#like one of my favourite bands disbanded some weeks ago

[thyholymistress]

just discovered that someone who has really helped me and my friends deal with a lot of stuff through their job has just changed where they work at and the fact that now we won’t be able to look forward to seeing him each week and open up with him and learn stuff thanks to him is rlly killing me. like. this person is one of the few cishet men other than my close blood relatives that i feel safe around. this man is one of the most genuine and kind and humble people i have ever met and has helped so many people and the fact that we won’t be able to see him anymore and we won’t be able to have fun together as a big loving group is killing me. i’m trying to look at all the memories and ideas that me and my friends have because of me but right now i’m rlly just a snotty teary blob of flesh and bones and blood because i can only see the negatives. i know this is kinda stupid writing it on a tumblr blog to a bunch of people i have never met except for like the three people that i’ve been calling my best friends ever since i was a baby, who also knew this man. but i feel like i’d rather throw it all out into oblivion than ignore it and bottle it up and be poisoned by it for years. it seems like the healthier option out of the two, even if neither is like that good. i’m sorry to all the people who follow me and my mutuals and stuff bc i know that this is 100% not what they followed me for yet i felt like it was better for me to write this on here than on my shitpost sideblog, this is somehow more personal to me i guess, since a lot of the stuff here is related to very personal experiences even if they’re just photos. again i’m sorry sorry sorry to be such a negative person rn i’m usually positive and see the best in people and all that but i guess that sometimes i also need to scream stuff into my cushion to feel better and that cushion is this post. anyways,

i hope everyone is having a good day today. you deserve it. i know that. and tomorrow will be my good day too. tomorrow will be good for all of us.

[ridingbensolooooo]

Thanks for the tag @discordiavonsin it’s just what I needed to forget about stats for a little bit :) 

Put your music on shuffle and answer the questions about each artist.

Name of Artist:  Panic! At The Disco

What genre are they ? um honestly who actually knows at this point. 

How long have they been active ? since 2004 I believe

Have you ever heard them on the radio ? yeah high hopes still gets played every now and then around here 

Have they released any new music within the last year or two ? Yeah, Pray for the Wicked! Love that album to death, I’ve decided “Hey look ma I made it” is going to be my graduation song when I finish uni at the end of the year!! 

Do they have a male or female vocalist ? Male - Brendon Urie aka Beebop

Name of Artist: BTS

Would you recommend them ? Fuck yeah they’re my favourite band kids

What is your favourite lyric of theirs ? “The dawn right before the sun rises is darkest” I’m gonna get it tattooed when I save up enough money. I’ve wanted that as a tattoo for nearly 5 years now so I’m sure of my decision lmao just need money. 

What are their album artworks like ? Pretty but never over the top which is nice. The last few album sets have made a pattern if you buy all 4 versions and line them up which I have to saw I am a big fan of. 

If they stopped making music, would you be sad ? I would be absolutely devastated. They’re my favourite band! They said in an awards acceptance speech not too long ago that they were considering disbanding at the start of last year and I honest to god burst into tears right then and there. I’d be crushed. 

If you didn’t know what they look like, based off their music, what you guess they looked like ? I’d just have a stereotypical picture of pretty idol boys in mind. Which isn’t far off tbh but they’re so much more than that too. 

Name of Artist: Twenty One Pilots

How popular are they ? Depends on who you ask. They’ve had some very popular songs but people seem to forget about them when they’re not releasing new stuff? 

Have you ever seen them perform live ? I’ve seen them twice actually! Which is surprising, because I live in Australia and not a lot of bands make the trip here very often, so I’m very glad I’ve got to see them as many times as I have. They have an incredible energy when live, Tyler commands the space and Josh is fucking awesome on drums irl too.  

How did you find out about them ? I heard about them ages before I actually got into them, back in 2013 when my friend showed me this cover he was super obsessed with, and it was top’s cover of Can’t Help Falling in Love. 

What is their sexuality, if known ? They’re both in relationships with women so I’ll say straight but who knows really. 

Is their music easy to dance to ? Most of it is! They’ve got some really good beats in most of their songs, but also some of them are very slow and you just want to feel the music, not really dance. 

Name of Artist: GOT7

What instrument is the most prominent in their music ? Umm they’re a kpop band so computer?? Idk how pop music is made. 

Does your family listen to them ? Not at all, I’m the only one in my family who listens to kpop. They only listen when I make them lmao. 

Are they still making music today ? Yes! They’re coming to Australia to promote their new album which is fucking awesome because kpop bands barely EVER come here. Like I thought American and British artists didn’t come here often, but it seems like they’re here every 2 weeks compared to kpop artists TT.TT

Would you want to meet them ? I would love to! I’ve been learning korean but I’m not very good, but they have 3 members who speak fluent english so I’m sure we could manage a chat

How represented is this artist in your saved music / collection ? All of their albums are spread over like 4 or 5 playlists lmao 

Name of Artist: My Chemical Romance

When did you discover them ? I was very young, my mum is super into them and she used to play the black parade album all the time when I was a kid. I literally can’t remember when I heard them for the first time lmao. 

How many albums do they have ? 4 :( 

Which member of the band is closest to your ‘type’ / do you find the most attractive ? Frank Iero could punch me in the face and I’d thank him and tell him his tattoos look really nice that close. 

Have they gone through any line-up changes ? Um, fuck Bob. Enough said. 

Is their music more fun or serious ? The first 3 albums of theirs were very angsty and serious and like rock opera-y but Danger Days has very different vibes. More like, let’s make fun of how shit the world can be instead of wallowing in a pit of despair. 

Name of Artist: Fall Out Boy

Is the type of music / genre they play something you would typically enjoy or is their sound different for you ? Yeah man, I’ve never left my emo phase and I love their sound even as it continues to evolve. 

Based off of their sound, what would a human version of their music look like ? Hmm, depends which era you’re talking about. Early fob is emo Pete Wentz at his peak, but now their sound sort of reminds me of this instagram model I like, Vanja Jagnic.

Could you see yourself getting along with the members personally ? I feel like I would get along with them all very easily! I have it on good authority I’m a nice person, so hopefully that would carry through. 

Did somebody recommend this band to you ? Does my mum count? She likes fall out boy too and used to play them when I was younger as well, so I guess she recommended them to me in a way. 

Name of Artist: BLACKPINK

How many people are in this band/group ? 4 

When did they start making music ? 2016, I didn’t realise it’s been so long already! 

Do they have any well known songs, if so, which one(s) ? Umm not sure in western countries, maybe Jennie’s solo song? They’re pretty popular in Korea though. 

Do you listen to this artist regularly ? My housemate is obsessed with them so yeah I do listen quite a bit. 

How would you describe their music ? Pretty typical of kpop, they’re way more “edgy” than most girl groups though which I like. I’m not a fan of the cute/sexy/infant vibe that a lot of other girl groups have going on. 

Name of Artist:  Seventeen 

If they use a stage name, what is their real name(s) ? Wow this is really the wrong band for this. Okay so, S.Coups is Seungcheol, Jeonghan goes by Jeonghan, Joshua has a korean name but Joshua is his birth name so idk if it counts (it’s Jisoo though), Jun is Junhwi, Hoshi is Soonyoung, Wonwoo is Wonwoo so that’s easy, Woozi is Jihoon, DK is Seokmin, Mingyu is just Mingyu, The8 is Minghao, Seungkwan is Seungkwan although people do call him MC Boo (not sure that counts as a stage name), Vernon also has a korean name but Vernon is his birth name (Hansol is the korean name though) and Dino is Chan. Phew.

Do they regularly make pop charts ? They do in korea! They’re mid range popular, but they’re steadily getting more popular each year. 

Have you ever met them ? No, I wish lmao.

If they toured in your city, would you go see them ? I would! They did come to Australia, but I’m broke and couldn’t afford to go all the way to Melbourne to see them. 

Name of Artist: Red Velvet

Are they known for anything else besides music? Not really sure, maybe being from one of the big 3 companies in Korea? 

What is their nationality ? Korean! 

Are they a guilty pleasure ? A bit yeah lmao, I don’t listen to all of their stuff because a lot of it is not my taste at all, but the songs of theirs I do listen to fall into the category of annoyingly catchy. 

Which age group is this artist most popular with? My age and a bit younger I would say.

Has this artist ever toured in your country/state/city? Nah, SM artists don’t come here. 

Name of Artist: Falling in Reverse

Do you think it’s necessary or important to know about their personal life to ‘understand’ their music ? I feel like some of their songs are directly related to things that have happened in Ronnie’s life, so yeah to a certain extent, but a lot of the time you can get it from the vibe of the song. 

Have they ever gone on hiatus and did they return ? I’m not sure actually, I don’t follow them that closely. 

What instruments do they use ? Guitar, drums, bass, vocals, synth/keys.

What city are they from ? Las Vegas

What are your experiences with fans of this artist? I don’t really know anyone who has them as their favourite band so I’m not really sure what die hard fans are like, but everyone I know who is a causal fan seems super chill. 

I don’t really have that many people to tag lmao so I’ll just tag people in my activity recently @samanddean-winchesthair @unfade @blue-roses-and-red-rubbies @classylaughs have fun if y’all decide to do this! 

[benthemusicalbeard]

19 Jun 2019

Evening all. It has been a few weeks since I posted last due to holiday / laziness / other but I am now, as Take That sing, back for good so please sit back and enjoy the latest blog post. Same principle, three more songs to get your teeth into and if you like what you hear then take some time to explore more of each artists’ music!

First up today and a band that I enjoyed greatly during the early 2000′s, The Music. Formed in Leeds in 1999 they enjoyed reasonable success with their three albums that were released before disbanding in order for each band member to explore other musical ventures. I was reminded of one of their songs on a ‘2000 Indie’ playlist I asked my darling Alexa to play for me as I was at home a week or so ago and as soon as this song started my ears pricked up, eyebrows raised and the pathetic exclamatory remark ‘TUUUUUUNE’ was uttered to my very non-plussed cat. Taken from their self titled debut album from 2002, the song I’m sharing was one of the groups four top 20 singles released and I think came to my attention as one of those songs which appeared on the sort of indie/alternative compilation CD’s I used to get purchased for me religiously by people who didn’t really know what to buy me for birthday’s or Christmases. There was normally some absolute dross on there which would’ve struggled to break the top 100 in the charts and would never been seen again but then you’d get some very decent material from bands such as The Music. Other songs to try of theirs are ‘Take The Long Road And Walk It’ and ‘The People’ from their debut album and also ‘Freedom Fighters’ from their 2004 follow up ‘Welcome To The North’. Sadly not around anymore but on their day they came up with some great indie tracks.

The Music - The Truth Is No Words - https://youtu.be/ywsHRKd5YZ8

Secondly today and something a bit left field for you in the form of John Cooper Clarke. I was visiting my Dad a few weeks back and we were talking music, more specifically the albums he owns on vinyl which he has been collecting since his University days. Cooper Clarke came up in conversation and I immediately had the image of a pair of glasses combined with a comedy nose and moustache on a sky blue background with light fluffy clouds, this being the album cover to Cooper Clarke’s 1978 album ‘Disguise In Love’. Up to that point I must admit I had never listened to any of his musical work but have been a fan of his written word every time I have seen him perform. Cooper Clarke became famous in the punk era of the late 1970′s and went onto release a number of albums comprising of Cooper Clarke reading his poetry, often with some form of musical accompaniment. Having arrived back from my visiting my Dad I decided to give Cooper Clarke a listen and some of his work is very honest, some of it is slightly bizarre and some his work, namely the song ‘Twat’ is very amusing indeed! The song that caught my attention was a song which was covered by Arctic Monkeys from their album ‘AM’, ‘I Wanna Be Yours’. I would class the musical works of Cooper Clarke as an acquired taste but you cannot deny the words & vocabulary used don’t stick in your mind and they will have you raising a smile or three. My personal favourite of Cooper Clarke’s work is his attempt at a haiku, which is a 17 syllable verse. ‘To convey one’s mood in seventeen syllables is very diffic.....’

John Cooper Clarke - I Wanna Be Yours - https://youtu.be/0lupMcHWcKw

Finally tonight and the very talented singer songwriter from Rathcoole, County Dublin by the name of Dermot Kennedy. I have friends who know about this sort of thing who half introduced me to his music during a visit to see them one evening but I was too busy filling my face with great home made curry and equally lovely German beer. Dermot Kennedy has released a number of singles as well as a couple of superb EP’s, the best of which are contained in his debut album which was released earlier this year. He has been performing for around ten years and made his name through word of mouth after being a relentless busker of his music around Dublin. Having won a talent show in Ireland, which was a big springboard to greater popularity, he started releasing music and self-published his material via Spotify and from there his reputation grew and grew. His style differs between the acoustic empathy of a Ben Howard track, think ‘Keep Your Head Up’, right through to the hip-hop feel that Ed Sheeran brings to some of his music, something along the lines of ‘Drunk’. His most popular song according to Spotify is ‘Power Over Me’ which is a great place to start if listening to his music for the first time. I have also liked ‘Young & Free’ and ‘Boston’, the latter being a song which is a tribute to his time busking over in the USA. The song I’m sharing is a new track which was released last week and will hopefully be included on his upcoming second album to be released later this year. I had him on constant loop at work yesterday and it made me realise one thing, I should really pay a lot more attention to all musical suggestions my friends make............DAMN YOU home made curry!

Dermot Kennedy - Outnumbered - https://youtu.be/sZCKAAAHHrU

There we go. Good to be back to posting songs again and plenty of great music to come in a fortnight’s time. Be good, see you in two weeks!

[atlasifyllm]

Because yes

1. Your first OC ever?

I would say Queen Mana, my self insert alicorn pony princess, but in all honesty I'd say my Littlest Pet Shop toys from 3rd grade that I gave each a persona or my mouse character "Licky" and his sister "Lucky". Yeah Licky had quite the unfortunate name. As for my LPS toys, I'm not sure which was my FIRST among all of them, but I do know the first ones were Trevor and Erica! They were a happy married couple~

2. Do you have a personal favourite among your OCs?

Ooh, I gotta say I have one for each story. Though among all of them? I HAVE to go with Cobalt Zaffre from DOTS: DD. Honestly my fave out of the DOTS peeps, I love his design (thanks Raven), her persona, his character arc, god I love this dickhead

3. Have you ever adopted a character or gotten a character from someone else?

Honesty no? I did base Rose off of a friend's OC, but that was years ago and she's more original now.

4. A character you rarely talk about?

I gotta say Agent Silver and Agent Neon from MAR, mostly since I've been pretty dry with MAR ideas and have near no hope to revamping them both from their 5th grade counterparts. That and the protag of D.exe, since I'm revamping them too. Pretty much any character I've planned on revamping but haven't really gotten to yet...

5. If you could make only one of your OCs popular/known, who would it be?

COBALT ZAFFRE. I honestly feel like he's worth the fame, though I'm probably biased-

6. Two OCs of yours that look alike despite not being related?

Yang and Tig! When designing one of them into DOTS, I created Yang with Tig's original palette concepts of 2016 with no intentions of bringing Tig into the story yet. Though that changed, and I brought Tig into DOTS: DD and got too attatched to their palettes to change them. I have thought of changing Yang's design, but I got too attached so Tig and Yang just so happen to share the same hair and skin tone.

7. Are your OCs part of any story or stories?

The real question is who ISN'T apart of any story? I get too attached to OCs easily so I'd either need to make a story or put them into a story! I did have a void character for a week named Benvolio, though I found him a place in "Dragon Destiny"

8. Do you RP as any of your OCs? If you do, introduce one of your RP OCs here!

I've never actually roleplayed before! I have thought of opening an askblog for Turquoise Sky from DOTS: DD, though I've lost most motivation for continuing it

9. Would you ever be willing to give any of your OCs to someone else?

I'm too attached to my babies!

But in all honesty my brain makes so many character concepts that I could legit probably sell them at this point for the characters I REALLY don't need.

10. Introduce an OC with a complicated design?

I don't have a picture of her on-hand, but the first that comes to mind is Nio from Chrisis! Mostly due to her rainbow sleeves and cards...

A close second is Iris from the DOTSverse, though it's honestly just due to her hair being a gradient AND layer mode at the same time.

I'm sure there's more though, I can never keeo track of them all!

11. Is there any OC of yours you could describe as a “cinnamon roll”?

Rose Morganite from DOTS: DD and Nimbus Fulmen from AuAg! Both are sorta naive kids who don't know what's going in too well...

My other kid OC is basically Ed Elric except with Queen Moon's look-

12. Name an OC that isn’t yours but who you like a lot

fuck it i'm calling them out @ravenwolfie97

I REALLY LIKE SKYLAR BINCH

13. Do you have any troublemaker OCs?

Tig is sorta on the border between troublemaker and full-blown villain. Though my new OC Roman Rho from Dragon Destiny seems to fit that description? Others include Kaiser and Shadow from Last Light, Aquamarine from SOTGC, the entire cast of Sky Games, Viobalt and Charoite from Chrisis, Ater from the DOTSverse (somewhat), Ala Blaster from DOTS: SF, Reed from ROP, Akumu from D.exe, Mika from ZP, and... yeah I hope that's all of them

14. Introduce an OC with a tragic backstory

Cobalt Zaffre from DOTS has a pretty angsty backstory so far, though I can't spoil that right now. Iris actually has a sad story too, but I can't spoil that either. Have some runner ups!

- Bluebot (Beyond Repair) Bluebot is the only android that is utterly seen as useless by Eris, the main AI

- Storm Gray (Dragon Destiny) Storm was treated more as an experiment than child by the scientist who made him, having him be bullied by his scientist's son, Roman

- Ventus Fulmen (AuAg) while he isn't a full blown "angst son", Ventus got into prison thinking his girlfriend was shot dead by soldiers

- Viobalt (Chrisis) Viobalt is trying to strive beyond the void since his own universe was erased from existence by the creator

- Pretty much all the Darksiders in Last Light. Each Darksider succumbed to a dark, deep form of Despair, which caused them to turn into monsterous beings seeking revenge, acceptance, pain, or freedom

- The Squire (A Story Told) The Squire lost his kingdom to an evil king, and wants to try and get it back

Those are the ones from the top of my head!

15. Do you like to talk about your OCs with other people?

Oh honey I could talk about my OCs all year

16. Which one of your OCs would be the best at biology (school subject)?

I'm gonna say the scientists in Dragon Destiny, since out of the two other brands of scientists in my story (D.exe and BR), the DraDes scientists had to deal with organic matter way more in order to create the dragons. Vincent from D.exe is a close second, though he's more of a specifically neuroscientist than biologist

17. Any OC OTPs?

- Storm x Orlene in DraDes

- Cobalt x Ruri in DOTS: DD (and by extension, DOTS: SF)

- Ruby x Blaze in DOTS: DD

- Yin x Tigerlily in DOTS: DD

- Yang x Vio in DOTS: DD

- Ventus x Vepris in AuAg

- Momo x Ringo in PSG!

- Alpha x Zetto in DOTS: 5x5

- Iris x Alba in DOTS: 5x5

18. Any OC crackships?

- Cobalt x Yang in DOTS: DD. The two palabros honestly are hilarious together as a hugely dumb couple

- Reed from ROP x Zetto from DOTS: 5x5. This is a REALLY odd one, but one time I had a dream that created a new OC that looked like a fusion between the two with a dark blue color scheme. So of course I joked about them having a son, though it's extra funny when Zetto is just a humanoid snorlax made of pure light and eats flowers, and Reed is an energetic anime prince protag boy who's... well, not made of light. And of course, some crossover ships are absolutely hilarious

But my favorite:

- Turquoise x Cobalt in DOTS: DD. Gotta get that good ol fashion Oncest 👍

19. Introduce an OC that means a lot to you (and explain why)

All the Chrises tbh, but especially Cobalt in particular. Cobalt (and by extension, the other Chrises) is based off of the guy who inspired me to continue making stories and OCs, and I can never thank him enough for helping me find that spark that gave me a purpose. Cobalt's everything to me, a coping character and a tribute to the man who inspired me to be this creative. I created the other Chrises because I want the creativity that the guy gave me to be a symbol of all my stories, and a tribute to the man himself. Cobalt as I've developed him has represented all the things that remind me of the guy, so he's the closest to him but also with my own twists I adore so I can't help but love him so much! Cobalt, out of all the Chrises, represents the man who's inspired me to be a creator to this extent the most, so he means so much to me. The other Chrises are a VERY close second, since they represent him in various ways too that is both a tribute to him and a symbol of me, though Cobalt represents him the most.

20. Do any of your OCs sing? If they sing, care to share more details (headcanon voice, what kind of songs they like etc)?

HA! EASY! The Zero Percent crew 100% (pun intended)

Robin I can see sounding probably like a mix of the singer from Set It Off (Sorry I don't know his name!), Natewantstobattle, and I think Billie Joe Armstrong/Gerard Way?? There's so many good voices crie-

He likes rock music tho! He's in a band so that's a given but... yeah.

Elliot is a newer OC from the same story, but not from Robin's band! He's a lone singer cause I wanted a singer OC who sounded like Adam Lambert-

Outside ZP, I had the headcanon that Yang from DOTS: DD had an embarassing rap phase in high school. Ash Embers from the same story was also in a band, though it disbanded as soon as it was made ;n; I'm not sure if she was the vocalist though? Def rockstar, though. Cobalt I can see having a good singing voice since I've really liked Chris Niosi's singing (sing more Chris ;o;), and Ruri too since her voice claim is Rose Quartz from SU! Not sure on their genres, though... Other punk rockers include Ruby, I have been thinking her voice claim changing to Hayley Williams? Not sure, though...

Lastly, The Bard in A Story Told. She plays medieval music, though it's not particularly good since she'e pretty much a drunken bard who gets around by riding her horse backwards.

Anyway that's 20 questions, hope you 5 peeps enjoyed it, ehehe-

[centaine]

so I was tagged by @mookie-jam (thankss :) )  and others the past week but i clearly suck at keeping track of these things so, imma answer the last ones. Don’t hate me, i’m lazy like that but I thank you all for taggin’ me :*.

you have to answer eleven questions and then make another eleven questions by yourself and tag some people. So here we go: 

1 . What is your Hogwarts house?

I must be the only person on Earth who doesn’t have a clue about the Happy Potter world so, idek :P

2. A storm or a heat wave?

Heat waaaaave. Make me sweat but not shiver i’m so sick of this cold omg

3. Pants or skirts?

Pantsssss. I don’t think I have worn a skirt in 2 year, i swear.

4. If there’s such a thing as heaven, which dead person would you like to spend a night with?

Jeff Buckley... talking, watching him jam, and talking, For spending the night biblically.... jeez, that’s kinda creepy. Idek young Jim Morrison? 

5. Is there a skill you always wanted to master?

Writing, like being able to put on paper the stories I make up in my head, which sound cool and awesome only in my head atm, sadly.

6. You can watch 3 bands/artists in one concert, what’s your line up?

Pearl Jam/Bruce Springsteen/The Gaslight Anthem  *boom*

7. One band/artist you want to see before you die?

The ones in my must-see list are dead or disbanded, so...  4 yrs ago it was The Rolling Stones but we took care of that, now I have tickets for Pear Jam and Foo Fighters, which I was dying to see. I guess the answer is seeing The Boss at least one more time, yeah. Get your ass in gear for next summer, Bruce!

8. Describe your favorite piece of clothing.

Summer tank tops in general and this in particular http://media.desigual.com/i/desigual/17WWBWA6_5000_G 

9. Chocolate or candy?

Chocolate allll the way

10. Do you believe in a crazy little thing called love?

I do believe I love the song, yeah :P :P :P

11. What’s the best song of all time?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYHGh6lmSbo

My 11 questions (which are going to be lame since i’m so creative right now..) :

1. If you are offered a one way ticket to anywhere you want, where would it be?

2. Favourite book of all time?

3. Favourite non-American movie?

4. One artist/band you would have loved to see and haven’t and now it’s too late :( ?

5. Fav kind of boots?

6. Your favourite place you visited?

7. A food you can’t live without?

8. Best concert you’ve been to?

9. Last movie you’ve seen in the theater?

10. Last time you cried for a movie?

11. Last time you laughed so much it hurt?

i tag @deaddollsdontcry @saralacherry @snips-skyguy-squad @afterthe-ordeal @rearviewmirror10 @spreadloveaskew @pocket-elf @babeimgonnaleaveu     if you want to/haven’t done it yet ... :)

[thestudyfeels]

i was tagged @getshitdonetbh, thank you aly!!

rules: answer the following questions and tag ten bloggers (not ten is ok too hah) you’d like to get to know better!

1. nickname: tay

2. gender: witch 3. star sign: leo 4. height: i’m of medium (??) height, i think 158 cm?? 5. time: 18:44 6. birthday: 22nd of july 7. favourite bands: uM ONE DIRECTION OFC and NO i dont care if they are disbanded ok (is this even a question) 8. favourite solo artists: ok im rly biased but harry, louis, niall, liam and zayn obvio?? also taylor ofc and halsey is my queen and i’m gay for her ( but i lov my boys sm and im such a proud mother u dont understand) 9. song stuck in my head: Taylor Swift - Gorgeous

10. favourite song right now: i’m 100% obsessed with the whole of dua lipa’s album “dua lipa” ahhHH 11. last movie i watched: oOOO i actually watched grudge (the original one) with my friends like a week ago and it was lit (and i wasn't able to sleep at night lmao rip) 12. last show i watched: foursome!! i’m obsessed with it and i def rec!! 13. when did i create my blog: 28th july 2016 :”) 14. what do i post: masterposts about getting ur shit together in an academic way but more importantly in a “life” way (u know what i mean?) and also botm awards and like a whole bunch of things im about to introduce to my blog (pls get excited lmao) 15. last thing i googled: dont remember but i opened up my mail tho 16. do i have any other blogs: well i do have a art blog, but i dont post on it and i’m about to delete it lol 17. do i get asks: well i haven't gotten some in a while (i wANT ATTENTION PEOPLE) 18. why i chose my url: bc it’s cool and im cool so ye (ok weird) 19. following: 364 20. followers: 3111 (oOO MAGIC NUMBER) 21. average hours of sleep: i actually sleep a lot so lmao dont ask 22. lucky number: don’t have one, but fave no is 13 23. instruments: piano aLL THE WAY BRO (ok drums are cool too or even guitar, i guess) 24. what am i wearing: like a rly loose t shirt and pants (this is all i wear, no kidding) 25. dream job: i’m not sure what as of yet, but i want to influence people and make them happy and become successful bc i’m a champ :^) 26. dream trip: the Netherlands and like a bunch of other landmarks too 27. favourite food: fOOD *sticks out tongue*

tagging everyone who wants to do it + @athenastudying, @artemistudying, @nerdyign, @celinelinesse and @studyrose <3

[b19sleep75]

so @theghostofmatty tagged me to do this so i thought “why the heck not” let’s goooooooo

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rules: answer these questions, and tag 20 blogs!

name/nickname: Jo bc i don’t like going by my full name here on tumblr (lesson learned on that one :/ ) zodiac sign: not really into astrology so i have no idea hogwarts house: ravenclaw all the way, but i could easily be in hufflepuff as well   height: 5’7  sexual orientation: straight and boring oops ethnicity: i’m Hispanic/Latina ayyyyyyyeeeee    favourite fruit: raspberries are the bomb (fun fact, apparently raspberries aren’t even botanically considered berries but bananas are???? like what???) favourite season: fall but like the fall that you see in like pennsylvania or ohio not like the fall that occurs in the southern states in the US  favourite book series: this is like asking me to choose my favorite child but i’m gonna have to go with harry potter bc childhood favourite fictional character: again with the favorite child thing but i think hermione granger since she’s sooo amazing favourite flower: daisies and roses  favourite scents: freshly washed laundry and clean cotton, food smells, pine and smells that only happen around christmas favourite colour: blue and maroon favourite animal: dogs, they’re the purest creatures on this earth   favourite artist/band: okay so my music taste is basically everywhere and i switch favorites like every month or so for some reason, but the 1975 are my current favorites and they have been for like the past 3 months which is new to me bc the only other band who has been my favorite this long was a boy band that disbanded recently  coffee, tea or hot chocolate? tea mate  average # of hours of sleep: 3 hours onbad days, 8 hours on the days where i finally have life somewhat figured out number of blankets: two usually, 3 if i’m feeling extremely cold  dream trip: going to europe would be amazing, especially italy or spain last thing i googled: "millenial pink” because that was for the edit i posted earlier today blog created: literally two weeks ago not even funny how many blogs do i follow: 42 but that number is growing every day  number of followers: 13 and i love every single one of you!!

what i usually post about: the 1975 and my trash edits of the 1975

do i get asks regularly: nope so if anyone out there wants to be the first ask then please go right ahead i would love to talk to y’all (can ya tell how southern i am gosh) (but not bad southern i’m a chill type of southerner) 

i’m tagging: @healymatty @typical-healy @iliwys-fyasb-ysuoi @mattyhealygifs @thematthew1975healy @mattybabe @sleepymatty1975 @sxfaritsalright @benditlikebedford @drivelikeudo @theballadofmxandmybrain @itsthe1975band @hurt1ngu @matyheallys @mattysleep @soundslikethe1975 @startedlosinglight @iloveadamhann @lostmatty @mattyhewhealy

wow, this was super fun to do and thanks for the tag @theghostofmatty!

[yer-a-nerd-harry]

John, I’m sorry.

hello, beings that still exist on Tumblr. I wrote a story a couple years ago and actually I’m kind of fond of it and would like to continue but I kinda want some feedback so here it is! Please tell me stuff... Also yes I know some of it is crap but I’m still working on it.

I am Sherlocked Blog Post # 156 11:37 P.M

It was a dark and stormy night. The rain pelted down on the windows of 221B Baker Street, where a sleeping Sherlock Holmes lay nestled on his tattered couch illuminated only by the light of a slowly dimming candle on the mantelpiece. It had been a long week. First the kidnapping of London’s premiere clothing designer, Elisabetta Valentine, just hours before the opening night of her new line at Burberry. Next the robberies at the Natural History Museum, where hundreds of priceless specimens had vanished overnight. And of course, Sherlock’s greatest foe James Moriarty was still terrorizing London and the boys at 221B Baker Street.

This time he had taken to picking off the members of the Baker Street Irregulars one at a time. To the general public this may have seemed like a service, but to John and Sherlock, it was a monumental problem. The BSI were their eyes and ears on the ground. They knew London better than the back of their hand, because who actually knows the back of their hand anyway? If Sherlock needed information on anyone or anything, from the Queen of England to The Tower of London, he could count on the Irregulars to get it for him in less than 24 hours in exchange for a warm meal or a new pair of socks. But now that Moriarty was on the hunt and taking out Sherlock’s favorite group of misfits like flies, the remaining members had disbanded and sworn off contact with Sherlock.Although he promised he could keep them safe with the help of Scotland Yard and his trusty “sniffer dog” Detective Lestrade, the Irregulars couldn’t help but think of all the times where Sherlock had been unable to keep his word. The bombings, the thefts, the murders, all things Holmes had promised to put an end to but couldn’t. He was just one man after all, and they could find their warm meals and new socks somewhere else.

So after an almost incredible week of attempting to solve all these crimes by himself, without the aid of John due to the influx of maimed and murdered Irregulars at Saint Bart’s, Holmes was exhausted and had fallen asleep at the ripe hour of 4 A.M. He wasn’t keen on the idea of sleeping either and had reminded John of that many times. In fact, earlier that night they had fought about it.

“Let’s go to bed Sherlock,” John whined from his spot on the couch while Sherlock paced the length of 221B, stopping in the kitchen and jamming his head in a cupboard.

“These crimes aren’t going to solve themselves John and the ordinary bumpkins Lestrade calls detectives aren’t going to do it either. Besides, sleep is for those who are disinterested in being awake and have nothing better to do.And I have something better to do John; there’s always something better to do. My mind palace isn’t going to fill itself you know,” Sherlock retorted his voice muffled and echoed from his spot inside the tea cupboard.

“If you think for one minute I’m going to let Moriarty get the upper hand then--”

“SHUT UP.”, John shouted, exasperated.

Sherlock jumped, his head smacking the top shelf, knocking several teacups onto the tiled floor with a great shattering noise.

“What was that for,” Sherlock growled through gritted teeth, pulling his head out of the cupboard to face John. His hand was gripping the back of his neck and his face the colour of Molly's lipstick last Christmas.

John rose from his chair and swiftly walked towards the window overlooking Baker Street. It was a quiet night, and only a few cabbies dared to drive through the rain-filled potholes down below. He turned to face Sherlock, their faces matching in colour. He opened his mouth and a voice deep and thick as the night came out.

“I AM SO SICK OF YOU TRYING TO TELL ME WHAT I DO, AND DO NOT KNOW. I AM SICK OF YOU TRYING TO ACT LIKE YOU’RE BETTER THAN ME AND THAT I DON’T KNOW YOU. OH, I’M THE GREAT SHERLOCK HOLMES AND NO ONE WILL EVER UNDERSTAND ME,” John mocked, pulling an incredibly accurate face and continuing on his tirade, “FOR GOD SAKE SHERLOCK I KNOW YOU BETTER THAN ANYONE.”

Sherlock’s eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. He had never seen John, his sweet and caring doctor act like this before. It was shocking, and if he was honest a little attractive.

“John--” Sherlock began.

“No, Sherlock, I don’t want to hear it. Not tonight. Tonight was supposed to be special.”

Sherlock looked around the room, taking it in for the first time this evening. The candles lit on the mantelpiece had long since burnt out leaving little pools of wax in their wake, the meal John had prepared had gone cold, the roses he had given Sherlock when he came in, left on the table to wilt.

“ I’m such an idiot,” mumbled Sherlock under his breath.

“You think,” retorted John, already halfway to the door, buttoning his jacket.

“Wait,” Sherlock whimpered, tears welling up in his great blue puppy-dog eyes.

“Happy Anniversary,” John said with a quiver in his voice Sherlock had never heard before.

The door slammed, and John was gone. Sherlock got to the window just in time to see John jump into a cab and sputter off away from 221B and away from him. Sherlock waited as long as he could for John to return, fiddling with a small velvet box in his pocket. He had found it under the cupboard after John left when he was cleaning the broken china, he knew he put it in there somewhere. It must’ve fallen out when he hit his head. He was so preoccupied with finding that little box, and it’s precious contents that he hadn’t paid any attention to John all evening, not to the candles, or the flowers, or the beautiful meal that was now packed away in the fridge. Just before he fell asleep on the couch waiting, Sherlock stole one last look inside the box, at the gleaming golden band inside engraved with the words “The Game is Afoot” and, although a proclaimed atheist, he prayed that his doctor would come back to him.

God, I think to myself, is this really what I want to write? I mean I love the story and the characters, don’t get me wrong. But what if people don’t like it? What if they think it’s boring, stupid, or cliche? What if my fans think I could do better, or write more thoughtful and exciting pieces? I mean puppy-dog eyes? Come on. I put my laptop at the foot of my bed and jump in. I look out my window at the vast expanse of the Vancouver skyline. Rain beats down on the windows of my apartment making it impossible to make out the buildings. The Sinclair Centre is my favourite. It’s old and historic and gives me such incredible wanderlust. Every night I look at it and dream of visiting London, seeing where Arthur Conan Doyle got his inspiration for my favourite boys, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Alas, that won’t be happening anytime soon. I’m broke, and Sherlock Holmes isn't even real. He's just a fictional detective and it's all just a story, and a heterosexual story at that. Even though they’re clearly meant to, John and Sherlock will never be, thanks for that one Steven! But I can at least provide the fandom with the first chapter of my next story.

I clamber out of bed and make my way to the kitchen, it’s late, and everyone is asleep. I turn on the tap and fill the kettle, placing it gingerly on the stove. Digging through the cupboards I find my favourite mug, it’s big and heavy and has a worn out Union Jack on it because of course, it does. Every time I’m about to post a new story or chapter I make a cup of tea first, it’s warm and comforting, and it makes me feel like everything is going to be okay. Tonight’s tea of choice is Earl Grey, quintessentially British and my favourite. The kettle begins to squeal just as I drop the tea bag in my cup. In goes the water, two sugars, and a splash of milk. I head back to bed scared of what awaits me. My laptop sits open where I left it, the upload page, mouse hovering over the submit button. Well, here goes nothing. Tea in hand I’m about to click submit just as my twenty pound tabby jumps into my lap, spilling tea all over the keyboard.

Fuck Stamford, I snarl, swatting away the fat cat and rushing to save my computer. I make a note to myself to put him on a diet and grab a towel from the laundry bag in the corner of my room, making haste cleaning up the growing puddle on my bed. Just as I’m about to clean my computer, I realize it’s still plugged in. Well, that would have been a disaster, I think to myself leaning over my bed to unplug it. The moment my wet hands make contact with the outlet, everything goes black. I feel a searing pain rushing from the tips of my fingers to my temples, but I can’t seem to open my eyes enough to focus on it. I fall back into bed thoughts whirring through my head. Am I dying? No, you overdramatic idiot, it was just a little shock! Why do I feel so bad, why can’t I see anything clearly? Is my computer okay? Did my story save? Who cares right now? Just try to focus on something. I try to open my eyes but can only see the faint outline of the city and a helicopter flying by in the distance before I pass out.

My dreams are weird. Must be from the shock. First I’m flying in the TARDIS with Jon Snow from Game of Thrones, then I’m a sheepherder in Ireland, then I am the sheep, then I’m Neil Armstrong, taking one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind. Then I feel a distinct wetness, must be Stamford licking my face. He does that when I don’t feed him on time. I try to push him away, but the moistness persists. It starts to feel more like a dripping than the sandpapery scratchiness of Stamford’s tongue on my cheek. I reach out to try and find him, but my hand falls through the air and onto something hard and cold. I pick up a handful of whatever lies beneath me, struggling to focus on the smooth, wet multicoloured ovals I find when I open my eyes. What the hell? I must be having another dream.

This time I’m laying on the shores of what looks to be the River Thames. I can see the Tower Bridge in the distance, all sparkly under the glow of the moonlight. I’ve had this dream before but never this vivid. It’s pouring, and something is digging into my back. A stick and it fucking hurts. Funny, I’ve never felt pain this acutely in a dream before. I try to stand up but feel woozy and sick. My foot catches on a lump of material plopped in front of me, and I face plant into the stones and knock myself out. I have an irrational fear of falling, from high places, low places, even just tripping on my shoelace so a fall like this in a dream should wake me.

But when I feel myself being shaken awake and the glow of the morning sun hitting my back, I turn to find not the gentle face of my mother but a man I’ve never seen before. He’s about six feet tall from what I can see from my spot on the ground. He’s wearing a dirty plaid shirt underneath a puffy hunting jacket. His blue jeans are ripped and muddied and almost as greasy as his hair and scruffy beard.

“Get up lass,” he says in a gruff and scraggly voice.

“We’ve got to keep moving if we want to stay out of the gutter.”

I must still be dreaming. I shake my head and pinch my cheeks but I’m still in London, and this smelly old man has still got a vice grip on my arm. I try to pull away, but he keeps insisting we move as quickly as possible. He’s dragging me now, but I’m not about to get abducted by some crazy old man with as many teeth as I have fingers.

“LET GO,” I shout, my breath emerging as a cloud in the crisp London air.

“Suit yourself then. S’not my problem if you’re the next to go.”

He turns away from me and jogs off down the path past a group of American tourists taking selfies with the Tower Bridge in the background. I’ve got to wake myself up. I look around, ahead of me are tourists crowding a paved walking path, taking photos of the river and sipping their morning coffees. To my left is a park filled with birds and old couples holding hands. To my right, about twenty feet away is the river. No wonder my back hurts, I think, as I look down at the multicoloured pebbles that line the riverbank.

I get up, still dizzy and make my way towards the water. It’ll be cold this time of year, but it should be enough to wake me up. I take my shoes and socks off, leaving them by the water’s edge and slowly wade into the water. I’m up to my knees, and it’s freezing, but I have to do it.<

“3, 2, 1,” I say to myself and dunk my head in. I struggle to breathe under the weight of the freezing water, but I force myself to stay under just a few seconds longer. Suddenly, I feel a hand grabbing the back of my collar, pulling my head up with a jerk. It's the old man and this time he’s not letting go.

“Come on girly, Moriarty’s men are close by, and they're not letting any of us kind get out alive.”

I can feel his breath on the back of my neck, it's hot and moist and smells like black coffee and day old bread. I rise out of the water, and for the first time since I “woke up” here I take stock of myself. I’m not wearing the pyjamas I went to sleep in but rather an ensemble quite like the old man, ragged black track pants and a baubled red sweater that has certainly seen much better days. The man is pulling me away from the water now and into the park. I look back towards my shoes, sitting on the rocks, just as two burly looking men with military haircuts and cell phones to their ears scoff and kick them into the icy abyss.

We finally stop, after running for what seems to have been miles, but in reality, it was probably only a dozen blocks or so. The sun is still high in the sky, but it has become shrouded in clouds, a sure sign of rain. A crack of thunder bursts through the air, and the downpour begins. Brightly coloured umbrellas start popping up all over the street as families and groups of students on term break rush into various teahouses and souvenir shops that dot the street. The old man and I take refuge under the awning of “Sir Lumiere’s Fine Chocolates and French Pastries”. A hand painted wooden sign dangles underneath, swaying in the wind. It reads “Try the Grey Stuff; It’s Delicious”. I chuckle to myself; I can’t resist a good Disney reference.

“Us Irregulars got to take care of each other,” the old man says after some time of heaving and panting. And that’s when it dawns on me. I'm not in a dream at all. The pinching, the falling, the ice cold water, it all should’ve woken me up. And once this old man, who’s now introducing himself as Wiggins, mentioned the Irregulars, it all comes together.

I’m in my story, and I’m being hunted by the greatest criminal mastermind of all time, James Moriarty. It must’ve happened when I shocked myself after Stamford knocked my tea onto my laptop. I turn to face Wiggins, but he has already gone. There’s only one person that can help me now, and I know exactly where to find him. After hours of struggling to understand the tube and London’s bizarre transport system. I finally arrive. The rain has let off, and the sun is setting, bathing the old brick building in a beautiful pink and orange glow. I walk up the crooked wooden steps to the black iron door. Taking the golden lions head knocker in hand, I knock three times and hope for the best. It seems as though hours have passed before the door creaks open. I can hear the TV in the background playing reruns of Bakeoff as I peer in and am eye to eye with an older woman wearing a knitted sweater and loafers.

“I’m sorry deary, but he’s not seeing any clients right now. You’ll have to find help elsewhere.”, she says and begins to close the door.

I’m dumbfounded, that’s not the detective I’ve come to know and love. I've come all this bloody way and I'm not about to be denied just because a certain moody someone is going through relationship troubles that I may or may not have caused.

“But I need him; he’s the ONLY person who can help me.”

“Like I said, dear, he’s not taking any clients, and he’s in a bloody state right now, so it’s best you go before we wake him.”

“Now shoo,” she says with a whoosh of her hands, waving me down the stairs. “You’re making a right mess of my porch.”

Just as she’s about to close the door, I shout the only thing I can think of as a last-ditch effort to save my skin and fix this mess.

“Sherlock Holmes, I know you're up there and I know about John,” I holler towards the second story window.

The woman rolls her eyes, muttering something about nutters and increasing the rent, and from the crack in the door, I can see a light flick on at the top of the stairs. A silhouette appears, tall and thin and from it, a voice emerges, smooth and thick and just as beautiful as I imagined, god he is beautiful.

“Get in,” he hisses. I step over the threshold of 221B Baker Street about to meet my dearest, darling, Sherlock Holmes.

[musicmapglobal]

The Sharp End of the Saxophone - An Interview with Jason Sharp

Plenty of musicians will tell you that music is in their blood, but not many can claim their blood is in their music. Jason Sharp can. The experimental saxophonist uses a heart monitor, alongside other equipment, in order to trigger various musical elements as he plays, making his body’s response a part of the sound itself.

These methods first found an outlet on Jason Sharp’s 2016 album A Boat Upon Its Blood, and are expanded on this year’s thrilling follow-up, the tumultuous Stand Above The Streams. Alongside feedback specialist Adam Basanta, Sharp sets a course through musical waters that ebb and flow throughout, from strong, choppy currents to gently rippling flows that slowly engulf the listener.

In this interview Jason Sharp tells us more about his techniques, and explains how years of dedicated service to Montreal’s jazz and improv scene helped shape his unique approach…

What first drew you into the world of the saxophone?

Jason Sharp: What really drew me into the world of the saxophone was hearing a solo Steve Lacy concert as a high school student. His music encompassed both classical and jazz traditions effortlessly, fluidly moving between compositional and improvisational approaches and employing a wide array of techniques in such a musical way. It was the first time I had ever witnessed the saxophone as a truly solo voice holding an audience in rapture and the concert broadened my whole appreciation for what the saxophone is capable of.

The bass and baritone instruments you play look beautiful. Where did you get them and how do they compare to your first sax/s?

My baritone saxophone is a Selmer Mark VI from 1957 and I found it in Toronto through a craigslist ad. It was in unplayable condition so I sent it to my favourite repair man in NYC to have it restored.

My bass saxophone is a Conn New Wonder II from 1927. The instrument was also in Toronto and was discovered in the basement of a Masonic Temple by a man who ran a Shrine Circus band out of the temple. The case actually had Masonic symbols spray painted on it. When the circus band disbanded later that year he sold off the instruments including this horn and reserved the sale for someone willing to play it, not just a collector. I actually found it online a week before I got married and had to leave Montreal a few days before my wedding to go see the horn. Leaving my family to go buy a saxophone was a bit of a controversy but it worked out on all fronts.

Both these horns are incredibly unique from the golden era of the saxophone. I grew up playing a brand new instrument and while new instruments have excellent intonation and ergonomics they can sound a bit uniform. As you get deeper into the instrument and particularly in jazz you begin to chase after subtle tonal qualities that are specific to certain makes and vintages of instruments. Once you find something that gets you close to what you are hearing, a pretty intimate long term relationship begins. These two horns are hopefully with me for life.

Elements of your music are triggered using heart/breath monitors. Can you explain a bit about how this works? For instance, if your pulse/breathing rate increases, does that effect the tempo of the track?

In order to perform the music on this record I wear an electronic heart monitor that provides a master clock for both my modular synthesizer rig and Adama Basanta’s feedback speaker system. The fluctuating BPM triggers analogue drums, synthesizers, and sine wave patterns that I mix according to the arrangements with a series of volume pedals. The breath is amplified by the use of white noise filters, feedback and of course my own saxophone playing. The music was written with durational physical periods that are intended to increase the heart rate and also to provide moments of rest. Tempos are innately different every time and continue to fluctuate throughout the performance. In a sense it was meant to amplify and orchestrate the physical experience of solo performing.

Are there any ways of triggering sound through your body that you haven’t managed to perfect yet, or that you’d like to develop?

As a saxophonist I have really just been primarily interested in the relationship that breath has on our physical body. The system that I have in place now is the result of years of trial and error and I feel like I am just beginning to unlock new musical applications with it. I’m happy to dig deeper into that for now.

A Boat Upon Its Blood by Jason Sharp

Your debut album A Boat Upon Its Blood was inspired by a Robert Creeley poem. Does Stand Above The Streams bear any specific literary (or other) influences?

Robert Creeley’s ‘The Heart’ provided both inspiration for the pieces on A Boat Upon Its Blood as well as the structure of the album as a whole. This album was loosely inspired by a phrase in a David Whyte poem entitled ‘The Seven Streams’. It describes standing in a current and imaging a connection to the branches of a larger system in order to attain a broader feeling of oneself. I felt this concept encapsulated this project well with each part being a departure in a new direction while remaining connected to a single source.

A Boat Upon Its Blood also featured several guest musicians, whereas apart from violinist Jesse Zubot your only collaborator on this one was Adam Basanta. What was his role on the record?

At the time of recording A Boat Upon Its Blood I was capturing the heart and breath in a fairly primitive way through contact microphones. This system prevented me from playing saxophone as I would normally, because the resonance in my body would often interfere with the signal. I therefore ended up composing most of the music as a trio without my horn, writing notes for the violin on my inhale and the pedal steel guitar on my exhale. Sitting in the middle of the two players (Josh Zubot and Joe Grass) I manipulated my breath to direct the pieces and sculpt the responding triggered synthesizer sounds.

With this record, I had further developed my heart monitor enabling me to play my saxophones as I do normally. I initially conceived of this project as a solo performance and was looking at ways to orchestrate the dynamics of the solo performance experience itself. In my solo practice I often use controlled feedback with my horn and breath. Adam and I were both guest composers at a festival several years ago where I first was exposed to his great work with feedback and amplification systems. When I started to actually write material for this I got excited about the thought of including Adam’s practice to create a broader and more expansive sound world, while remaining homogeneous to my solo work. Connecting our setups via a master clock from the heart monitor presented compositional opportunities in the form of melodic feedback content, textural elements, and developing rhythmic patterns that I would never have been able to accomplish without his inclusion.

Where would be the perfect place/environment to listen to Stand Above The Streams?

Any environment that keeps you in one place listening [from] beginning to end on some nice headphones is my favourite way of experiencing any album. Sitting on a train on a long trip, laying down on the couch at the end of the day, and waiting at the airport on a layover are just a few of my favourites.

The album is split into four parts, but these are divided again on Spotify – is this to try and increase streaming revenue or is there another reason?

On certain platforms this is necessary for albums with few but long tracks to price it as a full album. I do feel though that as a listener of the digital release it is nice to have index markers for navigation through long pieces such as these.

Can you send us a photo of the view from your window?

Montreal is renowned for its experimental music scene. How has living there influenced your career?

Living in Montreal has exposed me to an incredibly diverse musical community that has provided me with fertile ground for exploring my own voice as a musician. My collective experiences of playing in ensembles like Sam Shalabi’s Land of Kush, Nicolas Caloia’s Ratchet Orchestra, Matana Roberts’ Coin Coin Project, Josh Zubot’s Mendham, and recently the Roscoe Mitchell led Montreal/Toronto Art Ensemble have allowed me to meet and collaborate with some amazing local musicians who have become some of my primary influences. Each of these bandleaders have such an unwavering commitment to the realisation of the sounds they hear and its shown me the value of unapologetically chasing after your authentic musical voice.

You’re also signed to the city’s premier label, Constellation, who used to release the work of another circular-breathing specialist – Colin Stetson. Have you guys ever discussed each other’s techniques, or thought about working together?

While I do employ circular breathing often I wouldn’t consider myself a “specialist”. Circular breathing is one of many extended techniques frequently used by most saxophonist in contemporary and improvised music. It is an absolute must if the music you hear has any sustained or drone elements to it. I’m not sure there is much to talk about regarding the technique itself as this is a pretty well established subject but there is a life-time of discussion to be had on the music that is made through exploring the outer reaches of the instrument and the approach to solo playing in particular. Colin certainly has recontextualized these techniques in an incredibly distinctive solo voice and it would be a treat to discuss the resulting music sometime, not to mention hearing our horns together.

What are the top things you’d suggest music fans should see/do/hear in Montreal?

The Suoni Per Il Popolo festival which runs the entire month of June and their associated venues of Casa del Popolo and La Sala Rossa are probably the main musical institutions that have led to me calling Montreal home. The people behind these institutions have done great things for the musical culture of the city and I encourage anyone visiting Montreal to check out their listings.

Stand Above The Streams by Jason Sharp

Jason Sharp’s Stand Above The Streams is out now on Constellation Records. Buy it on Bandcamp.

Photo: Emily Gan Interview: Kier Wiater Carnihan

[benthemusicalbeard]

27 Feb 2019

Good day to you! Trust this posting finds you well? I have three more songs this week for you and, should you like what you hear, the option is also there to explore the back catalogue of the artists so endless scope for enjoyment (nb: not ‘literally’ endless as there is an exhaustive quantity of music from each artist, it was merely a figure of speech.....). Let’s CRACK ON.

First up this week and an artist from North Carolina but now based in LA called Jonathan Wilson. Firmly set in the folk/country genre he has been active for over 20 years, first as part of duo Muscadine and secondly as a song writer & producer for other artists. It is with his solo project’s for which I came to find his music. In 2011 he released his debut album entitled ‘Gentle Spirit’, having written the album over the previous two years whilst combining his solo efforts with his song writing and production for the likes of Elvis Costello & Erykah Badu. One song from this album called ‘Desert Raven’ was on a Spotify trawl of mine many months ago and I loved the flowing guitar intro, very similar in feel to the echoing riff on Fleetwood Mac’s song Albatross. Upon hearing the song again recently I searched Mr Wilson to find a further two albums, his 2013 album release ‘Fanfare’ and a 2018 release ‘Rare Birds’. I gave the latest album a good listen whilst at work and the opening track I think is exceptional and have chosen to share. If slightly psychedelic folk is your bag baby then I can recommend Jonathan Wilson wholeheartedly. 

Jonathan Wilson - Trafalgar Square - https://youtu.be/R2pg8BPQWlc

Second up today and a band I’ve always heard about but never explored until now, The Black Crowes. They were formed in 1989 and after a hiatus between 2002 & 2005 they finally announced a final split in 2015. When I was getting into music I used to get endless compilation albums of rock/indie music in those ‘Now That’s What I Call An Indie Rock Anthem 1996′ style which had some absolute dross on, but occasionally some good stuff too! I clearly remember one such album having the song ‘Hard To Handle’ on it, a cover of the classic Otis Redding song. Upon inspection this song was released in 1990 so maybe I had a ‘Rock Songs Of The 90′s’ album as I don’t recall being quite so up to date with my music at the age of 6 in 1990! The Black Crowes were a hugely successful group in their early days and their first three albums; the 1990 debut ‘Shake Your Money Maker’, the 1992 follow up ‘The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion’ and the 1994 release ‘Amorica’ all being massive commercial hits which contained all their most successful and recognisable singles, namely ‘Hard To Handle’, ‘She Talks To Angels’ and ‘Remedy’. Whilst a fan of the first three albums and obviously a fan of that style of music I found a track of theirs recently and I have not been able to stop humming the opening bass line. Very different from their earlier hits, from their last album as a band, post hiatus, their 2009 album ‘Before The Frost...Until The Freeze’ which has a much more mature sound, they are certainly a band which all rock fans should give time to if you have not familiarised yourself with them previously. The song I’m sharing is not the truest reflection of their early success but still a decent track nevertheless.

The Black Crowes - I Ain’t Hiding - https://youtu.be/F1d0uImJKtU

Finally this week and John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers. From 1963 until 2008 the group had close to 100 members, with only one constant, John Mayall himself. Originally from Macclesfield he has been performing for over 50 years and is a brilliant blues rock singer and songwriter. During the lifespan of his Bluesbreakers group there had been some legendary names associate themselves and record under the banner of ‘The Bluesbreakers’. John McVie, Peter Green & Mick Fleetwood from Fleetwood Mac, Jack Bruce & Clapton from Cream, Andy Fraser from Free & Mick Taylor, lead guitarist with the Rolling Stones before Ronnie Wood joined. There have been many more who have graced recordings from the band, covering all ranges of instruments from double bass to saxophone. One of my favourite albums of the groups happens to coincide with when Mr Clapton was present in the group, the 1965 debut album ‘Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton’. Being a huge Clapton fan I was bound to enjoy the album and the opening track, ‘All Your Love’ which is a cover of blues-guitarist Otis Rush 1958 version sets the scene for many tracks which are simply in place to exhibit the talents of Clapton before he found mainstream fame. The Bluesbreakers would go on to release four albums, the last of which coming in 1968, before John Mayall would release tracks as a solo artist with the help of many session musicians. However in 1985 the name Bluesbreakers was back and from then until 2007 when the Bluesbreakers disbanded and Mayall went it alone once more, the band released a further 11 albums. Their 1965 debut has rightly been classed by many as the best and is the one I would recommend over any other. If you like your blues rock then there really is no better group to explore.

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers - All Your Love - https://youtu.be/rUUEtCBhn_Q

There we have it. Slightly back to my indie/rock/blues safe place with these three choices but it’s just been one of those weeks! Until next time, take it steady!