#but I’m picturing like. a trombone at 2 am

[sexynetra]

rawnsyf marcia owning an instrument and playing it hella loud to annoy anetra

I think Anetra would commit capital murder and I would support her

[frascospecimen]

which instrumence does each play ?

I’m not entirely sure which characters specifically this is referring to, I want to say splatoon guys because they’re the ones I’ve been talking about a lot recently and because splatoon fans love their splatbands but I’m just going to talk about everyone LOL

Splatoon guys music info was mentioned already in this post! However I forgot to mention there that Zigzag plays bass guitar. They picked it up a small while before leaving the domes, and got really attached to it as something to do while adjusting to life on the surface. They specifically play a custom made gas powered electric guitar- mostly because I thought something with a pull cord would look cool LOL. I should probably draw it again sometime I forgot where my image of it went.

Onto the white whale fall characters: Amanita plays piano. She’s been taking piano lessons from a very young age, and she’s very good at it- although it’s not really a big passion of hers, just something she knows how to do.

Instruments is a very fun question for me to think about because of a specific group of characters in white whale fall who barely even show up in the story I just like them a lot. They’re the main characters in a hypothetical part 2 to the series, that I haven’t actually worked on more than just me saying I really like these characters LOL. These three characters however are in a band together! They’re characters I haven’t talked about hardly at all on here so I have images.

Sylvie (on the left) plays a LOT of instruments. I don’t have it nailed down the entire list of what she plays but I do know: she plays saxophone primarily, as her favorite one to play. Specifically baritone saxophone. Her bari sax is the only instrument she actually owns, anything else she plays is borrowed from the school. She plays trumpet and trombone as well. She knows how to play piano, and occasionally does keyboard for the band. Other than these concrete ones I imagine she plays a few other things too.

Dess (on the right) plays bass guitar and keyboard. I don’t have much else to say there.

There’s a third character named dexter who plays drums but for the life of me I really could not find a single picture of this guy unfortunately. He’s a dog with hair that goes over his eyes.

There’s one more character in the band, but I’m not going to reveal them, because I think it’s a fun little surprise. It’s not anything terribly big or important, but I still am keeping it under wraps for now. 😁They play guitar though.

[frenchy-and-the-sea]

thank you for the tag @merrigelblogs! 

1. Are you named after anyone? - I am not! At least not that I know of. Thankfully, while I don’t particularly love my full name, it can at least be shortened to a decidedly less feminine form, which is a massive blessing.

2. When was the last time you cried? - Legit this morning, I watched a proposal video that was v sweet and I got weepy about it. I’m a Pisces, it’s basically my day job 

3. Do you have kids? - No, I gotta be like WAY more on top of my own shit before I can think about being responsible for another human being like that!

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot? - Y...yes.... but I work hard to only use it to highlight the ridiculousness of a situation rather than to belittle what someone has said

5. What is the first thing you notice about a person? - Clothing, mostly! I am that person who is out in a crowded area and tries to read what everyone’s graphic tee says, in case it’s something I recognize. I like to know where I can connect with people!

6. What’s your eye color? - Green/grey-ish! 

7. Scary movie or happy ending? - Both?? Can I say both?? I like watching horror and I like watching comfort movies. It really just depends on the movie!

8. Any special talents? - I can quote the Sonic the Hedgehog OVA almost word for word because my sister and I watched it so often as kids. (So....no LMAO)

9. Where were you born? - Oklahoma! And then we immediately moved away and I never ever went back LMAO

10. What are your hobbies? - Recently? Reading (lots of SF/F), writing, playing FFXIV and d&d and a smattering of a few other video games, and generally being a menace to people online!

11. Do you have any pets? - I do! Two black cats named Gizmo and Kitkat, and a dog that some family friends found wandering around in the woods outside of their house! Her name is Beau. :> Here’s a picture of her begrudgingly sharing a bed with Gizmo. (Kitkat is not there because the only person in the whole wide world she likes enough to cuddle with is me.)

12. What sports do you/have you played? - Once upon a time, I played soccer, but that’s pretty much the only thing I ever did long term. Most of my free time in school was dedicated to marching band, which technically isn’t a sport, but demands your attention like one. (I played trombone!)

13. How tall are you? - 5′9″!

14. Favo(u)rite subject in school? - English was and will always be my favorite subject, but I DID rather enjoy my anthropology classes in college! Shoulda done more of those back then, they were delightful.

15. Dream Job? - I don’t think it’s really viable as an option for me, but I’d love to work for a literary agent. I just wanna hype people’s work up as a career, and help them navigate the process of getting it out in the world! I think it’d be neat. :>

Bonus: any significance to your blog's name - my nickname in college was Frenchy, and I have had a particular fascination with different kinds of sea-related things quite literally my entire life. also, nothing else I tried was available

Tagging @phoenix-failing, @blujayonthewing, @urdnotgrunt, @ghilegab​, @nuclearanomaly​ and anyone else who feels keen to waste some time! Only if you’re feeling up to it, naturally :3

[thegirllosrr]

Hi welcome to my blog!!⭐️

A few things about me are…

I’m mutifandom! Those fandoms include fnaf, obey me, death note, a lot of movies, I especially like horror movies! You can totally ask me or tell me about fandoms you like I would love to learn!

Another thing about me is.. I play instruments! I play trombone, the guitar, and I’m trying to learn others!

Also I love books! I usually read classical books but if you have any recommendations I will gladly listen!

I’m learning German and trying to learn French! If you would be interested i can show my French and German and if I get anything wrong or my accent is incorrect you would appreciate if you could give me constructive feedback I would appreciate it greatly!

I love fashion!! I’m a clothes hoarder till the day I die.. I will upload pictures of my outfits (sorry if they are a little plain my school is very judgmental) I love aesthetic little pictures so if I can get one ever I will post it here!

Everyone is welcome in my blog but homophobes, misogynists, ableist, and really old men.(I am perfectly good with most ages it’s just like old men interacting with my stuff makes me feel uncomfortable)

I can write! So if you want me to write anything like short stories, fanfics or poetry I would love to write it for you! (Warning: I suck at grammar but I will try to fix it if you want me to write)

I play video games! My favorite games are life is strange 1 and 2! I love the Bioshock series especially the first 2. I love the sims 4 I play it all the time if you want I can post screenshots from my game!

[10moonymhrivertam]

about me

Hello it has been a hot second but I was tagged by @littledreamling​ !!

Nickname: Moony! In some servers where I’m preceded by another Moony I’ve gotten River. No particular irl nicknames, though.

Sign: Libra sun -- i’ve done my other signs before but I regularly forget them 😔

Height: 5′6.5″ (And I’m gonna claim that half because I become an Angry Short Person when there are people taller than me around ;akljdflkaj)

Last thing I googled: either “how to offload ios apps” or “What is hollandaise sauce”. I think it was the offloading because I was trying to update Disney+ to cast Bluey 😅

Song stuck in my head: Sleigh Ride and The Bus Is Late have been trading places for the last two weeks or so.

Number of followers: 896, but not everybody’s active and I haven’t done a bot purge in a couple days.

Amount of sleep: Oh jeez. My sleep’s really fragmented cuz I have a 4 AM job, so I do a lot of like. Nap from 3pm-5 and then “sleep” from ~10-2:30

Dream job: When I was a kid I wanted to be a teacher, but then I got to the point my ADHD started wrecking me and I realized that was w a y too much paperwork for me to be comfy with. If my average ‘finished piece’ wasn’t 500 words my answer would be ‘professional author’. So there isn’t really one right now unfortunately.

Wearing: Walmart Queen shirt and gray fleece pajama pants with elastic ankles. If I get cold I shall add Pikachu slippers and the sweatshirt I got at the work Christmas party

Movies/Books that summarize me: yeah, this does seem like a question-for-others but I’m not brave enough to ask anyone else at home right now ;akljf;akldsj

Favorite Song: uh oh no I have a pretty firm favorite movie now but favorite song is harder. (Favorite movie is Coco and my favorite song from that is probably Poco Loco, but -) Maybe Farewell Wanderlust? I do always end up screaming in tune with it lol

Favorite Instrument: Trombone represent, babey!!!! Great to play, fun to watch, and I love people who do arrangements of whole songs all on trombone! (I want a trombone with an f attachment SO BAD oh my god there are so many lines that would be so easy if I didn’t have to go from sixth to first or seventh to second)

Aesthetic: A three-way split between ‘idk just comfy’, ‘geeky’, and ‘Hello I Am Queer’. ‘idk just comfy’ and ‘geeky’ kind of smoosh together in that most of my comfy t-shirts have a fandom design, but ‘Hello I Am Queer’ consists of a few colors of George polos paired with ties, a rainbow belt, and ball caps worn backwards.

Favorite authors: Diane Duane! I’ve only really read the first few books of Young Wizards and most of Rihansuu but she gets to always stay on the list for namesake reasons. Also Neil Gaiman and Tamora Pierce (I think Circle of Magic has gone out of print which is devastating to me tbh, between the ADHD & several moves I don’t think we have a complete set anymore)

Random fun fact: Hmmm....I’ve made two cross-country (USA) moves, altho I was 2 for the first one XD I went to the 5-5-05 Serenity premiere despite still being in single digits, and there’s a picture of me talking to Adam Baldwin. There’s also a picture of a younger-than-9yo me meeting Mary Pope Osbourne and I believe I also gave her some handwritten Harry Potter/Magic Tree House fanfiction? :P

Lessee....I know it’s been a while since this game was going around, so sorry if I’m double-tagging anyone -- @thebestworstidea, @cant-think-of-anything-creative, and @shippiedippie

And of course, anyone else who sees this and feels inspired! I’d love to be nosy, though, if you wanna drop me a tag :P

[geek-and-destroy]

Wheel of Time - End of Book 2

This is post 12 in The Wheel of Time Read - see the previous post - covering the prologue and chapters 43-50 of book 2.

A few days ago, I started reading The Wheel of Time, Robert Jordan’s sprawling fantasy series. And because I have nothing better to do, I decided to post my thoughts on the internet, a few chapters at a time. Right now, I am at book two - The Great Hunt. This post talks about my first impressions of the book two chapters 10 (A Plan) through 50 (After). Chapter summaries can be found here (I’m not putting links to the individual chapters, I don’t want to venture too far into the wiki).

Well.

How was this book both anticlimactic as well as extremely climactic at the same time?

On one hand, it very much felt like one too many plot threads were left hanging. Where tf is Fain? Why did the Lanfear thing have no resolution other than a single line spoken while Rand was unconscious? Why did Moiraine just fuck off for months just for some prophecy tidbits and discovering the Black Ajah exists? What was the point of the whole thing with Domon waiting at the docks? Where did Liandrin go?

But on the other, they actually blew the horn! So soon! I honestly expected this would be in like... book six or something. Is this permanent? Are all the ghost-heroes here to stay? Do they just hang out at the nearest Starbucks until some idiot decides to learn the trombone? (idc I'm picturing it as a trombone you can't stop me sod off) I'm really surprised how memorable I found the two legendary ghost warriors who had speaking lines. Even without the characters' awe at their generational folklore coming to life, they have a way of carrying themselves that makes you turn your head at least. Jordan did a great job doing that. Artur Hawkwing was so charming he might just be a fascist Plus, he doesn't have all that anti-Aes Sedai baggage since he's basically a Tolkein Eagle now. Arrow gal Birgitte is valid in whatever she does. I'm pretty sure the ghosts are gonna disappear until whenever someone blows the magic time trombone, but I really want the gang to just chill with them in little interludes between chapters.

The biggest victory was still Nynlayngwin beating the sul'dam, since that was the most personal one. Problematic stereotypes with the damane notwithstanding, Egwene's trauma was shown very well here and I hope to see more of it (well, less of it I guess, for her sake).

So... Rand is Out now, is he? Complete with banner and witnesses to an airborne battle, ready to be discredited by most kings and queens. Give the guy a break pls.

And that's it. The second book in the Wheel of Time. It was a lot - a LOT - of setup work. I'm especially looking forward to the two sets of Aielpeople we met here and I would definitely like MORE VERIN CONTENT NOW OR ELSE. That girl has all my heart.

(I will be taking a bit of a break, though. Partly because I need to pace myself, but mostly because I bought the first two and ordering the third will require more than three clicks and that's too much work for me right now.)

[rainbowsky]

Wow! I am high today with GG releasing Bo Bo video, a staff wearing Nike bag with bxyxszd tag on it (could she be 🔴🟢 jijie 👀) and yanyan (I think) wearing a gucci. Like what is wrong with universe.

Anon is talking about a few 🍬 to come out recently. Of course, all CPN, fake, fan fiction, clowning, etc.

There are 🐢 🤡 who are saying that the recent lip reading game video from GG features him saying, “I love Bo.” I find this one a stretch. It’s possible he did that intentionally, but if you look at his hand with the 2 fingers, it’s actually pretty loosely opened. From a different angle it could appear to be a 5. It would be hard for GG to know in advance that the camera angle will capture 2 fingers, but it’s possible he intended to hold up 2 in a casual way. I think he’s also obviously very discombobulated in that video. It’s possible that in the midst of focusing on lip reading and the confusion of having music blasted in his ears that he thought to do these gestures, but I’m not sold.

There’s a BTS picture of the latest DDU filming making the rounds where an assistant or staff member is wearing a bag that has a ‘BJYXSZD” tag on it. It’s not an authorized photo so I’m not going to show it or really comment on it beyond saying that I doubt 🔴🟢 would advertise their BJYXSZD status so brazenly. It’s possible, but doubtful. So I doubt that’s 🔴🟢. I don’t think this tag really says anything definitive about GG or DD. All it says is that someone on staff is a turtle. It’s of course totally possible for them to be a turtle even if they’ve never seen any firsthand evidence of a relationship. Although for them to wear the tag so openly in front of DD, they have to have a lot of nerve at the very least.

I haven’t heard anything about Yanyan (one of DD’s bodyguards) being seen wearing Gucci, but it is a massively popular brand so while it’s fun to think he might have gotten some swag from GG it’s just as possible he likes Gucci and bought it himself.

As you can tell I’m not much of a sweet tooth. I think it’s fine if people want to have fun with this stuff, but there’s usually another explanation for most candies, and even the candies that seem definitely real (such as the woman wearing the BJYXSZD tag) don’t really say anything about GG and DD directly.

I don’t generally talk much about candies I'm not into because I hate being a wet blanket and that’s all I’m likely ever going to be with stuff like this because I don’t really go in for these things.

Sorry, Anon! (cue sad trombone).

[coolpolarbear123]

Band Camp Day 4

I'm sore in muscles that I didn't even know I had. Which is saying something since I took a 300-level anatomy class last semester

August 18th, 2021

<< 4 >>

this is,,, late:

Forgive me, I know how late this is, but band camp got hectic really fast, and then classes started, and I'm trying to do these now while I remember

today's senior prank: plastic wrapping the tower. It went very well

when rehearsal started, our band director immediately said that he was taking the two drill instructor librarians to make pregame drill copies, so that's where I went

we learned how to copy drill, and apparently we missed the snake, which was a huge thing last year (bc piccs started and dominated it)

and we missed step-2 drill, which I'm completely okay with

tho when the drill instructors demonstrated it, apparently my SL had to go up in my place so that it'd be an even amount of people, which I'm actually okay with bc that makes sense, and it's not ML2

i mean what

anyway, back in the copy room, my accomplice and I were counting how many drill charts each section needed, then labelling the sections with sticky notes. I drew a bear on each sticky note

THAT REMINDS ME

I drew a lot of bears yesterday, and none of them stuck for more than two hours. it's been a really hot and sweaty week

oh also our band director mentioned that he's leaving for a funeral tomorrow night?

anyway, about an hour and a half later (10am), we returned to the field and handed out drill

the drill instructors were then called to go get numbers (basically we each get a number, and the drill instructors are told which numbers are for which section)

and I guess everyone was talking about the bears? bc my DI got up there and was like "wait, you guys are getting bears?" and then showed the piccolo sticky note, which reads "diccalos" with a drawing of a penis

that penis is poorly drawn and captioned "this is clearly a pair of scissors"

the mello DI took a picture he thought it was so funny, which has been fueling my serotonin levels

and!! people kept mentioning that they liked the bears! I was very excited about it

we learned the first half of pregame. I got the same spot as last year, surprisingly. And I'm next to more piccs, which is also really cool

the drumline's been facing a lot of issues with not knowing what number of people should go on which instrument bc things keep getting switched around by various people

this caused a lot of confusion on the field when there were 6 snares but only 5 charted snare parts

and our band director was NOT happy about it. He kept saying useless stuff like "it seems like you found a place, just use that" and other things like that

one of my good friends is on drumline and she cried. Apparently her drill instructor was really close to crying too

lunch time/passport to campus (a thing that helps people check in and does not apply to me since I live off campus and am a senior)

although we did get lunch from 12-3 because of that. I had time to shower, which was so nice

I currently am drenched in sweat as I type this, tho, so it does sorta feel like it was for nothing

the clarinets started sitting with us, and our freshman is talking to their freshmen, which is really good bc she needs friends who aren't just seniors. I'm very excited

okay but also during lunch we heard some CRAZY tea like. There's this sophomore clarinet player who wanted to get with this sophomore drumline dude and they were this close but APPARENTLY she has chlamydia like wtf and then he blocked her on all social media they had each other on?? and then she kept trying to add him on everything?

AND the drumline is recruiting, so she's like "imma switch to drumline" so yikes @ the drumline good luck

we had outdoor playing rehearsal since we can't be in the band room and ig the previous room we were using is now being occupied by people returning to campus or smthn idk

also the music librarians asked one of the old librarians for help with something EVEN THOUGH us drill librarians knew how to do it so um

we started playing songs that we're gonna do in our first halftime show, and the key signature on the first one is funky, so he had us play that scale, and the piccs sounded so bad that he relocated us so that we could spend time tuning

well the problem was that one of us was playing the wrong scale so yes i'm sure we sounded out of tune

but then we had to tune everyone, then we did it note by note, and then half an hour later we rejoined the band

our band director was like "some of them are smiling, some... aren't" that was awkward

and then we played some more, and at one point he's like "drumline only play this" and then they did, and we politely, softly, clapped

emphasis on SOFTLY and the band director got mad because we shouldn't congratulate them for not being good

like jesus fuck give the drumline a break

and then to top it off, we didn't even get sectionals. the closest we got to sectionals was the piccs tuning

there's also this random man who's standing with our band director, but the kick is that I know who this random man is

my friend from drumline said that her old band director was coming to be our sub while our band director was away for the funeral

sure enough, we got the intro. he's our sub, he's taught 7 people in the band, etc, etc, alumni of my uni, played sousa, etc etc

then we had dinner, which was the last free meal we got for band camp. The pickings were slim, but it was all fine. the other drill librarian didn't sit with the piccs and that was mmmmmm bc I get that she's trying to be an Older Sister to one of the fish clarinets but pls sit with your section

Then we were back outside for more marching rehearsal, where we learned the rest of pregame, marching AND playing. Which like. Yeah, that's pretty on track for a normal band camp? Usually it's good by Thursday and today is Wednesday, so not bad!

I'm mostly worried because two years ago, we didn't do a lot of pregame during band camp and he got angry during the season when we didn't know it very well like

maybe you should have stuck to your normal schedule

also I fckn hate the pregame song. Hooray for Hollywood can suck my rectum

our band director said we might do halftime drill tomorrow? which means the other drill librarian and I have more to print? maybe? tomorrow morning?

our fifth year DI was noncompliant! for the first time in five years! our DM made sure the band knew that

also two other piccs haha. picc party in the noncompliance

half the band was noncompliant which kinda... wasn't fun bc it takes the purpose out. It's not as humiliating when everyone's doing it with you

it's kinda bc the mellos are doing the thing that the trombones do, where when one is noncompliant, everyone is, and personally I think that should Only be a trombone thing

it's better and funnier when only one section does it

after singing the alma mater and fight song, we flash mobbed dance again

the after band camp stuff was trivia night, which didn't have a huge turn out, but it was fun. I learned that I HATE one of the clarinet freshmen.

[secretradiobrooklyn]

Radio Decameron |1.16.21 & 1.23.21

Secret Radio | 1.16.21 & 1.23.21 | Hear it here.

1. Sylvain Sylvain - “I’m So Sorry”

I never feel right saying “RIP” or “rest in peace” about an actual human being who is no longer with us. But I will say: I hope Sylvain Sylvain died content with the music he made and the life he lived. 

2. The Honeydrippers - “Impeach the President”

And ideally, then we would never have to hear from or talk about that accursed criminal ever again. We recorded this section before the inauguration — may we never forget how ALL 50 STATE CAPITOLS plus the US Capitol itself were being guarded against attacks by American citizens on that day — and shit was tense there for many days. As of this writing, things are… unviolent. It feels like a lull to me, honestly, rather than, say, all that stuff being in the rearview. It is not. 

But meanwhile, check that beat out!  

I love how Roy Charles is trying to convince them to stop demanding, but they just keep insisting. This song is brilliant, and the playing is — c’mon now — unimpeachable.

3. Niagara - “Tchiki boum”

We heard this song in the film “Perdrix,” known as “The Bare Necessity” in the version we saw via SLIFF. They’re dancing in a club to this, and it’s just a really distractingly good song for the scene.

- C.K. Mann - “Mber Papa”

We just recently learned about Essiebons by learning that he passed just this August. He was a producer of legendary status to a lot of people. Listening around his music we came upon C.K. Mann and this righteous track, which Essiebons produced. I think this is a pretty ultra track, really. Every instrument really kicks it out. I hope Essiebons died happy.

4. Rocky Horror Picture Show - “Hot Patootie / Bless My Soul”

New president, feeling kinda upbeat and hopeful. Really just starting to feel the tips of my soul from where it’s been getting singed. It’s going to take a long time to scab over what happened to us all over the last four years. I’m so fucking glad he’s gone that it makes me really love that rock n roll!

5. Moon Unit & Frank Zappa - “Valley Girl”

Tell you what: we watched the movie “Zappa” recently as part of a film festival, and I highly recommend watching it at your earliest opportunity. It is absolutely for people who do, and for people who do not, love his music. He shows up as a really interesting character throughout his whole life. The film skips through his songs with amazing speed, which actually works really well in his case. This song is with his daughter Moon Unit, who actually slid a handwritten note under his door introducing herself by name and saying that she wanted to collaborate on a project. They did this, and while Zappa was in Europe, Moon Unit brought the acetates to KROC and the song became an instant hit for them. Meanwhile he was writing for multiple orchestras.

6. Jacques Dutronc - “Sur Une Nappe de Restaurant” 

This is totally not how I tune my drums, but I love how Dutronc’s drums sound in every song. I mean, the whole band of course, but there is a physical space both in the drum part as written and in the recorded texture of the whole that is just deep and wide.

7. Nyame Bekyere - “Medley: Broken Heart / Aunty Yaa / Omo Yaba (Nzema)”

This is another discovery via Essebiens, who released it on Essiebons Enterprises. It’s such an intense track! The cover artwork is by K. Frimpong, who plays a crazy Cuban guitar style on his own albums. 

8. Ros Serey Sothea - “Tngai Neas Kyom Yam Sra (Today I Drink Wine)”

This is a voice, and a cast of characters, I can’t stop thinking about. This is from “Cambodian Rocks Vol 1,” which is full of great recordings. Her voice could shatter glass, and it’s so skillfully wielded — I’d love to hear her in a face-off with Frankie Valli.

- There’s a moment from Paige’s phone archives of a little George and Isabelle aching to ride rides at the Millstadt homecoming.

9. Les Poppys - “Isabelle je t’aime” 

These young boys singing collectively about their — collective? 17 individual? — love(s) for Isabelle is even more innocent in video format:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o618mlIaR7E

- more C.K. Mann - “Mber Papa”

10. The Jam - “In the City”

This song makes me miss the city so much! It sounds like everything we really can’t get up to right now. I feel like this song helps me feel like I’m walking fast under streetlights.

11. Bruno Leys - “Maintenant je suis un voyou”

This 7” from Born Bad is so incredible! Bruno Leys worked on just a few songs with a band that included a guy named Emmanuel Pairault who plays parts on an instrument called the ondes Martenot, a super early, very eclectic and ungainly electronic instrument. The fact that he could actually compose music of any kind on it was considered remarkable. The fact that he was able to write such incredibly expressive parts to thoroughly filigree the choruses is what amazes me. 

This band recorded four songs, then Bruno Leys left for his military service, and when he came back it was all completely over — the catalog was sold, everyone was scattered. Four songs. 

12. Sleepy Kitty - “Nothing = You”

I’m pretty sure this song was essentially our response to our own growing fascination with French pop. To me it sounds more French than American in texture. We played this song with the Incurables once at The Pageant in STL and it was especially glorious. I think of that moment — Kevin Bachmann harmonizing flawlessly with Paige, four different guitars ringing through the chords — every time I hear this track.

13. Plastic Bertrand - “Pogo Pogo”

I don’t know why or when “Ça Plane Pour Moi” became the one French pop song that Americans are likely to know, but it’s a total banger so I have no complaints. It turns out that pretty much all of his songs sound very similar — one-note melodies in the verse, cool vocalese hooks in the chorus, and super-driving guitar parts throughout. Turns out that’s a formula we totally dig!

14. Os K-rrascos & Vanessinha Do Picatchu - “Bochecha Ardendo”

For whatever reason, a variety of Brazilian music seemed to be the very hottest stuff to be found in Chicago’s art-school party nights, and I remember losing my mind to some heavy Brazilian rhythms that just kept folding over and over on themselves while staying so impossibly funky that the whole night just turned into a deep-green-and-dark orange smear of a late-night winter warehouse dancing and sweating and then way, way later, walking home steaming along a cold sidewalk on a tree-lined street.

- Eric Dolphy - “Hat and Beard”

15. Von Südenfed - “The Rhinohead” 

I feel like no one in my zone talks enough about how awesome Von Südenfed is. I mean, we only know this one album, but it’s so fascinating — a band where Mark E. Smith is contributing but not in control, and on purpose. He shows off his pop chops and gets to be a whole different character in this one place, while the Mouse on Mars guys get to play new characters themselves. It feels like it’s related to “Extricate” in how it’s constructed, but the music doesn’t sound like something any version of the Fall has made. 

16. Fischer-Spooner - “The 15th”

A friend of Wire is a friend of ours.

p.s. Paige here, they went to SAIC (before I arrived) but they were super famous to all of us in the dorms. 

17. T.P. Orchestre - “Pourquoi Pas?”

The depths of this band just continue to amaze us. We’re waiting on some T.P.O.C. vinyl right now, featuring mostly songs we’ve never heard, and the everlovin’ post office is misdelivering it BACK to France even as I write this. It’s driving us totally nuts.

18. Nina Simone - “Mississippi Goddam”

The hardness of her voice, the hardness of her experience, the hardness of her words.

19. Fanny - “Blind Alley”

I don’t know who first put this in front of my eyes, but it was a few years ago. The video is so basic — they’re performing in front of a video-psych effect — but the performers themselves are just so absorbing. And the production is so heavy, it feels legendary. 

20. Manmadha Leela soundtrack - “Kushalamena”

I think we first saw a colorful glimpse of this song before we heard it. Paige automatically starts dancing a little dance as soon as “Kushalamena” comes on. 

This I think came from the “Now Playing” group I’m in on FB: a guy was holding out a picture of the cover of this album and said he’d bought 40 more like it and he LOVED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. He just wanted to see if anyone knew anything more about them. I did my best to hear the album he was showing. I think this is it. I think he’s right to be super jazzed about it, we just want to hang out with him and listen to all those records.

21. Francis Bebey - “Je vous aime zaime zaime”

Paige was working on her pronunciation and when to use the ellision — the z sound for the s letter, depending on what comes next — and he said something about, “Unless you’re Francis Bebey and you’re singing ‘Je vous aime zaime zaime.” And she said, “Francis Bebey? I know Francis Bebey!” and he said, “No, you’re thinking of another Francis.” But we all know the truth. This was our introduction to the song though.

- Jack Teagarden - “I Guess I’ll Have to Change My Plan”

Paige was looking for the Fred Astaire & Jack Buchanan version from “The Bandwagon,” but found this great instrumental trombone-forward version instead.

22. Pono AM - "Good Vibes"

This is one of those things you see every once in a great while when you’re playing clubs in a music scene — a band hits a natural home run. They just have an undeniably appealing crowdpleaser of a song that they wrote, and everyone flips out when they hear it. We salute Pono AM for writing this perfect song. They enrich the STL music world. My only advice to them was to never get tired of it or take it for granted. 

Paige: We took their band photos at our space on Cherokee Street, for an RFT article. I was impressed because they arrived with matching shirts that still had the tags on them, and it was really exciting to see a new band on the scene who was really good and also putting in the effort to be graphically interesting. We believe that stuff counts. All of their shows, if you got there early, you’d see all of the band members blowing up as many balloons as they could, so there would be balloons bouncing around their set for the whole show, and it made it even better.

23. Sir Victor Uwaifo And His Titibitis - "Iranm Iran"

Analog Africa has a new album! It’s called “Edo International,” and it shows off a whole other side of Beninese music that isn’t T.P. Orchestre. I think of T.P. Orchestre as just a giant force in Beninese music, but then this comp comes out showing so many other roots of Benin City’s highlife-funk scene. Victor Uwaifo was a Nigerian guitarist who returned to his hometown in Benin City and built Joromi Studio. The sound he put together at that place, via his own bands and others’, came to be called Edo Funk.

24. Laughing Man - "Brilliant Colors"

This is a tape of one of the artists of one of the group houses that we always would stay at in DC. Benjamin Schurr runs a tape label and it was always such a treat getting the new batch of Blight. releases for the van soundsystem when we’d roll through town, or one of his bands would tour through St. Louis. They were always interesting stuff and a wide range of sounds and styles. 

We first met Brandon Moses when he was on tour with Paperhaus in St. Louis. I think it was his birthday, too. He didn’t tour a ton with them. Laughing Man was our first time hearing him front songs. We always enjoyed staying with Erik and Benjamin and Brandon and enjoyed sharing that green power juice that Brandon gave us — really powered us up for the next drive. 

- Bembeya Jazz - “Petit Sokou”

I have felt love for this song for awhile, but Josh Weinstein recently sent a video of the band actually performing this song and WOW, it is hypnotizing. The outfits, the instruments, and the expressiveness of the guitar playing are all so vivid in black and white: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpZVF_kKUJ4

25. Maxime le Forestier - “San Francisco”

Our thanks to Paige’s French instructor for showing us this song. Paige’s version is well worth hearing too, I must say: https://www.instagram.com/p/CKhJfqDDe2q/

p.s. Paige again, if you want to see the dragon birthday card that Evan made, here it is!

[akp-1327]

prompts list #2

Hi! Here are even MORE dialogue prompts to get the creative juices flowing. 

There aren’t any specific genres like my other one but I did try to use the same three categories (fun, romantic, angst). The link to that list is riiiiight here!

Enjoy these 200 prompts! :)

"All you had to do was follow the instructions."

"We're stranded!"

"Don't touch that!"

"Is that…?" → "Yes."

"Well, when life gives you lemons…"

"Twenty minutes of my precious life was just spent making this contraption that doesn't even work!"

"That's gonna leave a mark."

"Forget what just happened, okay?"

"My entire nervous system is on fire."

"I will not be swimming in that disgusting pool."

"C'mon, be a fearless warrior prince/princess for once!"

"I'm in love with...ice cream."

"Clean up on aisle seven!"

"Mosquito bites suck."

"Excuse me? Do you talk to your mother with that mouth?"

"Please hurry. I really need to use the bathroom."

"Ow! Stupid freaking corner!"

"Why do we have to go now?"

"Oh my God, you better not--"

"Get down from there!"

"I wish I wasn't allergic to cats. They're the purr-fect companion." → "Please stop before I smack you."

"My future kids will see this picture so I am not wearing that."

"Everything is free!"

"Would you like a drink for your troubles?"

"HOT! FIRE IS HOT!"

"Oh, please. Give me a break."

"Name off the first thing that comes to your mind, go!"

"I'm so bored."

"Alarm clocks were such a stupid invention!"

"I'm...reading?"

If you cook there will be nothing to eat; you'd burn it all."

"I'd be nothing without my harmonica."

"Are we going to a bar or not?"

"I'm rolling my eyes at you in spirit, then."

"All I wanna do is dance!"

"I’m quite sarcastic if you couldn’t tell already.”

"Awww, hi there, little buddy!"

"What is that thing?"

"I triple dog dare you."

"Crisis avoided!"

"Why did you text me when you're sitting right next to me?"

"Contrary to popular belief, money does, in fact, grow on trees."

"Stop right there!"

"It's so loud in here!"

"My air guitar skills are literal fire."

"There's shampoo in our soap dispenser. Freaking. Shampoo!"

"Hand me that blanket, please."

"How many languages do you speak?"

"You've never gone fishing?"

"Ha ha, can’t you see how hard I'm laughing?"

"No! My phone is only at one percent!"

"Puppy!"

"They're obsessed with you...in a creepy way."

"Do a flip!"

"That's what she said!"

"Why are razors so sharp?"

"Ouch, my poor feelings."

"Smells like a doctor's office in here."

"I love the rain!"

"You did not just compare Eminem to Mozart."

"Uno!"

"You could choose anything in this store...and you chose that?"

"Cottage cheese is delicious!"

"Attack!" → "Retreat!"

"I love...refrigerators!"

"Sing me a song."

"Pick up your own trash! I am not your maid."

"That's a beautiful dress."

"Stop making those stupid dirty jokes!"

"Try me."

"Okay, okay, I get your point."

"It's not mad science."

"We came full circle."

"Can I borrow your shirt for a second?"

"That's going to be really hard to clean, you know that, right?"

"You want to live in Hawaii, huh?"

"Wait, stop-- no!"

"Wanna go get milkshakes?"

"That was a waste of my money, time, and patience."

"That's a huge problem!"

"Did you just say that you don't like popcorn?"

"Don't tell me you have a 'Live, Laugh, Love' sign."

"Hey, look at that nice car."

"Not today, Satan!"

"Can I offer you a piece of pie in these trying times?"

"Ew! Get it off me!"

"I always forget how nice it is to just lay on the couch and relax."

"Throwing a football is easy, though!"

"What happened to your hair?"

"That's an...interesting outlook."

"Wanna know what really irks me? Those pointless life hack videos on Instagram."

"I don't work out for fun, you know."

"He/She/They should be here right about...now."

"Don't eat that."

"Yes! I'll take it!"

"Is it just me or is it really hot in here?" 

"Do you think it's cursed?"

"Sunburn hurts."

"Let's play the classics like Elvis and Prince, maybe a little bit of Queen?"

"Is that car coming this way?"

"Snowball fight!"

"That's why I'm such a good actor/actress."

"Can you sit still for five minutes?"

"It's a...a...wait, what is it again?"

"You're so sweaty."

"Hot chocolate?"

"I don't particularly enjoy sushi."

"Déjà vu, maybe?"

"Open that door!"

 "It's my way or the highway, buckaroo."

 "Did we win?"

 "This show is really annoying but I can't stop watching it..."

 "Stalker, much?"

 "WEDGIE!"

 "What's your favorite band?"

 "That movie sucked.”

 "Why’d it have to be today?”

 "Go get coffee?"

"Is that a skateboard?"

"Why are you running?"

"Can I see?”

"Do it and I’ll hurt you.”

"I was talking to myself...sorry.”

"Well, now we know how the show ends...”

"We learn something new each and every day!”

"But first, hot chocolate.”

"You can have my slice!”

"You got this!”

"That attitude may be your doom…”

"For the last time, earth is not flat!”

"Honesty is what can make a relationship thrive.”

"Was that a grandfather clock?”

"Let’s go for a coffee run.”

"Don’t forget to write that down.”

"Some people just want to watch the world--” → “Learn!”

"Do you play an instrument?”

"Just do your best.”

"Oh my God, they’re helpless!”

"We’re making history!”

"Give me your strongest roar, mister lion!”

"Cue the sad trombone.”

"Don’t take candy from random people!”

"Clowns? Seriously?!”

"What’re we supposed to do now? Sit here and photosynthesize?”

"Slow and steady wins the race…”

"Too! Fast!”

"Remember when you said that you only needed to buy one thing?”

"Rewind! I didn’t see!”

"Speak up, please.”

"I haven’t been the same since.”

"I’m never satisfied.”

"Just wait a second, okay?”

"Oh wow, that’s what I call eye candy…”

"Is this some kind of smart person joke that I’m too dumb to understand?”

"Get back here!”

"Nice job, (name), I’m proud of you.”

"At least you’re happy now.”

"I still need to find a present for (person)’s birthday.”

"That was disgusting.”

"Is it supposed to taste this bland?”

"We should write a story.”

"Wait, you have a scrapbook?”

"What we’re about to do is illegal!”

"That bird is giving me a dirty look…”

"Why do pillows hurt so much?”

"Giddyup!”

"That’s such a sob story. Can’t you see my invisible tears?”

"Check this out!”

"I never want to do that again!”

"I’m falling asleep just looking at you.”

"What’s with the glitter?”

"Stop yawning, for God’s sake!”

"Why’re you so sassy?”

"The roads are scary at night!”

"How about we ride into the sunset like in all of those old cowboy movies?”

"What’s the problem?”

"How could you not be excited for it?”

"Let’s make soap!”

"Instant ramen, anyone?”

"One cup isn’t enough!”

"I didn’t think you’d actually show up.”

“My hands may be small but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have the ability to punch you.”

"Surprise!”

"I’m just trying to braid your hair!”

"It’s like we’re walking a tightrope.”

"Bold of you to assume that I need help.”

"I really like your...pants.”

"Why did you step on my toe?”

"What time is it?”

"No! That’s not how this game works!”

"Who are you?”

"That was really smooth...”

"We need to turn this spark into a flame!”

"Well, essentially…um...”

"Can we just go outside?”

"We’re all stupid geniuses.”

"That couch is calling my name!”

"Oh, how lovely.”

"I haven’t been to the zoo in years!”

"Plot twist!”

Phew...that was a lot. But I hope you have some inspiration! :)

[buggie-hagen]

The space asks - do them all!

oh my goodness. okay, will do:

constellations: personality

ursa major: what are the character traits that define you the most? Both quiet and loud, sad and joyful, hardworking and lazy. paradox defines me.

ursa minor: do you have hobbies or interests that no one knows about? an interest that no one knows about is anime and manga.

draco: what is the thing you like least about yourself? my weight.

lacerta: what is the thing you like most about yourself? my smile.

cepheus: do you vibe more with the term idiot, asshole or dumbass? asshole.

hercules: how are you with people? who is your favourite person? it’s interesting because part of me is social shy, but generally i am warm and friendly with people. my favorite person is two rock people who live in a mountain.

lepus: what is your biggest flaw? my self-hatred.

corvus: what are 5 things you appreciate about yourself? 1. my reading 2. my theology 3. my seelsorger stuff 4. my mild interest in Japanese culture 5. that i don’t think politically like others

orion: what element would you like to be able to bend? fire.

hydra: are you the villain? i’m my own worst villain.

cassiopeia: take a random personality quiz on the internet and give us your result. the more obnoxious the better. no.

centaurus: if you could fist fight one historical figure, which one would it be and how hard would you punch them? no.

gemini: which character (fictional or not) is your spirit animal? Jughead played by Cole Sprouse.

lupus: which one do you identify more with: thoughtful idiot or thoughtless brains? thoughtful idiot. i guess.

scutum: you acquire a death note. what are you going to do with it? my understanding of death note comes from the anime of that name. so, if i found such a notebook, i would burn it so it would not be used to harm people.

Do you side more with the idea of Deontological Ethics or Utilitarianism? I don’t know these very well. I would guess I would have issues with both of them.

stars: interests

aldebaran: what is your most obnoxious interest? David Archuleta.

algol: favourite planet? favourite space object? I like earth because it has water. I like the moon.

61 cygni: favourite time period? probably medieval Europe.

castor: favourite band/artist? Currently, Winter Aid.

pollux: draw the art cover of your favourite album/song. Not right now.

riegel: put your music on shuffle and give us the first five songs.

“Have I Told You” by Matthew Mole

“A Song About Love” by Jake Bugg

“Waiting” by Jake Bugg

“How Soon the Dawn” by Jake Bugg

“Take Yours, I’ll Take Mine” by Matthew Mole

betelgeuse: which video games gives you nostalgia for a place you have never been to? n/a

agena: what is your favourite moment from a game? n/a

deneb: you can turn one book into a movie,tv show or video game. which one are you picking? The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

atair: why is your favourite book, well, your favourite? do you have a favourite quote from it? Right now I don’t think I have a favorite book.

prokyon: grab the nearest book, to to page 145 and give us the first sentence. i am not around my books at this moment.

acrux: where and when do you like to read the most? I like to read at coffee shops, and ideally the morning, but usually the afternoon.

spica: when do you consider a movie “good”? When it can make me cry.

antares: think of a movie which means a lot to you, now describe the first scene that comes into your mind! That scene from Love, Simon where Simon’s mom says, “You get to exhale now, Simon.” https://youtu.be/1QUzRn7yH6I

proxima centauri: if you would have the chance to travel the world, which places or countries would you like to see? Scotland, Ireland, Norway, New Zealand, Japan, China, Germany, Israel. Kazakhstan. Mongolia.

algol: you have to assassinate someone. which weapon do you choose? i don’t want to answer this questin.

mimosa: what do you associate with your favourite colour? the ocean.

sirius a/b: what’s your favourite sound and smell? favorite sound is trombone. favorite smell is fresh baked bread.

space objects: experiences

quasar: do you feel alone? absolutely alone.

pulsar: when do you feel truly alive? when i’m laughing.

wormhole: what is the shadiest/most illegal thing you have ever done? date a guy who grew mushrooms in his basement. (back in my college days).

black hole: what has hurt you in the past that you don’t want others to go through? my stepfather’s alcoholism. 

white dwarf: post a picture or video from your favourite trip! no.

nebula: what is an experience you would rather forget about? growing up. 

star cluster: what is something you have gained, something you have lost and something you let go of during the past year? in the past year i have gained some more confidence, i have lost any high anthropology that lingered within me, and i have let go of the idea that someone i love would fall in love with me.

planet: have you ever lost something important, such as your passport, keys or a phone? all. the. time.

moon: “A man is made of memories. It is all we are.“ (Lawrence) what do you think this means? Do you agree? I think it means that who we are is shaped by our past experiences. I agree, with the exception of how faith can shape you and that comes from outside oneself and not from the memories. 

comet: you have the chance to undo one thing or decision in your life, would you take it? If you are comfortable sharing: what did you change? I wish I had did my undergrad in geography. 

asteroid: have you ever lost a friend? do you wish you would still be friends? yes and yes/no

meteor: have you ever eaten dirt? if yes: on a scale from 0 to 10 would you do it again? no.

rocketry: academia

saturn v: what are you currently studying/what do you wish to study? currently am studying theology. i always am. i wish i could study geology.

delta iv heavy: what is your favourite thing about your degree course? well my last degree I completed as Mastery of Divinity in May 2019. I frickin’ love theology.

heavy falcon: what is a subject you are highly interested in but you would never study yourself? astronomy, just don’t have the time.

sea dragon: if money, admissions and other factors would not be a problem, where and what would you like to study? In the past, I would have liked to study abroad. either in Scotland or Germany.

atlas v: favourite theorem or concept? communicatio idiomatum

soyuz: language(s) you would like to learn? Spanish, Irish, Norwegian, Japanese. 

MECO: how do you take notes? Whatever my brain tells me to write down. I’m so good at it now I don’t know how I got here. I think I’m just good at distinguishing between what’s important and what’s not important.

SECO: what are your essentials for studying and note taking? coffee. excitement for the topic.

RCS: how do you stay focused and productive? coffee. when i can lower my anxiety levels i can focus better and be productive. basically, when i am successfully focused and productive i am methodical and categorical.

RP-1: favourite classes or subjects you took or are taking? music, Lutheran confessions, church history, geography, earth science. 

gas-generator cycle: what are the topics you like learning about the most? Lutheran theology. Biblical languages (though very painful). 

partial-flow staged combustion cycle: what are the topics that interest you the least? Math. Social justice ghouls.

full-flow staged combustion cycle: your biggest student-sin? as in something you feel guilty about? Back when I was in college I took a music class called Aural Skills and NEVER practiced my aural skills. I would do it now. 

RS-25: what do you carry in your backpack? books, weekly planner, laptop, pens, headphones, omeprazole.

RD-270: Do you need silence to study? or do you like to listen to music? if so, what is your go-to study-playlist? both. one of my favorites to listen to is the YouTube station “Homework Radio”

Merlin: what does your study-space look like? usually a coffee shop these days. also my office where i have access to my desk and my library. back in seminary, I LOVED studying in the Regenstein Library of the University of Chicago. So many cool places there to study.

Raptor: do you study at home or do you prefer to study at the library/in cafés? library/cafes. i never study and hardly ever read at home.

F-1: this is a free one. ask any question you’d like. what question do you have, dear one?

[bachyou]

Orchestral Burn Book

by Yours Truly, a bitter violist.

---

Violins: Divas. They stretch every melody in an attempt to see which soloist can get an audience member to hold their yawn the longest. They suck at staying with the beat and hate themselves so much, they only come in two groups. NEXT

Violists: Derpy workaholics. These kiddos, along with the clarinet, bassoon, French horn, the conga, and often the snare drum, are filling in all that rhythm around the timpani and compensating for your HORRIBLE mismanagement of pitches around us. FML, you need to be thankful we’re content out of the limelight.

Cellos: Violin 2, emote harder. Cellos get just as many epic solos as the leads but with 3x the range and technique. They stay on the beat but are also given some UNFAIR passages to play and often suffer when they have to play together /quietly/.

Basses: If this were the Baroque era, these deep-dish twangos would have the power of the Timpani but sadly... they are too quiet in any number fewer than a dozen. They are... okay with this. It's fine.                          This is fine.

Flutes: Tweet Rockets. Champion of their race was John Phillip "Liberty Bells" Sousa who gave them and their shrieking cousin, the Piccolo, the kinds of melodies that didn't so much stick in your mind as slice their way in through your THROBBING TEMPLES.

OBOES: If I didn't play viola, I would live over here. It might waddle like a duck and quack like a duck and really, really sound like a duck, but it's also one of the most expressive colors I could imagine. Gabriel's Oboe, every bit the schlock I believe it sounds like, is just perfect in its capable keys. I get shivers and I hate it.

Clarinet: I hate these honk-bois almost as much as I hate the Soprano-GD-Saxophone. Mozart fricking loved them and wrote a bazillion parts. Not one Clarinetist I've met has had the lung capacity to hit his high notes and not see white at the corners of their eyes.

Saxophone: Sir Not-Appearing-In-My-Damn-Orchestra. Mussorgsky wrote one (1) good orchestra part for it in Pictures at an Exhibition and since then, it has been relegated to the hell that is the jazz hallway.

English Horn and the Bass Clarinet: the Oboe's and Clarinet's stupid old uncles. They're stubborn and farty and there's NO reason for both of them to come over at the same time but oh no it's too late YES WE'LL GET ANOTHER PLATE.

Bassoon: This one makes me giggle the most and yet, the Sorcerer's Apprentice gets a bad rap, I think. It's extremely functional, filling the slot of "woodwind cello" and plays on the bottoms of chords and downbeats a lot. It's just... limited and older.

Contrabassoon: I can’t see you behind your instrument and you can’t see the upbeat. *shrug*

Trumpets: The worst offender. Superman and Batman. Sigfried and Oden. Fanfares and hunting calls and holy wrath, these high and mighty types only come in two flavors: Look at this! I'm going to blow your mind with my VOLUME, speed, /screaming high pitches/ and...                       Behold my power. Only one of those makes me moist.

French Horns: It took us a while to figure out how to curl the brass like that so it's like they showed up to Art Music 3 centuries late with a Starbucks saying, "What, we're using pistons now? Fuck, what am I gonna do with all these valves? Oh well, better stick my hand in my own ass and blow so hard I might shit myself."

Trombones: What's up? Here's the slide-o-phones! You'd think that the convenience of being able to adjust with only the twitch of the wrist would mean they react to sour pitches better. You'd think. They make up for it by being super friendly.

Tuba: The 'OOM' of your 'pah.' Every orchestra needs one but they spawn naturally in band halls, football stadiums, and gazebos though only seasonally around Oktoberfest. We don't trust them with melodies, really, it's just not their forte.

Euphonium: The kid-sister of the Tuba. Mom and Dad only made you because they realized Tuba was gonna be hard to carry. Sux.

Timpani: Already touched upon the power behind the throne but fun history fact is they used to be really hard to tune and the oil would freeze in church sometimes. That's rough if your notes are the Tonic and Dominant (I and V) of the whole ensemble, so often you needed as many timpani as you had notes. Pedals changed this in the... 1800's I wanna say.

Marimba and Xylophone: Long thin planks of wood overtop metal resonators. A good way to remember which is which is that theee Marimba is Mellow and the Xylophone is the drill that will pierce the heavens! Good for Latin dance, early radio Ragtime, using way too many sticks to make that chord work and now, to their everlasting shame, ambience at spas.