In a time full of uncertainty, I think it is important to remember all the things that make me happy!
Oaxacan Food, specifically Tlayudas
My friends!!! I love them so much
My sister. She’s kind of weird, but so am I.
My limited edition “Western” Hydroflask, I like to think the bronze flowers are Aztec Marigolds, and that the water bottle is a limited edition Day of the Dead water bottle.
WATER! I love ice-cold water even if it is bad for me.
Lip gloss. I don’t think I could live with perpetually chapped lips
Music. It feeds my soul and helps me feel connected to my culture from thousands of miles away.
AirPods! They help me get immersed in the scene of my music.
Day 1 Curls. Having freshly washed hair with the perfect curls is the best feeling ever.
Tortilla House! Whenever I am having a bad week, I make sure to go to Tortilla House and get the most loaded burrito bowl.
I am just happy to be alive with a full belly and a roof over my head.
Music, like most forms of art, is created through the channeling of a person or persons’ passion, expressing their thoughts, emotions, and experiences by encapsulating them in a tangible piece of work. Likewise, when listening to music, I aim to understand the artist’s thought process—what they were feeling and what they want to say—rather than simply consuming. However, instrumentals are unable to convey the artist’s message verbally and directly, thus requiring communication through subtlety and nuance.
This is where I believe the piano excels.
While there are exceptions, a majority of instruments are typically limited in the vibe and tone they can evoke in listeners. However, the piano is versatile in its style, being able to complement and enhance all genres of music. Depending on how it’s played, a piano can sound grand or melancholic. Furthermore—due to the piano’s wide range—a single pianist is capable of playing the melody and harmony simultaneously, being able to harness complete emotional depth all on its own.
This past weekend, Panic! At The Disco played at the When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas, the same one I had gone to the year before to see My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy. The reason why I didn’t go this year was that it was my friend’s birthday, and I had already seen the main headliners (P!atD and Blink-182), and because tickets were a bajillion dollars, like how they are every year. It was fine to me until I saw videos of the concert.
Now, I had never been a Panic! At The Disco superfan, but you kinda have to whenever you’re into the prominent 2000s emo music bands that influenced each other (examples – MCR, Fall Out Boy, AFI, New Found Glory, Jimmy Eat World, and The Used), especially ones that are intertwined with songs about each other. So, of course, I know some history of the band, such as Ryan Ross (guitarist) falling off the face of the earth along with Spencer Smith (drummer), the downfall of Brendon Urie (singer and pianist), and other random drama that had happened with the band that made them very 50/50 hated and loved among the emo community.
But what about the set of the WWWWYF show? The same one as Live in Denver in 2006. The massive glowing sign that was behind them, the extra performers, it’s almost like the same thing, except for some of the original members being gone, except for Brendon, and later to be shown, Spencer.
Along with performing all of ‘A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out’ and a few other songs, they released an HD performance of Live in Denver on their YouTube channel, with a new tour.
It’s funny because I had seen them before they broke up for the fifteenth billionth time. Time to blow a crap ton of money on tickets. Anything for A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.
Listening to Drake is a life-changing experience. While some generalize him as a popular rapper with hit songs that all sound similar, his catalog and talents run much deeper.
Drake is a lyrical genius. His songs touch on all aspects of life, from the highs to the lows, which can help the listener find the right song for the moment or occasion.
Drake’s talent extends beyond rap. Drake is versatile and not afraid to rap, sing, or perform in different styles of music or even languages. Some notable hits from Drake, including “MIA” and “Gently,” both featuring Bad Bunny, exercise Drake’s talents beyond simple English rap. Drake’s hit album “Honestly Nevermind” is widely considered a top Drake album, with all but one song being House/Dance music.
Drake’s catalog is versatile and easily rotatable without the feeling of overlistening to one artist. I am currently listening to “Summer Games” from Scorpion and “Race My Mind” from Certified Lover Boy.
It is refreshing to hear different types of music conveying different sounds and feelings when listening to each song. Drake is easy to listen to and is widely respected as a top current artist, with his longevity of producing hit songs that have exceeded a decade.
The title of the blog is necessarily what this post is about. Even since the begging of time, music has been an influential part of societies, drawing people together and even bringing them apart, depending on how close minded the society was. Music and the tone of specific songs could influence a persons mood, add tone to a scene of a movie or a show, and tell stories. One could listen to the lyrics of a song and be so influenced they themselves write a song or a novel or, well, anything.
There’s different genres of music/artists that really stand out to me, consisting of the band’s motives and why they made a band. One example of music that really moves me is punk. Ska-Punk, personally is my favorite, with Choking Victim and Less than Jake being two entirely different sounding bands with different imagery being in the same genre.
Choking Victim, a ska-punk band that was formed in New York City, known for their politically charged lyrics and innovative way their music is played. Right after they recorded their first full-length LP, No Gods, No Managers in 1999, the band broke up, but still had enough recordings to make an album. With punk rock coming from English bands such as The Ramones in the 1970’s, there has been several different genres of punk to come with it, but Ska-Punk was mostly prominent from 1996 to 2000.
Less than Jake, on the other hand, is also Ska-Punk. Despite their horn driven rhythm and higher beat, they do still classify as a ska-punk band. Why? Because of social commentary and political comments. Less than Jake is a band from Gainesville, Florida, recording a whopping 36 albums.
Choking victim has more political commentary, such as the song Money. The song describes God giving money to the rich and to the government, but also giving it to the dead, with the lyrics of, “‘Cause after you have money, things are never quite the same.” And, “The money fueled this empire and our racist history. Although I’m forced to use it, the rules have all been set. But life is not worth living when your soul is in debt.” While Plastic Cup Politics talks about drinking, and discussing things (such as politics, henceforth the name) under the influence, which they may have not talked about whilst sober.
These songs both talk about things that a lot of people don’t want to talk about, but that’s the beauty of music: talking about things that nobody wants to talk about in a little song. Regardless of the genre of one’s band, they can discuss current events and people’s lives.
Choking Victim’s Squatta’s Paradise E.P. and Less Than Jake’s Hello Rockview
I am so excited for Spotify wrapped this year I have listened to a lot of new music. I don’t know what to expect because I have listened to so many genres. I’ve gone through phases where I on repeat listen to the same songs for months. My favorite part of Spotify wrapped is the playlist that is made with all the songs you listened to the most that year. My Spotify wrapped last year was like all Taylor Swift and I know there’s not gonna be much of that this year. I also love comparing my Spotify wrapped with my friends and seeing which songs we both have. Last year I was in the top 1 percent of Taylor Swift listeners and I have a feeling I will be in the top small percentage of Drake listeners this year. Anyway that’s all when my wrapped comes out I will probably write a blog about it so be excited.
Everyone always has at least one moment in which they make a decision that completely upturns their life. What makes them notable, normally, is that they begin completely innocuously, like the decision to switch a class, to make small talk with a specific person, however you respond to them, and only later can that decision maker realize how a radical change to their life hinged on that one choice they didn’t see.
I may be able to call what I did around 3 years ago that sort of choice, but its payoff seems just as innocuously debilitating as its trigger. I saw a playlist on youtube, clicked on it, and listened to it while doing homework.
You might be compelled to laugh, but yes, it can be debilitating! Work moves like molasses if I’m not hearing sick beats, and hearing sick beats can make me less able to focus on what I need to. I’m not sure at this point if my habit slows me down or is the only way I can set my mind to anything vaguely smelling of labor. During regular classes it feels like I have to do anything else just to not lose my mind to the clouds, but nearly all teachers seem to misinterpret multitasking as a character flaw of the youth. I’ve become a Gen Z stereotype, technology has completely divorced my attention span from what organized society finds acceptable.
I need a new playlist right now. My music taste is very unique, I like different music depending on my mood I can go from listening to Gracie Abrams to Travis Scott. I like most genres of music, I just hate classical music because it makes me want to fall asleep. I have like 4 playlists of all different genres that I cycle through but I am getting very sick of my main rap playlist. I need to make a new one but I don’t know what songs to even put on it. I am at the point where I have overplayed songs way too much and now am sick of them. I’ve been trying to listen to my 2000 throwback playlist but now I am getting sick of that as well so now I’m listening to my country playlist again. I need to make a driving playlist and a crash-out playlist.
I love listening to music. It helps me focus and get things done. Whenever I need to lock in on cleaning my room, the house, my homework, or when I’m just trying to relax. I always play music. I hate this new rule at school that makes it so we’re just not allowed to listen to music. We can’t use headphones, so how are we supposed to listen to music unless we play it out loud, but if we play it out loud then we’re distracting others and most songs have swear words in them. I get why we aren’t allowed to play explicit music out loud but I’m not trying to listen to some kidz bop remix of my favorite song, so that basically means we can’t play any music out loud. Also, not everyone in a class is going to want to listen to the same music so people would get in arguments about it and make it so no one can listen to music at all. Thanks for listening to my rant have a good day.
Mixing music can be fun once you start to learn it but before figuring out the controllers and all the techniques in mixing music, it can be stressful. It all started in the winter of my freshman year. I got my first ever DJ controller, Pioneer DDJ Rev1 It took me a long time to finally figure out how to get the sound out from my speaker and how to put songs in the software. That’s when I decided to start this new hobby. I start mixing songs with friends when hanging out with them and messing around. However, I stopped playing with it in sophomore year because I started losing interest in it. Now that I just got another new controller and mixer I have decided to start playing with it again. There are lots of things to be careful about. For example the most important thing starts with the BPM of the song. Usually if songs are different in between 0-5 bpm then it should fit just fine. Secondly, is the transition. It is not easy as it seems. It takes practices to make good transitions in between songs or from one song to another. Lastly is it requires basic music theory to be able to create good mixes and transitions. Anyways, mixing music has became a big part in my hobbies it helps me relax and just have fun messing with the music. It’s also one of the ways to hang out with friends for me which is why I love it now.
OVS Journalism Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.