Tag Archives: Music

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Pumped up kicks? You Better Run

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So as we all know (since I talk about it at least every other week), I’ve taken up running.

For a while I had been listening to the Alternative Endurance Training station on Pandora. There is a lot of great music on there that I enjoy. However, I made the mistake several months ago of giving the thumbs up to a few songs that weren’t really in that style of music and now I have a bunch of Beatles and some really great but very slow indie folks songs that come on the station. This is all fine and dandy when you’re on the treadmill and can balance the phone to skip the song but not so much when you’re outside running.

I decided to switch to audio books so that I could focus on the story. I downloaded The Magician’s Nephew from The Chronicles of Narnia from the library onto my phone’s app. Even though I’ve read/listened to the story a bunch of times, it’s one of my favorites and I was due for a reread anyways. Unfortunately I discovered that even though audiobooks work great for me during car rides, I’m not really a big fan of them during running. My running apps will talk over the narration causing me to miss things. Plus I found myself not really listening because I was paying too much attention to my feet, breathing, or watching the road.

I finally decided to just make my own playlist. Someone on Reddit had mentioned that if you don’t want to keep constantly looking at your clock to see how much time you have left, you can still use songs to keep track of time. If you know you’ve reached the halfway mark at 15 minutes, if your playlist consists of songs that are about 4 minutes each, then you know that you have 4 songs (or less) and then you’re done. Much easier to make time go by faster.

So I present to you my current running playlist.

Yes it’s a bit of a mix. I have alternative, punk, EDM, classic rock, and pop on there. Yes there is a One Direction song on there. I like the song ok? And no I will no put any Josh Groban on here. He is too slow. Sacrifices. I know.

There are all these fancy playlists with certain BPMs (beats per music) that you can listen to so you can make yourself go faster. But really though, I’ve created a really great mix for ME. Music is always something I know that I can lose myself in and helps me to do things better. And these are songs that I actually know and like. A lot of the songs are good for me because they may have some slow parts but then the music gets faster and faster. You feel like you suddenly get a burst of energy and realize that you CAN keep going even though your legs feel like death. Since I use the free Spotify app, the playlist HAS to shuffle but that’s actually good because I never know what song is going to come up next. I will say I do like it when “Livin’ On a Prayer” happens to come on especially when I’m halfway through my run for obvious reasons.

I haven’t gotten bored with this mix yet. It’s long enough that I haven’t had any repeats yet during my runs but I’m sure whenever the day comes that I can outrun it, I’ll add more music. For now, I think these songs will help me when I run my first 5k this weekend.

So with that in mind, anyone have any suggestions for other songs to add to my list? Or what’s on your playlist? What do you listen to when you run? Music? Audio books? Podcasts? The sound of your own breathing?

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Jumping on the Bandwagon

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We already know I’m a late bloomer for everything. One of those things is that I get into late after the game is fandoms where everyone there has been fans for years.

It doesn’t seem to matter if it’s geek stuff, music, or sports. When it comes to those categories, I never seemed to be around right from the beginning. The one exception is maybe books but even then sometimes I’m late to the game too.

I came across this article on Cracked the other day: 3 Fan Communities That Hate Their Own Members. And it’s something that I’ve noticed whenever I (or anyone new) starts liking things well after the fact of it being established: how much people hate on other fans who all like the same thing.

I just started watching Community this past week. When it first premiered, I was at a stage in life when it didn’t appeal to me. As the years have gone by, I’ve been recommended by several people insisting I would like it. I’ve been meaning to watch it for a while but I never had access to the DVDs and it’s not streaming online. I don’t do the whole torrent thing so basically I was at a disadvantage to watching.

But once I started watching it, I loved it. I was mad at myself for not discovering it earlier. Sure I was late to the game but I could share my love about it others who did because then we’d all be fans together, right? WRONG. While I did get some positive reaction and happiness that I too now was a fan, a lot of reaction was “Late to game!” “Duh, we told you about this for years.” “Fair weather fan”. And I’m like seriously? You’re not happy for new fans?

It wasn’t as if I watched one episode, or read one comic, halfheartedly watched a game, listened to the ONE hit song a band had. When I start liking a fandom, I do my research and I go full force into it. I want to prove to myself that I can be there and so I study up. So to be told that I wasn’t really a fan because I started super late ticked me off. It also made me feel like I had to hide the fact of my excitement of discovering new things that I really enjoyed.

I remember when I went to go see New Found Glory in 2002. I had been a fan of them for about a year and a half at that point. There had been fans who liked them before I did. I’m not sure how they found out about them (find the one CD in their local record store? saw them on stage when they first started) but I know that I got into them because of other people’s enthusiasm. At that last concert, there were several young teens that only new their latest album. They didn’t know any of the old songs at all. Did it peeve me a little? Yes. Especially since they didn’t know “Hit or Miss”. But was I going to get all angry at them and tell they to get out because only true fans deserved to be there? No. Because I wouldn’t have fit that definition anyways.

I guess I’m just trying to figure out this kind of behavior. Whenever someone starts liking something that I’ve liked for years and they genuinely like it (not liking for dubious reasons), I’m excited for them. If anything I want them to like it as much as I do, though I know that overloading them too early can be fatal. I would never mock someone for being a new fan nor would I try to discourage them. Even if they ended up changing their minds and not liking it, I know they that gave it a try and I could respect that.

What makes you better than someone because you discovered it first? Does it mean you’re a better fan? Does it mean you’re a better person? Are you annoyed that you’re not the only one anymore? Is it an identity issue? Do you just hate new fans jumping on the bandwagon? What makes a true fan and why are you one and not someone else?

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Two Nights at the Opera

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It is time for us all
To decide who we are
Do we fight for the right
To a night at the opera now?

I’ve been very #blessed (yep, I just did that) this summer when it comes to having opportunities happen to me. This is not a summer where I can go to places on vacation or spend a lot of money. I’ve been doing a lot of armchair travel either via books, radio dramas, or TV shows. But one really cool thing I’ve been able to do this summer is attend a lot of concerts at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts…..almost all of them for free. Some of the tickets I’ve won (ie The National Symphony Orchestra performing the score to a screening of the film 2001: A Space Odyssey AND Josh Groban!) and one set I actually bought (Josh Groban again!)

wolf trap

But the more awesome way was how I got to attend the opera this summer!

I’d never been to the opera before. I’d seen movies that featured the opera in it but it wasn’t something I’d ever experienced myself. It was too expensive. I thought it might be boring. I thought it’d be confusing with the foreign language. And it seemed like something you’d do if you older and more well off. Opera goers have the stereotype of being stuffy and over cultured. At least to me. It was just something I never thought I’d see myself attending. I mean this is what I thought of when I saw the opera:

However one day I just happened to see this tweet that had been retweeted by the main Wolf Trap twitter feed:

And I thought, well I love Wolf Trap, I’ve never been to the opera before, and free tickets? Sure why not? This was just luck that I happen to catch this tweet because I had only JUST started following the main Wolf Trap account and so I didn’t normally go to look at their tweets. It was just excellent timing.

After attending the information session with Wolf Trap Opera (lots of information on their website!), we were told that the reason why they were doing this was that they wanted to reach out to people who had never been to the opera and learn why. Basically a lot of people had the same preconceptions I had and they wanted to change that. All we had to was answer a few surveys and we were going to be given free tickets to two operas of our choice. I was stoked! This was an opportunity I never thought I was going to have and now I’d get to do it for free? Awesome!

The first opera I saw was Handel’s Giulio Cesare. It is the story of Julius Cesar and Cleopatra. It’s sung in Italian. You can read a synopsis of the opera here.

This one was done at The Barns at Wolf Trap which is a more intimate location seating less than 400 people. The buildings are actual barns from the 18th century and have excellent acoustics.

We didn’t know what to expect and was very glad we went to the pre talk beforehand. This was great because we were told how the story differed from what one normally would have expected from a historical story (ie. everyone wore modern costumes) and we were given samples of what the singers would sound like. This was good because the male lead was a countertenor and if you’ve never heard one before it is quite a shock.

The opera itself was fabulous. Sets were well done, costumes were great, the singing excellent. I never once felt bored or lost. The only thing that was a bit of an issue was our seats were in the very back and therefore seeing the subtitles was a bit difficult but it’s really a minor quibble. We walked out that night feeling extremely cultured. I felt like this is what it was like for all those people back in history when they went to the opera house. I feel like I just experienced something totally new and it was excellent.

Since we were sitting in the back, this is the best pic we could get.

opera

I don’t have actual footage of the opera but here’s a video about what the opera was about made the company

The second opera I attended was Bizet’s Carmen, held at the main Filene Center at Wolf Trap.

You can read a synopsis of the opera here. It was sung in French.

There was a huge difference for us in seeing this opera over our first one. While Giulio Cesare felt very intimate, this one being in the larger venue felt more open. Our seats this time was in the balcony on the very far left side. And they were excellent. We could see everything (aside from the chorus in the back but that was ok).

With the dancing, costumes, and video screens (one of my favorite parts), it felt more like watching a Broadway show vs the “Shakespeare theater” feeling. I absolutely loved it. The video screens changed throughout the course of the show, sometimes very subtle which made up for the fact that there were no walls/sets. Also the music was done by the National Symphony Orchestra. The performances were all so very excellent.

carmen 2 carmen

You may recognize the music even though you haven’t seen the opera before. It’s become part of pop culture.

A really cool thing Wolf Trap Opera did during the Carmen performance was heavily integrate the use of technology. There was seating on part of the lawn where you could use your electronic device to read the supertitles. Also a cast member used Google glasses on stage to get a different glimpse of what was going on during the performance. I can’t watch this video without getting motion sickness but it’s a really cool perspective of what’s going on during the show.

So yeah! Going to opera is awesome. I highly recommend it if you get the chance to go where you live. And if you happen to be in the DC area, you totally should come out to Wolf Trap to see the opera there. It’s not as expensive as seeing it at like Kennedy Center but the performance is just as great. You don’t have to get all fancy and dress up (unless you want to of course). Also it’s at Wolf Trap which is always excellent whether at the Barns or the Filene Center (picnic on the lawn!). If you ever see an opportunity like this, I highly recommend jumping on it.

There’s still one more opera performance left this season at Wolf Trap: Le pauvre matelot and Les mamelles de Tirésias. Two French operas. You should jump on that. Just saying. http://www.wolftrap.org/Home/Find_Performances_and_Events/Performance/14Opera/Le_pauvre_Matelot_Les_mamelles.aspx

I’m so glad I did this. Part of my trying new things this year. SO WORTH IT!

Thank you again Wolf Trap Opera for this awesome opportunity!

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The songs that currently constantly on repeat

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Confession time: I like to sing along and play air guitar to music when no one is around.

You’re probably thinking, “What? Everyone does that.”

Yeah but does everyone put on headphones, and lose themselves in the song? Possibly too.

This is probably true for almost any person that 1) has access to music and 2) feels a connection to music.

For me it can be any genre of music. It can even be music that is purely instrumental. Just listening to the music creates a story in my head that, like a good book or movie, can make me feel lost in it for hours. Sometimes I become attached to a song because of the lyrics, other times it’s because of the actual music that makes me feel connected.  It’s also really good at helping you escape when you need it. If you put on headphones and focus on the music, the rest of the world just disappears for a few minutes.

I realize the majority of you who will read this post will either a) not click on any of these videos to listen to the music or 2) if you do listen, it won’t be the same experience for you that it is for me. And that’s fine. That’s the pretty awesome thing about music. It’s very subjective and what works for one person, doesn’t always work for another. Heck, it sometimes doesn’t even work on the same person. I could like a song, and then 10 years later listen to it again and be like “What on earth was I thinking?”

For me right now, the songs I’m listening to feel like they are part of a bigger story. Either they describe a character, a plot, or the entire theme of the story can be summed up by one song.

So what songs am I currently listening to that make up my current stories? Here’s a random sampling.

“Found Out About You” by the Gin Blossoms – So this song originally came out in 1992 and I think I discovered it in 8th grade. That’s 17 years of me listening to this song. Every couple of years the lyrics become extremely relevant. It’s actually kind of scary how accurate the song can become in my life.

 

“False Alarms” by Josh Groban – No music post these days is complete without a Josh Groban shout out. But no really, this song has been on repeat in my car lately because I really like the music and can relate to the lyrics.  This may possibly be the only one of his songs that I will know by heart when I see him in concert this summer. I still haven’t really listened to the rest of his songs yet.

“Heaven” by The Walkmen – Yes, this is the song that was featured at end of the finale of How I Met Your Mother but I try not to let my feelings of that taint this song. It’s a sad sounding song. But when I hear it, I can see a story. If that makes sense.

 

“El Scorcho” by Weezer – This has been my favorite Weezer song since high school but in the past few months I may or may not have changed some of the lyrics to fit recent circumstances.

 

“Time” from the Inception film score – This song, I can listen to over and over again. I actually wrote a story based on this piece that had nothing to do with the movie, just how the music made me feel. I also would love to incorporate this somehow into my future wedding one day (if my future husband would consent to it). Though by stating this publicly means it won’t happen. But one can still dream.

So what songs are making stories in your head lately?

Photo credit: http://500px.com/photo/5644024/ostin-by-mariana-mikhailova?from=popular

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Yes, I will be YOUR Punk Rock Princess.

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New Found Glory (album)

New Found Glory (album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve talked about how I am a huge Beatles fan. I also have mentioned how I am now a Josh Groban fan but I haven’t really listened to his music. Well at least until yesterday.

Other than The Beatles, my music taste has both varied and stayed pretty constant. I am the type of person that likes a song and not necessarily a band and their entire catalog. Going through my mixed CDs over the years you would probably find many bands/groups only listed once or twice simply because I enjoyed that one song of theirs but never ventured into anything else.

I was having a discussion the other day with a friend about music we listened to in high school and how it made us feel really old. And then I saw an ad pop up on my Facebook sidebar promoting a concert with 4 bands I like in high school being held in Maryland next month and I realized how most of the bands are now in their late 30s or pushing early 40s. And I’m like….oof, gosh this makes me feel ancient. (Especially after reading this article on Buzzfeed.)

But then I decided let’s take a stroll down memory lane and go back to 2001-2003. Back when I was 18-20, these were bands I listened to. I went to Warped Tour in 2001 as well as other numerous shows of this nature (ah The Boathouse, I miss thee). Punknews.org was one of my favorite websites. And I wore a studded belt. Yes, I listened to a lot of pop punk/emo music.

I realize that there’s a good chance the majority of you won’t recognize these bands because you don’t listen to this type of music. But that’s ok.

So here we go:

New Found Glory was one of my favorite bands during this time period. To this day, I still love their first four albums with their self titled one being one of absolute favorites of all time. I saw them about 4 times in concert. The last time I went though, I was quite sad because at the age of 20 I was one of the oldest people at the show and the kids there didn’t even know this song.

Saves the Day was the first non Beatles album that I ever bought. I was a freshman in college and I went to the mall to the record store and paid for Stay What You Are, with a check!

I got introduced to Alkaline Trio because of a boy I liked at the time. (Which is pretty much a good reason why I liked most of these bands TBH). This is my favorite of all their songs, though I prefer the version on the Vagrant Records sampler (if you know which one I mean, you rock).

I didn’t really like AFI too much, but I loved this song.

I saw Something Corporate in concert with New Found Glory and I loved how they used the piano/keyboard. Ah this just brings back memories.

This song by the Get Up Kids….to this day it’s one of my go to songs for just kicking back.

And this was just a brief sample of what I used to listen to back in the day, and still sometimes today. I hope that was a fun trip down memory lane for you as well (or I just introduced you to some new bands).

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So may I introduce to you the act you’ve known for all these years?

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It was 50 years ago last week that the Beatles came to the US for the first time and basically changed the way the world heard music forever.

It was about 18 and a half years ago (oh gosh am I that old?!) this year that I really discovered the Beatles music and it changed the way I heard music forever.

If you’ve known me for any amount of time, then you know that Beatles are MY band. Yes, I listen to other music and I have other bands that I greatly enjoy. But ever since November 1995, the Beatles have been my favorite band. That was when the Beatles Anthology came on TV and it changed my life forever.

I was in 7th grade and I was trying to figure out what type of music to like. Everyone was either listening to rap or alternative or country and while I liked certain songs, there wasn’t anything I gravitated towards. I wanted something that I could answer to when someone asked me what was my favorite type of music. And for reasons that I could not explain to you, I had the desire to tape the special. And then obsessively watched it for the next year. The Beatles were now MY band.

I still can’t explain what drew me to their music. Probably the same magic that drew all those fans 50 years ago. It’s catchy. It’s good. It’s simple. It’s deep. It stands the test of time. It’s influential. It’s memorable. I can find a Beatles song for almost any situation I’m in. Their music is classic. Their own music evolved and therefore changed music as we now hear it forever.

What gets me the most is that when they wrote all these songs and music, ALL of the Beatles were younger than me. To write over 200 songs (and more when they started their solo careers) in your 20s that have stood the test of time for over FIFTY years? Geniuses, I tell you.

Now they might not be your favorite band and you may detest their music. But if you like music of any sort, I can guarantee you that whoever you listen to has been someone affected by the Beatles. This is one of those short blog posts where I don’t feel like I need to gush or explain in detail. You either appreciate their music or you don’t. I do.

Here’s to another 50 years.

Update:

I got to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland today and well, this is what happened:

beatles john

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How stupid is it? I can’t talk about it. I gotta sing about it.

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Sometimes you want to say things. But you don’t know how to. Or the right opportunity doesn’t seem to pop up when you want it to.

So that’s why song lyrics come in handy. Other people write songs. And then you can say ALL the FEELS through them. Everyone manages to find songs that fit EXACTLY how they feel. Which then disproves the theory that you are the only that feels a certain way and that no one can understand how you feel, correct?

So in continuing the trend of trying out something different this week on the blog, here are lyrics that described me recently:

You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now
Here he comes

I want to tell you
My head is filled with things to say
When you're here
All those words, they seem to slip away

If I told you things I did before, told you how I used to be
Would you go along with someone like me
If you knew my story word for word, had all of my history
Would you go along with someone like me

I’m a lot like you so please, hello, I’m here, I’m waiting
I think I’d be good for you and you’d be good for me
How stupid is it? I can’t talk about it
I gotta sing about it and make a record of my heart
How stupid is it? Won’t you gimme a minute
Just come up to me
And say hello to my heart
How stupid is it?

Here we go again
I kinda wanna be more than friends
So take it easy on me
I’m afraid

 

 In the silence, in the waiting
Still we can know You are good
All Your plans are for Your glory
Yes, we can know You are good
Yes, we can know You are good
The Lord our God is ever faithful