kindaliastar-blog

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He had this kind of magical quality that all the genuine poets and artists have: to elevate things. To get above the mundane, the prosaic. All the bullshit. All the mediocrity that's everywhere. The artist, the artist is the pioneer.

Rick Emmerson about Sixto Rodriguez,

Searching for Sugar Man

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What he's demonstrated, very clearly, is that you have a choice. He took all that torment, all that agony, all that confusion and pain, and he transformed it into something beautiful. He's like the silkworm, you know? You take this raw material, and you transform it. You come out with something that wasn't there before. Something beautiful. Something perhaps transcendent. Something perhaps eternal. Insofar as he does that, I think he's representative of the human spirit, of what's possible. That you have a choice "And this has been my choice, to give you Sugar Man". Now, have you done that? Ask yourself.

Rick Emmerson about Sixto Rodriguez, 

Searching for Sugar Man

[kindaliastar-blog]

#ootd #plaid #mixingpatterns #fashion #portlanderstuckinprovo #accessoriesmaketheoutfit

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Love getting letters from this girl. #family #sistermcgill #soproud #koreabound

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Enjoying this book immensely. #books #nosociallife #pleasurereading

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Hair too long. #impatience Must let it grow... #struggle #notgonnahappen #ihatepoofyhair

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#ootd #layering #patterns #portlanderstuckinprovo #nosuchthingasmatching

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I'm in love! I'm in love! And I don't care who knows it! Lavender is now my new favorite flavor of kombucha. #itslove #lavenderkombucha

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Do I look like enough of a hipster? #portlanderstuckinprovo #accessoriesmaketheoutfit

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Bow tie for girls. #diy #crochetcreations #androgyny

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The Avett Brothers, The Carpenter: An Authentic Exploration of Life

 Loyal fans of The Avett Brothers would be able to tell from the first track of The Carpenter, the seventh album of this edgy, neo-bluegrass, pop, grunge, indie folk group, that something impressive and possibly unmatched is in store. Their fans have come to expect nothing less than moving lyrics, motivating beats, country charm, and a range of well-developed melodies and harmonies. The first track, “The Once and Future Carpenter”, stays true to the neo-bluegrass roots of these darling, slightly sentimental brothers as it could have easily fit right in with their 2009 hit album, number 16 on the Billboard 200, I and Love and You. The charm of “The Once and Future Carpenter” lies in its comfortable and honest lyrics: “And when I lose my direction I’ll look up to the sky…I’ll be ready to surrender and remember/Well we’re all in this together./If I live the life I’m given, I won’t be scared to die.” These brothers and their heart-felt music can only be described as authentic and daringly artistic. They aren’t afraid to confront difficult topics and that is arguably where they soar above the rest.

            The band, composed of brothers Scott Avett—banjo, vocals, guitar, piano, drums, and Seth Avett—guitar, vocals, piano, Bob Crawford—up-right bass, electric bass, Joe Kwan—cello, and Mike Marsh—percussion, centered out of North Carolina, are famous for their relatable lyrics and sincerity of expression. Trying to categorize these unique artists would present a difficulty to any critic since they have branched from country to bluegrass to pop to punk to alternative to folk to grunge to rock. This album stays true to the unpredictable form as it moves from one song to the next with extreme mood shifts and contrast between the sad and haunting melancholia of “Winter in My Heart”, the Beatlesque touches of up-tempo “I Never Knew You”, the sentimental thoughts of a new father in “A Father’s First Spring”, and the eccentric, edgy, slightly angry-electric-guitar-90’s-grunge vibe of “Paul Newman Vs. The Demons”. This album seems to leave no sensation out as it explores the extensive range of emotional experiences to be had in one lifetime.

From beginning to end, there is no denying the thoughtful and reflective theme laced throughout the album; The Avett Brothers have thoroughly explored ideas of purpose and how to find meaning in life in spite of trials and difficulty. By stringing together a few lyrics from each of the songs you could effectively compose a description of life’s major emotions and events: sorrows and joys, frustrations and hopes, regrets and revelations, questions and answers.

In an interview with Scott and Seth Avett, the brothers explained what the inspiration for the album was and how they came up with the title “The Carpenter.” In 2011, Bob Crawford’s two year old daughter was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer. This came as a massive shock to each of the band members who all found out together. Scott Avett said, “We got off the plane from Germany and we were met with this news and it hit us all at once.” Seth explained that after his talk with Bob in the hospital where they agreed that “We are who we are because of you…we built each other,” Seth began thinking about “all the parallels between construction, deconstruction and how that applies to all kinds of things…It all made sense as carpentry work in one form or another.” Scott agreed, “Now it counted—who we were, and who we were to each other, and we needed each other. Everything was changing rapidly and those things were said to Seth and a light went off.” The difficult times that the band experienced together allowed them to grow closer and confront the struggles of life, and ultimately channel the wide range of feelings into a compact, thought-provoking album.

The album as a whole flows nicely as a complete narrative with lyrics that capture the complexities of life—

Finding purpose: “And now I spend my days in search of a woman we called Purpose/And if I ever pass back through her town I’ll stay.” “I went on a search for something true …I went on a search for something real/Traded what I know for how I feel.”

Pain and fear: “Fear like a habit, run like a rabbit out and away…to the unknown.”  “Oh, there’s nothing good because nothing lasts/And all that comes, it comes here to pass.” “How many times must I live through the past again?” “Oh, and you and I know all too well/About the hell and paradise/Right here on earth.”

Questions and frustrations: “They say seasons turn in time/Theirs are changing, why won’t mine?” “And I’m trading fun for right/Will I regret the notion later?”

Love and family: “If you have love in your heart let show while you can.” “If I die it’s for you/I never lived ‘til I lived in your light.” “Well we’re all in this together./If I live the life I’m given, I won’t be scared to die.”

Unlike many popular bands of today, The Avett Brothers hold tight to the conceptual element of writing an album. Before they even set foot in a studio, the album has already been composed conceptually and completely in their minds—they are already familiar and comfortable with the emotional experience of, not only each song, but the album as a whole. This particular album is made up of both old and young songs, the oldest of which they first wrote 7 years ago but had yet to be recorded. The interweaving of old and young songs is skillfully done, and conceptual melding of ideas from song to song is apparent to any listener.  The completed album fulfills the wishes of every viewer by presenting a conceptual conflict and a concrete resolution: “We’re all in this together.”

The Avett Brothers use the honesty and sincerity of their music to create a stage on which they can address the most meaningful of topics. Life, death, regret, hope, pain, joy—The Avett Brothers have experienced it all and artistically display the realities of life for their fans to bask in. Everything about this album is believable and approachable, maintaining the sincerity and heart that The Avett Brothers undeniably have. You’d think the seemingly average quality of the vocals would detract from the listening experience, but, to be sure, nothing could devalue the sincerity of the lyrics.

So, if you are in the market for a new band or album, try delving into The Avett Brothers’ music and explore the complexities of music and life. They’ll keep you entertained for hours with their unpredictability and undying authenticity. 

[kindaliastar-blog]

#ootd #layering #patterns #accessoriesmaketheoutfit

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#tbt #sisters 2008 I think

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An Afternoon's Musings

I believe in the power of solitude. To a fault, really. For whatever reason, I find it difficult to trust people who can’t ever spend time alone, like they can’t survive if they don’t constantly have people around—What are you afraid of? Why aren’t you comfortable being alone with yourself? What are you avoiding? How come you aren’t capable of entertaining yourself? What’s wrong with being alone every once in a while?—It concerns me when people can’t be alone. How can you truly self actualize if you never give yourself time to be alone with your thoughts and concerns. Sometimes it’s good to shut out the external opinions and voices and really get comfortable with your individuality and your personal essence. Allowing yourself to be alone and to observe can be a very powerful and effective experience. My personal time—a time of meditation, of musing, of praying, of reading, of writing—I don’t know if I could survive without it.

But with that said, I have also been trying to develop a testimony of friendship and relationships. For a long time I felt like friendship and socializing is a frivolity, not essential to my life. But I’ve realized that when you find the right, worthwhile people, friendship can become a great advantage and even a necessity to life instead of simply an accessory. I think my problem was that the people I spent time with were not the right, worthwhile people. I didn’t know any better, I suppose, but I knew that something about it wasn’t completely worth my time or energy. Now, I know that I am not the best friend I could be, but I do believe in complete loyalty and supporting those you love and care for. My loyalty and the loyalty of others has been very important in all of my past friendships and relationships, but all the loyalty in the world can’t help a friendship when it isn’t mutually beneficial to each party involved.

In recent months I have come to understand that there are, in fact, individuals out there who are capable of being quality friends. I’ve learned that there is a distinctive difference between those “friends” who are only capable of giving you a one-sided relationship and those friends who can actually edify and uplift you. After experiencing what it’s like to interact with people who are, in some sense, my equals, I find myself dreading to go back to those friends who drain you of your sanity. Now that I am more fully aware of the potential out there for quality friends and meaningful relationships, I feel less and less inclined to settle for adequate friendships that still leave something to be desired. Why settle for good when you can have excellent? Why waste my time trying to build someone up who isn’t even aware that they’re holding me back? Why not keep your expectations high and get what you deserve?

By nature I am a fixer, a healer. I feel the need to help others resolve their problems with little concern for how it could affect me in the long run. I have spent so much of my life being the support system for other people without worrying about building my own reliable support system. I don’t want to perpetuate that any longer. It’s not worth it to sacrifice everything for someone else when you only end up tearing yourself down in the process. Nothing about that is a healthy relationship. I only want to develop healthy friendships from now on. I want reliable, consistent, honest, loyal, trustworthy people in my life. Friendships at this time in my life are often temporary by nature, but isn’t that reason enough to make sure they are only quality friendships? It may take patience and time before you find the friends who are worthwhile, but I’m convinced it is much more rewarding and satisfying in the long run. It’s worth the wait. I can’t justify settling anymore. I’m giving up my “fixer” license and I’m determined to only perpetuate quality friendships and mutually beneficial relationships.

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Looking ridiculous and happy as ever. #ootd #stripesandplaid #nosuchthingasmatching

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The Illusion of Self Discovery

In the past few weeks I've had one topic stuck rolling around in my head: Identity. Now, I realize it's probably because in my Interpretation of Arts and Literature class we've been discussing the idea of identity and reading all about it--everything theory from Hegel's Master-Slave dialectic to Freud's unconscious, to Lacan's mirror state to Marx's commodity of man to Foucault's normalization and alienation. However, despite the fact that these theories are meant, in this case, to be used in a literary setting or an artistic and theoretical reading, I find myself unable to completely sever these ideas from my "real" life. (The word "real" must remain in quotations here because lately my academic life runs, not only concurrently with the rest of my life, but as a substitute for it.) In class we have questioned how identity is created, why it is created, and when it is created. Each theorist has their own interpretation based on observation and research, but one thing they all have in common is that the notion of a "self" can only exist if and when there is an "other" present to which the "self" can be related. 

I've tried to identify when exactly I became a "self" and how I learned to think if myself as a "self". What I've realized is that my definition of "Kindal Star McGill" as an individual self, with a unique identity, has been altered many times over the course of my life. My path of "self discovery" seems to be never-ending. But I think that is because self discovery is never-ending. There really is no such thing as "self discovery," because that implies that at some moment you will finally, actually get to the real, complete, incorruptible, static YOU. But the truth is, each human being, by nature of mortality, is dynamic and volatile. The idea of "self discovery" perpetuates the illusion that at some point you will reach the point where you have stopped changing and you've been DISCOVERED. False false false. Every big change in our life--graduating high school, going to college, "becoming a grown up", getting a job, applying for grad school, getting married, having kids--they all cause us to re-identify ourselves based on our new surroundings or circumstances. We must re-discover ourselves according to these new circumstances. We change with the world; we change with our environment; our "identities" are ever-changing. I think we believe that our identity is a constant thing because it gives us a sense of stability and (false) hope that something in this world can be predictable. But really, our identities are the things that change most in this world! We re-invent ourselves at every turn. We re-orient ourselves according to the new "others" we are encountered with. A new "self" and a new "identity" are developed with every new setting. 

Once I realized how all this identity stuff worked I suddenly felt more at ease. I was feeling extremely disconcerted because I came to the recognition that I have been going through another new period of self discovery and I started thinking to myself, "What the heck. Haven't I been through this already? Didn't I do this a few years ago? ....And a few years before that? Why am I so retarded that I can't settle on one identity??" But I realized that, in fact, I am not retarded. I feel like I need to keep re-defining myself because I am presented with new, completely different circumstances that require me to consider myself in new ways and re-evaluate myself as a person. I think it's a good thing to be willing to adjust your identity and reconsider your options. If you were in denial that your identity could/should shift, I feel like that would be very discouraging when the world around you is changing but you can't keep up. I think that's where I was... I was stuck trying to be my "SELF" no matter what was going on in my world, when my world was actually just waiting for me to catch up. 

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#ootd #layering #plaid