#even though he's not a big bon jovi fan he agrees that this song has rights

[thevioletcaptain]

🌹🎸

Hmmm this one will work for the next chapter of Fortress.

Here's some young!Cas pining over Dean at Robin's party... yes, the one he told Dean something about while they were camping.

Robin's backyard is a long, narrow space that leads down to a swimming pool, with a big open fire pit in the middle, and Dean is sitting on the other side of it with her guitar in his lap, carefully adjusting the tuning pegs and playing the six strings one by one until the pitch is right. His fingers are quick and clever as they move across the fretboard. Even though he's just tuning the guitar, not even playing anything, Castiel finds himself absolutely transfixed. It's not news to him that he's attracted to Dean. It's not even news to him that he's got a particular thing for Dean's hands. But this... Dean is in his element, here. Confident. Skilled. When he catches Cas' eye across the crowd, he grinning and relaxed despite the attention of more than a dozen people being trained firmly on him--something he claims to enjoy, but more often than not seems overwhelmed and embarrassed by. "Any requests?" he calls out, and three people independently ask for some Bon Jovi song. He laughs and tells them to be gentle if he forgets the words. Castiel watches him play and aches down to his core. “Ohh,” someone says from beside him, and Castiel takes far too long to realize that it's in reference to him. When he does, he feels a cold prickle of fear shooting from his scalp to the base of his spine. “Don’t panic. I shan’t say a word.” Glancing over, he realizes that the someone is Balthazar. Castiel barely knows him--they only share one class, and since he arrived in town late last year after his family moved from somewhere in the UK, he's tended to spend all of his time hanging out with the small subset of upper-middle class kids who seem to think the public school they've been stuck in is beneath them. He's always been nice enough, especially compared to some of his friends, but he's also just... kind of a snob. And he’s currently looking at Castiel with an expression that seems to be equal parts pity and amusement. “How long?” he asks, leaning back and kicking one foot up onto the opposite knee. “Excuse me?” “How long have you been pining for the Ken Doll?”

[for this ask meme | other responses here]

[dustofbrokenheart]

The Covenant Halloween Party Imagines

Caleb

He will pick a conventional costume, nothing too flashy. A doctor costume, complete with blue scrubs, a white overcoat, and a stethoscope, practically screams Caleb Danvers.

But will agree to do a couple’s costume with you. Just let him know what you have planned and he’ll make sure to get it ready by the big party.

Caleb picks you up in his cool Mustang to take you to the party and gives you a simple flower bouquet. He gives you gifts all the time but you still become giddy whenever you get one.

Once you’re settled in the car, he leans over the center console to give you a tender kiss, his fingers caressing your cheek. You hold hands the entire drive over.

At the party you plan to hit up the snacks and drinks first, but, being the popular boy that he is, Caleb is stopped every couple of steps by someone that wants to talk to him.

He looks at you with apologetic eyes with every new stop and you lean into him reassuringly each time. Sometimes you wished he was a little more anonymous around, but you tried not let it bother you—you knew what you were getting into when you guys got involved.

Finally, the food is within reach and Caleb makes sure to pile your plate high with what you tell him to grab. It’s chips, dips, cucumber chunks, and fruit pieces galore.

Some chairs open up and Caleb and you book it over there before anyone else can snag them.

You two take your time snacking, commenting on what other party goers are doing around you.

“Wow! Look at that make-up job! It’s gorgeous,” you gush while looking at someone with silver stars painted on their face. “Not as gorgeous as you,” Caleb assures. You shove some cucumber in his mouth to shut him up before he can make you more flustered.  

After the plates of snacks are finished, you walk around looking for the next thing to do.

You pull Caleb to a stop when you see a game of Jenga in process in the corner. Caleb and you exchange a look and immediately go over to wait for the start of a new game.

When it’s your turn, you pull the block out with the utmost concentration, your tongue sticking out and your brow furrowed. Caleb goes next and when he also pulls a block out successfully, you cheer your loudest to show support for your boyfriend.

The rounds continue and the tower slims down block by block. On Caleb’s last turn he chooses a risky piece, saying, “Go big or go home.” The tower immediately rumbles and his hand is surround by fallen blocks.

Onlookers give him crap for it, but he takes it like a good sport. You hook your chin over his shoulder and while stroking his shoulders whisper in his ear, “Guess it’s time for us to go home then.”

Pogue

He’s comfortable showing skin, but he also isn’t the type to spend money on a costume. He will try to pull something together from what he already has at home. Grabs jeans and leather chaps to pair with a cowboy hat and calls it good—no shirt or jacket needed.

Much like Bon Jovi, Pogue rides a steal horse and will pick you up on his sweet Ducati bike, so hope that you are wearing something that will be comfortable to ride in for your own sake.

How is it possible for him to feel hot to the touch when it was an October night in Massachusetts and he wasn’t wearing anything up top?

When you arrive, Pogue parks the bike and helps you off. Wrapping his bare, heavy arm around your shoulder, you head inside together.

He takes the lead and acts as a shield between you and the rest of the crowd. He keeps his arm around you. Everyone at the Academy knows you two are an item but Pogue knows how some of the other classmates are, so this way he can keep any creeps from bothering you.

Pogue complains when he finds out the only thing there to eat s candy corn. Not a fan. But he will go to get the drinks after you’re situated with a seat. Before he leaves, he takes off the cowboy hat and places it on your head. It doesn’t match your costume at all, but you learned early on that he loves seeing you wear his stuff, so you’re not phased at all.

He’s gone for a while, so you figure he must have run into someone he knows. Suddenly, someone else joins you at your table. You feel a little awkward since you don’t know this guy, but he doesn’t seem drunk or rowdy, so you allow it.

That may have been a mistake because even though he doesn’t try engaging you in conversation, he keeps staring at you. Blatant looks that he doesn’t bother hiding. It is terribly uncomfortable.

Pogue must have read you mind because he returns to you just as you were starting to squirm. He immediately notices the unwanted guest and sizes him up. “Hey babe, everything cool?”

He doesn’t even have to speak to the other guy to confront him—Pogue’s stare is enough to scare anyone.

You sigh in relief as Pogue now takes the empty seat. “Thanks,” you say, leaning into his bare chest. “Any time,” he responds with a kiss to your temple.

The two of you drink and talk at the table. Both of you stick to beer knowing that the hard stuff would be a bad idea given that you have to leave on a motorcycle.

At one point someone tries to drag Pogue to join the costume contest that was taking place. They swear that his cowboy look is a shoe-in to win (and a clear thirst trap, you think to yourself) but he wants to part of it. For a guy confident in his looks, he isn’t interested in parading himself around.

Later on, you hear one of your favorite songs start to play over the speakers and start dancing from the comfort of your chair. Pogue smirks over at you. “If you wanna come dance on my lap, I won’t say no.” Your face burns in embarrassment. But you do end up in his lap by the end of the night.

Reid

Will definitely do a bros couple costume with Tyler. Is there a more perfect choice than doing Ghostface from Scream? It’s scary, simple, and there were two killers canonically in the original!

You plan to meet him at the party and when you get there he makes you guess which Ghostface is him. Gives himself away because he asks you in person, immediately revealing his voice, and the fact that he’s the one on the left.

Reid is one of those people that look ridiculous when trying to be cool and suave, but pull it off flawlessly when they aren’t.

When you giggle behind your hand at his goof up he removes his mask. He scratches his neck and rolls his eyes. “It wasn’t that funny, princx.”

To put him at ease you go over and squeeze his hand. He accepts your nonverbal apology and squeezes back.

Leading you deeper into the house his first course of action is to get you something to sip on. He’ll let you choose whatever, but if you can’t decide, he’ll mix something yummy for you.

The alcohol loosens you up and you drag him out to the dance floor because you want to dance with your man. Reid will indulge you for a song or two before pulling away. Dancing isn’t really his thing.

He has no problem letting you do your thing while he does his. He stays close though, in case you need back-up dealing with a pushy party goer.

The second someone tries getting touchy with you, to the point that you have to shove them away from you, that person suddenly start vomiting all over themselves. Before you can question what just happened, Reid is there to whisk you to the corner where he’s in the middle of a game of darts.

You act as his personal cheerleader and go crazy every time he throws.

Even though he’s paying more attention to you, and frequently sneaks in kisses that leave you breathless, he manages to smoke the other players. They all grumble but hand over $20 each before starting another round.

“Reid, that’s way too much money, especially for a party game! Give the money back,” you insist. “Sorry, Y/N, but a bet’s a bet.” You raise your eyebrow stiffly and he gives in, complaining the whole time.

As a reward for his good behavior, you curl your finger at him and drag him to an empty room where you two spend the rest of the party, lips locked and bodies pressed tightly together.

Reid is in nirvana and contemplates other ways to get rewarded like this.

Tyler

Does a bros couple costume with Reid. Quickly persuaded by Reid to go along with the Ghostface idea.

Unless, of course, you have your heart set on doing a couples costume with him. Because then he dismisses Reid’s idea and is behind you 100%.

Tyler arrives and you rush to open the door, eager to show off your part of the costume in person. He melts when you spin around your porch so he can fully appreciate the look. You take a few cute photos of you guys together and then head to the Hummer.

You are not surprised to see Reid in the car too, but it is surprising that he isn’t at the wheel. Tyler gives you a jokingly wounded face. “Come on, Y/N, I can be tough with him when I need to.”

The Hummer pulls up to the party and Tyler opens the door, holding out his hand to help you out of the car. Tyler shoos Reid away so you two can enjoy your date night.

He’s actually the one that asks you to dance. You’re really thankful that he knows you so well—you love to dance but you’re fairly shy and too self-conscious to take the initiative.

You two don’t take yourselves seriously at all which makes dancing even more fun. You do a sock-hop shimmy type of move and Tyler does his best attempt at moonwalking. When Thriller comes on you both lose your minds. Neither of you really know the choreography, but you try you try your best to recreate the moves.

The song ends and you hug, laughing the whole time. There’s no way the moves you pulled out for Thriller can be topped so you exit the dance space.

Tyler and you wander around for a bit, stopping to chat whenever you come across someone you know.

Eventually, you find yourselves outside on the back porch. The energy from inside dies down with the quiet outdoors which inspires a walk through the backyard. It’s the perfect fall night: a luminous full moon, the crunch of fallen leaves, and a chill in the air.

Speaking of chill, your costume is thin enough that you get cold within ten minutes. Tyler notices and plops down at the base of a tree. He pats his lap and you sit in between his legs, your back against his chest.

He rubs his hands up and down your arms and you swear that you start to feel heat spread from his hands to your body. It’s weird, almost like magic.

“You look so good tonight,” he says quietly, “You really do. Thanks for coming with me.”

Tyler always makes your heart race when he starts talking like this. You give him a gentle peck on the lips that turns into something more passionate. But you’re still at a party and before things can escalate too far, you pull away. The two of you were content to sit under the tree, whispering and lost in your own little world.  

[azoraahai]

All the even qs for Ryder and Dean!

this is hella long so i’m putting it under the cut!

send me who? what? when? where? why? otp questions!

2.) who is the most insecure and what makes them feel better? i think dean is because he thinks he’s not a good person and that ryder deserves better than him. ryder, obviously, isn’t a saint and tells him that as well as saying that she knows how big of a heart he has and how he always does what he believes to be right which is what matters at the end of the day.

4.) who can’t keep their hands to themselves? both. they’re very handsy it’s ridiculous. 

6.) who would they ask if they ever had a threesome? definitely ryder. bitch has no filter whatsoever and it comes out so randomly that dean chokes on his drink lol.

8.) what do they like in bed? i feel like im too baby to answer this question properly lol. i mean, they’re pretty flexible with a lot so use your imagination.

10.) what two songs, two books and two luxury items do they take to a desert island? oh god. two songs,,, um,,, who says you cant go home by bon jovi and sole survivor by asia ( just bc of the irony ). two books would be any kind of survival guides because they deserve some way of knowing how to survive. and two luxury items,,,,  ummmmmm,,, probably spare clothes so they can change yannoe.

12.) what first changes when it starts getting serious? definitely their banter. their banter when they first meet drastically changes when feelings start to evolve. there are no more insults, no more yelling matches, none of that. of course, when shit hits the fan, it can still happen, but it’s not as likely as it was before.

14.) when one has a cold, what does the other do? dean would give her his jacket and complaining as he does bc he 100% told her beforehand to bring a jacket bc she’ll get cold. for dean, ryder would hold him and transfer some of her body heat to him. 

16.) when the zombie apocalypse comes, how do they cope together? i mean, it’s happened on the show so they manage quite well lol.

18.) when they fight, how do they make up? they obviously need time to cool off after a fight. once they’ve calmed down, they talk more civilly and openly and either come to an agree to disagree solution or they resolve things. then later that night, they cuddle bc they’re touch starved idiots who love to hold each other.

20.) where do they go on holiday? honestly, anywhere that doesn’t involve the supernatural.

22.) where does their first kiss happen? in the parking lot of a bar. it’s a classic.

24.) where do they first have sex? in the parking lot of a bar. again, classic.

26.) why do they need to have a serious chat? to fix their unhealthy tendency of constantly dying for each other and then not being able to live without them so they bring them back. yannoe, the usual.

28.) why do they get jealous? even though they know where they stand, neither of them wants to see anyone flirting with one or the other. it’s an automatic no no.

30.) why does it work (or not work) between them? they work because they both hunt monsters obviously. they know the risks, they know what the world is really like, and they understand each other to the core. other relationships of theirs have failed because they were outsiders so it just works for them.

[stopforamoment]

Part Eight: Frustration (Series 19, Part 8 of 15)

Series Nineteen: Anger and Sorrow (15 Parts) Part Eight: Frustration (Series 19, Part 8 of 15) My masterlist is at the end of my bio.

Book: The Royal Romance (After Book Three) Pairing: Bastien Lykel x OC Rinda Parks Word Count: 1,007   Rating: M for Language

Author’s Note: Obligatory disclaimer that Pixelberry Studios owns the TRR characters and my pocketbook with those darn diamond scenes. OFC with all of her quirks is all mine. My apologies if Tumblr or I do something stupid when I try to post this. The keep reading link shows up on my laptop but not my phone. Ugh.

Earworm: Joe Nichols “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” Thank you @asherella-is-a-dork-3 for always being my sounding board! Thank you @cora-nova @silviasutton1989 @bobasheebaby​ @riseandshinelittleblossom​ for being my thirsty Bastien friends and for still being a part of the journey! Series Summary: It’s day two of the conference, and this series focuses on emotions—how anger and sorrow are connected, and how that causes problems for Rinda and Bastien. A big thank you to @asherella-is-a-dork-3 for talking to me about the connection between anger and sorrow, and for telling me that Bastien needs to show some negative emotions. We all have bad days—even our perfect Bastien Lykel. She did so much to help me with this series. Thank you!

Chapter Summary: Rinda loosens up and has some innocent fun. The italicized song lyrics are from Joe Nichols “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off.” It’s just a fun song where a man sings about his girl not being able to handle her tequila, and it’s pretty much Rinda--being a goofy dumpster fire when she drinks. There’s another author’s note at the end of the chapter.

Part Eight: Frustration

Bastien stayed to the back of the room, conversing with a few people he met at that day’s training. The people who preferred not to dance or mingle. As confident as Bastien was when he was working, he was very shy in social situations. He knew Rinda hated small talk and she was easily overwhelmed at large gatherings, but she could “turn on” for a short time and enjoy the night if it ended early. He envied Rinda’s ability to strike up a conversation and approach strangers to dance. Once Rinda began dancing she caught the attention of several other women and men, and she happily danced with all of them. While engaging in conversation Bastien occasionally watched Rinda to see how she was doing. But he was also jealous. He was glad she was having a good time, but he wished she would come back to him, so he could ask her to dance. Again. Bastien shook his head. That sounded so possessive and it wasn’t fair to Rinda. Really, it was his own fault for not going out onto the dance floor, cutting in and asking her to dance. Of course she would dance with him. She would have danced with him earlier, except they were interrupted. He wouldn’t be left standing there, embarrassed and awkward. He watched as a new partner led her to the dance floor and his eyes narrowed when he saw Rinda slowly break away from him. “Excuse me,” Bastien said to his companions. He started to make his way to the dance floor, ready to help Rinda if she was in a difficult situation. Then Bastien stopped, watching as she positioned herself behind the stranger, her arm encircling him from behind and resting on his chest. On his heart. Bastien caught his breath as he watched them move together, a sensual side of Rinda that only he saw. It was only silly innuendo and joking banter when she was in public. Then they paused, and he saw the playful grin between the two of them. Yes. Rinda was simply being herself, innocently teasing and having fun. But as the dance floor cleared and the focus was on the two dancers and their intricate tango, Bastien knew he was ready to cut in when this dance was finished. . . . . .

At the start of the evening Rinda and Nadia gathered some of their new acquaintances, academics and security officers, to do tequila shots. “Wait! Wait for the song!” Nadia shouted. Rinda started laughing when the music started. “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” by Joe Nichols—it became Nadia and Rinda’s theme song the first time Rinda got a little too drunk and friendly with some Parisians they met at a social event, and it summed up Rinda’s personality perfectly. When she let go she got sloppy and even more klutzy, but it was all innocent fun. She said, I'm goin' out with my girlfriends Margaritas at the Holiday Inn. Oh, have mercy my only thought was Tequila makes her clothes fall off

Soon Rinda and Nadia were grinding each other on the dance floor, but Bastien just smiled and shook his head. He was used to his Tria’s crazy antics. Them pantyhose ain't gonna last too long If the DJ puts Bon Jovi on

Rinda spun and pointed to Bastien as she sang the lyrics, causing Bastien to blush. They both had a crush on Bon Jovie in their younger days, and it was a running joke that Bastien was stealing her teenage crush.

She might come home in a tablecloth Yea, tequila makes her clothes fall off

A few of the security officers were having a beer chugging contest and even though Rinda wasn’t a big beer fan, she knew she had to put in a good showing for her state. And she did. After a quick disclaimer that she would have to belch when she was done, Rinda was able to open her throat and down a beer in less than two seconds. There were cheers that quickly turned into laughter when she held up a finger, turned around, and let out a loud, unladylike belch. She covered her mouth as she laughed at herself. “Well, at least I can swallow when it counts.” Then she winked at Bastien. She was a spitter, not a swallower.

She don't mean nothin' she's just havin' fun Tomorrow she'll say, oh, what have I done Rinda was getting more challenges, but now that she was older she was a one-hit wonder and she wasn’t going to do an eight-hour car ride with a hangover. She leaned into Bastien, asking if he was still doing okay. They both agreed that they didn’t want to stay out long, and they would find each other when they were ready to leave. When he smiled and caressed her cheek Rinda closed her eyes for a moment, enjoyed his touch. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before going back to the dance floor, gladly renouncing her drinking title for the younger people who were still chugging.

Friends will joke about the stuff she lost Yea, tequila makes her clothes fall off

Later that evening Rinda made eye contact with Bastien and she motioned for him to dance with her. He was finishing another conversation, so Rinda went over to the DJ to request their song—“The Best Is Yet to Come” by Frank Sinatra. Although Bastien was able to disengage from the previous conversation, someone asked him to dance but he didn’t know where Rinda went, so he didn’t know how to politely decline. The music started and the woman was already in his arms when Bastien saw Rinda coming back to the dance floor. Bastien groaned as he realized Rinda must have walked away to request the song, and he mouthed an apology to her. Rinda smiled and shrugged. She was disappointed, but shit happens and soon she was dancing with someone else. They’d enjoy the next dance together.

A/N When Rinda danced with the stranger it was more of a performance and a “showy” tango. When she danced the tango with Bastien during their date night I pictured it as a slower, more intimate and romantic tango like Santiago’s Dream.

[musicalevangeline-blog]

Blog Post #8

29My responses to the appendix interview and my mom’s answers

• If you think of a few recent purchases what were the main factors that influenced your purchase? Usually my purchases are out of necessity or spontaneity. It’s either something I need, or something I want in the spur of the moment. Usually price.

• What was your last music-related purchase? I bought a concert ticket to see one of my favorite singers with my best friend. I bought a Pink Floyd T-shirt that I found in the boys section at JCPenney’s and it was five dollars

• What were the main reasons/motivations behind the purchase? It’s a person I really love and admire and I haven’t been to an actual concert in years, so like why not? It was five dollars and it had Pink Floyd on it

• What kind of music do you like? I like a lot of music, I can even stand country music sometimes. Mostly, I like slow sad sounding music, or music that makes me feel something. Music I like.... I like pretty much everything except hard core rap and country music. Specifically I like rock n roll and hip hop dance music

• How do you consume music—i.e., how do you buy it/ when do you watch/listen to it/where do you watch/ listen to it? I usually listen to spotify whenever i’m using my laptop, or if im listening on my phone I listen to the music ive purchased through google play. In the car I listen to CDs or the radio. I mostly listen to it on the radio at home in the car or on my iPhone via Pandora or iTunes

• What are your opinions on the current music industry as a whole? I feel like there are a lot of people who don’t get the recognition they deserve, and some people who get recognition they don’t deserve. This can really be said for just about any industry though. What does that mean? (evie gives brief explaination) Well, I don’t know any of them personally...

• How much of an influence would your favorite musicians have on you as a person? I think a lot of my favorite artists have shaped who I am, and I draw a lot from the music I listen to in terms of i dont know, personality and the way I deal with things. None. Although when Chester benigton killed himself that really pissed me off because his music had a lot of influence on overcoming obstacles and then he offs himself. That was lame. But really they can take a stand for whatever and unless they are complete bigot assholes I’ll still listen to their music.

• How about on your purchases? I want to support these people, so yeah I’m going to buy their stuff if I can afford it, especially up and coming artists that I really want to see succeed. Also, maybe they influence my purchases on things like clothes and stuff.  No.

• Do you consider social responsibility and/or ethical considerations when making purchases of products/ services in the area of music? There are some artists that while I enjoy their music, I don’t agree with actions they take or how they feel about certain topics. I’m less likely to purchase anything related to an artist who’s actions I don’t agree with, and here I think I’m mostly talking about people like Chris Brown who literally is an abuser and takes what he wants whenever he wants it and is literally just an awful person. No.

• Can you think of ways that musicians/bands currently engage in socially responsible behavior? There’s a lot going on in the world, and a lot of issues that need representation and awareness in order to get anything done, and music and artists are a great way to send these messages. Even just being openly supportive of a cause, or donating money to a cause can really bring awareness. When they preach about politics during their concerts instead of singing or when they bring kids up on stage that really enjoy their music during concerts and cater to their fans that’s a good one.

• Do any recent examples of socially responsible behavior within the music industry come to mind? Taylor Swift and her suing the guy who sexually assaulted her for a dollar, not to get any money but to call to action this kind of thing that happens all the time and shouldn’t be normalized. She also donated a large sum to sexual assault survivors and historically has donated a lot to disaster relief funds and fans who need help financially. In 2015 she donated $50,000 to a fan who was diagnosed with Leukemia. It’s because of Swift that GoFundMe had to raise the amount a person is allowed to donate at a time. Hearing about some musicians donating lots of money to a specific causes.  My favorite is Jon Bon Jovi and how he has a restaurant that caters to the hungry and the homeless.

• Have you considered aspects of socially responsible behavior when you have attended live music events? Historically, not really. However the only concert i’ve been to in the last five years was to see the Wallflowers. In the past I’ve seen some bands live that now I don’t think I’d really want to see again. Not always, but at least sometimes you can tell a lot about an artist or band by their fans, and some of the music I used to listen to in lets say middle school, definitely have views a lot different from what I know now. No.

• Have you engaged in socially responsible behavior at live music events? No. Yes. (evie: care to elaborate?) Sitting down so people can see behind me saying please when walking through the crowd. Saying excuse me.

• How would you define a socially responsible musician? I think I remember reading an article about an artist who stopped a show after seeing a fan in the audience having a panic attack, and made sure to get this fan help before continuing (after some research, this artist was Harry Styles) and there have been other instances like this (Drake stops concert to call out groping, Linkin Park also stops show to help a fan, etc.). I think this is what it means to be socially responsible. There’s a lot that’s going on in a crowd at a show, and for an artist to call out a bad situation really shows that. A musician that shows social responsibility to me it is defined as a musician that preaches love and community and is involved and good fundraising for programs that help society, like Bon Jovi. I think he is a prime example of what a musician that shows social responsibility.

• Do you think it is important for them to act in a socially responsible way? Yes. It shows that a person cares about their fans, and not just the money they make off of them, and in this age if you’re neutral in situations of injustice, you’re on the side of the oppressor. Yes.

• Would you be more likely to buy an album/attend a concert of an artist that you perceive to be engaged in socially responsible behavior? Yes. Yes.

• Have you attended a live event due to the socially responsible aspect of the event? No. Yes but only because I was working (she’s a stage-hand).

• How would you compare the role that social responsibility plays in everyday consumption decisions to music consumption decisions? People look for brands that are socially responsible in a lot of their purchases. Whether a brand tests on animals, or companies that are tied to a charity. I know I tend to shop at target, one because I love target, and two because I know they have a partnership with St. Jude Children’s Hospital and having that knowledge makes me feel even better when shopping there. There are also stores and other places I refuse to shop at, such as Goodwill because of their inaction to help people, despite their claims otherwise. (Goodwill had a thing going where when purchasing goods you could round up to the nearest dollar, and the extra few cents would be donated to veterans. No money was ever donated and goodwill managers are frequently seen refusing to provide clothing to homeless people (including veterans) despite claiming they would clothe any homless person who came to the store.) For younger people I say that is a big factor but for my age not so much. (evie: I told her what I put for my answer) Yes, those are good examples. I definitely agree with that.

2.) Anyone can say anything to get attention, but it’s action and reaction that determine real intentions. Like I said earlier in my interview answers, Goodwill for example claims to be a place of donation, yet the Goodwill CEO makes $729,000 annually and their employees don’t make a living wage. An they aren’t the only company that makes promises like this and don’t follow through. I think it’s important for artists, while preaching a certain message, uphold the ideals that they are setting. And there are a lot of artists that do a lot of good. Thom Yorke for example, and Bon Jovi like my mom mentioned. Thom Yorke engages in eco-friendly events and lives eco-friendly so you know he’s not just doing these things for publicity. Unlike Thom Yorke and many others, there are many people who will preach the importance of donating to charity but run these multi-million dollar empires without contributing a dime to anything worthwhile that has the potential to change the world. This doesn’t just apply to musicians either, there are a lot of rich people in the spot light that don’t do anything or don’t do enough. The article states: “Music is a powerful vehicle through which tastes and values are understood, and social groups and subcultures are formed.” While I completely agree with. A lot of the music I listen to reflects what I believe and who I am, and where my values align. I find that people who share my same music interests tend to have a lot of the same views as I do, not always but a significant amount of time. A lot of music I listened to when I was younger, I didn’t really understand, and I see that some of the people that listen to that kind of music now are people I tend to not want to associate with, as I don’t want to associate with that music anymore either.

I think the video by Lin Manuel Miranda where he wrote a song and had a bunch of other Latin American artists come together to raise money was a great example of an artist being authentic in promoting something. This project was close to him, as someone who’s parents immigrated from Puerto Rico, and this wasn’t the only action he took in support of the relief fund for Puerto Rico. He promoted this charity on talk shows, visited Puerto Rico, brought Hamilton to Puerto Rico and provided a way to allow impoverished people to see his show, and has donated around 2.5 million towards this cause and other causes through his words and his work. Not only this, but he continues to raise money for other causes, such as March for our Lives (Starting with his collaborative song with Ben Platt). Since LMM’s rise to fame, he has never stopped giving back to the community and working for equality across every issue.

I currently don’t have an example of the opposite, where an artist doesn’t meet up to their claims, but will try to think of one before class.

[trendingnewsb]

8 Times Celebrities Befriended Infamously Violent Dictators

We all know it can be hard to make friends. Your schedules never match up, one of you wants sushi and the other wants ramen and you can never agree, one of you is a horrifying dictator, you know the drill. Oh, you weren’t on board with the dictator part? Weird. These celebrities didn’t let the fact that their new best bud was a murderous tyrant ruling over an entire nation stop them from having a great time together. No friendship is perfect, after all!

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Nicki Minaj visited Angola to hang with dictator José Eduardo dos Santo against pretty much everyone’s advice.

via: Getty Images

In 2014 Nicki Minaj was invited to perform for the communications company Unitel in Luanda, Angola. A company which unfortunately happened to be controlled by José Eduardo dos Santo, the three-decade long president/dictator of Angola. She was reportedly to be paid two million dollars for the performance.

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At first, everyone gave Nicki the benefit of the doubt.

Oh hai, Angola. Ready for the show? 😳

A post shared by Barbie® (@nickiminaj) on Dec 19, 2015 at 12:55pm PST

Instagram

Not everyone is a social studies super star. It’s fair to assume that when Nicki accepted the invitation, she didn’t know that José Eduardo dos Santos took control of Angola’s wealth for himself and his family while the rest of his country lived on $2 a day. So the Human Rights Foundation sent her a letter and explained the whole thing to her. Apparently, she didn’t really care. Not only did Nicki go ahead with the trip, she posted about it on social media.

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Nicki even posted an Instagram photo of herself draped in the flag of Angola and another with the daughter of José Eduardo dos Santos.

Oh no big deal…she's just the 8th richest woman in the world. (At least that's what I was told by someone b4 we took this photo) Lol. Yikes!!!!! GIRL POWER!!!!! This motivates me soooooooooo much!!!! S/O to any woman on a paper chase. Get your own!!!! Success is yours for the taking!!!!! #Angola thank u to the women who brought me out here as well. ❤️

A post shared by Barbie® (@nickiminaj) on Dec 19, 2015 at 3:26pm PST

Instagram

In a cringe-worthy post she described meeting José Eduardo dos Santos’ daughter Isabel dos Santos, who she called the 8th richest woman in the world and praised for having “girl power”. But Nicki didn’t exactly acknowledge that dos Santos, while very rich, got that money from completely screwing over an entire country. She might have girl power but…it’s not the kind of power you really want to have.

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Dennis Rodman struck up a friendship with one of the world’s worst dictators and felt absolutely no shame about it.

via: Pinterest

We all knew Dennis Rodman was kind of weird. From his crazy hair to his outrageous wardrobe, the basketball player was always known for being a bit eccentric. But things got really weird when he became BFF with none other than North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

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Dennis Rodman first visited North Korea in 2011 with Vice media to host basketball exhibitions.

via: Getty Images

While there, he struck up a friendship with dictator Kim Jong-un, calling him a “friend for life”, a “basketball fan”, and a “great dad”. He’s also a dictator whose been known to have his own family members assassinated, but that didn’t seem to matter much to Rodman who said that he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for forging a friendship with Kim Jong-un in an attempt to bring the USA and North Korea together.

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Rodman has visited North Korea several times.

via GIPHY

Giphy

And it doesn’t seem like he plans on stopping. He says he is helping to train basketball players there and if all of this isn’t weird enough for you, at some point, he even presented Kim Jong-un with a copy of Donald Trump’s book The Art of the Deal.

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Mariah Carey played a concert for the Gaddafi family of Libya.

via: Getty Images

On New Years Eve of 2009, Mariah Carey performed at a party hosted by the Gaddafi family in St. Bart’s, the family that had control of Libya and was holding it under a fierce dictatorship.

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Mariah claimed she had no idea who she was performing for when she booked the gig.

via GIPHY

Giphy

She later apologized and said she was embarrassed by the incident, but did not return or donate the one million dollars she got for performing at the event.

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To be fair, Mariah Carey wasn’t the only pop star to perform for the Gaddafi family.

via GIPHY

Giphy

Several artists performed at the same New Years Eve party or other events for the Gaddafi family, including Jay-Z, Jon Bon Jovi, (I’m really sorry to be the one to tell you this) Beyonce, Usher, and confusingly because it was in 2009, Lindsay Lohan.

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Hilary Swank appeared at an event hosted by Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechen leader who may or may not have imprisoned and executed all the gay men in Chechnya, but probably did.

via: Getty Images

Hilary Swank was warned before she attended the event that Kadyrov had been accused of crimes against humanity, and her manager was like, “Oh yeah, she’s definitely not going.” But then she didn’t not go. She, in fact, went.

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After the event, Hilary went on damage control and fired several of her staff who she claimed didn’t tell her the seriousness of Kadyrov’s crimes.

via: Getty Images

She also said she would donate the money she had earned from the appearance to charity. If she really did, we’ll never know. But she hasn’t appeared at a dictator’s soiree since, at least.

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Michael Jackson befriended Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Khalifa of Bahrain, the heir to an oppressive regime.

via: Getty Images

After being accused and then acquitted of child molestation, Michael Jackson fled from the US and took refuge in Bahrain. There he met Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Khalifa and promised that he would record an album for him in exchange for some cold, hard cash to pay off his legal fees.

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The Middle Eastern prince ended up suing the Prince of Pop when he didn’t deliver the promised album.

via GIPHY

Giphy

The two ended up settling out of court and Jackson never recorded the new music.

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J. Lo performed at Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov’s birthday party.

via: Getty Images

Berdymukhamedov leads one of the most oppressive and closed regimes in the world and also, was lucky enough to have a performance by J. Lo at his birthday party. J. Lo claims she knew nothing about claims that he was a murderous dictator, or that he controlled a country where satellites and internet are not allowed.

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This may actually be true.

via GIPHY

Giphy

J. Lo seemed completely uneducated on who she had booked to perform for, even singing the dictator a sexy happy birthday song. One of her staff even tweeted that they were confused as to why nobody in Turkmenistan seemed psyched online that they were coming. Remember the whole not allowed to use the internet because of an oppressive regime thing? Yeah, that’s why.

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J. Lo made $1.5 million dollars for the performance.

via GIPHY

Giphy

Afterwards, when it became clear she’d likely sung I’m Real for a dictator, she apologized. Hey! It could happen to anyone. It’s not known if she donated the money.

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Kanye West performed at the wedding of the grandson of Kazakhstan’s autocratic President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

via: Getty Images

Nursultan Nazarbayev has been the president of Kazakhstan since 1990, the result of rigged elections, and has been accused of multiple crimes against humanity. West was reportedly paid $3 million dollars for the wedding performance.

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The performance was posted on Instagram.

Suddenly Kanye West

A post shared by helengadjilova (@helengadjilova) on Aug 31, 2013 at 2:18pm PDT

Instagram

And it kind of seems like…nobody is paying attention?

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In maybe the strangest celebrity-dictator relationship of all, Sting performed for Uzbekistan ruler Islam Karimov, completely aware that he was a horrific dictator.

via: Getty Images

Sting was asked to perform for the dictator’s daughter for an arts festival. Karimov is a special kind of terrible: he regularly murders his own citizens for protesting, draining the largest lake in Uzbekistan to water his own crops, and reportedly is a fan of killing his enemies by boiling them alive. And he loves Sting!

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The weirdest part? Sting claimed him not accepting $1 million to do the performance wouldn’t even make a difference.

via: Getty Images

According to Sting, the reason he took the job was because, even though he knew about the whole boiling people alive thing, protesting dictators doesn’t really work. I mean if you can’t beat them, join them, right? Or at least perform for their family and turn a blind eye to the human rights violations.

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Read more: http://twentytwowords.com/8-times-celebrities-befriended-violently-infamous-dictators-ia/

from Viral News HQ https://ift.tt/2EEnenG via Viral News HQ

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john DiMaggio

“So, I have this friend, John Dimaggio, who is internationally known as a voice over actor. He has worked on so many projects like Futurama where he is the voice over for Bender. He has also appeared on many well known cartoons, as well as movies and video games. Anyway, John got to hear us one day and he just blurted out “you guys sound like a colossal street jam!” He was referring to our diverse musical backgrounds when he said that. Well, the name stuck and it has been with us ever since.” 

Gene Potts, Lead Singer, Colossal Street Jam

Lead singer Gene Potts (photo courtesy of Coucou Photography)

New Jersey has been known for producing some great homegrown talent (e.g., Springsteen, Bon Jovi, etc.) and with their latest release Jersey-homegrown band Colossal Street Jam continues that lineage. The band’s most recent effort is entitled Living Free and on it lead singer Gene Potts and crew show why they are one of the mainstays in a highly competitive East Coast music market.

To be clear, Colossal Street Jam is not a newbie to the Jersey rock scene. The band’s origins go back to the early 1990s. Fast forward to Living Free, Potts talked about the writing of the band’s latest album:

The earlier days of CSJ

“We began writing Living Free in May of 2015 and we then went into the studio to record it in April of the following year. We then finished the album in October of last year and it was released a month later. This is our third record after an extended hiatus.  The band started in the early 1990s and we then split up in 1994. We reunited in late 2013 and then we recently–in 2016–made some lineup changes. To say we have come a long way is an understatement but I think this journey has been all worthwhile. Hopefully, with Living Free, our fans will agree.”

Gene Potts (photo courtesy of Coucou Photography)

CSJ is comprised of a solid line-up of seasoned Jersey rock veterans. Starting with Potts, he’s simply not your average singer. His voice is distinct. It is edgy. It is also indicative of a singer with some passion….serious passion. As they say in baseball, a lot of guys can throw 90 mph but to get to the major leagues you need more; you have to have movement on your fastball. Potts’ vocals have “movement” and as such, they are major league worthy.

Sal Marra heads up the guitars for CSJ and on Living Free Marra’s style is clear…..crystal, that is. Marra is an intriguing player whose melodic feel is reminiscent of Slash as well as other master shredders. What I liked most about Marra’s playing is that it really fits the music. Coupled with Marra’s mastery of effects which are used oh so appropriately, he really commands the music and on Living Free, he just can’t be missed. The guitar work is outstanding.

Sal Marra (photo courtesy of Coucou photography)

Rounding out the group is bassist Tony Flora, keyboardist Eric Safka, and rock solid drummer Dave Halpern. 

Flora, though not flashy, works so well in tandem with Halpern that the two become one in an inseparable rhythmic mesh. Together, Flora and Halpern form the critical foundation that allows this band to groove as well as it does. This is the kind of chemistry (sans rhythm guitar) that certain groups like Van Halen–in the Michael Anthony days–could pull off. For CSJ, it’s a very effective style and it works.

Rounding out the lineup is Jersey’s own Eric Safka, a versatile, well known, and talented keyboardist. Formerly of the Matt O’Ree Band, rather than dazzle with special effects and electronic gimmickry, Safka is pure talent. Safka’s wheelhouse is the live gig and the man is not only a passionate showman but he will also take to a solo as good as anybody.

As a group, CSJ fits like an assembled puzzle. The chemistry of the talent is quite evident on Living Free but, make no mistake about it, in addition to all that, the album contains some really well written songs. (All the songs on the album were written by the band except one). Succinctly, Living Free sports these 11 tracks:

1) Won’t Last This Way (4:40)

2) Skies Above (4:21)

3) Living Free (5:21)

4) Songbird (5:00)

5) Hanging Around (5:24)

6) Be Good To Yourself (3:07)

7) Monday Morning Mass (3:28)

8) I Can’t Take It (3:35)

9) Let It Go (2:55)

10) Runnin’ (4:28), and

11) Sweet Little Lady (live) (5:57).

Won’t Last This Way gets the Living Free party started CSJ style. This track offers a nice rhythm and an excellent use of open space by Halpern and crew. The open space lets Potts’ voice breathe nicely. Here’s a sample of Won’t Last This Way to check out:

http://ift.tt/2jtw3XG

CSJ live (photo courtesy of Jeff Krespi Rocks)

Skies Above follows and here the group shows off their ability to write music. The chorus on this track is very good; in fact, I guess it has the proverbial “hook.” It’s on this tune that you start to realize that this group is more like a national act than a local one. Up next is the title track (Living Free) which features some nice work by both Marra and Safka. Living Free also features some gutsy backing vocals by local crooner Laura Catalina Johnson of Strumberry Pie. Definitely a nice touch.

“Marra’s lead guitar work is loyal to the structure of the song while also being distinctly melodic in and of itself.  You can almost feel where he is going before he gets there.”

Songbird follows and the tune is a nice change of pace. This track showpieces a different side of CSJ in terms of dynamics and progressions. I also found this song to be particularly well written. To see what I mean, check out this short clip:

http://ift.tt/2kosxly

Hanging Around is next and it shows another side of CSJ with the hint of a blues overtone. Following that is a song which was not written by the band, Be Good To Yourself, but it is a highlight, for sure. The soul on this track is riveting and uplifting. Check out this sample of Be Good To Yourself:

http://ift.tt/2koptpq

Monday Morning Mass is next and this was my sleeper pick to be frank. The tune came out of nowhere and my first thought on this track was “man, they sure don’t sound local.” This song is Potts with an edge; here, you can hear the “movement” on the voice. Additionally, Marra’s solo really works well on this track; it is refreshing when a guitarist wins us over with rhythm and melody rather than pure speed and the mastering of rapidly played (and perhaps pointless) mechanical scales. The marriage of Marra’s guitar work on this track with Potts’ vocals is the proverbial “killing it.”

I Can’t Take It is a further exploration in style for the band. Flora really shows on this track how he can hold down a rhythm section with some really nice bass work. Also worthy of mention is Halpern’s ability to punctuate accents with the band. Again, the effectiveness of the CSJ rhythm section cannot be understated; Messrs. Flora and Halpern are the musical table setters that support strong vocals and guitar and for CSJ, that’s a winning combination.  I have to admit that Let It Go, the next song on the album, is a real interesting track. Sung by guitarist Sal Marra (who is endorsed by Oriolo Guitars) the track is a nice retreat for CSJ to a different style much like when Led Zeppelin neatly snuck into Hot Dog on In Through The Out Door. Runnin’–the final studio track on the album–is sometimes the spot on an album where quality starts to fade however, that’s not the case on Living Free. Marra’s guitar work is really good on this one. In fact, Marra’s style and feel is so good that he almost could completely dispense with a lead part and the song would still work. 

The final track on the record was recorded live at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park which is arguably the unofficial launching site for icons Springsteen and Bon Jovi. Sweet Little Lady pretty much states what must be an almost obvious conclusion to most listeners; that is, that this band is great live.

CSJ at The Stone Pony

Frankly, Living Free was really a pleasure to review. I have to admit that I don’t know the members of the band but I would like to after hearing this record. These are some very talented musicians who have surrounded themselves with individual and collective styles that go round and round much like a trending carousel. The songs on this record are well written and well executed and again, although they were introduced to me as “local” band, I think they are much more than that.

This is the kind of group that I would like to see more of beyond this record. Their material is that good and if I was in management, I would not lose their number. Momma always said “go big” and Peter Gabriel even sung of the “big time.” Well, these guys did better than that. They went Colossal. Check them out peeps, you won’t be disappointed.

Ken “K Bo” Biedzynski, Editor 

      The post Colossal Street Jam’s New Release Is Indeed That….Colossal appeared first on Beato's Blog.

[beatoblog-blog]

john DiMaggio

“So, I have this friend, John Dimaggio, who is internationally known as a voice over actor. He has worked on so many projects like Futurama where he is the voice over for Bender. He has also appeared on many well known cartoons, as well as movies and video games. Anyway, John got to hear us one day and he just blurted out “you guys sound like a colossal street jam!” He was referring to our diverse musical backgrounds when he said that. Well, the name stuck and it has been with us ever since.” 

Gene Potts, Lead Singer, Colossal Street Jam

Lead singer Gene Potts (photo courtesy of Coucou Photography)

New Jersey has been known for producing some great homegrown talent (e.g., Springsteen, Bon Jovi, etc.) and with their latest release Jersey-homegrown band Colossal Street Jam continues that lineage. The band’s most recent effort is entitled Living Free and on it lead singer Gene Potts and crew show why they are one of the mainstays in a highly competitive East Coast music market.

To be clear, Colossal Street Jam is not a newbie to the Jersey rock scene. The band’s origins go back to the early 1990s. Fast forward to Living Free, Potts talked about the writing of the band’s latest album:

The earlier days of CSJ

“We began writing Living Free in May of 2015 and we then went into the studio to record it in April of the following year. We then finished the album in October of last year and it was released a month later. This is our third record after an extended hiatus.  The band started in the early 1990s and we then split up in 1994. We reunited in late 2013 and then we recently–in 2016–made some lineup changes. To say we have come a long way is an understatement but I think this journey has been all worthwhile. Hopefully, with Living Free, our fans will agree.”

Gene Potts (photo courtesy of Coucou Photography)

CSJ is comprised of a solid line-up of seasoned Jersey rock veterans. Starting with Potts, he’s simply not your average singer. His voice is distinct. It is edgy. It is also indicative of a singer with some passion….serious passion. As they say in baseball, a lot of guys can throw 90 mph but to get to the major leagues you need more; you have to have movement on your fastball. Potts’ vocals have “movement” and as such, they are major league worthy.

Sal Marra heads up the guitars for CSJ and on Living Free Marra’s style is clear…..crystal, that is. Marra is an intriguing player whose melodic feel is reminiscent of Slash as well as other master shredders. What I liked most about Marra’s playing is that it really fits the music. Coupled with Marra’s mastery of effects which are used oh so appropriately, he really commands the music and on Living Free, he just can’t be missed. The guitar work is outstanding.

Sal Marra (photo courtesy of Coucou photography)

Rounding out the group is bassist Tony Flora, keyboardist Eric Safka, and rock solid drummer Dave Halpern. 

Flora, though not flashy, works so well in tandem with Halpern that the two become one in an inseparable rhythmic mesh. Together, Flora and Halpern form the critical foundation that allows this band to groove as well as it does. This is the kind of chemistry (sans rhythm guitar) that certain groups like Van Halen–in the Michael Anthony days–could pull off. For CSJ, it’s a very effective style and it works.

Rounding out the lineup is Jersey’s own Eric Safka, a versatile, well known, and talented keyboardist. Formerly of the Matt O’Ree Band, rather than dazzle with special effects and electronic gimmickry, Safka is pure talent. Safka’s wheelhouse is the live gig and the man is not only a passionate showman but he will also take to a solo as good as anybody.

As a group, CSJ fits like an assembled puzzle. The chemistry of the talent is quite evident on Living Free but, make no mistake about it, in addition to all that, the album contains some really well written songs. (All the songs on the album were written by the band except one). Succinctly, Living Free sports these 11 tracks:

1) Won’t Last This Way (4:40)

2) Skies Above (4:21)

3) Living Free (5:21)

4) Songbird (5:00)

5) Hanging Around (5:24)

6) Be Good To Yourself (3:07)

7) Monday Morning Mass (3:28)

8) I Can’t Take It (3:35)

9) Let It Go (2:55)

10) Runnin’ (4:28), and

11) Sweet Little Lady (live) (5:57).

Won’t Last This Way gets the Living Free party started CSJ style. This track offers a nice rhythm and an excellent use of open space by Halpern and crew. The open space lets Potts’ voice breathe nicely. Here’s a sample of Won’t Last This Way to check out:

http://ift.tt/2jtw3XG

CSJ live (photo courtesy of Jeff Krespi Rocks)

Skies Above follows and here the group shows off their ability to write music. The chorus on this track is very good; in fact, I guess it has the proverbial “hook.” It’s on this tune that you start to realize that this group is more like a national act than a local one. Up next is the title track (Living Free) which features some nice work by both Marra and Safka. Living Free also features some gutsy backing vocals by local crooner Laura Catalina Johnson of Strumberry Pie. Definitely a nice touch.

“Marra’s lead guitar work is loyal to the structure of the song while also being distinctly melodic in and of itself.  You can almost feel where he is going before he gets there.”

Songbird follows and the tune is a nice change of pace. This track showpieces a different side of CSJ in terms of dynamics and progressions. I also found this song to be particularly well written. To see what I mean, check out this short clip:

http://ift.tt/2kosxly

Hanging Around is next and it shows another side of CSJ with the hint of a blues overtone. Following that is a song which was not written by the band, Be Good To Yourself, but it is a highlight, for sure. The soul on this track is riveting and uplifting. Check out this sample of Be Good To Yourself:

http://ift.tt/2koptpq

Monday Morning Mass is next and this was my sleeper pick to be frank. The tune came out of nowhere and my first thought on this track was “man, they sure don’t sound local.” This song is Potts with an edge; here, you can hear the “movement” on the voice. Additionally, Marra’s solo really works well on this track; it is refreshing when a guitarist wins us over with rhythm and melody rather than pure speed and the mastering of rapidly played (and perhaps pointless) mechanical scales. The marriage of Marra’s guitar work on this track with Potts’ vocals is the proverbial “killing it.”

I Can’t Take It is a further exploration in style for the band. Flora really shows on this track how he can hold down a rhythm section with some really nice bass work. Also worthy of mention is Halpern’s ability to punctuate accents with the band. Again, the effectiveness of the CSJ rhythm section cannot be understated; Messrs. Flora and Halpern are the musical table setters that support strong vocals and guitar and for CSJ, that’s a winning combination.  I have to admit that Let It Go, the next song on the album, is a real interesting track. Sung by guitarist Sal Marra (who is endorsed by Oriolo Guitars) the track is a nice retreat for CSJ to a different style much like when Led Zeppelin neatly snuck into Hot Dog on In Through The Out Door. Runnin’–the final studio track on the album–is sometimes the spot on an album where quality starts to fade however, that’s not the case on Living Free. Marra’s guitar work is really good on this one. In fact, Marra’s style and feel is so good that he almost could completely dispense with a lead part and the song would still work. 

The final track on the record was recorded live at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park which is arguably the unofficial launching site for icons Springsteen and Bon Jovi. Sweet Little Lady pretty much states what must be an almost obvious conclusion to most listeners; that is, that this band is great live.

CSJ at The Stone Pony

Frankly, Living Free was really a pleasure to review. I have to admit that I don’t know the members of the band but I would like to after hearing this record. These are some very talented musicians who have surrounded themselves with individual and collective styles that go round and round much like a trending carousel. The songs on this record are well written and well executed and again, although they were introduced to me as “local” band, I think they are much more than that.

This is the kind of group that I would like to see more of beyond this record. Their material is that good and if I was in management, I would not lose their number. Momma always said “go big” and Peter Gabriel even sung of the “big time.” Well, these guys did better than that. They went Colossal. Check them out peeps, you won’t be disappointed.

Ken “K Bo” Biedzynski, Editor 

      The post Colossal Street Jam’s New Release Is Indeed That….Colossal appeared first on Beato's Blog.

[trendingnewsb]

8 Times Celebrities Befriended Infamously Violent Dictators

We all know it can be hard to make friends. Your schedules never match up, one of you wants sushi and the other wants ramen and you can never agree, one of you is a horrifying dictator, you know the drill. Oh, you weren’t on board with the dictator part? Weird. These celebrities didn’t let the fact that their new best bud was a murderous tyrant ruling over an entire nation stop them from having a great time together. No friendship is perfect, after all!

Advertisement

Nicki Minaj visited Angola to hang with dictator José Eduardo dos Santo against pretty much everyone’s advice.

via: Getty Images

In 2014 Nicki Minaj was invited to perform for the communications company Unitel in Luanda, Angola. A company which unfortunately happened to be controlled by José Eduardo dos Santo, the three-decade long president/dictator of Angola. She was reportedly to be paid two million dollars for the performance.

Advertisement

At first, everyone gave Nicki the benefit of the doubt.

Oh hai, Angola. Ready for the show? 😳

A post shared by Barbie® (@nickiminaj) on Dec 19, 2015 at 12:55pm PST

Instagram

Not everyone is a social studies super star. It’s fair to assume that when Nicki accepted the invitation, she didn’t know that José Eduardo dos Santos took control of Angola’s wealth for himself and his family while the rest of his country lived on $2 a day. So the Human Rights Foundation sent her a letter and explained the whole thing to her. Apparently, she didn’t really care. Not only did Nicki go ahead with the trip, she posted about it on social media.

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Nicki even posted an Instagram photo of herself draped in the flag of Angola and another with the daughter of José Eduardo dos Santos.

Oh no big deal…she's just the 8th richest woman in the world. (At least that's what I was told by someone b4 we took this photo) Lol. Yikes!!!!! GIRL POWER!!!!! This motivates me soooooooooo much!!!! S/O to any woman on a paper chase. Get your own!!!! Success is yours for the taking!!!!! #Angola thank u to the women who brought me out here as well. ❤️

A post shared by Barbie® (@nickiminaj) on Dec 19, 2015 at 3:26pm PST

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In a cringe-worthy post she described meeting José Eduardo dos Santos’ daughter Isabel dos Santos, who she called the 8th richest woman in the world and praised for having “girl power”. But Nicki didn’t exactly acknowledge that dos Santos, while very rich, got that money from completely screwing over an entire country. She might have girl power but…it’s not the kind of power you really want to have.

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Dennis Rodman struck up a friendship with one of the world’s worst dictators and felt absolutely no shame about it.

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We all knew Dennis Rodman was kind of weird. From his crazy hair to his outrageous wardrobe, the basketball player was always known for being a bit eccentric. But things got really weird when he became BFF with none other than North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

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Dennis Rodman first visited North Korea in 2011 with Vice media to host basketball exhibitions.

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While there, he struck up a friendship with dictator Kim Jong-un, calling him a “friend for life”, a “basketball fan”, and a “great dad”. He’s also a dictator whose been known to have his own family members assassinated, but that didn’t seem to matter much to Rodman who said that he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for forging a friendship with Kim Jong-un in an attempt to bring the USA and North Korea together.

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Rodman has visited North Korea several times.

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And it doesn’t seem like he plans on stopping. He says he is helping to train basketball players there and if all of this isn’t weird enough for you, at some point, he even presented Kim Jong-un with a copy of Donald Trump’s book The Art of the Deal.

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Mariah Carey played a concert for the Gaddafi family of Libya.

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On New Years Eve of 2009, Mariah Carey performed at a party hosted by the Gaddafi family in St. Bart’s, the family that had control of Libya and was holding it under a fierce dictatorship.

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Mariah claimed she had no idea who she was performing for when she booked the gig.

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She later apologized and said she was embarrassed by the incident, but did not return or donate the one million dollars she got for performing at the event.

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To be fair, Mariah Carey wasn’t the only pop star to perform for the Gaddafi family.

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Several artists performed at the same New Years Eve party or other events for the Gaddafi family, including Jay-Z, Jon Bon Jovi, (I’m really sorry to be the one to tell you this) Beyonce, Usher, and confusingly because it was in 2009, Lindsay Lohan.

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Hilary Swank appeared at an event hosted by Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechen leader who may or may not have imprisoned and executed all the gay men in Chechnya, but probably did.

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Hilary Swank was warned before she attended the event that Kadyrov had been accused of crimes against humanity, and her manager was like, “Oh yeah, she’s definitely not going.” But then she didn’t not go. She, in fact, went.

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After the event, Hilary went on damage control and fired several of her staff who she claimed didn’t tell her the seriousness of Kadyrov’s crimes.

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She also said she would donate the money she had earned from the appearance to charity. If she really did, we’ll never know. But she hasn’t appeared at a dictator’s soiree since, at least.

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Michael Jackson befriended Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Khalifa of Bahrain, the heir to an oppressive regime.

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After being accused and then acquitted of child molestation, Michael Jackson fled from the US and took refuge in Bahrain. There he met Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Khalifa and promised that he would record an album for him in exchange for some cold, hard cash to pay off his legal fees.

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The Middle Eastern prince ended up suing the Prince of Pop when he didn’t deliver the promised album.

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The two ended up settling out of court and Jackson never recorded the new music.

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J. Lo performed at Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov’s birthday party.

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Berdymukhamedov leads one of the most oppressive and closed regimes in the world and also, was lucky enough to have a performance by J. Lo at his birthday party. J. Lo claims she knew nothing about claims that he was a murderous dictator, or that he controlled a country where satellites and internet are not allowed.

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This may actually be true.

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J. Lo seemed completely uneducated on who she had booked to perform for, even singing the dictator a sexy happy birthday song. One of her staff even tweeted that they were confused as to why nobody in Turkmenistan seemed psyched online that they were coming. Remember the whole not allowed to use the internet because of an oppressive regime thing? Yeah, that’s why.

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J. Lo made $1.5 million dollars for the performance.

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Afterwards, when it became clear she’d likely sung I’m Real for a dictator, she apologized. Hey! It could happen to anyone. It’s not known if she donated the money.

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Kanye West performed at the wedding of the grandson of Kazakhstan’s autocratic President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

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Nursultan Nazarbayev has been the president of Kazakhstan since 1990, the result of rigged elections, and has been accused of multiple crimes against humanity. West was reportedly paid $3 million dollars for the wedding performance.

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The performance was posted on Instagram.

Suddenly Kanye West

A post shared by helengadjilova (@helengadjilova) on Aug 31, 2013 at 2:18pm PDT

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And it kind of seems like…nobody is paying attention?

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In maybe the strangest celebrity-dictator relationship of all, Sting performed for Uzbekistan ruler Islam Karimov, completely aware that he was a horrific dictator.

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Sting was asked to perform for the dictator’s daughter for an arts festival. Karimov is a special kind of terrible: he regularly murders his own citizens for protesting, draining the largest lake in Uzbekistan to water his own crops, and reportedly is a fan of killing his enemies by boiling them alive. And he loves Sting!

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The weirdest part? Sting claimed him not accepting $1 million to do the performance wouldn’t even make a difference.

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According to Sting, the reason he took the job was because, even though he knew about the whole boiling people alive thing, protesting dictators doesn’t really work. I mean if you can’t beat them, join them, right? Or at least perform for their family and turn a blind eye to the human rights violations.

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Read more: http://twentytwowords.com/8-times-celebrities-befriended-violently-infamous-dictators-ia/

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