#they have made me watch marching band videos.

[hauntedpotat]

I'm going to a DCI show tomorrow for marching band bc we do an annual field trip for it, and there was this shirt i wanted from last year's performance that I never managed to get ahold of and now that it's been a year since the tour it's been marked down to $10 :3

I am very happy

[yridenergyridenergy]

The wholesome-ish friendship between Shinya and Kyo

Their latest playful Q&A in Haiiro no Ginka vol. 100 has prompted me to compile examples of this weird but overall wholesome relationship that Kyo and Shinya have and which is not obvious at first.

Situation #1

In October 2017, Kyo gifted Shinya with a custom white version of a MadaraNingen one-piece. As far as I remember, that article of clothing was not available for purchase in white at all, to the public. And of course, we all know that Shinya prefers to wear white.

Situation #2

I think that in response to Shinya sharing a video of him briefly playing with the minicars that were sold as tour goods in This Way to Self-Destruction, Kyo posted a story on Instagram of him revving up a bunch of mini-cars and persistently making them hit his phone propped up on a counter and displaying a picture of Shinya. At age 43. To which Shinya made an Instagram post vaguely hinting that: "Good children should not play with the mini-cars to hit someone's picture!"

Kyo's Instagram Story "The proper way to use mini-cars" video

Shinya's translated response

Situation #3

In late 2022-early 2023, Shinya publicly celebrated his bandmates' birthdays via emojis on Twitter, and Kyo was the only one to respond, in kind.

Situation #4

Kyo posted a cryptic picture of Shinya's video meeting with Mana in an Instagram Story and he has mentioned on Twitter at least once that he was watching Shinya Channel (the making of the FaFa onigiri).

In the same vein, Shinya took his failed attempt at needle-felting a pink bunny in March 2022 and turned it into a miniature hammer-wielding bunny in October 2022, in response to sukekiyo unveiling their Mosaic Shoujo PV which featured Kyo in the killer bunny suit.

Situation #5

This very old video of Kyo teasing Shinya by pinching the side of his dress, Shinya reacting by pushing Kyo a bit and Kyo falling into a robot dance in response.

Situation #6

The coffee maker. In one of the live talks held during the COVID-19 pandemic at concert venues, Shinya mentioned having a coffee maker which was of no use to him, and Kyo expressed interest in taking it from him. Later, in the Galacaa livestream talk between the two, it was revealed that Shinya had promised to give Kyo his coffee maker, but he never pulled through on that offer. Kyo, sporting a doodled face to hide his own, insistently questioned Shinya on this unreliability when the topic was brought up by fans in the comments. Shinya kind of struggled but ended up explaning that the coffee maker was really useless because of a defect, that it would not have been an appropriate gift anymore. But he forgot to update Kyo about it after he tried to contact the manufacturer. Kyo replied like: "Oh, alright then."

At some point, Kyo took the matter to Twitter, confronting Shinya about it with their respective member photos to illustrate the dialogue, and Shinya replied the same way.

Situation #7

In that same livestream, Shinya is so used to Kyo's bullshit by now that he completely ignores Kyo's doodle face sheet and casually leans forward to look past him and at the interviewer, sat on Kyo's right. After a while of this, the interviewer points out to Shinya that Kyo is insistently staring at him with this disturbing face, which is when Shinya becomes startled and nervously laughs upon realizing that, also making Kyo chuckle.

Situation #8

More often than others, Shinya and Kyo are documented chatting on the chairs backstage while they wait for everyone to be ready to start the show. Maybe there's something to be said of how they are the two members of the band to leave the stage the quickest, while Kaoru, Toshiya and Die stay for a while to throw picks.

Situation #9

Miscellaneous pictures of the two:

Situation #10

Apparently it was Shinya's earbuds that Kyo used to play with the cat (also Shinya's?) in this famous old video.

Situation #11

Other interactions on Twitter include commentary regarding the song battles that fans were voting on via that same website, during live broadcasts from their manager Fujieda on Galacaa. Kyo and Shinya were the only two members reacting to the songs that were pulled out of the box, Kyo sometimes replying to Shinya's own tweets wondering what he meant or outright questioning his preference.

Another interaction consisted in Kyo copying Shinya's tweets regarding the release of their Phalaris album and twisting Shinya's cute comments into hellish versions.

Situation #12

Probably a bunch of elusive comments throughout the years, but here's an example of something that Shinya said about Kyo in a magazine interview.

Situation #13

In Haiiro no Ginka vol. 100, the members were asked to send each other member five questions. Some chose to personalize them based on what they actually wanted to ask of the others, while a couple decided to send the same questions to all, but members were not told who the questions came from. Kyo picked up on that anonymous part of the game and when answering Shinya's set of questions, he ended each of his short answers with a second sentence that can either just be the Kansai dialect for: "Aren't you Shinya!", or in other dialects, translates more to: "Shinya, you bastard!" hahah. From what I saw, nobody else hinted at who they thought the questions came from in their answers. In reverse, Kyo took up two of his five alloted questions for Shinya with the simple statement: "You don't know you're dead yet!", a quote from Fist of the North Star which is highly intimidating as it hints that someone has defeated the character so easily and lightning-fast that they are a dead man standing, their body having trouble catching up with the reality that they were slaughtered. Shinya, in response to that repeated tease, stubbornly replies in his polite and formal Japanese that: "No, I'm not dead." Their Q&A with the other members were not nearly that quirky.

Situation #14

At his SERAPH birthday concert in 2023, Shinya said that his three treasures in life are:

DIR EN GREY

SERAPH

sukekiyo

Situation #15

Kyo replying to Shinya's post featuring a very old picture of Kyo (which was however respectfully hidden by Phalarisu-kun) by pulling out the oldest/youngest postcards of Shinya he could find, also commenting to paraphrase Shinya: "Postcards that probably no one has anymore." His own postcard depicting him peeks from underneath.

Shinya replied to that with: "I tried to look for it but couldn't find it 🥺"

Situation #16

On Twitter, Shinya posted a photo with other artists which he explained as: "Yesterday, we had a birthday celebration for everyone born in February and March 🎂 Happy birthday everyone 🎉🎉🎉"

To which Kyo directly replied: "I wasn't invited." (born February 16th)

And Shinya responded with: "The DIR EN GREY guys are a bit mean 🥺"

Kyo never replied to that.

Situation #17

Going to combine two things considering how long ago they were.

Shinya and Kyo were the first members of Dir en grey to meet, and the day right after I posted this compilation happened to be the 28th anniversary of when they first performed together.

There's also an anecdote that, way back then, no one in the band knew how to contact Kyo because none of them had his phone number, but eventually Shinya just casually revealed that he had it all along and said: "Oh I'll just call him"

Situation #18

Shinya and Kyo are the only members who are clearly dog lovers in the band, while Die and Toshiya are part of the cat team. Shinya used to have a dog (chihuahua?) and Kyo now has Pun-cha. Shinya recently wore a sweater with a dog on it.

Situation #19

In a tweet that Kyo has since deleted, he wrote that if there was one grudge he still held, it was that he never appeared on the cover of a Rockin'f magazine. Shinya also wasn't featured, so he added that while he doesn't have a grudge against them, he has declined interviews and comments for a certain magazine after that.

Situation #20

During their European tour 2024, Kyo and Shinya embarked in a playful spat on Twitter, seemingly out of boredom while traveling on the tour bus. It was funny the way it culminated in both of them forcing the other to subscribe to their fan clubs to find out more. On Kyo's side at least, I didn't see anything related to that on kyo-online for real hah.

Situation #21

Shinya took the time to snap a picture of Petit Brabançon playing on the Yunika Vision screens while he was out solving a game, then posting that on Twitter and promoting Petit Brabancon. " I heard Kyo sing while solving a mystery in Shinjuku"

He also made numerous mentions of the Petit Brabancon posters around Gorilla Hall in his video touring that venue:

... Did I miss any? And there will undoubtedly be more to come!

Thank you very much to shinyaburashka, mementoboni, lamenty45 and degtau for your help!

[badnewswhatsleft]

total guitar #160 march 2007 [joe's video]

transcript below cut:

You voted Dance, Dance in at No 57 in TG’s 100 Greatest Riffs, so we managed to collar the dual guitar talents of Fall Out Boy’s Joe Trohman and Patrick Stump to ask them how they write riffs, who they think is the ultimate riff-writing machine and what they deem to be the top five greatest riffs ever written…

Words: Claire Davies, Images: Joby Sessions

When you look at Fall Out Boy or listen to any one of their albums, it’s easy to dismiss them as pop punk scamps who like to mess around on the guitar but don’t take it that seriously. In some respects you’d be right, but singer/guitarist Patrick Stump and his talented co-guitarist Joe Trohman know quite a bit about writing insanely catchy riffs and playing guitar.

Patrick, for instance, doesn’t respect players who wail unnecessarily over a song. “I like restraint in guitarists,” he says. “It’s easy to go overboard and try to be Eddie Van Halen. But here’s the thing: you’re not.” Joe, on the other hand, is completely obsessed with vintage guitars. “I was really into vintage Gibsons, but I just used to break them all the time and it turned out to be kind of expensive. Now I play Washburns ‘cos they have that same wide-neck feel and pickups as some of those 70s Les Pauls.”

One thing they’re both passionate about, however, is writing great riffs and how you - by expanding your musical horizons - can write one with as much groove as Pantera’s Walk…

So guys, why did you choose guitar and when did you start playing?

Joe Trohman: “I started playing guitar because of Metallica. I used to listen to them loads and when my grandma got me the Live Shit: Binge And Purge video I couldn’t stop watching it. I used to play viola and trombone in my school band, but watching bands like Metallica and Smashing Pumpkins made me wanna play guitar. From the moment I got a cheap $50 guitar, I played it all the time.”

Patrick Stump: “I chose drums to begin with, but my dad was a folk singer in the 70s so he always had a guitar lying around. I’d mess around and write songs on it, but I never fancied myself as much of a player. When the band started I ended up singing, even though I was supposed to be a drummer. Then one of our guitarists quit, I had to fill in and it went from there.”

When you were starting out, which guitarists influenced you?

Joe: “Kirk Hammett and Dimebag had a huge impact on me, as did Billy Corgan. I was into a lot of lead players, I guess, but as I got older I realised how important it was to play rhythm as well. People don’t realise how good a rhythm player James Hetfield is. I also love Johnny Marr, who has probably been my biggest influence so far.”

Patrick: “I’m not a huge Stones fan, but I appreciate Keith Richards’ playing ‘cos it’s all about his riffs. Outside of that, my favourite shit as a guitar player is funk; everyone from James Brown to Prince. I also love jazz player Joe Pass, who is one of the only people good enough to noodle on guitar, and Jesse Johnson who was in a band called The Time from the Prince movie Purple Rain. My favourite solo of his is just one note, but the crazy shit he does with that one note is unreal.”

Moving on to riff-writing, how would you describe a guitar riff?

Joe: “It’s a cool guitar part that catches you instantly. It’s something you can play over and over without it losing its edge.”

Patrick: “Yeah, it’s four bars that are simple and that grab you immediately, like the riff from Janet Jackson’s Black Cat. I think a good riff comes down to a good rhythm section. When you look at a guy like Dimebag, he always got right in there with the bass and drums. Pantera were built on a groove as strong and simple as any R&B groove.”

Joe: “Yeah, Walk has to be one of the simplest riffs ever but it grooves, and that’s what matters: what you do with the riff and how much it grooves.”

So how do you come up with riffs, such as the one on Dance, Dance?

Patrick: “We just fuck around until we come up with something. You’ll come up with a gazillion riffs when trying stuff out, but every so often something will jump in front of you. Once you’ve got your four bars, stuff will start happening. With Dance, Dance I was just sitting in the van and we were all talking about The Cure, and I had this idea of a Cure bass line that they never wrote, which ended up being the riff in Dance Dance.”

What’s the best riff you’ve written?

Patrick: “I really like the riff on Of All The Gin Joints. But The Take Over, The Breaks Over from our new record [Infinity On High] is easily one of our best riffs. I wrote it after reading something Bowie said: that he was sitting around one day and decided that he really wanted to write a riff like Keith Richards did. So he wrote Rebel Rebel. After reading that I thought, ‘Fuck! I wanna do that!’”

What, in your opinion, makes a kick-ass riff?

Joe: “A great riff comes from being part of the rhythm and acknowledging that you’re not gonna produce something totally original. You should listen to loads of different music and put your own spin on it. Like on our last album we wrote a riff that was like Panama by Van Halen. We’ve obviously taken influence from them on that song, but we’re not ripping them off wholesale. Instead it’s like paying homage to them.”

Patrick: “When you’re writing a riff you’re part of the rhythm section and you keep up the tempo and rhythm as if you were the drummer. You have stabs as though you were the snare drum and you’re hitting low notes as though you’re the bass drum, but you’re also controlling the melody. At the end of the day, a riff is something that you can hum and it’s a rhythm you can play on drums. If you have both those qualities in your riff then you’re onto something good.”

What do you think are the Top Five greatest riffs ever written?

Joe: “I love the start of This Charming Man by The Smiths, and Black In Black by AC/DC. Walk by Pantera is probably one of the best riffs ever, same as Battery by Metallica, but if you can’t do triplets and haven’t got tons of stamina then it’s hard to play. I also love South Of Heaven by Slayer just ‘cos it’s so evil sounding.”

Patrick: “Satisfaction by The Stones is the be-all and end-all of riffs. I’d also go for Rebel Rebel by David Bowie, Janet Jackson’s Black Cat, the second section of Bohemian Rhapsody and Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath. That one riff alone changed metal as we know it. I also wanna throw in Owner Of A Lonely Heart by Yes ‘cos it’s a great example of having really talented guitarists who still keep it simple.”

Who do you think is the ultimate riff-writing machine?

Joe: “I’d go with Randy Rhoads, just ‘cos I love that riff in Crazy Train. That guy was a genius.”

Patrick: “Angus and Malcolm Young have written so many phenomenal riffs that you can’t do any better than those guys. But I come from an R&B background so I wanna say Prince, just ‘cos Let’s Go Crazy is so awesome. And I also wanna know who wrote the riff to Michael Jackson’s Beat It [TG mentions it was session musician and Toto guitarist Steve Lukather]. Was it Lukather? Yeah, of course it was: he played the riff and Eddie Van Halen played the solo. I wonder why Lukather doesn’t get more recognition? Now you’ve mentioned Lukather, I wanna change one of my Top Five riffs to Toto’s Hold The Line, ‘cos that’s one of my favourite riffs ever!”

How did you approach the guitars on your new album, Infinity On High?

Patrick: “We’re both playing a lot more rhythm on this record, but if there is lead then it’s in much more of a BB King way where there’s a call and response.”

Joe: “My favourite thing about the guitars on our new songs is that I can ad-lib when we’re playing live. I know scales well enough and understand the fretboard well enough to do that. I could never tell you what key something is in, but in my head I know what it is. The cool thing about being in this band is that Patrick and I play guitar really well together, and I’ve learned a lot from watching Patrick and playing guitar with him.”

So can we expect a lot of guitar interplay from you on this album?

Joe: “Patrick also plays piano on this album, so he’s not always on guitar, but we split up a lot of the guitar playing. There’s a solo on The Take Over, The Breaks Over that we split in half when playing live, even though on the record it was done by Chad from New Found Glory and Ryan from Panic! At The Disco. We thought it was cooler to have guest guitarists than guest vocalists. So yeah, we split a lot of the guitar stuff up and switched between rhythm and lead. The weird thing is that I’m always pegged as the lead guitarist of the band, but we always switch back and forth.”

Patrick: “I think in general, I play a lot of the single-note leads and Joe plays a lot of the octave and chord leads.”

Which tracks on the new album best exemplify you guys as guitarists?

Patrick: “The end solo of Don’t You Know Who I Think I Am? Is how I love to solo. It’s real bluesy, which is what I’m about as a player. I’d also say the solo on You’re Crashing But You’re No Wave.”

Joe: “Yeah, that one had a lot of Johnny Marr filler guitar in there, and also Don’t You Know Who I Think I Am? It's filler guitar that doesn’t really jump out at you, but it’s atmospheric and it changes the vibe without you really knowing it.”

Finally, how proud are you as guitarists of your new album?

Patrick: “This is my favourite record because it’s restrained and funny. It’s basic rhythm playing, which is my favourite kind of guitar playing. I’m much happier playing a strong riff 100 times over than playing a kick-ass solo once. We do have kick-ass solos, but the way we write doesn’t always leave that much room for them.”

Joe: “I learned from playing on this album that I don’t need to play solos all the time. I’m proud of the record and proud of the cool riffs and songs that we’ve written together.”

Patrick: “I’m less impressed when someone shows off, and on this record we don’t show off a lot so obviously you should be impressed… I’m kidding!”

[aois-amaterasu-painting]

Gekirock interview excerpt (March 2017)

[...]

Interviewer: Regarding TRACES VOL.2, what aspects did you focus on, RUKI?

RUKI: When we recorded the old songs back then, I tended to be too stiff—there wasn’t much sense of wabi-sabi or contrast in dynamics. This time, I tried to sing more naturally. Since these are songs we’ve performed live, the phrasing is closer to how I sing them in concerts. Also, during the recording, I made adjustments on the spot, like changing how a song ends or how much to stretch certain notes.

Interviewer: It sounds like those are things you can do now because your skills have improved. Do you feel your singing has developed significantly compared to before?

RUKI: Hmm, it depends on the era. Listening to the old recordings, I notice that in the early days, my vocal delivery often felt stronger than what the lyrics called for. Sometimes the imagery in my head was softer, but I ended up singing more forcefully. The pitch at the end of lines was also a bit imprecise back then.

Interviewer: In “Taion,” the previously English lyrics have been changed to Japanese.

RUKI: The meaning remains the same, but a direct translation of the original English would have sounded a bit harsh. So, I adjusted the wording to align better visually and contextually, like adding phrases such as “How many shadows stretch?” or “How many hands reach out?” Those parts were written to serve as hooks. The arrangement has also been almost completely reworked.

Interviewer: With the release of TRACES VOL.2 and the 15th-anniversary concert, Dainippon Itan Geisha “Bōdōku Gudon no Sakura” at Yoyogi National Gymnasium on March 10, you invited fans to submit setlist requests. What was the response like? Were there any surprising choices?

RUKI: I didn’t find anything particularly surprising.

AOI: Since we were working on a ballad best-of album, there were songs I wanted to perform, but they were all at the bottom of the list. Like “Ito.”

URUHA, REITA, & KAI: Ah! I want “Ito!” too!

Interviewer: Is that so?! The re-recorded version of "Ito" is incredibly cool. Once it’s released, don’t you think the requests might change?

RUKI: I think it'll change.

AOI: But by then it'll be too late (laughs).

REITA: By the way, I voted for “Ito.”

URUHA: Don’t vote (laughs).

Interviewer: As you approach your 15th anniversary, how do you feel? Do you feel it sinking in?

URUHA: It feels like it just crept up on us.

AOI: There were problems and crises along the way, but looking back now, it went by quickly.

Interviewer: Do you feel you've grown in any way?

AOI: As a band, we've learned to do so much. Of course, in terms of music, but also with things like video production. But because of that, I think it's going to be a pain from now on.

Interviewer: Troublesome? How so?

AOI: Each task takes a lot of time. But there’s also enjoyment in that. This recording process was long, but it wasn’t as grueling as I thought it’d be, it ended up being enjoyable.

Interviewer: Do you notice any changes in your mindset?

AOI: Not much has changed. Or rather, I don’t think it can change. It’s probably because we don’t really interact with anyone outside of the five of us. Except for a few other people, we mostly see just each other, so there isn’t much opportunity for change. Well, unless they’re meeting people without me knowing (laughs).

RUKI, URUHA, REITA, KAI: (laughs)

Interviewer: When I watched your Halloween live show or have opportunities like this to interview you, I really get the sense that you all have such a strong bond. I think that kind of atmosphere always comes through to your fans and is a big reason for your popularity. For example, even when watching idol groups on TV, you can kind of tell if they get along or not.

RUKI: This band is very serious. Even when something is tedious or difficult, if it needs to be done, we’ll do it properly. We’ve been getting more serious over time, taking more responsibility for what we create and put out. I have a lot of confidence in this band. I feel like if we keep moving forward the way we are, we’ll undoubtedly secure a solid position for ourselves. It’s not necessarily about popularity. It’s more about the certainty that we’ll remain in a great place as a band.

Interviewer: On social media, you said you have a vision for the kind of music you want to create 10 years from now— far in the future.

RUKI: That’s for when we’re old men (laughs). So, the songs that can wait until we’re old, we’re not going to make them now.

Interviewer: RUKI, your rebellious spirit really comes across. Do all of you share that feeling?

RUKI: I think everyone feels the same. Our default is to start from a place of skepticism.

REITA: (immediately) Yeah!!!

RUKI: I think that’s really important.

Interviewer: Hmm, maybe that kind of attitude works well for people who are in a band or creating something to share with the world.

RUKI: I think so. That stubbornness naturally gives off this vibe of "not following the crowd" or being less sociable (laughs).

REITA: Well, people tend to think the GazettE is a unique band, but honestly, I feel like we’re a band that’s right in the middle of it all. It’s like everything is an enemy, and we refuse to conform. I think that approach has worked well for us. Even if it means no one’s there to help us when something happens (laughs).

Interviewer: I see.

REITA: Well, even if something happens, as long as it’s the five of us, we’ll manage. Like, when we performed at Tokyo Dome, afterward, the five of us just sat in an izakaya and talked. It feels odd to say it myself, but over these 15 years, I think the bond between us has become something unshakable. Now it’s just about figuring out how to beat everyone around us.

Interviewer: Are you including your seniors in the industry?

REITA: Of course.

Everyone: Ohhh!!!

RUKI: He said it (laughs).

AOI: Well, we don’t really have seniors or juniors anyway.

REITA: Yeah, we don’t (laughs).

Interviewer: What about you, URUHA?

URUHA: Even after all this time, my love for music hasn’t faded. What I can do and what we can do as a band is limited, but I’m grateful to have members who cover for the things I can’t do. It’s because of that supportive environment that we’re able to keep creating music. Having that mindset lets me focus on the things I enjoy. Not every band has this kind of environment, which makes me even more determined to protect what we have.

Interviewer: KAI, how do you feel about reaching your 15th anniversary?

KAI: These 15 years feel like they’ve gone by in the blink of an eye. But I do feel more of a sense now that, “Wow, we’ve been doing this for 15 years.” In the past, I would’ve just said, “It flew by! The past is the past!” and moved on, but that’s not how I feel anymore. Now, I can genuinely celebrate it and look forward to what’s ahead. I also know for sure that the five of us aren’t going to change. I just want to enjoy this 15th anniversary year together with our fans.

Interviewer: By the way, in what ways do you feel the music scene has changed in the last 15 years?

REITA: One thing I’ve noticed is that tunings have dropped significantly.

Interviewer: Even in the visual kei scene, it feels like loud, heavy bands have become central to the sound.

RUKI: But it feels like they’re already hitting a ceiling with that. Jumping on the bandwagon of every trend is not a good thing.

KAI: For better or worse, there were a lot more bands with distinct individuality back in the day.

RUKI: That’s true.

KAI: There were more bands that stuck to their roots, you know? For better or for worse.

RUKI: You know, seeing it like that might mean we’re old (laughs).

REITA: Not being able to recognize the individuality in younger bands is definitely an old person thing (laughs).

Everyone: (bursts out laughing)

RUKI: It’s when they say, “Kids these days…”

URUHA: Or, “Back in my day, things were so much better!”

RUKI: But when you actually listen to the old music now, it feels kinda... rough (laughs).

Interviewer: Rough? What do you mean?

RUKI: Even in the way the bands played back then. But, I’ve never particularly liked bands just because they were technically skilled. It’s never been about anything like that for me.

Interviewer: Lastly, can you share anything about what’s next for the band?

RUKI: We have additional shows scheduled. That’s all we can say for now.

[mrmathmanwr]

When you get this, list 5 songs you like to listen to, publish. Then, send this to 10 of your favorite followers 💌^.^

God, uhhh, it changes by the day. Even now one of these songs is from LITERALLY TODAY, and most the rest are from within the past few months.

Okay, starting from 5, going to my most favorite at 1.

Number 5: Castaway by The Vanished People. I know nothing of this band, just found this song today, but HOLY SHIT. So good, give it a listen.

Next, after that, Number 4: You'll Never Find by Lou Rawls. I am a sucker for swing, crooner, jazz, yada yada, who isn't? Although not exactly any of those, and probably a completely distinct catagory, this song steals my heart.

First two were easy, kinda just coming off the top of my head as "damn I love those songs." Now it gets hard.

Number three, gotta go to: Kiss On My List by Hall and Oates. Hall and Oates have a litany of amazing tracks, but short of some of their other most popular picks, this is my favorite.

To be honest, 3 was the hardest because there are SO MANY songs I adore, but I had to choose something to put there because 1 and 2 are set in stone for me.

Speaking of, Number Two: One Day by Lovejoy. This band has gotten me through shit, whenever I need to get things done, Lovejoy is my first choice, and One Day is my favorite of all their songs. Some of their other choices are close contenders, like Golden Hour, or It's Futile, but they don't have the same sorta "release" One Day does. It's liberating.

The app buffered when I loaded back in and it scared the shit outta me, thought I'd have to retype this all.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Most of Inabakumori's catalouge, namely Lagtrain, Sinktank, Hello Marinia, and Post Shelter. A LOT of Ado, Usseewa ofc, but also Controversy, Ashura-Chan, and so many more. Lots of Will Stetson covers, Goodbye Sengen, Matsuri, Night Dancer. Some Correspondents somgs, Alarm Call, Inexplicable, Well Measured Vice, Fear and Delight. Lastly, ofc, a lot of the InuYasha OST, wouldn't be one of my posts without it. To be specific, Ending 2, Fukai Mori by Do As Infinity, and Hanyou Lullaby.

Now, for my NUMBER ONE PICK. MY CURRENT MOST FAVORITE SONG.

Number One: Cult. by Natori.

BEJWJEJEJJSIRJEJDIF. I don't even know what to say. It is such a liberating song, and I feel as though it were made just for me. Like so many songs I adore, it's mainly because of the lyrics and themes. The thoughts of wasting your youth, of struggling under the fear of others' gaze, lacking the knowledge of who you are, just RJTBEJFIBRJRIR. And the fact it doesn't mellow in that depression, it rises out of it. He sings of becoming who he is, doing what he wants, even if he's "Mocked for being arrogant." "That's just who I am," as the translation goes. It's a hopeful song I adore, as I feel it is the song Natori put the most Soul into. He has other amazing songs, Love-Song, Friday Night, Absolute Zero, Overdose, the list goes on, he is undeniably talented and this is far from his most popular song. But especially watching the music video, you can tell this one is the MOST personal. This is a song about HIM. Saying "Fuck it all" and doing what he wanted, despite those who judge him, fighting against the march of time painting over youth, salvaging what he has left to set himself up to be who HE wants. It is such an amazing song, and I relate to it heavily, mainly because I suffer from much of the same feelings he did. Feeling your youth was wasted or otherwise non-existant, wearing a mask so long it becomes you, but also the wish, the ACTION, of fighting against this, becoming that you, in which you wish to be, that you don't know what is. It's something I aspire to. God, Natori is a genius and I love him and his music.

anyways that was my top 5, it'll probs be totally different in four months, except for maybe Cult. and One Day. This is actually my second ever ask, and tbh the reason I never answered my first is because I'm an awkward bitch. Hope you enjoyed, hope I gave some good music recommendations.

[ooapple-greaseoo]

Thundering Drums

I don't know how to feel right now. I haven't ever been a big KISS fan because I was born in 2006 and never felt a strong connection with the band. I didn't know any songs besides "I was made for loving you" and I didn't even know any of the band members names. However, now as of March 2024 I learned more about KISS not because of the band but because of a person who was in the band. The first band members name i ever learned was Eric Carr's name. I guess much like other people they felt a connection with him. I felt that when i started watching videos of him goofing off (I wasn't even listening to any of the music he made/helped make. I was purely just watching for who he was as a person). I don't feel that type of connection with any other band members like you won't be seeing me actively reading a Gene Simmons biography because I want too. Eric Carr just seemed so human. He was such a good guy and I may not have met him but hearing stories about him...I kinda miss the guy you know? How could I miss someone I never had the chance to meet? Even as I'm sitting here crying while writing this every so often glancing at the picture of Eric Carr on the face of my own copy of "The Eric Carr Story" I feel like I need to make this post. I wrote this type of post before I read the book but it sadly got deleted. However, after reading the book in basically one day I feel compelled to rewrite it to get my own emotions and feelings out. One thing I wrote in the previous post that stood out was that I said I felt empty. I get like that sometimes when I get so vested into a person its like I lose a part of myself. So I was feeling very hollow before I read the book. But now after reading the book I feel like I gave that part of myself to Eric Carr and he sorta handed me back this piece of hope and confidence to keep going with my life to strive for better things. I think for me at least Eric Carr is the best drummer in the world not just for his skill but also for who he was as a person. He is definitely one of my role models now to strive to be remembered as someone who did something. I don't cry a lot it's not who I am but when i read the book and write this post I'm crying. It really shows how in such little of a time that I've learned of Eric Carr how much he grew on me and influenced me. I'm very glad I had the chance to learn about him through the people who loved him like his family, Carrie Stevens, and the many people who befriended him. I hope no one forgets who he was and what he's done for everyone.

Keep Rock n Rollin, Izzy

Shout out to @spacefoxy and many other fans for posting so much amazing Eric Carr content. I think it helps a lot of people in many different ways.

P.S I won't speak on my own feelings of KISS the band and who they are now and what they did while Eric Carr was sick and dying. But I hope their happy because I think at the end of the day Eric would have wanted them to be happy too.

"But this too is true: stories can save us."- Tim O'brien (The Things They Carried)

[beheba8]

since one direction came into my life, every version of me that has existed has loved them.

at 12, i only knew the words to one thing. at 15, i got to introduce the same song to my 6 year old brother at the time who loved it so much that he would constantly make me play it on my tablet and we would jam out together. it is a core memory of mine.

and not long after, i was watching “one direction funny moments” compilations till early hours of the morning, i was so hooked.

at 14, “1D” was spray painted in massive font on my bedroom door. how i got away with putting straight up black paint on a wooden door is beyond me, but remnants of that sign exist to this day in my childhood bedroom. the same bedroom where, for 4 beautiful years, i got to build a sense of self, and get into a lot of fights on the internet, thanks to these five men.

anyone who knows me irl will tell you that to this day, even as a 25 year old college graduate, i credit my understanding of the english language to the fact that i read a lot (and i truly mean a LOT) of one direction fanfiction on wattpad. before watching your favourite concerts on a grainy livestream was a thing, teenage me was getting up at unholy hours to go on youtube and watch every single concert video from the night before. and not only did i follow OTRA from the other side of the world, i stayed in bed for 7 hours straight on 1D day.

i sobbed for hours upon hours in March of 2015, and then again for their last tour stop at Sheffield, and one more time after their performance of History on X-factor. sadness came to me easily- it was the only plausible way to feel in times like these.

i can’t say the same for myself today. i was at my desk at work, doing something on excel for a project, when i got a text from my friend, yelling at me in all caps that a member of one direction- the band that i love so dearly that even at my grown age i refuse to discuss in front of people who know me in real life because they simply won’t get it- has died. my heart sank to the floor, and i couldn’t believe that i’m meant to go about my work day as if everything is normal.

liam’s death made me dissociate from real life from the minute i heard to about ten minutes ago when i started typing this out. knowing and understanding the one direction fandom means that i knew instantly that the public noise surrounding this news will be vapid and abhorrent- especially for his victims who have been courageous enough to speak out about the abuse they have been put through by this man. the exhaustion i felt when i logged onto twitter on the 16th, from the god awful things people were putting out into the world with no regard for the very real people who are being affected by his death, is unfortunately as eerily close to 2013-2015 as i have ever felt.

much like 2013-2015, though, i couldn’t do anything but keep going on twitter. seeing posts from long dead 1D stan accounts who were the only people who could understand the deep confusion and sadness that i was feeling. my timeline hasn’t been this inundated with pure one direction content in many many years, and these were the only people who made me feel less alone. og directions, who have for a while now stopped being a supporter of liam payne for the terrible things he has done since the band’s dissolution, are the only ones who know how confusing this grief has felt.

and then came the joint statement, signed in order of oldest to youngest, from louis, zayn, niall, and harry, and their tributes to one of the 5 (now 4) people in the world who lived through the phenomenon that changed the course of music history for the rest of time. the versions of liam that each of them chose to share with the rest of the world, their love for him, and even the regrets that came from the distance that grew between them- that hurt me more than my own sorrow. at the end of the day, you can’t really take the parasocial obsession out of the teenage girl who lives in me.

i’m sad that in the wake of his death, those he has harmed are going to be unfairly and unjustifiably blamed by the insufferable people who refuse to accept that death does not absolve someone of their wrongdoings.

i’m sad over the loss of a human life, and the loss of the version of one direction- the ot5 version- that is now gone forever. the same one direction that gave me so much joy, helped me through unspeakable pain, and will mean so much to me for as long as i am alive.

[sp00ked-banshee]

Hi, first of all, I loved your Heather x reader headcanons SO much!!!!!!

Thank you for writing it!!!

Can I ask for a part 2?

Like an AU where Heather survives to the mall massacre, and her and the reader ends up being part of Sam and Deena group to stop the killers?

That would heal me!!!!!!

OF COURSE!! I've always though Heather would've made a great final girl with Deena and Sam since so many of the other important side characters get killed off-

I hope you enjoy!

Survival

The shock she would be in after not only having Ryan try and kill her but wash him die above her-

I'd say she takes plenty of time off from school and work but, Shadyside doesn't have that much empathy, so she only gets a day off.

I don't think they mention if she's in marching band or any sports but pulling a page from Robin's book let's just say she is.

Would sneak you onto the bus with her when they're all heading to the Memorial thing. That's probably where she interacts with Deena, Simon, and Kate.

You'd be arguing with them about "The Witch". Your girlfriend was attacked by one of her friends AND had to watch him die, the reality of this shitty town isn't because of some scary story for kids.

She'd probably blow up at them if they kept talking.

"SHUT UP....You didn't know him, no one that keeps talking about it did! He was just a weird guy into video games and horror he wouldn't just try and kill people for something stupid like 'serial killer fame'...."

After the memorial and the car accident you two wouldn't seen anyone from the group till the next night or so.

Skull Face/Ryan showing up out her windows after he goes to Deena's would be the reason you're out walking to her house.

Her house is near the one Kate is babysitting at so when you see the group plus a Sunnyvale girl running in the street away from something they just kind of run with you into her house.

You and her are still pissed when Josh keeps bringing up "The Witch" and her supposed lore.

"So we're just supposed to believe a mad ghost from the witch trials hates everyone living in them town?" "Well I mean is it easier to believe ghosts or dead people coming back to life?"

She's read and seen enough horror content to know that going to the high school is a horrible idea.

She and you are waiting at the store when everything goes down.

Skull Face was after you and Heather. Pulling you away from her about to cut you open, only for Kate to ram into him letting you and Heather get away.

After watching the killers disappear after Sam momentarily died it's just fear and sadness left.

Heather and you join Deena and the others from that night in doing a small personal memorial for them that same night.

You two spend the rest of the night into early morning attached at the hip in Heather's room.

Having to see Ryan again after what happened, and watching Simon and Kate get brutally murdered was something that would probably never leave the minds of you two. Especially when Kate died saving you.

Heather was even more jumpy than the night at the mall, she'd hold in a scream when the phone started ringing non-stop.

You two head downstairs to answer hand in hand.

"Watkins residence..... what do you want?"

"C. Burman is still alive.... And...And something is wrong with Sam..."

Heather starts tearing up hearing Deena through the phone next to you.

"It's not over..."

AHHHH-I hope you guys like this!! I was originally going to post a Scream request I'm working on but it is taking a little longer than expected so I wanted to post this for tonight since I did say I'd post tonight- So to whoever requested Scream I'm sorry for the delay!!

[l0veisyona]

Nastyona - who are they, what happened?

thought i'd make a little post to share my love for them!

Nastyona is a Korean indie band from the 2000s who are now inactive. the group was started by lead singer/Keyboardist Yona(요나),guitarist Hojin(호진),bassist Dong-jun(동준), and drummer Yong-jin(용진) in Pusan, Korea in March, 2002. they released 3 albums.

the first album is "bye bye my sweet honey" which was first released in 2004! however, i believe its the least popular. the second album is "another secret" which released in 2008. i actually am a little confused about the third one to be honest :,) i cant find its name anywhere, or maybe im blind. i did find what i believe is its Korean name though! 아홉가지 기분, which roughly translates to "nine moods."

the band changed bassists from Dong-jun(동준) -> Tae-hyuk(태혁)! not sure exactly when, but they did. all the other members remained the same.

currently, you can find them on spotify, but they only have the second album on there :( theres a few fan uploaded songs tho!

the band stopped making music and performing around 2010 i'd say. nobody really knows what happened, but many believe they disbanded to go their own ways in the musical industry.

yona, lead singer and keyboardist, made a few solo songs though! you can find 3 of them on spotify. "undo", "redo", both on an account called "yona" and "dont die" which is on the nastyona account.

she also produced and wrote the soundtrack for a Korean short film called "padak"! the songs are really cool. i havent watched the film, but it is written to be horror, so be aware!

she also has an instagram account named "loveisyona" although she only posts her dog, plants, and flowers. theyre really sweet pictures.

Yim Tae Hyuck, the bassist, also apparently produces music now too! i cant find them all, but ive found at least one of his songs. they dont have the same feeling as nastyona songs though, so be aware of that!

currently, i cant find anything about hojin, though. i'm sure hes doing something but i cant find it, so let me know if you do!

thats basically all my information about them! you can find videos of their concerts and practices on youtube, too. its really nice!

if you like nastyona, you may like a korean band called MOT! they have very very very cool music. theyre basically unknown. they actually opened for nastyona at a concert before im pretty sure

follow me if you like nastyona..

[black-arcana]

Watch: KORN Joined By EVANESCENCE's AMY LEE For 'Freak On A Leash' Performance At Los Angeles's BMO Stadium

In celebration of their milestone 30th anniversary, KORN performed a once-in-a-lifetime show at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 5. This one-night-only performance featured special guests EVANESCENCE, GOJIRA, DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY, SPIRITBOX and VENDED.

KORN's setlist for the concert was as follows:

01. Here To Stay 02. Dead Bodies Everywhere 03. Got The Life 04. A.D.I.D.A.S. 05. Coming Undone 06. Good God 07. Start The Healing 08. Somebody Someone 09. Blind 10. Ball Tongue 11. Clown 12. Shoots And Ladders 13. Helmet In The Bush 14. Twist 15. It's On! 16. Make Me Bad 17. Y'All Want A Single

Encore:

18. Falling Away From Me 19. Oildale (Leave Me Alone) 20. Freak On A Leash (with Amy Lee)

Fan-filmed video of the "Freak On A Leash" performance, featuring a guest appearance by EVANESCENCE's Amy Lee, can be seen below.

KORN kicked off its summer/fall 2024 North American tour on September 12 at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida. The band's 18-song setlist, which is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of KORN's debut album, included "Oildale" mostly the band's 2010 LP "Korn III: Remember Who You Are" and "Hey Daddy", a track from KORN's 1999 album "Issues" which had only ever previously been performed almost 25 years ago.

The rock cultural icons' 25-date Live Nation-produced trek featuring special guests, Grammy-nominated band GOJIRA and Canadian heavy metal group SPIRITBOX, will wrap up in St. Paul, Minnesota at Xcel Energy Center on October 27.

When the BMO show was first announced in March, KORN singer Jonathan Davis said in a statement: "Reflecting on thirty years of KORN fills me with such immense gratitude for our journey, the growth we've experienced, and the incredible bond we share with our fans. It's humbling to see how our music has touched so many lives across the globe. From our small club beginnings to now headlining stadiums, it's been an unforgettable ride, and we owe it all to our amazing, undying, loyal community that's made it possible. I'm really looking forward to this incredible night to celebrate together."

KORN changed the world with the release of their self-titled debut album in 1994. It was a record that would pioneer a genre, and blur others-leading into a larger cultural movement. Since forming, KORN has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, collected two Grammys, toured the world countless times, and set many records in the process that will likely never be surpassed. KORN has continued to push the limits of the rock, alternative and metal genres, while remaining a pillar of influence for legions of fans, and generations of artists around the globe.

The level of KORN's reach transcends accolades and platinum certifications. They are "a genuine movement in a way bands cannot be now," attests The Ringer. They represent a new archetype and radical innovation, their ability to transcend genre makes barriers seem irrelevant.

In a March 2024 interview with the WSOU 89.5 FM radio station, KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to the band's 2022 album "Requiem". He said: "Well, I'll just say, yes, we are passionately and intensely working on new music. We're a little bit behind. We've been really digging deep into sounds and tones and miking techniques and just really focusing on every aspect of just the miking and the sonic levels of everything because… I love the last few records we've done in the last 10 years, but I think — I just have something in me that thinks we could beat the tones. I love the songs that we've done, but tone-wise I feel like we can beat it. So we're spending a lot more time on this new music, we're spending a lot more money [chuckles], and we don't have any record label involved, so it's all coming from us. And we really want to dissect our sound and remember where we came from and how we did it back then. And having a vintage KORN feel with a modern twist — sonically, I'm talking about. So it's very intense. The songs are amazing. I'm very proud of it. I feel like we are closer than we've ever been in the studio. And Jonathan [Davis, KORN singer] has been there every day."

According to Welch, he and his KORN bandmates are working on new music "off and on. We'll work for — I don't know — a couple of weeks. Then I won't see [Jonathan] for a month or two," he explained. "But it's starting to pick up now because we wanna put new music out. We're a little bit behind, but we're very proud of what we're doing. And we can't wait for people to hear it."

Regarding the musical direction of the new KORN material, Brian said: "I think it's the best and heaviest KORN stuff in years. And I think it's gonna be raw and just kind of more basic, as far as sound and recording and everything. I don't wanna give it all away, but we're just very, very pleased with where we're at right now."

Welch — who rejoined KORN more than a decade ago, eight years after leaving the band and at the same time announcing that he kicked his addictions to drugs and alcohol by becoming a born-again Christian — also clarified that he and the rest of KORN "haven't started recording" the band's next album "yet, but we're very passionately heading toward that direction. And we can't wait for everybody to hear it."

KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu announced in June 2021 that he would sit out the band's tour in order to "heal" after "falling back" on some of his "bad habits." He has since been replaced on the road by SUICIDAL TENDENCIES bassist Roberto "Ra" Díaz.

Released in February 2022, "Requiem", which was produced by Chris Collier and KORN, entered Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart at No. 1. The band sold 23,000 equivalent album units in the February 4-10, 2022 tracking week, according to Billboard. Of that sum, 20,000 units were from album sales. "Requiem" also landed at No. 2 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts. On the all-format Billboard 200, it arrived at No. 14.

Despite the fact that he hasn't performed with his KORN bandmates for more than three years, Fieldy did play on "Requiem".

[cru5h-cascades]

Okay I made one of these last year so might as well do it again but for this year :D

I might add some more stuff onto this if I remember anything else but for now, here's...

2024: A Year that Happened

A rundown of highlights from this year over here at Cru5htown

January - Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 releases! Public perception of the game shifts from looking down on the game to singing its praises! Side Order's release date is revealed and the crowd goes wild! Also I ended up getting my first mutual on this site, Lbodraws!

February - Side Order releases and I start work on what would go on to pretty much be my most iconic Splatoon OC, Winnie, because the Parallel Canon exists. This is also the month where I found out about Maya and the Three and started going buck wild with reposting fanart for the series and making some stuff of my own.

March - Pretty uneventful month tbh I don't remember much that happened this month.

April - The Death of Slim Shady gets announced! Because my curiosity was peaked by the announcement I started listening to more of Eminem's music and became a fan of the guy. During the same month, Jojo Siwa releases Karma and the rebrand goes into full swing.

May - Another uneventful month

June - That one debate between Trump and Biden happened and the Zelda Game Where You Actually Play as Zelda is announced. Also the iconic Other Friends animatic featuring both @eliziethegirl's and my OCs is released :D

JULY - Okay this is when shit gets WILD. LIKE ABSOLUTELY BATSHIT CRAZY. Okay so July 1st we get a release date for TDoSS, Jojo Siwa's first EP releases the same day TDoSS comes out, and Splatoon 3's first Summerfest happens that same weekend (this is also the first splatfest I ended up getting into a match with a splatuber!). Relatively normal month, right? WRONG. JULY 10TH, 2024. 3 DAYS BEFORE TDOSS RELEASES. I end up getting vids on YT talking about a mysterious "new Nintendo IP" teased that very morning. I put off looking any further into the topic until later that day and I watch a few vids on the subject matter. That morning, Nintendo posted a video onto their YT channels simply titled Emio, featuring a dude in a paper bag mask just standing there menacingly. This teaser would keep everyone guessing what tf is going on for a week until we got the full reveal and a bunch of people lost investment in the mystery bag man game. Except for me and a few others, who would go on to post frequently about the game for a while and continue to post about the game TO THIS DAY. Anyways, Biden drops out of the election and somebody tries to assassinate Trump.

August - Not only does the Co-op Cult of the Lamb update drop, but the full release of Emio as well. Man that game was a trip. Also a phone ban is enacted in my school.

September - I play the bonus chapter of Emio and boy howdy I was not ready for how dark that was gonna be. Anyways Grandfest and Grand Run happen in S3 and Team Past wins Grandfest. Here's to hoping for 2000s themed Splatoon 4 with a rock band for the idol group.

October - Deltarune Chapters 3 & 4 are confirmed to come out in 2025 :D

November - Trump, unfortunately, wins the election. But on the brighter side of things I figure out how to do Splatoon voices in Beepbox thanks to the awesome @celestedoesarttm and I start churning out my reworked versions of my Splatoon OCs.

December - Luigi Mangione murks United Healthcare CEO and everyone goes buck wild. Soon enough people start digging up stuff from the guy's past and his story becomes more and more interesting (Fun fact: did you know Luigi has played Slime Rancher, Undertale, and Celeste?). Poppy Playtime Chapter 4's release date and main villain are revealed and I couldn't help but have a sense of deja vu when they showed off Harley Sawyer's design for the chapter lmfaoooo

[0revengefulvampire0]

The legendary band, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE.

In the beginning

Formed on September 12th 2002 was a band millions of people will never forget. Their band members in the beginning consisted of, Frontman Gerard Way, Lead Guitarist Ray Toro, Bassist Mikey Way, and Drummer Matt Pelisser. Their name was My Chemical Romance, Gerard stated that they were a rock band but they mostly got grouped with the emo and pop punk genre. Their first record was very harsh- second record was also harsh- third album was more of a mix of both harsh and sorrow- third record was more hyper, just different than the rest.

Bullets Era

The first album they came out with was called “I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love”; The album came out on July 23rd 2002. Before It was released Frank Iero joined as the rhythm guitarist and was featured on two tracks, "Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us" and "Early Sunsets Over Monroeville". Iero says he sold shirts at small venues they played at and he loved how they sounded. The band needed a rhythm guitarist and Iero was the perfect fit. The first song on the Bullets album “Skylines and Turnstiles," which lead singer Gerard Way wrote based on his experience during September 11, 2001.

This story of the album is two lovers running from an enemy (their sins) and getting murdered in the end, the track “Demolition Lovers” explains it all, being the very last song on the record explaining that they both die together. The next album explains the rest of the Demolition Man's journey. The story tells many things about the concept on most of the songs.

Revenge era

The second album they made was called “Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge”; It came out on June 8, 2004. That album Went Platinum and really boosted their fame. The most popular track “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” with a music video that was set in a high school. The Frontman Gerard way really started experimenting with the band's look; wearing red eyeshadow, pasty white skin, black hair going down to his neck, and a black velvet suit with a dark red tie. The other band mates wore similar clothes and makeup.

The continued story of the album, the last track on the bullets album fades into the revenge album, Gerard titled the cover art “Demolition Lovers II”; it has two people on it covered in blood. The concept of the revenge album is the Demolition Man going to hell without his demolition love and the devil making a deal with him that if he goes up to earth and gathers the souls of 1000 evil men he will get his lover back. Again like the last album, revenge tells so many things about the whole story.

The Black Parade era

Now this album went crazy famous! It was their third record, “The Black parade”. It came out on October 20th 2006. It’s most famous tracks “Welcome To The Black Parade” and “Teenagers”. This album is about the reflections of a dying cancer patient. And it comes with a whole new look for the band. It goes from, the band members wearing marching band outfits and they’re all black and white, to military costumes for the music video “The Ghost Of You” and many other looks, but primarily the marching band outfits.

In this album it’s all about the dead- with the first track called “The End” that fades into “Dead!” On the “Welcome To The Black Parade” song’s music video it starts off with a man in a hospital bed in a small room, he dies and the curtain walls fall down and reveal this huge dystopian looking world. The band is on this huge parade float, all of the members are playing instruments and singing on it. The huge world has wrecked parts and it’s all black and white with a distant city in the background, Of course there’s a marching band of the dead and they have a bunch of cool costumes on. The song is all about sorrow and death, lots of sad melancholy sounding songs on there.

The Black Parade tour was completely legendary. It Started Feb 22nd 2007 and ended on May 9th 2008. (You can watch the very last tour they did on YouTube called “The Black Parade Is Dead!” )

Danger Days era

Their fourth and final album “Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys” it came out on November 22, 2010. This whole album is so different from the rest. Less “emo” and more colorful and “hyper” than all the others. It mostly has desert scenery in most of the music videos including, “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” and “sing”. The whole album is super neat, going from fun to sad just like the rest of the albums songs. The band members' characters (killjoys) in the album are "Party Poison" (Gerard Way), "Jet-Star" (Ray Toro), "Fun Ghoul" (Frank Iero), and "Kobra Kid" (Mikey Way). The outlaws (killjoys) are outlaws in a desert outside of “battery city” where there are evil men.

Fun fact time: The last track on the record called “Vampire Money” (Gerard way claims) is about how the Twilight movie franchise wanted my chemical romance to do a song for them, and Gerard said they were just chasing money and he wouldn’t do it.

Gerard Way made comic books about “the True lives of the fabulous killjoys” the first issue came out on June 12th 2013.

Conventional weapons singles

a compilation album, released as a series of singles between October 2012 and February 2013. They were all unreleased songs that were made before “Danger Days”. There are a total of ten songs on each of the 5 compilations.

The tragic date.

On March 22nd 2013 my chemical romance made an announcement that the band was over, they had broken up. The post reads:

“Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a true blessing. We’ve gotten to go places we never knew we would. We’ve been able to see and experience things we never imagined possible. We’ve shared the stage with people we admire, people we look up to, and best of all, our friends. And now, like all great things, it has come time for it to end. Thanks for all of your support, and for being part of the adventure.

My Chemical Romance”

So many fans were devastated and shocked. They had been talking about a fifth album and everyone was so excited for it. The band members had lives outside of music, getting married, having kids, and just working on solo music.

My chemical romance never dies!!

From Dec 20, 2019 – Mar 26, 2023 the band made a comeback tour going all across the world.

The foundations of decay

On May 12th 2022, my chemical romance released a surprise single called “The Foundations Of decay” and changed MILLIONS of lives. It was their first song after the conventional weapons compilation album, which was almost a decade after they split.

There’s much conspiracy in the fan base about MCR5 and how they are all hinting that there might be a possibility that another album could come out!!

Go check out all of the band members solo work, About them, and make sure to stay safe out there on the internet, there’s lots of weird things!

Happy listening!

Skye Bourgeois-Gillis <3

EXTRAS:

[umazane-muesli]

Well I ended up watching the concert movie in the middle of the night like some kind of lunatic (I haven't had a real sleep schedule since i was like 14) and wrote down a few of my favourite moments. They're not that interesting or original so i'll put them under a cut, but I wanted to keep a few of my thoughts on this blog <3 And you can also read this if you're debating whether you want to rent the video or not, maybe it'll help you make your choice. (it does contain "spoilers" though, if you can even call it that)

- JURE MAČEK!!!!!!!!! Holy shit I hadn't realised how starved I was for Jure content, having so many shots on him was the highlight of the show for me I love this funky little drummer!! Back shot and side shot and seeing his little face!!!! 🩵🩵🩵🩵

- I love the trumpet player! The trombone and saxophone players as well of course but trumpet man you are the star to me. The 3 guest musicians were such a cool addition to the show, it was a good way to make this concert special, and it was so cool to incorporate them not only in SSOL but also in ASTP and Ona. (Also, tangent sorry, but I keep saying "brass ona" because it's fun to say and I'll probably keep saying it but. I have a confession to make. Saxophone is not a brass instrument lol it's a woodwind. Anyway)

- Kris' transition from Bele sanje to Plastika. I know we've already talked about this but it's so good. And Jan vibing to it!!! Love it

- The melodrama of Bojan's performance of Plastika. This man needs to do The Most at all times or he'll explode. 10/10 please keep doing this mr Cvjetićanin

- One of my favourite things is when Kris stretches his arms out and he looks 4 meters tall. I love you giraffe man

- Sweatyyyy (look, i didn't say my thoughts were going to be profound)

- Every time Jan MARCHES down that catwalk I swoon a little bit, ngl

- The bts sections are interesting and pretty well incorporated, I enjoyed them a lot. If I had to say one negative thing about the movie it's that the subtitles are pretty inconsistent, the same way they were sometimes in the carpe diem and wwttb vlogs. Sometimes there are lines missing and the quality of the translation seems a bit uneven. (and apparently they were not added immediately when the video became available, but I rented it only later, so I didn't see that). Still, I was glad they added these bts sections, we got to see the prep, the crew and their roles (I'm always very interested in that), fan interviews and even a tiny bit about Jan's green guitar.

- Bojan melodrama part 2: floor edition

- the Padam montage was pretty cool, but I found it a little bit funny that they mixed footage of actual difficult moments (like them getting sick, etc.) with "joke" difficult moments? (Like "fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, I'm leaving this band"). But anyway, the way they used the screen during the show was pretty smart throughout, I thought.

- Mark Pirc' passion for black and white video needs to be studied

- Omamljeno telo made me want to be there SO BAD, it looked like so much fun. When they all (well, except for Jure) come on the catwalk together!!! <3

- Bojan's little bow to let Nace, Kris and Jan pass on the catwalk. silly and cute

- Martin hug. Need I say more

- So many moments where Jan and Kris' guitars compliment each other so well. I love when you can really hear their two melodies intertwine together. And actually properly seeing that is so cool.

- Nace's energy in Tokio. I mean his energy is great the whole time but during Tokio he gets Silly and it's very fun to watch

- Novi Val was so emotional <3

- it was a lovely idea to include a bit of footage from their vacation during the credits. Very cute. And saying that they missed Bojan and Bojan missed them 😭

I'm sure I would have had more to say but this is already unnecessarily long and I sort of forgot to write things down towards the end, so I'll stop there. But I really enjoyed the concert movie, I'm very glad to have watched it (would love to rewatch it at a normal human hour). I'm still holding out a tiny sliver of hope that it will be available to buy and permanently own someday, but in the meantime it was a very well-spent 8€ (well, 7.45 chf).

[happinessismusic]

"Tuesday night marked Blake Shelton’s first appearance at RodeoHouston in six years and the sixth time he’s mounted the famous revolving stage in the middle of the stadium. Shelton’s brand of workhorse country has always been aggressively crowd-pleasing.

Shelton started the night with the fiery testimonial “God’s Country” — a sort of “A Country Boy Can Survive” update from 2019. Five years on, it seems to have kicked in the doors for the likes of Jelly Roll and Hardy. Fittingly, the latter has a songwriting credit for it, vibe-checking the Charlie Daniels Band and Bocephus along the way.

Shelton is an elder statesman of sorts in the corner of the pop country world that he inhabits alongside fellow 2024 performers Luke Bryan and Brad Paisley. The aw shucks everyman with a truck bed full of hooks and an earnest twang beating under his sweaty pearl snap Poncho shirt.

To the delight of every beating heart in NRG Stadium, Shelton’s wife of three years, Gwen Stefani, joined him onstage for one of the dynamic duo’s many duets they’ve recorded together — “Nobody But You” and “Purple Irises.” Keen eyes probably knew something was up when a black SUV rolled up near the stage in the middle of Shelton’s set. The recently-released music video for Gwen-centric “Irises” shows the pair clad in couture denim in a vintage living room swooning like Kenny and Dolly. If wedding songs are still a thing, add it to the Spotify playlist.

“Holy hell Gwen Stefani came out here and sang tonight,” Shelton said, looking genuinely flushed and revving up his cover of George Jones’ “Ol’ Red.”

When the towering Okie debuted on country radio airwaves in 2001 with “Austin” he was up against Brooks & Dunn and Lonestar for FM supremacy. The song that broke Shelton open wide made its way late into Tuesday night’s setlist and got the smartphone flashlight nebula treatment, a high honor at RodeoHouston.

“What kind of people come out here in Houston to a stadium to watch a rodeo and then a damn country music concert on a Tuesday night?” Shelton chuckled, launching into “Hillbilly Bone”.

Lock in Houston, this horsey ride lasts until March 17.

Attendance: 59,461

Blake Shelton, February 27, 2024 at RodeoHouston

God’s Country Guy With A Girl Neon Light Sangria God Gave Me You Nobody But You Purple Irises (with Gwen Stefani) Ol’ Red Austin Honey Bee Hillbilly Bone Boys Round Here"

----------------------------------------

I like that Blake changed his lineup of songs for RodeoHouston. So happy for everyone who got to witness Blake and Gwen.

[twopoppies]

This is so random, but I just have to communicate this to someone and I like how you think. I've only been a fan of Harry's since Feb or March 2022, and soon after I started looking into all the 1D guys (as one does). Louis intrigued me right from the start and stole my heart. So obviously I haven't been there to see what he was like back in the band days, and I can only try to paint a picture in retrospect. And I think I've managed to do that well enough to not buy into the laddie lad image he has going on now. I mean, I'm sure that's a part of him, but there's so much MORE. BUT, and this is why I needed to come here right now, I just finally got around to watching videos of him from his x-factor judge time and I mean. I. My heart and brain are just helplessly flailing their metaphorical arms in the air?! He was so emotional. The way he helped Anthony? I thought I had a good picture of how big this man's heart is, and yet here I am. Flailing. He CRIED. Plural.

I'm so heartbroken I can't go to the Cologne concert this week. I have a ticket, but now it turns out that I just can't afford the journey and hotel. I wish I could be a part of this tour, because it means so much to him. I know he's so loved, and he's being shown that at every concert. I'm so grateful for everyone who goes to see him perform and makes him feel so supported and loved. So, to anyone who reads this: thank you for doing what I can't. In conclusion: Louis big heart. Me big flail. Sad. Grateful. x

PS: I made the grave mistake of buying my ticket on Eventim and so far they've made it impossible for me to (legally) just give my ticket to someone else on short notice. I'm still trying to find a last minute solution so maybe someone else can go in my place. If anyone is willing to give it a try with just a screenshot of the digital ticket, let me know and I'll happily send it to you. It's upper tier 608, not close to the stage at all, but it's first row. I'd be happy to just see pics or videos from you. <3

Hi, love. XFactor Judge Louis is one of my absolute favorite versions we've seen of him. He was so professional, so encouraging, so vulnerable... Just everything about him was lovely.

I'm so sorry you can't make the show. Hopefully, we can connect you with someone who can.

Available: 1 Ticket for Louis in Cologne

[nonsubstantial]

MARCH 2024 DIARY POST

I'm keeping up the habit of writing a monthly post to catalogue all the things I've been obsessed with in 2024. At the end of the year, I want to be able to look back and remember what was making me happy all year long! If you are reading this, I hope you will enjoy hearing about these things or checking them out too! First, a chaotic collage of those things!

VIDEO GAME: As you may already know, Splatoon is probably my favorite video game franchise of all time. I really cannot overstate how important it is to me. Naturally, I was highly anticipating its new singleplayer DLC, titled Side Order, but when it finally came out at the end of February, my elbow was fractured in a way that made it painful for me to play. So, I had to wait until about a week into March for my elbow to heal a little. Then, I spent about 10 hours obsessively playing it, and I loved pretty much every second of it. It featured by far the most difficult levels ever seen in a Splatoon game, which was a treat to me as a player who was disappointed by the rather simplistic story mode of the base game. Splatoon 3: Side Order took the form of a roguelite battle tower, similar to Salmon Run but with new enemies, unique (and sometimes puzzling) stages, and customizable weapon builds. Even players who find it a bit too challenging at first can eventually mod the difficulty to an extent that (hopefully) makes it doable. The story was nothing crazy, but the gameplay and visuals were so unbelievably good that I honestly wished I could erase it all from my mind and play it again from the start. Just yay 💕, I love Splatoon so much.

TWITCH STREAM FAN EDIT: If you don't already know who Jerma is, he is a prolific video game streamer that I became a big fan of a few years ago. His unique humor has consistently impressed and appealed to me, and his fan community has proven itself to be both creative enough and motivated enough to persistently churn out edited “best of” versions of his streams. For better or for worse, Jerma announced his retirement from streaming last year, leaving his eager fans with nothing but his earlier content to dredge for, well… content. One such fan edit that was released this year, post-retirement, was a massive compilation of all his Nancy Drew playthroughs (save for one). This edit in particular was one that I found overwhelmingly funny and good, and it inspired an ongoing fanfic that I’m still currently working on writing. Oddly enough, watching this caused a domino effect that got me back into writing in general and has given me the surge of confidence and inspiration that I needed to keep working on creating the fiction that has lived inside in my head for years. I really hope this feeling never dies. You can watch the stream that inspired me, linked here!

MUSICAL ARTIST: Peach Kelli Pop is probably tied (with a few other artists) for the title of my favorite band of all time. Their entire discography is only about 2 hours long, but they were still my most listened to artist for several years in a row. It’s due to the consistency of the vibe across all of her work: upbeat and positive while still delivering a profound emotional impact. I've been able to just listen her entire catalog of music over and over and over again on shuffle. I might describe it as DIY rock, or feminist punk, and if you haven't heard it before, Gentle Leader is probably the best album to start with. Listen here!

MUSICAL ARTIST: After listening to nothing except Peach Kelli Pop for about a week straight, I started to look into similar bands that I hadn't already checked out and found one that really caught my interest. That's how I was introduced to Tacocat! Their band name is both a palindrome and euphemism, and their album Lost Time was love at first listen. They have cozy lyrics about aliens, birth control, and creating your own values, and their music has left me in a good mood every time I've thrown it on. You can listen to the first song that I heard, linked here!

SONG: It's Don’t Rain On My Parade, by Barbra Streisand!! I still haven't watched the musical that this song is from, but the drag queen Plasma mentioned it on RuPaul Season 16, which is how I ended up hearing it. This song gets an individual mention because I was absolutely blown away by this one individual track! It's brilliant and catchy right out of the gate, "Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter! Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade!" It's from 1964, but its recording sounds crystal clear and it channels its intended emotions perfectly. I felt compelled to listen to it over and over again, because it really is just so cheerful and artistically inspiring. I feel like it's a perfect piece of music. Listen here!

SONG: I have to give another song an individual mention! It's Mood Indigo, by Nina Simone!! I’ve been a big fan of Nina Simone for years now, but more often than not, I've stuck to my favorite album, Pastel Blues. I did branch out and listen to this song a few times in the past, but it only recently dawned on me just how perfect it is. Wikipedia says that it was recorded in 1964, about the same time as Don’t Rain On My Parade, and while it's technically a cover of an old Duke Ellington song, Nina Simone’s version has a totally unique vibe, evident from the first few bars. Its lyrics are meant to be cathartic, as they discuss suicidal ideation, while the drums, bass, and piano create a beautiful and upbeat swing melody that perfectly juxtaposes and rebuts the content of Nina’s vocals. It's menacing, catchy, uplifting, and truly perfect! I now believe it to be a landmark in Nina Simone’s career, and the whole of music history in general. Listen here!

MUSICAL ARTIST: Okay, one last music rec, I swear!! I was really feeling the vibes this month (but mostly just listening to bands that I already know and love). Along with Peach Kelli Pop, another one of my favorite bands is King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Ever since 2017 (aka, the year of the gizz) they have probably reigned supreme as my #1 most listened to band. They just have so much music, with so much variation, that I can usually find at least one of their songs that appeals to me. Since the start of this year, I've been collecting and organizing a playlist of my favorite songs by them, titled 31 Days Of Gizz. Not for any particular reason, but just because I find it fun to make lists! At the last minute, I decided that I would organize the songs, specifically in the way that I would play them if I were introducing someone new to the band. So, if you haven’t heard their music before, maybe it’s time I introduced you? But no pressure, I just like their songs and I made my playlist just for me! I'm linking to it on spotify, HERE, if you’re interested! (forgot to put this one on the collage, lol)

VIDEO GAME: Right before the month ended, I bought the new fantasy tactics game, Unicorn Overlord, and I am fucking in love. I’ve been a longtime fan of the fantasy tactics genre, so as soon as this game started making waves, I begrudgingly accepted that I HAD to play it. I really don’t have a lot of time in between trying to take care of things at home and working on my writing, as I mentioned before, but I briefly dropped all my other hobbies and managed to fit about 10 hours of gameplay in before the month ended. I really wish I had time to obsess over it, because I feel like it is a masterpiece, even if the rumors about there being gay content ended up being a disappointing exaggeration (the game was developed by Vanillaware, but was published by homophobic giants ATLUS and SEGA, so I’m not surprised). Despite the story being pretty much dog shit though, I believe the gameplay is damn near perfect, and even revolutionary within its genre. I’ll probably be sinking all my game time into it until the new Elden Ring DLC drops. If you’re a person who also likes fantasy tactics, then I highly recommend playing it (I got it for the Nintendo Switch, where it seems to run perfectly).

(that’s it. It is now APRIL!! There might be some repeats this next month, or I'll leave them out... we'll see. Hope you have a good day! ♡)