#honestly i could add twenty more lines this band is so talented

[matpisound]

matpi’s 2020 top ten

With this crazy year finally being thrown to the wolves, I thought I’d share some of my favorite songs. Usually I rank songs based on my mood, but I thought long and hard about this list to make it as accurate to my tastes as possible. In addition to the musical elements, I’ve also considered my personal experience with each song. With that said, get ready for a list that defines the phrase, “all over the place.”

10. ”約束” - Roselia

Translating to “Promise,” this Roselia song rounds out the list with its dynamic highs and lows and metric complexities. Combine that with Roselia’s signature sound and you have yourself a straight up banger. There are a lot of feel changes, with sections of 3 against 4 polymeter, steady rock groves, and a double time chorus, and this keeps the song interesting and super fun to listen to. Not to mention the powerful lead vocals, courtesy of Yukina Minato, played by the insanely talented Aina Aiba, as well as the occasional trading of vocal lines with bassist Lisa Imai, voiced by Yuki Nakashima, allow the song to really shine.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQS0LZfXRCs&list=OLAK5uy_l6KyKKWX1j8vHY-PjK6yJHkIZpOV0WMrE

9. “Avant-garde HISTORY” - Roselia

Going up the list now we have another Roselia song. This song is marked by its progressive rock influence in the intro, with a lack of adherence to a single key or time signature, all while remaining an epic intro to the majestic 6/8 rock ballad that follows. Combining rock with orchestral elements is a recipe for greatness, and Roselia really pulled through here. The lead vocals are supported by a chorus of the other members in a really significant way in this song, contributing even more to the sheer glory that it exudes. Add in some huge drum fills and epic buildups between sections, and it creates this absolute work of art.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nakW_Ziciik&list=OLAK5uy_lImYujueVzq7DDMrRc2TX8qnp1ZzMlHKM&index=6

8. “Ride” - Samuel R. Hazo

No, this is not the twenty one pilots song, nor is it a cover. It’s a wind ensemble piece chock full of the good stuff. Spicy harmonies, giant fanfares, fast runs, solos, time signature changes, heavy yet tasteful use of percussion, what’s not to love? I really wanna play this in band one day, because aside from being fun to listen to, it’s a real challenge to play, especially with a large ensemble. Wind ensemble pieces in general are really cool because they are light-years ahead of most modern music in terms of dynamic contrast, and "Ride” has a ton of it.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au4geHy_S_0

7. “Amaryllis” -  Shinedown

I honestly don’t know how to describe why I like this song so much; I just do. It’s a really nice song. The amaryllis as a flower is extremely beautiful, sporting vivid reds and pinks in its petals, and that imagery really shone through with its lyrics and 6/8 ballad feel. I’d like to mention the key signature as well. The key of D♭ just feels like a beautiful key signature, and here that beauty was thoroughly reflected.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixltBz9IENw

6. “FIRE BIRD” - Roselia

Back again with another Roselia song. First of all, this song is great because of the story of the Phoenix. I always thought an immortal bird of fire rising from the ashes was such a glorious thing, and this song captures the essence of this tale perfectly. A quiet start with just piano and vocals gives way to a ginormous sounding intro as all the band members sing as a choir, which then leads into a crazy double-time groove which persists throughout the song. Combine that with Roselia’s sound and you get a triumphant anthem that’s sure to energize anyone and anything.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_F7l7n_oP8&list=OLAK5uy_lImYujueVzq7DDMrRc2TX8qnp1ZzMlHKM&index=4

and here’s a live version because the visuals are IMMACULATE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AwP7S9f3A8

5. “Guilty All The Same” - Linkin Park

Off of one of the greatest rock albums in my opinion, “Guilty All The Same” is nothing short of a masterpiece. A nearly 6-minute song, and it’s never boring for a second. The unique drum grooves and use of 3 against 4 polymeter are what make this song so damn interesting to listen to, and lead singer, Chester Bennington’s, vocals are nothing short of spectacular. Rakim’s verse in the bridge combined with the sick guitar riff and the drums backing them up makes it one of the best combinations of rock and rap that I’ve heard.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEaEdLQbAFM

4. “LOUDER” - Roselia

This being one of the first Roselia songs I’ve listened to, it has a really special place in my heart. But musically, it’s super awesome too. At a blistering 195 BPM, it’s one of the fastest songs on here, meaning it’s also super fun to play on the drums. It also changes keys between the verses and choruses from D minor to D major and back. And of course, who could forget lead vocalist Yukina Minato guiding the song through her soaring melodic lines. All in all, it’s a great song that managed to top my Spotify Wrapped.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYSXZQ2b1-c

Now before we get into our top 3, let’s look at some honorable mentions:

“A DECLARATION OF ×××” - RAISE A SUILEN: A song inciting revolution, this combination of rock and EDM is a straight up vibe. We also get some djent as a bonus! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=713nCe8LLa0

“DIVE!” - Setsuna Yuki: Rock music in the world of anime idols is a foreign concept, and to me it’s a welcome one. It seems, however, that others disagree... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXXxW8hEF3o

“Neo-Aspect” - Roselia: I swear this is the last Roselia song, but it was way too good not to include here. A powerful song filled to the brim with expression. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snp_DT9EqiQ

“カレンデュラ“ - RONDO: “Calendula” for those who can’t read Japanese, this heavy song carries a lot of weight in it’s lyrics as well. Overall a really epic song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRnaYwx2fH4

“Daybreaker” - Waterflame: Made fairly recently by a producer who made music that was a huge part of my childhood, this song just vibes so fucking hard. Fun fact: it was released on my birthday! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLomCDE7E50

3. “Transcendent Journey” - Rossano Galante

Now we’re talking about the true bangers of my music taste. I love Galante’s music because it’s always so dynamic always with super melodious lead parts. This piece is no different in that sense. It really feels like a journey. Fast woodwind runs supporting soaring brass lines, quiet woodwind melodies, blazing fanfares, and varied tempo make this piece of music really feel like a spiritual journey. There’s so much about this piece that I just can’t put into words so you just have to listen for yourself.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuMi2z2F3io

2. “Nostalgia” - Rossano Galante

Another wind ensemble piece making the top 3? Well, aside from being a beautiful piece musically, it brings a lot of good memories for me personally as well. We played this for my band’s spring concert when I was in 8th grade. As 8th graders, our ensemble included the high school band students as well, and that was the year one of my favorite seniors was graduating. He was such a big role model for me, and the entire concert was extremely emotional. This was my favorite piece we had programmed that night, and it’s made its way into my favorite songs of all time.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qaq_WKsatg

1. “The Catalyst” - Linkin Park

This was one of those songs. You know those songs that you fall in love with as soon as you hear it for the first time? Yeah, this was that. With every listen, I only liked it more and more, and it crawled its way to the top. It starts off soft, but it just keeps building. Everything builds and builds and becomes increasingly chaotic until it all collapses in the second half of the song. From there, the repeated lyrics “Lift me up, let me go” carry this song to its epic finale, in which we feel the culmination of all that chaos from earlier. Not only does the song work so well as a standalone track, its use as the penultimate track on “A Thousand Suns” (my favorite album of all time) serves as the final climax before resolving the intricate story weaved by the album. This is a perfect song if I have ever heard one.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sBjZBn3DQU

Well, folks, there you have it. A playlist of the best songs that got me through this forsaken year and will hopefully empower the next. I wish you all a better and happy 2021, and I’ll catch you at the double barline!

[gldncge-blog]

         ❝  ----------- 𝖆 𝖌𝖔𝖑𝖉𝖊𝖓 𝖈𝖆𝖌𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖆 𝖈𝖆𝖌𝖊

                                    illya masnik. luke hemmings. twenty four. bianchi aligned.

【  ✞ ———— 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 】

◟ * ◊ ─  luke hemmings + cis male + he/him » * believe it or not illya masnik is working for the bianchi family. they are 24 years of age and are known to usually spend their time around buena vista apartments. the singer, who has been a part of the alliance for 2 years, has been living in victoria for 5 years. the people closest to them describe the pansexual + pisces to be + stolid and + conscientious as well as - equivocal and -resentful » ◦ ° delphi, twenty, she/them, est◝

【  ✞ ———— 𝕠𝕠𝕔 】

first name illya. last name masnik. middle name regret. which,, honestly same. wow hi i’m super excited for this. this is what ive been waiting for and y’all look hella talented. hi hello i’m delphi and as expected i’m late to the party :’) this is my bb illya who should probably be dead by now. yeehaw. my muses??? they exist to suffer. thats the sparknotes version of it. but ill put a whole unnecessarily lengthy thing about him below sdlkjsald. i’m in the est and i’m currently working full time but im so happy opening is on a sunday because i can actually be here for it sjkdas but enough about meme !! 

【  ✞ ———— 𝕙𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪 】

BORN IN KIEV, UKRAINE - illya would be the eldest of four children. his mother an adventurous american woman, and his father a man who had never left his homeland. their son was a happy child who spent most of his days and nights at the local church. a fate one could not avoid when their father was the church’s ever dutiful music director. it shocked no one when the eldest masnik boy soon became a constant fixture in the youth choir. looking like he may have found his niche, his parents pushed him to hone his talents. his free time not spent in worship was reserved for vocal lessons. in time, illya outgrew the pews. as a teenager, he instead chose to perform in festivals, cafes, and the venues that would have him. while he was successful in ukraine, he’d soon decided he’d like to finish his studies in the united states, believing there to be better and bigger opportunities in america. 

AT NINETEEN - he found a home in victoria, florida. his mother’s hometown. his studies never truly panned out like they should have, wasting a year majoring in theology before officially throwing in the towel and returning to music full time. the next few years were spent building up a resume. odd jobs that barely paid the bills. things only began to turn up when he began landing jobs as the backing vocals for groups. it had started small, not much money in it nor recognition --- but he slowly climbed the ladder. an undeniable talent. in time he landed a job as the backup vocals for a band famous enough to earn him some status. the band embarked on a small tour around the states, and while it had been fun, illya quickly came to realize it wasn’t the life for him. in actuality it was not the spotlight he desired, no, he’d come to miss the little things about his passion. the smaller cafes and venues often led to tighter bonds. a more humbling experience that allowed him to truly connect with his audience. like the days back home, under god’s watchful eye. 

TWENTY TWO - and life as he knows it ends. for better or for worse. a flame in his life plants the idea in his head. the bills were starting to pile up again and desperation seemed to be a constant state. PLAYERS. it’s no place he’d normally be found. the sort of joint he’d sooner cross the street to avoid. but his lover promises security. stability. burdened with a touch of naivety, he’s sold.

PLEAD IGNORANCE - all he wants. he knew what he’d stepped into the moment he crossed the door’s threshold. there were no gods here. no savior. no salvation. you’d be eaten alive.

IT PAYS - wasn’t that all that mattered. most days he’s good at turning a blind eye to what happens behind closed doors. a false picture of innocence. skin with no traces of ink or metal, liquor that never makes it to his lips. the constant struggle to not lose the boy he was back home. but no one there was innocent, innocence was a lamb to the slaughter. two years in and he regrets it. of course he does. three long years since he’s seen his family. the masnik’s youngest now refuses to speak to the long-departed illya. birthdays, graduations, holidays, funerals, he’s missed them all. bitter, he longs for home, but fears he’s found himself in too deep. innocence was a lamb to the slaughter, and he could not afford to be the lamb amongst wolves.

【  ✞ ———— 𝕤𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤 / 𝕕𝕦𝕞𝕓 𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕥 】

essentially illya was born in ukraine. his family was super religious and he spent a lot of time in church, also due to the fact his father was the music director there. he obviously had a natural talent in the choir and his family helped him pursue music by getting him lessons and stuff. he does a good handful of cool stuff in ukraine and decides he wants to study in america ( where his mother and her family are from ) and also sees it as an opportunity to grow musically. obviously the scene in america is pretty hard to get into, so he still does small cafe like things until he starts doing backing tracks/vocals for bands. starts off really small but he starts to work for bigger bands/companies until eventually, he gets enough recognition to go on tour with a well-enough known band. don’t imagine them to be super famous, but enough to have a handful of radio hits. 

decides he’s not crazy about the touring band life and wants to return to working in smaller more personal venues. works for a bit until the money starts to run out and then his partner at the time suggested applying at players ( they would have been part of the gang so it was his in ). he does so ( obviously ) gets in and likes to play innocent but he has a pretty good idea of what he’s getting into, don’t be fooled. still kind of churchy / anal, doesn’t do the whole tattoo, piercing, drinking, wild life. he’s more reserved if anything. he’s really still trying to hold on to that holy life. newsflash, asshole. it’s gone.

now he’s starting to regret everything :) #somerugrats but obviously, he’s going to be super tightlipped about that and just carry on. in reality, he’s super homesick and he knows his family life is suffering. he’s missing giant milestones for his siblings back home and now his youngest brother won’t even talk to him so yeehaw. but uhh he’s not really sure he’d be good to just up and walk away because he’s in a bit deep now, two years deep. he’s probably seen some shit. 

if he was brave enough to tell his family something was up it would probably go something along the lines of “ mom, i think i joined a cult ” 

he wants to be that peace out gif THIS one,, yeah

he’s gonna die,, dumbass is 100% gonna get himself killed. but for now, he’s gonna fake that shit till he makes it. no chill. 

【  ✞ ———— 𝕨𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕟𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 】

pen pals / old friends ; okay since his mother was american - i’d imagine he’d come around as a kid to see her family ( his grandparents and stuff ). give me something cute like they hit it off as children and kept in touch all these years. or maybe his mom used to be friends with your muses parents so they met that way. 

someone toughen him up ; he’s awful. there’s a murderer out there and god i hope these string bean legs can run because self-defense???? we don't’ know the meaning of the word. gun?? not in my good christian server. someone just hELP him.

someone he takes home / travels with ; head out of the gutter. could be someone at players or they live in a similar location, and with a string of murders, it’s probably safer to not travel alone. so maybe they drive each other home on occasion or walk together. just keeping each other safe. 

 bad / good influence nonsense ; obviously he’d probably be the good influence on someone because he’s not really the bad type. so he might try to look out for someone he really sees burning out and going down a super bad path. vice versa, give me someone who really wants him to get a tattoo or take that shot. someone remind him to live a little or do bad things. honestly,,, i’m a sucker for angst and stuff so it could even be more like getting him to stop being so paranoid about the darker aspects of the gang. if you think he isn’t turning around and hauling ass outta there when he sees a back room being used for beating someone or some other violent nonsense

someone who is suspicious of his doubts ; obviously he’s trying to play his cards pretty close to his chest and doesn’t voice his concerns to anyone. but i’d love to see some people who question his hesitance or might be on to him having doubts about continuing to be in the gang. he’s not going to own up to any accusations but this could add some interesting tension and make for interesting interactions.

people he avoids at all costs / fear ; these would be the more violent members of the gangs. maybe your muse has a reputation. this is probably suitable for characters who are out there committing murder in the name of the gang or commit violent acts. he tries to steer pretty clear of that but they’re likely passing through players and stuff. they’re bound to run into each other. bonus points if they’re not actually as dangerous as they seem - illya’s just paranoid, maybe he walked in on something he shouldn’t have and i- OOP

the flame that got him involved in the gang ( 0 / 1 ) ;  really i was just gonna throw this up as a wc but sdjsadj ill stick it here as well. really this could be an exes plot, probably with a lot of resentment on illya’s part. he may have been open with them about wanting to go back home, and blames them for his situation even though he knew what was happening. its just bitter bitter bitter. 

[hanalwayssolo]

Somewhere Between The Music and Lyrics: Ch. 1

A/N: I’m terribly off my own schedule, as usual! So. This Prompto one-shot became a monster I did not expect so I’m splitting it into two chapters. Honestly, among the chocobros, Prompto’s the first one that came to mind when I wanted to do a band AU of sorts—because I’ve heard Robbie Daymond sing on one of their LAVA streams and it is glorious. Anyway! Song featured for this first half is Gavin DeGraw’s We Belong Together. 

Tagging pals! @raspberryandechinacea @noboomoon@emmydots @bleucommelhiver @gowithme @hanatsuki89​ @valkyrieofardyn​ @animakupo​ @lazarustrashpit​ @blindedstarlight​ @mp938368 @boo-dangy

(Links in AO3) Alternate Universes in Which You and I Belong Together: Noctis | Gladio | Prompto | Ignis | Nyx | Cor | Ravus | Ardyn

Prompto had been busily sifting through The Lost Boys’ unanswered emails at the back of their tour bus when he hears his song.

Except, it’s not quite his song.

He recognizes the lyrics in an instant—and he of all people would know of course, since he had written those words as a cry for help for his hopelessly romantic soul. But the song that aches through the speakers holds none of Ignis’s electric riffs, the swell of Gladio’s drums, the steady hum of Noctis’s bass, let alone his own vocals. The one he hears is his music stripped to its rawest, the words made vulnerable by a melancholic leak of a lone acoustic guitar and an exquisitely soulful voice.

We belong together  Like the open seas and shores  Wedded by the planet force  We’ve all been spoken for

Prompto scrambles to the front lounge to find Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis huddling by the booth over a laptop set on the table, their eyes glued to the screen in wild wonder.

Curiously, Prompto eyes them—still grinning wide in awe—and asks, “Are you guys hearing what I’m hearing now? Am I dreaming? What is happening?”

Noctis snorts a laugh. He swivels the laptop to face Prompto. “You might want to check this out, my friend.”

Prompto excitedly moves closer. Immediately, he sees the video accompanying the song entitled “we belong together (cover) by my amazingly talented roommate!!!” posted by username MasterPelnaK. He barely even notices how this video has been raking almost five hundred thousand views and likes in the last twenty-four hours as his attention zeroes in on the stranger sitting on a bean bag, equipped with nothing but the guitar and that voice.

What good is a life  With no one to share  The light of the moon  The honour of a swear

Gods. The tone and vibrato is so on point it sends shivers down his spine. But then, Prompto begins to wonder why this person is not even looking directly at the camera. Were they even aware that they were being recorded? It seems all too candid given the angle, as if the camera had just been discreetly set up on a low-lying table. Not to mention the very personal space in the background, too: a well-lit room of white walls, a cozy looking sofa, an impressive shelf of books and vinyl records tucked between potted fiddle leaf figs. Somewhere out of sight, hushed whispers could still be heard. Was this only recorded from a mobile phone?

Anyway, not that any of these things mattered. Prompto has rarely come across other artists covering their songs, and when he does, each one he cherishes dearly. But this one—this one, for heaven’s sake—has moved him the way the winds bend the trees to its will, a tiny flint that sparks a flame. He didn’t realize that the words he had written could be afforded such lyrical heft, that the music he had created had been a delicate and honest confessional that could fit someone else’s voice so beautifully, like finding a piece of a puzzle he never knew he had been missing.

Where have you been all my life?

So Prompto watches it again. And then a couple times more. Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis gather to watch him curiously. Prompto briefly skims through the comments section and is thoroughly relieved to read overwhelmingly positive feedback. He didn’t even mind when he comes across a comment that says “this is even better than the original!” because fuck it, he shares the same sentiment.

And before Prompto could even scroll back up to replay the video, Gladio drags the laptop away from him.

Prompto sneers in protest. “Dude. Not cool at all—”

“What’s not cool is obsessing over a cover of your own fucking song,” Gladio says in jest.

“Hey, it’s a fucking cool cover, okay!” Prompto scoffs and flicks his eyes on the ceiling—almost rolls them, but not quite so. “And please, big guy. I’m not obsessing. I’m too chill to be obsessed, thank you very much.”

“I clearly remember you saying to the crowd earlier how you’re never the ‘chill’ person of sort, and my word. How quickly the tables have turned,” Ignis casually remarks as he takes a sip from his mug of coffee.

Prompto’s mouth falls open. He did say that onstage during their performance back at Leiden Fest. His immediate regret is letting Ignis triumphantly take it against him.

Meanwhile, Noctis lifts a suspicious eyebrow at Ignis. “Iggy, are you sure you’re not drinking tea? ‘Cause you just poured a scalding one right there.”

“I’m impressed—that’s a good one.” Gladio gives Noctis and Ignis a thundering high-five. They burst out in a gale of laughter.

“You guys are enjoying this, huh.” Prompto grabs a pillow and smashes it at Noctis, who only yelps in between fits of laughter. He hurls one at Gladio, too, but the big guy has reflexes of a jungle cat, so he only ends up catching the thing. Ignis, however, Prompto hesitates at the last second when he shoots him a menacing glance. “Okay, I’m not even going to bother attacking you, ‘cause I’m pretty sure you will kill me if you spill that coffee.”

Ignis gives him a smile and a nod, and returns to his drink.

“Also,” Noctis says, “now that I think about it, you’re giving off that same look and vibe the first time you were crushing on Cindy.”

“What? I do not—okay, okay—” Prompto groans, jabbing a finger at Noctis— “that is different. Cindy is our road manager, so I’m choosing not to cross the line. While this…” Prompto pauses and takes a deep breath. “This is also different. A very surreal and magical kind of different.”

“Now I’d say someone’s been bitten by a lovebug.” Ignis leans back on his seat, arms crossed, regarding Prompto with a pleasant smile.

Gladio laughs. “Tell me about it.”

“I can’t believe I’m friends with you guys,” Prompto says in a miserable groan.

But frankly, Prompto is far from miserable having Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis as friends. He considers himself quite fortunate to have found brothers in them, painfully annoying as they may be from time to time. Besides, it was through their music that helped them bond and weather the toughest of their adolescent years: they were no stranger to teenage angst, to riotous episodes of rebellion, to whirlwind romances and crazy ex-lovers, and to the turbulent journey that led them to be the band that they are today. Naming themselves The Lost Boys seemed to be a fitting tribute to the misadventures of their youth: Always lost and never found.

And yet, regardless of their highs and lows, the four of them have always had each other’s back. And that has not changed even now that they are in their thirties.

Perhaps Prompto is being overly sentimental at this point, but that’s just how it is.

Or maybe, he really has been bitten by a lovebug.

“In any case—“ Noctis firmly clasps Prompto’s shoulder— “this amazing cover of your song is breaking the Internet as we speak.”

“Well, yeah.” Prompto shrugs, though he cannot hide it in from his face how pleased he truly is. “Though I do wonder who this MasterPelnaK is.”

“Definitely not the person in the video, that’s for sure,” says Gladio.

“If I may?” Ignis reaches for the laptop from Gladio. “Let’s see here—“ the boys squeeze themselves into the seat so they could also get a look as Ignis hovers around the profile page— “this Pelna Khara happens to be a video game blogger—“

“It’s a vlogger, Iggy—get in with the times,” Prompto corrects cheerfully.

Ignis exhales an exasperated sigh. He returns his attention back on screen. “Apparently, this vlogger streams gameplays and commentaries—“

“Really?” Noctis interrupts out of a sudden rush of excitement. “Do you think he has one for Assassin's Creed—“

Prompto nudges Noctis by the arm. “Dude.”

“Right. Sorry,” Noctis says sheepishly. “Carry on.”

“Anyway.” Ignis is unfazed by the interruption as he goes on: “It appears that this is the first time this Pelna fellow uploaded this sort of material.”

“Oh and look, he’s very popular, too,” Noctis says. “Ten million subscribers? What the fuck—“

“Wouldn’t be surprised now that the video got so many hits overnight,” Gladio notes pensively. “And check it out—“ he points at the bio section— “he lives in the city. Says his hub is somewhere in Downtown Insomnia.”

As if struck by the same spectacular idea, Noctis and Gladio exchange knowing glances. Ignis, of course, is quick to catch on.

It takes a while for Prompto to understand what’s going on, and when he finally does, he shoots them all a dubious gaze. His friends are up to something, and the glint in their eyes could only spell mischief.

“Guys—” Prompto starts as calmly as he could, hands raised in an almost surrender— “whatever you guys are thinking, we don’t need to do this—”

“We don’t need to—but you do,” Gladio claps Prompto’s back. “We got ya, my guy.”

“And before you all intend to push through with this,” Ignis says, “would anyone be so kind as to ask Cindy if we can change our course and make a quick pitstop. And let Iris know, too, since… well. She’s our handler, after all.”

Gladio rises out of the booth. “On it,” he says as he makes his way to the driver’s seat.

“And allow me to send a message to this fella,” Noctis adds promptly, already typing away in front of the laptop.

Prompto sinks helplessly to the seat beside Noctis. “Why are we all friends again?” he says loudly, and the meaningful response he receives is the sound of their amused laughter.

 “I want that video deleted right now.”

Pelna winces at the sharpness of your words. Crowe, on the other hand, looks like she is ready to give you everything the world has to offer. In the years you have spent sharing a flat with them, this must be the first time you have ever seen them this apologetic. Which is only fair because this is the first time they have done something quite outrageous to upset you. Yes, sure—Crowe and Pelna might think you’re overreacting right now, but you’re no video blogger or Internet celebrity like the both of them are, so that’s entirely beside the point. As they sit side by side cowering on the couch and you standing over them—hands on waist, jaws clenched, eyes seething in fury—it’s as if they have committed a crime against all of humanity that cannot be forgiven.

Except the casualty of the said crime is you, and only you.

“Look, you have every right to be mad at me for my negligence—” Pelna nervously raises a hand, trying to look at you dead in the eye but flinches as if you are burning bright like the sun— “but I fucking swear, it wasn’t me who uploaded the thing! Okay, I admit—I’ve been tempted to record you for some time now ‘cause in case you don’t know this yet, you’re a really good singer. But trust me on this! I really have no idea how that video got out, I promise!”

“And it’s certainly not me who recorded you!” Crowe adds in their defense. “My alibi may not be perfect but I was already drunk that time! And even if I’m sober, I wouldn’t dare barge in Pelna’s room and tinker with his toys. Gods know what I’d find in there—”

“Only the good stuff, my dude,” Pelna says, suddenly pleased with himself. “Nothing but the good stuff—”

“How about we focus on the issue at hand, yes?” You pace back and forth, and in dire resignation, you finally flop on the armchair next to the couch. Fucking hell. It’s too early in the morning to have a head-splitting migraine. You wish this had been from a hangover or some other sickness, but it’s insane how this is all caused by seeing a video of yourself on the fucking Internet with no recollection of recording it at all. Sleuthing to find out the events that unfolded the night of Pelna’s birthday only seemed to make throbbing in your head even worse. As far as you could remember, most of the folks had been severely battered—which was why you had the guts to pull out your guitar and sing the blues away as everyone dozed off in their drunken stupor. But in your tight-knit circle of friends, if there’s anyone who could impressively hold their liquor the same way they could hold a knife, it could only be...

“Wait a fucking second.” Crowe narrow her eyes at Pelna, and then at you. She fishes out the phone in her pocket and hurriedly dials a number. With her phone on loudspeaker, the line rings once, twice, thrice. And then, a voice.

“What’s up, Crowe—”

“Nyx.” Crowe’s tone is already accusing that you didn’t even bother butting in. “You’re the one who uploaded the video on Pelna’s channel, weren’t you?”

A suspicious pause. Then, Nyx laughs. “Maybe.”

Pelna grabs the phone from Crowe. “I swear I will kill you when I see you, man! How dare you dishonour me—” as a knee-jerk reaction to his response, you kick Pelna in the shin that he yelps when he says— “and how dare you dishonour our friend!”

On the other line, Nyx is still laughing. “Wait, on a scale of one to ten, how angry is —”

“Not the fucking point!” Pelna snaps back. “How did you even manage to get into my account, you piece of beautiful shit?”

“Well, maybe next time you should make sure you always logout, alright?”

“Well, fuck you.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.” Nyx says breezily. Even in a phone call, his voice never fails to carry his air of arrogance. “But hey, kidding aside. You all said that we should help each other in living to the best of our potential, right? And our friend right there with you, Pelna—yes, you, I know you’re listening, too—do you even realize how fucking talented you are? You have been serenading us all our life, and this is the least I could do to share how proud I am to have a gifted friend like you. I’m sorry if it’s a jackass move, but I know if I asked for your permission, that thing would never see the light of day.”

The four of you bask in a sudden uneasy silence. You should not have been touched by Nyx’s words, but here you are, almost moved into tears. Despite his occasional display of pride and vanity, Nyx is one of the kindest human beings you have ever had the pleasure to meet. He may not seem like it, but he’s the very definition of a jerk with a heart of gold. You just hope he could completely forego being the jerk and stick with his golden heart instead.

This time, you take the phone from Pelna and say, “Treat the three of us for dinner for the next two weeks, and I’ll decide if I should forgive you.”

“Consider it done. I’m a man of my word,” Nyx says, and the sound of his relief is evident in his voice. “Now... am I out of trouble?”

“Certainly not, you dickhead. Later.”

You drop from the call and hand the phone back to Crowe. The two of them gape at you as if you have finally turned out to be the monster they have always known you to be.

“Wow. You really did that,” Crowe says, looking very impressed. “You actually shut Nyx up and made him agree to pay for two weeks worth of dinner. Aren’t you a delight.”

You manage a small smile. Pelna heaves one loud sigh of relief. “Now that we’ve finally cleared things up, are you sure you want me to take the video down? You’re really getting a lot of hype from my channel, I mean we’re close to half a million views! And—“

The shrieking sound of the doorbell cuts your conversation in an abrupt halt.

“Wait, I’ll get that,” Crowe gets up and rushes toward the door.

“So? Whaddaya say?” Pelna urges fervently. He is still invested on persuading you, and you can see it in his kind eyes. “It’s one video, I know… but you gotta believe us, you really are a fucking talent—”

“Pel, it’s not that. It’s...” You get on your feet, circling around the coffee table, as if it would help you articulate all the reasons behind your sense of trepidation. Honestly, you appreciate having Pelna and Crowe as friends for their selfless outpour of love and support for your craft. But how can you explain to them that sometimes, your own music terrifies you? Is there any logical explanation behind being scared of your own voice? So here you are, standing in front of Pelna, falling extremely inadequate to gather the words out of your mouth. Instead, you say, “I’m… just worried. What if The Lost Boys had seen it? And what if they’d hate me for it?”

Pelna offers you a weird, strained look. “Well, about that—”

“I don’t think there should be anything to worry about. We love it!”

The bell-like bounce of the voice that spoke clearly does not belong to Pelna nor Crowe, nor does it fit in the ordinariness of the space of your shared apartment.

You turn—hesitantly, too carefully—to see three of The Lost Boys standing by the doorway with Crowe. And standing in front of you is their frontman, Prompto, smilingly extending his hand to reach yours.

  This horribly sunny day is getting stranger and stranger, and it’s not even noon yet.

Pleasantries have been made—and a little bit of internally slapping yourself in the face to make sure this is all happening—and now, it has all come to this. Leaning from the bar counter, you watch as the four infuriatingly beautiful men of The Lost Boys struggle to squeeze themselves in the poor thing you all call a sofa. Across from them is Crowe, sitting cross-legged on the coffee table, analyzing each of them from head to toe with the sole purpose of intimidating the shit out them. Which is no surprise, of course; Crowe rarely gets star-struck in the presence of famous people, and even if she does, she hides it effortlessly well. Meanwhile, Pelna is playing a staring game with the band’s drummer—and frighteningly the tallest and largest in the group—that you cannot help but wonder if Pelna has some sort of a death wish that he needs to get fulfilled right this instant.

“So, let me get this straight—” Crowe says, crossing her arms— “and I hope you don’t mind if we’re being cautious ‘cause, well, we don’t want our roommate to get dragged into something sketchy, but… you came all the way down here to this shabby neighbourhood after you saw the cover of your song, and now you want to collaborate on a song? Is that it?”

Prompto is the one who willingly answers with a vigorous nod. He seems unfazed with Crowe’s intention of scaring them off. He glances your way before he says, “And there’s no need to worry about the contract and all that legal stuff, ‘cause we’ll have that arranged. Right, Ignis?”

“Indeed,” says Ignis. “I know this arrangement seems completely out of sorts, seeing as we came here on such a short notice, but I can assure you that we offer nothing but the best of intentions.”

“Really?” you say as you move from behind the counter to sit together with Crowe. “But you’re all men. And you know what’s more dangerous than men? Celebrity men.” No one said a word. A moment’s silence lingers as you study each of their faces, and then: “So how do I make sure that I could trust you with… this? That this isn’t some publicity stunt you’re trying to pull—”

“It’s not like that at all,” Prompto says firmly. “And if you have any doubts with your safety, well, I’m sorry if our friend Gladio looks so menacing for our image—”

“Seriously?” Gladio scoffs, turning to Prompto. “You really hurt my feelings.”

You try to stifle your laughter. Somehow, now that you look closely at the four of them, they remind you of Nyx, Libertus, and Pelna.

And suddenly, you feel bad for putting them in a hot seat like this.

As The Lost Boys begin to discuss amongst themselves with what you assume to be a stream of their inside jokes, Pelna sidles up to you while Crowe loops her arm around yours. Whispering, she says, “I think you should do it.”

Pelna discreetly adds, “And if they ever get you into trouble, Nyx is a lawyer so he should have your back. I already texted him and he’s ready to keep an eye out for you.”

You let out a rueful sigh. You have to admit, it’s hard to stay mad at Crowe and Pelna and Nyx when this is the way they exhibit their unwavering friendship: with a flourish of genuine love and steadfast support.

Empowered by your friends’ confidence, you clear your throat and you turn your attention to the four men sitting in front of you. You fix your eyes at Prompto, and you ask, “So. When do we start this thing?” 

[lespetitesmortsde]

Bechloe prompt! I can always hear you singing Phantom of the Opera so I decided to sing the duet with you.

Every single time Chloe comes back from her run, she pulls her earbuds out just before she gets to her next-door neighbour’s hedge. When she first moved in several months ago, she discovered that her neighbour liked to sing.

And to boot, the neighbour was actually really good.

So whenever Chloe passes by, she tries to listen and see if there’s a song to hear. There was a week where the neighbour was just cycling through pop-punk emo bands of the 2000s. Another where it was movie soundtracks. This week, surprisingly, the neighbour seems to be stuck on The Phantom of the Opera. Yesterday she was singing to “The Music of the Night” and the day before it was “Silent.”

Chloe wondered what today would bring.

As she slowed to a walk, she could hear the neighbour’s alto:

“You have come hereIn pursuit of your deepest urgeIn pursuit of that wish which till now has been silentSilent.”

Chloe stops, and has to work to pick her jaw up off the floor because this song is Chloe’s favourite from the opera, and her neighbour, surprisingly but also not at all, is nailing it. The huskiness of her voice, the emotion, the power, it was all absolutely on point.

And Chloe is a romantic, who believes in first love at first sight and the idea of soulmates and of just knowing when something is meant to be, so as she listens to her neighbour, whom she’s never met due to the sheer height of the hedge and her neighbour’s apparent desire for privacy, she falls in love.

It’s not at first sight or first listen or even tenth listen, but it feels right and Chloe is left buzzing with energy at her newfound feelings, unsure of where to channel it all.

“I have brought youThat our passions may fuse and mergeIn your mind, you’ve already succumbed to me.”

Chloe walks closer to the hedge, hesitantly reaches out a hand to touch some of the greenery, imagines she’s finally meeting the owner of the voice.

“Dropped all defenses, completely succumbed to meNow you are here with me, no second thoughtsYou’ve decided, decided.”

Like it’s prophetic, Chloe makes a decision as well. Despite wanting to see how the alto handles the high second part of the duet, Chloe knows from countless shower singing sessions that she can hit those notes, and decides that today is the day she finally gets to see her soulmate.

“Past the point of no returnNo backward glancesThe games we’ve played till now are at an endPast all thought of ‘if’ or ‘when’No use resistingAbandon thought and let the dream descend.”

Softly, Chloe sighs as the woman sings Chloe’s favourite lines from the song.

“What raging fire shall flood the soul?What rich desire unlocks its door?What sweet seduction lies before us,Past the point of no return;The final threshold?”

Chloe smooths her shirt around her waist and wipes the sweat off of her brow as she readies herself to help destiny along. She moves quietly along the hedge and rests when she gets to the large wooden panel door that separates her from the singer.

“What warm, unspoken secrets will we learnBeyond the point of no return?”

And then Chloe, loving, carefree, spontaneous and indulgent Chloe, jumps in with both feet, and sings loudly from the outside of the hedge.

“You have brought me,” Chloe begins.

She swears she hears a mumbled “what the fuck,” from the neighbour, but she continues anyway.

“To that moment where words run dryTo that moment where speech disappears into silenceSilenceI have come hereHardly knowing the reason why.”

She knows she hears movement right on the other side of the door. She can hear the rustling, can feel the pressure the alto exerts upon the door, and so she works harder to reach the highs, to hold the notes.

“In my mind, I’ve already imagined our bodies entwining, defenseless and silentAnd now I am here with you, no second thoughtsI’ve decided, decidedPast the point of no returnNo going back nowOur passion play has now at last begunPast all thought of right or wrongOne final question:How long should we two wait before we’re one?”

Even though the question is in the song, it’s the question in Chloe’s mind, too, in a way. How long do they have to wait before they meet? Will the gate open, or will it remain shut? So Chloe sings her last solo lines as best as she can, like everything is riding upon them because maybe, in a way, everything is.

“When will the blood begin to raceThe sleeping bud bursts into bloom?When will the flames at last consume us?”

She takes a breath. This is where she’ll know if they’re going to meet or not. If the alto joins in for the final verse, the one they’re supposed to sing together, then that’s it. That’s destiny. Chloe lays a palm flat against the gate and hopes to hear a harmony on the breeze.

“Past the point of no return,” and Chloe is giddy to hear another voice join hers. She works hard to keep the smile from her voice in this deeply serious song.

“The final thresholdThe bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burnWe’ve passed the point of no return.”

And Chloe waits. Once the note dies off and once she catches her breath, still, she waits, because as far as she can tell, the neighbour hasn’t moved from the door either.

Chloe waits.

And waits.

Until finally, she is done waiting, and she sings to the melody of their song, “Haven’t we passed the point of no return?”

Her nerves melt away when she’s rewarded with a throaty chuckle from the other side. The latch of the gate clinks as it’s unlocked, and Chloe holds her breath.

She doesn’t know whom she was expecting to unlock the gate. Maybe an ethnically ambiguous, average height woman, who, yeah, just kind of looked all around average.

She never expected, not in a billion years, for eight-time Grammy winner Beca Mitchell to be standing in front of her.

“Um, hi,” Beca says, leaning against the open door. “Nice to meet your voice?”

Chloe stammers like she’s forgotten how to breathe, let alone speak, and what eventually comes out is the fully-awed, “You’re more gorgeous than your voice.”

Beca blushes and stares at Chloe’s face, which gradually reddens as her words catch up to her. “Thanks?”

Chloe nods, drinking in the beautiful and talented woman before her, and then she snaps out of it, like it doesn’t matter that this is the Beca Mitchell in front of her. All that matters is that they’re meant to be. “Hi, sorry, my name’s Chloe.”

Smiling, Beca offers her hand. When Chloe takes it, Beca says, “Nice to meet you, Chloe.”

It is only then that Chloe notices the earbuds around Beca’s neck. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, did I interrupt your music?”

Beca looks at her incredulously before full-on chortling right in front of her. To Chloe’s confused and questioning head tilt, Beca responds, “Dude, you belted that song like nobody’s business and you’re worried you interrupted my music?” Chloe’s eyes widen and she nods slightly.

Again, Beca laughs. “You were good! Better than Emmy Rossum, perhaps, at least then. Maybe not now,” Beca turns pensive. “Dunno, though, haven’t had the chance to work with her lately.”

“I couldn’t resist,” Chloe admits. At Beca’s own inquisitive eyebrow raise, Chloe answers, “I run by here almost everyday and I always hear you singing.” She rushes to add, “You’re really good by the way,” but Beca just waves off the compliment. “Anyway, usually you don’t stick to anything for too long, maybe a genre, but never, like, just one thing, but you’ve been stuck on Phantom this whole week, and then you sang my favourite song, and I just couldn’t help myself.”

Beca’s stare is piercing and calculating. “So you had no idea who I was before right now?”

Chloe shakes her head. “Honestly didn’t have a clue. I wouldn’t have made such a fool of myself if I’d known.”

“Hey now,” Beca says, “You definitely did not make a fool of yourself, dude. Like I said, you were awesome.” Her voice trails off.

“Oh, um, thank you. You know, that means a lot from you,” Chloe says, and then because she really can’t help herself, “I mean, I know I’m not bad at singing. I’m actually pretty good. In university I was co-captain of an a cappella group.”

Beca snorts, “Sorry, I forget that there really was a period of time when a cappella was popular.

“Hey!” Chloe reprimands playfully. “It takes a lot of skill to emulate other instruments!”

“Sure, but also, you could just use the instruments and save yourself a whole lot of trouble.”

Chloe huffs with fake indignation and then Beca’s piercing stare returns.

“What do you do?” Beca asks, still clearly evaluating her.

“Oh, I teach music at the elementary school on Harlon Street,” Chloe answers. “That’s why I can usually go for a run at four, although technically I could go any time these days.”

Beca looks lost, so Chloe adds, “Because summer vacation just started. I have like two months of freedom before I get back.”

“Do you know why I’m listening to Phantom so much?” Beca asks in what Chloe assumes is a rhetorical manner. Until Beca seems to be waiting somewhat patiently for a response.

“Nope,” Chloe says.

“They’ve asked me to do a remake, since it’s been like twenty years since the last rehashing. I told them I’d have to think about it, have to figure out if there’s a way to make it fresh again.”

Chloe gears up instantly, “Whoa, it’s timeless!”

Immediately, Beca brings up both hands to placate Chloe. “Okay, yes, but what could a new remake do that hasn’t been done before, I mean, you know?”

Somewhat appeased, Chloe allows it. “What can you do?”

A glint appears in Beca’s eyes as she smiles widely. “I think we can make it queer, is what we can do,” Beca answers bluntly. Before Chloe can respond, Beca’s already continued, “And I think you’re perfect for it.”

Flabbergasted, Chloe sputters, “What?”

“Play Christine in the remake with me,” Beca says.

Chloe shakes her head, violently, “No, no, there have got to be, like, professional actors and better singers, and—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Beca interrupts. “You’d be perfect for it.”

“Seriously, I have to go back to class in two months,” Chloe tries again to dissuade her.

Beca shakes her head. “If you really don’t want to, I won’t force you, of course,” she says. “But think about it, you could take the experience to help the kids you teach, maybe be able to subsidize the small amounts of money teachers get to outfit classrooms.”

“Plus,” Beca adds, almost as an after thought, “We’d have to spend a bunch of time together.”

“We would?” Chloe asks, and then curses herself for making it seem like she’s actually considering it.

“Well, yeah,” Beca says. “I’m supposed to be the Phantom and I’d be around the set and stuff.”

“You’d be playing the Phantom?” Chloe repeats.

Beca nods. “Yeah. Like I said, I’m into the idea of making the remake queerer and this,” she gestures to the two of them, “would definitely do the trick.”

Upon registering Chloe’s uncertainty, Beca attempts to backpedal, “Unless of course, that’s an issue for you.”

“It’s not an issue for me,” Chloe says immediately. “It’s just that I really do need to be back in class in two months.”

Beca waves off Chloe’s concerns. “No problem,” she assures, “they already have the pre-production done. We could start next week and have you done in six weeks, seven tops.”

“Jesus, you’re serious, aren’t you?” Chloe asks, utterly shocked.

“I am,” Beca agrees. “So what do you say, Chloe?” She smiles widely and throws a flirty wink Chloe’s direction. “Will you go past the point of no return with me?”

“Um, I, well—”

Beca cuts in, “When else are you going to get an opportunity like this?”

“I suppose that’s true,” Chloe hedges.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t mind spending a little more time with you,” Beca confesses lowly, stuffing her hands into her pockets.

“Okay, I’m in,” Chloe says, surprised to hear the words come out of her own mouth. But then again, this is the kind of spontaneity she lives for, and she has a serious case of love brewing for Beca. It’s a combination of the distanced adoration she’d held for Beca before she knew Beca was her neighbour, but also with the appreciation and love-at-first-harmony thing she had going with her neighbour, before she knew it was Beca.

“Yeah?”Beca says, surprised.

Chloe nods resolutely. “I’m all the way in, Becs,” Chloe says.

“That didn’t take nearly as much convincing as you made me think it would,” Beca comments.

“One life to live and all that jazz,” Chloe returns.

“Do you want to come in and we can talk about it? I can order food?” Beca asks, stepping to the side of her gate.

Chloe grimaces, “I’d love to, but I’d also really love to shower.”

“No problem,” Beca says easily. “Interestingly, I do own a shower.”

Blushing, Chloe can’t keep herself from indulging just the littlest bit in what it would be like to shower in Beca Mitchell’s home. “While that sounds lovely, I also have a shower and I live right next door… in my house… that has my clothes and stuff?” She doesn’t know why she turns her comment into a question, but Beca laughs.

“Okay, Chloe, that’s chill.”

“I can still come over to chat, though? In like thirty minutes?” Chloe asks.

“Sounds good,” Beca says. As Chloe takes a step toward her house, Beca’s voice makes her turn around: “The offer stands, though, for future reference.”

Chloe decides that maybe what she really needs is a cold shower.

[hallelujuh]

shay’s favorite albums of 2018

10. Hivemind by The Internet - TI are insanely underrated and definitely helped me remember how much I adore R&B music. I literally love the bass lines so much - I’ve learned about half of the ones off this record, honestly. Syd’s vocals are amazing as ever, seamless and sexy and gorgeous, and I just, I love R&B music so much, gotta get into more soul shit. Favorite track: Bravo.

9. Sweetener by Ariana Grande - Somehow Ari flew under my radar for years; I simply did not care about her, and rarely heard her music on the radio, let alone sought it out. But some friends succeeded in getting me into it, and now I respect her as a singer and a person. She’s been through hell, and I admire her strength. Not to mention she’s incredibly talented as a singer. I have a hard time with pop records, because of the lack of substance and depth, but this record is a look into a person I think we’d come to forget was a person at all; it’s all her feelings, her heart on her sleeve, and it’s awesome. Not to mention her voice is literally so damn pleasant to listen to, I could fall asleep to it, haha. Favorite track: Successful. 

8. Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae - Miss Monae literally has so much going for her. She’s so immensely talented at everything, and after her success in the film industry, it was nice to witness her return to music. Dirty Computer is fun, personal, and reminds you that Janelle deserves a lot more attention and admiration as a musician, because she does some really innovative and unique stuff that is always something special to behold. She’s a damn good rapper, too, and the accompanying short film to this record was really cool. Favorite track: Screwed. 

7. Pray for the Wicked by Panic! At The Disco - After being a fan for literal ages, I finally saw Panic this year, so that was pretty damn cool. Pretty much DoaB Part Two, but that’s not a bad thing. The music is fun, Brendon’s vocals are as awesome as ever, the production is smooth as hell, and the songs were a damn blast live. A little too uppity for me, but several of the songs have been on replay at times. Favorite track: One of the Drunks. 

6. Trench by Twenty One Pilots - I have a love-hate relationship with 21p, and I’m not emo anymore, so I nearly didn’t even listen to this record, but I did, and I, grudgingly, liked it very much. It doesn’t deviate significantly from the sound of Blurryface, but incorporates a lot more bass in (which I appreciate, as a bassist). It’s also notable this album was lighter in tone, at least sonically. That’s nice. Had a bit of punk, in there, a New Wave sound, almost. Pretty interesting. And deep subject matter. I wish this band hadn’t been spoiled for me. Damn. Favorite track: Bandito. 

5. Queen by Nicki Minaj - A truly fitting title. Nicki’s always exuded a majestic sort of power, a confidence, strength, and sexiness we all can admire, and she’s never faltered in that, but she’s definitely at her top form here.  Favorite track: Barbie Dreams. The Biggie-sampled beat makes an already awesome song even better. This is essentially Nicki’s Control; honest, biting, but also wonderfully comedic and light-hearted. I will literally never forget listening to this for the first time, absolutely awed at every rapper she managed to playfully go at, and how clever each sneak-diss was. 

4. KOD by J. Cole - Cole’s been my favorite for years, and each of his recent albums have resonated with me deeply because of how genuine he comes across, even when he’s rapping about the typical things a rapper might rap about. Somehow Cole does it in a unique way and always makes it his own, so I never tire of the same topics. And he’s real, real as fuck; unapologetic and confident, but not assholish or excessively cocky. I really applaud him for that. Favorite track: 1985. Cole’s proudly embracing the fact that he’s not a youngin in the rap game anymore, and taking the role of a older figure, a wise one who advises his younger peers to reconsider their careers and their admittedly slim chances of remaining relevant. It’s brutally honest, harsh but not cruel, and absolutely admirable. Not the mention the beat is chill as fuck. Whole thing gives me goosebumps; easily one of the highlights of Cole’s career. 

3. Kamikaze by Eminem - Okay, I’m a former hardcore stan who’s turned critical in recent years, but this record fully blew me away. Marsh got relevant again! With the dope flows! Damn! One of my favorite parts of this record was the reactions - watching people remember that Em is not one to be fucked with. Not to mention the now-iconic MGK beef. What a bunch of horseshit. Killshot totally roasted the dude, though. Favorite track: The Ringer. What a way to open a record! Holy shit. I re-listened to this one repeatedly because it was so unexpectedly incredible, with the way the flow is changed up frequently, and the wordplay never falters, clever as ever. Renewed a lot of people’s faith in Em’s abilities, I think; myself included.

2. Iridescence by Brockhampton - In last year’s post I said how excited I was for what the future had in store for BH; and boy, was this year a good one for them. On this record, despite the absence of Ameer, they hold their own without him; Matt, Joba, and Dom even seem to step up to the plate, in fact, and each member spits fire, so that the manic energy from the Saturation Trilogy remains. Said trilogy helped them establish their winning song-writing and production formula, and this record polishes it.  Favorite track: Weight. Absolute goosebumps. The whole track has an otherworldly energy, but the transition from Joba’s verse into Dom’s is especially visceral. Joba’s holds an enthusiastic nihilism of sorts, and optimistic perception of life’s pain, while Dom’s is deeply depressive and harrowing, his voice full of a hurt and his words holding a wisdom beyond his years. It’s a beautiful track, through and through. 

1. Post Traumatic by Mike Shinoda - This album pretty much saved me this year. I’m very thankful to Mike for putting his feelings to music, because these tracks helped me sort out mine, and I connected to each individual song in a way I haven’t in a long time. I would actually kill to go to a show of his; it’d probably be somewhat of a spiritual thing for me, considering how deeply even the studio versions resonate. Favorite track: Hold It Together. I literally love every song on this album (except IOU...), and each is uniquely special, deeply personal, and beautifully resonates, but this one stands out for some reason. I think that breakdown towards the end adds a lot. Some other favorites are About You, Ghosts, Make It Up As I Go, and Running From My Shadow. And there’s not even words for Brooding.

honorable mentions

Expectations by Hayley Kiyoko - This one very nearly made my list, but Hivemind ending up dethroning it. It’s a great debut, full of gay bops that really kicked off 20gayteen well, I’d say. (Favorite track: Wanna Be Missed. Fun fact: My most listened song for all of 2018.)

Mania by Fall Out Boy - It’s unfortunate that my long-time favorite band didn’t make the list, but I just couldn’t get into the sound of this record. (Favorite track: Sunshine Riptide)

Bloom by Troye Sivan - He’s so big now! A big boy! I’m so proud of how far he’s come. I wasn’t as big on this album as I was on Blue Neighbourhood, but it’s still a solid sophomore record. (Favorite track: Dance to This)

Be the Cowboy by Mitski - Mitski’s sound is an aquired taste... I’m still not entirely in love with it, it’s so otherwordly in a jarring way? But I applaud her innovation. (Favorite track: Nobody)

extended plays

they’re too short to be included in my top albums, but i wanted to mention them anyway.

Lake Effect Kid by Fall Out Boy - The Chicago fuckers strike again! While the themes took away from the, uh, relatability, of the music, they’re still solid tracks that deviate from their earlier 2018 effort in a pleasant way. (Favorite track: Super Fade)

My Dear Melancholy by The Weeknd - Abel is one of my favorite musicians of all time (and was my most listened to for two years in a row) and he’d never disappoint me. MDM is sad, harrowing, and visceral, proof that Abel continues to be one of the best artists of this decade. (Favorite track: Call Out My Name)

[hearthmistress]

Four Times Dean Winchester Guesses Wrong

Pairing: Castiel/ Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester/ OMCs, Aaron Bass/ Dean Winchester (attempted)

Tags: Bisexual!Dean Winchester, Growing up, coming out, self-acceptance, homophobia, homophobic language, brief violence, 5+1 things except it’s 4+1 because i didn’t want to write another scene 

Word Count: 2,091 

Summary: Dean Winchester is a man of many talents. Gaydar is not one of them. 

(Read on A03)

1. He’s a small nerdy-looking dude, thin without the trace of the typical high school boy’s need for alpha-maleness. He wears glasses, plays in band, and is called gay and a faggot by the football team on a regular basis. 

And Dean thought he would be a safe bet.  

While Dean might pretend to cheer with the other guys and doesn’t do anything to interfere, he’s secretly attracted to the nebbish guy named Thomas, whose dark hair and blue eyes and inability to go through the day without getting his books dumped into the trash, replaces his fantasies of big-boobed models in his morning showers. 

By seventeen Dean knows that being attracted to dudes will ruin his life. His father, his brother, Bobby — they would all look at him differently if they knew. Would look down on him for being this way. So he keeps this part of him to himself and learns to play it safe. 

Thomas looks safe. 

So it takes him by surprise after he rescues Thomas’s books from the nearest garbage bin and offers to take him on a date that Thomas looks at him with open disgust, the thankful expression replaced by hatred and horror. 

It’s the first time in Dean’s life that he’s ever seen this reaction directed at him by another human being. Of course, it certainly won’t be the last. 

He corners Thomas the next day and threatens the dude, swearing if he hears anything about what happened the day before, he’ll pay, because Dean Winchester isn’t some fucking queer. 

Three days later, Dean finds himself behind a bleacher, sucking the cock of one of the jocks who trashed Thomas’ books in the first place.

2. Dean’s nineteen and should know better. 

He’s been in this life since he was four years old and because of this, he has grown up tougher and older than his years. He has killed beings (not humans, just sick imitations of them), has hunted, and has travelled across the country more times than he can count. He’s faced monsters, had limbs broken, and has seen more than any of his peers, and there are permanent markings across his young body that can prove this.

Yet, this is the first time he’s ever been truly scared for his life. 

This is his mistake. He should know that bars like this — bars filled with tough bikers, road-weary truckers and seasoned hunters — are not the places where you stick your neck out. 

But he swears the guy was flirting with him. 

The dude is in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, is built like a lumberjack with blonde hair and tough brown eyes and he’s clearly flirting with Dean. 

Dean knows the signs — the constant glances at his lips, the offer of another drink, the way he laughs at all of Dean’s dumb jokes. The guy wants to get with him, and Dean, with Dad and Sammy both busy on a case, doesn’t mind that at all.  

But when they exit the bar together and Dean leans over and kisses the guy, he gets smacked in the face. 

“What the fuck are you doing? You fag!” 

He’s heard the term thrown at small thin dudes who like theatre, has heard his father curtly use it when passing certain men, has heard it tossed around locker rooms for the entirety of his high school career, but it’s never been directly aimed at him. 

He would be outraged, but the guy lands another punch, catching him off guard, and Dean is on the ground before he can protest. Another blow is aimed at him and he can feel blood on his face and the air leaving his lungs. He can’t see out of one of his eyes and there’s the taste of iron in his mouth. The man starts kicking him and Dean doesn’t react, doesn’t do anything, just curls up into a ball, crying out for help. If his dad could see him now…

The guy keeps kicking and Dean thinks, honestly thinks, he’s going to die here in some alleyway behind a skeevy bar, not by a monster, but by a human. But the guy grows tired and Dean is left curled up, moaning and thoroughly bruised. He’s pretty sure a rib or two is broken. 

He tells his dad that he got jumped after cheating in a game of pool. His dad tells him he deserved that and Dean wonders if John would have the same response if Dean told him what really happened.

3. It’s the first time that he’s worked a case completely on his own. Sammy’s gone and Dad keeps disappearing, keeps leaving Dean with nothing better to do. Dean scouts out a haunting, something simple, something he can’t fail at, so he can prove that he can do this, that he can make his dad proud. 

Of course, it all goes to shit. 

Not the case itself, which is surprisingly easy. It’s the afterwards that gets a little messy. 

The guy whose apartment is haunted is grateful, like really really grateful. Once Dean comes back, dirty and smelling of gasoline and decay, the guy, David, offers him a drink. 

“You do this all the time?” David asks. “Like you burn bodies?”

“Only if they’re causing trouble,” Dean says, taking a swig of his beer. 

“That’s so cool, man. So cool.” 

Maybe it’s the alcohol (it’s probably that), maybe it’s because David makes him feel good about what he does, makes it worth it, and maybe it’s because he’s kind of adorable, geeking out like this, Dean leans forwards and kisses him. 

David freezes beneath him and Dean pulls away, disappointed and worried, waiting for the slurs, for the shouting to begin. David just looks puzzled though, a little stunned. 

“Oh god, I’m sorry, I didn't mean that,” Dean rushes out. 

“No, no. It’s okay,” David reaches out (and Dean pretends he doesn’t lean in, doesn’t crave the touch). “I’m not mad. I’m just processing this. I’m just surprised that’s all. That you would want this.” 

So Dean leans in again, but David pulls back. 

“I’m not gay,” he says kindly, but firmly. 

“I’m not either.” 

“I’m also not bi.” 

“Bi?” Dean asks, the term feels foreign and uncomfortable rolling off his tongue. David’s face lights up as he explains what it means, what other terms means, how the capacity of human love is not contained in just two little terms. 

Dean might not have gotten laid that night, but he learns. He practices the word “bisexual” in the mirror, looking at himself, in his mind going over and over the term till it becomes as familiar on his tongue as the taste of greasy roadside burgers and convenience store pie. 

Sometimes, when his dad is gone, Dean even says it out loud.

4. This time it’s not Dean’s fault. 

The dude was definitely flirting with him- and not like the knock three times on a bathroom stall door, quick glances in the park, kind of flirting. 

No, this guy, this tiny dude, clearly has the hots for Dean. He’s been giving him the old goo-goo eyes, discreetly glancing away but also saying, “come talk with me” while Dean was trying to interview two seniors about a dead Rabbi. Plus, the guy went on about how they had a “little eye magic” and Dean’s flustered because never in his life has anyone dared to outright flirt with him like that (outside gay bars and truck stops, of course). There’s not two meanings about this, this guy is into Dean. 

Until he’s not. 

Turns out Dean’s gay thing is way less gay than he thought. 

“So let me get this straight, you’re…” Dean waves his hands around the general area of Aaron. 

“Like I said, I was tailing you,” Aaron replies, pushing a stein of beer towards him. “Gotta say, kind of didn’t expect it to go down that way, thought you might punch me for flirting with you.” 

“You couldn’t tell? Like it wasn’t obvious that I… I like dudes too.” There’s a panic bubbling inside, a worry that comes from a life of not only hiding his sexuality, but everything else about himself. 

“Not ‘til you hit that table,” Aaron chuckles. 

“Just my luck,” Dean mumbles. 

“Dude, I’m sorry if I led you on. I honestly just panicked and that was the first thing that came to mind. I’m cool with it,” he quickly adds when he sees Dean’s face, which is probably red. “Actually I’m flattered that you would be interested. You’re a really attractive guy! Like if I swung that way, I would.” 

“Well, you don’t.” 

“I don’t,” Aaron confirms, his voice friendly, with no hint of judgement or disgust. “And to apologize, I’ll buy you another beer.” 

It could’ve been worse, hell, it has been worse, so Dean accepts the beer and lets an evening of small talk and chatter wash away any of the embarrassment he has left.

+1 “I’m indifferent to sexual orientations.”

Dean remembers hearing that line on the news, loud and clear, and thinking, “but what does that mean?” 

Does it mean Cas is above sexual identities or does it mean he doesn’t care about what humans decide to label their sex lives. Not that he really has time to process it, what with Cas being God and all. 

And after that…

Well, maybe he thinks about it, wonders what it means for him, but he also places it in the back of his mind, something he can figure out later. Maybe once the world isn’t about to be taken over by ancient dicks, maybe when Cas isn’t, you know, dead.

And it pops into his mind as an angry thought, a bitter reminder when Cas does come back from the dead, this time married to a woman and looking at Dean like he’s a stranger and it hurts, it fucking hurts, because all Dean can think is but what does this mean for us? The question weighs heavy, and when Cas really comes back, Dean feels like he can breathe again, that he can stand up and deal with the world, but course, Cas decides to take all that hurt, all that crazy and put it back into him, and Dean is left, once again, with questions and uncertainties.  

There’s a moment, he thinks, where he might have his answer, but it’s gone when Cas decides to stay behind, letting Dean and Benny escape, and now Dean’s left with nothing. 

And so, Dean learns to accept that some questions can never be answered, not for him anyways. 

But then, he gets his answer. 

It happens once everything has died out, when there’s no leviathans left, when Cas isn’t dead or Emmanuel or crazy, when the gates of hell are closed, when there’s no mark of Cain burning on his skin, when there’s no heaven or hell on their backs, that’s when he gets his answer and he no longer has to guess. He’s leaning against the counter, making a sandwich, when the question comes back into his head. 

“I’m indifferent to sexual orientation.”  

It makes him drop his knife and turn to Cas, who has looked up quickly from the clatter on the counter.  

“Dean?” he inquires, although most of his attention is still on the book in front of him. Beekeeping, maybe? Cas has been talking a lot lately about getting some hives, but Dean’s not sure if he’s joking or not. 

Dean’s not really sure what’s going on with Cas. Sure, he’s living with them and all that, but is that what Cas really wants? Is he just staying here because of some misplaced loyalty to the brothers? Because he has nowhere else to go?  And what did Cas mean all those years ago?

“Dean,” Cas repeats, clearly amused. 

“Huh? What?”

“Are you okay?”

I’m fine, is what he plans on saying, but instead it comes out as “Cas-do-you-remember-all-those-years-ago-when-you-were-God-and-you-said-you-didn’t-care-about-sexual-orientation? What-did-you-mean? Like-do-you-care-that-I’m-Bi? Does-that-matter-to-you?” 

Cas smiles, rising from the table and stands next to Dean.

“It means that I’m an angel and that we do not have genders, don’t understand the concept of sexual orientations or identities. It means this…” 

And Cas leans over, gently grabbing Dean’s chin, and kisses him, kisses out all those self-doubts, all that self-loathing, kisses out any questions that might still be in Dean’s head. 

Cas pulls away, taking the sandwich-filled plate with him. 

“And that means,” he says, taking bite of the sandwich, “that you don’t have to guess about us.”

[sgscenarios]

crescendo

summary: tzuyu is suddenly interested in someone

Chou Tzuyu was always a shy and reserved girl, which, unfortunately for her, made her look like an ice princess who didn’t care for anything or anyone. It also didn’t help that not many people caught her attention either.

But on this day. On this particular day, a glimpse of someone passing by on the streets had caught her eye. She stood for a moment and stared, trying to find that person through the crowd, but her friends nudged her and dragged her along, shouting something along the lines of “we’re going to be late.”

Once at school, she sat at her desk and stared out the window, wondering if she’d ever see them again. Her thoughts were promptly interrupted when the homeroom teacher came in, tapping the podium with a pointing stick and telling them to quiet down. When the students were settled down, he cleared his throat and started his announcements.

“As you all know, the school talent show is next month, so if any of you want to perform, auditions are coming up.. On another note,” He looked through his papers, before looking towards the door and motioning for someone to come in. The door slid open and a girl walked in with a soft smile. “This is your new classmate. Please introduce yourself.”

The said soft smile instantly vanished and was replaced by a grin, a small laugh leaving your lips. “I’m Y/N L/N! It’s nice to meet you all, and I hope we can all be friends!”

The homeroom teacher looked around for an empty seat before pointing to one next to the windows, “You can sit over there, in front of Chou Tzuyu. Tzuyu, please raise your hand.”

And so she did. She kept it raised for a moment until you were in the aisle. She kept her eyes on you, furrowing her brows and cocking her head to the side.

She could’ve sworn she’d seen you before, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Once you sat down in front of her though, everything clicked in her mind. You were the one from earlier in the streets; the one who had caught her eyes. She knew she heard your laugh from somewhere, but when she saw your amazing hair, she put everything together.

Her eyes were on your back and you were in her thoughts throughout the classes. When the classes were over and lunch break was finally here, Chaeyoung moved her desk closer to Tzuyu, pulling her lunch out. It took a moment and a few hits on Tzuyu’s desk to bring her back from her thoughts.

“What are you in such deep thoughts about?”

Tzuyu shrugged, making up an excuse. “The talent show, I guess.”

“You want to perform?” Chaeyoung asked, taking a bite of her food.

At that, you turned around to face the both of them and spoke to them with excitement in your voice. “Are you two going to perform for the talent show?”

Chaeyoung furrowed her brows before smiling. “We’re thinking about it! You’re the transfer, right?”

You nodded in return, “Yeah, I transferred from a private school. They messed something up in my files and my parents were furious, so here I am. I’m actually happy to leave that place, since it was filled with nothing but rich, snobby kids.” You nodded again, sighing, then perked up. “If you guys are thinking about performing, can I join?! I’m new here, so I want a fresh start, and I guess it’ll start with the talent show!”

The two of them looked at each other for a moment before shrugging, Chaeyoung speaking up. “Sure, why not. You can join us. We’re going to be singing. I’m playing drums and Tzuyu’s playing guitar. Do you have anything to bring to the table?”

“That sounds cool!” You piped up, your eyes beaming. “I play guitar too, so maybe I can join in on that?”

“Sounds like a plan! We’re practicing after school today, in the band room, so if you want to come and watch to get the feel of the songs we have in mind, please do visit!”

It had been a week into practice with Chaeyoung and Tzuyu, and if you were honest, this was some of the most fun you’d had in your whole life. Of course, you’d never admit that it was definitely because of your growing crush on Tzuyu.

The practices were filled with exchanging glances and shy smiles between the two of you, of which Chaeyoung, who was behind the two of you, noticed. It seemed like she was the only one that noticed, because the two of you were oblivious to how the other felt.

It continued for a while like this, just exchanging looks, and for a moment, you thought you saw the same look in Tzuyu’s eyes as the one that was in your eyes when you looked at her. BUt just as quick as you saw it, it vanished.

When the three of you finished practicing the song you were on, Chaeyoung stood up and looked at the clock, sighing.

“Guys, we’ve been practicing for so long. How about calling it a day? Wanna go get something to eat?”

It was finally the day of your auditions, and it was safe to say that you were all nervous, Tzuyu being the most nervous amongst the three of you. You were still backstage, watching the performances that came before you and your self esteem continuously went down. They were just too good.

Once it was your turn, you took a deep breath and patted your face. You then turned to your band mates and you three did a cheer. Chaeyoung went out first, Tzuyu following, then it was you at the end. When you made your way past Tzuyu, you placed a hand on her shoulder.

“We’ll do fine, don’t worry. Take a deep breath, and it’ll be over before you know it.”

True to your words, the audition went faster than any of you thought. You three exited the stage, then out of the auditorium. The judge said that the roll call would be posted tomorrow morning on the bulletins throughout the school, so that’s all that was left to do.

The next day, the three of you rushed into the school, trying to find a bulletin board that people were not crowding around. It took you some time, but you finally found one towards the back of the school where science wing was located. It didn’t take quite as long to find your band’s name in the list, considering that it was listed at number one.

The three of you reveled in joy, hugging each other before rushing off to class.

Finally, the day of the talent show was here. The day that the three of you, and twenty-four other acts, have been practicing day and night for. Sure, the main point was to have fun and showcase some hidden talents, but what motivated some people more, was that the top three acts were going to be awarded a trip to Jeju during summer break, and 500, 250, and 100 dollars respectively.

And while the main priority of you three was to have fun, you and your bandmates were determined to at least win one of the three. Honestly, the money didn’t really matter to you, but the trip was something that you guys were intent on getting.

Performance by performance passed, and finally, it was your turn. Right before getting on stage, you three did your cheer, quickly preparing yourselves mentally. The three of you went out onto the stage together, you and Tzuyu picking up the guitars and Chaeyoung getting ready behind you two.

You decided that this was the perfect moment to confess to Tzuyu. Sure, you’d probably get embarrassed because she doesn’t feel the same way, but you had already made up your mind to confess to her after your performance. In front of the audience.You bit your lips, anxious, and looked towards Tzuyu, and you could tell she was nervous.

You reached out your hand and placed it on her shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. She turned to look at you and you returned with a reassuring smile, “We’ll do great.”

At that point, Tzuyu was sure. She had fallen for you, and she was falling deeper with each moment she spent with you.

You performed your self composed songs for the crowd, and after finishing, the host asked to talk about the songs a bit.

Chaeyoung, who was acting as leader, spoke up first. “As you may or may not know, I’m Son Chaeyoung, the drummer of this band. These songs are self composed and we’ve been working on them for some time now, wanting everything to be perfect for this performance.”

Then it was you. “I’m Y/N L/N, a guitarist and the latest addition to this band. The lyrics are about realizing that you are falling in love with someone who you’d thought all along was your friend.”

You were about to add something more, but during your little hesitation, Tzuyu spoke. “I’m Chou Tzuyu, another guitarist, and this song resonates within me because I am in love with Y/N, who I’ve alway thought of as a friend. But tonight, I realized that I like her more than that.”

Crap, you thought to yourself, I was supposed to confess. You were sure that your cheeks were blushing like crazy and looked towards Tzuyu, who was looking at you with a concerned look.

“Well,” you started, “Lucky for you, I like you too.”

“You two finally confessed! If you two weren’t going to do it soon enough, I was going to do it for each of you!” Chaeyoung blurted out as she got off her seat and hopped over to the two of you, her arms around your shoulders and pulling the both of you in.

She blushed in return, letting out a small laugh before the three of you thanked the crowd and exited the stage. The host moved to the center, a big smile on her face and a laugh. “That took quite a turn, didn’t it? But it was sweet, nonetheless.”

Needless to say, you and your bandmates were one of the acts that won one of the top three. The placing didn’t matter to either of youㅡ the band took third placeㅡ because all you wanted was the trip. The act that took first place was a dance team composed of Hirai Momo, Mina Myoui, MInatozaki Sana, and Im Nayeon. Second place was awarded to a comedy act that composed of Yoo Jeongyeon, Kim Dahyun, and Park Jihyo.

Unbeknownst to you, the two of your bandmates were supposedly best friends with everyone in the other acts that won, and you would be seriously interrogated on the bus ride to the trip until they thought you were a great person and good enough for their Chou Tzuyu.

[vexmagarchive-blog]

Thrill Touch continues to produce music that is original and trendless in a town that was very much only for the hardcore and ska scene. To explain why we at Vex undoubtedly enjoy Thrill Touch from the guitar riffs to the album artwork to the performances the band members put on for us, would be difficult for me to cover all in this one article, but we’re going to try.

First let me introduce them to you; Bianca (Bee) Ascencio on drums, the only girl in the group who keeps you on your feet during a performance as she quickly throws her percussion mallets into the air and switches them for drumsticks in the course of a half-second, Michael Gross doing vocals and guitar all while delivering the songs very theatrically with one hand to the sky – sometimes his whole body vibrating with the music, and Jake Irvin playing the bass while bowing his head, occasionally exchanging instruments, (I’ve honestly never seen multitasking look so easy) as he rhythmically jams out to the art him and his friends have created. They also include the keys and the glockenspiel, and I’ve seen them all take a go at these instruments. I think my favorite part of their shows is seeing them interact with each other, the chemistry they all share is undeniably charming and genuine. Thrill Touch hits a sweet spot of feminine and masculine energy without even trying to do so.

Their music fits no genre except maybe ‘alternative rock’, but only by the exact definition. They have an edgier and unique sound than most music today without being completely unusual. They’re eccentric in the best way possible. In 2014 they came out with the album ‘Thrill Touch’ with eight original songs. I could sit here and explain to you why each song individually is a piece of art, but that would consist of eight long paragraphs of me breaking down and dissecting them and saying things like why it was genius for them to bounce between borderline harsh noise with drum and guitar in the back to a calmer jazzier beat in track 6 ‘Harshness of the Sun’. So instead the standout tracks where ‘Freeway Overpass’, ‘Dancer for the Prey’, and ‘Trauma’ in that order. Trauma would have definitely been at the top spot in this album if it was longer and had lyrics.

Thrill Touch is the product of three friends who are extremely talented as they are ambitious, that love each other, art, and music. They themselves and the music they produce is unlike anything else. We got to sit down with the three of them and ask about their journey and what’s next for them as a group.

How did the current lineup of Thrill Touch come to be?

“There was a show my friend Brian Santizo was putting on, it was Festizo 2011 …” Michael starts, “And he needed bands, so he told me to put together a band … so I got together a band. I put out a Facebook status … I got Kevin Miller and his friend Tabitha Misso …. Bee responded. I had initially thought of asking her … I’m glad she responded to the status.” “It was like a craigslist advertisement,” Bee laughs. Tabitha Misso ended up not working out as a bassist, however the band continued with two guitarist (Michael and Kevin) and a drummer (Bee). Michael doesn’t recall at what point they decided that they really did need a basisst, “… once Jake came on it was pretty magical.” The band sent Jake really bad recordings they had done with a label called ‘Turbo Chicken’. After, Jake had fully written bass lines for each of the songs for their first practice together. “I wanted to be ready!” Jake smiles. Michael notes that it showed him that Jake was not only excited to join, but also serious about being part of the band. “Was that the practice were we all wore pajamas?” Bee thinks back. “Yeah it was pajama jam!” Jake chimes. They recall the funny story about Jake being hesitant to wear pajamas to his first Thrill Touch practice in fear of being hazed. Eventually Kevin Miller also stopped playing in Thrill Touch, and then there were three.

How would you say that your sound is evolving?

“Well,” Jake starts in, “It’s really nice just to have us three.” They agree that it’s easier to concentrate on what they’re good at and what they need to fill in. With just three people they have an easier time deciding which direction the song will take. “Our sound evolving is really based on just deciding that three people is enough … because then you don’t have all the colors of the rainbow you have to work with.” Michael mentions how they’ve only been back together making music for about a year, so the question is still a little vague to them. “We don’t restrict ourselves,” Bee says, “And we’re not afraid to explore sounds.” They agree that their sound has a lot to do with trusting each other. They mention one way they began exploring is that they’re dropping their usual instruments for others they don’t normally play.

If 2011 TT met 2017 TT would they get along?

“I think I wouldn’t like me,” Michael laughs a little, “But that’s personal.” Bee thinks that they’d get along, “We still play songs from 2011 … we still listen to the same type of music.”

“I think if we saw them we’d be like ‘aw they’re cute’,” Jake says.

 And if they had their younger perspective meeting the present them? “I’d be like ‘ANOTHER GIRL DRUMMER?!’” Bee says. Jake says that he’d be impressed with how loud only three people could be. Michael says that he probably would have thought that his lyrics were corny, but that he might always think his lyrics are corny.

What is each of your favorite songs off of the new EP and why?

Quickly Bee and Jake agree on ‘On a Boat to carry us Home’. Michael says his is ‘Right’. Jake and Bee like ‘On a Boat to carry us Home’ because of the upbeat energy of the song. Michael shares that he believes ‘Right’ carries the same energy, but a little more subtly. He talks about Jake’s bass playing in the song and how he managed to squeeze in every subtle change of notes while playing.

Which songs are your favorite songs to perform and why?

“It always changes for me,” Jake says. He mentions that he liked playing ‘Oscillations’ when he came back from New York. He explains that it has a lot to do with the memories the songs bring him like writing his bass lines with Michael. “A lot of nostalgia is involved,” Jake says, “But it changes … there are other songs that I like playing more now.” “I can give a definite answer,” Michael says, “…it’s ‘Right’.” He explains how the guitar can be heavy – metaphorically! He says that he never thought the guitar was that interesting and that he never had the intent of playing the guitar. So with ‘Right’ he can interact more with the crowd and he enjoys playing the keyboard. “…my musicality isn’t in an instrument,” Michael says. Bee without hesitation answers, ’Harshness of the Sun’, and Jake agrees. She explains how her way of playing the drums was one way before that song and how that song challenged her to play five different ways. “I felt like at that moment I was like ‘this is how I’m going to drum for now on and forever,” she smiles, “… no matter what I write it has to be as dynamic and different as I did for ‘Harshness’.”  

Trauma l and ll are both written for your friend John, do you guys have any other songs that are written for or about friends?

Michael explains that no songs are directly written for anyone in My God Is Nothing To Run Away From, but that in the past he has written songs for his best friend Carlos. He said that he wanted to express a lot of tender feelings he had for him and a lot of anger at points. ‘Oscillations’ was written for him and the difficulties he and Michael went through because of a boyfriend Carlos was dating at the time. “It goes ‘Been here so long, pardon my intrusion’ – it’s sort of a sarcastic song …” Michael starts explaining the lyrics, “ … when you’re friends with someone and they find someone in their life to sort of …not replace you, but to get the sort of thing that they’re not getting from you it’s kind of a big deal, you know?”  He explains that as young people it’s something we have to deal with; people finding other things in people that they can’t get from you. “It sounds like I’m in love with guy, but I am,” Michael laughs. The remainder of the songs he says are just general observations of people and society.

Can you walk us through a typical Thrill Touch practice?

“Lotta smoke breaks,” Jake laughs. “Show up to my house,” Bee says, “Hug and kiss each other.” “That takes twenty minutes,” Michael adds. “I usually show them stuff, like if I cleaned the garage I’m like ‘Look at this clean garage, guys!’ … and then we’re like ‘Do we want to eat first and then set up or set up first and then eat?’ And then we’re like ‘We should set up first.” “And then we grudgingly set up,” Jake says, “… and then we’re like ‘good job guys’.” “Taco Bell break!” Bee sings. “If Taco Bell wants to sponsor us now is the time,” Jake says. And then they jam for SEVEN HOURS – with small smoke breaks in between. They will practice a certain part of a song for twenty minutes, the entire band claiming that their phones are filled with loop recordings. “A lot of times those parts will just end up being a small part of the song,” Michael says.

Do you see touring in the near future?

“I want to,” Jake says with stars in his eyes. Michael with the same starry eyes, “I want to, too…. But honestly probably not.” They agree that touring won’t be happening anytime soon, but that they will eventually. They talk about how they have a lot going on, but then Michael says, “Well maybe we can just pile it on a weekend.” “Maybe next summer,” Bee says. She explains how time and funds are just not on their side.

You have been described as beautifully orchestrated chaos, would you say that’s true?

They all become joyfully confused and demand to know who said that. “That’s such a nice compliment,” Jake says. “That’s awesome,” Bee agrees. “That’s a wonderful, wonderful thing to say,” Michael smiles. Bee explains how it is a compliment because she’s always being described as a heavy drummer though she doesn’t listen to heavy music herself. In her heart and in her mind she feels as though her music is chaos.

All photography by Hannah Rosabal and interview conducted by Morning Roman. 

[meltedmagazine]

AN INTERVIEW WITH IAN RIDENHOUR

I spent the weekend with alternative rock soloist Ian Ridenhour and his band as they prepared for and performed at Panoply Music Festival in Huntsville, Alabama. Ian took on the main stage of the downtown art festival at 3:45 PM, and was the first performer of the day to play original music. His energetic set lasted until around 5:00 PM. Afterwards, we hung out for a few hours as I photographed him and his recently-added vocalist Rain Lupia on my Nikon F3 Camera with a roll of 400 ISO Kodak gold film. In fact, I took photos of Ian and his band (which comprised of Ian Ridenhour, Rain Lupia, Jameson Ridenhour, James Kylen, and Brennan Dugan) over the span of three days: the Friday before, the Saturday of, and the Sunday after. On Friday, I loaded up my camera with 24 exposures of Holga black and white film and shot relaxation after preparation. After finishing that roll on Saturday morning, I decided to go with my tried and true Kodak gold film. On Sunday, as we drove away from Huntsville and back to our town of Asheville, I kept the gold in my Nikon and shot some frames at rest stops and gas stations.

Who are you?

Some asshole. Naaah I’m Ian Ridenhour. I’m a 16 year-old, Asheville-based musician. I’ve been playing music for about ten years. This is what I’ve always done, this is what I always want to do.

What are your roots? When did you begin writing, playing with a band, and performing?

I was primarily a drummer. At age one and a half or two, I started beating on pots and pans, really more around three I guess. Just pretending to be Mick Fleetwood from Fleetwood Mac. I loved it. For my fourth christmas, my parents got me a drum set and I took off. I played drums all the time, it was my favorite thing to do. When I was around six, my dad decided it would be fun to start playing in a band. My dad and I played as a duo for a while, just doing tiny little shows, and it was more of a novelty than anything else, like “Look at this six year old kid who can play the drums! Isn’t that cool?” And then, at age seven I wrote my first song, which is difficult without a melodic instrument. It’s really really hard. When I wrote that first song I knew I had to learn something else so that I was able to songwrite, as well. It took me forever not just to write it but to explain what was happening in my head. So I taught myself piano at age eight or nine. I fell in love with the piano. And just as a band leader, that’s much easier to write and perform on.  That has become my main instrument recently. We added a saxophone player to the band that my dad and I were in. We called it “Blind Mice”. We played around Bismarck, ND where I was living at the time. Super fun. Later on i was paying with different bands and experimenting more with different combinations of musicians and started working as a solo artist around age 13 or 14.

Right, because you wrote some songs for your first album at that time, around 13 or 14?

Yeah, I recorded the first album in 2014, and the first song off of the album, Along the Lines of Fairytales, I recorded when I was 14 and wrote it when I was 12. It wasn’t the first song I ever released but we’re going to pretend like that first song never existed.

What do you want out of music/ the music industry? What does success look like to you?

Man, it could be a lot of different things. Honestly, right now, I’m just having fun. Music is so much fun, and playing with the people that I play with is just a gift. I feel really truly honored to be able to play with such incredible musicians and have people feel like my music is worth listening to. It feels so good, being on stage feels so good. Ultimately, as long as I’m doing that, I’m going to be happy. The goal is to, y’know, I want to be touring, I want to be playing on a bigger level, for wider audiences across the country and the world. I’ve always wanted to travel with my music. Honestly, the music industry, especially in Asheville, is incredibly kind and welcoming and supportive and I just want to be a part of it. And I’m really happy that I am.

Asheville! What’s the music scene like there?

It’s super kind and compassionate. There are so many talented musicians, and in towns where you’ve got so much talent, it’s hyper competitive. When you get into towns with bigger music scenes, everyone is looking out for themselves. And I can’t really blame them for that, I get it. In Asheville, it’s so not that vibe at all. Everyone is so kind and generous and want s to support each other.I feel like I've said that in three or four different phrasings already, but it’s true! All of the people in the scene here are just the most compassionate people. They’re so willing to accept you into their environment, an take your under their wing. As a younger musician where it’s traditionally much harder to get into venues, and harder to be treated as a professional, it’s a gift to have such a wonderful community around me. And these guys are crazy talented. Asheville is just full of killer players. It’s a blast playing with them.

What bands/artists influence your sound the most?

Like everything? Haha! The obvious comparisons that a lot of people make are Ben Folds, Billy Joel (to a degree). There’s some weirder influences. One of the quotes that we use in press kits is, a friend of mine described my sound as “like Jack White and Ben Folds had a baby”. I listen to a lot of -- honestly it’s harder to describe specific influences and more just things that I listen to. I feel like I try to incorporate little pieces of everything that I listen to into my music. So, The Accidentals, for sure. Elbow is an influence, Fall Out Boy, Panic at The Disco, all of the emo bands that everyone used to listen to. I still listen to them. But they’ve got merit to them. They’ve got interesting songwriting, and that style is something I take from. Even bands like Twenty-One Pilots or whatever. My sound is nothing like them. But lyrically, they’re very interesting. I take from Icarus the Owl, in terms of rhythmic feel. I listen to Alt-J, July Talk, Dead Sara, Wolf Alice, I just try to listen to  a lot of different styles. I listen to--  I’m sure I could go on for hours -- older bands, too, like I grew up on The Police, Rush, and stuff like that. That was definitely an influence.

I saw a guy, in the audience of the band who performed before you at Panoply, who had a Rush T-Shirt on --

Doing all of the air drumming! Dude that was awesome. I love people like that. He was super cool.

Tell us about the “National Public Mother Fucking Radio” sticker on your piano. What does it mean to you?

That was a birthday gift from David LaMotte. It was a birthday show I was playing at the White Horse, and he was guesting on the set. I’m friends with BJ Leiderman who composes a fair amount of the National Public Radio theme songs.  He’s a super cool guy. David is friends with him, and he’s a part of the community. David thought it would be funny to give me that sticker for my birthday. I loved it! I stuck it on my piano. I’m want to get more sticker for my piano. So if you have any cool band stickers and you want to send them my way, anyone who is reading this, please do.

You mentioned the White Horse. Is that your favorite venue or do you have any other venues that you love?

Oh yeah, absolutely. Each venue has its merits, and there’s definitely things that I like about other venues in Asheville but The White Horse has always been a home for me. I live really close to there, I’m really really good friends with the owners, I helped run social media there for a while. The White Horse is so cool. They've got such a welcoming environment. They do so much for the community. They are absolutely incredible. If you’re in Asheville, and the white horse is a bit of a drive, you should still go. It’s worth the drive. It’s a great sounding room. My band sounds the best they ever do in that room.

You recently added another singer, Rain Lupia, to the mix. Why did you decide to incorporate another voice? How’s it been with another vocal performer alongside you?

I have always worked with vocalists. I have always liked working with vocalists. I’ve been doing that since I first started out as a solo artist. I’d have people come in and guest on a couple of tunes, and it was more convenience than anything. I’ve thought about adding harmonies for a while, but I’ve never had a consistent singer to do that because I’ve been working around with other people. But Rain lives close, she knows the music, and she sounds awesome on it. So it was more of a logical step. And it’s great. I love having the backup vocals. It’s great. And I want to add more as we work with her more. It’s really super fun having that extra piece to the band.  

How was Panoply?

It was fun! It was super fun. I had a lot of fun. It was so hot, man it was really hot. But it was fun! Yeah it was not exactly what I expected but I’m not really sure what I expected so that’s not really an accurate reference point. But the crowds were great, the people were really friendly, the art was super cool. It was a lot of fun walking around and seeing everything that was going on. I saw a martial arts display where they were breaking through wooden boards that had “bullying” and “peer pressure” painted on them, which is a cool little touch, I saw a street magician pull a specific card out of a deck with his mouth and fold it over in his mouth, my drummer almost bought a shark on a stick. Outside of the actual festival itself, which was super cool, it was a blast. It was the biggest stage I’ve ever performed on. I was super honored to be there. We’ve never really played festivals before. It was great. I got to perform in front of a lot of my family who had never seen me perform before. My cousin was going to go to a wedding and ditched at the last second because she wanted to see me perform.

That’s dedication. And that’s dedication for you, too. You’re at a point now to where you and your extended family will drive six hours to perform.

Yea! I’ve been out of school for several years now, and this is just what I've always wanted to do. The fact that we get to do it now is just -- well my dad is in the band, my mom is essentially my manager. I don’t think its ever really been a question that if we could do it we would do it. It’s wonderful to have their support, and I’m really grateful that they made the drive. Because, y’know, I’m not driving at all, I’m just sitting in a car for six hours, which is easy for me.I get to sleep! But yeah we’re really committed to this and we want to see it go far.

Do you listen to more tangible means of music, like cassettes, records, or CD’s or are you more of a digital guy?

Y’know, I really am more of a digital guy. I understand the merit of the older stuff, an I’ve always been fascinated by the analog vs. digital argument. Overall, digital is much easier. It allows me to store more music with me at a time. It’s primarily convenience. I just love having my iPod with a ton of music on me. I do most of my recordings for other musicians [who will play in the band]  on my voice memos to just send it over, I’ve got the album on there, which we were listening on the way down [to Panoply] to get familiar with it. We’ve also got CDs, and my family does listen to records in the living room,  which is super fun. I get the appeal of records, it’s a much warmer sound. It provides a good atmosphere, and it’s an experience. Digital music is more . . . it’s anywhere, it’s anytime, it’s more flexible.

An artist, album, or song that makes you feel a heavy dose of nostalgia?

Fall out Boy. I listened to Fall out Boy in my senior year of high school. And that was right before I moved to North Carolina, so it was with all of my friends in North Dakota. It was just a blast hanging out and just blasting Folie à deux. It brings me back to them, and the people that I miss there. Rush.  I grew up listening to Rush. Listening to Rush brings me back, which has its pros and cons. I usually don’t reminisce about my childhood, but it’s cool to be transported back to there.

Based on that, would you call yourself more of a nostalgic guy, or are you more forward-driven?

It’s always been drive forward. Not to be shitting all over your focus on nostalgia, but nostalgia for me just makes me sad. I lived in North Dakota for ten years, and I made a lot of friends there. Still, a lot of that nostalgia is like “aww . . .  I miss those people.” But it’s easier for me to focus on the forward. There’s a lot that’s happening in the near future, and it’s overwhelming if I don’t think about it. Not that nostalgia is bad. I’ll still play Magic the Gathering now and then, and remember “aww. . . I used to do this all the time in high school.”

What’s next for Ian Ridenhour?

After I get back, I've got three shows lined up in the next two weeks, and it’s finals week at UNCA. So shit’s crazy. But it’s fun. I’m going to keep goin’, keep playing shows, I’ve got to look at college tours soon. I’m just sort of seeing where everything takes me. I want to keep booking shows, for sure, and continue to play with people. I don’t know if and when I’m recording again, but I’ve got a lot of new music that I would love to record, so hopefully that’s in the future. We’ll see where it goes.Tune in, to, y’know, my website! It’s just my name. ianridenhour.com

LISTEN TO IAN RIDENHOUR HERE INTERVIEW + PHOTOS by AUDREY KEELIN

[devils-gatemedia]

Kris Barras / Moriaty / Babysnakes The Foundry, Torquay Saturday 2nd March 2019

“Coming Home”

Last year I had the good fortune to witness Kris Barras play Exeter Phoenix. The gig sold out and was a signal that the local lad was starting to knock on the door of the big time.

Now, he is not so much knocking politely as tearing the door down, with a 20 date tour including a disproportionate number in the South West. Usually, we don’t get too many tours down this way, but this was the third in a week. The previous night he had sold out Truro and this gig, at The Foundry, in his home town, represented the biggest headline show yet. So when all 500 tickets sold and the “House Full” signs went up we knew it was going to be something special.

First off, a shout out to the venue! When we arrived, it was a hateful night on the English Riviera. The doors were due to open at 6.30, but opened twenty minutes early to allow us to shelter in the lobby. Why more venues can’t do this, I have no idea. When the inner doors opened I was blown away. A balcony running 360 degrees around the main auditorium meant that the capacity was achieved without any crush. From the band’s point of view, the view from the stage was a vertical wall of people, which must have felt incredible. Sight lines were superb, the sound excellent, and the lighting top notch. More gigs here, please! The South West music scene desperately needs this venue to become a player in order to attract more bands.

Opening the show, and reprising their Phoenix slot, were Babysnakes. The first time I saw them, I found them hard to categorise, but in a good way. A blend of Country and Rock that is infectious and fun, they quickly pull people from the bar. Toes start to tap, heads start to nod, and the party began. Led by acoustic guitar, the sound is mellow and mature.

The band define themselves as “Trucker Rock”, and with their caps and flannel shirts, it is a description that suits them well. Babysnakes were on the verge of something special early in the decade when their album was nominated as “Album Of The Month” by Apple, but went into hiatus, and are only now stepping back out. On a sunny, summer night by the bay, I can imagine them going down a treat, but tonight they took on a different challenge, and warmed up a cold, wet crowd.

Following them on stage, and immediately encountering technical problems, were another local band (or, to be more precise, duo) Moriaty. Despite the lack of working in-ear monitors, they ploughed on and launched into a set of “Filthy Indie Blues”. Standing behind the biggest effect pedal board I have EVER seen, vocalist/guitarist Jordan West moved seamlessly through a myriad of styles, ably accompanied by drummer Matthew Partridge. It was a barrage of fuzz, slide, and frenetic beats, and if any punters were still hanging around the bar area, they weren’t for long! I didn’t get a setlist, but listening to their EP “Pure Filth”, “Pulp Fiction” is a delightfully dark and sleazy piece of stomping blues that is well worth a listen. To finish the set, West vaulted the barrier, guitar in hand, and set up in the middle of the audience and was quickly surrounded, whilst Partridge, ginger hair flying, beat seven shades out of his kit. Great fun!

So to homecoming guitar hero, Mr Kris Barras, and his equally talented band.

Taking the stage to “Rock ‘n’ Roll Runnin’ Thru My Veins”, the slide was on and we were off and running. It was a fairly gentle start to the evening. A track to savour, like a good whiskey. Conversely. “Kick Me Down” is massive. Josiah J Manning’s keys rounding out a huge guitar line, whilst Elliott Blackler and Will Beavis laid down a formidable rhythm. It’s the first solo where Kris Barras really let rip, and was a hint of the fireworks to come.

Things got all honky tonk for “Stitch Me Up”, a song that is impossible to stand still to, and then got sleazy for “I Don’t Owe Nobody Nothing”. The first of the evenings new songs was then given an airing. If “What You Get” is any sort of indication, the new album is going to something truly special.

I cannot describe the size of the smile on my face when Kris Barras introduced the next song. Over Christmas, a video was released that showed Kris and “friends” laying down a version of Led Zep’s “Rock & Roll”. It is a joyous rendition, and I had been crossing everything crossable that it would be on the setlist tonight. Live, it is, if anything, even better. The energy in the room had been high, but as the pace slowly increased, so did the reaction. By the end, any pretence at restraint was long gone, and dancing had broken out wherever you looked. “Propane” slowed the pace down, leading into a technical and skilful drum solo before another new song “Light It Up”, which was filmed for a future accompanying video.

Last time I saw Kris Barras and Co play, I wrote that during “Watching Over Me” I started to feel uncomfortable, and realised that it was because I had forgotten to breathe I was so mesmerised! This time I was prepared… but it happened again! Visibly emotional when he introduced the song and the story behind it, Barras went to a whole different place. It was a heartfelt privilege to be allowed to be a part of it. I was lucky enough to be in the photo pit, and could see the raw emotion on his face being channelled into a simply stunning series of solos.

“Wrong Place Wrong Time”, once again, demonstrated the quality of the musicianship on display as guitar and keyboard fought out a duel of immense quality before introducing their last song, “Hail Mary”. There is an art to setlist design, and I can honestly say that the sequence of these last three songs gives rise to some of the best music you will hear anywhere by any band. Any remaining decorum is thrown out of the window as Kris Barras plays behind his head and then with his teeth before taking the rapturous applause of the shell shocked crowd.

For an encore we get “Lovers And Losers” and a genuine “thanks” to the crowd, which is loudly reciprocated. Catching up with my co-reviewer and a friend on the balcony, they both turned around with huge smiles, saying at the same time, “That was AMAZING!”. It really was.

During the show, Kris announced that the band would be headlining the BMAD festival to add to other already announced appearances. See you there!

Review and images: Rob Wilkins

Kris Barras – The Foundry, Torquay Kris Barras / Moriaty / Babysnakes The Foundry, Torquay Saturday 2nd March 2019 “Coming Home” Last year I had the good fortune to witness Kris Barras play Exeter Phoenix.

[jillmckenzie1]

An Interview with Artist Lauren E. Anthony

I’ve always loved looking at paintings and wondering what was going on in the artist’s mind. What kind of message they wanted to convey. Sometimes it’s simple. A park, some trees, lovely day. But when you get into abstract art, it gets a little trickier. It’s definitely an acquired taste. I personally enjoy the room for interpretation. It gives the viewer a small sense of participation in the beauty. I feel like I connect more with something that takes some time to interpret. This week I had the opportunity to talk to local artist Lauren E. Anthony, who specializes in abstract styles.

JH: So tell me a little bit about your background.

LA: I’m from Denver, born and raised. Went to Catholic school, then Wheat Ridge High.

JH: Did you discover art through school or through family, or just naturally?

LA: I actually never took any art classes until my senior year in high school. I was always drawing, painting, but I never took it seriously. I kind of just used it as an escape. But once more people started noticing my doodles and, honestly Ralph Steadman was a huge push to get more into art and start studying it. Then of course Dali and da Vinci. I went to Greece and Italy and seeing all that made me feel really small next to these gods, you know?

JH: So, you’re mostly self-taught?

LA: I took two semesters of painting in high school and one drawing class in college and as far as professional teaching, that’s the extent.

JH: Is anyone else in your family artistic?

LA: Yeah actually my dad is an artist. He’s a perfectionist and into realism. Very different from what I do. I grew up with twenty-two first cousins and some of them are artists too. I have a cousin who’s a thespian, loves to perform. Another one is a photographer. Very creative family.

JH: How would you describe your overall style?

LA: Definitely abstract. It’s all pretty emotional. It’s a relief to be able to take a canvas and make a mess and get everything out. It’s like how some people find comfort in keeping a journal. It’s cathartic.

JH: Tell me about your typical work space.

LA: It’s whatever I have available. My bedroom is always half art studio. Very messy. I mean you can tell by my art. Lots of splatter. You can see some paint splatter out on my balcony and that was me putting sheets down and actually trying to keep it contained. No matter what it’s always a mess. I can paint pretty much anywhere though. I love painting outside in parks or by rivers. Anytime I’m inside, I hate to see bare walls. It has to have decoration. It has to be colorful. Any room that I have is covered with tapestries and friend’s art.

JH: Do you start a painting with an idea of what you want to make or just let it form as you go?

LA: 95% of the time I just go with it. That’s how I learned, just working on it and if one starts to look weird I just add things and make it go a new direction. Obviously, commission works have to be planned out. Or if I’m doing a realistic painting then I definitely go in with an idea.  But a lot of my work is abstract.  I really like hearing what other people see in my paintings. I never tell people what I see in them.

JH: Do you dabble in any other kinds of art?

LA: Yeah I do photography, drawing, I write poetry. I’ve done a few readings down at the Mercury. I want to start doing some illustrations for a book of my poems. I’m also getting into some cartooning and comic book illustrations.

JH: What kind of contemporary art and artists are you into?

LA: A lot of abstract. Ralph Steadman is definitely my favorite. He did the art for Fear and Loathing. He was a master painter too. He painted really bad ass realistic stuff before he met Thompson. My dad used to work at Morton’s Steakhouse and one night he called me and said, ‘Guess who’s here, Ralph Steadman’ and I was like 19 or 20 and I remember begging him to let me come down and meet him but he was just trying to eat dinner. So, I was bummed but the next day Steadman personally came back and brought me a signed print that says “From one Disneyland to another, for Lauren love Ralph Steadman.” Also honestly I love local artists like Tony Khoel, he does a lot album covers for metal bands. Tim Burton definitely. Anything dark and creepy. I like promiscuous stuff too. I love Georgia O’Keeffe. She didn’t get enough credit but now people see she was radical. I also really like musicians who make creative music videos like CocoRosie. One of them went to school for hip hop and one went to school for opera and they just combined the two for a crazy style. And to me that’s art. It’s not painting or drawing, but it’s still creating something. And of course Dali, you know, everyone loves him.

JH: How could you not love a guy with an infinity mustache walking his pet anteater?

LA: A lot of his sketchbooks weren’t released until years after his death because they had a lot of drawings that were taboo for the time; orgies and homosexuality. But sometimes art and paintings aren’t just about pleasing you, or being pleasing to the eye. Some artists want you to look at their work and feel a certain way. They want you to feel angry or scared or confused or uncomfortable. When they can project that to the viewer I think that’s really cool.

Lauren has a TON of awesome art. Her style is super unique, beautiful, and definitely interesting. She uses a number of different mediums to create varying textures, intricate lines, and abstract designs. Be sure to keep an eye out for more from this talented artist in the future.

from Blog https://ondenver.com/an-interview-with-artist-lauren-e-anthony/

[elijah-loyal]

spreading 'love run' awareness