Final Blog (of this assignment, *sniff*)

okay, so it's not THAT sad. I mean, if any of you really feel that you're going to be lost and lonely without my wry humor, rest easy. I had this blog before the assignment, meaning I'd used it before and suggesting I'll continue to use it. maybe not for this reason, but for similar reasons.
this blog actually DOES have a specific purpose:
a. I get to decide what kind of mind I am.
b. I get to share what I exemplified in my blogging, and
c. I get to express what I realized or what surprised me after developing this blog.
yay!

so here goes:

a. according to this nifty pink sheet I have beside me, I would say that I am mostly a synthesizing mind. I accumulate information. pointless information, sometimes (did you know that because of a horse's anatomy, it is physically incapable of vomiting?), but information nontheless. and, like any synthesizer, I take what I'm given, take it for what it's worth (objectively, not subjectively. emotion has no part in facts and figures) and mold it however I need to in order to have it make sense to me or whoever I'm sharing the information with. so, I definitely fit the "synthesizing mind" description. respectful mind works into that too, in a way. however, while I welcome new views and analyses, sometimes these different arguments make my argument stronger, so don't expect a concession on my part, but, as Voltaire once said, "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."

b. 1. engage in intellectual discussions - I've commented on other posts, expanding ideas, asking questions, challenging their arguments and allowing them to explain their side of the story. agreeing, mostly, but sometimes maintaining my belief, though it was different.

2. exhibit respect for other viewpoints - never did I attack another blogger's belief. no name calling took place. challenging and making them back themselves up does not equal disrespect or an attack. I didn't even challenge much anyway. most of my maneuvers were defensive or in accordance with another poster.

3. read with awareness of self and others - throughout the experience, I knew what I believed. I was aware of what I was saying and the gravity it would have with some other people. I don't post stuff I might regret posting later. awareness is key. you've gotta know the effect that your post will have on others and the effect that others post might have on you.

and lastly,

c. I realized that sometimes my generalizations span generations that I don't intend for them too. I try not to generalize too much though. I learned that the orange fish on Nick Strange's blog (www.nickstrange.blogspot.com) is fastest (or most consistent, at least). aaaaand, people actually do like reading about my ramblings and don't mind my bias too much. =]


farewell for now.

Just so you all know,

I AM going to the show on Saturday. this means that on Monday (or Saturday night/Sunday) I'll post a new blog about the show. I'll review it. of course, I'm super biased because I love the guys in the band and they could sound like crap and I would still love them, BUT, they're great guys. they're down-to-earth. and they make great music. they also made an appearance as extras in Forever the Sickest Kids' new video for the song "She Likes"... I'll post the link in a few.

=]

here's the link:




look for the NfV guys at the end. on the left hand side when the guy wins...

Battles of the Bands...

I think that is the correct pluralization of that word. also, I'm not sure pluralization is actually a word, but I'm using it. deal with it. =]

anyway, I've been thinking about this sort of competition recently... I'm thinking that, while it's a cool opportunity for kids who can't play worth crap to look like fools on stage while "living the dream" of being a "rockstar" for three minutes (ohdeargodnotlongerthanthreeminutes, it's also just a way for kids who can play to show off their skillz. yes, their skillZ.

especially at Roncalli, the Battle of the Bands is largely based on popularity. Not that I had a problem with Jimmy Breeze and the Elevensies' rendition of Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" (actually, I liked it immensely), but if another band with kids who were just as talented did the same song just as well, but not as many people knew them/were friends with them/had a massive crush on the *insert position of band member here*, I'm not sure that they would have won over a band who had "popular" or well known kids in it. I don't know.

I think that the only way to have a truly fair Battle of the Bands is to listen and watch very objectively without using past performances or visual appeal as a bias. This is super hard to do of course, because we all know that band guys are hot.

as it stands, I think Battles of the Bands are good things on any scale.

SPEAKING of Battle of the Bands (you guys knew it was coming...)

my lovelies in News From Verona have TWO shows this weekend (May 7 and 8) May 7 is at the ES Jungle (6151 Central Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46220) with Between the Trees and May 8 is at the Emerson (4630 East 10th Street Indianapolis, IN 46201) with Anarbor and Automatic Loveletter. BOTH are going to be AMAZING shows, so you should go to at least one. contact me if you need more information. they're both clean venues and clean bands, so if that's a worry for parents, they can relax. tickets are cheap ($7 for Friday, $8 for Saturday).

AND, the real reason I started this plug, they're doing a Battle of the Bands for a chance to play at the Indy date of this year's Warped Tour (one of the best summer tours EVER). EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT GOING/DON'T WANT TO GO/DON'T CARE, PLEASE vote for them... I'll appreciate it. they'll appreciate it. and it's a HUGE opportunity for them. go to www.battleofthebands.com/newsfromverona, create an account (or two), and VOTE. you can vote every day. once a day. you can also opt not to receive e-mails from them if you wish. pleeease do this for me. =]
(Roncalli's own Falling With Style is also in the competition and could use your support: battleofthebands.com/fallingwithstyle).

on covering songs...

if you're going to do it, do it well.
if you're not doing to do it well, don't do it.

I just recently finished reading a book called the "Rock Bible" which had humorous tidbits from guys in bands/guys in the music industry explaining what to and not to do as a part of a band (e.g. "The Gospel According To The Guitarist/Fan/Drummer"). while very funny, it was also pretty good. On the concept of covering songs, they said not to cover a song that no one knows. not to cover a song that EVERYONE has done once before. and a cover =/= re-doing the song note for note. take the song, make it different, but still keep the basic integrity.

as I'm sure many of you know, there are many "Punk Goes _______" albums out there where punk/alternative/posthardcore/pop-punk bands do covers of ________ genre hits. My favorites are Punk Goes Pop (1 and 2), Punk Goes Crunk, and Punk Goes 80s (I'm an eighties girl at heart, it's true). The newest installment of this series is "Punk Goes Classic Rock" which sounds okay in theory, but new-wave bands trying to re-create arena rock hits just doesn't work. for the most part, the song either sounds exactly the same - other than a singer who isn't the original, an experience I liken to listening to Kidzbop, and we all hate those.... - or it sounds worse (Nevershoutnever's rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody *cough*).

the whole album is on THIS MYSPACE (http://www.myspace.com/punkgoesclassicrock)
if you're so inclined.

if you want proof that NO ONE does Queen well other than Queen, I suggest listening to Bohemian Rhapsody by Nevershoutnever, though your ears may bleed and you may lose your faith in humanity. The best song on there, in my opinion, is Paint It Black by VersaEmerge. It's fresh, it's new, but still maintains the integrity of the original.

lemme know what you think, please. I'm dying to know.

drugs = rock and roll?

if that's what you want to call it, yes.


inevitably, the drug world has been brought into this blog.
drugs are another of the many problems I have with the current music industry.
everything about drugs are glamourized in the news. sure, there are tons of prevention ads, but it's hard to really get that message across when "stars" go to rehab/jail for drug use and get TONS of media for it. or, they get caught but don't get in any legal trouble. or (this is the richest one), EVERYONE knows they're using, and they admit to using, and a simple search of their belongings would turn up illegal substances, but no one ever searches. no one wants to be a "narc" (probably to save their own skin). the health of their coworker/friend/bandmate isn't important enough to end the cruel cycle of drug use and eliminate the glamour of using. it's truly sad. and unfair, but in the wise, wise words of Scar, "Life's not fair, is it?"

peace.

tonight. tonight. tonight. last blog for tonight. tonight

sounds silly, right?

there is ABSOLUTELY no need to say the word "tonight" more than once in my title. let alone five times. but apparently that's all the rage right now in the music industry.

every "popular" song I hear, while catchy, basically says the same phrase over and over. and over. and over again.
Exhibit A:
MAKE UP OF JUSTIN BEIBER'S SONGS (click here)

so true. the proof is in the pudding lyrics...
"There's gonna be one less lonely girl
One less lonely girl
There's gonna be one less lonely girl
How many I told you's
And start overs and shoulders
Have you cried on before
How many promises be honest girl
How many tears you let hit the floor
How many bags you packed
Just to take 'em back, tell me that
How many either or's
But no more,
If you let me inside of your world
There'd be one less lonely girl
(Chorus)
Oh no
I saw so many pretty faces
Before I saw you, you
Now all I see is you
Oh no
Don't need these other pretty faces
'Cause when your mine in the world
There's gonna be one less lonely girl
One less lonely girl
One less lonely girl
One less lonely girl
There's gonna be one less lonely girl
I'm gonna put you first
I'll show you what your worth
If you let me inside your world
There's gonna be one less lonely girl
Christmas wasn't merry, 14th of February
Not one of them spent with you
How many dinner dates, set dinner plates
And he didn't even touch his food
How many torn photographs are you taping back
Tell me that you couldn't see an open door
But no more,
If you let me inside of your world
(Chorus)
Oh no
I saw so many pretty faces
Before I saw you, you
Now all I see is you
Oh no
Don't need these other pretty faces
'Cause when your mine in the world
There's gonna be one less lonely girl
One less lonely girl
One less lonely girl
One less lonely girl
There's gonna be one less lonely girl
I'm gonna put you first
I'll show you what your worth
If you let me inside your world
There's gonna be one less lonely girl
I can fix up your broken heart
I can give you a brand new start
I can make you believe,
I just wanna set one girl free to fall
She's free to fall
With me
My hearts locked and nowhere to get the key
I'l take her and leave this world
With one less lonely girl
There's gonna be one less lonely girl
One less lonely girl
There's gonna be one less lonely girl
One less lonely girl"

of the 387 words in this song, 23 are "girl", 32 "you/your"s, and the phrase "one less lonely girl" appears no fewer than 21 times. for those of you counting at home, the "girl"s and "you/your"s account for 14.2% of the song. the 21 phrases make up 1/3 (33%) of the song based on number of lines. in a strict word:word ratio, the repetition of those four words in succession accounts for 21.7% of the song. don't tell me it's not repetitive.

this song has NO meaning aside from the fact that the kid is sixteen and has very little experience in real relationships. how in the WORLD is this actually popular?

I don't think I'll ever understand...

had I chosen

to spread out my previous two blogs, I would currently have four. bummer.
anyway,

since modern artists are so pressed for time, their lyrics suffer. I guess... the music itself isn't so hot either. I'll explain:

Panic! At The Disco got their start in spring of 2004. Pete Wentz (of the band formerly known as Fall Out Boy) heard some of their demo stuff, brought it to his label (Fueled by Ramen), and wanted a full-length album in September of 2004. Granted, the band had been around for a little while, so they had a few songs in their repertoire to throw on an album, but their first album, "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out", is full of mildly interesting, hugely catchy lyrics, and a unique breakdown of songs -- the first half is largely techno/electronically tinged songs which is interrupted by the "Intermission", a track with few words explaining that this is the part of the album where it switches to strings, heavy piano playing and muffled background sounds similar to those of a phonograph with a blanket over it.

so, here's how it sounds, briefly:


interesting, catchy as anything, fun, danceable, but not that impressive musically. clever lyrics, but rather meaningless when it really comes down to it.

then, almost four years later, in spring of 2008, (hey, they deserved the time to write this one carefully...) Panic at the Disco released their second album, Pretty. Odd. - sans the "!", mind you.
this one has more deliberate lyrics. a new sound, different writing styles, a folk-ier sound, and an almost overwhelming Beatles influence. as if there's such a thing as too much Beatles, HA! anyway, no more gimmicks, no more "we don't have another song, so here's an instrumental to fill this track space".
here's how this one sounds:
(also, I apologize for the audio on this one, but I couldn't find a better one)



see what an amazing difference time to write and think can make?

save the music!

okay, so maybe "save the music" refers more to bringing music to schools whose music programs have gone down the tubes, but I think in a very dramatic sense, it can relate to the music industry as well.

sure, there's loads of great music swimming around out there. the local scene is becoming even more popular too. what used to be reserved for the "indie/hipster" kids (I don't even know which is which, so I'm obviously not really either) has now become THE place to be for anyone who wants new music or wants to be a close part of the music industry without shelling out $100 for a concert ticket (not to mention the CD you'll buy there, and the t-shirt, and the gas, and the parking, and the ... whatever else: booty shorts?). for ten bucks (often less than that), anyone can go to a little local show for a local metal/hardcore/posthardcore/pop/pop-punk/punk/alternative/[insert other genre here...] band. this awesome opportunity isn't guaranteed to be a great one aurally, but let me tell you, supporting these local gigs is what is going to save the industry.

at local shows, it's kids trying to make it big, but they know that without a label behind them, they're not gonna go anywhere unless they're original. without originality, the "scene" is going to write the band of as either posers or wannabes, which DO exist, but they're not common. it's at these shows that music is taken back to its roots and what it should be: pure and untarnished. it's about music and people. not money (although, they do need gas money every once in a while).

the music industry and its cronies are caught up in their own egos. they produce what will make money with little regard to what is actually talent because they're the ones who "know what they're doing".

I say "whatever". it's the local cats who are doing it right. support them instead.

you're proving my point, Miley

As previously stated, my whole goal with this blog is to establish a clear thought on whether the present music industry is capable of handling the awe that is associated with bands like Queen, the Beatles, and (as much as it pains me to say it,) Metallica.

Exhibit A:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxbFLYa0_bw


"Somebody To Love", Queen c. 1976

I mean, seriously. How can you even begin to compare an undisputed music great like Queen with today's latest trash?

The simple answer? You can't.
The industry today, like everyone else in the entire world, doesn't know that it's okay to slow down. They push for shorter deadlines in order to get CDs on the shelves (= money in their pockets). In doing so, they run out of bands ready to produce good music, and resort to anyone who has a: pretty face/"mom-/dad-ager"/no shame/money already/an overly inflated ego, etc., etc. The list goes on! Thus, we get garbage like Nickelback, The Jonas Brothers, and Miley Cyrus.
Now, this isn't to say that I don't like ANYTHING by ANY of the artists who are in similar positions. In fact, there are one or two Nickelback songs that I listen to frequently (though they are from their early years when their one song was new and they hadn't re-done it for four albums and just changed the lyrics...). But I digress...

Basically, the rushed studio time (which I believe is exacerbated by the accessibility of music: iTunes-->search-->click-->done) leads to shoddy workmanship.

What do you think? Does the music industry allow true talent (which takes time) to fall to the wayside in order to keep up with the demands of listeners everywhere?


Forthcoming topics:
-> end of "Rock Gods"?
-> vinyl vs mp3
-> how exactly does one "nod their head like 'yeah'"?

peace.
kateschutte

NOTICE:

all posts prior to this one are irrelevant to the assignment at hand.

on a darker note,
THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS DEAD.

unless of course you consider Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana/whoever she is today and the Jonas Brothers "music".

more on this devastating realization to come...

it's sad...

that I have to be assigned to blog to actually update this.
hm.
the worst part is I don't know what I'm going to actually blog about. this obviously doesn't count. I just don't have the focus to blog anything of substance. gr. ohwell. I'll get around to it.