other recent sub-genres, is today's parallel of parents dismissing rock n' roll in the 50's.

As it happens, I seem to be immune to neural nostalgia. I have a natural curiosity for new and interesting styles of music. It might take me a little time to catch on, but I'll get it eventually. And so it was with dubstep and bass music. Nowadays, dubstep and bass music is more intriguing to me than almost every other style. Sure, I will always have a passion for house. I will never lose interest in house's danceable beats and bouncy bass lines. As such, I mainly gravitated to dubstep and house sets this weekend. I ended up completely bypassing Quantum Valley – EDC's trance stage – which was a shame because I also love good trance. But given the choice between trance, techno, house, dubstep and big room edm, I found myself mainly drawn to houses and dubstep. Well, that's how I felt this year. Next year my tastes could change – who knows?

Snails' set was a stunner. He brought just as much energy and intensity as he did last year, probably more. Out of the four sets I saw at Basspod, Snails elicited the strongest crowd reaction. It was completely mental from start to finish.

Toward the final third of Snails' set I got distracted by a malfunction in one of my cameras, so I couldn't give 100-percent of my attention to the music. But now, sitting at my computer at home and listening back on good monitors and headphones...holy crap this sounds freaking unbelievable! The stereo separation is ideal, the bass is fully present, the crowd ambience is perfect, and of course Snails' track selection and mixing are top notch. This is easily one of the best recordings from the weekend.

Snails, I can't quit you! You make my EDC experience complete! I'm counting down the days until I can see you again next year, under the electric sky. Thankfully, I have this amazing recording to hold me over.

Listen to Snails on Spotify!

Listen to Snails on SoundCloud!

Follow Snails on Facebook!

Buy Snails music on Apple Music!

[arwensnutshell]

I was tagged by @wellwelldroogieboy to answer these 11 questions but I’m not gonna tag anybody cause I’m a social awkward thing. Thanks for tagging me though! 1 - Top 10 bands That one is super hard but I'm just gonna use my list from saturday with two adjustments, the order is random: Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Mad Season, Jerry Cantrell solo (if it doesn't count bc solo and not a band it's either Mudhoney or Audioslave), Temple Of The Dog, Queens Of The Stone Age, Dead Boys, The Doors and Mother Love Bone 2 - Do you play any instrument? I play upright bass but I couldn't play for a long time because I don't have my own, so I'm not exactly a virtuoso. I also started learning guitar about 7 months ago. 3 - Do you have any pets? I have like my own private zoo with mice, hamsters, 2 cats, a doggo, fish tanks and a big pond with koi and goldfishes in it. 4 - If you had a time machine, where would you go? Probably the standard Seattle in the mid to late 80s because everything would still be undergound and I would have a longer time there than starting in the early 90s. Plus there would be babyface Chris Cornell and Stone Gossard. The 60s-70s in the UK would also be nice as well as scotland in the 15th century. 5 - Metallica or Megadeth? - if you don’t listen to them, do it with other bands I'm gonna resist the urge to write an essay about it, so Megadeth. I like Metallica's first three albums but I hate the drumming and pretty much all of the newer albums while I absolutely love Megadeth. They have way better and more interesting songwriting in form of staying true to their style but still evolving while I think that Metallica didn't manage that balancing act. They all play their instruments well from a technical point of view (except Lars Ulrich) but it doesn't get me as much as Megadeth does. 6 - What’s your favourite song? Right at the moment Little Game by the Doors, Rowing by Soundgarden, This Is Shangrila by Mother Love Bone and Jesus Christ Pose by Soundgarden. Can't narrow it down further lol. 7 - Do you like nature? Even though I never leave my room I actually do! I just can't listen to loud music without headphones outside and that is a big con for every activity so I stay inside my whole life and will never have the tan of a early 2000s Chris Cornell. 8 - Who's your favourite writer? I don't stick to writers when reading but I like the style of J.R.R. Tolkien. I also adore Alice Oseman's writing in Solitaire. But I still prefer my favorite lyricists over them. 9 - What do you think of technology? Well, it'd be hypocrite of me to judge it harshly because it is a big part of my life and without technology I wouldn't be able to watch old concerts or listen to music at all. Plus I rather communicate per messages than face-to-face in general. Still it also does bad and you should be careful because it can lead to aweful things or make them easier to do. 9 - Describe yourself? Normally, I'd just tell people all about music and psychology so they'd know my two biggest interests. I guess I'm pretty sarcastic, love dumb memes, reading (both books and about random topics) and clever but I'm too lazy to actually achieve something in my life. I also pretty much am the living sterotype of the 3edgy5u 90s teenager. 11 - Name your favourite singers/guitarists/bassists/drummers/pianists - choose! Singers: Layne Staley, Jerry Cantrell, Chris Cornell, Jim Morrison, Mark Lanegan, Josh Homme, Stiv Bators, Kurt Cobain Guitarists: Jerry Cantrell, Kim Thayil, Mike McCready, Stone Gossard, Jimi Hendrix, J Masics, Josh Homme, Dave Mustaine Bassists: John Baker Saunders, John Paul Jones, Krist Novoselic, David Ellefson, Ray Brown Drummers: Dave Grohl, Matt Cameron, Barrett Martin, John Bonham, Sean Kinney Pianists: Ray Manzarek

[thebandcampdiaries]

Robot Raven: over 60 songs of pure rock music!

Timeless music with a retro twist.

Robot Raven is an eclectic studio band with a very diverse background. They have achieved success with their sonic formula, making for a very special blend of influences. From the old school glory of artists like The Beatles and Peter Frampton, down to the progressive magic of Emerson Lake and Palmer, as well as ELO, and more.

The group does not perform live, but rather focuses on creating music in the recording studio. As a result, they are all about experimenting with various styles and coming up with different ideas, unrestrained by the limitations of a traditional live band. To this day, Robot Raven has released various projects, including four full-length albums, as well as a compilation, featuring various track spanning the band’s eclectic career.

With over 60 original songs under their belt, Robot Raven know how to engage their audience, and keep their formula lively and eclectic. Their extensive catalog is all about blurring the lines between genres, but what’s consistent is definitely the band’s undying passion and their broad creative vision. In addition to that, the quality of their production aesthetics is truly groundbreaking. Each song is tailored to perfection, making for a unique, diverse and forward-thinking feel.

The band’s songs actually explore various topics, aptly explored through song lyrics, and other imagery, such as music videos. Even in terms of music videos, there is really a lot to choose from! Robot Raven has got a lot of material and every single piece of their musical puzzle is well worth your time.

One of my favorite songs is definitely “You Know I Want You.” The track immediately begins with some stunning vocal arrangements, in the vein of artists as diverse as Electric Light Orchestra and Queen. I love the late 70s vibe of this release, and the sprinkle of modern touch to make everything more relatable and immediate.

Another song that’s worth mentioning is definitely “Children of the Universe.” This track initially made an impression on me due to its beautiful title, and when I listened to it, the music totally lived up to it. This song has a message of peace with a unique feel. In addition to that, the songwriting approach makes me think of iconic artists such as George Harrison and Roger Waters, only to mention a few. This song is thought-provoking, yet catchy and immediate, making for a unique twist.

Another song that’s quite interesting is “Me 2.” This track is particularly distinctive due to the eerie sounds of the organ, and the way they interact with guitars, and other instruments. The wailing vocals have so much attitude, they almost make me think of Joe Strummer or Tom Waits, but with a more melodic attitude. This song is another masterful track, which combines fantastic music with poignant lyrics that make the listeners think.

Robot Raven also has a lot of irony: their song “Text Me, Don’t Sext Me” is quite fun, and it has a really unique style, tacking the topic of phone interactions that can be a little bit, mhm…out of control, so to say!

Last, but definitely not least, I would also like to mention ‘Don’t Wait Til I’m Dead.” This song has a really cool Paul McCartney / Wings feel. The piano melodies are catchy and direct, and what’s more, the stunning feel of the vocal arrangements hits the mark once again.

In conclusion, Robot Raven will surprise you. Not many bands can claim such an amazing collection of songs, and more importantly, not many can be so consistent with their work and output.

For fans of real rock music, it’s quite impossible not to find something that you will enjoy when listening to Robot Raven. Let’s just say that there is a reason why this group is experiencing such a fantastic level of success, including topping the Reverberation charts, and amassing a huge amount of plays on streaming services such as Soundcloud.

The first thing that you will notice when listening to Robot Raven’s music is definitely passion. There is something special about a band making music that’s always so consistently good and inspired. Whether their song lean more towards the edgier rock side, or the melodic, playful one, you can expect a lot of amazing things from this band, which will always surprise you due to their striking creative attitude. Mercurial is one of the words that come to mind when describing the commendably diverse output of this fantastic band. By that, I mean that it’s really amazing that these musicians try their hand at so many different styles, refusing to get stuck in a category, and instead, voicing their creative urges and doing whatever feels right to them in the moment. The secret to great music is to do something that you love and that you’re proud of!

Find out more about this band, and do not miss out on their vast collection of songs:

http://robotraven.com

[topmixtrends]

“WRITING IS FIGHTING,” wrote Ishmael Reed. One might add, “so is living.” In his debut collection of essays, They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, Hanif Abdurraqib writes: “There is no moment in America when I do not feel like I am fighting.” The book explores political, cultural, and racial issues via the lyricism of contemporary music by the likes of Fall Out Boy, Springsteen, The Weeknd, My Chemical Romance, and others. Abdurraqib is haunted by his own mortality, which he juxtaposes with a love of being alive, a sense of loneliness amid a crowd, and an embrace of solitude.

The book’s title is taken from a note left on the grave of Michael Brown, the unarmed black youth who was killed by police in a suburb of St. Louis in 2014. They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us is a joyful requiem — emphasis on joyful. Abdurraqib has written a guide for the living as well as a memorial for those we have lost. 

Raised by parents who converted to Islam and transplanted to Columbus, Ohio, Abdurraqib suffered the pitfalls of being a young man of color with an Arabic name in a mostly white city. How he lives and why he is hopeful is charted in his book. His work has been published in The New York Times, Pen America, MTV News, and Vinyl, among other venues. In 2016, Button Poetry published his first volume of poetry, The Crown Ain’t Worth Much.

I spoke on the phone with Abdurraqib on Valentine’s Day, as he was about to depart on a lengthy book tour. (Look for him in Los Angeles at the Broad Museum on April 12.) We talked of Confederate statues, race relations, surviving Trump, baseball logos, and aging rappers.

¤

DAVID BREITHAUPT: You’ve been traveling quite a bit promoting your book. What reactions are you getting back from readers? Has there been anything that has surprised you?

HANIF ABDURRAQIB: This is the first time I’ve been on a book tour, and I’d say I’ve been surprised by the kindness of people. The comments on my work have been mostly positive, and I’m surprised by how folks come to share a space with me. I’ve been overwhelmed by their generosity in many different ways. I most like the opportunities I get to meet and talk to new people in new places. The readings are great, but they feel more like a vehicle for me to make new friends. Which is kind of why I got into writing in the first place — to bridge the gap between my desire for human connection and my ability to comfortably attain it.

What are the most interesting questions you’ve gotten from audiences?

For me, the most fun part of the process is the conversation that comes after reading from the book, the conversations we have about music and the interests folks have in the world around them. It’s a type of writing for me, learning how other people use the pop-culture landscape to see their own lives. The conversation is part of the craft.

Is music a survival tool for you? I sense a heightened awareness of mortality in your work. You write that “death is a low-hovering cloud that is always present.”

Music is a way for me to help understand and articulate my joys and fears. It’s not so much looking for a way out but an intriguing way in. I’m really excited about songs, but I’m more excited about digging underneath their outer layers in hopes that something new and important emerges.

I grew up in the ’60s, which was a significant decade for music, to put it mildly. When a new release was due, my friends would wait outside for the record store to open. Then we’d go home and listen to the LP and not talk. Does music hold that same sense of importance today?

I grew up more in the CD than the vinyl era, and I don’t know about lining up at stores. But there was that same sense of excitement for a new release, getting to the store during lunch break or after school. I think that excitement takes different forms today. I kind of miss the album-release cycle, but I understand the shift. Music comes to you today through different venues, such as social media, so I think there has been a shift in how people engage with it. I still see a lot of good, organic discussions across borders and boundaries via the internet. I came of age with the flourishing of online communities, but my introduction to talking about music was with friends in person. This broadened our enthusiasm, and that was heartening in a lot of ways.

Do you think rap has failed as a political tool in that it didn’t bridge the gaps between communities and create new bonds?

No, I don’t think rap has failed, but the people who consume it may have failed to open themselves up to what rap has to offer. I don’t think the genre itself has failed. I think rap is born out of an oral tradition, out of the narratives of marginalized neighborhoods. Rap is still somewhat new and has evolved over several decades now. So, I would ask first not if rap as a genre has failed, but if the people consuming it have failed the genre.

I read in Rolling Stone recently some thoughts Chuck D had on rappers. He observed that the first wave of rap inflicted hardships on the performers — they went broke or suffered from drug abuse and bad relationships. He thought they might bounce back in later life and that the best age for rappers was from 40 to 80. He thought these older rappers might make a new kind of blues for the 21st century.

I don’t think we are going to know how rap is aging for at least another decade. Most rappers older than their mid-30s have had a hard time finding mainstream success, with a few exceptions like Jay-Z. I think we really have to see how rap treats its aging stars, how older rappers deal with mainstream success, and whether rappers can age without becoming legacy acts. Can they create new and exciting music that is relevant to the times?

We are just starting to see how the rock acts of the ’60s and ’70s are dealing with age. Some of those acts have been able to create new music and gain traction not just with the older fans but with younger listeners as well. Take Dylan as a case in point. I think rap has to find a way to access that kind of ability. But it’s still such a young genre that there’s no telling how it will deal with, say, a 40-year-old Drake. What will happen to artists who pass that age threshold — will they be able to remain commercially viable?

Since we are both Columbusites, I want to ask you a question about our town, which has been deemed by some to be a normal American Midwestern city, perfect for a consumer test market. We were the first to test the KFC Double Down (no comment). Since we are supposedly representative of normal, whatever that is, how do you think our racial relationships compare to other major cities you have known?

I think it is as you said: what is normal? Every city has to define normal for itself. I think Columbus has structural inequalities that involve not just race but also sexual orientation. We’re just a few days removed from the guilty verdict of the Columbus Four or “Black Pride Four,” who were protesting peacefully but were assaulted by police officers. Stonewall-era activists, supposed to be beacons of equality, testified against the Four, who were protesting in a parade for a movement that was founded in protest. I love Columbus deeply, but I can’t talk about how great the communities are. There is still a lot of work to be done to level the playing field.

You write about being shook down in Bexley (an upscale Columbus neighborhood) for looking “suspicious.” That reminded me of a computer bulletin board in my own neighborhood where residents often post about “suspicious” people. My neighborhood has a largely Appalachian population, so the suspicious people are usually white, but I’m wondering if the flood of suspicion you talk about may be an outgrowth of the Trump administration allowing racist opinions to come out from under their rocks.

I don’t think this phenomenon is new. In my experience, people have always had a degree of suspicion. Being born before 9/11, I can see a clear dividing line. Yes, we now have technology that immerses us in a constant news cycle, a cycle that shows the results of bigotry developing into actual violence, the ways in which suspicion can be harmful. But it’s not the result of the Trump administration alone. Those seeds were planted long before he took office.

Since we mentioned Trump, are you optimistic for 2018?

The Trump administration is abnormal. We can say he backs policies that are harming marginalized people more than any other administration. But there are elements of Trump’s America that have always been present. I think people are emboldened by his policies, certainly. One of the many ways I exercise my resistance is by creating a smaller America that I can call my own. My America is calling and hugging my friends, or writing in a bakery and smelling the bread. What I’m trying to do is build a small window that looks out from our current space onto a better world.

So you do think that Trump has emboldened those who were formerly tight-lipped and afraid to air their racist and homophobic beliefs openly?

Yeah, it did seem like, after the election, these views were more boldly expressed. But I think there are tactical measures to fight them and people in power who can be urged to speak out against them. There are still many people, though, who think nothing can be done to put these fires out.

Maybe we can start with taking down the Confederate statues. What are your thoughts about the Columbus monument, for example?

I think the Columbus statue has to go. All of them should go. Growing up, my personal monuments were musical, the things I loved enough to write about today. I’m not sure about changing our city’s name — I don’t know what would be involved with that, particularly with a city our size. But I would be more than happy to do away with the iconography, if not the name. Frankly, I’m not sure how many people in Columbus are all that passionate about Christopher Columbus. There was a protest against the Columbus statues last year and I don’t think there was much of a counter-protest. The Southern states have had more of a groundswell about taking down the Confederate statues. I think the issue is not as intense here in Ohio, at least from the view of my bubble.

What about the elimination of the Cleveland Indians logo? Is that a good move, in your view? To me, Chief Wahoo always seemed liked the Native American version of Sambo.

Oh, I’m happy about that. I grew up in a house with that team’s logo on shirts and caps, but I was too young to understand why it might be hurtful. The change has been a long time coming. The process has been gradual, but it’s good to be completely done with that logo now.

What advice do you have for those of us who look toward the future with more pessimism than optimism?

Go outside, turn off the news, drink more water.

¤

David Breithaupt has written for The Nervous Breakdown, The Rumpus, Exquisite Corpse, and others.

The post My Small America: An Interview with Hanif Abdurraqib appeared first on Los Angeles Review of Books.

from Los Angeles Review of Books https://ift.tt/2HuBsKX

[i-amusemyself]

All Lets Get Personal.

Thanks anon!! My depressed ass needed something to do

1: 6 of the songs you listen to most?

It really depends on my mood tbh. But judging by my YouTube playlists:

Church- Fall out boy; Hopeless Wanderer- Mumford and Sons (its a jam okay?); Summertime- my chemical romance; so cold- ben cocks; this is me- keala settle and killing in the same- rage against the machine

2: If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

Lmao idk I dont have much of an interest in anyone atm. I still think itd be cool to meet kaitlyn alexander ig

3: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

You recognise each other the moment your eyes meet. It’s a question and answer book and the question is about soulmates or something

4: What do you think about most?

What it is I need to do to stop feeling anxious or stressed since it’s a daily battle

5: What does your latest text message from someone else say?

“it was hillarious but I couldn’t say “lmao I’ve seen women take bigger” so I just let the conversation die but I was urging to show him a savage video and ruin him just to be right but then I stopped myself”

Yes, it is as bad in context as out of it.

Do you sleep with or without clothes on?

Depends how warm it is tbh

What’s your strangest talent?

Talent? What’s that?? Idk I’m quite good at picking up languages super fast for some unknown reason (but i can forget them just as quick soo

8: Girls… (finish the sentence); Boys… (finish the sentence)

Girls are hot hot hot they make me gay

Boys are hot hot hot they make me gay

9: Ever had a poem or song written about you?

Nah, but I’m not major sad about it since that’d be so awkward

10: When is the last time you played the air guitar?

Oh gosh um probably in the car the other day, canny remember which song it was tho

11: Do you have any strange phobias?

I seriously hate water like to the point I chose my uni based on where the lakes were. I also hate stuffed toys with voice boxes. 

12: Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?

Probably but I don’t remember

13: What’s your religion?

I’m an athiest

14: If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

Walking between indoor places

15: Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

Behind it! I’m not photogenic

16: Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

Ummmmmmm idk. I genuinly don’t know. I probably listen to five finger death punch most atm?

17: What was the last lie you told?

I said I was feeling good lmao

18: Do you believe in karma?

I don’t know, but I like to hope it does to make myself feel better 

19: What does your URL mean?

I think it’s pretty self explanatory

20: What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

My greatest weakness? Probably my low opinion of myself or my associated jealousy.

My greatest strength? A few years ago I mightve said my resilience but I’m not sure I ever have that anymore. Idk, maybe my need to always keep improving as a person

21: Who is your celebrity crush?

See number 2 tbh

22: Have you ever gone skinny dipping?

Yah every time I have a bath

23: How do you vent your anger?

I send massive long rant paragraphs to my closest friends and try not to do anything stupid or unhealthy

24: Do you have a collection of anything?

I have a pretty big collection of reaction images and memes

25: Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

I hate both but video chatting is slightly better

26: Are you happy with the person you’ve become?

I suppose. I’m closer to being happy with them than I ever have been and that’s what matters.

27: What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?

At this point I hate the sound of my alarm more than most things and I love... idk music. Does that count?

28: What’s your biggest “what if”?

What if I’d stood up for myself more?

29: Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

I don’t know as I believe in ghosts but I’m fascinated by the people who do. As for aliens ofc they exist.

30: Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

I touch sofa. Both times. I’m sat on a sofa.

31: Smell the air. What do you smell?

I smell rabbit since he’s currently sat with me in a box. I got lonely.

32: What’s the worst place you have ever been to?

Gosh I don’t know. I can’t really think of anywhere I’ve hated being, besides home sometimes. I don’t know, no where has been that bad since I always try to make the best of it.

33: Choose: East Coast or West Coast?

East coast

34: Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?

Opposite eh? Lmaoooo

Okay I actually have quite a thing for the lead singer of motionless in white. Make of that what you will.

35: To you, what is the meaning of life?

To be happy, to go good and to die with as few regrets as possible

36: Define Art.

Fuck. Something visual this is made to be aesthetically pleasing or convey a message. I guess.

37: Do you believe in luck?

I’m not entirely sure what luck is. Maybe?

38: What’s the weather like right now?

Fekkin horrible, you wouldn’t know it’s spring. It’s grey and wet and windy and cold.

39: What time is it?

17:51

40: Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?

I have a full license but haven’t actually driven since my test, so I haven’t had a chance to crash.

41: What was the last book you read?

When breath becomes air. It’s about being a doctor.

42: Do you like the smell of gasoline?

I adore it yaas

43: Do you have any nicknames?

Char, (wholemeal) chorlo and Thot lmao

44: What was the last film you saw?

Love, Simon

Go see it, it’s gay and beautiful!

45: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

Idk, I broke my humorous after dislocating my elbow once. But that was ages ago

46: Have you ever caught a butterfly?

Hundreds lmao thats my childhood right there

47: Do you have any obsessions right now?

I’m too depressed to have much of an interest in anything tbh. Even when I’m not I don’t tend to get That Invested.

48: What’s your sexual orientation?

Bisexual, ig. Though saying it never feels right for some reason.

49: Ever had a rumour spread about you?

A few, a few. One being that I was a lesbian years before even I knew I wasn’t straight. 

50: Do you believe in magic?

Not really but who knows

51: Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

The threshold for grudges is pretty high but if I have one I’ll be bitter til the day I die

52: What is your astrological sign?

Libra

53: Do you save money or spend it?

I swing wildly between saving loads and spending loads. Healthy.

54: What’s the last thing you purchased?

Um I mean I paid the deposit on a house, does that count?

55: Love or lust?

Love, for sure

56: In a relationship?

Yeah XD

57: How many relationships have you had?

This is like my third proper one

58: Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

Nope

59: Where were you yesterday?

At home on my tod again, revising

60: Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

Nah

61: Are you wearing socks right now?

Yuup

62: What’s your favourite animal?

I love all the animals I can’t pick a favourite. I love alpacas, chimps, gorrillas, orangutans, lizards, elephants, octopuses etc etc

63: What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

Excessive praying and reblogging lucky posts

64: Where is your best friend?

Tbh I have multiple, one in the next village, one 6 hours south and one 4000 miles away

65: Give me your top 5 favourite blogs on Tumblr.

Christ um, people I spam with likes most are probably @oneshappyplace @apricot-el @only-slightly-dangerous @succeeding and @setheverman

66: What is your heritage?

I’m white as a toilet so my family probably murdered a lot of innocent people

67: What were you doing last night at 12AM?

Umm I was skyping my boyf and playing a game online with him

68: What do you think is Satan’s last name?

Trump

69: Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off?

Yeah, haven’t most people?

70: Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?

I like to think so yeah. Though I do have a lot of breakdowns so maybe without that part. @ my friends I apologise

71: You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

Help the dog. Though realistically I probably couldn’t do it alone, so would call someone over to help and leave asap to not be so late.

72: You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

I think I’d tell the people closest to me, yeah. I don’t know what I’d do though. Probably book as many flights as possible and visit all the countries I’ve always wanted to go to. I guess I’d probably write my will and organise a funeral too. I don’t think I’d be too afraid, just, idk, sad? I don’t want to disappear to nothingness yet, even if I won’t know when it happens.

73: You can only have one of these things; trust or love.

Argh that’s horrid. I mean trust is essential for all relationships imo. But if I had no love at all in my life I doubt I’d live very long at all. So... love? No wait,,, trust. Yeah trust.

74: What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men. It reminds me of a school trip years ago to Belgium that was such a good time

75: What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?

8008

76: In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?

Well, trust ig, being able to talk about anything, a good balance of affection and roasting. Idk

77: How can I win your heart?

Be kind, be funny and have layers.

78: Can insanity bring on more creativity?

I suppose so 

79: What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?

The decision to reply to the message that appeared in my inbox right before I was going to end it. There were plenty, but I only opened that one. The person who sent it changed my life.

80: What size shoes do you wear?

7

81: What would you want to be written on your tombstone?

Either a pun or something ominous. Maybe both.

82: What is your favourite word?

Probably sorry since I say it a lot

83: Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.

Love, followed quickly by the mental image of a dissected heart

84: What is a saying you say a lot?

I amuse myself. Gotta keep up that brand sponning.

85: What’s the last song you listened to?

Don’t feel like dancing by the scissor sisters lmao

86: Basic question; what’s your favourite colour/colours?

Black, red and purple

87: What is your current desktop picture?

Just a galaxy

88: If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?

Donald. Trump. When in close proximity to Mike Pence too.

89: What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

Besides “what are your credit card details”? Idk, perhaps a question about the flaws of the people closest to me, since they’re something I wouldn’t want them to read.

90: One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?

Lie there still for a good 5 minutes just to make sure. Maybe chuck a pillow across the room to see if they attack it. Then go fetch my phone and call whoever will pick up to ask wtf to do.

91: You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?

The ability to fly probably. It’d help stop me being late and transport is so expensive these days.

92: You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?

A half hour period of the time me and my friend spent outside laughing our heads off and covered in glitter when I visited her in the states last summer

93: You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

Damn, only one? Lmao catch me ranking my traumas to try to answer this question. I’ll erase getting flooded and being made homeless I think lmao

94: You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?

Probably P!nk since she was low key my gay awakening

95: You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

I quite fancy going to amsterdam rn, or failing that, copenhagen

96: Do you have any relatives in jail?

Not that I know of

97: Have you ever thrown up in the car?

Only as a little kid

98: Ever been on a plane?

Plenty of times yeah, I love it

99: If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?

I wish there was some way I could convince all the dictators, extremists and right wingers to just fekkin stop tbh. Centrists can stay but theyre on thin ice.