Category: music

Change Pending (Except at the ATMs): Obama in LA

smackyjackjack1 Comment

Last Sunday I went and saw Barack Obama speak at the Nokia Theater in LA.  There weren’t really many other people preforming or speaking other than Los Angeles’ Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, San Antonio’s Mayor Julian Castro, George Clooney, Earth Wind and Fire, Jennifer Hudson, Katy Perry, Jon Bon Jovi and Stevie Wonder.

My big shirt and I at the rally

So, let’s try to do this succinctly.

Musically, Bon Jovi…was Bon Jovi (not a good thing), and Stevie Wonder…was Stevie Wonder (good thing).

Okay, now on to why I’m actually writing. Let’s go down the list of the three keynote speakers.

Antonio Villaraigosa came out looking like a promoter for San Manuel Indian Casino. His tie-less suit and unbuttoned top three buttons on his shirt made him fit right in with the LA crowd that was at the Nokia theater that night. But Villaraigosa swallowed his obvious bitterness about speaking before Julian Castro and gave a short speech to introduce the next acts and discuss his allegiance to president Obama. He threw his support behind Obama and welcomed everyone to the fund bolstering night that I was looking forward to.

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Molly Malone

kirbyfullyloadedLeave a comment

I love Irish music.

Even when it’s sad, which it often is, there is something lovely and haunting about it.

Anyway, when I was little, we still used tape players.

Oh yes, those ancient things, tapes.  Not CDs (which are fast becoming antiques), not iPods, cassette tapes.

I lived in San Diego, so my parents did a lot of driving with me in the car, and I listened to books and music on tape.

My mom used to play these “We Sing” tapes.

Which were, in their essence, recordings of overly enthusiastic kids singing loud classic children’s songs.  I used to sing along, but there were only three songs I really liked.

My favorite song was about a sweet Irish fishmonger who died.  I know.  Sad right?

I never knew the song title, and the tape got lost so I soon forgot about it.

But yesterday, after nearly 13 years, I heard that sad, Irish song again.

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Spotify

kirbyfullyloadedLeave a comment

I have a love/hate relationship with Pandora.

On one hand, I like streaming free music and getting exposed to new artists and songs.

On the other, I hate not being able to select specific tracks, artists, fast forward, rewind, repeat or organize songs into playlists.

And then there’s the thing where you can only skip so many songs that you dislike… yeah.

I was driving to school the other day and heard a special on KCRW or maybe it was NPR… Anyway, I heard a radio program on the free online streaming site, created by Swedish startup Spotify AB.

It talked about the increasing problem of pirating music, with people using things like Pirate Bay and other illegal downloading services.

Spotify is a legal streaming service, created in October of 2008.  It’s free and unlike Pandora, you can select specific artists and tracks.  They have a surprisingly large selection of music and the search process is easy and intuitive.

You can link it to your Facebook account, and check out what your friends have been listening to.

I love sea shanties, and I found the most beautiful version of my favorite shanty, “Leaving of Liverpool,” by the High Kings.

Irish music in general is just fabulous.

Featured Song: Abraham’s Daughter – Featured Book: The Hunger Games

kirbyfullyloaded2 Comments

Abraham took Isaac‘s hand
And led him to the lonesome hill
While his daughter hid and watched
She dared not breathe; she was so still

Just as an angel cried for the slaughter
Abraham’s daughter raised her voice

Then the angel asked her what her name was
She said, “I have none.”
Then he asked, “How can this be?”
“My father never gave me one.”

And when he saw her raised for the slaughter
Abraham’s daughter raised her bow
“How darest you, child, defy your father?”
“You better let young Isaac go.”

-“Abraham’s Daughter,” by Arcade Fire

The story of Abraham and Isaac is one of the most important in the Old Testament.

God wants to test Abraham’s devotion to, and fear of him.  So he commands Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as a testament to his loyalty.  Abraham takes Isaac to a mountain and tells him to gather up wood for a sacrifice.  When Isaac asks where the lamb for slaughter is, Abraham replies, “God will provide the lamb,” and together they ascend.

Abraham then lays Isaac down and raises his knife.

Convinced that Abraham is sufficiently God-fearing, an angel descends and stays his hand, thus, saving Isaac.

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The New Realm of Music

callmemaybe32Leave a comment

As an enjoyer of many things musical, I have a very opinionated view of where the music scene is going. More recently the electronic/house/trance/dubstep/(or whatever you may call it) scene has been making its appearance.

This certain genre of music started off on the wrong foot in the eyes of the society it was breaking into. Underground raves were popping up all over the place, and kids were dying because of drug overdoses, kidney failure, liver failure, and all things linked to drinking and drugs. It is because of this rocky start that electronic dance music began to make a bad name for itself in the music world.

This music has just started to break the mold it was forced into because of stupid actions of crazy teens and young adults.

There are artists such as Skrillex, for example, who have completely changed their lives because of this music. Skrillex, or Sonny John Moore, was homeless just a year and half before accepting three grammies at the 2012 show. He is now one of the top recording dubstep, progressive, and electric artists that exist. The bad name that this music has been given is being erased with all of the success it has been bringing about.

Just as I am writing this post a song by Skrillex has come on through my headphones, and it gives me a certain feeling. A head bobbing that is uncontrollable, a foot tapping that is contagious, with my headphones in I am in my own world, but others around will know that I am enjoying what I am listening to.

Now, while this music created by artists like Skrillex, Bassnectar, Deadmau5, and many more, it is not created with the traditional drum, guitar, and bass. Rather, it is created with a computer to simulate these sounds, and also to give them a completely different sound. This is not to say that these electric songs can’t have real instruments in them.

In fact the very song that has inspired this is a new single released by Skrillex and the Doors, called “Breakn’ a Sweat.” This track features the traditional Skrillex sound created by computer software, mixing boards, turntables, and midis, with the sound that the Doors have created for years with keyboards, drums, guitar, and bass. The track also features vocals from Skrillex himself and the members of the Doors.

This video features a little bit of what went into making this track.

Somebody That I Used to Know

kirbyfullyloadedLeave a comment

“But you didn’t have to cut me off

Make it like it never happened and that we were nothing

I don’t even need your love, but you treat me like a stranger

And that feels so rough

No, you didn’t have to stoop so low

Have your friends collect your records

And then change your numberGuess that

I don’t need that though

Now you’re just somebody that I used to know.”

-“Somebody That I Used to Know“, Gotye

This song stuck in anyone else’s head?

Yeah.  I thought so.  For the longest time I could NOT figure out what this song was or who it was by.  But finally I did and I love it.

The music video is surprisingly good.  Very artistic and mellow, but not enough to be considered hipster.

And I suppose Wally de Backer is alright cute.

Gotta admit though… the reason I wrote this post was to show you this picture:

That shared, I’m done.

Concerts.

YourcupateaLeave a comment

Emeli Sande
Booking concert tickets is always exciting. Selecting a seat to view the person or band you hear every day on your iPod, and having the opportunity to look them in the face. I love pressing the find tickets icon on ticketmaster knowing that you have the potential to watch a favorite artist perform on stage.

Today I am booking Emeli Sande tickets and I am very excited to go in a couple of weeks. A Scottish singer/ songwriter she has a strong, powerful, and beautiful voice. She began writing for singers such as Susan Boyle, Tinie Tempah and Leona Lewis and then went on to collaborate with U.K rapper Chipmunk with their song Diamond Rings coming in the top ten in the U.K charts.

This year she released her first album Our Version of Events, showing off all the dynamics of her voice. Although she is not on my top 10 artists she is a superb talent. I’m excited for the concert and it’s always nice to see a fellow Brit in America

My Current Musical Obsessions

yrreskrapLeave a comment

I think it is amazing what a voice and a guitar can do together.

I am currently obsessed with these two contestants of a Korean television show called KPOP Star. Before I start flooding this blog with videos of them performing, I’d like to mention that they both come from Southern California.
So Cal represent!


This is Woosung Kim. Actually, this is one of his first videos on the show. It includes a little bio about him. He also sings one of my favorite songs: Live High by Jason Mraz.
I LOVE HIS VOICE!!!
And although he can’t dance, he does not say no when the judges ask him if he can dance. He puts himself out there, shuffling at the end of the video to get a few laughs from the audience. Ah, just great!!


In this video, he changes a k-pop song into more of a ballad. Again, it is just his voice and the guitar. It’s pretty great.

This next video is of another contestant that I like as well. He got a little farther in the competition. His name is Jaehyung Park.


This song is a cover of Frank Ocean’s “We All Try.” He changes it up to have more of an R&B feel. To be honest, I like this version so much better!


If you know me, I am a big fan of Maroon 5. And when I heard him sing this song, I nearly melted right then and there.


This is another great video but my favorite one is the next one!


This is a song that I haven’t been able to get out of my head. I think he sings with such genuine emotion.

I hope you all enjoyed this blog and become fans too!!

All Time Low

kirbyfullyloadedLeave a comment

There’s always that one band you listen to in your early teen years that you never forget.

When I was 13, I discovered All Time Low and fell completely in love.

I usually like one or two songs by a band.  Four songs TOPS.

But All Time Low…they were different for me.

To date, they’ve recorded 4 albums and one EP.

The Party Scene (2005)

This album is no longer available. There are only 1,000 known CD copies.

EP: Put Up or Shut Up (2006)

So Wrong, It’s Right (2007)

Nothing Personal (2009)

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, But Never Doubt I Love

yrreskrapLeave a comment

Doubt thou the stars are fire,
Doubt that the sun doth move,
Doubt truth to be a liar,
But never doubt I love.

An excerpt from Hamlet by Shakespeare.

Currently, I am reading Hamlet in my AP English class. Now, Shakespeare hasn’t always been my strong suit. But sometimes, I find myself getting lost in his beautiful wording.

This quote says it all.

People will always question the heavens above them and the ground that they stand upon. Even more so, people will question the words of those they know, even those that they are very close to.

However, there are a few sure things in life. One of them is love.

Whether this love is directed towards family, a close friend, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, a pet, a picture, a passion, or a song, love is always there.

Sure, love can be a confusing thing at times. Especially for those near my age, when awkward teenage love is beginning to mature and we are just figuring out who we are and what we are capable of. But for the most part, people can clearly identify love.

This is a universal feeling. It’s something that Shakespeare knew clearly hundreds of years ago and it’s something that holds true today.

I say, trust in love. Trust in your mother and your father. Trust in your best friends and your enemies. Trust in your boyfriend or girlfriend or whoever your special person may be. Trust in that feeling. It is one of the few sure things that will persist throughout time.

Love is timeless.